Personal development planning Essay Example for Free

Personal development planning Essay I am 24 years old and married to my husband Paul we live in Maybole in a two bedroom cottage. I left school at 16 with standard grade level English, maths, history, French and music. My first job was in a nursing home it was then I realised how much I enjoyed working in care and caring for people. I worked in the nursing home for 2 years then left to be an activity’s co-ordinator in a day care centre in Prestwick where I would plan daily activity’s and outings for clients who came for respite day-care the centre sadly closed down after 3 years. I found a part time job in a local pub but I didn’t enjoy it as much as caring I worked in the pub for 2 years until I found a job working for a homecare company I enjoyed but found the hours unsociable it was then I decided to apply for college. I applied for N.C social care and was placed on the reserved list due to the course being full then a week after the course started I got a phone call to start. I attended college from September to june working threw my course studying and passed all my exams. I also attended a work placement at Hansel village respite cabin which I enjoys working with the clients as id never worked with adults with learning difficulties. I was offered a permanent job with Hansel after I left but sadly couldn’t take the job offer up as I had applied to do HNC and Hansel could only offer me 30 hours per week. Whilst doing my NC I enjoyed the subject mental health and decided then that I would like to become a mental health nurse. My hopes are th at I graduate with my HNC and can apply to university and get a degree. Step 2: Broad objective where am I going next? Whilst completing this unit in Personal Development Planning, I have opted to focus on the following area of development my ability to write reports and essays having done an N.C in social care last year I had to do a few reports and essays and realised that I don’t structure them properly this is something I need to practice and develop my skills and abilities in doing this. I would like to progress and graduate from college with my HNC in social care and apply to university of the west of Scotland and do a degree in mental health nursing and work in a psychiatric hospital. Further development of core/key skills Step 3: Self appraisal Personal skills, qualities and contexts Core skill Evaluation Evidence to support evaluation Communication Good When doing an NC in social care one of the tasks I had to do was a presentation in front of the class I became really nervous and didn’t make a lot of eye contact. This is something I would like to work at and concentrate on in the future when delivering presentations. Numeracy Poor Numeracy was apart of my NC course last year and I failed two attempts at an exam working out percentages and doing box plots but I find with extra studying and breaking it down I can complete some numeracy tasks. IT Average I received a standard grade for admin at school this gave me some knowledge on IT skills. On my college course last year I done IT at a higher level where I was shown how to use different search engines and how to type up reports essays and save my work. Problem solving Poor When faced with situations I tend to panic rather than look for solutions to  resolve problems. I feel this is something I can develop in. Working with others Good Threw my recent jobs as a carer, bar maid, activity’s coordinator I have had to work as part of a team to deliver my work and do the best in my job. I also work with others at college to do research on my subjects this is something I enjoy doing. Personal qualities I am a hard working reliable individual. With an NC in social care this has given me a wide knowledge of sociology, psychology and helped me realise my own personal values and principles. I have developed my caring practical skills threw working in in many different care aspects and work placements. I am an honest and trustworthy person who enjoys working as part of team and also on my own initiative. Knowledge and understanding I have a wide knowledge of care and an understanding of my own personal values and principles that I try and introduce when caring for individuals with different needs. I also have a basic knowledge of sociology and try to have an understanding in which way society works. And my basic knowledge of psychology helps me understand peoples behaviours. Technical skills I feel my technical skills can be worked on and developed threw out this course. Threw work and work placements I have a basic knowledge on moving and handling. I also have basic computing skills. Contexts, other factors to consider Step 4: Setting personal objectives Personal objectives — prior to interview with tutor Short-term (this year) I hope to pass my course and gain my HNC in social care. I also hope to gain knowledge and develop new skills threw out the year in all aspects of social care and on college work placement. Medium-term (next year) I hope to be able to apply to university and have enough qualifications and skills and to be able to stay focused on my work and my short and long term goals to be achievable. Long-term I hope to have gained a degree in mental health nursing and be in a job I enjoy doing that helps me stay motivated.

Impact of Information Architecture

Impact of Information Architecture In recent years, as the technology is changing to our society, people are more relying on Internet to find out the solutions for their everyday needs. As some instances, online shopping, learning, processing transactions, watching movies and making easy communications are usual activities today for most of the modern people. In between, there is no doubt about that government related issues are important for the residents or locals and foreigners of the country. There is no way to avoid those transactions if the person is visiting or living in a country and those transactions are also time consuming if try to process manually, for the reasons of travel time, waiting time and other unexpected matters (forgetting of important document and etc). So, governments try to provide the most of the transactions to be able to process via online partly for some of the transactions and some completely. But, there are some difficulties for the expect and the persons who are not familiar with internet so, it is really important to be user friendly and having simple layout in order to be able to use easily by both novice and expert user. In this paper, the studies regarding Information Architecture and Design required to consider when we are to going to develop a user-friendly and good-quality website. I chose the Immigration Checkpoints Authority (ICA) e-government website ww.ica.gov.sg and made justification the site according to my studies regarding information architecture and design concepts especially usability views. Literature Review There are many different views on information architecture with many different areas. Information architecture is the practice of structuring information (knowledge or data) which are structured according to their context in user interaction or larger databases. Rosenfeld expresses the basic concept of IA as the interlinking of three major components: users (who they are, what their information-seeking behaviors and needs are), content (metadata, volume, formats, structure, and organization), and context (business value, business model, culture, politics, resources and resource constraints). Most of the website are developed emphasize on the users requirements and goal. It is essential to consider the information architecture concepts in most of the website in order to let the user with usefulness, usability, efficiency and effectiveness when using the site. While designing the portal site, the first things to think about the target user and user groups and should consider what the user needs, what kind of task are user perform. Moreover, the mental/cognitive aspects should think such as attention (structuring information, use of alert mechanisms and colors,), memory (short-term memory, iconic memory, long-term memory), and the behavioral aspects such as information needs should be well thought-out to match with the usability concepts for the portal website. Furthermore, the interaction design are need to consider in order to let the site is attractive and well-designed especially navigation, search system. Case studies based on ICA website The Immigration Checkpoints Authority (ICA), e-government site, provides many services and functions including issuing of travel documents and identity cards to Singapore citizens and issuing various immigration passes and permits to foreigners. In this site, e-appointment, registration the IC online, applying the students pass for the foreign student via electronically and more services can be performed via this site. Figure-1 ICA website 1. Focus user group This ICA website targets different user groups such as citizens, permanent residents and visitors of the country (Singapore) and information are placed under the different user groups. 2. User Mental/ Cognitive Aspects 2.1 Perception and Attention In this site, the developer uses the alert mechanisms to grab reader attention for example; there is a flash image in the middle centre of the home page to be attractive to user. As information is presented with ample spaces, and text is legible and distinguishable from the background, so the website can be perceived easier by user. (According to the type of users, patterns are used with consistent text size and different colors to attract the users focus). 2.2 Memory Iconic memory In this portal, the images and icons are used in terms of improvement of iconic memory. Short term memory (working memory) mental processing Information is well categorized to support the user short-term memory. So, the user can emphasize on relevant information and do not need to confuse with non-related information. Long term memory knowledge The design supports the long term memory by the recognition of user with using consistent menus, navigation. 3. Interaction design 3.1 Navigation The navigation system is consistent and the global navigation system, persistent navigation, is provided in the whole transaction process. In figure-2, it helps the user navigate the site to find the areas of interest to them and shows users where they are within the site and how to get other page. Furthermore, local navigation uses the within a specific site section, for example, visitors service, entry visa, visit pass, students pass and birth pass. This portal support, breadcrumbs, horizontal list of labels which shows current site location and the path the user go through within this site, and helps user where on website they are and enable user to go back previous page throughout the hierarchical navigation. Breadcrumbs Contextual Navigation Local NavigationFigure-2 3.2 Search Figure -3 This site provides the powerful search feature for the user to find the information which is more desired information of the users. In figure-3, there is search box to find the information and also provide advanced search with the drop down list lets the user chooses within this site or within all government site. Choosing the latter option will help the user to be able to search among all of the Singapores government websites such as Ministry of Health and Ministry of Manpower. 3.3 Categorization In ICA site, there are different categorization for user group and the information and services are categorized for each user group. As an example, a permanent resident can find the related information and services under the category of Permanent Residents. 4. Suggestion for improving site Although the ICA website is nice and user-friendly, still there are some features and technologies to comment perfect. I believe the transactions will be more easier if the website support the user account control feature because a user will only need to fill in their personal information for very first time only and will be stored in the database and later the information will be retrieved when the user login and that data will be able to use for the transactions need. Getting updated is really important in the Information Technology. In addition, very latest technologies will not only help the web-site to be looked well but also provides the new and convenient features such as auto-complete function and real-time announcements. Moreover, the network navigation links which are useful other government sites links that may be related to this site should be support in this site. The features described above are not the vital features. However, it is really better to have those features than doesnt have. I believe that implementing those will make the web-site become more and more perfect. Conclusion In conclusion, the government related issues are essential for every country and the government and people turn into use the e-government website for processing their transaction vial online. In between, those websites should have usability and usefulness for both expect and novice user (e.g. ICA website). So, it should be aware to consider the information architecture in designing and developing the website. According to my literature review, I studied a case, ICA website, in the point of usability concepts especially users, the interaction design between user and the system. According to my studies, user can get more satisfaction when using this ICA website than going physically to ICA building and process the transactions manually. I realize that the website will be more usability, effectiveness and efficiency by focusing on my suggestion base on information architecture issues.

Erectyle Dysfunction :: essays research papers fc

Will we ever be able to produce something capable of making us reach the optimum of one of humankind's most basic needs? Will there always be a side effect?Since the beginnings of civilization, people have been obsessed about their sexuality. Men and women have always tried to achieve a maximum amount of pleasure in any possible way. For human beings this is obtained through the orgasm. Humans usually attain this is goal through sexual intercourse or masturbation. However, sometimes the psychological and physical conditions of a person can deprive him or her from reaching that goal. Thankfully, science and anatomy have also always interested mankind. This has helped to find solutions for problems dealing with our sexuality, which, as a matter of fact are very common. The most recurrent and drastic of all these dilemmas is that of impotence.The term "impotence" has traditionally been used to signify the inability of the male to attain and maintain erection of the penis sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual intercourse. However, this use has often led to confusing and uninterpretable results in both clinical and basic science investigations. This, together with its pejorative implications, suggests that the more precise term "erectile dysfunction" be used instead to signify an inability of the male to achieve an erect penis as part of the overall multifaceted process of male sexual function. Erectile dysfunction affects millions of men. Although for some men erectile function may not be the best or most important measure of sexual satisfaction, for many men erectile dysfunction creates mental stress that affects their interactions with family and associates. All these things might be very interesting, but to fully understand erectile dysfunction we must first take a look into the physiology of the male erection.In its most common form, the male erectile response is initiated by a central nervous system event that integrates psychogenic stimuli (perception, desire, etc.) and controls the sympathetic and parasympathetic innervation of the penis. Parasympathetic input allows an erection by relaxation of trabecular smooth muscle and dilation of the helicine arteries of the penis. This fills the spongy tissue that forms the penis with blood; a process referred to as the corporal veno occlusive mechanism. The erectile tissues must have sufficient stiffness to compress the blood vessels penetrating it so that venous outflow is blocked and sufficient tumescence and rigidity can occur. Constriction of the trabecular smooth muscle and helicine arteries induced by sympathetic innervation makes the penis flaccid, with blood pressure in the cavernosal sinuses of the penis near venous pressure.

SORRY, it’s my entire fault. :: English Literature Essays

SORRY, it’s my entire fault. I wish I had not done it. If I had been more sensible, the accident would not have happened; but it’s no use saying that now. One day at school last term, we didn’t have very much to do. The teachers had all gone to a staff meeting, and most of us in Form 4A were chatting, joking and reading magazines. Vincent, who had to prepare for an overseas examination, was the only one who was working. He had a large Physics book in front of him and was making careful notes in an exercise book. He looked so serious that I suddenly had a marvelous idea for a joke. I crept up behind him and quickly snatched his glasses from his face. The others in the class roared with laughter, as I took him completely by surprise. Even the girls over on the other side of the room giggled. One girl told me to give the glasses back., but I knew she was not serious. Everybody was enjoying the joke except for Vincent. â€Å" Please,† he begged, â€Å"give me my glasses.† He stood up and moved towards me. I turned round and threw them to Raymond, who was behind me. Unfortunately Raymond wasn’t expecting this and he missed them. The glasses fell on the cement floor and both lenses were shattered. One or two people laughed, but then the room fell silent. They had been expensive glasses with metal frames, and the lenses were tinted. Vincent had to wear them in the sun as well as indoors. â€Å" Vincent, I’m sorry,† I apologized lamely. â€Å" I meant it as a joke†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Vincent didn’t reply. I’ll help you buy a new pair,† I promised. But he wasn’t listening to me. If he had been angry, it would have been better; but by ignoring me, he made me feel very small. I didn’t know what to do. A lot of us in Form Four came to school by bicycle or motorbike. Vincent had a motorbike, given to him by his father. I was rather jealous, because I came on an old bicycle, the same one that I had been using since I was in Form Two. After school I saw Vincent go to the stand by the gates, pull out his motorbike, get on it and ride off alone. I felt extremely sorry about what I had done, but I thought that if I could find enough money for a new pair of glasses we might be friends again.

Analysis of Satans Speech in in John Miltons Paradise Lost

Analysis of Satan's Speech in Milton's Paradise Lost      Ã‚  Ã‚   John Milton's Paradise Lost is a work of enduring charm and value because of its theological conceptions, its beautiful language, and its "updating" of the epic to the modern world's values. Book II of this epic poem opens with Satan's speech to his minions in hell, proposing war on Heaven itself. In these first 44 lines, Satan is clearly established as epic hero, but at the same time is theologically/morally denounced by the speaker.    This section of the poem opens by establishing Satan's position of power and prestige:    High on a throne of royal state, which far Outshone the wealth of Ormus and of Ind, Or where the gorgeous East with richest hand Show'rs on her kings barbaric pearl and gold, Satan exalted sat, (II. 1-5).    These lines create an aura of awe and majesty for Satan, showing his glory and splendor through material things, while at the same time inferring indirectly that this material show is all that Satan has, rather than real power or value.    After this portrayal of Satan the epic hero in all his magnificence, the speaker (the heavenly muse) is very careful to bring down his image morally, despite the magnificent outward experience. The muse asserts that,    by merit raised To that bad eminence; and from despair Thus high uplifted beyond hope, aspires Beyond thus high, insatiate to pursue Vain war with Heav'n, and by success untaught His proud imaginations thus displayed, (II. 5-10).    The muse is very careful to remind the reader that Satan is in a high position because of his greed, and the high position he has obtained is not a good position t... ...son who uses elevated language well. The speaker's voice is brought forth showing that despite Satan's slick moves, he is the villain, but the reader still feels sympathy for Satan. The speech is a moving one, and certainly accomplishes the task of motivating the denizens of Hell to move against Heaven. It fits the framework of the poem perfectly, showing not only the theological goals of the poem, but also the desire of the poem to "mock" the traditional epic, and to provide a literary work of great beauty and power.    Sources    Fox, Robert C. "The Allegory of Sin and Death in Paradise Lost." Modern Language Quarterly 24 (1963): 354-64. Lewis, C. S. A Preface to Paradise Lost. Rpt. New York: Oxford UP, 1979. Milton, John. Paradise Lost. In John Milton: Complete Poems and Major Prose. Ed. Merritt Y. Hughes. Indianapolis: Odyssey, 1980.

Aristotle and Aurelius Essay

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics goes to show that he believes that the end goal of all human actions is eudaimonia, or happiness through success and fulfillment. Following this concept Aristotle goes on to explain that through virtuosity a human being can lead a happy life. He defines virtue as a disposition to make the correct decisions that lead to the chief good of happiness. A perfect example is when he describes someone who does an action well as being good, but they are only considered good because of their distinctive activity. The distinctive activity for human beings can be considered our rationale. This is where virtue comes into play in the matter, but this translation could also be deciphered as excellence. Human beings do every single thing they do for a reason and that reason is to help towards an end goal. Although it may seem like the end goal might be something good like eating lunch, it is actually a chain to the ultimate good which is being happy. Happiness in Aristotle’s view is not second-by-second or even minute-by-minute but an entire lifetime. This is because we view happiness as and end goal which we hope to achieve by death and that way you can look back on a person’s life to see if they succeeded in their goal, through virtuous moral character and virtuous intellectual character and through the act of temperance. A life-time of that act can guarantee a happy, fulfilling, and successful life. Being virtuous come through two different ways in our actions as said by Aristotle, â€Å"Excellence being of two sorts, then, the one intellectual and the other of character, the intellectual sort mostly both comes into existence and increases as a result of teaching whereas excellence of character results from habituation†¦ † (Nicomachean Ethics, 1103a15). Intellectual virtue comes from teaching, experience, and time while character virtue is formed through the habit of repeated virtuous actions and constant practice. This allows for every human being to potentially have a virtuous moral character for the fact that it cannot be learned but only practiced, and not one person can be born already virtuous. The only problem with this concept is that there is no exact guideline in which to follow in order to become virtuous and, ultimately, happy. Basically Aristotle explains that you can find virtue in the middle ground of your actions, for example, he says â€Å"For to arrive at one of the two extremes is more erroneous, to arrive at the other less; so, since it is hard to hit upon intermediate with extreme accuracy, one should take to the oars and sail that way, as they say, grasping what is least bad of what is available†¦ † (Nicomachean Ethics, 1109a35) There is no teaching as to why, for example, courage is preferred over cowardice or rashness but that you need to practice being courageous in order to understand the reasoning for being courageous. This is true for all virtuous traits and merits of the human character and by combining the moral and intellectual teachings and habits can you start on the path of a virtuous disposition. The key to virtue is keeping within a balance between the vices. For an excessive vice there is excessive pleasure but also excessive pain and for the opposite there is no pleasure and no pain. The key is in a state of temperance in order to feel the correct amount of pleasure for a healthy lifestyle and choices. Aristotle’s views show that someone with a virtuous disposition should automatically or naturally choose the best action or behavior in any circumstances without having to rely on reason because the virtuous habit has been already learned. In response to someone arguing against an accidental choice, these views only perceive the deliberate and voluntary choices made by the person of virtue. Also a virtuous moral character will always aim for the good while unjust character will try to aim for what is their perception or the â€Å"apparent† good as said in â€Å"That wish is for the end, we have already said; but to some it seems to be for the good, whereas to others it seems to be for the apparent good. The consequence, for those who say that the object of wish is the good, is that what the person making an incorrect choice wishes for is not wished for.. † (Nicomachean Ethics, 1113a10). A virtuous person will always do the right thing and will never be surprised by their actions, nor will they do it the right thing with an ulterior motive. Though you cannot live a happy life just with a virtuous disposition because you still need to act within accordance to virtue, you absolutely cannot live a happy life without virtue. Having virtue in your actions will lead to the final goal of happiness because it far outweighs the happiness found in pleasure, awards or merits. II. Marcus Aurelius was a philosopher-king and emperor of the Roman Empire and was considered of of the most influential Stoic philosophers of all time. His greatest work Meditations is an honest portrayal of Aurelius’ thoughts as they were found in journal form, never meant to be publicized. He wrote these books for himself as a sort of guideline and thought-provoking inner voice. In his works of Meditations, Marcus Aurelius doesn’t use arguments as a way to get his point across but rather states his words as truths and seems to be very confident in his uses. It seems he is prying at the meaning of life, the why’s and how’s of it all on the idea of living. He is very blunt in his use of understating the human existence in the world and compares them to specks in the grand scheme, but the point of this is to provide a sort of carpe diem lifestyle. By letting yourself let go of the things you cannot control, you begin to gain a better understanding of the things you can control and act accordingly. â€Å"We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are obstructions. † (Meditations, 17). This quote goes to show how you cannot allow yourself to get angry at another person for what they have done, but to continue your existence and recognize what you need to do. He advises in his writings â€Å"To shrug it all off and wipe it clean-every annoyance and distraction-and reach utter stillness. † (Meditations, 54) and once you can do that you can realize what is natural. Stoicism being a very popular philosophy in ancient Rome for it called for a â€Å"cosmic determinism† in relation to â€Å"human freedom† by a parallel will to that of Nature . Aurelius,himself, was a firm believer in the Logos, which can be identified as a principle a guiding force for the universe, human beings and all matter. In fact, it is one of the most important concepts in Stoicism for the ancient Romans of the time. The stark and â€Å"manly† belief that every single citizen had a duty, whether they were a king or a peasant, were expected to follow it to the best of their abilities. The term utter stillness is used to acknowledge the state of no distractions. By achieving this you can focus solely on appropriate actions and how to follow your own road by the way of Nature on an unconscious level. Not by thinking about it but by acting naturally should you continue to help others, work for yourself, never stopping but continuing to reply to Nature’s demands. To do this all under the Logos, in order to find our common sense and avoid the annoying distractions all the while by controlling these actions through your inner unconscious/conscious self. III. The Greek philosopher Aristotle and the Roman philosopher-king Marcus Aurelius can be compared and contrasted in their similar and different ways of thoughts. First you can compare Aristotle’s ideas on eudaimonia and Aurelius’ use of utter stillness to help follow the logos, also the final step of death as the end of one’s journey towards a life of fulfillment. Contrastingly, they have different outlooks on purpose of human life and how to lead to the fulfilling of that said life. Stoicism was developed within the framework of Greek theory and philosophies from Plato and Aristotle so obviously there are bound to be many similarities. Both of these men were truly brilliant and ground-breaking in their respective ways of thought and led centuries of intellectuals to search for more fulfillment and happiness’s in their lives. Some big differences between Aristotle and Aurelius were there views on mortality or death. While Aristotle concludes that our lives are given to us and as valuable as human beings want to make them, the Stoics view on life is that is shaped by death and that the thoughts, choices and actions are just based on the knowledge of death. Eudaimonia is a subject in which Aristotle and Aurelius were familiar with in their writings about philosophical life. Aristotle thought of eudaimonia as an activity done with virtue performed rationally and consciously. Aurelius and the other Stoics insist that the way for eudaimonia is to live a morally virtuous life, in regards to the fact that virtue is good, vices are bad and most everything else is neutral. A popular argument for this where a death in the family would be involved, according to Aristotle, that would rob the most virtuous person of their eudaimonia while the Stoics would consider that neutral. Another interesting fact about Aristotle is how he acknowledges how â€Å"dumb luck† can aid or block the journey for eudaimonia, for example being born beautiful or losing close friends and family. Basically, they agree that eudaimonia is self-sufficient; the chief goal in life and that eudaimonia is the most complete end result. Virtue is very important to both philosophers and their ways of thinking and considers it absolutely crucial for eudaimonia. Aristotle and Aurelius can agree that no one is born just virtuous as it must be an act learned. Virtue is believed to be how one can control their emotions for it helps them to stay stable and in moderation. Overall, living life virtuously is living a life full of dignity. Marcus Aurelius’s view is a much more justified view because it is more modern and more adaptable. As the stoicism wants people to better themselves within reasonable goals and change values into something that will bring upon an unconscious change so that they may make better decisions consciously. Aristotle instead relies too much on a proper upbringing and calls the loss of good and friends as a prevention of eudaimonia. Stoics learn to realize what is out of their control and move on to what they can control. Aristotelian views also say that if a person dies early that it is a tragedy and that they were taken away before they reached their prime which in the Stoics eyes, a virtuous person should never be afraid of death because their life is sufficient when living a virtuous life. The difference continues when viewing the topic of emotions for Aristotelian that emotions are not good nor bad, only bad when expressed inappropriately while the Stoics think the whole point of eudaimonia is to be free from emotion. Finally the stoics don’t see a difference between the rich, poor, slaves or free men, because in their views bodily and external things can no impact on their dignity, whereas Aristotle believes that a life based on virtues along with enough material and external goods like freedom, wellbeing, and close friends lead to a life of dignity. Overall, Aurelius and the Stoics have built upon and modified Aristotle’s view to be more realistic and to try and be more optimistic in leading the best possible life no matter the circumstances.

Invisible Man Essay

1977- A character’s attempt to recapture or to reject the past is important in many plays, novels, and poems. Choose a literary work in which a character views the past with such feelings as reverence, bitterness, or longing. Show with clear evidence from the work how the character’s view of the past is used to develop a theme in the work. One’s past can be a frightening thing and for some is only a memory to be distanced. For the narrator in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, past serves as a connection to his mistakes, his grandfather, and his racial roots. But when he begins to call New York his home, these are ties he is not certain he wants to keep. At times, he wants to sever and forget all of it as soon as possible. At other times, he longs for the familiarity of his past, whatever it may encompass. Things that might once have piqued his interest now seem nothing but a stereotype. However, one cannot exist in the present without having come from somewhere past and for this reason, his attempts to have less of a past, only further his progress toward invisibility. As an outstanding student at the premier Negro college in the south, the narrator is given the opportunity and the honor of chauffeuring one of the visiting board members around the town for an afternoon. But when he has a badly-timed lapse in judgment and agrees to show Norton the most unsophisticated regions of the town, he is expelled and sent to New York to â€Å"work† and gain funds for tuition, but in reality this is the last he will ever see of the college. However, for the narrator, out of sight doesn’t necessarily mean out of mind as he finds himself often comparing his current life to his days at the college and reflecting upon those fateful hours spent with Norton. Though he once bragged about his â€Å"college education†, he comes to realize it’s insignificance in his city life. The mistake resulting in his expulsion is at first a subject he feels quite bitter towards, but as time progresses, it is one he no longer holds contemptible. When he loses his status as a college student, he gains some degree of mediocrity. It is all too easy to become invisible when you appear to be no different than the crowd surrounding you. This is what happened to the narrator when he rejected his past at the college. When the narrator’s grandfather is on the verge of death, he leaves some ambiguous and haunting last words that confuse and occasionally torment the narrator for the remainder of the book. Though, he does not express this inner-turmoil to anyone, it is always there to serve as unpleasant and disconcerting reminder of what was. At college, and later in New York, he often thinks of these words, or rather commands, trying unsuccessfully to ascertain meaning from them. This mystery is one he never solves and as he comes to know quite well, it is difficult to live with unresolved and incomplete instructions. When he can’t follow through on these instructions meant to be paramount in his life, he finds it easier to be invisible than to live with this discrepancy, this thorn in his side. The narrator’s favorite food is yams. That’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy a bowl-full of grits or a table of fried chicken, but yams are a sweet, syrupy reminder of home for him. When he is in New York and is offered a bowl of grits by a white vendor, he becomes offended, seeing the suggestion as nothing but a racial stereotype. He is not one to be associated with such southern â€Å"black food† and he’ll have everyone know it. When, some months later, a Negro street vendor offers him a hot and delicious yam, he first denies it under the same premise, but walks back when the smell and nostalgia become too powerful, perhaps only accepting because of the skin color of the vendor. But even when the vendor addresses the narrator as â€Å"brother† he becomes offended saying â€Å"I’m no brother of yours.† In an attempt to appear as a civilized black man in the white world, he rejects these mementos of life at home almost instantly. The pressure to impress leads him quickly and ironically on the path toward invisibility. And as he finds, it is pretty easy for a black man to become invisible in white society so long as he stays in line and pretends to agree with them. At the conclusion of the book, we see the narrator living below the city, occupying the sewers, with no one even aware of his existence- or inexistence. Though he once thought himself an outstanding member of the black race, the way his hand of cards has been played in the game of life has resulted in his plunge from superiority. For the narrator, past serves as a connection to his mistakes, his grandfather, and his racial roots. In denying this past, he has denied himself. He has gained true invisibility.