Narcissism in the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Narcissism in the Workplace Essay I. Introduction and Purpose Having an encouraging self-attitude, being self-assured, and having high self-esteem are worthwhile attributes in both work and personal life; some take these positive attributes to the extreme and become self-regarding, self-adoring, egocentric, and show little empathy for the problems and concerns of others. These people can be considered narcissists, and they can be especially problematic in business settings. Narcissists in work organizations, I believe, are more problematic than beneficial. They tend to cause problems in the workplace due to their toxic personalities. The purpose of this research paper is to prove my point that narcissists are more harmful in a workplace environment than helpful. I will point out the failures of companies due to narcissistic leaders. Although there are companies that are successful who have had a narcissistic leader such as Jack Welch and his company General Electric, it will not be covered in this paper. Secondly, I will make the point that narcissists as leaders are toxic for companies due to their relationship patterns and how it can hurt the business. Freud’s three types of personalities relate to interactions between people that helps further prove the point that narcissists are not beneficial in workplace environments. Thirdly, I will discuss possible techniques to cope with narcissistic leaders and how employees can get their opinions across to their leaders. II. Failures due to Narcissistic Leaders As narcissists become progressively self-assured, they act more impulsively. They feel free of constrictions, and their ideas and beliefs flourish. They believe they’re invincible, which further inspires followers’ enthusiasm and feeds into feelings of grandiosity. One example of a company’s failure due to narcissism is Pehr Gyllenhammar and Volvo. He had a vision that attracted a broad international audience—a plan to transform the industrial workplace by substituting the dehumanizing assembly line mimicked in Chaplin’s Modern Times. His wildly popular vision called for team-based craftsmanship. Model factories were built and publicized to international praise. But his success in pushing through these dramatic changes also sowed the seeds for his downfall. Gyllenhammar started to feel he could ignore the concerns of his operational managers. He pursued chancy and expensive new business deals, which he publicized on television and in the press. On one level, you can credit Gyllenhammar’s falling out of touch with his workforce simply due to faulty strategy. But it is also possible to blame it to his narcissistic personality. His overestimation of himself led him to believe that others would want him to be the leader of a worldwide enterprise. In turn, these fantasies led him to pursue a partnership with Renault, which was extremely unpopular with Swedish employees. Because Gyllenhammar was deaf to complaints about Renault, Swedish managers were forced to take their case public. In the end, shareholders aggressively rejected Gyllenhammar’s plan, leaving him with no option but to resign. At the University of Amsterdam, a study was taken by Nevicka Babora to determine whether or not narcissists make for good leaders. The study recruited 150 participants that were divided into groups of three. One person was randomly assigned to be the group’s leader; all were told they could contribute advice, but that the leader was responsible for making the decision. Then they undertook a group task: choosing a job candidate. Of 45 items of information about the candidate, some were given to all three, and some to only one of the participants. The experiment was designed so that using only the information all three were privy to, the group would opt for a lesser candidate. Sharing all the information that was given would lead to the best choice. After the interviews, the participants completed questionnaires. The leaders’ questions measured narcissism; the others assessed the leaders’ authority and effectiveness. As expected, the group members rated the most narcissistic leaders as most effective. But they were wrong. In fact, groups led by the greatest egotists chose the worse candidate for the job. Barbora said â€Å"The narcissistic leaders had a very negative effect on their performance. They inhibited the communication because of self-centeredness and authoritarianism.† III. Narcissistic Relationships in the Workplace As narcissists move higher up in position in a company, they are more likely to maintain relationships with coworkers who are willing to conform to their ideas and motives. Some people believe narcissists benefit the workplace environment because they are good at making relationships quickly with groups of people by charming people with their charismatic personality at the first initial meeting. They also benefit the company by them willing, and able to make whatever personal sacrifices are necessary to gain reputation and position. Taken to a certain degree, these narcissistic traits are valuable to the person and the organization. They signal â€Å"leader.† Yet, as Manfred Kets de Vries has said, â€Å"narcissism is a strange thing, a double-edged sword. Having either too much or too little of it can throw a person off balance.† Narcissists will often become obsessed with gaining power and control. They tend to make decisions on impulse, with no second thoughts, leading to potential problems. Narcissists have trouble working with others and they often do not take blame for their mistakes and they do not like to share credit for successes. Leaders with a narcissistic personality often like to surround themselves with an unquestioning loyal and uncritical staff because they do not like to feel threatened by a colleague. Also, they exploit others; forming relationships only with those he or she feels will advance his or her goals and self-esteem. Jon Carlzon, former CEO of the Scandinavian airline SAS, is a textbook example of how a narcissist’s weakness can cut short a brilliant career. Carlzon compared the ideal organization to the Brazilian soccer team; there would be no fixed roles, only innovative plays. When another input of thought of a more military form of organization was added that disagreed with Carlzon’s belief, he stated, â€Å"Well, that may be true, if your goal is to shoot your customers.† He did not engage in serious dialogue with his subordinates, displaying his trait of self-interest. He also ignored the issue of high costs, even when others pointed out SAS could not compete without improving productivity. He spent tons of money investing in unnecessary items right before his company filed for bankruptcy. Carlzon’s self-image became so enormously inflated that his feet left the ground. Freud: The Three Types of Personalities Freud identified three main types of personalities: erotic, obsessive, and narcissistic. Most of us have elements of all three; therefore, we are all somewhat narcissistic. One type of personality will dominate over the other, making us react differently to success and failure. i. Erotics tend to be the compassionate and caring. They care about being loved and believe that it is most important. Erotics are dependent on people they fear will stop loving them. Erotic’s are generally teachers, social workers, and nurses; positions which help others in need. Erotics do not make the best leaders because they try to avoid conflict as much as possible and they make people dependent on them. According to Freud, they are the outer-directed people. ii. Compared to erotics, obsessives are more inner-directed. These people tend to be more self-reliant and conscientious. They make the most effective managers in a workplace environment due to their ability to create and maintain order. They are constantly looking for ways to help people listen and understand better to resolve conflicts and find win-win opportunities. Obsessives want to constantly improve due to their conscience and their sense of moral improvement. The best obsessives communicate effectively and set very high standards. They make sure that all procedures are followed according to plan and within the budget. The most productive obsessives tend to be great mentors and team players. iii. The third type of personality is narcissistic. Narcissists are not easily impressed and independent. In business, they are driven by their innovation to gain power and glory. The best narcissists go above and beyond being experts in their industries and they crave the knowledge to know everything about the companies and products. Compared to erotics, they want to be admired not loved. They are not afraid to express their feelings and put others back in pursuit of their goals. At the moment of success, narcissists are at the greatest risk of isolating themselves out of all three personality types. Narcissists constantly look for enemies due to their independence and aggressiveness. The most toxic relationships to be made are with narcissists out of the three personality types because they are the most unstable. Generally, a relationship with a narcissist is short term because of their fear of having someone be more superior than them and due to their independence. IV. How to Cope Narcissists are not likely to realize they do not have narcissistic personality disorder nor do they know how to react when they sense they are being targeted. The best thing for a person to do in order to work well with a narcissist is to follow along with the narcissist’s ideas or plans. The best way to determine if a leader is a narcissist is finding certain qualities that narcissists display. If he or she talks frequently about him or herself, and constantly uses the word â€Å"I† and bullies and abuses those who work for him and intimidates others to get his way, these are signs of a narcissist. Also, another sign would be in public if he or she presents himself or herself as patient, congenial, and confident; however, in private is smug, arrogant, snobbish, and patronizing to subordinates and coworkers. The biggest situation you should try to avoid is not to confront the destructive narcissist directly. Confrontation with them can lead to rage and a feeling of being attacked, causing a highly malicious response. Whatever happens, stay as calm as possible and behave in an admiring manner to calm the narcissist down. Never show that you are afraid of a narcissist for they will try to use it to think that you are of lower authority than them. Get everything you can in writing and keep notes of things that narcissists may lie, bluff, threaten, and deceive about. Narcissists are likely to apologize when they have no one on their side if a mist of an argument or disagreement. They will confess their wrong doings and ask for forgiveness however, they will not mean or believe what he or she is saying. Narcissists rarely see their wrong-doings until they have no one that is admiring them, so they may fake their emotions in order for the person to feel guilty and put the blame for the situation on themselves. This also relates to narcissists taking back the things they say in order for themselves to get out of tight situations. Expect the destructive narcissist to break contracts and agreements. Protect yourself emotionally and financially from betrayal. Have a backup strategy should the destructive narcissist go back on his word, which he or she probably will. V. Conclusion Narcissistic leaders are bad for companies due to their constant admiration of themselves and inability to take criticism well. They listen to only the information they seek and they don’t learn easily from others. If a company is at its highest stress level, adding a narcissist to the stress load may cause the company failure. Works Cited Boyett, Joseph H., Ph.D. Surviving the Destructive Narcissistic Leader. Apr. 2006. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. Bruner, Robert, and Robert Spekman. Alliances: Lessons from Volvo- Renault. 2 Apr. 1998. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Grunes, Dennis. MODERN TIMES (Charles Chaplin, 1936). MODERN TIMES (Charles Chaplin, 1936). 06 Nov. 2011. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. http://grunes.wordpress.com/2007/11/06/modern-times-charles-chaplin-1936/. Konnikova, Maria. The Narcissistic Leader: Not as Good as He (Or You) May Think. 24 Oct. 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. http://www.maccoby.com/Articles/NarLeaders.shtml. Maccoby, Michael. Harvard Business Review. Proc. of Weaknesses of the Narcissistic Leader. 02 Aug. 2006. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. http://www.maccoby.com/Articles/NarLeaders.shtml. Maccoby, Michael. Narcissistic Leaders: The Incredile Pros, the Inevitable Cons. Jan. 2004. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. Nevicka, Barbora. Narcissists Look Like Good Leaders—But They Aren’t! Association for Psychological Science RSS. 09 Aug. 2011 . Web. 26 Nov. 2012. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/narcissists-look-like-good-leadersbut-they-arent.html. [ 1 ]. Grunes, Dennis. MODERN TIMES (Charles Chaplin, 1936). [ 2 ]. Bruner, Robert, and Robert Spekman. Alliances: Lessons [ 3 ]. Nevicka, Barbora. Narcissists Look Like Good Leaders—But They Aren’t! [ 4 ]. Quoted in Andrea Giampetro-Meyer, Timothy Brown, S. J M. Neil Browne, and Nancy Kubasek, â€Å"Do We Really Want More Leaders in Business?† Journal of Business Ethics, 17, no. 15, (November 1998): 1730. [ 5 ]. Maccoby, Michael. Harvard Business Review. The Rise and Fall of a Narcissist [ 6 ]. Maccoby, Michael. Harvard Business Review. Proc. of Weaknesses of the Narcissistic [ 7 ]. Boyett, Joseph H., Ph.D. Surviving The Destructive Narcissistic Leader.

My Family History Essay -- essays research papers

My Family History Family history is very important to an individual. By knowing where you come from, you can have a better perspective of your life. Having a clear understanding of your family background allows you to better appreciate the things that you would normally take for granted. The house, the car, and the average clothing may look better when one sees the sacrifices their family has made. They will see that their family has worked very hard just so their family can experience the better things in life. A persons roots and origin is one of the most important things to explore. It alone can bring you closer to self-discovery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are two sides to a person’s family and one side of my family has been traced all the way back to slavery. My father’s side of the family originally came from a Georgia plantation. Although my father is Afro-American, his great-great-grandfather was a general who owned slaves. From Georgia my father moved to New Jersey. After settling in New Jersey, my father enlisted in the military and began his life as a military man. My mother’s side of the family is all from Puerto Rico. My grandparents moved my mother and her sister to America when they were very young. They moved to Macedonia, Illinois. When my mother got older she too enlisted in the military as a nurse. My mother met my father while they were both serving in the military in Germany. After they both finished their time in the military, my mother mov...

Characteristics of culture Essay

Culture is beliefs and values that are shared and influences effectiveness, they interact with formal structure to get behavioral norm. It is shared basic assumptions that are learned when solving problems of internal integration and external adaptation. There has been evolution of pattern of values, rites, practices, rituals and symbols. Culture is pattern of activities of human beings and symbolic structures that show significance of these activities. Characteristics of culture Culture is learned where its values can be transferred into institutions by means of social interaction and exposure to mass media. This exposure is very important because it reaches everybody and creates awareness about values and beliefs that are shared and no one can lack access to information. A purposeful culture offers order and gives direction and guides in solving behavior of human being because there is a given direction to be followed by every one and proper means of solving human behavior. The beliefs and practice must be common to the society because culture is shared. Members of the same society must have the same culture and share in the beliefs and practices that are set by the society. Culture is cumulative because, it is passed from one generation to another and each new generation is aware of the culture it is supposed to follow. This makes culture have a very strong historical and traditional relevance. (Barry, 2002 pp. 11-17) Culture is dynamic. In case of any change in society, it is able to adapt quickly. This is very important because the world is dynamic and changes can not be avoided at any given time and most of times changes are for the better due to innovations and changes in technology. Culture is perceived based on what we experience, hear or see. Therefore, we should be careful on what we experience, see with our own eyes or hear because it can affect our beliefs either positively or negatively. Culture considers how members perceive things but not whether they like it or not. Sources of culture Culture is transmitted from one person to another through stories containing narrative of events and things like breaking of rules, reaction of past mistakes where one is disciplined after a mistake is done and the punishment available to wrongdoers. The stories are true but are not meant to link past events with present events but only provide an explanation of the performance of events in order to justify practices that are used currently. Culture can come from rituals which are sequence of activities that repeat themselves in order to reinforce key values. The important goals of the firm, ceremonies for recognition and awards and annual picnics are all considered as rituals. In higher learning institutions, the way academic graduates dress and academic procession are the rituals that reinforce great value and beliefs. Material symbols can reflect the seriousness of organization and the quality of product and service which reflect organization personality. The facilities layout of offices and buildings and the way of dressing of employees and the cars driven by the superiors are material symbols. Some places have large well organized offices for their staff and allow staff to be members of clubs and reserve places where managers park their vehicles. Symbols create corporate identity by making workers feel special although those who are not recognized may have negative effect. (Castells, 1999 pp. 15-20) Language can be used to identify members who belong to a particular culture. By learning the language, people show that they accept the language and culture and are ready top preserve it. In computer companies, there is unique language that is used to describe equipments and key personnel. New employee require more time to learn the language and coding system and once everyone learns the language, it is used as a key denominator that unites members to given culture. Culture as civilization The idea of culture developed in Europe in early 19th century and reflected itself in inequalities in European societies, powers and colonies in the world. Culture is identified with civilization and contrasted with nature. Some countries are taken to be more civilized than others and some people are more cultured compared to others. Cultural theorists eliminate mass culture from meaning of culture. Culture is what is thought about and said and popular culture is contrasted with anarchy. This is the account in which culture is linked closely with human behavior and pursuit of perfection by knowing all matters that concerns us. (Galbraith, 1992 pp. 10-16) In practice, caliber arts, museum and classical music are referred to as culture and the term cultured means the people who know these activities and take part in them. There has been contrast between lowest and highest culture but stress has been put in sophistication and refinement of high culture being corrupting and human developments which are not natural and distorting nature of human beings. Folk music produced by people who are working express natural life and classical music is superficial. Indigenous people are taken to be noble savages who live authentic lives and are uncorrupted by capitalists system. Many social scientists do not like monadic culture and opposing culture to the nature and non-elites are cultured just like elites. Symbols are social actor’s practices and the meaning of such practices. Social actors have common symbols of communication to be able to understand one another while the same symbols have personal meaning and importance. Symbols limit cultured thoughts and culture members use symbols in framing their thoughts and expressing themselves in intelligible terms because culture is made possible, readable and reproducible by use of symbols. (Poster, 1990 pp. 23-27) Mass media culture Culture is very significant to mass media because it is integrated pattern of belief, human knowledge and behavior which includes ideas, beliefs, codes, tools, institutions and ceremonies. Social paradigm and culture refers to specific society and a specified time. This means that, there is change from time to time and from place to place. Therefore, there is no theory to determine relationship that exists between culture and economic or political elements in a society. The starting point is rejecting versions of crude economists and sophisticated versions that determine elements that are dominant in social formation. Elements which are dominant in social formation can not be determined by economic base but are determined only by creative act, that is, whether the outcome is of social praxis of social individual’s activities. Theocratic society’s dominant element was cultural and society existed as socialism. In market economies, after introduction of new system in commercial society during industrial revolution, dominant elements in markets economies were also economic. Means of production was controlled by private ownership which led to economy which was socially controlled and market played major role in market economies due to fundamental self regulating systems and are solved by price mechanism rather than by use of social decisions. Interdependence is the relationship between elements with economic element dominating. There are differences that exist between social paradigm and culture because the scope of culture is great and expresses ideas and values that are not necessarily consistent with dominant institutions and characterizes market economy arts and literature where there is significant freedom given to writers and artists to be able to express their own views freely. But in dominant social paradigm the values and beliefs in market society must be consistent with economic elements where economic institutions that determine dominant elites are economic elites who control production. Society can not be able to reproduce itself without dominant beliefs and ideas which are consistent with institutional framework. For example, the social paradigm which is dominant is supposed to be dominant with political elements and political institutions which determine party bureaucracy. The future democratic society corresponds with democratic institutions to ensure there are no formal elites in the society though democracies can not function well without informal elites. (Baudrillard, 1988 pp. 44-47) Mass media produces reality and does not fake things. Mass media does not manipulate democracy because it is democracy which is faked and not the picture of mass media and this shows the reality of current democracy and defines political reality provided by mass media. Furthermore, there can be distorted picture provided by mass media when reported about what causes crisis conflict between different sections of elites. This is where they show the picture which the sections that control them may want to reproduce. For example the media in Anglo-American distorted meaning of Iraqi criminal bombardment in 1998. During the Gulf war, there was distortion of what caused the conflict such as who would be in control of oil in the world with legumes of peace loving between the north and south regimes. Under circumstances like this, mass media is the only one that can tell the truth of the reality when there is division between elites on the way they take political reality. Mass media is very significant whether it is owned by few people or many in order to help in struggle aiming at social change. For example, division among European elites to join monetary union have led to great discussion by the media on meaning of European integration in Britain where there was split of elites. Similar divisions existed between European and Anglo-American over the Gulf crime which was criminal role of supporters of bombardments. About economic reality, there is accurate picture provided by mass media on economic reality today. In this case, the media take market economy for granted ending up with partial picture of reality in the economy where what matters most is whether there is rise or fall in prices, rate of exchange, profits and interest rates. Mass media is not able to see economic problems such as unemployment and poverty and end up faking economic reality. The media is simply able to reflect views of professional politicians, bankers and orthodox economists. (Baudrillard, 1990 pp. 27-31) REFERENCES Barry B. (2002): culture and equality: Ingenta connect pp. 11-17. Baudrillard J. (1988): selected writings: policy press pp44-47. Baudrillard J. (1990): mass media culture, in the revenge of the crystal: Pluto press pp27-31. Castells M. (1999): society and culture: Sage pub pp15-20. Galbraith J. (1992): the culture of contentment: Danny reviews pp10-16. Poster M. (1990): Baudrillard and TV in the mode of information: polity pp23-27.

Reaction Paper of Finance

LI,MINGJIE(JACKSON) Reaction paper In last time, we study chapter 5 to chapter 10, these chapter I have some review. In the chapter 5 I learn what is utility and what is marginal utility. The equimarginal principle: the fundamental condition of maximum satisfaction or utility is the equimarginal principle. The gap between the total utility of a good and its total market value is called consumer surplus.In chapter the relationship between the quantity of output(such as wheat, steel, or automobiles)and the quantities of inputs (of labor, land, and capital)is called the production function. And technological change refers to a change in the underlying techniques of process of production, as occurs when a new product or process of production is invented or an old production or process is improved. The business organizations: business firms are specialized organizations devoted to managing the process of production.In chapter3 one part is economic analysis of costs: total cost can be brok en down into fixed cost and variable cost. Marginal cost is the extra total cost resulting from extra unit of output. Average total cost is the sum of ever-declining average fixed cost and average variable cost. Useful rules to remember are : TC=FC+VC AC=TC/q AC= AFC+AVC In this chapter important is supply behavior of the competitive firm. Supply behavior in competitive industries. Special cases of competitive markets.Efficiency and equity of competitive markets. Those are important parts in the this chapter. Chapter 9 important kinds of markets structures are monopoly, where a single firm produces all the output in a given industry: oligopoly, where a few sellers of a similar or differentiated product supply the industry: monopolistic competition, where a large number of small firms supply related but somewhat differentiated products: and prefect competition, where a large number of small firms supply an identical face downward-sloping demand curves.In chapter10 part of behavior of imperfect competitors: recall the four major major market structures: perfect competition is found when no firm is large enough to affect the market prices. Monopolistic competition occurs when a large number of firms produce slightly differentiated products. Oligopoly is an intermediate form of imperfect competition in which an industry is dominated by a few firms. Monopoly comes when a single firm produces the entire output of an industry. And has another important parts: one is game theory, one is public policies to combat market power. Above is my feeling. Thank you for check.

Hazard Mitigation essays

Hazard Mitigation essays This project discusses the topics of hazard mitigation, what it is and its importance, the difference between structural and non-structural mitigation strategies, and the hazard planning process. As the cost of disasters rise, it is more apparent that pre-disaster actions must be implemented to reduce the amount of devastation to a local or state community. These pre-disaster actions fall into the meaning of mitigation. Mitigation is defined as "sustained actions taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from hazards and their effects" (IS 393, pg 1-2). There are four phases of Emergency Management: Preparedness, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation. The overall end goal of mitigation is to reduce risk. The success of the mitigation efforts will decrease the requirements, the impact, and the expense of a hazardous event. The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires communities and states to develop a hazard mitigation plan. This plan must be approved and in place before any post-disaster funds are administered (FEMA 364, p.11). To reduce risk you must find out what hazards are in the community. This starts the process of mitigation. There are three phases of hazard mitigation: Hazard Identification - Identify "all of the hazards that potentially threaten a community" (IS 393, p. 1-5). Hazard Analysis - Analyze each hazard individually to determine the degree of threat that is posed by each. Strategy Preparation - Identify mitigation priorities and mitigation measures to address these priorities. Determine resources needed to implement these measures and identify potential sources for technical and financial assistance. "Hazard mitigation is the only phase of emergency management specifically dedicated to breaking the cycle of damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage" (FEMA 364, p.11). Examples of mitigation are land use planning, adoption of building codes, and elev...

Massacre at the Festival of Toxcatl

Massacre at the Festival of Toxcatl On May 20, 1520, Spanish conquistadors led by Pedro de Alvarado attacked unarmed Aztec nobles congregated at the Festival of Toxcatl, one of the most important festivals on the native religious calendar. Alvarado believed he had evidence of an Aztec plot to attack and murder the Spanish, who had recently occupied the city and taken Emperor Montezuma captive. Thousands were slaughtered by the ruthless Spaniards, including much of the leadership of the Mexica city of Tenochtitlan. After the massacre, the city of Tenochtitlan rose up against the invaders, and on June 30, 1520, they would successfully (if temporarily) drive them out. Hernan Cortes and the Conquest of the Aztecs In April of 1519, Hernan Cortes had landed near present-day Veracruz with some 600 conquistadors. The ruthless Cortes had slowly made his way inland, encountering several tribes along the way. Many of these tribes were unhappy vassals of the warlike Aztecs, who ruled their empire from the marvelous city of Tenochtitlan. In Tlaxcala, the Spanish had fought the warlike Tlaxcalans before agreeing to an alliance with them. The conquistadors had continued on to Tenochtitlan by way of Cholula, where Cortes orchestrated a massive massacre of local leaders he claimed were complicit in a plot to murder them. In November of 1519, Cortes and his men reached the glorious city of Tenochtitlan. They were initially welcomed by Emperor Montezuma, but the greedy Spaniards soon wore out their welcome. Cortes imprisoned Montezuma and held him hostage against the good behavior of his people. By now the Spanish had seen the vast golden treasures of the Aztecs and were hungry for more. An uneasy truce between the conquistadors and an increasingly resentful Aztec population lasted into the early months of 1520. Cortes, Velazquez, and Narvaez Back in Spanish-controlled Cuba, governor Diego Velazquez had learned of Cortes exploits. Velazquez had initially sponsored Cortes but had tried to remove him from command of the expedition. Hearing of the great wealth coming out of Mexico, Velazquez sent veteran conquistador Panfilo de Narvaez to rein in the insubordinate Cortes and regain control of the campaign. Narvaez landed in April of 1520 with a massive force of over 1000 well-armed conquistadors.   Cortes mustered as many men as he could and returned to the coast to battle Narvaez. He left about 120 men behind in Tenochtitlan and left his trusted lieutenant Pedro de Alvarado in charge. Cortes met meet Narvaez in battle and defeated him on the night of May 28-29, 1520. With Narvaez in chains, most of his men joined Cortes. Alvarado and the Festival of Toxcatl In the first three weeks of May, the Mexica (Aztecs) traditionally celebrated the Festival of Toxcatl.   This long festival was dedicated to the most important of the Aztec gods, Huitzilopochtli. The purpose of the festival was to ask for the rains which would water the Aztec crops for another year, and it involved dancing, prayers, and human sacrifice. Before he left for the coast, Cortes had conferred with Montezuma and had decided that the festival could go on as planned. Once Alvarado was in charge, he also agreed to allow it, on the (unrealistic) condition that there be no human sacrifices. A Plot Against the Spanish? Before long, Alvarado began to believe that there was a plot to kill him and the other conquistadors remaining in Tenochtitlan. His Tlaxcalan allies told him that they had heard rumors that at the conclusion of the festival, the people of Tenochtitlan were to rise against the Spanish, capture them and sacrifice them. Alvarado saw stakes being fixed into the ground, of the sort used to hold captives while they awaited being sacrificed. A new, gruesome statue of Huitzilopochtli was being raised onto the top of the great temple. Alvarado spoke to Montezuma and demanded he put an end to any plots against the Spanish, but the emperor answered that he knew of no such plot and could not do anything about it anyway, as he was a prisoner. Alvarado was further enraged by the obvious presence of sacrificial victims in the city. The Temple Massacre Both the Spanish and the Aztecs became increasingly uneasy, but the Festival of Toxcatl began as planned. Alvarado, by now convinced of the evidence of a plot, decided to take the offensive. On the fourth day of the festival, Alvarado placed half of his men on guard duty around Montezuma and some of the highest-ranking Aztec lords and placed the rest in strategic positions around the Patio of the Dances near the Great Temple, where the Serpent Dance was to take place. The Serpent Dance was one of the most important moments of the Festival, and the Aztec nobility was in attendance, in beautiful cloaks of brightly colored feathers and animal skins. Religious and military leaders were present as well. Before long, the courtyard was full of brightly colored dancers and attendees. Alvarado gave the order to attack. Spanish soldiers closed off the exits to the courtyard and the massacre began. Crossbowmen and harquebusiers rained down death from the rooftops, while heavily armed and armored foot soldiers and about a thousand Tlaxcalan allies waded into the crowd, cutting down the dancers and revelers. The Spanish spared no one, chasing down those who begged for mercy or fled. Some of the revelers fought back and even managed to kill a few of the Spanish, but the unarmed nobles were no match for steel armor and weapons. Meanwhile, the men guarding Montezuma and the other Aztec lords murdered several of them but spared the emperor himself and a few others, including Cuitlhuac, who would later become Tlatoani (Emperor) of the Aztecs after Montezuma. Thousands were killed, and in the aftermath, the greedy Spanish soldiers picked the corpses clean of golden ornaments. Spanish Under Siege Steel weapons and cannons or not, Alvarados 100 conquistadors were seriously outnumbered. The city rose in outrage and attacked the Spanish, who had barricaded themselves in the palace which had been their quarters. With their harquebuses, cannons, and crossbows, the Spanish were able to mostly hold off the assault, but the rage of the people showed no signs of subsiding. Alvarado ordered Emperor Montezuma to go out and calm the people. Montezuma complied, and the people temporarily ceased their assault on the Spanish, but the city was still full of rage. Alvarado and his men were in a most precarious situation. Aftermath of the Temple Massacre Cortes heard of his mens dilemma and rushed back to Tenochtitlan after defeating Panfilo de Narvaez. He found the city in a state of uproar and was barely able to re-establish order. After the Spanish forced him to go out and plead for his people to stay calm, Montezuma was attacked with stones and arrows by his own people. He died slowly of his wounds, passing away on or about June 29, 1520. The death of Montezuma only made the situation worse for Cortes and his men, and Cortes decided that he simply did not have enough resources to hold the enraged city. On the night of June 30, the Spanish tried to sneak out of the city, but they were spotted and the Mexica (Aztecs) attacked. This became known as the Noche Triste, or Night of Sorrows, because hundreds of Spaniards were killed as they fled the city. Cortes escaped with most of his men and over the next few months would begin a campaign to re-take Tenochtitlan. The Temple Massacre is one of the more infamous episodes in the history of the Conquest of the Aztecs, which had no shortage of barbarous events. Whether or not the Aztecs did, in fact, intend to rise up against Alvarado and his men is unknown. Historically speaking, there is little hard evidence for such a plot, but it is undeniable that Alvarado was in an extremely dangerous situation which got worse daily. Alvarado had seen how the Cholula Massacre had stunned the population into docility, and perhaps he was taking a page from Cortes book when he ordered the Temple Massacre.   Sources: Diaz del Castillo, Bernal. . Trans., ed. J.M. Cohen. 1576. London, Penguin Books, 1963. Print.Levy, Buddy. Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma and the Last Stand of the Aztecs. New York: Bantam, 2008.Thomas, Hugh. Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes and the Fall of Old Mexico. New York: Touchstone, 1993.

Court Brief 3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Court Brief 3 - Assignment Example confession of Burbine’s crime in form of valid waivers be suppressed because of police’s failure to report the suspect of attorney’s attempt to reach him or was he adequately informed of his right to access a lawyer? The Providence Police informed Burbine of his Miranda Rights according to which, he could ask for an attorney’s presence â€Å"to dissipate the compulsion inherent in custodial interrogation and, in so doing, guard against abridgement of the suspect’s Fifth Amendment Rights†. In three sessions, the police informed him of his Miranda rights and he signed a written form acknowledging, â€Å"he [did] not want an attorney called or appointed for [him]† due to which, the court ruled out that he "knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waived his privilege against self-incrimination [and] his right to counsel." So, his conviction was retained. Brian Burbine was arrested along with two others with charge of local burglary. Before the arrest, Detective Ferranti found out through a confidential report that Burbine who was known with the name Butch murdered Ms. Hickey brutally some months ago. She was left unconscious and wounded in a factory parking lot after which, she was sent to the hospital where she died after three weeks because of her wounds. The Detective informed Burbine about his Miranda rights, but he was not ready to sign a written waiver. However, the detective called police assistance after which, three police officers reached for interrogating the suspect. Burbine’s sister tried to gain access to attorney’s assistance for the burglary case against his brother and Ms. Munson was asked for assistance. When Ms. Munson called the police station, she was told that they had Burbine in custody, but she was also assured that he would not be interrogated till morning. However, the officers were already bu sy in interrogating Burbine after which, they received three waivers with his confession of murder. The police officials informed him