Dreams from My Father Essay - 1313 Words

Essay: Dreams From My Father Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father is exactly what it claims to be by title, a story of race and identity. Barack Obama comes from a diverse background, which he explores throughout the book. Having a white American mother and black Kenyan father, he has a different experience than the majority of people in society when it comes to race and identity, however still it seems similar to the experience of many blacks as described in William E. Cross’s Black Psychological theory, the Nigresence Model of Racial Identity Development. While Obama’s experience does not necessarily occur in chronological order according to Cross’s model, in my opinion, it portrays a good example of how someone enters each stage of†¦show more content†¦At this stage, it is suggested that an individual sees him or herself as part of the entire human family, proud to be black, but not limited to blackness. The individual sees people only as people, not as black people, or wh ite people, etc. Furthermore, one thing that pertains particularly to Barack, in my opinion, is that individuals in this stage enjoy regular company of a wide array of people and most importantly fight for a wide array of causes, which are not specific to race. Getting to this place was a journey for Obama just as it is for all others, in my opinion. My perception of the encounter, for Barack, was neither horribly negative, nor very positive. He was simply lost, it seemed. As a young child attending a prestigious school in Hawaii, Barack Obama was cared for by his white American mother and grandparents, but was a brown child, having also a black Kenyan father. Barack was an outcast for everyone, being secluded from the whites because of his look, and having a different outlook than other black students at his school who held the view that they were oppressed by white people. It was far from sensible that the people who loved, cared for, and supported him the most could oppress Barack. Curiosity was inevitable for the boy, however, and led him into what William E. Cross’s Nigresence Model declared was the immersion stage of racial identity for a black person. In this stage, African Americans basically submergeShow MoreRelatedDreams From My Father : A Story Of Race And Inheritance1451 Words   |  6 PagesA Summary Analysis of â€Å"Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance† Kyler M. Black Mid-Michigan Community College Contemporary Social Problems Fall 2017Abstract This paper explores Barack Obama’s book, â€Å"Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance† (1995, 2004), a piece of literary work that explains his life experiences during his early years and the journey that has led him to the point at which the book was published, in which he was starting his political campaign for IllinoisRead MoreBarack Obama s Dreams From My Father1730 Words   |  7 Pagesimpeccably the subject of racial character in Barack Obama s book, Dreams from my Father. In this book, Obama examines racial way of life as an issue to end up in the United States. He does this by permitting the peruser to complete his adventure life, and talking about the encounters that made him doubt his character in view of the numerous trials that occurred in his life. While reading this section of the Dreams from My Father I asked myself what is an origin is it simply the place where everythingRead MoreDreams from My Father (Barack Obama) Essay example837 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is My Identity? Dreams from My Father archives Barack Obama’s journey, and struggles, to find his identity. Obama quickly admits that race is an important part of himself, and it is that quest of race and identity that pushes him to question his own uniqueness. Ultimately spanning both worlds of the vastly different cultures of his life in America and his roots in Kenya causes Obama confusion and self-doubt. It is through the steady love of his family that allows Obama to truly find acceptanceRead MoreBarack Obama s Path Of Presidency956 Words   |  4 Pagesposition in Congress. President Obama did the same thing in 1995 when he began his quest to join the Illinois Senate by writing his memoir, Dreams from My Father and later republished the same book in 2004 when he was running for the U.S. Senate. In Dreams from My Father, Obama’s words are often frank and honest in a way that most people wouldn’t expect from a man that eventually becomes the leader of the free world. He talks very openly about casual drug use and his leisure time as a young manRead MoreEssay Life Without Television598 Words   |  3 PagesLife without Television When my family’s only television set went to the repair shop the other day, my parents, my sister, and I thought we would have a terrible week. How could we get though the long evenings in such a quiet house? What would it be like without all the shows to keep us company? We soon realized, though, that living without television for a while was a stroke of good fortune. It became easy for each of us to enjoy some activities alone, to complete some postponed choresRead MoreEssay about The Audacity of Hope: A Rhetorical Analysis2128 Words   |  9 Pageselectorate today, offering his opinions and possible strategies for reform. â€Å"My motivation in entering politics was to cut through decades of polarizing partisanship and develop a moderate, effective approach to our government.† (Barackopedia.org). Obama notes that this same impulse, an impulse of a secure, functional and sustainable administration, prompted him to write The Audacity of Hope. During the course of my readings, I realized how effective of a writer Barack Obama really is, and howRead MoreDreams From My Father By Barack Obama992 Words   |  4 PagesWessman 1 Natalie Wessman Jay Hester History 18B May 08, 2016 Dreams From My Father Analysis In Barack Obama’s Memoir â€Å"Dreams From My Father† he focuses on growing up in a biracial family and his struggles with racism and his identity. The 403 pages were in depth on race, wanting to make a difference with Civil Rights, and how he first discovered what is was like to have colored skin, and how life was growing up without his father. His book was divided into three sections, Growing up in HawaiiRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Dreams From My Father 1385 Words   |  6 Pagesparallels between his life before his presidency as told in this memoir and his life as the most powerful man in Washington, DC. In this paper, the focus will be on Obama and his father, African American history, his way to success, and finally, his experience in Washington. First published in 1995, the Dreams from my Father reveals a great portrayal of the head of the US government as a person before achieving his status and power. Today, across the globe, the name Barack Obama would be recognizableRead MoreBarack Obama s Dreams From My Father 1271 Words   |  6 PagesIn former U.S. President Barack Obama’s memoir, â€Å"Dreams from my Father,† he explains his background and key events that happened in his life that helped shape him be the leader he is today. From the first day he entered the public sphere, Barack Obama has been a lightning rod for criticism and derision. Much of that derision has come as a result of the former president’s background. Some have disputed the legitimacy of his background and others have accused him of being either an atheism or a MuslimRead MoreThe Childhood Of A Hispanic Girl1020 Words   |  5 Pages As a hispanic girl, the typical dream which is expected of us is to want to have a quinceanera. Which would be a large party for the transition from childhood to adulthood. However this wasn’t the way it went for me. My dreams where different. I could honestly care less about having a huge party to celebrate me turning 15. Of course it would be great experience to have one and it is a once in a lifetime thing as you can only turn 15 once. Yet, I tend to not want this but at the same time I long

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International Finance Corporation Free Essays

Financing the Mozal Project Executive summary We have assessed the various risks involved in the Mozal project. The construction risk, operating risk and financing risk are relatively small but the political risk is very high. Creeping expropriation and moral hazard are realistic threats to the project. We will write a custom essay sample on International Finance Corporation or any similar topic only for you Order Now The high sovereign risk is reflected in the hurdle rate. The hurdle rate amounts to a much higher value than the internal rate of return. Therefore, it is not feasible for the sponsors to undertake the proposed investment in the project. Regarding the financing gap of $250m; participation of the IFC is quintessential as commercial bankers refuse to provide funding without its involvement. IFC involvement could be very beneficial for the project but the IFC’s board should not go through with the recommended investment of $120m as the high sovereign risk does not justify making the IFC’s largest investment yet. Summary of facts The Mozal project, a $1. 4b aluminum smelter in Mozambique, is a joint venture between Alusaf, the aluminum subsidiary of the Gencor group, and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South-Africa, a government owned development bank. Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world and only recently emerged from a 17-year civil war that had destroyed the country’s infrastructure. Both parties would each own 25% of Mozal by an equity investment of $125m. Ownership of the remaining equity stake of $250m is still to be determined. To be able to attract additional funding, the sponsors require needed to involve the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. The IFC has a good reputation and solid experience in structuring deals in emerging markets. The IFC board has received a recommendation by its team to participate in the project with a $55m senior debt and $65m subordinated debt investment. http://www. slideshare. net/prafful16/financing-the-mozal-project http://www. scribd. com/doc/105379331/The-Mozal-Project | Financing the Mozal Project Benjamin Esty Harvard Business School – Finance Unit February 18, 2000 Case No. : 200-005; Teaching Note: 5-200-025 Abstract: SUBJECT AREAS: project finance, emerging markets, sovereign risk, valuation analysis, Africa, International Finance Corporation, multi-lateral agency CASE SETTING: June 1997, Mozambique, aluminum smelter, $1. billion investment, $700 million revenue, 750 employees In June 1997, a project team from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) was recommending that the board approve a $120 million investment in the Mozal project, a $1. 4 billion aluminum smelter in Mozambique. Four factors made this recommendation controversial. First, it would be the IFC’s largest investment in the world and by far its largest investment in Sub-Saharan Africa. Second, the project was enormous by Mozambican standards–it was not much smaller than the country’s 1996 gross domestic project (GDP). Third, Mozambique was a very poor country at the time (per capita GDP of $90) and had only recently emerged from 20 years of civil war. Fourth, many aspects of the deal remain undetermined such as who was going to provide half the equity needed to finance the project. Despite these concerns, the sponsors, Alusaf (the aluminum subsidiary of the South African minerals company, Gencor) and Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC is a development bank), want to structure a limited-recourse deal to finance the smelter; it will be non-recourse to the sponsors after completion. Commercial bankers have refused to participate unless the International Finance Corporation gets involved in the deal and so the sponsors have approached the IFC about participation. After reviewing the project’s commercial viability and development impact, the IFC team is recommending the investment. The board must decide whether it is the right time and the right project to make such a large investment. The case has four pedagogical objectives. ) It presents an extreme example of political risk in a developing country setting and shows how organizations like Institutional Investor, the Economist Intelligence Unit, and The PRS Group attempt to analyze it for prospective investors. 2) It illustrates the modern form of political risk management through project selection, structuring, and insurance, and contrasts this approach with the older, financial style of political risk management whereby sponsors simply increased hurdle rates to ensure sufficient project returns. ) It highlights the various roles multilateral development institutions, in general, and the IFC, in particular, can play in financing major projects. 4) It analyzes IFC’s involvement in appraising, structuring, monitoring, and financing projects, and shows how these activities create value by resolving costly market imperfections including information, distress, agency, and transactions costs. It also explores the IFC’s performance in these various activities. Given these objectives, the case is appropriate for business/government, strategy, international business, and finance courses. Case and Teaching Paper Series How to cite International Finance Corporation, Papers