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Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts Page 82

Chapter 7
Motivation Concepts
Chapter Overview

Motivation is one of the major areas of interest in OB. Properly motivating a PPT 7.2
workforce can lead to gains in productivity, innovation, and employee retention.
This chapter will review the basics of motivation, assess the number of motivation theories,
and provide an integrative model that shows how the best of these theories fits together.

Chapter Objectives

After studying this chapter, the student should be able to:


1. Describe the three key elements of motivation.
2. Evaluate the applicability of early theories of motivation. PPT 7.3
3. Contrast the elements of self-determination theory and goal-
setting theory.
4. Demonstrate the differences between self-efficacy theory, equity theory, and
expectancy theory.
5. Identify the implications of employee job engagement for management.

Suggested Lecture Outline

I. INTRODUCTION
Motivation is a problem in the U.S. workforce. Poorly motivated workers express
themselves through detrimental behaviors such as time wasting, absenteeism, and high
turnover. It is important that motivational theories are understood and applied in the
workplace.
II. DEFINING MOTIVATION
Motivation: the processes that account for an individual’s PPT 7.4
intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward attaining a
goal, specifically for OB, toward attaining an organizational goal.
A. Three Key Elements in the Definition:
1. Intensity: how much effort a person puts forth to meet a goal.
2. Direction: efforts are channeled toward organizational goals.
3. Persistence: how long a person maintains effort toward a
goal. PPT 7.5
III. EARLY THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
Four early theories of employee motivation formulated during the 1950s, although now
of questionable validity, are probably the best known. We discuss more valid
explanations later, but these four represent a foundation, and practicing managers still
use their terminology.

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Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts Page 83

A. Hierarchy of Needs Theory. In this, perhaps best known (and least PPT 7.6
supported) of all motivational theories, Abraham Maslow proposed
that there are five levels of human needs. As each of the lower level Exhibit 7-1
needs are satisfied, the next unsatisfied need becomes dominant.
Satisfied needs no longer motivate; only unsatisfied needs motivate people. In
cultures that do not share American traits, the hierarchical order of needs may be
out of sequence.
1. Physiological: lower order need, includes hunger, thirst, shelter, sex, and other
bodily needs. Lower order needs are satisfied externally, through forces outside
of the person.
2. Safety: lower order need, includes security and protection from physical and
emotional harm.
3. Social: upper order need, includes affection, belongingness, acceptance, and
friendship. Upper order needs are satisfied internally, that is, from within the
person.
4. Esteem: upper order need, includes internal (self-respect, autonomy, and
achievement) and external (status, recognition, and attention) esteem factors.
5. Self-actualization: upper order need, defined as the drive to “be all one can be,”
it includes growth, achieving one’s potential, and self-fulfillment.
B. Theory X and Theory Y. Douglas McGregor’s theory proposed that there
were two basic views of human nature, one essentially negative (Theory X) PPT 7.7
and the other positive (Theory Y). Which view a manager believed was true
would give that manager a pre-set series of assumptions and related behaviors.
1. Theory X. In this negative view of human nature, workers inherently dislike
work and must be directed or even coerced into performing it.
2. Theory Y. In this positive view, employees view work as being as natural as rest
or play. Therefore, they can learn to accept and even seek responsibility.
3. Unfortunately, as with Maslow’s theory, there is no research evidence that either
view of human nature is valid or that taking actions based on Theory Y will
increase motivation in workers.
C. Two-Factor Theory. Frederick Herzberg proposed that an individual’s relation Exhibit 7-2
to work is basic and that one’s attitude toward work can very well determine
success or failure. In other words, things that people feel good about at work
are motivating and those things they don’t feel good about are de-motivating. PPT 7.8
This theory is also known as the motivation-hygiene theory.
1. In his research, Herzberg realized that the opposite of satisfaction is not
dissatisfaction; rather there are two different factor scales, one ranging from
satisfaction to no satisfaction and the other from dissatisfaction to no
dissatisfaction. When he related a number of workplace factors against these
two scales, he realized they were very different concepts. He called the first set
of factors motivation factors and the second hygiene factors.
a. Hygiene Factors. These workplace factors, when not met, lead to job
dissatisfaction. When they are met, they do NOT lead to job satisfaction, but
rather, to a lack of dissatisfaction. Therefore, meeting hygiene factors does
NOT increase motivation; it merely placates the workers. Hygiene factors
include quality of supervision, pay, company policies, physical working
conditions, relations with others, and job security.

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Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts Page 84

b. Motivation Factors. These are intrinsically rewarding factors in the work


environment such as promotion and personal growth opportunities,
recognition, responsibility, and achievement. Meeting these factors will
increase motivation by creating a satisfying work environment.
2. As with the other two main motivational theories, this very popular theory is
also not well supported in the research literature. There are many criticisms of
the Two-Factor Theory, mostly dealing with the methodology Herzberg used in
his initial studies.
D. McClelland's Theory of Needs. David McClelland and his associates created a theory
based on three subconscious needs:
1. Need for Achievement (nAch): the drive to excel and to PPT 7.9
achieve in relation to a set of standards. High achievers
perform best when they have a 50-50 chance of success. High achievers
perform best in jobs with a high degree of personal responsibility and feedback
with an intermediate degree of risk.
a. High achievers tend to be successful entrepreneurs.
b. A high need for achievement does not necessarily mean PPT 7.10
the person would be a good manager for larger
organizations, as his or her desire for personal recognition supersedes his or
her concern for the organization.
2. Need for Power (nPow): the need to make others behave in a way they would
not have behaved otherwise.
3. Need for Affiliation (nAff): the desire for friendly and close interpersonal
relationships.
4. The best managers appear to be those with a high need for power and a low
need for affiliation.
5. The need for achievement presupposes certain cultural characteristics such as
moderate degree of risk acceptance and a concern with performance. These two
cultural characteristics are not universal, and therefore the need for
achievement may not be as powerful in other cultures.
6. McClelland’s theory has the best research support, but has the least practical
effect of any of the early motivational theories.
IV. CONTEMPORARY THEORIES OF MOTIVATION PPT 7.11
A. Unlike the historic theories of motivation, these current
theories of motivation do have a reasonable degree of supporting documentation. It
is important to remember that these are still theories. None of these has been
totally proven true.
B. Self-Determination Theory
1. Self-determination theory, which proposes that people PPT 7.12
prefer to feel they have control over their actions, so
anything that makes a previously enjoyed task feel more like an obligation than
a freely chosen activity will undermine motivation.
2. Much research on self-determination theory in OB has focused on cognitive
evaluation theory, which hypothesizes that extrinsic rewards will reduce
intrinsic interest in a task.
a. When people are paid for work, it feels less like something they want to do
and more like something they have to do.

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Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts Page 85

3. Self-determination theory also proposes that in addition to being driven by a


need for autonomy, people seek ways to achieve competence and positive
connections to others.
a. A large number of studies support self-determination theory.
b. When organizations use extrinsic rewards as payoffs for superior
performance, employees feel less like they are doing a good job because of
their own intrinsic desire to excel and more like they are doing a good job
because that’s what the organization wants.
1) Eliminating extrinsic rewards can also shift from an external to an
internal explanation of an individual’s perception of why she works on a
task.
2) If you’re reading a novel a week because your English literature
instructor requires you to, you can attribute your reading behavior to an
external source.
3) However, if you find yourself continuing to read a novel a week after the
course is over, your natural inclination is to say, “I must enjoy reading
novels because I’m still reading one a week.”
4) Recent studies examining how extrinsic rewards increased motivation
for some creative tasks suggests we might need to place cognitive
evaluation theory’s predictions in a broader context.
4. Goal setting is more effective in improving motivation, for instance, when we
provide rewards for achieving the goals.
5. The original authors of self-determination theory acknowledge that extrinsic
rewards such as verbal praise and feedback about competence can improve
even intrinsic motivation under specific circumstances.
6. Deadlines and specific work standards do, too, if people believe they are in
control of their behavior.
a. This is consistent with the central theme of self-determination theory:
rewards and deadlines diminish motivation if people see them as coercive.
7. What does self-determination theory suggest for providing rewards? Consider
two situations.
a. If a senior sales representative really enjoys selling and making the deal, a
commission indicates she’s been doing a good job at this valued task.
b. The reward will increase her sense of competence by providing feedback
that could improve intrinsic motivation.
c. On the other hand, if a computer programmer values writing code because
she likes to solve problems, a reward for working to an externally imposed
standard she does not accept could feel coercive, and her intrinsic
motivation would suffer.
d. She would be less interested in the task and might reduce her effort.
8. A recent outgrowth of self-determination theory is self-concordance, which
considers how strongly people’s reasons for pursuing goals are consistent with
their interests and core values.
a. If individuals pursue goals because of an intrinsic interest, they are more
likely to attain their goals and are happy even if they do not. Why? Because
the process of striving toward them is fun.
b. In contrast, people who pursue goals for extrinsic reasons (money, status, or
other benefits) are less likely to attain their goals and less happy even when
they do achieve them.

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Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts Page 86

c. Why? Because the goals are less meaningful to them.


9. OB research suggests that people who pursue work goals for intrinsic reasons
are more satisfied with their jobs, feel like they fit into their organizations
better, and may perform better.
10. What does all this mean?
a. It means choose your job for reasons other than extrinsic rewards.
b. For organizations, it means managers should provide intrinsic as well as
extrinsic incentives.
1) They need to make the work interesting, provide recognition, and
support employee growth and development. Employees who feel what
they do is within their control and a result of free choice are likely to be
more motivated by their work and committed to their employers.
C. Goal-Setting Theory.
1. This theory studies the effects goal specificity, challenge,
and feedback have on performance. The study of goal PPT 7.13
setting has created the following general rules:
2. Specific goals produce a higher level of output than do generalized goals.
3. Typically, the more difficult the goal, the higher level of performance, assuming
that goal has been accepted by the employee. This is because:
a. Difficult goals focus attention on the task and away from distractions.
b. Difficult goals energize employees.
c. Difficult goals tend to make people persist in efforts toward attaining them.
d. Difficult goals force employees to discover strategies to help them perform
the task or job more effectively.
4. Feedback is important in goal-setting theory, especially self-generated feedback.
5. The question of whether participative goal setting increases motivation has not
yet been resolved. The assumption is that when employees are involved in
setting the goals, they have greater buy-in and therefore will have a higher level
of commitment. When employees don’t participate in goal setting, the manager
must take pains to explain the purpose and importance of the goal.
6. Contingencies in goal-setting theory:
a. Goal Commitment. Commitment increases when goals are made public,
when the individual has an internal locus of control, and when goals are self-
set rather than assigned.
b. Task Characteristics. Goals are better in terms of performance on simple
rather than complex tasks, when tasks are familiar, and when they are
accomplished by a single individual.
c. National Culture. Goal-setting theory is culture-bound. It is important that
the key components of goal-setting theory match the culture traits.
7. Although goal setting has positive outcomes, it is not unequivocally beneficial.
For example, some goals may be too beneficial. When learning something is
important, goals related to performance undermine adaptation and creativity
because people become too focused on outcomes and ignore changing
conditions.
a. A goal to learn and generate alternative solutions will be more effective than
a goal to perform.
b. Individuals may fail to give up on an unattainable goal, even when it might
be beneficial to do so.

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Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts Page 87

c. Managers should make sure goals are aligned with company objectives.
8. Research has found that people differ in the way they regulate their thoughts
and behaviors during goal pursuit. Generally, people fall into one of two
categories, though they could belong to both.
a. Those with a promotion focus strive for advancement and accomplishment,
and they approach conditions that move them closer toward desired goals.
b. Those with a prevention focus strive to fulfill duties and obligations and
avoid conditions that pull them away from desired goals.
c. Ideally, it’s probably best to be both promotion and prevention oriented.
9. Implementing Goal-Setting. Setting specific, challenging goals for employees is
the best thing managers can do to improve performance. However, it appears
that few managers actually set goals for their employees. One of the ways an
organization can ensure this happens is through Management by Objectives
(MBO).
D. Management by Objectives (MBO). One of the more effective ways to formalize goal-
setting theory into an organization is through management by
objectives. MBO emphasizes participatively set goals that are PPT 7.14
tangible, verifiable, and measurable. MBO operationalizes the
concept of objectives by devising a process by which objectives cascade down
through the organization. The result of MBO is a hierarchy of objectives that build
toward organizational objectives. It also provides specific performance goals for
individuals.
1. Four ingredients common to MBO programs:
a. goal specificity,
b. participation in decision making,
c. an explicit time period, and
d. performance feedback. PPT 7.15
2. MBO and Goal Setting. The primary difference between MBO
programs and goal-setting theory relates to the issue of
Exhibit 7-3
participation. MBO strongly advocates it, while goal-setting
theory demonstrates that having managers assign goals is usually just as
effective.
V. OTHER CONTEMPORARY THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
PPT 7.16
A. Self-Efficacy Theory (also known as "social cognitive theory" or
"social learning theory"). Typically, people with high self-efficacy respond better to
challenges and negative feedback than those with low self-efficacy.
Self-efficacy: an individual's belief that he or she is capable of PPT 7.17
performing a task.
1. Goal-Setting Theory and Self-Efficacy Theory Complement Each Other. When
managers set difficult goals for employees, this leads employees
to have a higher level of self-efficacy and they set higher goals Exhibit 7-4
on their own. This is because when managers set difficult goals
for people, it communicates their confidence in those people.
2. Four Ways to Increase Self-Efficacy: PPT 7.18
a. Enactive Mastery: gaining relevant experience with the task or job. Past
success in a task increases future confidence.
b. Vicarious Modeling: becoming more confident because another person is
observed doing the task.

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Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts Page 88

c. Verbal Persuasion: confidence gained because another person convinces the


target individual of the target's abilities.
d. Arousal: an energized state, which may drive a person to complete a task.
Not always effective in tasks that require detail-orientation or finesse.
3. Personality and Intelligence. While not part of self-efficacy theory, intelligence,
conscientiousness, and emotional stability have all been shown to increase self-
efficacy. In fact, the relationship is so strong that some researchers believe that
self-efficacy itself is merely a reflection of the effects of a highly confident
personality.
B. Equity Theory – Organizational Justice.
1. This view holds that motivation can be affected by the PPT 7.19
comparisons employees make of their job inputs (effort,
experience, education, confidence) and the job's outcomes Exhibit 7-5
(salary levels, raises, recognition) relative to the inputs
and outcomes of other employees. If the ratios of inputs to outputs are roughly
equal between employees, a state of equity is said to exist.
2. The situation is perceived to be fair.
a. However, when the ratios are seen as unequal, employees may experience
tension and emotion.
b. Employees who believe they are under-rewarded may be angry, while those
who feel they are over-rewarded might feel guilty.
c. This emotional tension provides the motivation to do something to correct
the situation.
3. Based on equity theory, employees who perceive inequity will make one of six
choices:
a. Change inputs (exert less effort if underpaid or more if PPT 7.20
overpaid).
b. Change outcomes (individuals paid on a piece-rate basis can increase their
pay by producing a higher quantity of units at a lower quality).
c. Distort perceptions of self (“I used to think I worked at a moderate pace, but
now I realize I work a lot harder than everyone else.”).
d. Distort perceptions of others (“Mike’s job isn’t as desirable as I thought.”).
e. Choose a different referent (“I may not make as much as my brother-in-law,
but I’m doing a lot better than my Dad did when he was my age.”).
f. Leave the field (quit the job).
4. Some of these propositions have been supported, but others haven’t.
a. First, inequities by overpayment do not seem to significantly affect behavior
in most work situations. So, don’t expect an employee who feels overpaid to
give back part of her salary or put in more hours to make up for the inequity.
Although individuals sometimes perceive that they are over-rewarded, they
restore equity by rationalizing their situation.
b. Second, not everyone is equity-sensitive. A few actually prefer outcome-
input ratios lower than the referent comparisons.

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Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts Page 89

5. Although equity theory’s propositions have not all held up, the PPT 7.21
hypothesis served as an important precursor to the study of
organizational justice, or more simply, fairness, in the Exhibit 7-6
workplace. Organizational justice is concerned with how
employees feel authorities and decision makers treat them. For the most part,
employees evaluate how fairly they are treated along four dimensions.
a. Distributive justice is concerned with the fairness of the outcome, such as
pay and recognition that employees receive. People base distributive
judgments on a feeling or an emotional reaction to the way they think they
are being treated relative to others, and their reactions are often “hot” and
emotional rather than rational.
b. Procedural justice focuses on the fairness of the process used to distribute
rewards. The two key elements of procedural justice are:
1) Employees perceive that procedures are fairer when they are given a say
in the decision-making process. Having direct influence over how
decisions are made, or at the very least being able to present your
opinion to decision makers, creates a sense of control and makes us feel
empowered.
2) Employees perceive that procedures are fairer when decision makers
follow several “rules.” It is important that managers be consistent,
unbiased, use accurate information, and are open to appeals for
procedural justice to work.
3) In the absence of distributive justice, research has shown that
procedural justice becomes more important to employees.
c. Informational justice reflects whether managers provide employees with
explanations for key decisions and keep them informed of important
organizational matters. The more detailed and candid managers are with
employees, the more fairly treated those employees feel.
1) Though it may seem obvious that managers should be honest with their
employees and not keep them in the dark about organizational matters,
many managers are hesitant to share information. This is especially the
case with bad news, which is uncomfortable for both the manager
delivering it and the employee receiving it.
2) Research has linked the absence of explanations to increased litigation
intentions by employees who have been laid off. Explanations for bad
news are beneficial when they take the form of post hoc excuses rather
than justifications.
d. Interpersonal justice reflects the individual's perception of the degree to
which he or she is treated with dignity, concern, and respect. This is a more
interpersonal view of justice, normally related directly between supervisor
and employee.
C. When employees feel fairly treated, they respond in a number of positive ways. All
four types of justice have been linked to higher levels of task performance and
citizenship behaviors such as helping co-workers, as well as lower levels of
counterproductive behaviors such as shirking job duties.
D. Distributive and procedural justice are more strongly associated with task
performance, while informational and interpersonal justice are more strongly
associated with citizenship behavior. Even more physiological outcomes, such as

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Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts Page 90

how well employees sleep and the state of their health have been linked to fair
treatment.
E. Why does justice have these positive effects? First, fair treatment enhances
commitment to the organization and makes employees feel it cares about their well-
being. In addition, employees who feel fairly treated trust their supervisors more,
which reduces uncertainty and fear of being exploited by the organization. Finally,
fair treatment elicits positive emotions, which in turn prompt citizenship behaviors.
F. To promote fairness in the workplace, managers should consider openly sharing
information on how allocation decisions were made, and following consistent
unbiased procedures, to increase the perception of procedural justice.
G. Despite all attempts to enhance fairness, perceived injustices are likely to occur.
Fairness is often subjective; what one person sees as unfair, another may see as
perfectly appropriate.
1. In general, people see allocations or procedures favoring themselves as fair.
2. When addressing perceived injustices, managers need to focus their attentions
on the source of the problem.
H. In terms of cultural differences, meta-analytic evidence shows individuals in both
individualistic and collectivistic cultures prefer an equitable distribution of rewards
over an equal division. Across nations, the same basic principles of procedural
justice are respected, and workers around the world prefer rewards based on
performance and skills over rewards based on seniority.
1. However, in collectivistic cultures employees expect rewards to reflect their
individual needs as well as their performance.
2. Other research suggests that inputs and outcomes are valued differently in
various cultures. Materialistic cultures are more likely to see cash compensation
and rewards as the most relevant outcomes of work, whereas relational cultures
will see social rewards and status as important outcomes.
3. International managers must consider the cultural preferences of each group of
employees when determining what is “fair” in different contexts.
I. Expectancy Theory.
1. This widely accepted theory explains motivation as a coupling of three beliefs:
a. Effort will lead to a good performance appraisal,
b. Good appraisals will lead to organizational rewards, and PPT 7.22
c. Organizational rewards will satisfy the employee's personal goals.
d. The relationship between these three beliefs and the strength of the links
between them are the focus of this theory.
2. The Three Key Relationships:
a. Effort-Performance Relationship. PPT 7.23
1) The probability perceived by the individual that
exerting a given amount of effort leads to successful
Exhibit 7-7
performance.
2) If the employee believes that effort will not result in successful
performance or that the performance will not be accurately reflected in
the performance appraisal, little effort will be expended.
b. Performance-Reward Relationship.
1) The degree to which the individual believes that performing at a
particular level will lead to the attainment of a desired outcome. Unless

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Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts Page 91

the relationship between strong performance appraisals and rewards is


clear, little effort will be expended to achieve those high appraisal marks.
c. Rewards-Personal Goals Relationship.
1) The degree to which organizational rewards satisfy an individual's
personal goals (or needs) and the attractiveness of those potential
rewards for the individual.
2) Unless organizational rewards are tailored to individual employee wants
and needs, they will not be very motivational and little effort will be
expended.
d. While the research results are mixed, there is reasonable support for this
theory.
1) It may be considered somewhat idealistic, considering the current
realities of the workplace.
2) This theory may explain why such a large portion of the workforce
exhibits low levels of effort in carrying out job responsibilities, as most
companies do not reward for performance.
VI. WORKPLACE MOTIVATION
A. Job Engagement.
1. Job engagement is the investment of an employee’s PPT 7.24
physical, cognitive, and emotional energies into job
performance.
2. When employees are engaged, organizations have higher levels of productivity,
fewer safety incidents, and lower turnover.
3. People are more likely to be engaged in their jobs if they believe that it is
meaningful to do so, and when there is a match between their values and those
of the organization. In addition, leadership behaviors that inspire workers to a
greater sense of mission can also increase employee engagement.
4. In some cases, individuals may become so engaged in their work that family
responsibilities become an unwelcome intrusion.
VII. IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGERS
A. Make sure extrinsic rewards for employees are not viewed as
coercive, and recognize the importance of intrinsic motivators that PPT 7.25
appeal to employees’ desires for autonomy, relatedness, and
competence.
B. Consider goal setting theory: Within reason, clear and difficult goals often lead to
higher levels of employee productivity.
C. In accordance with self-efficacy theory, efforts you make to help your employees
feel successful in completing tasks will result in their increased motivation.
D. As suggested by justice theory, ensure that employees feel fairly treated; sensitivity
to processes and interactions are particularly important when rewards are
distributed unequally.
E. Expectancy theory offers a partial means of enhancing employee productivity,
absenteeism, and turnover. Employees are more motivated to engage in behaviors
they think they can perform, and which in turn lead to valued rewards.
VIII. KEEP IN MIND
A. Make goals specific and difficult. PPT 7.26
B. Motivation can be increased by raising employee confidence in
their own abilities (self-efficacy).

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Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts Page 92

C. Openly share information on allocation decisions, especially when the outcome is


likely to be viewed negatively.
IX. SUMMARY
PPT 7.27
Discussion Questions

1. Describe the three key elements of motivation.


Answer: The three key elements of motivation are: (1) intensity: how much effort a
person puts forth to meet a goal, (2) direction: efforts are channeled toward
organizational goals, and (3) persistence: how long a person maintains effort
toward a goal.
2. Describe one of the four early theories of motivation and evaluate its applicability
today.
Answer: Answers will vary depending on which of the four theories (Maslow,
McGregor, Hertzberg, or McClelland) is selected. Maslow, Hertzberg, and McClelland
are generally not very valid explanations of motivation, although McClelland’s
theory of the relationship between achievement and productivity comes the closest.
Both Maslow’s and McGregor's theories, although popular, are not particularly
useful or supported by literature.
3. Describe the relationship between goal-setting theory and self-efficacy theory.
Answer: Goal-setting theory and self-efficacy theory complement each other. When
managers set difficult goals for employees, this leads employees to have a higher
level of self-efficacy and they set higher goals on their own. This is because when
managers set difficult goals for people, it communicates their confidence in those
people.
4. Explain why organizational justice can be considered a refinement of equity theory.
Answer: Equity is closely tied to a desire for fairness and fairness is normally
associated with justice. Of the four views of justice, one relates closely to equity
theory: organizational justice. In this view of justice, justice is the employee’s
overall perception of what is fair in the workplace. Its view of justice is
multidimensional and includes both distributive justice and procedural justice.
5. Describe the key relationships in expectancy theory.
Answer: There are three key relationships in expectancy theory:
a. Effort-Performance Relationship. Defined as the probability perceived by
the individual that exerting a given amount of effort leads to successful
performance. If the employee believes that effort will not result in
successful performance or that the performance will not be accurately
reflected in the performance appraisal, little effort will be expended.
b. Performance-Reward Relationship. The degree to which the individual
believes that performing at a particular level will lead to the attainment of a
desired outcome. Unless the relationship between strong performance
appraisals and rewards is clear, little effort will be expended to achieve
those high appraisal marks.
c. Rewards-Personal Goals Relationship. The degree to which organizational
rewards satisfy an individual's personal goals or needs and the
attractiveness of those potential rewards for the individual. Unless
organizational rewards are tailored to individual employee wants and needs,
they will not be very motivational and little effort will be expended.
6. How are motivational theories culturally bound?

Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Inc.


Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts Page 93

Answer: The motivational theories described in the text were created out of the U.S.
culture and significantly reflect its values. For instance, both goal setting and
expectancy theories emphasize goal accomplishment and rational individual
thought. Maslow's hierarchy may not appear in the same order in other cultures.
McClelland's need for achievement presupposes a cultural desire for a moderate
degree of risk acceptance and a concern with performance. Adams' equity theory is
very closely tied to American pay practices and may not be relevant in collectivistic
or former socialistic cultures in which there is more of a sense of entitlement or the
desire to be paid based on need rather than performance.

Exercises

1. Self-analysis. After reviewing all of the motivational theories of this chapter, select
the one you believe to be the most accurate in describing human behavior. Justify
your selection and describe how the motivational theory would explain the actions
you have taken in your own life.
2. Web Crawling. Using your favorite search engine, find webpages that relate to
McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y. Read five of the most interesting pages. What
overall impressions do you get on the perceived validity of this theory on those
pages? Did everyone explain the theory in the same way? What may have caused
the differences if there were any?
3. Teamwork. In small groups, discuss the motivations that each of you had when you
made the decision to attend this college and this class in particular. Were they the
same motivations? What motivates you to expend more effort in this class? What
motivates you to continue to attend college and expend the effort necessary to
graduate?
As a group, decide which motivational theory best fits the results of your discussion.
Be ready to give a short description of the most common motivators found in your
group. Justify your application of the chosen motivational theory.
What motivational suggestions would your team make to your professor or the
college administrators to increase the likelihood of student performance, that is,
successful graduation or increased study?
4. Analyzing Your Organization (Cumulative Project). Discuss with your manager the
various motivational theories outlined in this chapter. Interview the manager to
determine his or her beliefs regarding the validity of each of these theories. How
might these beliefs affect organizational effectiveness? Be prepared to present your
findings either orally in class or as a paper.
5. An Application of Motivation—MBO. Instructor notes: The goal here is to help
students apply MBO. The emphasis should be on creating measurable realistic
objectives. You may wish to use this as part of your grading for the course by
holding the students accountable for their objectives at the end of the term.
Review the principles of MBO with the class. Carefully describe the nature of
effective outcomes. The criteria for effective objectives are that they should be
specific, challenging, and measurable. Generalized outcomes, with no means of
measuring their accomplishment, should not be accepted.
As writing effective objectives is quite often a difficult task for both students and
managers, it is strongly recommended that the first objective is written as a class
activity. Typically, the students’ first version of an objective is “Get an A in the
course.” Be gentle as you point out why this is not an effective objective.

Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Inc.


Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts Page 94

Suggested Assignment

a. Review the course objectives (outcomes) as given in the course materials.


b. Create five personal objectives relating to the successful completion of this
course’s objectives. Submit the objectives to your instructor, retaining a
copy for yourself.
c. In small groups, share your objectives and discuss. Present the five best
objectives from the group to the class.
d. At the end of the course, when the instructor directs, write a short paper
describing how well you believe you have met your own objectives.

Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Inc.


Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
And these toes.

What soles to charm an elf!


Had Crusoe, sick of self,
Chanced to view
One printed near the tide,
Oh, how hard he would have tried
For the two!

For Gerry’s debonair


And innocent, and fair
As a rose;
She’s an angel in a frock,
With a fascinating cock
To her nose.

The simpletons who squeeze


Their extremities to please
Mandarins,
Would positively flinch
From venturing to pinch
Geraldine’s.

Cinderella’s lefts and rights,


To Geraldine’s were frights;
And I trow,
The damsel, deftly shod,
Has dutifully trod
Until now.

Come, Gerry, since it suits


Such a pretty Puss (in Boots)
These to don;
Set this dainty hand awhile
On my shoulder, dear, and I’ll
Put them on.

ON A SENSE OF HUMOUR
He cannot be complete in aught
Who is not humorously prone;
A man without a merry thought
Can hardly have a funny-bone.
SOME LADIES
Some ladies now make pretty songs,
And some make pretty nurses;
Some men are great at righting wrongs
And some at writing verses.

A TERRIBLE INFANT
I recollect a nurse call’d Ann,
Who carried me about the grass,
And one fine day a fine young man
Came up, and kiss’d the pretty lass.
She did not make the least objection!
Thinks I, “Aha!
When I can talk I’ll tell Mamma”
—And that’s my earliest recollection.

Charles Stuart Calverley is called the Prince of Parodists, but his


genius deserves far higher praise than that.
His serious work is of a high order but it is for his humorous verse
that he is most loved and praised.
His parodies while showing the best and finest burlesque
qualities, are also poems in themselves, and are of an exquisite wit
and a spontaneous humor rarely excelled.
One of the best is the ballad in which Rossetti’s manner is
parodied in very spirit.
BALLAD
PART I

The auld wife sat at her ivied door,


(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
A thing she had frequently done before;
And her spectacles lay on her apron’d knees.

The piper he piped on the hilltop high,


(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
Till the cow said “I die,” and the goose asked “Why?”
And the dog said nothing, but search’d for fleas.

The farmer he strode through the square farmyard;


(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
His last brew of ale was a trifle hard—
The connection of which the plot one sees.

The farmer’s daughter hath frank blue eyes;


(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
She hears the rooks caw in the windy skies.
As she sits at her lattice and shells her peas.

The farmer’s daughter hath ripe red lips;


(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
If you try to approach her, away she skips
Over tables and chairs with apparent ease.

The farmer’s daughter hath soft brown hair;


(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
And I met with a ballad, I can’t say where,
Which wholly consisted of lines like these.
PART II

She sat with her hands ’neath her dimpled cheeks,


(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
And spake not a word. While a lady speaks
There is hope, but she didn’t even sneeze.

She sat, with her hands ’neath her crimson cheeks;


(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
She gave up mending her father’s breeks,
And let the cat roll in her new chemise.

She sat with her hands ’neath her burning cheeks,


(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
And gazed at the piper for thirteen weeks;
Then she follow’d him o’er the misty leas.

Her sheep follow’d her, as their tails did them,


(Butter and eggs and a pound of cheese)
And this song is consider’d a perfect gem,
And as to the meaning, it’s what you please.

Equally marvelous in its assured touch and utter lack of mere


burlesque exaggeration is his parody of Browning.
THE COCK AND THE BULL
You see this pebble-stone? It’s a thing I bought
Of a bit of a chit of a boy i’ the mid o’ the day.
I like to dock the smaller parts o’ speech,
As we curtail the already cur-tail’d cur—
(You catch the paronomasia, play ’po’ words?)
Did, rather, i’ the pre-Landseerian days.
Well, to my muttons. I purchased the concern,
And clapt it i’ my poke, having given for same
By way o’ chop, swop, barter or exchange—
“Chop” was my snickering dandiprat’s own term—
One shilling and fourpence, current coin o’ the realm.
O-n-e one, and f-o-u-r four
Pence, one and fourpence—you are with me, sir?—
What hour it skills not: ten or eleven o’ the clock,
One day (and what a roaring day it was
Go shop or sight-see—bar a spit o’ rain!)
In February, eighteen, sixty-nine,
Alexandria Victoria, Fidei—
Hm—hm—how runs the jargon? being on the throne.
Such, sir, are all the facts, succinctly put,
The basis or substratum—what you will—
Of the impending eighty thousand lines.
“Not much in ’em either,” quoth perhaps simple Hodge.
But there’s a superstructure. Wait a bit.
Mark first the rationale of the thing:
Hear logic rivel and levigate the deed.
That shilling—and for matter o’ that, the pence—
I had o’ course upo’ me—wi’ me say—
(Mecum’s the Latin, make a note o’ that)
When I popp’d pen i’ stand, scratch’d ear, wiped snout,
(Let everybody wipe his own himself)
Sniff’d—tch!—at snuff-box; tumbled up, teheed,
Haw-haw’d (not hee-haw’d, that’s another guess thing),
Then fumbled at and stumbled out of, door.
I shoved the timber ope wi’ my omoplat;
And in vestibulo, i’ the lobby to wit
(Iacobi Facciolati’s rendering, sir),
Donn’d galligaskins, antigropeloes,
And so forth; and, complete with hat and gloves,
One on and one a-dangle i’ my hand,
And ombrifuge (Lord love you!), case o’ rain,
I flopp’d forth, ’sbuddikins! on my own ten toes
(I do assure you there be ten of them),
And went clump-clumping up hill and down dale
To find myself o’ the sudden i’ front o’ the boy.
But case I hadn’t ’em on me, could I ha’ bought
This sort-o’-kind-o’-what-you-might-call toy,
This pebble thing, o’ the boy-thing? Q. E. D.
That’s proven without aid from mumping Pope,
Sleek proporate or bloated Cardinal.
(Isn’t it, old Fatchaps? You’re in Euclid now.)
So, having the shilling—having i’ fact a lot—
And pence and halfpence, ever so many o’ them,
I purchased, as I think I said before,
The pebble (lapis, lapidis,-di,-dem,-de—
What nouns ’crease short i’ the genitive, Fatchaps, eh?)
O’ the boy, a bare-legg’d beggarly son of a gun,
For one and fourpence. Here we are again.
Now Law steps in, bigwigg’d, voluminous-jaw’d;
Investigates and re-investigates.
Was the transaction illegal? Law shakes head
Perpend, sir, all the bearings of the case.

At first the coin was mine, the chattel his.


But now (by virtue of the said exchange
And barter) vice versa all the coin,
Per juris operationem, vests
I’ the boy and his assigns till ding o’ doom;
(In sæcula sæculo-o-o-rum;
I think I hear the Abate mouth out that.)
To have and hold the same to him and them.
Confer some idiot on Conveyancing.

Whereas the pebble and every part thereof,


And all that appertaineth thereunto,
Quodcunque pertinet ad eam rem
(I fancy, sir, my Latin’s rather pat),
Or shall, will, may, might, can, could, would or should
(Subaudi cætera—clap we to the close—
For what’s the good of Law in a case o’ the kind),
Is mine to all intents and purposes.
This settled, I resume the thread o’ the tale.

Now for a touch o’ the vendor’s quality.


He says a gen’lman bought a pebble of him
(This pebble i’ sooth, sir, which I hold i’ my hand),
And paid for’t, like a gen’lman, on the nail.
“Did I o’ercharge him a ha’penny? Devil a bit.
Fiddlepin’s end! Get out, you blazing ass!
Gabble o’ the goose. Don’t bugaboo-baby me!
Go double or quits? Yah! tittup! what’s the odds?”
There’s the transaction view’d i’ the vendor’s light.

Next ask that dumpled hag, stood snuffling by,


With her three frowsy blowsy brats o’ babes,
The scum o’ the kennel, cream o’ the filth-heap—Faugh!
Aie, aie, aie, aie! οτοτοτοτοτοι
(’Stead which we blurt out Hoighty toighty now),
And the baker and candlestickmaker, and Jack and Jill,
Blear’d Goody this and queasy Gaffer that.
Ask the schoolmaster. Take schoolmaster first.

He saw a gentleman purchase of a lad


A stone, and pay for it rite, on the square,
And carry it off per saltum, jauntily,
Propria quae maribus, gentleman’s property now
(Agreeably to the law explain’d above),
In proprium usum, for his private ends,
The boy he chuck’d a brown i’ the air, and bit
I’ the face the shilling; heaved a thumping stone
At a lean hen that ran cluck clucking by
(And hit her, dead as nail i’ post o’ door),
Then abiit—what’s the Ciceronian phrase?—
Excessit, evasit, erupit—off slogs boy;
Off like bird, avi similis—you observed
The dative? Pretty i’ the Mantuan!)—Anglice
Off in three flea skips. Hactenus, so far,
So good, tam bene. Bene, satis, male,—
Where was I with my trope ’bout one in a quag?
I did once hitch the syntax into verse:
Verbum personale, a verb personal,
Concordat—ay, “agrees,” old Fatchaps—cum
Nominativo, with its nominative,
Genere, i’ point o’ gender, numero,
O’ number, et persona, and person. Ut,
Instance: Sol ruit, down flops sun, et, and,
Montes umbrantur, out flounce mountains. Pah!
Excuse me, sir, I think I’m going mad.
You see the trick on ’t though, and can yourself
Continue the discourse ad libitum.
It takes up about eighty thousand lines,
A thing imagination boggles at;
And might, odds-bobs, sir! in judicious hands,
Extend from here to Mesopotamy.

While the style of Jean Ingelow is thus genially made fun of.
LOVERS, AND A REFLECTION
In moss-prankt dells which the sunbeams flatter
(And heaven it knoweth what that may mean;
Meaning, however, is no great matter)
Where woods are a-tremble, with rifts atween;

Through God’s own heather we wonned together,


I and my Willie (O love my love):
I need hardly remark it was glorious weather,
And flitterbats wavered alow, above:

Boats were curtseying, rising, bowing


(Boats in that climate are so polite),
And sands were a ribbon of green endowing,
And O the sun-dazzle on bark and bight!

Through the rare red heather we danced together,


(O love my Willie!) and smelt for flowers:
I must mention again it was glorious weather,
Rhymes are so scarce in this world of ours:—

By rises that flushed with their purple favors,


Through becks that brattled o’er grasses sheen,
We walked or waded, we two young shavers,
Thanking our stars we were both so green.

We journeyed in parallels, I and Willie,


In “fortunate parallels!” Butterflies,
Hid in weltering shadows of daffodilly
Or marjoram, kept making peacock’s eyes:

Song-birds darted about, some inky


As coal, some snowy (I ween) as curds;
Or rosy as pinks, or as roses pinky—
They reck of no eerie To-come, those birds!
But they skim over bents which the mill-stream washes,
Or hang in the lift ’neath a white cloud’s hem;
They need no parasols, no galoshes;
And good Mrs. Trimmer she feedeth them.

Then we thrid God’s cowslips (as erst his heather)


That endowed the wan grass with their golden blooms;
And snapt—(it was perfectly charming weather)—
Our fingers at Fate and her goddess-glooms:

And Willie ’gan sing—(O, his notes were fluty;


Wafts fluttered them out to the white-winged sea)—
Something made up of rhymes that have done much duty,
Rhymes (better to put it) of “ancientry”:

Bowers of flowers encountered showers


In William’s carol (O love my Willie!)
When he bade sorrow borrow from blithe To-morrow
I quite forget what—say a daffodilly:

A nest in a hollow, “with buds to follow,”


I think occurred next in his nimble strain;
And clay that was “kneaden” of course in Eden—
A rhyme most novel, I do maintain:

Mists, bones, the singer himself, love-stories,


And all least furlable things got “furled”;
Not with any design to conceal their glories,
But simply and solely to rhyme with “world.”

* * * * *

O, if billows and pillows and hours and flowers,


And all the brave rhymes of an elder day,
Could be furled together this genial weather,
And carted, or carried on wafts away,
Nor ever again trotted out—ah me!
How much fewer volumes of verse there’d be!

ODE TO TOBACCO
Thou who, when fears attack,
Bid’st them avaunt, and Black
Care, at the horseman’s back
Perching, unseatest;
Sweet when the morn is gray;
Sweet, when they’ve cleared away
Lunch; and at close of day
Possibly sweetest:

I have a liking old


For thee, though manifold
Stories, I know, are told,
Not to thy credit;
How one (or two at most)
Drops make a cat a ghost—
Useless, except to roast—
Doctors have said it:

How they who use fusees


All grow by slow degrees
Brainless as chimpanzees,
Meagre as lizards;
Go mad, and beat their wives;
Plunge (after shocking lives)
Razors and carving-knives
Into their gizzards.

Confound such knavish tricks!


Yet know I five or six
Smokers who freely mix
Still with their neighbors;
Jones—(who, I’m glad to say,
Asked leave of Mrs. J.)—
Daily absorbs a clay
After his labors.

Cats may have had their goose


Cooked by tobacco-juice;
Still why deny its use
Thoughtfully taken?
We’re not as tabbies are:
Smith, take a fresh cigar!
Jones, the tobacco-jar!
Here’s to thee, Bacon!

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson is better known as Lewis Carroll,


though during his lifetime, the author of Alice was extremely careful
to preserve a decided distinction between the College Don and the
writer of nonsense.
Lewis Carroll was the first to produce coherent humor in the form
of sheer nonsense, and his work, often imitated, has never been
equaled.
Beside the Alice books he wrote several volumes only a degree
less wise and witty in the nonsense vein.
But few selections can be given.
JABBERWOCKY
(From Through the Looking-Glass)
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!


The jaws that bite, the claws that catch
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand:


Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,


The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through


The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?


Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

WAYS AND MEANS


I’ll tell thee everything I can;
There’s little to relate.
I saw an aged aged man,
A-sitting on a gate.
“Who are you, aged man?” I said,
“And how is it you live?”
His answer trickled through my head
Like water through a sieve.

He said, “I look for butterflies


That sleep among the wheat:
I make them into mutton-pies,
And sell them in the street.
I sell them unto men,” he said,
“Who sail on stormy seas;
And that’s the way I get my bread—
A trifle, if you please.”

But I was thinking of a plan


To dye one’s whiskers green,
And always use so large a fan
That they could not be seen.
So, having no reply to give
To what the old man said,
I cried, “Come, tell me how you live!”
And thumped him on the head.

His accents mild took up the tale;


He said, “I go my ways
And when I find a mountain-rill
I set it in a blaze;
And thence they make a stuff they call
Rowland’s Macassar Oil—
Yet twopence-halfpenny is all
They give me for my toil.”

But I was thinking of a way


To feed oneself on batter,
And so go on from day to day
Getting a little fatter.
I shook him well from side to side,
Until his face was blue;
“Come, tell me how you live,” I cried,
“And what it is you do!”

He said, “I hunt for haddock’s eyes


Among the heather bright,
And work them into waistcoat-buttons
In the silent night.
And these I do not sell for gold
Or coin of silvery shine,
But for a copper halfpenny
And that will purchase nine.

“I sometimes dig for buttered rolls,


Or set limed twigs for crabs;
I sometimes search the grassy knolls
For wheels of Hansom cabs.
And that’s the way” (he gave a wink)
“By which I get my wealth—
And very gladly will I drink
Your Honor’s noble health.”

I heard him then, for I had just


Completed my design
To keep the Menai Bridge from rust
By boiling it in wine.
I thanked him much for telling me
The way he got his wealth,
But chiefly for his wish that he
Might drink my noble health.

And now if e’er by chance I put


My fingers into glue,
Or madly squeeze a right-hand foot
Into a left-hand shoe,
Or if I drop upon my toe
A very heavy weight,
I weep, for it reminds me so
Of that old man I used to know—
Whose look was mild, whose speech was slow,
Whose hair was whiter than the snow,
Whose face was very like a crow,
With eyes, like cinders, all aglow,
Who seemed distracted with his woe,
Who rocked his body to and fro,
And muttered mumblingly, and low,
As if his mouth were full of dough,
Who snorted like a buffalo—
That summer evening, long ago,
A-sitting on a gate.

SOME HALLUCINATIONS
He thought he saw an Elephant,
That practised on a fife:
He looked again, and found it was
A letter from his wife.
“At length I realize,” he said,
“The bitterness of Life!”

He thought he saw a Buffalo


Upon the chimney-piece:
He looked again, and found it was
His Sister’s Husband’s Niece.
“Unless you leave this house,” he said,
“I’ll send for the Police!”

He thought he saw a Rattlesnake


That questioned him in Greek:
He looked again, and found it was
The Middle of Next Week.
“The one thing I regret,” he said,
“Is that it cannot speak!”

He thought he saw a Banker’s Clerk


Descending from the ’bus:
He looked again, and found it was
A Hippopotamus:
“If this should stay to dine,” he said,
“There won’t be much for us!”

Edward Lear, contemporary of Lewis Carroll, is the only peer of


the great writer of nonsense.
Lear’s nonsense is in different vein, but his verses are equally
facile and felicitous and his prose quite as delightfully extravagant.
If Carroll’s imagination was more exquisitely fanciful, Lear’s had a
broader scope, and both writers are masters of that peculiar
combination of paradox and reasoning that makes for delightful
surprise.
Lear was the first to make popular the style of stanza since called
a Limerick, though the derivation of this name has never been
satisfactorily determined.
There was an old man of Thermopylæ,
Who never did anything properly;
But they said: “If you choose
To boil eggs in your shoes,
You cannot remain in Thermopylæ.”

There was an Old Man who said, “Hush!


I perceive a young bird in this bush!”
When they said, “Is it small?”
He replied, “Not at all;
It is four times as big as the bush!”

There was an Old Man who supposed


That the street door was partially closed;
But some very large Rats
Ate his coats and his hats,
While that futile Old Gentleman dozed.

There was an Old Man of Leghorn,


The smallest that ever was born;
But quickly snapt up he
Was once by a Puppy,
Who devoured that Old Man of Leghorn.

There was an Old Man of Kamschatka


Who possessed a remarkably fat Cur;
His gait and his waddle
Were held as a model
To all the fat dogs in Kamschatka.

THE TWO OLD BACHELORS


Two old Bachelors were living in one house
One caught a Muffin, the other caught a Mouse.
Said he who caught the Muffin to him who caught the Mouse,
“This happens just in time, for we’ve nothing in the house,
Save a tiny slice of lemon and a teaspoonful of honey,
And what to do for dinner,—since we haven’t any money?
And what can we expect if we haven’t any dinner
But to lose our teeth and eyelashes and keep on growing thinner?”

Said he who caught the Mouse to him who caught the Muffin,
“We might cook this little Mouse if we only had some Stuffin’!
If we had but Sage and Onions we could do extremely well,
But how to get that Stuffin’ it is difficult to tell!”

And then these two old Bachelors ran quickly to the town
And asked for Sage and Onions as they wandered up and down;
They borrowed two large Onions, but no Sage was to be found
In the Shops or in the Market or in all the Gardens round.

But some one said, “A hill there is, a little to the north,
And to its purpledicular top a narrow way leads forth;
And there among the rugged rocks abides an ancient Sage,—
An earnest Man, who reads all day a most perplexing page.
Climb up and seize him by the toes,—all studious as he sits,—
And pull him down, and chop him into endless little bits!
Then mix him with your Onion (cut up likewise into scraps),
And your Stuffin’ will be ready, and very good—perhaps.”

And then these two old Bachelors, without loss of time,


The nearly purpledicular crags at once began to climb;
And at the top among the rocks, all seated in a nook,
They saw that Sage a-reading of a most enormous book.
“You earnest Sage!” aloud they cried, “your book you’ve read enough in!
We wish to chop you into bits and mix you into Stuffin’!”

But that old Sage looked calmly up, and with his awful book
At those two Bachelors’ bald heads a certain aim he took;
And over crag and precipice they rolled promiscuous down,—
At once they rolled, and never stopped in lane or field or town;
And when they reached their house, they found (besides their want of Stuffin’)
The Mouse had fled—and previously had eaten up the Muffin.

They left their home in silence by the once convivial door;


And from that hour those Bachelors were never heard of more.
Algernon Charles Swinburne, whose marvelous mastery of the
lyric is well known, is not so noted as a humorist.
Yet his parodies are among the finest in the language. His day
was the Golden Age of Parody, and the writers who achieved it were
true poets and true wits.
This parody of Tennyson is alike a perfect mimicry of sound and
sense.
THE HIGHER PANTHEISM IN A NUTSHELL
One, who is not, we see: but one, whom we see not, is;
Surely this is not that: but that is assuredly this.

What, and wherefore, and whence? for under is over and under;
If thunder could be without lightning, lightning could be without thunder.

Doubt is faith in the main: but faith, on the whole, is doubt;


We cannot believe by proof: but could we believe without?

Why, and whither, and how? for barley and rye are not clover;
Neither are straight lines curves: yet over is under and over.

Two and two may be four: but four and four are not eight;
Fate and God may be twain: but God is the same thing as fate.

Ask a man what he thinks, and get from a man what he feels;
God, once caught in the fact, shews you a fair pair of heels.

Body and spirit are twins: God only knows which is which;
The soul squats down in the flesh, like a tinker drunk in a ditch.

One and two are not one: but one and nothing is two;
Truth can hardly be false, if falsehood cannot be true.

Once the mastodon was: pterodactyls were common as cocks;


Then the mammoth was God: now is He a prize ox.

Parallels all things are: yet many of these are askew.


You are certainly I: but certainly I am not you.

Springs the rock from the plain, shoots the stream from the rock;
Cocks exist for the hen: but hens exist for the cock.
God, whom we see not, is: and God, who is not, we see;
Fiddle, we know, is diddle: and diddle, we take it, is dee.

Swinburne’s parody of his own work is beautifully done in


NEPHELIDIA
From the depth of the dreamy decline of the dawn through a notable nimbus of
nebulous moonshine,
Pallid and pink as the palm of the flag-flower that flickers with fear of the flies as
they float,
Are they looks of our lovers that lustrously lean from a marvel of mystic miraculous
moonshine,
These that we feel in the blood of our blushes that thicken and threaten with
throbs through the throat?
Thicken and thrill as a theatre thronged at appeal of an actor’s appalled agitation,
Fainter with fear of the fires of the future than pale with the promise of pride in
the past;
Flushed with the famishing fulness of fever that reddens with radiance of rathe
recreation,
Gaunt as the ghastliest of glimpses that gleam through the gloom of the
gloaming when ghosts go aghast?
Nay, for the nick of the tick of the time is a tremulous touch on the temples of
terror,
Strained as the sinews yet strenuous with strife of the dead who is dumb as the
dust-heaps of death;
Surely no soul is it, sweet as the spasm of erotic emotional exquisite error,
Bathed in the balms of beatified bliss, beatific itself by beatitude’s breath.
Surely no spirit or sense of a soul that was soft to the spirit and soul of our senses
Sweetens the stress of surprising suspicion that sobs in the semblance and
sound of a sigh;
Only this oracle opens Olympian, in mystical moods and triangular tenses,—
“Life is the lust of a lamp for the light that is dark till the dawn of the day when
we die.”
Mild is the mirk and monotonous music of memory, melodiously mute as it may be,
While the hope in the heart of a hero is bruised by the breach of men’s rapiers,
resigned to the rod;
Made meek as a mother whose bosom-beats bound with the bliss-bringing bulk of
a balm-breathing baby,
As they grope through the grave-yard of creeds, under skies growing green at a
groan for the grimness of God.
Blank is the book of his bounty beholden of old, and its binding is blacker than
bluer:
Out of blue into black is the scheme of the skies, and their dews are the wine of
the bloodshed of things:
Till the darkling desire of delight shall be free as a fawn that is freed from the fangs
that pursue her,
Till the heart-beats of hell shall be hushed by a hymn from the hunt that has
harried the kennel of kings.

Henry Austin Dobson, better known without his first name, was a
skillful writer of beautiful vers de société.
He also wrote much in the French Forms and seemed to find
them in no way trammeling.
ON A FAN
THAT BELONGED TO THE MARQUISE DE POMPADOUR
(Ballade)
Chicken-skin, delicate, white,
Painted by Carlo Vanloo,
Loves in a riot of light,
Roses and vaporous blue;
Hark to the dainty frou-frou
Picture above, if you can,
Eyes that could melt as the dew,—
This was the Pompadour’s fan!

See how they rise at the sight,


Thronging the Œil de Bœuf through,
Courtiers as butterflies bright,
Beauties that Fragonard drew,
Talon-rouge, falaba, queue,
Cardinal, duke,—to a man,
Eager to sigh or to sue,—
This was the Pompadour’s fan!

Ah, but things more than polite


Hung on this toy, voyez-vous
Matters of state and of might,
Things that great ministers do;
Things that, maybe, overthrew
Those in whose brains they began;—
Here was the sign and the cue,—
This was the Pompadour’s fan!
Envoy
Where are the secrets it knew?
Weavings of plot and of plan?
—But where is the Pompadour, too?
This was the Pompadour’s fan!

THE ROUNDEAU
You bid me try, Blue-eyes, to write
A Rondeau. What! forthwith?—tonight?
Reflect? Some skill I have, ’tis true;
But thirteen lines!—and rhymed on two!—
“Refrain,” as well. Ah, hapless plight!
Still there are five lines—ranged aright.
These Gallic bonds, I feared, would fright
My easy Muse. They did, till you—
You bid me try!

That makes them eight.—The port’s in sight;


’Tis all because your eyes are bright!
Now just a pair to end in “oo,”—
When maids command, what can’t we do?
Behold! The Rondeau—tasteful, light—
You bid me try!

Andrew Lang was perhaps the most versatile writer among


English bookmen of his day. Verse or prose, religious research or
translations, to each and all he gives his individual touch,—light, airy,
humorous.
Fairies, Dreams and Ghosts are all his happy hunting ground, and
he was one of the first to experiment with the old French Forms, in
which he gave his own delightful fancy free play, while adhering
strictly to the inflexible rules.
BALLAD OF THE PRIMITIVE JEST
I am an ancient Jest!
Paleolithic man
In his arboreal nest
The sparks of fun would fan;
My outline did he plan,
And laughed like one possessed,
’Twas thus my course began,
I am a Merry Jest.

I am an early Jest!
Man delved and built and span;
Then wandered South and West
The peoples Aryan,
I journeyed in their van;
The Semites, too, confessed,—
From Beersheba to Dan,—
I am a Merry Jest.

I am an ancient Jest,
Through all the human clan,
Red, black, white, free, oppressed,
Hilarious I ran!
I’m found in Lucian,
In Poggio, and the rest,
I’m dear to Moll and Nan!
I am a Merry Jest!

Prince, you may storm and ban—


Joe Millers are a pest,
Suppress me if you can!
I am a Merry Jest!

BALLADE OF LITERARY FAME


Oh, where are the endless Romances
Our grandmothers used to adore?
The knights with their helms and their lances,
Their shields and the favours they wore?
And the monks with their magical lore?
They have passed to Oblivion and Nox,
They have fled to the shadowy shore,—
They are all in the Fourpenny Box!

And where the poetical fancies


Our fathers rejoiced in, of yore?
The lyric’s melodious expanses,
The epics in cantos a score,
They have been and are not: no more
Shall the shepherds drive silvery flocks,
Nor the ladies their languors deplore,—

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