What Did Charles George Gordon Do to Earn the View That He Was an Imperial Hero and Was It Justified?

What did Charles George Gordon do to earn the view that he was an Imperial Hero and was it justified? When discussing heroes the first things that would come to mind are selfless individuals, they would show a tremendous amount of bravery in the face of certain defeat and have the courage and determination to beat overwhelming odds. The dictionary definitions of heroes are â€Å"a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength and ability† or â€Å"a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities†.Charles George Gordon has gone down in history as a an imperial hero, during this essay I will ascertain what it was Charles Gordon did to earn this title and whether or not it was justified. Gordon was the son of a Royal Artillery officer and born in 1833. He was part of a large family with five sisters and five brothers. It would be from one his sisters that Gordon would inspiration for his strong religious views as his life went o n. Gordon followed in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the military, he joined the Royal Engineers as an officer.Gordon thrived in the Engineers with the nature of the work perfectly suited to his personality; they were posted all over the world building bridges, siege work and buildings all over the world. One of his first postings was to Pembroke Dock in Wale, here Gordon converted to Christianity. Although this wasn’t the beginning of the Gospel spreading Gordon we know today, he was still indifferent with regards to his religion he was not actively spreading the Christian word.By the time of his death, Gordon was a devout Christian, he did not fear death for he genuinely felt that death would lead him to a better place. By 1854 Gordon had become a very religious man, a lot of the can be attributed to his older sister Augusta. He wrote to her often almost thanking her for her spiritual guidance whilst also keeping her updated with his religious journey â€Å" You know I was never confirmed. When I was a cadet, I thought it was a useless sin as I did not intend to alter (not that it was in my power to be converted when I chose).I however, took my first sacrament on Easter day, and have communed ever since. †(Churchill, 2009, p95) I feel that his change in religious views ultimately would have a huge affect in how we was remembered and thought of. Religion was a huge part of the Empire, although the main stimulants for empire were to expand lands and capture natural resources, there was an aspect that by colonising lands it would also spread the message of God. Civilise and educate the savages of foreign lands. At the height of the imperial age church people liked to argue that religion and the British empire were inseparable- that the visible, commercial and political empire was woven into the fabric of another, invisible country- a spiritual empire’ (Carey, 2008, p1). Charles Gordon was given many different political roles w ithin the British Empire whilst serving in the army, however it is the Sudan that he is renowned for. In 1874 was appointed the full Governor of the Sudan. In typical Gordon style he launched himself into his new role, paying particular attention to the curbing and stopping of the slave trade.This was the sort of impossible task that Gordon relished. Gordon despised the slave trade, and he wrote often about it, voicing his disgust frequently in his letters. â€Å"I am a fool, I dare say, but I cannot see the sufferings of these peoples without tears in my eyes†¦. †. (2010, Moore-Hall) Alice Moore-Hall writes that despite his hero label, Gordon didn’t successfully complete his objectives. Gordon essentially brought the area under the control of Egypt, however Moore-Hall explains that this was only really the case when Gordon or his representatives were present in the region.He was extremely successful at reducing the slave trade within the Sudan, a somewhat difficu lt task considering the affect that it had on the economy of the area. He did not however completely stop it, something that Moore-Hall attributes to the locals within Gordon’s expedition due to the participation of peoples under his command partaking in the enterprises they were in fact charged with stopping. The economic interest, political stability and social relations brought into question by the slave trade made it a practice that even the likes of Gordon would fail to eradicate.So the question remains, was it his efforts in Sudan that brought him heroic status within the empire, it wasn’t a finished job, there was no real glory or great British achievement within Gordon’s actions on his first trip to the Sudan, he wasn’t even working for the British military at the time. Gordon left the Sudan in 1879 with the intention of becoming the Private Secretary to the Viceroy of India amongst other things such as visiting Palestine, South Africa and Ireland . None of the positions he undertook following the Sudan were of any great importance highlighting the lack of trust in him from the British War Office.When looking at the roles which Gordon undertook, it is reasonable to question why it was exactly that he was the man sent to the Sudan when trouble was arising? The British Government, led by Gladstone had viciously attacked Disraeli and the previous government’s foreign policies, yet by 1882 an invasion of Egypt was sanctioned in order to protect the Suez Canal. This led to further involvement with the Sudan due to its ties with Egypt. A self proclaimed leader of Muslims, intent on holy war and cleansing the Muslim religion had succeeded in uniting the various groupings within the Sudan.The British government more than likely would have been happy with abandoning the Sudan, perhaps even Egypt. It is believed by Historians such as Michael Asher that Gladstone felt inclined to intervene in the Sudan due to his beliefs that the Sudanese were struggling to be free. By the end of 1883, Army Officers, clergymen, Egyptian Experts and even Queen Victoria herself were lobbying for Government intervention, more importantly, for Gordon. Gladstone reportedly had an intense dislike for Gordon, he felt that he was both rash and irresponsible.The media and public however did not feel the same way. W T Stead of the Pall Mall Gazzette wrote â€Å"We cannot send a regiment to Khartoum, but we can send a man who on similar circumstances than an entire army. Why not send Chinese Gordon with full powers to Khartoum, to assume absolute control for the territory, to treat with the Mahdi, to relieve the garrisons , and do what he can to save what can be saved from the wreck of the Sudan? † (Asher (2003) p4). This attitude was enthusiastically backed up Stead with their backing of Gordon.This wave of support pushed the government into acting quickly. This public support tells us that Gordon was held in high regard prior to his second visit to the Sudan. He had proven to the empire his skills, he held religion in extremely high regard and previous form tells us he achieved results. He gained an international reputation as an effective commander of armed forces not as skilled as the British. Particularly in China, he was rewarded by both the Chinese and the British for his efforts in quashing a rebellion.Surely he was the perfect man for the job. By the December of 1883, the British had ordered the Egyptians to order their troops to retreat and abandon the Sudan along with civilians and families. Gordon was sent with the intention of assisting the plans for evacuation. Gordon arrived in February the following year and immediately began to evacuate the women, children sick and wounded back to Egypt. It didn’t take long for Mahdi’s forces closed in the Sudanese capital following astounding defeats of the Egyptian forces.By April the British Forces had all withdrawn from Garrisons in the Sudan effectively leaving Gordon and his men abandoned. Gordon was not sent to the Sudan to fight the Ma’hdi, far from it and when the news had travelled that Gordon was in Sudan, he received little sympathy from the British Government. Gladstone did not act swiftly in sending a rescue party. It is believed by historians such as Dennis Judd, that the delay in this relief party was down to the Governments lack of interest in spending money abroad and annoyance that Gordon had not done what he was asked.The government dragged and the public rallied. Public Opinion in the end was too strong for the government and in the end an order was given to relieve Gordon in Khartoum, unfortunately for Gordon, and the government, it was too late. In the early hours of January 26th 1885 Gordon was murdered by Ma’hdi forces. There were various accounts of his death, varying in details. However the one that captured the Victorian peoples imaginations. Gordon immaculately dressed fightin g to the end.When addressing what it was that made Gordon the imperial hero he was is an interesting one, he was not your stereotypical Imperial hero. What he did do was heroically defend Khartoum, save thousands of women and children with his evacuation. For this it is fair that he is acclaimed a hero. But with regards to a hero of empire, it is harder to justify. He rallied against colonial rule, he didn’t obey his orders with regards to the evacuation of Sudan and he severely undermined the British government of the time. Yet he captured the hearts of a nation and perhaps most importantly, a queen. Dear Miss Gordon – How shall I write to you, or how shall I attempt to express what I feel! To think of your dear, noble, heroic Brother who served his Country and his Queen so truly, so heroically† (Churchill, S (2009) p112). this extract from a letter to Gordon’s sister captures not only the true thoughts of a queen, but perhaps a nation. Statues were erect ed and schools were named after him as well as books, journals and biographies written to celebrate a nations hero. In my opinion I find it very hard to describe Gordon as a hero of the empire.He was as a Christian Martyr foremost, he believed in honour, fairness and god before all else. His life was captured after his death and used to promote jingoistic ideals, the hijackers in fact were the following government, Disraeli jumped aboard promoting an empire of Enlightenment was exactly what the country wanted following the death of Gordon. However, despite the stories and support he received post-mortem the fact was he never conquered a single mile of land for the Queen, and spent the majority of his career working for foreign governments and not in fact the British Army.He was a hero for his achievements, moral code and was someone to look up to and aspire to be but he was not an imperial hero. Churchill, S (2009). General Gordon: A Christian Hero. London: Trediton. Judd, D (1997). Empire. Great Britain: Basicbooks. Pollock, J (1993). Gordon, The man behind the Legend. London: Constable. Asher, M (2003). Khartoum. 2nd ed. London: Penquin. Carey, H (2008). Empires of Religion. New Zealand: Macmillan. Moore-Hall, A (2010). Egypt's Africa Empire: Samuel Baker, Charles Gordon ; the Creation of Equatoria. Sussex: Sussex Academic Press What Did Charles George Gordon Do to Earn the View That He Was an Imperial Hero and Was It Justified? What did Charles George Gordon do to earn the view that he was an Imperial Hero and was it justified? When discussing heroes the first things that would come to mind are selfless individuals, they would show a tremendous amount of bravery in the face of certain defeat and have the courage and determination to beat overwhelming odds. The dictionary definitions of heroes are â€Å"a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength and ability† or â€Å"a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities†.Charles George Gordon has gone down in history as a an imperial hero, during this essay I will ascertain what it was Charles Gordon did to earn this title and whether or not it was justified. Gordon was the son of a Royal Artillery officer and born in 1833. He was part of a large family with five sisters and five brothers. It would be from one his sisters that Gordon would inspiration for his strong religious views as his life went o n. Gordon followed in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the military, he joined the Royal Engineers as an officer.Gordon thrived in the Engineers with the nature of the work perfectly suited to his personality; they were posted all over the world building bridges, siege work and buildings all over the world. One of his first postings was to Pembroke Dock in Wale, here Gordon converted to Christianity. Although this wasn’t the beginning of the Gospel spreading Gordon we know today, he was still indifferent with regards to his religion he was not actively spreading the Christian word.By the time of his death, Gordon was a devout Christian, he did not fear death for he genuinely felt that death would lead him to a better place. By 1854 Gordon had become a very religious man, a lot of the can be attributed to his older sister Augusta. He wrote to her often almost thanking her for her spiritual guidance whilst also keeping her updated with his religious journey â€Å" You know I was never confirmed. When I was a cadet, I thought it was a useless sin as I did not intend to alter (not that it was in my power to be converted when I chose).I however, took my first sacrament on Easter day, and have communed ever since. †(Churchill, 2009, p95) I feel that his change in religious views ultimately would have a huge affect in how we was remembered and thought of. Religion was a huge part of the Empire, although the main stimulants for empire were to expand lands and capture natural resources, there was an aspect that by colonising lands it would also spread the message of God. Civilise and educate the savages of foreign lands. At the height of the imperial age church people liked to argue that religion and the British empire were inseparable- that the visible, commercial and political empire was woven into the fabric of another, invisible country- a spiritual empire’ (Carey, 2008, p1). Charles Gordon was given many different political roles w ithin the British Empire whilst serving in the army, however it is the Sudan that he is renowned for. In 1874 was appointed the full Governor of the Sudan. In typical Gordon style he launched himself into his new role, paying particular attention to the curbing and stopping of the slave trade.This was the sort of impossible task that Gordon relished. Gordon despised the slave trade, and he wrote often about it, voicing his disgust frequently in his letters. â€Å"I am a fool, I dare say, but I cannot see the sufferings of these peoples without tears in my eyes†¦. †. (2010, Moore-Hall) Alice Moore-Hall writes that despite his hero label, Gordon didn’t successfully complete his objectives. Gordon essentially brought the area under the control of Egypt, however Moore-Hall explains that this was only really the case when Gordon or his representatives were present in the region.He was extremely successful at reducing the slave trade within the Sudan, a somewhat difficu lt task considering the affect that it had on the economy of the area. He did not however completely stop it, something that Moore-Hall attributes to the locals within Gordon’s expedition due to the participation of peoples under his command partaking in the enterprises they were in fact charged with stopping. The economic interest, political stability and social relations brought into question by the slave trade made it a practice that even the likes of Gordon would fail to eradicate.So the question remains, was it his efforts in Sudan that brought him heroic status within the empire, it wasn’t a finished job, there was no real glory or great British achievement within Gordon’s actions on his first trip to the Sudan, he wasn’t even working for the British military at the time. Gordon left the Sudan in 1879 with the intention of becoming the Private Secretary to the Viceroy of India amongst other things such as visiting Palestine, South Africa and Ireland . None of the positions he undertook following the Sudan were of any great importance highlighting the lack of trust in him from the British War Office.When looking at the roles which Gordon undertook, it is reasonable to question why it was exactly that he was the man sent to the Sudan when trouble was arising? The British Government, led by Gladstone had viciously attacked Disraeli and the previous government’s foreign policies, yet by 1882 an invasion of Egypt was sanctioned in order to protect the Suez Canal. This led to further involvement with the Sudan due to its ties with Egypt. A self proclaimed leader of Muslims, intent on holy war and cleansing the Muslim religion had succeeded in uniting the various groupings within the Sudan.The British government more than likely would have been happy with abandoning the Sudan, perhaps even Egypt. It is believed by Historians such as Michael Asher that Gladstone felt inclined to intervene in the Sudan due to his beliefs that the Sudanese were struggling to be free. By the end of 1883, Army Officers, clergymen, Egyptian Experts and even Queen Victoria herself were lobbying for Government intervention, more importantly, for Gordon. Gladstone reportedly had an intense dislike for Gordon, he felt that he was both rash and irresponsible.The media and public however did not feel the same way. W T Stead of the Pall Mall Gazzette wrote â€Å"We cannot send a regiment to Khartoum, but we can send a man who on similar circumstances than an entire army. Why not send Chinese Gordon with full powers to Khartoum, to assume absolute control for the territory, to treat with the Mahdi, to relieve the garrisons , and do what he can to save what can be saved from the wreck of the Sudan? † (Asher (2003) p4). This attitude was enthusiastically backed up Stead with their backing of Gordon.This wave of support pushed the government into acting quickly. This public support tells us that Gordon was held in high regard prior to his second visit to the Sudan. He had proven to the empire his skills, he held religion in extremely high regard and previous form tells us he achieved results. He gained an international reputation as an effective commander of armed forces not as skilled as the British. Particularly in China, he was rewarded by both the Chinese and the British for his efforts in quashing a rebellion.Surely he was the perfect man for the job. By the December of 1883, the British had ordered the Egyptians to order their troops to retreat and abandon the Sudan along with civilians and families. Gordon was sent with the intention of assisting the plans for evacuation. Gordon arrived in February the following year and immediately began to evacuate the women, children sick and wounded back to Egypt. It didn’t take long for Mahdi’s forces closed in the Sudanese capital following astounding defeats of the Egyptian forces.By April the British Forces had all withdrawn from Garrisons in the Sudan effectively leaving Gordon and his men abandoned. Gordon was not sent to the Sudan to fight the Ma’hdi, far from it and when the news had travelled that Gordon was in Sudan, he received little sympathy from the British Government. Gladstone did not act swiftly in sending a rescue party. It is believed by historians such as Dennis Judd, that the delay in this relief party was down to the Governments lack of interest in spending money abroad and annoyance that Gordon had not done what he was asked.The government dragged and the public rallied. Public Opinion in the end was too strong for the government and in the end an order was given to relieve Gordon in Khartoum, unfortunately for Gordon, and the government, it was too late. In the early hours of January 26th 1885 Gordon was murdered by Ma’hdi forces. There were various accounts of his death, varying in details. However the one that captured the Victorian peoples imaginations. Gordon immaculately dressed fightin g to the end.When addressing what it was that made Gordon the imperial hero he was is an interesting one, he was not your stereotypical Imperial hero. What he did do was heroically defend Khartoum, save thousands of women and children with his evacuation. For this it is fair that he is acclaimed a hero. But with regards to a hero of empire, it is harder to justify. He rallied against colonial rule, he didn’t obey his orders with regards to the evacuation of Sudan and he severely undermined the British government of the time. Yet he captured the hearts of a nation and perhaps most importantly, a queen. Dear Miss Gordon – How shall I write to you, or how shall I attempt to express what I feel! To think of your dear, noble, heroic Brother who served his Country and his Queen so truly, so heroically† (Churchill, S (2009) p112). this extract from a letter to Gordon’s sister captures not only the true thoughts of a queen, but perhaps a nation. Statues were erect ed and schools were named after him as well as books, journals and biographies written to celebrate a nations hero. In my opinion I find it very hard to describe Gordon as a hero of the empire.He was as a Christian Martyr foremost, he believed in honour, fairness and god before all else. His life was captured after his death and used to promote jingoistic ideals, the hijackers in fact were the following government, Disraeli jumped aboard promoting an empire of Enlightenment was exactly what the country wanted following the death of Gordon. However, despite the stories and support he received post-mortem the fact was he never conquered a single mile of land for the Queen, and spent the majority of his career working for foreign governments and not in fact the British Army.He was a hero for his achievements, moral code and was someone to look up to and aspire to be but he was not an imperial hero. Churchill, S (2009). General Gordon: A Christian Hero. London: Trediton. Judd, D (1997). Empire. Great Britain: Basicbooks. Pollock, J (1993). Gordon, The man behind the Legend. London: Constable. Asher, M (2003). Khartoum. 2nd ed. London: Penquin. Carey, H (2008). Empires of Religion. New Zealand: Macmillan. Moore-Hall, A (2010). Egypt's Africa Empire: Samuel Baker, Charles Gordon ; the Creation of Equatoria. Sussex: Sussex Academic Press

Single Dwelling Family

Single Family Dwelling The dwelling has 19 lighting outlet and 12 convenience outlet. It has the typical household appliances including one 8-kw electric range, two 1. 5-hp room air conditioning unit, one 2. 5 kw water heater, one laundry washing machine. Lighting Layout Power Layout Lighting and Power Panel| CircuitNo. | Description| No. of Outlet| Volts| Watts| Phase Current| Circuit Breaker| Conductor size (mm2)| Size of Conduct| | | | | | | AT| AF | P| | | 1| Lighting| 10| 230| 1000| 4. 35| 15| 50| 2| 2. mm2 TW + GND| 15 mm O Conduit pipe| 2| Lighting| 9| 230| 900| 3. 91| 15| 50| 2| 2. 0mm2 TW + GND| 15 mm O Conduit pipe| 3| Receptacle (C. O)| 6| 230| 1080| 4. 69| 20| 50| 2| 3. 5mm2 TW + GND| 15 mm O Conduit pipe| 4| Receptacle (C. O)| 6| 230| 1080| 4. 69| 20| 50| 2| 3. 5mm2 TW + GND| 15 mm O Conduit pipe| 5| 1. 5 HP Aircon| 1| 230| 2300| 10. 00| 30| 50| 2| 3. 5mm2 TW + GND| 15 mm O Conduit pipe| 6| 1. 5 HP Aircon| 1| 230| 2300| 10. 00| 30| 50| 2| 3. 5mm2 TW + GND| 15 mm O Condui t pipe| 7| Water Heater| 1| 230| 2500| 10. 6| 20| 50| 2| 3. 5mm2 TW + GND| 15 mm O Conduit pipe| 8| Laundry| 1| 230| 1500| 6. 52| 20| 50| 2| 3. 5mm2 TW + GND| 15 mm O Conduit pipe| 9| Electric Range| 1| 230| 8000| 34. 78| 40| 50| 2| 8. 0mm2 TW + GND| 20 mm O Conduit pipe| 10| Spare| -| 230| -| -| 40| 50| 2| -| -| Schedule of Loads IT= 89. 8 + 0. 25% (10) x 0. 8 D. F. =73. 86A * Use 2-30mm2 THW Copper Wire and 1-22mm2 THW Copper Wire in 32mm O Conduit Pipe * Use 100 AMP 2-Pole Circuit Breaker 230 Volts Single Line Diagram Electrical System Design LayoutSubmitted to: Engr. Raymund C. Ycay Submitted by: Villanueva, Joshua Francis A. BSIE III-2 Lighting and Power Panel| CircuitNo. | Description| No. of Outlet| Volts| Watts| Phase Current| Circuit Breaker| Conductor size (mm2)| Size of Conduct| | | | | | | AT| AF | P| | | 1| | | | | | | | | | | 2| | | | | | | | | | | 3| | | | | | | | | | | 4| | | | | | | | | | | 5| | | | | | | | | | | 6| | | | | | | | | | | 7| | | | | | | | | | | 8| | | | | | | | | | | 9| | | | | | | | | | | 10| | | | | | | | | | |

Personal Commitment to Respecting Cultural Differences and Avoiding Essay

Personal Commitment to Respecting Cultural Differences and Avoiding Cultural Bias - Essay Example In their discussion of the role of culture in individual behavior, Tillman and Kirkpatrick (1972) argue that the culture explains variance in human behavior. Culture is defined by Tillman and Kirkpatrick (1972) as the set of concepts to which a common valence is attached by a large number of individuals. So a certain individual's values reflect the goals and valences of that person's culture. Therefore, since consumer trust has been noted as a concept of individual behavior above, it becomes important to understand the values of that culture. Culture is the sum total of capabilities and habits acquired by humans as members of society, encompassing their knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, laws, and customs. Multicultural education is derived from the classical term "Intercultural Education" that began in the late 1920's with the premise of: "the acknowledgement of the diverse population of the United States, and the intent to help students understand the world and the American society in which they live" through education of the ethnic backgrounds and cultural variances of immigrant populations being educated in the United States (Volk p 3 1998). This developed towards the current definition as 'Multicultural Education" through 1970's as educators formed the belief that understanding the values and variances of culture would assist in educating children. Multicultural education should therefore support the concepts of culture as part of the educational curriculum. It seeks to support and extend on the learned behaviours of culture that define the variances between human social structures. While this can be viewed as an ambiguous and intrinsic concepts, there are also physical characteristics of culture that can be implemented into the education structure, such as symbols, heroes (stories) and rituals. Furthermore, multicultural education can not stop simple at the value of culture, it also encompasses concepts such as language, social class (poor vs. rich), disability and gender with the conviction that multicultural education is a strategy wherein the cultural heritage of each child is valued. The concept of multicultural education is to take the components of culture, incorporate the differences of people, and implement an educative curriculum that a celebration and experience of who we are, as individuals and as society. Effect of Cultures on Multicultural Education Martinez (2006) found that teachers and high school students believe that embracing diversity is important because it leads to social justice. Martinez concludes that for students, diversity was referred to the ways in which students differ from each other, including gender, age, ethnicity, race, religion,

Athiesm Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Athiesm - Research Paper Example The arguments on atheism base their foundation on science. In his book Atheism: a Very Short Introduction, Julian Baggini presents a discussion of atheists’ responses to the concept of life and deathi. His central concern is about the accusation of atheists for living a purpose-less and meaning-less life because of their lack of belief in the existence of life after death. Concepts and Terms Baggini argues that it is possible for atheist to live a purpose-full and meaning-full life. To set out his argument, he begins by considering whether the believers of life after death have similar problems in finding purpose and meaning given the religious teachings that the experience of an individual in the next life is superior. Baggini also examines the concept that only God gives the life of an individual a sense of purpose, arguing that this undermines the value that people place on their lives in earth. Consequently, humans become slaves to God because the purpose and meaning of li fe only comes through obeying the will of God, leaving little room for people to make their own decisions and choices. Conventional belief in the existence of life after death gives purpose and meaning in life, but Baggini feels that this particular belief undermines the value of the earthly lifeii. He argues that perceiving this life as a mere preparation for achieving better things in the next then makes this life secondary, and may prompt people to engage in horrendous acts purposely to get to the next life and enjoy the better quality of existence. The author further argues that living with the assumption that the life on earth is all there is a better motivation for people to advocate for social justice, despite the conventional belief that God will rectify those who suffered injustices in earth. Baggini argues that accepting the life on earth as the only life will encourage people to sort things out, thus gaining the interest in promoting justice and morality in the world. To him, the eternity of life is a pointless concept. He bases his conclusion on the fact that the belief in eternal life rarely motivates people to do anything, with the argument that an endless amount of time discourages any urgency to accomplish things. On the other hand, the life on earth motivates people as it has a life expectancy of around 70 years, thus individuals seek to accomplish things and maximize their time. The argument on life after death is just one of the rationales presented by atheists in the logical reasons category. Other argument categories include scientific reasons, and practical and personal reasonsiii. Brief History The debate among scholars on atheism has different definition and concepts. A portion of the scholars maintains their atheist perception, others base their arguments on theist perception, yet others reject the perceptions of the two former groups with agnostic arguments. Theist scholars believe in the existence of at least one god, while atheists do not belief on the existence of any gods that are external to human minds. In this both cases however, the arrival, reasons for belief, and what they feel, as well as a series of other factors do not matter. Theism belief in the existence of a god is sometimes difficult to understand, but the embedment in a web of religious beliefs provides a

The Global Business Environment Meeting Challenges Essay

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The Judiciary Committee of the Virginia State Bar Association - Essay Example The membership of the Virginia State Bar is restricted to five categories that are active members, associate members, disabled and retired members, judicial members, and the emeritus members. Each group of members has defined roles and responsibilities that are aimed at ensuring the Bar’s responsibility to the state is achieved in the most integrated way possible. Members also belong to different committees with the Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee being responsible for the consideration and search of appropriate nominees to fill any judicial vacancies. The constitution of the committee is thirteen active members. These members are carefully selected to ensure that each of the ten existing disciplinary districts in Virginia is represented, while the other three are from the state. Each member’s election restricts them to remain in office for only three year terms after which they are no longer eligible candidates. In addition, the election of the committee members is by the Council upon the recommendation of the nominating committee.

Engineering management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Engineering management - Essay Example Dyson adds that failure is part of making progress because people do not learn from success. When he started from humble idea, it got more interesting and audacious because he had an opportunity to experiment what can work and what cannot work. This can also be taken to mean that he is a very patient mogul, a trait that is very essential in entrepreneurship and innovation. Dyson is also a risk taker, and that is the reason he is so successful in innovation. He explains that innovation is about people trying to improve the way things work, but warns that big corporations are under competition from small innovative enterprises because they are not ready to undertake immense risk. His excellence in innovative is also evident when he explains that there is a lot of competition in terms of ideas but the ones who enjoy the fruits of their innovation are the ones who come up with the best ideas. Question 2 His management style is democratic or laissez-faire. This approach means that he has given his employees a freedom to contribute their ideas and try to implement them if they are found to be useful. This style is very effective in allowing the subordinates to develop their talents and make best use of them. As such, his employees are given a lot of opportunity to work without close supervision, which is very important in such an industry, which depends a lot on innovation. He has made a lot of efforts not to act as an owner who is isolated from his work force. He says that he spent a lot of time interacting with innovative people rather than being in his glass office. He made sure that even the people who were not engineers were doing things that were creative, something that went a long way in fostering innovation in this organization. H also spend time motivating his workers, for example by encouraging and praising them so they can continue adopting the difficult route instead of just doing what is straight forward. For this management style to work in its optimum , he ensures that team members are fully inspired to work to the best interest of the company. Question 3 Organizational structure is the manner in which organizations are set up, in order to achieve their goals. There are three major types of organizational structures, including matrix, divisional and functional. Functional structure Functional structure is organized according to the purpose of each section of the organization. For example, the organization may have different departments such as sales department, marketing department, and production department. This structure mostly suits small businesses in which case each department can rely on the skills and experience of its staff. However, the fact that different departments works as distinct bodies creates a communication barrier along their boundaries. Divisional Structure Divisional structure is common in companies that operate over a wide geographical area or that the companies that have smaller entities operating under th e umbrella group, typically dealing with different market areas or types of products. For example, an engineering company can be organized divisionally, with divisions such as compressor division, engine division, parts division, as well as different divisions to serve different geographical regions. Although communication under this structure is difficult because employees are working in separate divisions, it is generally effective because it allows specific and rapid meeting of needs. Maintenance of different divisio

Learning Team Internal and External Factors Paper Essay Example for Free

Learning Team Internal and External Factors Paper Essay Amongst today’s societies The McDonalds Corporations is considered one of many; that has successfully in so many ways used a combination of various marketing strategies and skills to become a globally known successful origination. McDonalds a global business in most countries around the world can also face a lot of challenges and issues. The McDonalds Corporations has learned and brought about changes according to the needs of its consumers per hour and should always remain flexible to changes within the environment that deals with current customer trends, government and or legal restrictions, and the development of technology. The McDonalds Corporations technology structural and also its financial assets of the company are perfect marketing positions. McDonalds without a doubt is completely abundant with many aspects in structure, finance and of course technology. To help, identify and implement majority of these assets within the proper directions towards the improvement of the corporations would be all that is needed. The McDonalds Corporations overall is producing their main product, creating items within their own kitchen, and cooking on their own grills. This means the use of equipment, certain control devices, the regulation of temperature, the business point-of sales system, inventory process, financial and communication information are all linked into different technology that impacts the corporation. Now with public awareness of technology and cultures more people are starting to become a little more health conscious, and have access to finding out about certain quality ingredients, and knowing the lack of minerals that may have an overall negative impact on what all fast foods have done to those who consume them. Along with maximizing knowledge on internal and external factors this will have a large impact on the four major function of management within a corporation. The McDonalds Corporations has goals that are reflected in its mission statement to become for some customers a favorite place to eat. There are several internal and external factor’s McDonald’s faces in the decision they made to go Global. External f actors  for the decision to go Global include the following. 1.)The growing heath trends of consumers 2.)The ability to expand into new markets such as India and China 3.)The diversification and purchase of other fast food restaurants 4.)The global growth of the fast food industry 5.)Worldwide deregulation (Salem, Abdullah, 2009) These external factors impacted the four functions of management for McDonald’s managers, by forcing management to adjust the planning function and information to include a mission that was based on a global demand and competition. The organizing function of management with in McDonalds was also affected by the decision to go global. Management now has to organize information, people, and financial resources crossed countries and cultures to achieve one common goal. The function a leading for a management changed also. Now, styles and type of leading and motiving had to be localized and customized around the culture rather than one specialized way of doing things. Controlling or measuring achievements in with in the global industry also changed as franchisees are now faced with measuring success based on others in different markets. Internal factors also played a part in McDonald’s decision to go global and those factors have also affected the four functions of manageme nt for their managers. Some internal factors include: 1.)The desire for a strong brand name, image, and reputation 2.)A large market share 3.)The desire for a global presence 4.)A stronger financial performance and position 5.)Introduction of new products 6.)Customer focus (Salem, Abdullah, 2009) These internal factors also had an effect on the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling functions of management within McDonald’s. Competing in a Global market makes managers think, act, gather and process information on a larger scale to achieve a goal. Diversity The evolution of McDonald’s Corporation toward diversity as a business objective began in the late 1970’s, when the corporation officially  established an Affirmative Action Department, which today is known as the Diversity Initiative Department (Anonymous, 2005). Numerous factors can affect the four major functions of management; this section will focus on how diversity can affect planning, organizing, leading and controlling within the McDonalds Corporation. Diversity in the workplace is more than a person’s race or ethnic background it also includes personality, gender, education, position in the organization, etc. The major obstacle for McDonald’s management continues to be age, gender, ethnic background and education. Diversity management involves a three-stage process: (Tetteh, 2014) †¢Identification Stage †¢Implementation Stage †¢Maintenance Stage McDonald’s management must identify where the diversity mixture is and decided on the appropriate action to ensure workplace harmony and productivity. This will be accomplished through proper training and communication with all employees. Learning to effectively communicate with the various groups within each location will be very important to the success of the team within each restaurant. Implementing effective processes that ensure each diverse group is accommodated is crucial to the process. McDonalds as a corporation does a great job helping and engaging their management and employee’s to ensure proper implementation by offering education and career development seminars, various gender based seminars, second language courses etc. Maintain and improving these processes will ensure that McDonald’s stays current and relevant to the groups each manager has identified within their department. McDonald’s continually re-evaluates its initiatives to ensure they are in line with their business and current employee base. McDonalds ensures diversity is properly managed within their organization by including diversity in the business planning process. This allows the company and its managers to treat diversity as an initiative rather than a program; it’s naturally incorporated into the business plan (Anonymous, 2005). Ethics When it comes the Functions of Management, you must condsider which parts may be corrupted by ethical issues. Two areas that maybe prone to be affected  are the Leading and Organizing Funtions. In building a dynamic organization you must find a diverse group of people, with different ethical baskgrouds, to fill the different postions in it. You would also want to get them up to speed with you organizations ethical views. If you take a company like McDonald’s you can find out what they do to ensure this. Now McDonalds is committed to conducting business ethically and in compliance with the letter and spirit of the law. This commitment is reflected in McDonalds Values. Inherent in each value is our commitment to be ethical, truthful and dependable and this is reflected through their Standards of Business Conduct, which serves as a guide to making good decisions and conducting business ethically. Each year McDonalds employees are required to re-certify that they have read and will abide by the standards that McDonalds has set through the Standards of Business Conduct. Employees complete regular training on the Standards, anti-bribery laws, and various other laws, regulations and company-specific policies. McDonalds and its employees in all countries must comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (McDonalds: Standards Of Business Conduct For Employees, n.d.). References Salem, F., Abdullah, M., (2009) McDonalds case study. http://www.scribd.com/doc/16050821/McDonalds-Case-Study McDonalds: Standards of Business Conduct for Employees. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/investors/corporate_governance/codes_of_conduct/standards_of_business_conduct.html Bateman, T. S., Snell, S. A. (2011). Management: Leading collaborating in a competitive world (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Anonymous, . (2005, November). Diversity at McDonalds: A way of life. Nations Restaurant News, 1(), 92, 94-95 Tetteh, Vanessa A. (2014, January 1). Diversity in the Workplace. Research Starters, p. 1.

Current Strategic Potential Essay Example for Free

Current Strategic Potential Essay The strategic potential of an enterprise (SPE) depends on the ability of an enterprise to take into account and properly assess both the internal and external conditions of its activities (Ginevicius et al. 2010). This means to know the strategic potential of an organisation, in other words ‘what it can do’, one has to analyse how different environments can be more or less rich in opportunities or hostile and how organisational capabilities ( resources and competences) can enable or constrain strategies. This essay will examine which information tools are necessary to assess the current strategic potential of Lufthansa. A globally leading aviation group focusing on the core competencies of its five business areas: Passenger Airline Group, Logistics, MRO, Catering and IT Services. The ability to analyse and evaluate the external conditions (environment) internal conditions (capabilities) is a complex phenomenon and dependent of an organisation’s activities and usage of appropriate tools. The essay will argue that for an organisation like Lufthansa with global presence and complex operations, to assess external environment PESTEL whereas for diagnosing strategic capabilities Value chain Value network are the most appropriate tools. Due to the reason that Lufthansa is an internationally operating organisation it faces international challenges. These international challenges govern as well the internal organisation as the external environment. The external environment has huge impacts on the Lufthansa. To conduct external environment analysis of Lufthansa it is essential to have information about the company, its financials, operations, global network, Strategy statement, Markets customer segment research studies, information about alliances partnerships,  Flight Schedules/Routes, Environmental challenges / studies ( e.g. Noise pollution, energy consumption controls related information), Fleet information (type aging of fleets), Competitor comparison reports, Legislation and regulations ( e.g. preferential airport rights if any) and Customer satisfaction studies. When it comes to select the tools for external environment analysis, there are quite few tools / technique available but two major / widely used to ol / techniques are PESTEL Porter’s Five forces. However use of PESTEL provides a wide overview reveal threats and opportunities presented e.g. by technological changes (i.e. fuel efficient engines, airframes, internet) or shift in market demographic, legal issues such as restriction on mergers, political such as security controls etc. PESTEL analysis helps to uncover issues likely to have major impact upon the future of the industry, regions or markets. The identification of the key drivers in macro environment changes help focus on what is most important and can be used to construct scenarios of alternative possible future. PESTLE-analysis tries to make the future more comprehensible and predictable though we have to take into account that future is something which cannot be forecasted, as unpredictable events might occur.Porter’s five forces framework which helps identify the attractiveness of an industry in terms of five competitive forces is another option to analyse external environment. However to be used carefully as not necessarily complete even at the industrial level for example, * Defining the â€Å"right† industry, most industries can be analysed at different levels e.g. different markets and even different segments within them e.g. airline industry has different geographical markets (Europe, Middle East, China etc.) with different segments (leisure, business freight). The competitive forces are different for each of these markets so must be analysed separately * Converging industries, definition of industry is too difficult because of continuous change of boundaries e.g. high tech area is converging. * Complementary organisation, analysts argue that industry analyses needs to include ‘sixth force’ due to the organisation that are complementary rather than competitors. An example is Microsoft Windows software and McAfee each is better because of others. Complementarity implies a significance shift in perspective. While Porter’s five forces sees organisations as battling against other for share of industry value, whereas  complementors may cooperate to increase the total value available. Others tools / techniques for external environment analysis such as Strategic group analysis, market segment analysis and the strategy canvases. These tools / techniques covers only the inner layer of the environment and help identify strategic gaps or opportunities thus misses the wider view of external environment for a company such as Lufthansa, thus may not be considered for analysis of Lufthansa.Strategic capabilities of an organisation contribute to its long term survival or competitive advantage. Two components of Strategic capability are ‘resources’ (what an organisation has) which includes physical, financial and humans resources and ‘competence’ (what it does well) how well these resources are deployed. The tools / techniques available to diagnose organisational capabilities includes, * Benchmarking, means to understand the relative performance of organisation * The Value chain and Value network, to understand how value to a customer is created and can be developed * Activity mapping, means of identifying more detailed activities which underpin strategic capabilities * SWOT, summarises the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats likely to impact on strategy developmentTo diagnose Lufthansa’s capabilities (Resources competencies) ‘the Value chain Value network’ is more appropriate tool/ technique. As it helps to understand the Lufthansa’s primary and secondary activities and how company strive to achieve competitive advantage by delivering value to the customer. The value chain can be used to diagnose and create competitive advantages on both cost and differentiation. The value chain is also beneficial to understand the strategic position as ‘generic description of activities’ help managers understand if there is a cluster of activities providing benefit to customer located within particular area of value chain. It also support analyzing competitive position of the organisation using VRIN ( Value, Rarity, inimitability, Non substitutability) criteria, further value chain helps to anaylse the cost and value of the of the activities. Since Lufthansa is part of wider value network (i.e. inter-organizational links relationship to create a product or services) it will further helps to understand the strategic position of the organisation. Other tools / techniques available to assess the capabilities of Lufthansa / organisation may not be able to stand simply because the value chain can be used to diagnose and create  competitive advantages on both cost and differentiation. Whereas Benchmarking is limited to comparing input output or outcomes and dose not identify the reason for relative performance in terms of underlying capabilities. Benchmarking may also lead to measurement distortions which mean you get what you measure. Activity mapping useful it is the danger is that, in seeking to explain capabilities underpinning their strategy managers may identify capabilities as too abstract a level. SWOT on the other hand may produce long list of strength weakness opportunities and threat so prioritization remains an issue, it may be used as a summary not as a substitute of analysis, it also lacks of specificity thus making value chain value network analysis more authentic to produce the needed analysis. To understand what kind of information is essential to conduct such analysis it’s important to draw a value chain map of the organisation. Below table is a representation of the value chain of an airline and give fair idea of the information needed for such an analysis. Conclusion,To assess the strategic potential PESTEL (for external environment), Value chain Value network (to diagnose strategic capabilities) tools / techniques are the most appropriate. With PESTEL broad macro environment of the organisation in terms of political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factor is analysed. This leads to identification of key drivers in macro-environment which are used to construct alternative scenarios with regard to environmental changes. The strategic capabilities which provide competitive advantage on the basis of their value, rarity, inimitability and non-substitutability (VRIN) are diagnosed through Value chain Value network analysis. Thus considering international nature of Lufthansa operations and global presence both tools (PESTEL Value chain Value network) to be used to assess its strategic potential.| References, Johnson, G, Whittington, R, Scholes, Kevan 2011, Exploring Strategy,9th edn, Pearson Education Limited, England Richard J. Speed, 1989Oh Mr Porter! A Re-Appraisal of Competitive Strategy, Marketing Intelligence Planning, Vol. 7 Iss: 5 pp. 8 – 11 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000001043 Rainer Feurer, Kazem Chaharbaghi, (1997),Strategy development: past, present and future, raining for Quality, Vol. 5 Iss: 2 pp. 58 70 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09684879710167647 Joan Magretta, (2012),Michael Porter answers managers FAQs, Strategy Leadership, Vol. 40 Iss: 2 pp.11 – 15 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/10878571211209305 G. Anand, Rambabu Kodali, (2008),Benchmarking the benchmarking models, Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol. 15 Iss: 3 pp. 257 291 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14635770810876593 Brian Leavy, (2003),Assessing your strategic alternatives from both a market position and core competence perspective, Strategy Leadership, Vol. 31 Iss: 6 pp. 29 35 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/10878570310505578 Ginevicius, R, Podvezko, V, Nototny, M Komka, A, 2012, Comprehensive quantitative evaluation of the strategic potential of an enterprize, Economic Computation Economic Cybernetics Studies Research, vol.46, no.1, pp. 65-84 Kavanah, P Hisrich, RD, 2010, The relationship between the quality of the idea and the strategic potential of a new venture; a longitudinal study of five Irish campus companies, Managing Global transitions: International research Journal, vol.8, no. 3, pp. 261-284 Steven T. Walsh Jonathan D. Linton (2001): The Competence Pyramid: A Framework for Identifying and Analysing Firm and Industry Competence, Technology Analysis Strategic Management, 13:2,165-177

The Democracy And Non Democracy Politics Essay

The Democracy And Non Democracy Politics Essay This paper gives brief ideas about democratic and non-democratic systems in modern world. The definitions of democracies and non-democracies vary from person to person. Furthermore, there are variety of explanations and democratic models, such as direct democracy and representative democracy (Heywood, 2007). Just the term of democracy can change into diverse ideas. For the term of non-democracy, it may be easier for people to understand, but in fact it has indistinct divisions between some non-democratic regimes. Besides the definitions of these two terms, this paper will explores the dissimilitude between democracies and non-democracies. And it includes necessary examples for the comparison. Introduction Nowadays, democratic system is popular around the world. No matter Western or Asian countries, people praise democratic systems highly and believe this is nearly the perfect political system in the world. But there still have non-democratic systems in the world. What is non-democracy? And what are differences between democracies and non-democracies? Different political scientists have different explanations for the meanings of democracies and non-democracies. Moreover, non-democracies are different from democracies in theories and practices. This paper aims at introducing the ideas about the definition of non-democratic systems and focuses on three dissimilarities between democracies and non-democracies. Definition of democracies and non-democracies Before comparing democratic and non-democratic systems, we first need to define the terms democracy and non-democracy. Democracy has a wide range of meanings and applications. Heywood (2007) defined democracy as rule by people; democracy implies both popular participation and government in the public interest, and can take a wide variety of forms (p.448). According to McLean and McMillan (2012), democracy as a descriptive term is synonymous with majority rule (democracy). In the democratic systems, election or voting is the way to apply the principle of majority. Simply speaking, democracy is a political system that enables ordinary citizens to participate and influence in the politics. In this paper, democracy is referred to the liberal democracy which is the broadest accepted form of democracy (Heywood, 2007). Liberal democracy is a form of indirect, representative democracy and is based on competitive election. It also divides the state and social community clearly (Heywood, 2007) . The term of non-democracy is rarely seen in political dictionaries, but it can be easily understood by just reversing its meaning with democracy. Non-democracy is a system of rule by individual or a small group of people, not all people. Contrary to democracy, people are ruled by minority in non-democracies. Totalitarianism, dictatorship, authoritarianism, Fascism and other political systems are all included in non-democratic systems. Modern people view non-democracies as autocracy, savageness and cruelty (Ezrow and Frantz, 2011). Some non-democratic countries, like Singapore and Malaysia, seem like democracy (Ezrow and Frantz, 2011). So, a well-defined definition is important. In this paper, non-democracy is defined as the system of rule by a person, a party or a small group of people which means non-democracies imply that little mass mobilization and limited pluralism (Ezrow and Frantz, 2011). And Sliwinski (2012a) suggested that there are three types of non-democratic regimes: dic tatorship, authoritarianism and totalitarianism. In order to simplify the situation, this paper mainly focuses on these three kinds of non-democratic systems. Robertson (2004) gave a clear definition to dictatorship is a form of government in which one person has sole and complete political power (p.145). McLean and McMillan pointed out totalitarianism (2012) regulates every aspect of state and private behavior (totalitarianism) and Robertson said that how to decide totalitarianism is the way to use the powers. Robertson shared the same idea with McLean and McMillan in the concept of authoritarianism, he pointed out that authoritarian ignores public opinion and uses forceful ways to rule over the country. McLean and McMillan even pointed out that the existence of dictators is one of the main elements for totalitarian regimes in the twentieth century (dictatorship), like Stalins Russia and Hitlers Germany. However, Robertsons view (2004) is differed from that of McLean and McMillan. He stated that dictatorship, authoritarianism and totalitarianism do not have required relationship, Authoritarianism needs not, strictly speaking, be a dictatorship and well not be totalitarian (p.33). Although Robertson disagreed with the idea that dictatorship, authoritarianism and totalitarianism have some kind of connections, we cannot deny that these three political systems are, in some extent, similar to each other. Authoritarianism and totalitarianism also limit peoples political rights, but the latter one even control the private lives of its people. Moreover, as these three kinds of political regimes restrict peoples political rights, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish them. But anyhow the comparison in this paper is: the comparison between liberal democracy and dictatorship, authoritarianism and totalitarianism. Comparison between democracies and non-democracies Separation of powers V.S. Domination of powers One of the main differences between democracy and non-democracy is the control of power. The democratic regimes separate the government powers; divide it into legislation, execution and adjudication. However, for the non-democratic regimes, the powers are only held by the ruler which means the ruler is the legislator, the executive and the judge of the state. The democratic system needs checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power, so it makes use of the separation of powers. The legislature controls the legislative power, the administrative holds the executive power and the judiciary controls the jurisdiction. These three powers are to make and change laws, to put laws into action and to make judgments on laws respectively (Sliwinski, 2012b, slide 22). These three political institutions can then mutually supervise and contain each other which can efficiently limit the power of the government. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, if one holds all the powers in his own hands, he will use the power to maximize his interests and ignore others interests and rights. The modern political thinkers John Locke and Montesquieu then believed that the power of the government should be restricted in order to avoid the appearance of tyranny and the corruption of powers. Locke suggested in order to protect peoples rights, there should be checks and balances. And Montesquieu was the first political thinker suggesting the idea of separation of powers. He believed that every government should divide its powers into three and this is largely influenced the American constitution and the Western political systems (Gingell, Little Winch, 2000). For the non-democratic regimes, they centralize the powers in their own hands. Non-democracies dominate the powers and through the monopolistic power, they fully exercise their authorities without limitations. Even though some of the regimes establish some resembling institutions to create an illusion of the separation of powers, the powers are actually combined in the regimes hands. The most efficient way to fulfill their aim -stabilizing the regimes status and power is to monopolize the powers. In The Prince, Machiavelli suggested the rulers should hold the absolute power with any way to preserve his power and regime (Gingell, Little Winch; Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2009). Thus, non-democracies can be seen as the embodiment of Machiavellis idea the use of absolute power. However, we should be aware that the maximization of powers is for the safe of the state, not for the ruler. And the non-democratic systems are contorting this point: they abuse the power just for the ir own interests, but not for their states and people. Here are some examples. The best model for the separation of powers in modern democracies is the system in United States. The separation of powers is clearly stated in the United States Constitution. The Congress only has the legislative power; the President of the United States holds the executive power and the Supreme Court enforces the judicial power. They are divisible and their powers do not overlap the power of one another. This practices the idea of mutual restraint on power. Therefore, the American political system embodies the idea of the checks and balances (Heywood, 2007). For the non-democracies, Soviet Union is a good instance. It was established in 1922 and ended in 1991. Soviet Union did not separate the powers, so that there were no limitations of powers for the party and the state. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union centralized three powers together and controlled the society and state tightly. Political equality V.S. Political inequality In the democratic countries, people have the chance to participate in the politics, this mainly presents by votes and elections. But for the non-democracies, they have lots of limitations in political participation which their people cannot actually involve in the political activities. The elections represent the political equality between people. From the view of liberal democracy, this means that the value of everyones vote is equal; no one will have a higher value of vote then the others (Heywood, 2007). Through the elections, it embodies the idea of political equality because the citizens do have the chance to express their views to the government by their own votes. It has no doubt that elections are important. According to Heywood, elections give the public the opportunity to affect the political process and decisions. In liberal democratic system, there is regular election within several years. People can take this chance to show their satisfaction towards the governments administration in past few years and also influence the political scene in the next several years. The most significant thing is that all the citizens do have the vote in their hands; no matter they are males or females, wealth or poverty or they are blacks or whites. From this perspective, people are equal politically and even socially (Heywood, 2007). Democratic countries, like the United States, the United Kingdom and France, have regular election system for their citizens to involve in politics and to express their political aspects. Therefore, the political equality also implies the widespread political participation. However, in the non-democratic regimes, it is usual to apply political inequalities. Not all the people in the regime can get the right to vote and only a small group of people control the political powers. This means some people are more influential in politics than the others. Even the non-democracies introduce elections to their citizens, the regimes secretly manipulate the elections in order to repress the opposition parties. For example, in Egypt, the economic elites are more political influential after 1984. Egypt is a single-party regime which is ruled under the National Democratic Party (NDP). In 1984, the businessmen supported the NDP and the ruler Mubarak; since then, they gain more political power by joining the party (King, 2009). The poverty, who is mainly the Egyptian workers and peasants, lost the opportunity to participate in the political activities (King, 2009). Even though Egypt has the electoral system, it still regards as non-democracy because the electoral syste m is dominated by the NDP (King, 2009; Ezrow Frantz, 2011). According to King, the NDP do not let the opposition parties to grow in strength and most important is that the party is able to allot the votes of labors and peasants. Not only in Egypt, other non-democracies, like China, Burma and Iran, do not have political equality and wide political participation. Freedom V.S. Constraint Another main difference between the democracies and non-democracies is the freedom of the citizens. In a democratic society, people enjoy the freedoms under the laws which mean their freedoms are protected by laws. Nevertheless, the non-democratic regimes usually restrict the freedoms of the people. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) regulates all people in the world have the rights to enjoy their freedoms. Freedom House, which is non-governmental organization, conducts researches on the countries degree of freedom and its annual report can be deemed as democratic report. Many political scientists use the report as the ratings of democracy. This implies that freedom is one of the fundamental elements in modern democracy. Most of the democratic countries have high rates of freedom, according to the Freedom in the World in 2012, like the countries in the Western Europe, which adopt the electoral democracies, all enjoy the rating of Free in the report. People in democratic countries enjoy their freedoms and rights because democracy is to protect all peoples interests both majority and minority. However, it is wrong to say that there is freedom, then there is democracy. Undoubtedly, it needs a certain degree of freedoms to form democracy. As the participation in polit ics do implies the freedoms of opinion and expression, speech and assembly, it is impossible for a democratic country works without the enjoyment of freedoms (Hovde, 1949). On the contrary, people under the non-democratic regimes normally do not enjoy most of the freedoms because the regimes disregard peoples rights and freedoms. Most of the regimes repress the freedom of speech, assembly and freedom of the press. Why do non-democracies constrain these freedoms? It is because they need to unite their peoples thought and ideology together with the regimes in order to prevent rebellion. North Korea, the totalitarian regime nowadays, is the best-suited example. The mass media in North Korea is fully controlled by the government and the media compliment blindly on the regime and the Kim family. The thought and daily lives of North Koreans are strictly controlled by the government. The North Koreans cannot leave the country; otherwise they will be regarded as traitors. Therefore, they do not enjoy any freedoms at all. Another Asian country Singapore also restrains citizens freedoms (Burton, 2010). The Singaporean government repressed the freedom of the pres s in the country by enforcing the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act (the Press Act) in 1974 (Rajah, 2012). And in the recent Press Freedom Index, Singapore was ranked a very low score 135 out of 179 countries. According to Rajah, the Singaporean government also carried out the Religious Harmony Act and the Public Order Act in order to restrict the freedom of religion and freedom of assembly of its citizens. Conclusion The definitions of democracies and non-democracies are wide and diversified, by narrowing their definitions, we can explore some main differences with them. There are three main differences between democratic and non-democratic regimes include: the control of power, the degree of participation in politics and the rate of freedom. The democracies separate its power into three (legislation, execution and adjudication), achieve political equality and carry out broad political participation, and let their citizens enjoy freedoms. On the contrary, the non-democracies monopolize the powers, limit the political participation within their supporters and imply political inequality, and repress the freedoms of their people. The studies about democratic and non-democratic regimes need to continue from time to time, in order to explore more possibility and rationality about them.

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The Islamic revolution in 1979 resulted in the collapse of the secular regime of the Pahlavi dynasty ruled by Muhammad Reza Shah in favour of an Islamic republic under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini. The revolution came about due to multiple internal and external social and political factors that mobilised the Iranian people. This essay will discuss the ways in which the people of Iran were discontented by the oppressive regime of the Shah and its various economic failures, the government’s programme of secularization and Westernisation and its close relationship with the United States, and how the views of Arabs internationally and in the Middle East affected the revival of Islamism in Iran. Mohammed Reza Shah’s oppressive regime motivated many people to protest against the social injustices carried out by the state. The government was wasteful, elitist and corrupt, and the people of Iran recognised it as such. The role of the secret police (the SAVAK) was heavily criticised by leftist, nationalist and Islamist movements for its political oppression and violent methods, which were seen by many factions of society as being violations of the Iranian Constitution of 1906. In 1975 the government abolished the existing two-party system and introduced a single political organization, the Resurgence Party, which all Iranians were required to join, thereby establishing their control over the people. The highly personalised system prevented competition, which led to dramatic divisions within the army and the political elite . The authoritarian system was subsequently undermined by the Shah’s indecisiveness and apparent weakness in the face of protest, which add ed momentum to the Islamists’ revolution. Because the regime was n... ... Middle East. The state of affairs in the Arab world is therefore linked to the need of many Muslims to return to a traditionally Islamic way of governance, and can thereby explain the vehement Islamic-oriented revolution in Iran. In conclusion, the corrupt regime and poor leadership of Muhammad Reza Shah created social injustice which the population protested, and the economic failures of the government alienated members of the Iranian population and incited revolutionaries to action. The attempted secularization and Westernization of Iran furthered the people’s discontent, and Khomeini’s movement heavily criticised Iran’s close relationship with the West. In Iran as well as in the Middle East as a whole there was a desire for a return to Islam provoked by events such as the June War. All these social and political factors contributed to emergence of a revolution.

Themes of the Odyssey :: essays research papers

Throughout the Odyssey there are many themes that Homer uses to portray different people and events. To name a few, there are the themes of Betrayal and Revenge,Greed and Glutony, Hospitality, Role of the Gods and Wealth (the amount of money one had determined the status he held in the greek society, and this explains Odysseus's love for plunder). To start with the most common one, the role of the gods, one can see many such allusions thrown all over the odyssey. The epic poem starts in Mt.Olympus where the gods are discussing what will happen to Odysseus , Master mariner and warrior of Ithaka. As it so happens he is on the island of Kalypso, one of the lesser gods. Also, as Odysseus travels, one learns about the role of the gods in not only his travels but other peoples ones too. Agisthos, the man who stole Agamemnon's wife and killed him, was sent a message from Zeus by Hermes, giving him the information of what will happen if he kills him. Also, Menelaus, the red haired king of war, had to wrestle with a sea-god in order to gain acceptance and sail all the way back to his homeland of Sparta, and find news about the rest of his companions. He would not find out about his brothers demise until he got home. The next two themes are interelated, Betrayal and Revenge, with Greed and Glutony.THe gods punish those who show greed and glutony, but that does not mean that they cannot be punished as well. A prime example of this is when Posiedon is out feasting among the 'sun-burnt' races that were deemed to be his own. While he was feasting, Odysseus escaped the island of Kalypso, something that Poseidon did not like and was to late to stop from happening. While he was being gluttanos and eating all that food, Odysseus had escaped. Another example would be the murder of Agamemnon. Agisthos was greedy and wanted money and status, as well as Agamemnon's wife and Agamemnon's wife betrayed Agamemnon when she went off with him and even more so when they both killed him. However, the theme of Betrayal is often closely followed by the theme of Revenge. Agamemnon's son, Orestes, would go back and avenge his father's death, killing Agisthos and his mother even though later on in greek mythology he knew he would be punished for killing her.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” Essay

Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† in the late 1800’s while being treating by the very trusted Weir Mitchell. During this time women were commonly admitted into the care of doctors by their husbands without their given consent. At this time there was very little research concerning Post- Partum Depression. According to the A.D.A.M Medical Encyclopedia, Post-Partum is moderate to extreme depression women may experience after giving birth. The symptoms include fearfulness, restlessness, and anxiety- all of which are displayed by Jane in â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.† Gilman was advised by Dr. Mitchell to stop writing and rest, only partaking in â€Å"household† activities. She was not to visit with friends or go outside much. Contesting to these rules, Gilman ended treatment with Mitchell and wrote â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† with the hopes of shedding much needed light on the ineffectiveness of his strategies. The mental condition of many women often worsened due the general population’s lack of consideration involving a woman’s outspoken opinion involving the betterment of her own health. Carol Kessler writes in â€Å"Consider Her Ways: The Cultural Work of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Pragmatopian Stories, 1908-1913,† â€Å"The utopian fiction of Charlotte Perkins Gilman takes on as its â€Å"cultural work† the demonstration that women are not confined to one traditional mode of being–wife/motherhood–but can fill as varied social roles as can male counterparts† (126). Kessler is stating Gilman’s writing is not only a statement against the mental health practices concerning women, but also includes other issues that were dominated by a patriarchal society. Denise D. Knight suggests in her essay â€Å"I Am Getting Angry Enough to do Something Desperate,† that Jane’s behavior at the end is â€Å"an expression of the tremendous rage she feels toward her husband, John† (78). This statement is evidence suggesting that women were well aware of the need for a change involving these matters. Gilman uses the yellow wallpaper to symbolize the psychological, sexual and creative oppression women experienced during Gilman’s contemporary times. Jane’s â€Å"condition† is revealed to the reader at the beginning of the story. Jane has just arrived at the â€Å"vacation† home and is writing secretly since John forbids it. She writes of John, â€Å"You see, he does not believe I am sick!† (Gilman 173). This quote indicates to the audience that Jane’s voice is of no importance next to John’s. Jane continues to voice her opinion about her illness and what she believes could cure her. John blatantly ignores any suggestions she may have concerning her own health, appearing heartless and cold. This is very clear when Jane initially voices dislike for the room with the yellow wallpaper, in which she is assigned to stay. Jane writes, â€Å"I don’t like our room one bit. I wanted one downstairs that opened on the piazza †¦but John would not hear of it!† (Gilman 174). Gilman allows the audience a glimpse at the symbolism of the wallpaper at this point. Jane mentions her dislike of the room with the yellow wallpaper as soon as she is introduced to it. Upon bringing this discomfort to John’s attention she is sufficed with a promise to replace it. However, John later breaks his promise with the reasoning that they will only be there three months. The creeping feeling Jane experiences concerning the wallpaper symbolizes the mental instability she feels looming over her. John convinces Jane there is nothing wrong with the room and refuses to move her even though she requests he do so. When Jane persists she writes of his response to her, â€Å"But John says if I feel so, I shall neglect proper self-control; so I take pains to control myself† (Gilman 174). Jane is forced to h ide her feelings and worsening condition, as well as her writing. This interaction between the two characters demonstrates how many women during this time period were not to have opinions or preferences. This scene displays the lack of self-expression and freedom women encountered. Creativity in women was not widely accepted in Gilman’s society and was often deemed improbable. In one of Jane’s entries she describes, â€Å"There comes John, and I must put this away he hates to have me write a word† (Gilman 175). This sentence is powerful because the written word is often more powerful than the spoken word. Women were rarely given the luxury of speaking freely, much less writing freely. John’s reluctance to allow Jane to write illustrates the narrow minded ideals men had concerning women. In â€Å"Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper,† Gilman writes that Dr. Mitchell, â€Å" concluded there was nothing much the matter with me, and sent me home with solemn advice to â€Å"live as domestic a life as far as possible,â₠¬  to â€Å"have but two hours’ intellectual life a day,† and â€Å"never to touch pen, brush or pencil again as long as I lived’†(51). Both Gilman and Jane were creative women that used writing as therapy to express what others around them could not understand. Jane’s journal and her writing symbolize the creative talents and intelligence many women were capable of but were forced to conceal. Gilman contradicts the idea of women being married to make great â€Å"mothers† with the statement, â€Å"And yet I cannot be with him† (Gilman 177). Jane is referring to her infant son. The possibility that a woman could want more from life other than to marry and have children was an almost impossible notion at the time. In â€Å"Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’: A Centenary† Linda Wagner- Martin writes, â€Å"Of these many conflicts inherent in women’s trying to lead acceptable female lives, perhaps the most troublesome is that of motherhood, its attendant responsibilities, and its almost inevitable loss of self-identity† (52). The A.D.A.M Medical Encyclopedia sugg ests that a common cause of Post-Partum Depression in women is the decreasing amount of time they have to themselves after having a child. Women of brighter minds were often misplaced in this type of society. Many artists feel an undeniable obligation to their work, often taking time away from their families. It was impossible for artistic women to prosper when their prime purpose in life was to marry and have children. Knight writes, â€Å"Gilman demonstrates how stifling the cult of domesticity was for intelligent women† (78). Jennie, Jane’s caretaker, represents this idea. Jane writes of Jennie, â€Å"She is a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper, and hopes for no better profession† (Gilman 178). Jennie’s characteristics and tendency to stay out of Jane’s business resembles a fear felt by many women. While it was common for many intelligent women to become depressed due to creative and psychological oppression, fear often quieted any desires for change. It was widely understood that any woman who tried to live otherwise would just as easily end up in Jane’s predicament. Martin writes of the matter, â€Å" The point, obviously, is that society expects women to be fulfilled through motherhood, and that women who question their roles as mothers, who complain or are angry about those roles, are suspect if not beyond human comprehension† (63). In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† Jane’s behavior often reflects this idea that women longed for the opportunity to choose their life occupation, rather than being assigned it. Sexual oppression of women is also touched on in this piece. John often goes away for a work and even when he visits, there is minimal physical contact between him and Jane. Judith A. Allen writes in â€Å"Reconfiguring Vice: Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Prostitution, and Frontier Sexual Contracts,† â€Å"Gilman shared in a common, international, late nineteenth-century feminist critique of marriage and of other sexual economic contracts† (173). Gilman’s very opinionated statements regarding women’s freedoms clearly extended to their sexual needs as well as emotional needs. While it was often expected for women to stay behind and tend to the children while the men were away at work, it was often overlooked how these physical absences affected them. It was socially acceptable for a man to appease his sexual appetite with other women while he was away, but not for his wife to do the same with other men. This was taxing on many women. When John is visiting Jane one night, he simply scoops her up and takes her to bed, where he reads to her until she is tired and ready for bed. Jane appears to be too ill to confront her sexual desires like many women of the time. Her relationship described with John is surfaced. Since there is a lack of a physical relationship between the two, there appears to be no relationship at all. This clarifies the belief that women were married off to produce children and please their husbands. Once Jane begins taking notice of the wallpaper itself, the tone of the story takes a dive. While the tone of the story begins somewhat light hearted and seemingly harmless, there is still a hint of foreshadowing. It is when Jane becomes obsessed the audience becomes aware of how terrible her condition truly is. It is almost used as a mockery of John’s ignorance throughout the entire story. The narrator writes, â€Å"There are things in that paper that nobody knows about but me, or ever willâ €  (Gilman180). This is when Jane is realizing the figure in the wallpaper in fact is a woman and she appears to be behind bars. The symbolism here is that no one can understand how Jane is feeling, including the other women around her. As time goes on John tells Jane things such as, â€Å"You are gaining flesh and color,† and â€Å"I feel much easier about you† (Gilman181). Rather than asking Jane how she feels, he is telling her. The irony is Jane’s willingness to accept being told how to act, feel, and live. Based on the mockery provided by the narrator, John does not truly understand what Jane needs, considering he, like everyone else involved, does not view women as people capable of reasoning and complex feelings. This idea was prevalent to the society throughout that time period. The phrase â€Å"dear John† is mentioned throughout the story, indicating the importance of John to Jane. As Jane’s condition and obsession with the wallpaper worsen, her strength d ecreases as well. She is forced increasingly rely on others, including John. She writes of John, â€Å"Dear John! He loves me very dearly and hates to have me sick† (Gilman 180). The irony is how little of importance Jane appears to have in John’s life. He has a routine written for Jennie and Jane to follow throughout the day while he’s away. One of the nights he is visiting, Jane writes, â€Å"He said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had† (Gilman 180). These words have an empty meaning. If Jane were the only thing John had, he would have paid more attention to her and realized she was not getting better in the least. This supports the then popular belief that women would be content with simply being told what they want to hear. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† there are statements made against the male physicians that were so highly admired among communities during Gilman’s time. Jane writes, â€Å"John is a physician and perhaps that is one reaso n I do not get well faster† (Gilman 173). Jane is admitting that a woman’s duty to submit to her husband gets in the way of her need to be persistent concerning her health. This observation is ironic and bold. It argues the mockery in the situation. John, as a doctor, is held up to such high standards, yet he has no idea what is really going on with this woman. The story is ridiculing society’s idea of â€Å"intelligence.† John makes the mistake of treating Jane as if something is wrong with her. However, the humor is in the doctors’ inability to figure out that women are simply composed of the same emotional capabilities as men. It is also necessary to pay special to attention the symbolism of name choice in â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.† John and Jane can allude to â€Å"Jane Doe† and â€Å"John Doe.† If this is the case, both could be identified as of no particular importance to the audience. A Jane or John Doe are unidentified people. Gilman did not feel the need to give the se characters any specific names that would identify them with a particular characteristic or trait. Their situation is unidentified, and their situation was very common for that time. John’s disregard for Jane’s claims of her slow descent into a worsening mental condition was a common practice for doctors regarding women. Often when a woman needed or wanted something, she had no other choice but to acquire the assistance of her husband. In the instance of Jane needing alternative means of medical care, her only hope would have been John. Naturally John did not listen to her protests. Gilman is stating that both men and women should have an equal say in marriage. Kessler writes, â€Å"The ‘partnership’ society that Eisler defines seems already to have been present in the â€Å"pragmatopian† imagination of Charlotte Perkins Gilman as revealed in her turn-of-the-century fiction, especially the short stories: the alternative or partner-oriented gender roles she depicts could be realized or attained then or in the present-day society that we know† (126). There were also many marriages lacking the understanding John clearly does not display. This coincides with the idea that many women who were married to many men at that time experienced the oppression Jane feels and were met with the same ignorance John displays. At the end of the story Jane writes, â€Å"For outside you have to creep on the ground, and everything is green instead of yellow† (Gilman 188). This has a childlike feel to it. Earlier in the story, when Jane is trying to talk to John about how she is feeling he replies with, â€Å"What is it, little girl?† (Gilman 181). The last scene of the story describes Jane as this crazy woman, but it has her creeping around the ground like a child. In â€Å"Environment as Psychopathological Symbolism in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper,’† Loralee MacPikew writes, â€Å"The fact that the narrator’s prison-room is a nursery indicates her status in society. The woman is legally a child; socially, economic ally, and philosophically she must be led by an adult–her husband† (286). One day when Jane is stuck in her room alone, she reverts to her childhood while staring at the wallpaper, giving a description of a vivid memory. She writes, â€Å"I never saw so much expression in an inanimate thing before, and we all know how much expression they have! I used to lie awake as a child and get more entertainment and terror out of blank walls and plain furniture than most children could find in a toy-store† (Gilman 177). These behaviors revert to the idea that even as children, females were facing emotional neglect. It also supports the idea Jane was often treated like children by their husbands, posing the question how could she be expected to be a â€Å"good† mother if she herself was not permitted to act like an adult. Gilman’s decision to make the wallpaper yellow as opposed to any other color is interesting. Yellow is often viewed as a neutral color concerning gender. This may be connected to Gilman’s outcry of the belief that women ar e inferior to men concerning creative, emotional, and intelligent capability. Once Jane begins to acknowledge the wallpaper, her descriptions of it become more detailed. She describes it, â€Å"looked at in one way, each breadth stands alone; the bloated curves and flourishes- a kind of â€Å"debased Romanesque† with delirium tremens- go waddling up and down in isolated columns of fatuity† (Gilman 179). The words â€Å"delirium tremens† (Gilman 179) indicate how the wallpaper concurs with Jane’s worsening condition. Colors have often been known to manipulate a person’s mood. Following this belief, yellow is known to promote communication. This is an ironic symbol, considering John did not listen to Jane in the least. There are many times he overlooks her feelings or statements. At the beginning of the story Jane claims to feel something strange about the house. When she brings this to John’s attention he says what she â€Å"felt was a draught, and shut the window† (Gilman 174). Clearly John’s inability to listen to Jane discourages her to speak of anything at all to him. In â€Å"Consider Her W ays,† Kessler writes, â€Å"By refusing to accept definitions of traditional â€Å"male† and â€Å"female† roles, and instead of offering clear alternatives to such mainstream notions, Gilman forces readers to question boundaries defining behavior assumed acceptable on the basis of gender† (126). This statement supports the notion that Gilman believed that both men and women should share all household responsibilities, including working and raising children. The satirical symbolism at the end of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is astounding. It does a great job of surprising and shocking the audience. It leaves this image imprinted of a crazy lady taking a bite out of a bed and creeping around her husband. Once Jane believes she is the lady inside the wallpaper, she writes, â€Å"and I don’t want to have anybody in, till John comes. I want to astonish him† (Gilman 187). At this point her anger is apparent. The narrator is clearly pointing fingers at who is to blame for her current predicament. She is comparable to a child throwing a tantrum. It’s almost as if Jane is assuming the behaviors of a role she has been given, which is no different than what she does from the beginning of the story. She does what she is told. However, John often refers to her as everything but a woman. Naturally this mentality was bound to catch on. Jane also had no other means of escape from her world. John refused to allow her to go anywhere. It was almost as if she were a child being grounded. When children are forced to stay inside they use their imaginations as entertainment. To do this is human nature, and Jane is no exception. There is also attention to be paid to the bars described in the wallpaper. Jane writes, â€Å"at night in any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight, it becomes bars!† (Gilman 182). The bars symbolize all the oppression felt by Jane. As the progression of Jane’s condition worsens, the appearance of the bars becomes more prominent. Once Jane discovers the bars, she notices the woman in the wallpaper, â€Å"The outside pattern, I mean, and the woman behind it is as plain as can be† (Gilman 182). This quote refers to the unawareness John and other men of the time displayed concerning women. Gilman is making a statement against how obvious it is that Jane knows what she needs more so than her husband. This scenario was common among many women during that time period. It is also an outcry against a woman’s inability to practice self-expression. Once Jane decides to try and help the woman escape from the wallpaper (and becomes the woman herself), she peels off all the paper so she cannot be put back. Once John gets into the room she says to him, â€Å"’I’ve got out at last,’ said I,† in spite of you and Jane! And I’ve pulled of most of the paper, so you can’t put me back!’† (Gilman 189). This statement could be interpreted as Gilman’s creative self being defiant against the rules set up by a patriarchal society. While this last scene can be understood as haunting and disturbing, it almost seems as if Jane is getting the last laugh in the end. Her husband who is â€Å"successfully† a physician has failed his own wife. Jane’s road to insanity was brought on by her husband’s â€Å"trusted† tactics. Shortly after the story was published, Weir Mitchell was forced to re-evaluate his tactics used on â€Å"mentally unstable† women. There were many patriarchal barriers facing women when â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† was written. Gilman does an extraordinary job of displaying the horrors that resulted from this complex and delicate subject. The image of a woman behind bars in yellow wallpaper could not be more appropriate to convey such an important message. This short story demonstrates the feeling of entrapment and misplacement many creative and intelligent women felt during Gilman’s time. The yellow wallpaper is a strong symbol of a declaration of independence, creativity, and self-expression in a society where such notions were much too often withheld from the female population.