In 1954 Herbert Morrison said that a ‘minister is responsible for every stamp stuck on every envelope’ in their department. Using examples, critically discuss whether the above statement is accurate today

Introduction Herbert Morrison’s comments represent an ideal of Ministerial Responsibility which his political heirs and descendants have, in truth, abandoned to a large degree. In part this reflects new political realities and a change in the behaviour of politicians who strive to protect individual reputation at the expense of what was once a sacred principle of Government[1]. The responsibility to which Herbert Morrison alludes to arises often in the context of when a minister should resign which has undergone some marked transformations over the years as the apparatus of Whitehall has exploded and powers have been invested in individual ministers: non-departmental bodies, public corporations and other agencies such as quangos[2] now complement ever growing departments. As Diane Longley & Norman Lewis observe the roots of the principle stretch far back before Morrison’s time to the days of Dicey where the liability to loss of office was extended to â€Å"all official acts† [3] which invariably covered departmental maladministration to more serious matters. The principle, as a means of holding the executive branch of the government to account, has been justifiably described as â€Å"hollow†, a â€Å"ruling fiction† [4] and leading constitutional scholars have called for reform in this area as far back as the year 2000[5]. Even back in 1956 Professor Finer cast doubt upon its very existence in the wake of the Crichel Down affair[6]. No such reform or replacement has ever arrived, however, and despite notable episodes such as the Hutton inquiry, the cash for questions probes and the recent expenses scandal in Westminster no alternative theory or principle has surfaced[7]. The operation of the principle has also been seen as not aiding government accountability but hindering it by many commentators: â€Å"Many students of public administration, including the authors, have long taken the view that ministerial responsibility/accountability (M.R.) as the ruling convention for calling the executive to account is hollow. Indeed, operating at its most pernicious, it is a system for the mutually-reinforcing active concealment of government action and public purposes.†[8] This essay will focus on whether the principle of ministerial responsibility, as described by Herbert Morrison, is still accurate in the political climate of 2012. In part 1 this essay will look into the Crichel Down affair of 1937 to establish the supposed convention and then in part 2 the Scott Report, which was commissioned after it emerged that Britain had sold arms to Iraq, will be analysed. The inescapable conclusion is that Morrison’s statement reflects a nobler and purer vision of politics than now endures and that the principle has been so eroded by time as to be virtually unrecognisable: if indeed it existed in the first place. Part 1: Crichel Down affair As Bradley & Ewing point out the Crichel Down Affair of 1937 is the acknowledged starting point in any discussion of ministerial responsibility[9]. Farmland in Dorset, which was called Crichel Down, was acquired under compulsory purchase powers[10] by the Air Ministry in 1938 prior to the outbreak of war for a new bombing range[11]. Lieutenant Commander Marten asked that the land be sold back to his family (who had previously owned most of the land) but what followed was, in the opinion of the subsequent inquiry setup to investigate the affair, â€Å"muddle, inefficiency, bias and bad faith on the part of some officials named in the report†[12]. In particular an inaccurate report was drafted by a junior civil servant that led to the Ministry of Agriculture adopting a scheme which deprived the former owners of rights in the land or as Wass succinctly puts it, â€Å"bona fide applicants for the land had not been given the opportunity they had been promised to bid for a rental o r for possession of the land†[13]. Wass highlights the two senior civil servants identified by the inquiry who did attempt to cover their own tracks once the facts were apparent: â€Å"The one [mistake] on which everyone seized was the impropriety of the two principal officials who, realising that applicants to rent or buy the land had not been given the opportunities they had been led to expect, sought to appear retrospectively to have considered their case. This was manifestly wrong and would have been a suitable subject for a mild criticism by the Ombudsman, if he had existed at the time and had the case been referred to him. But it is pretty clear from the papers that, even if the applicants’ cases had been considered, the outcome, viz. a decision to continue to farm the unit as a single unit by a farmer of proved ability, would have been the same.†[14] The end result was that the Minister of Agriculture, Sir Thomas Dugdale, resigned and the two civil servants were moved to other duties[15]. The constitutional legacy of Crichel Down was that it is now cited as â€Å"the last example of a minister’s acceptance of responsibility for all the acts of his department†[16]. In the subsequent debate in the House of Commons Sir David Maxwell’s Fyfe, the then Home Secretary, sought to clarify four situations in which a Minister must vicariously â€Å"accept responsibility† to varying degrees for the actions or inactions of his civil servants ranging from where an explicit order is given to where action is taken by a civil servant of which the â€Å"Minister disapproves and has no previous knowledge†[17]. This continuum of responsibility did not contain any mention of resignation and the topic remains wedded to circumstances: â€Å"there is no duty on a minister to resign when maladministration has occurred within his or her department†[18]. The key factors which influence a resignation are for the most part political: a fact which is corroborated by Professor Finer[19] and Bradley & Ewing’s seminal work on constitutional law[20]. Part 2: Arms to Iraq By the convention supposedly crystallised in the aftermath of the Crichel Down affair the Ministers responsible for exporting arms to Iraq would have had to have resigned in the wake of the Scott Report into the affair in 1996[21]. Ultimately there were no resignations despite a close vote in the Commons during the debate on the report. The conclusions of the report were, however, devastating in finding that there were numerous failings by ministers to keep Parliament appraised of their arms exporting policy and, fundamentally, they had misled Parliament, albeit not intentionally[22]. Instead the ministers involved managed to slip into what Margaret Liu has called an â€Å"accountability gap† which exploits the definitions given to responsibility and accountability respectively[23]. As Liu explains: â€Å"A minister is ‘accountable’ to Parliament for what had occurred in his department without that implying personal blame on the part of a minister if things had gone wrong. By contrast, a minister is said to be ‘responsible’ for broad policy, and the issues that he/she has been personally involved, not for all department affairs. In other words, the minister is not responsible for what is done by the civil service in the Next Steps agency where he has delegated the accountability for administration from parent departments.†[24] This relatively new artificial distinction allows ministers to escape responsibility for actions in their department carried out by civil servants and ultimately leads, as Liu rightly observes, to â€Å"potential areas of government for which no one is ‘responsible’ to Parliament, even though a minister remains ‘accountable’†[25]. Thus despite all of the furore created by the report the ministers were ultimately able to hang onto their jobs and there was to be no supreme sacrifice a la Sir Thomas Dugdale in the Crichel Down affair. This distinction appears to have fuelled the practice of misleading Parliament and being creative with the truth to avoid liability in respect of departmental maladministration. As Liu points out individual ministerial responsibility essentially involves the private conduct of a minister, the minister’s conduct of his/her department and vicarious acts of civil servants[26]. Personal conduct seems to be the exception with many ministers resigning because it was impossible to conduct their duties in the media glare[27] but as Bradley & Ewing note â€Å"there have been very few resignations by ministers taking vicarious responsibility for the errors of civil servants in their departments†[28]. The level of culpability was high in the Arms to Iraq case and the fact that no minister lost their jobs is reflective of modern political times where no minister resigns unless the matter is exceptionally serious or private conduct is preventing them doing their jobs. As Longley & Lewis conclude: â€Å"If the minister is indeed responsible for systems, then he is responsible for their failure either directly or through the identification of those who are. If this is not the case, then plainly ministerial responsibility is a myth. Slowly the effectiveness of the convention has been eroded†¦Scott may have been successfully defused in the party-political arena, but if his report is left to gather dust when it is an indictment of the deep-seated failure of parliamentary government, then the fabled British system will deserve all the disapprobation which it is bound to receive.†[29] Conclusion In conclusion Herbert Morrison’s statement was inaccurate even back in the political climate in which it was created: a time when a minister would supposedly fall for the actions of any civil servant and would do the right thing by standing down[30]. As Professor Finer justifiably notes, the cases which precede the Crichel Down affair do not even lend substance to the convention and the principle in fact relies upon factors such as the mood of the Prime Minister and the will of the minister concerned rather than an overriding sense of accepting responsibility for the actions of others[31]. Applied to the modern political climate the statement is wildly inaccurate with various commentators rightly alleging that it is a â€Å"myth† in the British constitution[32]. The Scott Report demonstrates the pliability of the principle well and the artificial distinctions between ‘responsibility’ and ‘accountability’, inextricably linked, serve only to furt her consign the principle to the dustbin of history save in the most serious of cases. Now creativity is used in giving answers to Parliament and all responsibility is to be evaded until the eleventh hour. This is, as noted in the introduction, a reflection of the growth of the apparatus of the state and the unelected power of ministers. Professor Finer’s four categories are more realistic even in 2012: â€Å"There are four categories of delinquent Ministers: the fortunate, the less fortunate, the unfortunate, and the plain unlucky. After sinning, the first go to other Ministries ; the second to Another Place ; the third just go. Of the fourth there are but twenty examples in a century†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [33] Bibliography Journals Finer, E.S. (1956) ‘The Individual Responsibility of Ministers’ Public Administration 377 Liu, Margaret L (2002) ‘Ministerial Responsibility and Constitutional Law’ Coventry Law 7(2) pp25-37 at p.29 Longley, D & Lewis, Norman (1996) ‘Ministerial Responsibility: The Next Steps’ Public Law Autumn pp490-507 Wass, Douglas (1988) ‘The Mystery of Crichel Down’ Public Law Autumn pp473 – 475 Books Bradey, AW & Ewing, KD (2007) Constitutional & Administrative Law Pearson: worldwide Tomkins, Adam (1998) The Constitution After Scott: Government Unwrapped Oxford University Press: Oxford Turpin, Colin (1994) â€Å"Ministerial Responsibility: Myth or Reality?† in J. Jowell and D. Oliver (eds.), The Changing Constitution, (3rd ed), pp. 114-115

Playing The Enemy Response

Playing the Enemy After reading playing the enemy, I must say I was actually pretty Jealous of those fortunate enough to get to meet and leave an Impression on the great man Nelson Mandela. The story was truly Inspirational and after reading was very glad I chose this book to read. I knew that Nelson Mandela was a great man and I knew only part of his story. I knew that he was the first black president that South Africa had seen, I also knew that he was jailed for man years (27 to be exact) and was the reason that the South African Apartheid was ended.I was ignorant to the journey it took to get there and the millions of hearts he won over in his lifetime. It amazed me how throughout Mandela's life he was able to win over the hearts of almost everyone he spoke to. From what most may consider the lowest point of one's life, being locked away in prison, away from your family for 27 years, he was able to use this time to not only mellow down and forgive those who imprisoned him, but he also ended up befriending many of them. That to me spoke greatness upon his character.I recall reading about when he first started learning about the game of cubby, he did so all with the sole purpose of becoming close with one of his new prison wards. When I first read this part In the story I thought there Is no way this could work†¦ A big bad white South African man who obviously has many pre]delude against Mandela and his people, but somehow he was able to pull it off, whenever given the chance, Mandela would discuss rugby with him and eventually it paid off, he soon was living the life, he was given a hot plate†¦ A freaking.The fact that a prisoner was able to pull that off was quite amazing. But it never stopped there. He was later moved out of his small little cell and was put into a little house. Then it went even farther when he was taken on drives around town and I think the peak of his prison privileges came when Mandela was allowed to go freely for walks. Throu ghout the book, Mandela causes people to fall for his charm and I know exactly how he was able to accomplish this. It Is all explained In this quote by himself†¦ â€Å"If you talk too man In a language he understands, that goes to his head.If you talk to him In his language, that goes to his heart. † In many cases this quote could be taken eternally. In many cases people would feel more comfortable with the future leader because he would actually speak to them in their native tongue which, to the South African Whites who were not his biggest supporters, was Afrikaans. Ironically he was able to learn this skill with all the time he had in prison. Other examples how this quote held true throughout the story was that he learned the â€Å"language† of rugby. Learning to understand and like rugby early on while in prison really ended up helping a lot in the long run.I totally agree that when you find a common interest amongst enemies it is easier to unite and that is e xactly what he did when he used the sport of rugby to unite a nation. The sport was more Important than I first presumed It to be. At first I believed the game to Just be a game. Unlike Mandela I did not see the correlation between rugby and unification If the races, especially when black South Africans would always root for whatever team there country was playing. I think another great thing I got from this book was that he was not only a great him they could tell there was something about him.He Just had this way of neglecting with all types of people and a recurring theme amongst these interactions was that he had this smile. This smile that Just won over the world in my opinion. This warm gesture spoke a lot to me, how does one go through all he did and still come out smiling. I believe many people saw this and this was part why they trusted him as a leader. He was a symbol of hope to many and though not all will agree, I believe his actions say so much more than any media cover age can. Mandela did something no one else would probably of been able to achieve.To say this book as a great read would be an understatement. This was one of the most inspirational stories I have read and I am glad that I read this. I went to this little project not really expecting to take anything from it, instead I came out with a new perspective of not just this great man, but also on the word I live and the situations I deal with in my own life. This really made any problem I have dealt with Just feel insignificant but I mean that in a good way. Now I feel more encouraged to turn my trials and tribulations into strength much as my new idol Nelson Mandela did.

Language Teaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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Hamlet - Deliverer of Denmark Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hamlet - Deliverer of Denmark - Essay Example So who is really the hero and who is the villain in this play? This is the indeterminacy that one faces with in this play. The Ghost in the play causes Hamlet a great deal of problem and difficulty. If he is coming from the purgatory, why is he shrieking for retribution? Why does his speech sound as if it is coming from hell? No one knows the answer because no one knows Hamlet’s father except through his own eyes. On the contrary Claudius is a strong and healthy man. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Claudius – the King. His people have no problems with him and he seems to be conducting the affairs of the state with competence. His wife is happy with him and so are his courtiers. There is absolutely no one theme that can be called the central theme of the play and thus, as many as possible interpretations and themes can be derived from it, each proving itself to be as important as the other. Moreover, the elimination of a single theme from under the classification of ‘major themes’; results in the complete avoidance of an important aspect of the play. Hamlet is a tragedy of imagination and thus it is in clear opposition of the classical ideal of a tragedy. It is a tragedy of character rather than a tragedy of plot, which according to the classics was the most important part of a tragedy. This paper is going to explore the possibilities of Hamlet taking an early action in the play and is going to be based on pure assumption of the aftermath. In the very first instance when Hamlet loses his normalcy and confronts his uncle, who is now the King, is after he has witnessed the ghost. Hence, towards the end of act I, he is in dilemma. He has learnt not only about his father’s murder but also of the possible adultery of his mother. He absorbs this fact within himself, hiding it from even Horatio. He starts to play the madman. Hamlet could have entered the very first scene with a dagger in his hand directed towards Claudius. Had t hat been the case, the play could have taken a totally new interpretation of the character. He would have been accused of murder and thrown out of Denmark. But instead he internalizes his feelings and vents them in the form of soliloquy: Let me not think on't,--Frailty, thy name is woman!-- A little month; or ere those shoes were old With which she followed my poor father's body Like Niobe, all tears;--why she, even she,-- O God! a beast that wants discourse of reason, Would have mourn'd longer,--married with mine uncle, My father's brother; but no more like my father Than I to Hercules: within a month; (I.i) After witnessing the ghost and convincing himself that his uncle was involved in the murder based on his prior suspicion, he starts his quest to murder his uncle. Hamlet’s hamartia or the tragic flaw lies in his secrecy. He continues to carry out his plan without sharing it with his dearest friend. This is what causes the delay. At the end of act III scene iii, Hamlet ha s a perfect chance to kill his uncle, but there is a problem; Claudius is praying. Hamlet is afraid that if he attempts to kill him at this point in time, he would rather send him to heaven! He believes that killing him now would be "hire and salary, not revenge!" When Hamlet confronts his mother in her bedroom, where Polonius is hiding behind the tapestry, Hamlet wishes that it was Claudius in his place. Had it been the case, he could have been spared the guilt of

Argumentation-Persuasion Essay - Obesity and Tax on Soda and Candy in

Argumentation-Persuasion - Obesity and Tax on Soda and Candy in US - Essay Example on of their money, around $150 billion dollars on resources being consumed in the healthcare department to treat morbidities which pop up due to metabolic syndrome. In U.S, obesity is now considered to be a ‘threat to national security’ after an observation was made that many of the military men were rejected to become part of the army due to obesity. This is affecting the country on national level and realizing the critical importance of the issue, the U.S government has decided to take a serious step to combat with the issue. The government is now considering implying penny per-ounce soda tax which will be the result of an increase in the price levels of a single can i.e. of 2 cents. Around 58% of the consumed soda contains sugar and a sufficient amount of 216 liters per year is consumed by every U.S citizen (Lustig, ‎ et al 2012). This shows that the people living in U.S have made soda a part of their daily food consumption which means soda will be price inelastic, demand of the soda will be less responsive to the change in price. So here a question can be raised: ‘Is the price change will affect the demand of soda and in all lead to a decrease in soda consumption?’ Well the answer to this question is: No, because people will continue to demand for soda and such a small increase in prices will not stop this massive intake of sugars leading to few changes in obesity. This means that this will be less beneficial and near to useless. This is also proved in a study and it is clearly stated that a considerable change will begin to appear only when there will be a double price increase. In many places like San Francisco etc. milk is more expensive than soda drinks. The level of consumption has been proliferated, continuing the problem of obesity. Besides Soda, candies also have led to some excessive consumption of sugars in US. Many schools are trying to curb this issue by stop vending candies in the school premises and instead of them, they provide

Profession Of Freelance Writer And Its Perspectives Essay

Profession Of Freelance Writer And Its Perspectives - Essay Example After a few email queries back and forth, I was able to conduct an interview with Ms. Strain via Skype. What she had to say about being a freelance writer completely changed my attitude about what writing is and its usefulness in the real world of business. "Being a freelance writer isn't at all like being the starving artist in the Garrett," Ms. Strain said when I mentioned my impressions to her. She was laughing, so I didn't worry that Id offended her. In fact, her easy-going attitude made it very easy to ask questions I might not have asked someone who was more uptight. After we got done laughing, Ms. Strain explained that freelance writers are master jugglers who must change costumes, objects and the numbers of objects flying at a moments notice. Instead of just sitting around dreaming up the next Great American novel, she explained that freelance writers like herself are usually kept very busy by the corporate world writing things like white papers, promotional video scripts, product descriptions, sales materials, technical manuals, case studies, web pages and internal business-related documents like business plans and project proposals. Ms. Strain also writes creatively, though, so she offers other writers services like ghostwriti ng, editing, reviews, and proofreading. The types of written materials she produces can be very different from one assignment to the next not just because the type of document shes writing is different, but also because the audience or the purpose might be different which means the tone of voice and types of proof she needs to use will change. When I asked Ms. Strain who she wrote for, her quickest answer was to say "anyone who will pay me!" But then she went on to explain that most of her clients were businesses or government and most of the work they send her way is related to the natural flow of business.

Unit 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 2 - Assignment Example They should avoid open-toed shoes and sandals. Open shoes present hazards due to encounter with fluids or heavy or sharp dropping items. Women should be in hosiery or socks while men should wear socks. The female skirts should be knee length or longer. Exposing their chests because of low cut pants is inappropriate. Males are better in official trousers and shirts than in t-shirts (VCU 2012) A medical professional should be learned and be in possession of a degree from a technical or vocational school, or community college. The specifics of a medical professional depend on the position one seeks and the program attended. A professional must be accountable to the society and the patients on issues regarding health. A medical professional is responsive and available any time as a way accepting the commitment to the service. The professional respects other people be it patients, families, or other medical staffs. Finally, one must be committed to being fair, straightforward, and truthful while interacting with other people within the profession (Jonsen 2013). As a professional, my actions and decisions serve the welfare of others even at my own costs. I observe the code of ethics that specifies the obligations to my duties. I exercise good judgments, complete my responsibilities, and develop sensitive, mature and effective relationships with others. I respect other people, be it residents, medical students, or team members. My dress code is always smart whether in official or casual wears. I also remain truthful to my words while communicating with other

Facts, Law. and Merits of the Two Law Suits (Mcdonalds and Pearson) Research Paper

Facts, Law. and Merits of the Two Law Suits (Mcdonalds and Pearson) - Research Paper Example Overall, however, a frivolous lawsuit, in the eyes of the legal system, delineates something more specific. Although, some lawsuits may appear silly, this does not necessarily translate to the notion that the lawsuits lack legal merit. The paper explores the merit of two cases: Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants; Roy L. Pearson, Jr. (plaintiff) v. Soo Chung, et al. Facts, Law, and Merits of the Two Law Suits Introduction In the case, Ms. Liebeck (the plaintiff) filed a complaint against McDonald’s (the defendant) alleging negligence. Stella Liebeck was sitting in the passenger seat of her nephew’s car, which was pulled over so that she could have a chance to add sugar to her coffee. First, the spilled coffee gave her third degree burns in more than six percent of her body (Cain, 2007). Secondly, she claimed that the coffee was served at an uncomfortable temperature (180-190 degree Fahrenheit) that can give individual third - degree burns (in 2-7 seconds). The seco nd case, Roy L. Pearson, Jr. v. Soo Chung, et al., has its grounding in a dispute between the plaintiff, Roy Pearson and the defendants, Soo Chung, Jin Nam Chung and Ki Chung, over a pair of supposedly missing pants. The plaintiff alleged that he took his pants to Custom Cleaners for alterations in May 2005; however, the defendants lost his pants and they attempted to replace it with another pair of pants for his (Surhone, Tennoe & Henssonow, 2011). Mr. Pearson also alleged that a â€Å"Satisfaction Guaranteed† sign displayed in Custom Cleaners was in effect an unconditional warranty that demonstrated the defendant’s willingness to honor any claim advanced by any customer. #1 What are the Facts? Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants On February 27, 1992, Stella Liebeck in the company of her son Jim and her grandson Chris Tiano drove to Albuquerque airport to drop off Jim who needed to catch an early flight. After leaving the airport, the pair grabbed some breakfast at MacDonald’s. Stella Liebeck was not driving the car when she lifted the lid of the cup. At the time, her grandson reportedly pulled over to stop so that Stella could put sugar and cream to the coffee that she had purchased. The plaintiff placed the coffee between her knees so as to keep it secured as she proceeded to remove the lid. Unfortunately, the hot coffee spilled in her lap and the liquid absorbed into her cotton sweat pants, which in turn held the scalding liquid against the body burning her badly (more than six percent of her skin) (Cain, 2007). The burns sustained required an eight day hospital stay and skin grafting. As a result, the plaintiff required close to two years of therapy and rehabilitation to treat the third degree burns. The 79 year-old Liebeck sustained burns in her buttocks, inner thighs, and genital areas inclusive of her left groin. McDonald’s declined a proposal for an out of court settlement for $20,000 in medical costs. The medical cost s amounted to $11,000, but McDonald’s offered the plaintiff only $800 (Miller & Cross, 2010). Amid the trial, McDonald’s quality control manager’s ascertained that their coffee should be served at 180-190 degrees Fahrenheit. Overall, liquids at that temperature can inflict third-degree burns in a period of 2-7seconds. Statistics indicated that for a period of one decade (from 1982 to 1992),

Global leadership and management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global leadership and management - Essay Example They understand that the leadership tools help them in solving complicated problems and thus give them way to be success. Those leaders who are best are certainly keen on learning more to sharpen their qualities and skill to be constructive and efficient .A leader can turn out to be disorganized and unfocused, if he does not evaluate and analyze himself at the right time and in the right manner. A stressed and unfocused leader can be a disaster and failure and can also de-motivate the team which he is leading. The performance standards of the leader can be enhanced only if he makes use of an appropriate leadership assessment tool. These tools provide assessment in various areas of management like sales, customer service, team building, and time management and so on. The overview of the proposed leadership assessment tool The proposed leadership assessment tool is focused on determining the ability of the person to work with tasks and people. In this assessment, a person needs to resp ond on 18 questions which evaluate their skill on task and people. This assessment studies the leader’s skill and ability in leading a project by giving attention to all areas of working. It also evaluates the person’s ability in achieving a task or objective in the appropriate manner Also, the person’ s ability to coach the team regarding new tasks and procedures are also analyzed in this proposed leadership assessment tool. His ability to carry out different complicated task at one time is also kept in consideration during the assessment. Managing the time is an important aspect of a successful leadership and this tool give much value to it. A leader can perform a task efficiently only if he is expert in analyzing problems and managing team work. He should also honor the limits and restrictions of his employees and plan things accordingly. However, if a leader can counsel his employees well, he has done half of his job. Once the person has responded to the que stions listed, his scores are recorded on a form which has the two columns with a specification of task and people. The total marks for both areas are totaled and jotted on a chart. The graph has task has the horizontal axis, and people as the vertical axis. According to the intersection of lines on graph, the leadership will be categorized as team leader, country club type, authoritarian or impoverished. In the following pages we can see the results of 10 respondents who have used this tool. Leadership assessment results of 10respondents Respondent One : The first respondent is not very keen in involving the team in decision making process, coaching them , reading literature to training, leadership and psychology as the score is two .Although, he is averagely good with accomplishing tasks ,keeping accounts of minute details of projects, correcting mistakes, time management and encouraging employees, since his score is three. He has proved too competent with analyzing problems, mult i- tasking, explaining the task to employees and honoring their limits as he scored four. The person has gives least importance in breaking large projects to smaller task and monitoring the schedule of the project, since he has scored one .However, the score is five in areas like building a great team, on counseling skills and carrying out and implementing innovative procedures. Finally, by

World Population Essay Example for Free

World Population Essay Today all over the social media, whether a local TV station or a well known magazine such as New York Times, there have been repeated stories and articles circulating through regarding extreme poverty, sanitation and water problems in suffering countries, and other environmental issues such as global warming and possible extinction of many species due to loss of their habitat and water. We have seen it advertised and addressed everywhere. But many of these issues may be contributed to the major problem of our expanding world population. According to studies, the world population will be reaching 7 billion individuals this month. Our knowledge of how to control our increasingly high rate of world population may hold a significant solution on how these world conflicts may be controlled. If the knowledge and prevention of our expanding population seizes to act, our earthly planet may be in for a long road of unfortunate and threatening consequences. The two articles discussed in this essay address how citizens need to take on the challenge of reducing world population and what problems may continue to arise if we do not take action on such matter. First, in Jeffrey Sachs article, he notably states that with the rise of the world population reaching 7 billion that there are many consequences that must be stabilized in order to avoid major issues for our own humanity. Sachs begins his article with clearly discussing the environmental conflicts that we are and will continue to face with a growing population. Sachs states how the worlds agricultural systems are depleting our natural world. Species are becoming extinct with loss of their habitat due to expansion of our industrialized agriculture. As well, greenhouse gases are altering our climates and fertilizers are poisoning our natural elements. Sachs then goes on to discuss how the overbearing population rate is affecting our planets poorest and undeveloped countries. He describes how the poor societies suffer from high child mortality rates, lack of contraception methods, and failure of parents to provide adequate nutrition, education, and health care to their children. Jeffrey Sachs believes that there are two key factors to maintain a planet for a sustainable development. The first part is that he feels there needs to be a technological change to help avoid more environmental harm. Second, there needs to be stabilization in our world population by reducing fertility rates through family planning and contraceptive methods. Next, David Crary discussed the world population hitting 7 billion and also the challenges that are ahead of us as humans. Crary also makes a focus of how a rising population is affecting our undeveloped countries such as sub-Saharan Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. In these poor conditions with a growing population rate, many of the undeveloped countries will be suffer from food and water shortages. In Crarys article, he discusses different issues in various parts of the world. First, Crary discusses the most populous countries on our planet, India and China, and how the overpopulation of humans is causing a gender-gap between the young females and males. This could be a future threat to these countries because there might not be a large enough young population to support the elderly. Although these countries have been reducing female fertility rates, family planning is still crucial. Cray also discusses how Europe and the United States will also have challenges among them with an overbearing population. In Europe, efforts have been made to shrink the birth rate. In Spain and Italy, many couples are finding that they are not having children due to economic issues. In the US, there is a significant population increase, and we are seeing this not through only high fertility rates but also illegal immigration. Overall, Crary does feel that the issue of our population increase is also a challenge that needs to be provided with a solution. Not only does Crary support the importance of family planning, use of contraceptives, or the goal to reduce birth rates, but he also supports the impact of saving our planet environmentally. We need to preserve our natural elements and focus on prevention of saving our Earth. In conclusion, I feel that the issue of our high rising population rates needs to be addressed. I do not feel that this issue is something that should be overlooked. When reading both articles, I was informed of the importance of family planning and the use of contraception. I feel that by providing modern methods of contraception to our un-developed countries, that we would see a significant reduction of birth rates. I feel that this is necessary to keep the poor societies from starving or dying from lack of food and water due to lack of resources. Also, in Crarys article, Crary provides various stats to promote the importance of stabilizing our population. I was shocked by the fact that the International Water Management predicts that 1. 8 billion people will suffer from water shortage. This to me really impacted me, and furthered my support to take action. I truly believe after reading both articles that we as humans need to take action. Our world is going to be impacted environmentally and economically negatively if we do not step up to the challenge of reducing our world population. I hope that all humans will be influenced by this issue, and as well take their part in bettering our world and our future.

Film Studies Essays Film or Book

Film Studies Essays Film or Book Which is better the film or the book? The debate over the superiority of literature over film or vice versa seems to rear its head every time a major piece of literary work is adapted. Even unbridled success stories such as Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy have dissident voices unhappy with his changes and omissions. However changes and omissions are absolutely necessary when adapting hundreds of pages of prose into a couple of hours of film. This essay will look at how narrative is adapted and retold in two films; Mrs Dalloway (Marleen Gorris, 1997) and The Color Purple. (Steven Spielberg, 1985) Mrs Dalloway is not a conventionally narrated novel. Over the course of a day it follows the eponymous protagonist through her preparations to host a party and how the unexpected arrival of am old suitor makes her reminisce about her youth.   At the same time we see how Mrs Dalloway and her associates lives intersect with that of a shell-shocked solider. What is produced is a type of mosaic narrative, which is then left for the reader to interpret and discern meaning. In the beginning of the film as she walks about London on her way to collect the flowers for her party we are allowed to view moments of her youth in flashback. These flashbacks are generally triggered by something in the present. For example a meeting with Hugh reminds her of how Peter Walsh ‘never to this day forgiven her for liking him.’ (Woolf, p 8) These are transitioned in and out of aurally, as she hears voices of people she knew in her head and the visual waits a beat before transitioning back as well. This replicates the mosaic narrative style of the book. There is however one major difference between the beginning of the book and the beginning of the film. The character of Septimus (Rupert Graves) is much more quickly established as a major character within the film. In the book he is introduced as a car backfires and he is shocked rigid by it although no immediate reason is given why. Over the course of the novel we learn more about his experiences at war and the lasting effect upon him. Mrs Dalloway and Septimus never meet in the novel, yet we are led to discern they are connected thematically through the mosaic narrative. The Film version of Mrs Dalloway opens with a brief sequence of Septimus (Rupert Graves) in the trenches of world war one.   The shot is thick with smoke and is filmed in slow motion to give the sense of a dream sequence although the title Italy 1918 suggests that this is a flashback. The camera slowly zooms into Septimus face singling him out as the protagonist of this sequence. We see his reaction to a friend being blown up by an explosion and as he sinks into despair the smoke fills the screen fading it to white and softening focus. This soft white backdrop then becomes the drapes in the bedroom of Mrs. Dalloway (Vanessa Redgrave).  Ã‚      These two environments could not be more different; however the transition is not jarring or unsettling; we are taken from the horror trenches into the gentile and elegant world of a Whitehall socialite with the greatest of ease. The transition leaves the viewer with the impression that the two people’s lives are somehow connected, but perhaps is not as subtle and gently persuasive as the book. The Color Purple tells the story of a young black woman in the Deep South. It is about the oppression and abuse she suffers in a racist sexist world and the bonds of friendship she finds with other women. The climactic emotional moment of the novel is the sequence ion which Celia tells her husband that she is leaving him and moving to Memphis. The dialogue form the scene in the film is taken almost word for word from the book. It is a moment of great personal emancipation for Celia, and a moment of fantastic performance from the unusually restrained Whoopi Goldberg. She has been abused and sub-serviant all her life and she finally has enough sense of self worth to speak up load and powerfully. â€Å"You’re a lowdown dog is what’s wrong, I say. It’s time to leave you and enter into the creation.† (Walker, p180) First of all the scene is set in Mr.____’s (Danny Glover) House as opposed to Harpo’s (Willard Pugh) in the book; this is significant because it has been Celia’s prison for several years; a place where she has been continuously abused. This adds extra dramatic tension to the scene and focuses it on Celia. However this does to some extent detract from the arcs of the other characters such as Squeak (Rea Dawn Chong) and Sofia. (Oprah Winfrey) In the novel there are continuous references to Squeak being Harpo’s mistress and mother of his child. This is less prominent in the film and as such leaves Squeaks departure with much less dramatic weight. Also the film omits the visit of Eleanor Jane and reference to Sofia’s probation. In the novel Sofia is denied her emancipation by the legalities she is still embroiled with, the film instead reinstates Sofia as a dominant force at the dinner table. What is clear from this scene is that although as the stories protagonist Celia’s narrative arc has remained intact, omissions have had to have been made on behalf of other characters within the novel due to the narrative constraints of time. Film can strive to imitate the stylistic form of literature successfully as in the case of Mrs Dalloway or unsuccessfully as in the case of The Bonfire of the Vanities (De Palma, 1990) In certain cases such as The Godfather (Coppola 1972) and Jaws (Spielberg 1975) the film adaptation can surpass the source material. Although argument other which form is better may be mere sound and fury; direct comparison of the two different narrative forms can lead to a better understanding of narration itself. Bibliography Bordwell and Thompson. (2001) Film Art: An Introduction, New York: McGraw Hill. Kawin, B (1992) How Movies Work, London: University of California press. Thompson, K (1999) Storytelling in the New Hollywood: Understanding classical Narrative Technique. London: Harvard Walker, A (2004) The Color Prurple, London: Pheonix. Woolf, V (1996) Mrs Dalloway, London: Penguin popular classics. Filmography Bonfire of the Vanities (Dir Brian De Palma, 1990, US) Color Purple, The (Dir Steven Spielberg, 1985 US) Godfather, The (Dir Francis Ford Coppola, 1972, US) Jaws (Dir Steven Spielberg, 1975, US) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (Dir Peter Jackson, 2002, US, New Zealand, Germany) Mrs. Dalloway (Dir Marleen Gorris, 1997, UK)

Star Trek :: Science Fiction Media Television Essays

Star Trek When most people hear William Shatner split the infamous infinitive: â€Å"to boldly go†¦,† they conjure a mental image of middle-aged men, donning tight Starfleet uniforms, perusing immense Trekkie conventions; they picture these fans buying things like hand-phaser television remotes and costumes for their pets and discussing the recent Klingon translation of Hamlet. Few people, however, take the time to investigate the phenomenon that could spawn such fandom. The truth: for 30 years Star Trek has delighted audiences around the world with over 600 television episodes, hundreds of books, ten full length movies (to date), dozens of games and computer software applications, and an assortment of merchandise. The television franchise, winner of several Emmy Awards, has at times been the highest rated show on television. It is no surprise that among the thousands inspired by show, the International Astronomical Union and those responsible for the first space shuttle stand apart; the Union named a star â€Å"Roddenberry† after the show’s creator and the shuttle bore the designation of its legendary star ship: Enterprise. Truly, Star Trek has captured the hearts and imaginations of the people, yet most people dismiss the franchise as another cheesy science fiction melodrama. Aside from the shows’ obvious allures--the exciting, suspenseful, and complex plots and beautifully rendered characters—the weekly interstellar adventures provide a unique forum for literary exploration. Through the creation of one possible future, Gene Roddenberry forwards the most noble quality of his secular humanist philosophy: its notion of the inherent capacity of humanity to mold its future as one as glorious as Roddenberry’s fictional one. The shows’ investigation of gender and race relations, intricate metaphysical themes, and skillful literary allusions, Roddenberry nurtured his show into the ongoing masterpiece it is now. As its significance has evolved from literary to cultural, Star Trek has come to embody the best parts of its creator and his philosophy: the embrace of all forms of di versity and its implications, the necessity for philosophical inquiry in all parts of life, and the beauty of humanity and the art which represents it. Star Trek, when it aired in the 1960's, presented the public with a revolutionary conception of science fiction; for the first time, science fiction forwarded a positive message. Replacing the scenes of science gone awry found in Shelley’s Frankenstein or the terrifying imagery of alien conquest in Wells’ War of the Worlds were scenes of peace and comfort.

Great Gatsby’s Commentary on the American Dream Essay -- Literary Ana

There are times when reality falls short of expectations, and when individuals fail to live up to their ideals. The quest to attain what we really want can be an all-encompassing one, requiring all of our devotion and effort. It is especially painful to see others possess what we cannot have. For the characters in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby these problems are all too real. Gatsby works for a lifetime to gain back what he feels is rightfully his, while facing the crushing realization that he may be too late. Fitzgerald uses this futile search to introduce the idea that the idealized America Gatsby fought for has been corrupted over time. Descriptions of a land of picket fences and middle class freedom is exchanged for one based on greed and lies, where characters will stop at nothing to obtain what they desire. Fitzgerald provides a window into the American Dream, and shows that it has become one based on immorality and deception. Although the marriage of Daisy and Tom Buchanan may have been based on love and devotion, it, like the American Dream as a whole, has been corrupted to become disingenuous and predatory. Tom and Daisy are two people who are content with the somewhat platonic relationship they share, and acquire a child like they would a diamond necklace, a display of affection rather than in the interest of starting a family. One of the first indications that readers receive that the marriage is unhealthy is when Tom interrupts dinner to take a call from his mistress. This event fails to cause a stir in the household, and is merely brushed off by Jordan, who finds fault with the annoying time of the interruption rather than its meaning. Taking on the removed role usually filled by Nick, she comments that Tom’s mist... ... centers on the hollow characters of the East and their careless and senseless ways of living. Fitzgerald uses his work to provide a social commentary on the nature of America and the condition of the American Dream as it pertains to society in the 1920’s. By using characters like Nick as outsiders to the Eastern world of wealth and sophistication, he is able to provide readers a glimpse into the glamorous life that the Buchanans lead, yet also reveal their flaws. The inclusion of Gatsby also aids in the creation of the image of the American Dream as one grounded in lies and infidelity. Where some may see the promise of America to be the ability to gain a large estate on Long Island, Fitzgerald shows that this is not enough, that the true dream is the ability to not care about the messes one makes, and to be able to leave them to someone else to be cleaned up.

Satan :: personal Narrative Religious Essays

Satan On a winter’s evening in 1967, I drove crosstown in San Francisco to hear Anton Szandor LaVey lecture at an open meeting of the Sexual Freedom League. I was attracted by newspaper articles describing him as â€Å"the Black Pope† of a Satanic church in which baptism, wedding, and funeral ceremonies were dedicated to the Devil. I was a free-lance magazine writer, and I felt there might he a story in LaVey and his contemporary pagans; for the Devil has always made â€Å"good copy,† as they say on the city desk It was not the practice of the black arts itself that I considered to he the story, because that is nothing new in the world. There were Devil-worshiping sects and voodoo cults before there were Christians. In eighteenth-century England a Hell-Fire Club, with connections to the American colonies through Benjamin Franklin, gained some brief notoriety. During the early part of the twentieth century, the press publicized Aleister Crowley as the â€Å"wickedest man in the world.† And there were hints in the 1920s and ‘30s of a â€Å"black order† in Germany. To this seemingly old story LaVey and his organization of contemporary Faustians offered two strikingly new chapters. First, they blasphemously represented themselves as a â€Å"church,† a term previously confined to branches of Christianity, instead of the traditional coven of Satanism and witchcraft lore. Second. they practiced their black magic openly instead of underground. Rather than arrange a preliminary interview with LaVey for discussion of his heretical innovations, my usual first step in research, I decided to watch and listen to him as an unidentified member of an audience. He was described in some newspapers as a former circus and carnival lion tamer and trickster now representing himself as the Devil’s representative on earth, and I wanted to determine first whether he was a true Satanist, a prankster, or a quack. I had already met people in the limelight of the occult business; in fact, Jeane Dixon was my landlady and I had a chance to write about her before Ruth Montgomery did. But I considered all the occultists phonies, hypocrites, or quacks, and I would never spend five minutes writing about their various forms of hocus-pocus. All the occultists I had met or heard of were white-lighters: alleged seers, prophesiers, and witches wrapping their supposedly mystic powers around God-based, spiritual communication. LaVey, seeming to laugh at them if not spit on them in con-tempt, emerged from between the lines of newspaper stories as a black magician basing his work on the dark side of nature and the carnal side of humanity.

Morality and Ethics Essay

Morality and ethics are terms often used as if they have the same meaning. At other times, they are used as if they have no relationship to one another. I think most people realize ethics and morality have something to do with the concepts of good and bad. However, English is not like French, which has the Academic Fantasies acting as its linguistic jury – establishing what proper French is. English changes at the impulse of the crowded. One can bomb, and that’s bad, but if one is the bomb, and that’s good. The word â€Å"morality† has been co-opted by groups, such as the Moral Majority, making us think morality only deals with acts these religious groups think aren’t proper, or are therefore immoral. The meanings of the terms â€Å"ethics† and â€Å"morality† can be differentiated based on their origins in ancient Greek and Latin, respectively. As a result, words that come into the English language from the Greeks often have meanings that are primarily philosophical study, while the Latin-derived words imply â€Å"doing the thing. † Ethics comes from the Greek word ethos – moral character or custom. Morality comes from the Latin word moralist – custom or manner. The words both deal with the customs or the manner in which people do things. Their modern meanings relate to the way people act – either good or bad. Morality, strictly speaking, is used to refer to what we would call moral conduct or standards. Morality is looking at how good or bad our conduct is, and our standards about conduct. Ethics is used to refer to the formal study of those standards or conduct. Sometimes, one refers to the study of conduct as moral philosophy, but that is less common than just saying â€Å"ethics. † One might say that morality is ethics in action, but in the end, the two terms can be used interchangeably. The study of ethics or moral philosophy can be divided into three broad areas: descriptive, normative and analytical or met ethics. Ethics deals with such questions at all levels. Its subject consists of the fundamental issues of practical decision making, and its major concerns include the nature of ultimate value and the standards by which human actions can be judged right or wrong. The terms ethics and morality are closely related. We now often refer to ethical judgments or ethical principles where it once would have been more common to speak of moral judgments or moral principles. These applications are an extension of the meaning of ethics. Strictly speaking, however, the term refers not to morality itself but to the field of study, or branch of inquiry, that has morality as its subject matter. In this sense, ethics is equivalent to moral philosophy. Although ethics has always been viewed as a branch of philosophy, its all-embracing practical nature links it with many other areas of study, including anthropology, biology, economics, history, politics, sociology, and theology. Yet, ethics remains distinct from such disciplines because it is not a matter of factual knowledge in the way that the sciences and other branches of inquiry are. Rather, it has to do with determining the nature of normative theories and applying these sets of principles to practical moral problems. Virtually every human society has some form of myth to explain the origin of morality. In the Louvre in Paris there is a black Babylonian column with a relief showing the sun god Shamash presenting the code of laws to Hammurabi. The Old Testament account of God giving the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai might be considered another example. In Plato’s Protagoras there is an avowedly mythical account of how Zeus took pity on the wretched humans, who, living in small groups and with insufficient teeth, weak claws, and lack of speed, were no match for the other beasts. To make up for these deficiencies, Zeus gave humans a moral sense and the capacity for law and justice, so that they could live in larger communities and cooperate with one another. There is some difficulty, already known to Plato, with the view that morality was created by a divine power. In his dialogue Euthyphro, Plato considered the suggestion that it is divine approval that makes an action good. Plato pointed out that if this were the case, we could not say that the gods approve of the actions because the actions are good. Why then do the gods approve of these actions rather than others? Is their approval entirely capricious? Plato considered this impossible and so held that there must be some standards of right or wrong that are independent of the likes and dislikes of the gods. Modern philosophers have generally accepted Plato’s argument because the alternative implies that if the gods had happened to approve of torturing children and to disapprove of helping one’s neighbors, then torture would have been good and neighborliness bad. That morality should be invested with all the mystery and power of divine origin is not surprising. Nothing else could provide such strong reasons for accepting the moral law. By attributing a divine origin to morality, the priesthood became its interpreter and guardian, and thereby secured for itself a power that it would not readily abandon. This link between morality and religion has been so firmly forged that it is still sometimes asserted that there can be no morality without religion. According to this view, ethics ceases to be an independent field of study. It becomes, instead, moral theology.

Reading Level of Grade Three Pupils at Luis Mirasol Memorial School Essay

The current issue being faced today by most educators is that during enrolment, some pupils who are promoted in Grade Three are still considered as non-readers. According to Arnold Peralta (2006), enabling the child to read in Grade 1 and 2, the primary grade is very necessary. It is in this stage that the habit of reading should be developed. If a child will not be able to read, understand what he reads and developed the habit of reading, he/she can hardly make it in the higher grades. According to Businessdictionary. com, reading grade level means number assigned to the level of complexity of a reading material, it equates to a given level of schooling, For example, a reading grade level of seven means the reading material is intended for a seventh grade student. In the field of education, this concept is very important in determining pupils’ progress in reading. According to Juan Miguel Luz (2007), Grade Three (10 years old) is a critical year in terms of formal schooling. Before School Year 2012-2023 preschooling is neither compulsory nor part of the package of free public education guaranteed by the Constitution, Grade Three marks the third full year of basic education for children who attend public elementary school and the year when the facility to read, write, and do the four operations of arithmetic with competence is expected. (Less than 20 percent of those who go to public elementary school actually attend a full year of preschool education). Dropping out before this grade level thus becomes a major contributor to the lack of functional literacy, which in turn has a negative impact on adults and their eventual work productivity. This is assuming, of course, that by the end of Grade 3 (or the third year of formal full-time schooling), the children’s competence in the three ‘Rs are being honed fully. But seeing it, that may not be happening in far too many schools. Furthermore, since they learned the basic skills in reading during their previous grades, they are expected to be a good reader when they reach Grade Three. However, there are many pupils who are still considered as non-readers. Stothard & Hulme (1996) described reading as the interaction of two distinct processes, decoding and comprehension. For skilled readers decoding is a highly automated task. Skilled readers can focus their attention on comprehension of the novel material. Low ability readers typically have difficulties studying and learning from expository textual material (Helwig, Almond, Rozek-Tedesco, Tindal, & Heath, 1999). Readers with robust verbal ability skills are more likely to analyze new information and draw inferences than their peers with low verbal ability. DepEd intensifies reading literacy in schools by enforcing the policy called â€Å"Every Child A Reader† (the Education Post Vol. 21, No. 1). Undersecretary Bacani said the new policy aims to make every Filipino child a successful reader at the end of Grade 3. The undersecretary is expecting that no pupil will be promoted to higher grades unless he or she manifests mastery of the basic literacy skills in a particular grade (Arnold Peralta,2006). The researchers presupposed factors to consider in eradicating or minimizing non- readers in every school. Among this are children who have spent less time in reading, their father and mother educational attainment, type of pre-school attended whether in public or private, and monthly family income. This is caused by the influence of the modern world, and parents’ inability to monitor the child’s progress because they are preoccupied with their chosen job. Some children choose to hang around malls, play computer or video games, or watch cartoons and consider reading as part of school activities that need to be forgotten during their spare time. (Arnold Peralta,2006) On the other hand, this is maybe caused by parent’s low educational attainment, and the absence of any reading and educational materials in their homes. According to Arnold Peralta (2006), the parents’ role is very important in helping increase their children’s habits. They must be involved in any activity to improve their children’s reading ability. That is why, in relation to this, the researchers aim to conduct a study that shall determine if such factors have indeed some kind of influence with the Reading Level of Grade Three pupils of Luis Mirasol Memorial School. Statement of the Problem This study will be conducted to determine the Reading Level of Grade Three Pupils at Luis Mirasol Memorial School. Specifically, this study aims to: 1. Describe the respondent’s socio-economic characteristics in terms of educational attainment of the father , educational attainment of the mother, and the monthly family income,type of pre-school attended, and number of hours spent in reading; 2. Determine the reading level of the respondents; 3. Determine if there is a relationship between the respondents’ socio-economic characteristics such as: educational attainment of a father, educational attainment of mother, monthly family income, and type of pre-school attended and number of hours spent in reading of the respondents. Research Hypotheses 1. There is no significant relationship between the respondents’ socio-economic characteristics such as: educational attainment of a father, educational attainment of mother, monthly family income, and type of pre-school attended, time spent in reading and the reading level. Theoretical Framework This study is based on various theories on reading level: According to the theory of reading as defined by (Henry,1986) that it must deal with wide range of issues and account for a wide range of behaviors and capabilities. Reading occurs when a child has developed sufficient decoding skills. Decoding is the ability to decipher printed words into meaningful spoken language. More specifically, decoding refers to the skill at which one is able to recognize sound, individual phonemes in a printed or written word and then length and those phonemes to form the sound of the word by (Adams 1990)NRP,2000;National Researcher Council,1998) Philip Gough and Wesley Hoover (1990) describe a theory called simple review of reading, a theory that supported that decoding is necessary for reading level success. This view asserts that weaknesses in reading decoding will result in weak reading. According to (Moats 1999, p5). Reading is the fundamental skill upon which all formal education depends. Research now shows that a child who does [not] learn the basics early is unlikely to learn them at all. Any child who does learn [not] to learn to read-early and will not easily master other skills  and knowledge and unlikely to ever flourish in schools or in life. According to (Kantawala, 1980) states that, the higher the socioeconomic status the better the reading attitude, according to him students of small size family had a more favourable reading attitude than those of large families. Due to the lack of independent reading student may not have developed the positive attitude towards reading. Conceptual Framework Reading level is one of the problems of teachers and parents with regards to their pupils and children. As parents become worried on the reading level of their sons and daughters many of them are unaware of the factors which may significantly affect such occurrence. These pupils on the other hand, who have delayed reading level, frequently, consider reading a task for them to study. In this study, Monthly family income, Preschool last attended, Time spent in reading serves as the Independent Variables while Reading level serve as the Dependent Variable. In terms of Monthly Family Income the researcher believe that those respondents with a higher monthly family income are expected to have a high reading level. In terms of Pre-school last attended, researchers believe that those pupils who obtain schooling in private pre-school than in public are expected to a have high reading level. In terms of Time spent in reading, the researchers believe that those who spent much time in reading are expected to have high reading level. Independent variable 1. Socio-economic characteristics * Educational attainment the father * Educational attainment the mother * Monthly family income 2. Type of school where pre-school education was obtained * Public * Private 3. Time spent in reading Dependent variable Reading Level Figure 1. A Schematic diagram showing the relationship between the Independent and Dependent Variables. Definition of Terms To establish a frame of understanding for both the researchers and readers to facilitate correct interpretation of the results of the study, the following term were defined: Educational Attainment of Father – this pertains to the highest level of instruction, obtained in an institution of learning by the father. It is classified as elementary, high school or college. Educational Attainment of Mother – this pertains to the highest level of instruction, obtained in an institution of learning by the mother. It is classified as elementary, high school or college. Monthly Family Income. This refers to the total gross income of the pupils family per month and is further classified into High (Php 5000 and above), Average (Php2500 and above), Low (1500 and below). Pre-school last attended. Type of school where pre-school education was obtained whether it is in Day Care Center or Pre-Elementary Public School. Time Spent in Reading. This refers to average time not less than 80 to 100 minutes of independent or shared reading per week by the pupils. Reading Level- reading will be measured by using the IRI assessment and the respondents will be ranked through Frustration level, Instructional Level, Independent Level. Scope and Limitation of the Study This study aims to determine the factors related to the Reading Level of Grade 3 pupils at Luis Mirasol Memorial School during the School Year 2012-2013. This study will be conducted at Luis Mirasol Memorial School for convenience of both the researchers and the respondents. The Grade 3 pupils were selected as respondents of this study. The information needed in this study will be gathered using a self-administered questionnaire structured by the researchers. Furthermore, the interview and questionnaire will use to test the reliability of the research instrument. This study would be more reliable if it covers a larger scope and if more respondents will be involved. But this will also mean more effort, time and money that the researchers despondently lack. Significance of the study. The results of this investigation are expected to be highly beneficial to the following: Central Philippine University—College of Education. As an educational institution that hones every individual to become successful professionals in the future, the problem would be beneficial to the College of Education for the outreach center in the field study, to plan out certain programs, and strategies for the Luis Mirasol Memorial School as a partnership of Central Philippine University. Luis Mirasol Memorial School. If this study proves to be beneficial as a means of basis and standards, teachers will be able to find new ways and strategies on how to improve the reading level of their pupils. Parents. As the legal guardians of the children, the results of this investigation would serve as a stimuli towards their awareness on the factors that affect the reading level of their children. Furthermore, this study would initiate them to be more involved to follow up their children at home with partnership to the teacher and open line communication for the development of their children. Elementary Pupils. Whenever proven that the mentioned factors have something to do with the Reading Level of the pupils, the pupils themselves can learn and even do something to counteract negative impact caused by such factors as to their reading skills. Researchers. The outcome and conclusions drawn from this study will be beneficial to other researchers as a guideline for future studies. Chapter II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Educational Attainment of both Parents and Reading Level Research on parenting also has shown that parent education is related to a warm, social climate in the home. Klebanov et al. (1994) found that both mothers’ education and family income were important predictors of the physical environment and learning experiences in the home but that mothers’ education alone was predictive of parental warmth. Likewise, Smith et al. (1997) found that the association of family income and parents’ education with children’s academic achievement was mediated by the home environment. The mediation effect was stronger for maternal education than for family income. Thus, these authors posited that education might be linked to specific achievement behaviors in the home (e. g. , reading, playing). Preschool Attended and Reading Level Preschool helps children to use their minds by knowing where the child means also knowing how his mind deals with the activities of the curriculum and other experiences in the early years. Mental operation most relevant for early education can be grouped into 3 major areas: perception, memory and problem solving. According to Maria Montessori, early education has an indispensable role in the whole personality of the child. The stage of human development from 0-6 years is the stage of the most absorbent mind and the critical period of a child. This stage is the most sensitive period in the life of the child that needed a wholesome, healthful and rich background. If a child fails in reading during the primary grades, his chances for success in any other academic area are greatly reduced. It is therefore essential that a pre-school program for children do all it can to ensure that the children will succeed in reading when they enter school. (http://onlineacademics. org/ReadingDiagnosis. html) Preschool improves children’s problem solving abilities for elementary school. Educational advocates recognize early childhood education, during the preschool years, as among the most enduring and beneficial services a community can provide for its children. Some parents choose to delay formal education until kindergarten, instead instructing their children in reading readiness tasks and offering enrichment classes at home. Children who aren’t offered these opportunities, whether at home or in a formal school setting, perform below their kindergarten classmates in reading and social readiness. (W. Steven Barnett; January 2006). According to a study by Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, children who attended preschool scored at a higher reading level than children who did not attend preschool. Even if they couldn’t read, exposure to reading, books and listening to stories resulted in higher levels of letter and number recognition. When introduced to numbers and letters during kindergarten, children who attended preschool already had conceptual and visual familiarity, making it easier for them to make sense of written words. This advantage in reading comprehension and ability continued through age 15. Time Spent in Reading and Reading Level. (U. S. Department of Education, 1986) have recently reiterated the assertion that time spent reading at school and at home is an important facet of a reading program. Despite the perceived importance of time spent reading, a number of studies have found that intermediate grade students spend relatively little time reading at school or at home. It has been well documented that, in general, the amount of time that students are engaged in academic tasks during the reading period at school is positively correlated with gains in reading achievement (Brophy & Good,1986; Fisher et al. , 1980; Stallings & Kaskowitz, 1974). At the same time, however, many activities besides silent reading occur during the reading period (Anderson et al. , 1985). Consequently, studies on general student engagement during the reading period do not provide direct evidence of a meaningful relationship between time spent on silent reading and reading achievement. A few studies have supported the assertion that time engaged in silent reading is an important determinant of elementary students’ reading achievement. Greaney (1980) found a positive relationship between the amount of time spent reading at home and the reading achievement of elementary-age children. In effect, the assertion that time engaged in silent reading at school and at home is important for children’s reading growth has little empirical support; the literature contains surprisingly few studies that have actually found significant relations between time engaged in silent reading and gains in reading achievement for intermediate grade students. In fact, Wilkinson et al. (1988) and Anderson et al. (1988) have recently bemoaned the paucity of evidence. Thus, in the present study we focus on the relationship between reading and achievement gains. We attempt to provide data directly relevant to the policy question of whether or not elementary teachers and administrators should advocate students devoting more time to silent reading at school and at home. Synthesis of Review of Related Literature The Related Literature presented above revealed that there are certain existing factors related to the Reading Level of the pupils in an educational institution. It was mentioned by Klebanov et al. (1994) that education of parents and family income were important predictors of the physical environment and learning experiences in the home. Likewise, Smith et al. (1997) found that the association of family income and parents’ education with children’s academic achievement was mediated by the home environment. The pre-school program for children do all it can to ensure that the children will succeed in reading when they enter school (Maria Montessori). This serve as a foundation to their basic learning during their elementary grades. The time spent on reading has been beneficial to children who read during their free time. It has been well documented that, in general, the amount of time that students are engaged in academic tasks during the  reading period at school is positively correlated with gains in reading achievement (Brophy & Good,1986; Fisher et al. , 1980; Stallings & Kaskowitz, 1974). Chapter III METHODOLOGY This chapter presents a description of the Research Design, locale of Study, Sampling Population, Research Instrument, Data Gathering Procedure and Data Analysis. Research Design The non –experimental Design, Specifically the One shot survey was used in this study since it is the most appropriate approach in collecting the prescribed data. This design is suitable for the collection of descriptive information about the population or subjects of the study. Moreover, the design requires data to be collected once and it also utilized when the objective is describe a situation or condition of a study population as it exist. Locale of the Study The data and information needed in this study was obtained at Luis Mirasol Memorial School, for the convenience of both the respondents and the researchers. The locale is also appropriate, as it can accommodate all the respondents of the study. Respondents of the Study. All of the Grade III pupils from Luis Mirasol Memorial School will be taken as respondents of this study. Census of the total population from the mention institution will be formally obtained with proper permission from the School’s Principal with the total 70 respondents. Data Gathering Instrument The information needed in this study will be gathered using self-administered questionnaire and to be structured by the researchers. It consists of four parts: The first part of the instrument will asks about the Educational Attainment of both Parents, the second part pertains to the  Family Income of the respondents, the third part will asks about the Type of Pre-school the respondent attended, and the fourth part is the number of hours that the respondents spent in reading. Data Processing and Analysis The data in this study will be subjected to computer processed statistics using the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) Program. A coding manual was prepared for easy facilitation of the data. In order to achieve the goals of the study, Descriptive Statistics which included the mean and Inferential Statistics which included the frequency count and percentage of the results was used. CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION The following are the results of our study conducted during the summer of 2012. We interviewed 53 students and the results show that when the respondents are grouped according to educational attainment of the father, the results are: Table 1. Distribution of Respondents According To Educational Attainment of the Father EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF THE FATHER| | Frequency (F)| Percent %| Valid Percent| Cumulative Percent| | Elementary| 4| 7. 5| 7. 5| 7. 5| | High School| 15| 28. 3| 28. 3| 35. 8| | College Level| 6| 11. 3| 11. 3| 47. 2| | College Graduate| 28| 52. 8| 52. 8| 100. 0| | Total| 53| 100.0| 100. 0| | In table 1, out of the 53 respondents, majority of their fathers are college graduate, 28 in total which comprise 52. 8% of the total population, followed by fathers who are high school graduates 15 in total, which comprise 28% of the total population. College level fathers and Elementary graduate are the bottom two, 6 and 4 in total respectively and comprise 11. 3% and 7. 5% of the total population. The data shows that the degree of educational attainment of mother does not affect the reading level of the pupils. Table 2. Distribution of Respondents According To Educational Attainment of the Mother  EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF THE MOTHER| | Frequency (F)| Percent %| Valid Percent %| Cumulative Percent %| | Elementary| 6| 11. 3| 11. 3| 11. 3| | High school| 15| 28. 3| 28. 3| 39. 6| | College level| 11| 20. 8| 20. 8| 60. 4| | College graduate| 21| 39. 6| 39. 6| 100. 0| | Total| 53| 100. 0| 100. 0| | In table 2, the data shows that out of the 53 respondents, majority of their mothers are college graduate, 21 in total which comprise 39. 6% of the total population, followed by mothers who are high school graduates 15 in total, which comprise 28. 3% of the total population. College level mothers and Elementary graduate are the bottom two, 11 and 6 in total respectively and comprise 20. 8% and 11. 3% of the total population. The data shows that the degree of educational attainment of mother does not affect the reading level of the pupils. According to____________________________________________? Table 3. Distribution of Respondents According to Monthly Income MONTHLY INCOME| | Frequency (F)| Percent %| Valid Percent %| Cumulative Percent %| | 5000 and above| 23| 43. 4| 43. 4| 43. 4| | 1501-4999| 20| 37. 7| 37. 7| 81. 1| | 1500 and below| 10| 18. 9| 18. 9| 100. 0| | Total| 53| 100. 0| 100. 0| | Out of the 53 respondents, majority of them have monthly net income above 5000, 23 in total which comprise 43. 4% of the total population, followed by those who have monthly income ranging from 1501 to 4999, 20 in total, which comprise 37. 7% of the total population, and lastly those who have monthly net income higher than 15000 comprised 18. 9% of the population, or 10 respondents. This data shows that According to Table 4. Distribution of Respondents According Type of Preschool Attended PRESCHOOL ATTENDED| | Frequency (F)| Percent %| Valid Percent %| Cumulative Percent %| | Public| 51| 96. 2| 96. 2| 96. 2| | Private| 2| 3. 8| 3. 8| 100. 0| | Total| 53| 100. 0| 100. 0| | Out of the 53 respondents, majority of them have finished their preschool in public schools, which comprise 51 respondents or 96. 2% of the entire population. The remaining 2 or 3. 8% went to private schools. This data shows that? __________________________ According to_______________________? Table 5. Distribution of Respondents According Time Spent in Reading TIME SPENT IN READING| | Frequency (F)| Percent %| Valid Percent %| Cumulative Percent %| | one hour a day| 26| 49. 1| 49. 1| 49. 1| | two hours a day| 5| 9. 4| 9. 4| 58. 5| | three hours a day| 2| 3. 8| 3. 8| 62. 3| | one hour in a week| 5| 9. 4| 9. 4| 71. 7| | three hours in a week| 2| 3. 8| 3. 8| 75. 5| | Less than one hour a week| 13| 24. 5| 24. 5| 100. 0| | Total| 53| 100. 0| 100. 0| | Out of the 53 respondents, majority of them spent one hour a day in reading, 26 in all or 49. 1%, followed by those who read less than an hour a week, 13 in all or 24. 5%. Those who read two hours a day and one hour a week are both tied which comprise 9. 4% of the population or 5 respondents in all. Same is in those who read three hours a day and three hours a week, both 2  respondents’ responds positively comprising 3. 8% of the population. This data shows that? __________________According to_______________? When grouped according to the raw scores in Filipino reading comprehension test we get the following results: SCORES IN FILIPINO| | Valid| 53| | Missing| 0| Mean| 78. 58| Median| 80. 00| Mode| 80| Std. Deviation| 4. 050| Minimum| 59| Maximum| 83| The range of the scores in Filipino exam is from 59 to 83, 59 being the lowest and 83 the highest, with a mean score of 78. 58, mode and median at 80 and with a standard deviation of 4. 050. (Complete table is shown in Appendix A Table 1) When grouped according to the raw scores in English reading comprehension test we get the following results: SCORES IN ENGLISH| | Valid| 53| | Missing| 0| Mean| 42. 21| Median| 44. 00| Mode| 43| Std. Deviation| 5. 749| Minimum| 17| Maximum| 49| The range of the scores in English exam is from 17 to 49, 17 being the lowest and 49 the highest, with a mean score of 42. 21, mode at 43 and median at 44 and with a standard deviation of 5. 749. (Complete table is shown in Appendix A Table 2) To test for correlation for father’s educational attainment in correlation to the respondents core in Filipino we get, the Spearman’s Rho to be . 093 with the significance of 0. 508. In terms for correlation between the mother’s educational attainments in correlation to the respondents score in Filipino we get the Spearman’s Rho to be -0. 21, with the significance of . 440. In terms of parents net monthly income in correlation to the respondents score in Filipino we get Spearman’s Rho of -. 013 with significance of . 464. In terms preschool attended in correlation to the respondents score in Filipino we get the Spearman’s Rho to be . 066, with the significance of . 321. In terms of time spent in reading in correlation to the respondents score in Filipino we get the Spearman’s Rho to be -0. 131, with the significance of . 176. To test for correlation for father’s educational attainment in correlation to the respondents score in English we get, the Spearman’s Rho to be . 086 with the significance of 0. 269. In terms of mother’s educational attainment in correlation to the respondents core in English we get, the Spearman’s Rho to be . 030 with the significance of 0. 415. In terms of monthly income in correlation to the respondents core in English we get, the Spearman’s Rho to be .015 with the significance of 0. 456. In terms of preschool attended in correlation to the respondent’s core in English we get, the Spearman’s Rho to be . 088 with the significance of 0. 265. In terms of time spent in reading in correlation to the respondent’s core in English we get, the Spearman’s Rho to be -. 114 with the significance of 0. 209. (complete table of correlation see Appendix A table 3. ) CHAPTER V CONCLUSION Based on the findings of the study the following conclusion was drawn: 1. Parent’s educational attainment, both mother and the father have no significant relationship with the scores both in English and Filipino. This means that the level educational attainment of the parents does not affects the scores in reading evaluation of the pupil. 2. Parent’s net monthly income has no significant relationship with the scores both in English and Filipino. This means that the net monthly income of the parents does not affect the scores in reading evaluation of the pupil. 3. The pre-school attended by the pupil has no significant relationship with the scores both in English and Filipino. This means that the preschool attended by the pupil does not affect the scores in reading evaluation of the pupil. 4. The pre-school attended by the pupil has no significant relationship with the scores both in English and Filipino. This means that the preschool attended by the pupil does not affect the scores in reading evaluation of the pupil. 5. The time spent by the pupil reading has no significant relationship with the scores both in English and Filipino. This means that the time spent by the pupil reading does not affect the scores in reading evaluation of the pupil. RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the foregoing findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are generalized: 1. Central Philippine University must take action and do more research as of what is the cause of the low reading level among Luis Mirasol Memorial School’s Grade III pupils. 2. Since there are no significant relationship between parent’s educational attainment, net monthly income and the reading level of a pupil, the parent’s must get involve in other ways in the pupil’s academe aside from the given two. 3. Researchers are recommended to find other factors that have probable relationship to reading level aside the factors given in this research. REFERENCES http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/reading-grade-level-RGL. html , Date retrieved: April 28, 2012 http:// indigo. ie/-sdblang/personal/papers. htm, Date retrieved: May 8, 2012 http://www. buzzle. com/articles/private-achools-vspublic-schools. html, Effects of Low Family Income on Children I eHow. com http:www. Ehow. com. /list _6195251-effects-low-family income children. html #ixzzluWkeyqBZ, Date retrieved: May 9, 2012 http://onlineacamemics. org/ReadingDiagnostisis. html, Date retrieved: May 11, 2012 The Philippine Journal of Education, Arnold Peralta (2006), Volume No. LXXXV, p. 243. Christian perspectives in education, Vol. 2, No. 2 Spring 2009.

The Meaning of Holy Grail

The Tradition: The Holy Grail was a vessel used by Christ at the Last Supper. Given to his grand-uncle, St. Joseph of Arimathea, it was used by him to collect Christ's blood and sweat while Joseph tended him on the Cross. After Christ's death, Joseph was apparently imprisoned in a rock tomb similar to the one he had given for the body of his grand-nephew. Left to starve, he was sustained for several years by the power of the Grail which provided him with fresh food and drink every morning. Later, St. Joseph travelled to Britain with his family and several followers. He settled at Ynys Witrin (Glastonbury), but the Grail was taken to Corbenic where it was housed in a spectacular castle, guarded always by the Grail Kings, descendants of Joseph's daughter, Anna (Enygeus) and her husband, Brons. Centuries later, the location of the Great Castle of Corbenic became forgotten. At the Court of King Arthur, however, it was prophesied that the Grail would one day be rediscovered by a descendant of St. Joseph: the best knight in the land, the only man capable of sitting in the mysterious Siege Perilous. When such a man arrived in the form of Galahad, the son of Lancelot, along with a miraculous, though brief, vision of the Grail itself, a quest to find this holiest of relics began. Through many adventures and many years, the Knights of the Round Table crossed Britain from one end to another in their search. Perceval (Peredyr) discovered the castle in a land that was sickly like its spear-wounded King. When entertained by this â€Å"Fisher† or â€Å"Grail King†, however, he failed to ask of the grail and left empty-hand. Lancelot next reached Corbenic, but was prevented from entering because of he was an adulterer. Finally Galahad arrived. He was permitted entry to the Grail Chapel and allowed to gaze upon the great cup. His life became complete and together grail and man were lifted up to heaven. The Names: The Holy Grail first appears as simply â€Å"a grail† in the works of Chretien de Troyes. The word is probably derived from the Old French word graal meaning a â€Å"broad and capacious dish or salver†. Though usually thought of as being a cup or chalice, the Grail has indeed been variously described as a platter, dish, a cornucopia, horn of plenty or even a book or a stone. The name of the Castle of Corbenic has competing explanations. Old Welsh Cors, meaning â€Å"Horn,† the Horn of Plenty as the Grail is sometimes described may have become confused with the Old French Corps, producing Corps-Benoit meaning â€Å"Holy Body,† ie. the Body of Christ. More likely, however, is the suggestion that Corbenic stems from Corbin-Vicus. The ending is almost certainly derived from the Latin for â€Å"Settlement,† while Corben is a French translation of the word Crow or Raven: Bran in Welsh. This was also a man's name and, as Brons, he appears as St. Joseph's son-in-law, one of the first Grail Kings. Hence Corbenic was â€Å"Bran's Settlement†. It may be identical to the home of Lancelot's father, Caer-Benwick. Ancient Origins: The quest for a divine vessel was a popular theme in Arthurian legend long before medieval writers introduced the Holy Grail to British mythology. It appears in the Mabinogion tale of Culhwch and Olwen, but particularly well-known is the story of the Preiddeu Annwfn or â€Å"Spoils of the Otherworld† as recounted by Taliesin. Arthur and his warriors sail off to the Celtic Otherworld to capture the pearl-rimmed Cauldron of Annwfn: like the grail it was a giver of plenty, but also of prophecy. It was at last discovered at Caer-Siddi (or Wydyr), an island bound castle of glass, where it was guarded by nine divine maidens; but the ensuing perils were too much for even Arthur's men. The mission was abandoned and only seven of their number returned home. Celtic Cauldrons were used in ceremonial feasting as early as the Late Bronze Age. Ritual deposits in Llyn Fawr (Glamorgan) included such vessels, though the best known example is the Gundestrup Cauldron found in the peat bogs of Jutland (Denmark). Highly decorated with portraits of many Celtic deities, this vessel would once have held up to twenty-eight and a half gallons of liquid. These finds clearly point to the religious importance of cauldrons, as found in the Arthurian stories and even older Celtic mythological parallels. The magic Otherworld vessel was the Cauldron of Ceridwen, the Celtic Goddess of Inspiration. She is remembered today in the archetypal hideous cauldron-stirring witch. She once set about brewing a drink of knowledge and wisdom for her hideous son, but her kitchen-boy, Gwion, accidentally tasted the concoction, preventing anyone else from benefitting from its affects. A great battle of wills ensued, for Gwion now held all the knowledge to escape the Goddess' wrath. The two changed themselves into various animals in an attempt to outwit each other before Gwion was swallowed whole as a grain of wheat. He was eventually reborn as the great bard, Taliesin! The cauldron then reappears in the story of Bran Fendigaid (the Blessed), not only as a vessel of knowledge and plenty, but also of rebirth. The great Celtic warrior God, Bran, obtained his life-giving vessel from a giantess (or thinly veiled Ceridwen) who had been expelled from a Lake in Ireland. The Emerald Isle here personifies the Celtic Otherworld. The magic vessel would restore to life the body of any dead warrior placed within it: a scene apparently depicted on the Gundestrup Cauldron. Bran's sister marries the King of Ireland and they are given the cauldron as a wedding gift. However, when hostilities between the two countries break out, Bran travels across the ocean to regain this dangerous prize. He is eventually successful, but is wounded by a poisoned spear and, like Arthur, only seven of his men return home. The name, the castle (already discussed), the wound, the mystic vessel, the journey: Bran Fendigaid is clearly Brons, the Grail King, son-in-law of Joseph of Arimathea.

Mao Zedong`s Dictatorship

By all standards, Mao Zedong belongs in the company of the few great political men of our century. Born and raised in the obscurity and restrictions of nineteenth-century rural China, he rose to assume the leadership of the Chinese Revolution, rule the largest population in the world with the most pervasive and intense government known in history, and finally has clung to life long enough to become the last of the political heroes of the great generation of World War II. His life spans the emergence of modern China and his character has shaped the manner and style of the Chinese Revolution.His name has become the label for revolutionary extremists throughout the world, â€Å"the Maoists,† yet it is Mao Zedong with whom leaders throughout the world seek audiences. The Pope in one day admits to his presence more people than Mao Zedong grants audiences in a year. When Mao last appeared publicly, more than a million people expressed tumultuous joy, and since then the occasions for allowing a select few into his presence have been newsworthy throughout the world.The announcement that the American Secretary of State has had a couple of hours of discussion with the Chairman is a signal to all that the Secretary has been favored, indeed, honored; and, of course, when a trip to China does not include a visit with the Chairman, the universal interpretation is that favor is being withheld.The extraordinary appeal of Mao Zedong is hard to identify. Some may suggest that it lies less in the man and more in the nature of Chinese society, for the Chinese do seem compelled to make all of their leaders into imperial figures. Yet, the fact remains that many non-Chinese, who have no affinity for his rural origins but represent a host of varied social and personal backgrounds, seem to find inspiration for their political lives in his words and his example. Restless youth scattered throughout the world who have more formal education than he had feel that in his revolutionary ardor and purity he speaks for them.What is the character of the man that lies behind all this greatness? Merely to raise the question is an act of sacrilege for many. For the Chinese and other worshippers of Mao and his thoughts, it is enough to dwell on his public virtues, read only hagiographies, and reject all else as being in bad taste. For his detractors, the whole spectacle is revolting, and Mao the man must be the devil behind the Chinese version of socialist totalitarianism. Yet between these extremes there are those who are honestly curious.The public record reveals a man at home in rural China, a man of the peasantry, who knows the myths and folklore of traditional China. Yet, although he received a Confucian education, Mao was also part of the first full generation of Chinese to explore Western knowledge. From his rural isolation, he moved effectively into the chaotic, competitive world of Chinese student politics and revolutionary scheming. As soldier, ideologist, and planner, he became the symbolic leader of the Chinese Communist guerrilla struggle. As victorious ruler he was a visionary who looked beyond immediate problems of administration to the goals of a new society and to the molding of a new form of man.The paradox of Mao Zedong is that while his claim to greatness is unassailable, in every specific sphere whether as philosopher, strategist, economic planner, ideologue or even world statesman, his qualities are not the match of his right to greatness. Since Mao's greatness lies so clearly in the realm of emotions, the problem of Mao Zedong is a problem in political psychology. To treat Mao merely as an intellectual or as a calculating strategist is to miss the essential dimensions of his historic role. Furthermore, if we are to understand how Mao came to be so successful in mobilizing the feelings of the Chinese, and of others, we must explore his own emotional world and discover the dynamics of his psychic relations with others.As an ind ividual, Mao is intrinsically fascinating. His acts and his words are startling and unexpected. In his conversations he will bring up the most unlikely subjects: Why are some Africans more dark-skinned than others? Have not all the advances in medical science only increased the number of diseases? The Chinese people have always known Marxism because they have always appreciated contradictions.A dedicated materialist, Mao can suddenly speak as a conventional believer in the hereafter: â€Å"I shall soon be seeing God† (Cheek 124). â€Å"When we see God, or rather Karl Marx, we will have to explain much† (Cheek 115).   At times he has depicted himself as an outstanding hero of Chinese history: â€Å"Yes, we are greater than Ch'in Shih Huang-ti† (Cheek 79). â€Å"We must look to the present to find our heroes† (Cheek 80).Intrinsic fascination aside, Mao's character demands serious analysis because there is much in the history of modern China that cannot be explained except in terms of Mao Zedong's personality. In the fluid circumstances of the Chinese Revolution, time and again events and processes took on decisive form in direct response to the personality of Mao Zedong. In stable societies with solid institutions the scope for the influence of personality considerations is constrained to the narrow limits of how different individuals may perform established roles. In the case of Mao Zedong there was no defined role for him to fill; rather his own personality created his own roles and thereby shaped Chinese history.When the story of modern China is systematically related to the activities of Mao, a key element of Mao's genius is immediately highlighted: his remarkable capacity to perform different, and even quite contradictory, roles at different times. As Mao took on the roles of peasant organizer, military commander, ideological spokesman, political strategist, and ruling statesman, he also vacillated between such contradictory pu blic persona as fiery revolutionary and wise philosopher; dynamic activist and isolated recluse; preacher of the sovereign powers of the human will and patient planner who knows that history cannot be rushed.In a very strange manner Mao Zedong has been able to communicate a sense of the integrity of the human spirit precisely because he has defied logic and spoken for exactly opposite points of view. He has praised books (indeed sanctified the presumed magic of his own â€Å"Little Red Book†) and he has denounced bookish knowledge–â€Å"Reading books only makes myopic children† (Cheek 117). He has equally extolled and denounced violence. He has championed reason and also scorned the paralyzing impulses of reasonableness. His intellectual integrity is as unassailable as folk wisdom, with its appropriate sayings for every option.Mao's revolutionary ideas, like those of his intellectual compatriots elsewhere, drew inspiration from both experience (observing and doi ng) and intellectual exercise. They were a response to the genuine plight of large numbers of poor, illiterate, and exploited people, although they were also the result of profound romanticization and sometimes willful ignorance of who and what the people really were.They reflected a strong inclination to distrust complex patterns of administration and governance — in a word, bureaucracy-because these only served the interests of ruling elites; and they relied upon popular enthusiasm and passion as substitutes for technical expertise and intellectual sophistication, and too frequently as a means for mobilizing (and manipulating) the masses. Moreover, they displayed an inconsistency born of a human inability to divorce oneself completely from one's cultural environment, with its heavy baggage of traditions, habits, and customs. Thus, rebellion against the decrepit and defeatist past of China was accompanied by appeals — sometimes disguised, sometimes not — to the social virtues, modes of discourse, and general spirit of that same past.If from a classical Marxist standpoint Lenin was wrong to represent Russia as an appropriate site for a Marxist revolution, Mao erred in proclaiming the same for China despite his disingenuous contention in 1942 that â€Å"Marxism-Leninism has no beauty, no mystical value; it is simply very useful† (Cheek 127). Much evidence existed, of course, to sustain an argument that China needed fundamental changes in its economic, social, and political order.Chinese had been debating this for many decades. It was also clear that foreign powers had an enormous impact on China's development, fostering it in some ways, but distorting and exploiting it in others. Mao's writings reveal that he understood quite well that his country's vulnerability to external aggression resulted largely from internal weaknesses, and that this relationship lay at the heart of his analysis and his demand for revolution.The doctrine of t he mass line did not develop in isolation but reflected what was arguably the most fundamental of Mao's attitudes: voluntarism. Like Lenin, whose successes must have been instrumental in showing Mao the value of seizing the moment, Mao was a committed voluntarist — a believer in the ability of human will to overcome virtually any obstacle, despite the essential irrelevancy of human motivation to Marx's revolutionary theory.By seeking to foster revolution in places unsuitable theoretically for such a process, both Lenin and Mao had to relinquish Marxist principle and emphatic determinism (the revolution will follow under the right, organically evolved, socioeconomic conditions) in favor of willful action (the revolution will occur under whatever conditions we can take advantage of). For the sake of possibly seeing the revolution transpire in their own lifetimes, they had to impose their own wills on circumstances and equate volition with accomplishment. Marxism's attraction wa s, thus, also its weakness.The theory was supposed to ensure that revolution would occur, but it never promised that it would occur to suit the timetables of revolutionaries. For tremendously egotistical men like Lenin and Mao, Marxist determinism had to be balanced by a voluntarist spirit, men and women had to help make the revolution by whatever means they could be sold on, and time had to be made an ally and not an enemy.The succession to Mao Zedong will in time   worked out, and China has new leaders. Regardless of whatever private feelings they may have about Mao, they acknowledged his greatness in the making of modern China. As all great men in history he will be honored, especially by those who will seek the magic of his greatness to insure the legitimacy of their authority.Thus it is likely that as time goes by the public Mao became increasingly shrouded in myth, and it   became even more difficult to penetrate to the domain of the private man where must lie the secrets of his greatness. Just possibly, however, history may take a slightly different turn, and, as unlikely as it may seem now, there may be revelations of more facts about the life of Mao Zedong making it possible to evaluate better our interpretation of his greatness.Mao Zedong's place in Chinese history is, however, secure, and his successors, whoever they may be, will be of quite different character. Mao's belonged to the era of China's response to the modern world: He wanted China to change, to become strong and powerful in the eyes of all the world; yet he also wanted China to be true to itself. He was a leader out of rural China, educated in a provincial setting, and unacquainted with any foreign language. His distrust of cities refiected in part that be was not at home with the more cosmopolitan generation of Chinese who went further in exploring foreign ways than he was ever ready to do.Works CitedCheek, Timothy. Mao Zedong and China’s Revolutions: A Brief History with Do cuments. Boston: Bedfort, 2002.