Compare philosophical Daoist notions of nature with the emerging Essay

Compare philosophical Daoist notions of nature with the emerging discourses in the West of Spiritual Ecology - Essay Example A spiritual ecologist believes that since spirituality dominates a significant part of human life, it can be manipulated to change and, in cases, to alter man’s perspective towards nature and the universe in order for a better inhabitable environmental status. In this regard, discourses on ‘spiritual ecology’ pivots on man’s religiosity and its connection with environment and ecology. On the contrary, religiosity and nature stand on the two opposite ends of the same continuum. Daoism is more of a philosophy, than religion, which includes spirituality that is indispensably connected with human being’s harmonious position amid the sacred order of the universe. Discourses on ‘Spiritual ecology’, in the first place, put emphasis on the idea that â€Å"The major problems in the world are the result of the difference between the way nature works and the way man thinks.† ... Before heaven and earth it existed. Without sound, without substance, it stands alone and unchanging. It is all-pervading and unfailing. We do not know its name, but we call it Dao† (Lao Tzu, quoted in â€Å"On Truth and Reality†). According to Daoism, man is an integral part of how the immense unity of this universe functions. Therefore, man’s happiness and salvation lie in his or her knowledge about the Dao, in other words, about how the immense entity of the universe functions. Obviously, Daoism also puts emphasis on the fact that man should lead his or her life in harmony with Dao. Daoism includes man and nature, spirituality and devotion to nature on the same continuum. Man Position in Nature according to Daoism and Spiritual Ecology Uniting with Dao through Nature is considered to be the ultimate goal of human life in Daoism. As to the goal of human life, Lao Tzu, one of the central figures of Daoism, notes, â€Å"Being one with nature, the sage is in accor d with the Dao† (Lao Tzu, â€Å"On Truth and Reality†). The concept of Dao in Daoism is more philosophical than doctrinal. Since Daoism asserts that man needs to know about his or her role in the greater way how the universe or nature functions, he or she is assigned with any dominion over the nature; rather man is entrusted with a responsibility to grow a harmonious relationship with natural orders and functions. Referring to this environment-friendly aspect of Daoism, Chen Xia comments, â€Å"Chinese Daoism rejects such idea that humans have dominion over the earth and its other inhabitants. Nature in Daoism is something of great value in and for itself.† (2) But in Daoism, the universe as well as the nature is infused in the existence of Dao. Indeed

World War I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

World War I - Essay Example Through conscientious study of the events depicting imperialism, militarism, nationalism, the immediate cause, as well as the underlying intricacies of the alliances formed, threatening unrest to all other nations, I would attempt to figure justification for the next plan of action. Having found that the aforementioned grounds are ceaseless and bearing impact on a global scale, marching out to join and support the Allies must then prove reasonable. Participating in warfare does not have to mean exhibiting competitiveness yet as a measure to suppress the imperialists along with the height of their militaristic principle, it becomes necessary to demonstrate that emergence of power via American forces in addition to the Allies in defense is likely to intimidate the enemy. In the hope of possibly exhausting the enemies with the idea that endless wars are futile and would only yield to further damages regardless of any projected goal to gain advantage by the opposing parties, combat ought to proceed. As a U.S. president, I understand that I have sworn a delicate responsibility to protect my nation. With the prevailing world crisis, however, accepting the armed challenge to fight in the battlefield is rather an innovation than a mere act of impulse to help others subdue the enemy and fulfill the common objective of world peace. At this point, to me the presence of U.S. troops overseas, expressing the motive to cooperate with the armed men of the allied nations is a response of envisioning a kind of renewed life for the Americans where, after all the military and political hostilities, living exists with the desired quality of peace and economy. By engaging in the war, Americans can be accustomed to dealing with violent encounters which would serve as tests to strengthen individual courage or make resolute the overall character of American citizenry. In time, once the joint forces with the European ‘Allies’ consisting of France, Russia, Britain, and Serbia

Tracing The Development Of Indian English Writing English Literature Essay

Tracing The Development Of Indian English Writing English Literature Essay Indian writing in English is primarily a result of the English colonial rule in India spanning almost two centuries. There is an undeniable relation between the literary work and the historical background out of which it arises. In spite of the western imperialism and colonialism the Indian culture has grown incredibly over the past two hundred years. It is a well known fact that the Englishmen came to India on the pretext of trade and immediately realized that a stable political control would substantially increase their profits. The Industrial Revolution in England could only sustain itself through the capital made in the Indian territories in the form of revenue collection. They then commenced to annex different territories in and around India and set up a colonial empire. The British rule completely ruined the agricultural self-sufficiency of the farmers and the trade of silk cloth saw a downslide due to the English factory produced cloth more easily and cheaply available. The we avers and artisans lost their job and had to sustain themselves by working in cotton plantations. The old existing order underwent a complete and systematic destruction and overhaul bringing misery, poverty and death to millions of Indians. After a few years of colonial rule and consolidation, the English empire got embroiled in a hotly debated and discussed issue of introduction of the English language in educational institutes. In a watershed decision English was introduced in the Indian education system, and was understood to be a different epistemological template in which not only the language but lifestyle and culture was imposed. Many reformers especially Raja Rammohun Roy, the founder of the Brahmo Samaj, vociferously supported the teaching of the move to bring about economic reforms that would provide new employment opportunities in the administration that required the knowledge of the English language. A systematic enterprise detailed by Macaulay, a member of colonial Indian parliament, than began in which mimic men were produced through the education system in India, who were a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions who we govern; a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals and in intellect.  [1]  The old methods of teaching were made redundant and died a slow death as the earlier system of education was insufficient to cope with the changing social, economic and political circumstances. As it is apparent with scorn and despise towards Indian languages, the sole purpose regarding English was to strengthen their rule and brainwash the colonized; and not to empower or produce scholars. Moreover, the colonizers only had contempt and disdain for the established languages, knowledge, beliefs, religion and educational institutes, labeling them as being irrational, pagan, barbaric, unscientific and immoral. Macaulay articulated the sense of superiority that the westerners felt regarding their culture and knowledge by making a very derogatory and biased statement that a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature India and Arabia.  [2]  He believed that an educated minority would gradually educate the others, this concept came to be known as the filtration effect but it remained flawed and unsuccessful. With the introduction of the English language the missionaries got a better hold on the country and political the empire established the notions that it is a benevolent authority and has now taken the responsibility of bringing light in the form of knowledge to the ignorant population. As a result of English education a few writers an d poets converted to Christianity and imitated a style of writing prose and poetry like the English Romantics and classics. The first phase of Indian English literature roughly comprises the half century before the Great Revolt of 1857. This was a period when English education and Western ideas had begun to act as a great liberating force in a country which had been suffering from political instability for about a century. Henry Derozios Poems written in 1827, reflect his reformist idealism and iconoclastic zeal and he along with a few other visionary writers, poets and artistes worked for the eradication of social evils and called themselves the young Bengal. In fact his contemporaries like Michael Madhusudan Dutt had great technical competence and wrote a long poem on the Christian theme of the original sin, Visions of the Past (1849). Krishna Mohan Banerjeas play The Persecuted (1831) showcased the religious orthodoxies plaguing the Hindu society. The colonizers were initially largely successful in creating a class of interpreters between them and the masses. Education as a tool in the hands of the English proved to a great ideological weapon to legitimize their authority in the colonies. Evidently a hierarchy is created in which the western education model encompasses wisdom and knowledge as against the colonized people who are imbeciles. The education introduced was naturally lopsided and it not only valorized English traditions and way of life, it also provided the newly urban English educated a very limited and constricted space for liberal thought. The Indians began to believe that the colonizers had a moral responsibility to fulfill as the country was depicted to be infected by depravity, bestiality and religious bigotry. The evangelists propagated Christianity in schools indirectly by teaching biblical scriptures rather than English grammar. The weaving together of morality with a specifically English literature had imp ortant ideological consequences  [3]  , which would mean that English behaviour leads to a moral behaviour and ultimately the colonizing country ostensibly projected itself as being a guiding light to civilize the colonies. Though the English always had their propaganda and selfish intention intact, a positive consequence was that the Indians had mastered the colonisers language [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] and further, had by the 1820s begun to adopt it as their chosen medium of expression. These pioneering works of poetry, fiction, drama, travel, and belles-lettres are little read today except by specialists, but when they were published they were, by the mere fact of being in English, audacious acts of mimicry and self-assertion. More than this, the themes they touched on and the kinds of social issues they engaged with would only be explored by other Indian literatures several decades later.  [4]   The middle class Indian intelligentsia created by the English for their convenience was never considered as an equal by the colonizers as they were inherently racists. The British defined themselves as the efficient, ethical, hardworking, courageous and masculine rulers of India, they came to characterize Indians increasingly as slothful, deceitful and immoral.  [5]  The English deemed Indians unfit for self-governance and never gave them any important positions in the administration. The partition of Bengal in 1905 falsely done in the name of administrative convenience broke the powerful intelligentsia that had formed in Bengal. The Swadeshi movement that followed brought in a lot of cultural changes and a revival of old Indian traditions of celebration of festivals, theatres and folk songs focusing on national pride and patriotism. The entry of Indian English writing in the English canon is often debated as some of the critics are of the opinion that this genre got an acceptance only in the late 1950s when the Indian writers decided to establish it as a discipline, while others regard the works initially written by Indians in the English language as the real formation of this literary genre. The first novel by an Indian in English Bankim Chandra Chatterjees Rajmohans Wife appeared quite late in 1864 and is his only novel in English, the rest fourteen successful novels he wrote in Bengali. Kylas Chunder Dutts A Journal of Forty-Eight Hours of the Year 1945 (1835) preceding Bankims novel is about an imaginary armed uprising against the British but cannot be classified as the first novel as it came out in a journal. Mehrotra elucidates on Kylas Chunder Dutts work that: Insurrections seems a commonplace idea, until we realise that the idea is being expressed for the first time in Indian literature, and would next find expression only in folk songs inspired by the events of 1857. It is uncanny that the year of the uprising in Dutts imagination comes within two years of Indias actual year of independence; uncanny, too, the coincidence that the work should have been published in the same year that Macaulay delivered his Minute. In a double irony, the insurgents are all urbanized middle-class Indians with the best education colonialism could offer, the very class Macaulay had intended as interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern. Thus, the language of command is stood on its head and turned into the language of subversion, suggests itself as the imaginative beginnings of a nation.  [6]  The revolt of 1857 was a turning point and India became an empire under the British rule, represented by the viceroy. The revolt saw a unification of the warring Indian states against a common enemy. The heroism, valour and courage demonstrated by Indians inspired a lot of folk songs, poems and literature detailing the battle and brutality with which it was suppressed. The possibility of toppling the British rule looked viable but it took a century for Indians to attain independence. The British formulated numerous rules and regulations to stipulate the authority of Indian princely states and other autonomous bodies and gained complete control over India. Censorship of literature increased many folds as the colonizers strictly monitored any writing that was seditious to the British policies, government or laws. Political t hemes were now discussed through literature in the guise of historical novels or romances which glorified the past rulers. Ironically Shakespeares poetry rings true when placed in the context of Indian English writing, in his play The Tempestà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..says You taught me language and my profit in it / Is I know how to curse.  [7]   Meenakshi Mukherjee in her detailed and informative essay Beginning of the Novel  [8]  traces the rise of the early English novel in India that was primarily aimed at an English audience and usually began with titles that would pull the attention of the English towards the orients as unlike novelists in the Indian languages who were confident about a sizeable readership within their specific region, the writer in English suffered from uncertainty about his audience. The earlier tracts written by Kylas Chunder Dutt, Shoshee Chunder Dutt among others did not strictly adhere to the demands of novelistic traditions. The later novels written in the century were more obsequious and tolerant of the British rule and many writers wrote praising the empire and paid homage to the Queen through their writings. The only woman writer who wrote in English during that period has now become an obscure figure. Women in that era were not encouraged to get any education and were scarcely taught the English language. Krupabai Satthianadhans Kamala, A Story of Hindu Life (1894) and Saguna, A Story of Native Christian life (1895) detail topical issues concerning gender, caste, religion and other social issues. To the critic Mennakshi Mukherjee the greatest achievement of the canonical Indian English writing is not the awards or critical acclaim won by the writers now, rather the breaking free from The tentativeness of nineteenth century novelists, not only about writing in an acquired colonial language but also about their readership, has been replaced by an overwhelming confidence among post colonial writers that the English language belongs to them as much as to anyone else. The novels of the nineteenth century brought to limelight the social injustices, superstition and the abominable conditions of the peasants and workers that plagued the Indian society. Womens emancipation, education and widow remarriage also became common themes in the novels and this phase is dubbed as the renaissance of Indian writing in English.  [9]  The tradition of novel writing in India is an imitation of a western phenomenon and thus different from most of the earlier writings that engaged in a quest of metaphysical and transcendental knowledge, where the present world is depicted and painted to be a mere appearance. Another luminary figure is that of Tagore who wrote an expansive body of prose fiction, poetry, and songs. His creative ingenuity is unparalleled in either Bengali or English. He conceptualized and started a democratic, artistic and cultural revolution by training young minds in the university founded by him, Shantiniketan, which attracted teachers and studen ts from all over the world. Tagores Gitanjali (1912) is a great lyrical achievement and his prose fiction deals with human condition and emotions, societal norms and also revolution. His works inspired an entire generation of writers, artists, singers, and the common man. Most of his work is in Bengali and is present to us in translation. Besides, the dangerous of considering English Indian writing as national literature especially in western universities is manifold, primarily because it is written by a minority that is upwardly mobile. Text written in English language should not be the only source of highlighting Indian culture and way of life; this would marginalize the importance of the texts produced in regional languages that have their own values and narratives. The accommodation of Indian writing in English in the English canon is a momentous achievement because it provides autonomy to this genre as it is not merged with Commonwealth writing or is merely labeled as an imitation. The polemics of criticism in earlier days refused to accept it as an area of academic scrutiny as it did not proliferate to the degree it has now. Indian writing in English belongs to a particular class of people who are of Indian origin and have learnt the language well to be writers of that language, and those who are able to read the English language and are to an extent more proficient and comfortable in English than in their mother tongues. These conditioning does not makes them less of a writer rather they are experts in explicating the thoughts and lives of Indian characters living in India but not speaking, thinking or living an English life. It requires great talent, insight and exceptional grasp of bilingualism to express in English the lives of people who do not speak that language. Thus we have Raja Rao in his foreword  [10]  to the novel Kanthapura debating: English is not really an alien language to us. It is the language of our intellectual make-up like Sanskrit or Persian was before but not of our emotional make-up. We are all instinctively bilingual, many of us in our own language and in English. We cannot write like the English. We should not. We can only write as Indians. We have grown to look at the large world as a part of us. Our method of expression therefore has to be a dialect which will some day prove to be as distinctive and colourful as the Irish or the American. Time alone will justify it. One of the major reasons for the proliferation of Indian writing in English is the Indians assertion of autonomy in writing their own histories. Bamkinchandras call We have no History! We must have a History! highlights the need for self representation and expression. The mere act of writing and narrating ones past hints at an inherent power struggle because the mode of recalling the past relies on who has the authority to re-create and re-tell the past. The colonizers perspective would naturally differ from that of the colonized. James Mills History of British India (1817) is only one sided and prejudiced attempt at detailing Indias past. To wrench authority and power from the colonizers one has to narrate ones own stories. Thus, the primary novels written by Indians seemed to be historical fiction which went on to be read and gradually merged with the aspirations of budding nationalist struggle. Likewise, the theme in earlier novel was nation and nationalism and it was developed as historical romances depicting the life of a historical figure in a romantic alliance that showcased the glorious past of the Indian nation, for instance, T. Ramakrishna Pillais Padmini: An Indian Romance (1903). By 1930, Indian English literature became a century old yet failed to produce a single novelist who had a plethora of work to his credit. Then three novelists known as the Big Three wrote and published their works that proved to be an epoch making enterprise. Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand and N.K.Narayan revolutionized Indian novel writing on an unprecedented scale and brought to fore not only the views and idealism of Gandhiji but also provided a poignant, realistic picture of fellow Indians under the colonial rule suffering acute poverty, social discrimination, unemployment and illiteracy. Further, Raja Raos Kanthapura (1938); Mulk Raj Anands The Sword and the Sickle (1942) and R.K.Narayans W aiting for the Mahatma (1955) deal with nationalism and impact of Gandhism in lives of Indians. Regarding the works of Narayan both western and Indian scholars opine that his novels are deeply traditional, apolitical and humanist, yet at the same time his work is highly representatively Indian in their spirituality. His theme and form has enabled him to explore the minutiae and subtleties of human emotions and feelings and to his ironic vision towards human life is aptly universal. Although, the importance of Hinduism in Narayans work is identified by many, a number of his novels probe the limitations and contradictions inherent in Hindu worldview and identity. In Meenakshi Mukherjees assessment R.K.Narayan falls in that category of novelists who do not indulge in any generalizations about what is Indian and what is western. Their characters are a curious blend of the East and the West which all Indians are but they refuse to sift the elements.  [11]  Natural to the writer of po st independence, Kamala Markandayas novels focus on the changing socio-economic scene. Her preoccupation with the theme of hunger in Nectar in a Sieve (1955) and Handful of Rice (1966) and her picture of uprootedness of Indian villagers on account of the menacing growth of industrial civilization derive their vigour from Gandhis pleading for village economy. The process of modernization is satirized in her later novels like The Coffer Dams (1969) and The Pleasure City (1984). Patriotism, freedom struggles, exploitation of the factory workers and the relationship between the colonizer and the condition of the colonized formed the corpus of Indian writing in English. Gandhiji inspired and influenced the writers and poets immensely and this fact is clear in the way activism and courage was liberated from aggressiveness and violence. The tumultuous political situation of the nineteen thirties due to the civil disobedience movement under the leadership of freedom fighters created a readership that wished to explore and get information about their countrys rapacious plunder and the miserable, starving plight of its citizens. The prevailing nationalistic fervor and political situation witnessed a portrayal in the literature produced at that time. Some writers advocated the Gandhian method of non-violence to attain freedom while the others wanted independence through any means whether it involved violence or not remained immaterial to them. The partition of the s ubcontinent had a prolonged disturbing and traumatic effect on the psyche of millions of Indians and became one of the most discussed, debated and analyzed theme in numerous novels. For instance Khushwant Singhs Train to Pakistan (1956) lead to a significant contribution to the genre namely Partition literature in the canon of English Indian writing. The events portrayed in the novel revolve around the depiction of unprecedented violence, brutality and desperation. The novel captures the mindlessness of communal violence and provides a protest against the Indian bureaucracy. Salman Rushdies Midnights Children (1981) and Amitav Ghoshs The Shadow Lines (1988) deal with the theme of partition in a very different perspective. After independence, the era of hope and certitude got sidelined by an age of self scrutiny, skepticism and an attempt to deal with the ones sense of identity exposed to divergent cultures, Indian and Western. Post independence fiction reflected an anxious reality O n one hand freedom had been won; ostensibly the exploiter had been expelled and the forces of evil were no longer in the land. But on the other hand, writers and intellectuals generally felt that the only change effected by independence was the change in the colour of the exploiters skin.  [12]  Political satire and a growing disillusionment with the current state of affairs were highlighted in numerous novels by writers of different vernacular. Moreover, the theme of partition and the consecutive wars with China and Pakistan created a sense of despair in the literary arena and greatly affected the works of writers. Caste and communalism have become major issues in Indian English writing Mulk Raj Anands Untouchable is read as a remarkable and revolutionary novel by both critics and readers, and in this novel he illustrates the pitfalls of a parasitic casteist Hindu society. The concept of marginalization is a common leitmotif in the novels depicting lower caste people and women. Meenakshi Mukherjee says that A huge social divide exists between those have proficiency in English and those who do not. Given the fact that English today is the language not only of upward social mobility and outward geographical mobility, but also a major tool for accessing knowledge at the higher level.  [13]  One cannot remain blind to the major characteristic feature of Indian English literature, both linguistic and cultural, that its influence extends beyond the limits of any elitist paradigm. Along with marginality a sense of alienation is an underlining concern in numerous novels. Anita Desais Cry, the Peaco ck (1963) focuses on the female sensibility at odds with the male dominated society. Her later novels like Fire on the Mountain (1977) describe the isolation and alienation of man from family and society. Upamanyu Chatterjees English August dissects and beautifully expresses the estrangement felt by the characters in the novels. Iyengars pioneering work in the creation of a history of Indian writing in English opened up new avenues of criticism and these studies have done much to establish the parameters of a discussion of the nature and role of Indian writing in English including its form, its audience and its effectiveness.  [14]  The readership and production of numerous writings both in quality and quantity in vernacular languages in India is by far larger than the English counterpart. One has to assess the readership of Indian English writing which is at best nominal in India, the target thus, seem to be the widely English speaking western world. A few popular novels by Kipling, Kim and The Jungle book became extremely popular but the perspective remained of the white man. E.M.Forsters A Passage to India provides an imperial writers ambivalent attitude towards the other, non- Eurocentric culture and the distrust is palpable. One can argue that the earlier writers of English did write to a Christian western world, explaining almost apologetically Indias pluralism and trying to fit in the constraints demanded by English literature and are accused of exoticisng India to the foreign readers. The readership issue of Indian English literature has assumed dimensions more varied than just simple publishing politics. Even now the debate continues and those who choose to write in English argue that English is also an Indian language and they know this language the best. They are accused by those writing in vernacular of not being in touch with the masses and aiming only for self aggrandizement. Interestingly, a new generation of writers has slowly emerged that does not feel the need to provide a glossary for Indian vernacular terms or the Indian way of life. Desai reiterates the fact that a new generation of Indian writes, addressing Indian subjects and items in a language taken from Indian streets newspapers, jou rnals, and films, and a class of enterprising business who decided they were worth publishing marked the 80s and 90s.  [15]   Now a new emergent prototype of writers known as being the diasporic writers have established themselves. Due to colonialism a lot of people from England settled in different parts of the world and a lot of people belonging to numerous places from each and every corner of the word made Britain and other colonizing countries their home; some of them came as indentured labours or as slaves. Britain and other colonizing countries witnessed a spurt in immigration as they needed labourers to work in their factories or healthcare systems, besides many people came looking for better employment opportunities, income and for studies. Therefore, Diaspora can be defined by emphasizing a sense of collective community that one feels while living in one country and looking across time and space for another. It should be noted that the generation born to the migrants who are now settled in another country, might not have the same emotional and sentimental attachment to the old country. Also the jou rney from ones old country to the adopted country creates a sense of shared history and the difference in language, generation, religion and culture make diaspora spaces dynamic and shifting, open to repeated construction and reconstruction.  [16]  The reason for the inception of diasporic writer can be explained as the massive migrations that have defined this century- from the late colonial period through the decolonization era into the twenty first century.  [17]   Naipauls work on Trinidad did not find readership in America because the critics found it stylistically too British. In England Naipaul was rejected because he was too foreign. In more recent times, however, the conference of the Nobel Prize on Naipaul celebrates the acceptance of the author outside Trinidad. For that matter, R.K.Narayans first novel, Swami and Friends, portraying life in a small south Indian village, enjoyed considerable readership in England when first published in 1935. Ruskin Bonds semi-autobiographical reminiscences of living in and out of Dehra Dun bazaar among Indian urchins appeared in a book form The Room on the Roof (1952), it was crowned the prestigious John Lellwyn Rhys Memorial Prize. Bond made India his permanent home unlike other Anglo-Indians who chose to return back. The recognition awarded to the books coming from different places and elucidating the diverse upheaval, lifestyle and attitude towards life we can assess the fact that readership patter n of foreign literature has seen a tremendous change due to the growing socio-cultural influences of globalization. The linguistic effects of Ruskin Bonds minimalist approach or Raja Raos attempts at making English seem to be natural easily acceptable are positive in the sense that they have gained wider popularity outside the realm of colonial modernity. A common thread binds the variant diasporic writers together they are marked by their hybridity and heterogeneity cultural, linguistic, ethnic, national and these subjects are defined by a traversal of boundaries demarcating nations and diaspora.  [18]  A diasporic writers constant struggle with the past that stressed on ones ancestry and valued the pure over the hybrid or the composite is a highly discussed concept in postcolonial literature.  [19]  These writers have transformed the meaning and dimension of Indian writing in English and have made it more dynamic, accommodating and expansive. Indian writers, like Rushdie and Naipaul, Anita Desai, Shashi Tharoor, Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Seth et al have carved a niche for themselves while residing abroad and writing about the sense of rootlessness and displacement that is experienced because of geographical causes and the problems faced by those who are immigrants, refugees or exiled. Their identity is neither lost nor submerge d by overlapping of multiplicity and diversity. The Indian diasporic writer born and brought up in a post-colonial world [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] have had no reason to feel self-conscious in handling the English language, which carries no colonial baggage for them.  [20]  Most of these writers write about Indian subcontinent and present the vastness, pluralism and celebration of multiculturalism that is now associated with India. Rushdies incisive comment on the migrant sensibility is one of the central themes of the displaced personà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the effect à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦has been the creation of new types of human beingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ people in whose deepest selves strange fusion occur, unprecedented unions between what they were and where they find themselves à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦migrants must of necessity make a new imaginative relation with the world.  [21]   The psycho-social predicaments of the self under colonialism and its dispensation of a new worldview bridging the east-west divide after independence are investigated. Amitav Ghosh problematizes and delineates a sense of rootlessness in the character of Ila in The Shadow Lines. Her father is a diplomat and she has been brought up in western countries. As a result, she is reduced to th

Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway Essay examples -- Hills

"Literature is a luxury: Fiction is a necessity" (Chesterton). Literature is a single phenomenon that will always remain in the lives of people throughout the years. According to Andre Maurois, "In literature, as in love, we are astounded by what is chosen by others." Fiction Literature is one of the most fascinating types of Literature. There are many types of Fiction Literature read across the world and with much selection, the greatest are short stories. Out of those, one very memorable short story is called "Hills Like White Elephants". The author, Ernest Hemingway, has created many intriguing stories with his recognizable syntax. The specific style he is known for may be childish and use only a few small lines, but nevertheless his writings are continuously read by many people. Like any exceptional author would, Hemingway manipulates his text to get across certain themes in the plot of his stories. A couple themes found in "Hills Like White Elephants" are doubt, choices, conseq uences, and decision-making. These themes are noticed by Hemingway's use of various different literary elements in the story. They help the reader better understand the true meanings behind "Hills Like White Elephants"' seemingly empty plot. The characters in this story are very believable because they play very realistic roles. For their situation, these characters are appropriately casted. The protagonist of this story is a girl named Jig. She is portrayed as a flat character where we only see one side of her throughout the story. We only see her doubt and worry over not being able to make a decision. The decision she is trying to make is whether or not to go through with an 'operation' that is not directly stated. We later infer that she... ...about life itself. May we all learn from this reading experience as well as gain knowledge about the world as we know it. Works Cited Akers, Tim. â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants.† Short Stories for Students. Ed. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. Short Stories for Students. Gale. Web. 8 Apr. 2015. Hemingway, Ernest. "Hills Like White Elephants". LitFinder for Schools. Gale. Web. 4 Apr. 2015.. Henningfeld, Andrews Diane. Overview of Hills Like White Elephants, for Short Stories for Students, The Gale Group, 1999. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. Johnston, Kenneth G. "'Hills Like White Elephants' Lean, Vintage Hemingway," in Studies in American Fiction, Vol. 10, No. 2, Autumn, 1982. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. Weeks, Lewis E. Jr., â€Å"Hemingway Hills: Symbolism in â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants,† in Studies in Short Fiction, Vol. 17, No. 1, Winter, 1980. Web. 4 Apr. 2015.

Career development as a chef Essay

Professional development is the acquisition of knowledge and skills for career advancement. It enables an individual to acquire personal development which is essential for better job performance. It will entail utilizing various learning opportunities which ranges from acquiring a college degree and other formal coursework relevant for doing exemplary good in the hotel and tourism industry. There are many approaches undertaken in enhancing career development. They include lesson study, mentoring and getting advises from members of staff who have worked and are experienced in the industry. One may also get career development through active consultation, coaching, and undertaking lesson study from a learning institution. Technical skills will be developed through technical assistance and reflective supervision. In his book on leadership skills in the tourism and service industry Rogers (2008) asserts that hotel and tourism just like other careers should engage in professional development. Individuals working in these industries should participate in professional development to serve their interest in the lifelong learning. This will show a high sense of moral obligation that brings along professional competence among the employees and other members of staff in tourism and hotel industry. Career and professional development will enable institutional members in enhancing career progression, to comply with the existing and changing regulations and to keep the organization updated with the new technology and practices that is necessary for the long-term survival of the organization. Career development will possibly include informal and formal types of vocational education and training. This is in the form of post secondary and poly-technical training which leads to academic qualification or credential that are required to get or retain an employment in case the person being trained had secured an employment in an organization. Technical and professional development may be obtained in the form of pre-service or in the in-service professional development programs. These kinds of programs are usually formal, informal; they may be conducted at a group level or individualized to suit a person professional requirement of the skills needed in his job. This means that in an organization an individual may pursue professional development independently or the human resource department may undertake the task of developing skills of individuals in the company. When professional development is done on the job by the human resource department it will enhance leadership skills which are necessary for undertaking the role of decision making in the organization. For an individual to have proper leadership abilities it means that he has to acquire high analytical and conceptual skills, this is only possible through academic training (Rogers 2008) Working as a chef needs one to be highly skilled and being adept in all facets of food preparation. The role of a chef means that the person carries the responsibility of all kitchen activity. This kind of work includes plating design, making orders and purchases of inventory to be used in food preparation and other relevant kitchen work, management of kitchen staff and preparation of menu. It is this menu that gives customers illustrations on food prices and how to budget their cash and spending in a hotel. Therefore, the tasks and personal decisions undertaken by a chef has a direct impact to the customers hence he is of great value to the organization. When one is appointed as a head chef he is given a task of making larger executive decisions which include giving the direction of menu and having final authority in the staff management decisions. This position is usually present in places where there are multiple restaurants. For a person to succeed in the hotel industry as a chef he has to possess notable skills. These skills must be learnt either formally or informally to enhance career development. For instance a great chef must be creative and should always be trying something new in the market and in the industry. His creativity should inspire food presentation which is a very great aspect to the overall dining experience. He should have a tremendous passion for beverages, food and cooking. He should enjoy the process of selecting foods, creating menus and preparing meal for his customers. In addition to the above qualities he should have a keen business sense and should run the kitchen in a way to produce food which is of high quality but at cost effective means as well as enabling efficiency in the process of food production. In his book Florian D, (1992) a chef should pay close attention to cooking and food service detail. This is because cooking is a science and hence each ingredient used in the process has a certain role that a chef should be continually aware of. He should understand his role in food preparation team, therefore engaging in active teamwork to ensure that organizational goals are achieved. He should work harmoniously to ensure that the company produces quality foods. In ensuring proper service delivery, a chef should work well with members of staff and management. He should practice his skills a lot as preparing food requires a high level of expertise. Therefore, a chef should never stop perfecting his or her cooking techniques. Career development as a chef will improve a person’s ability to multitask and handling perfectly many tasks at once. One should be responsible for all elements relating to a meal and ensuring that everything is completed at the right time. He should also avoid customer delay making sure they are served at the right time. It is this proper customer service that guarantees a company survival and increases the level of its competitiveness in the extensive industry. A successful chef should always be committed to preparing a high quality meal for his customers. He should do so by seeking the right and the finest ingredients and use the best proven techniques in delivering the best product at cost effective method. Professional development will increase the chef ability to think and make timely decisions when his company meets a challenge. Food preparation industry needs proper timing and hence a chef should possess proper analytical and conceptual skills that increase his ability to make decisions and solve problems immediately they arise. A firm that is able to make decision quickly and on a timely basis will be able to keep customers satisfied and operations will be able to flow smoothly Carnoll (2010). A great chef should be able to handle criticism from customers and hence ensuring proper customer relationship between the company and its esteemed customers who constitute his market; this will have a long term benefit when the company market share increases. Not everyone will like what a chef prepares therefore a great chef should take criticisms positively. In outsourcing for the right employees in a tourism and hotel industries most companies will put into consideration the possible qualities of an individual. They will probably analyze his strengths and weaknesses then from the analysis the key skills will be identified. If the strengths exceed the weaknesses with a considerable margin then this person will be hired to work in the organization. Companies will undertake an accurate review of the possible qualities of an individual based on personal attributes such as personality, values and motivations. A person’s behavior in the organization will also be greatly influenced by his emotional intelligence, his leadership skills, charismatic power, and ability to influence other members of staff in pursuing organizational goals and objectives. Personality can be defined as the inherent individual behavior that a person falls back to when all other forces of the outside world are accounted for or when under pressure from the external forces. It is the organized developed system within an individual that represents the collective action of a person’s psychological subsystems which go hand in hand to describe an individual personal trait. In his book personality psychology Cervone and Pervin (2014) he describes personality as a five factor model. This model describes and provides a great overview of personality and how it should relate with the work environment. A person with a positive personality is described as having ability to bring success to the company out of his individual behavior. He is portrayed with great respect among other members of staff and he is capable of ensuring success to the organization when customers flock the company out of his good reputation. A chef should therefore be of good personality t o achieve the hotel and tourism objectives. For an individual to improve his personality attributes he should possess the following qualities. He should be open to experience and learn new and emerging issues necessary for improving his skills and expertise. Openness to experience means that an individual is highly interested and flexible in experiencing new things. Work environment is highly dynamic and hence members of staff should adopt this kind of personality so that positive changes being desired by the organization are quickly integrated. A chef who aims at maximizing his service in the industry should not be rigid to changes as this can easily make the company to lag behind when customers view the services as being old fashioned and out of date. Most of the individuals are more close minded and rigid to organization changes and in how they approach new experiences; therefore, it is the work of management to ensure that this kind of rigidity is discouraged amongst its workers through behavior changes and sometimes motiv ation speeches. Conscientiousness is another personality attribute a person should possess in order to become successful in his career. A person who is high in conscientiousness will tend to be diligent and dutiful according to the way he approaches his work and life matters. Therefore for one to become a great chef and ensure success in the hotel industry a person should be able to possess this kind of personality. The individual will be able to plan his work early in advance and work towards achieving the set individual and organizational objectives. Diligence calls for individual discipline in how a person plans his work and the way he undertakes tasks to accomplish a certain goal. Florian. D (1992) for a chef to be successful in his career he should possess a personality trait of extraversion. This is a highly recognizable personality trait as it can easily be felt and seen by those who have a close interaction with the chef. A chef should be able to interact with other members of staff in the kitchen department so as to ensure that the right food is prepared and served. He should contribute his ideas and views on proper methods of food preparation. With this kind of an approach they will be able to work together to achieve the organization goal and hence adding value to the company. Value addition is seen when the hotel revenues increases and the profits retained are re invested in the company; this is only possible when chefs just as other members of staff work towards achieving organizational goals. A person with an introversion personality trait is unable to interact with co workers and hence making it difficult for the company to achieve both its short te rm and long term goals. An introvert will tend to draw energy from reflection and will prefer working on his own or in small groups. For a chef who wants to succeed in his career introversion will automatically lead to failure as this kind of an occupation calls for teamwork. A successful chef should possess a high level of agreeableness. This personality trait aims at ensuring the level of friendliness and hostility that an individual member display when interacting with others. A person considered to have high level of agreeableness is perceived to be more trustworthy and those with a lower level of agreeableness are perceived as more oppositional and more suspicious. Therefore, a chef should possess a personality trait in agreeableness. This will make it easy to work in a group and in a team since he can easily be trusted hence making teamwork easy. It is as result that decision making process will be fastened making service delivery easy and more timely. A company with proper service delivery will be rated as a successful company hence succeeding in its bid to attract more customers and markets. A chef should also possess a low personality trait of neuroticism. This means that he is able to control his emotion. A person who is highly neurotic will tend to be less stable. He get angry quickly thus demonstrating negative emotions which are not desirable for an organization environment. A person who shows emotional stability is regarded as being pleasant and resistant to stress. A chef who possesses such positive traits will not get angered quickly if criticized in his tasks. He will be able to rectify errors, omission and mistakes committed in his work. By doing this an organization is guaranteed of success since high quality services can easily be offered. The members of staff will be able to learn their mistakes and rectify them for the advantage of the company. To ensure proper service delivery a chef should understand the personality traits of individual co workers as this is very critical to the success of the organization. Personality is a key driver of individual behavior. Therefore, it calls for the members of staff and the overall company to consider this critical aspect that is very important in the success of any organization. An individual personality trait should be modeled to suit organizational needs to ensure long term success of the company. Jackson (2002) an individual values and motivators will have a big impact on his performance in the company and in the overall hotel and tourism industry. A person attitude is his or her prospective in performing a certain task. Simply it aims at answering what is the motivating factor behind a person in pursuit of the organization goals? A strong attitude of achievement brings a positive effect and success to the organization unlike a weak attitude which discourages goal attainment. Pervin (2014) a person’s attitude has a close impact on the personality of an individual although it varies from one person to another. For a chef to remain outstanding in performance he should therefore posses a strong attitude and a great determination for success in relation to his work place or in the company he is working for. It is by possessing this trait that he will be able to generate good outcome. According to Mc Cleland D.C (1951) an employee who would like to succeed in his position in a tourism and hotel industry should possess general creativity ability. This means that person is able to use his analytical and conceptual skills in making fast and efficient decisions necessary to solve a problem as early as it occurs and with the immediate effect it so desires. A chef will require creativity in drawing fast hand solutions for the challenges his organization is faced to. He should be able to influence people positively. This includes both members of staff and customers. It is by doing this that the company is able to retain its existing customers and attracting other customers in a bid to enlarging the companies’ available market. He should be able to make decisions faster coupled with advice from other members of the organization. Quick decision making is necessary for ensuring positive service delivery in the hotel industry. In his book on hotel management Rogers (2007) pointed out that a chef should be highly equipped with relevant knowledge pertaining to the tasks under him or he is obligated to do. He should restrain from undertaking technical duties which he is not relevant with. He should ensure moral fulfillment amongst his co workers and partners in the industry that he works in. Moral fulfillment is directly related to motivation. Therefore members of staff who are highly motivated will work hard in ensuring that organization objectives are met and ensure that they are achieved on a timely basis. A chef should maintain a high level of intellectual status and ability to think and making wise decisions when required to do so. Everything a chef sets to do should ensure motivation to his co workers hence making them to invest more efforts in attaining the organizational goals. A successful chef should portray positive emotional intelligence and hence ability to control his emotions regarding his job and service delivery. Emotional intelligence is that individual ability to control, perceive and evaluate emotions when they arise .According to Robbins et al (2008) emotions and moods are dominant factors which employees’ experiences. Emotions are described as intense feelings directed at someone while moods just as emotions are feelings which are not so intense still directed to someone. Having positive emotion and mood means that the chef will work efficiently with others, and will not be quick anger or over-react in the event of provocation. To prevent negative moods and emotions a chef should avoid being stressed, prevent social activities that affect his individual behavior negatively. He should exercise a lot during his free time to reduce the level of accumulated stress during the day time when at work. According to McGrogan (2007) a personâ€⠄¢s level of productivity should be great during the daytime since it is at this time that he will be able to focus and concentrate. This is unlike during the night when many people are exhausted hence a chef should display this character. Florian (1992) asserts that a great chef should possess proper leadership skills in ensuring that the process of service delivery is accurately undertaken. He should be able to control and govern his subordinates and guide them towards the process of attaining the objectives and the goals of the organization. Acting as a chief chef he has a role of guiding the assistant chefs in service delivery. He should have charisma and should have a proper vision and risk taking qualities that are necessary in ensuring investments in the tourism and hotel industry he works for. A successful chef may be required to work in a leadership position. At this level he has the responsibility to represent the subordinates in decision making process. He needs to be a visionary leader who thinks about the future and dealing with tough issues that directly affect the organizations activities. To have the following attributes and leadership skills a chef should be of high integrity with ability to be trusted Carnoll (2010). He should show a high level of competence in the tasks he undertakes similarly to the tasks he delegates among the subordinates. He should be loyal, consistent and open to the executives above him in the organization hierarchy. It is this commitment in work that ensures overall success of the company’s activities. He should be able to act as liaison, conflict manager, and ability to train and develop skills as well as trouble shooting any event that may befall a company. A successful chef, Rogers (2007) argued that he should possess exemplary ability to influence other positively making them to work as he desires and for the advantage of the company he is working for. He should display personal power in his task of service delivery as this relates to being unique in how he serves his market and customers. Expert and referent factors are also important in his work since he should show his expertise as a chef and how he can use that skill to achieve the long term goal of bringing success to the company he should try to eliminate work politics as this will lead to increased stress, reducing performance in service delivery and job dissatisfaction. All this brings poor performance to the tourism industry in its pursuit to achieve better productivity and revenue generation. Conclusion For a chef to ensure success in his work of service delivery in the hotel industry he should try hard to eradicate organizational politics to increase productivity of the organization objectives. Organizational politics have been observed to bring enemity among workmates. This is very dangerous as it limits teamwork, which is very necessary in attaining organizational goals. References Carroll, C. M. (2010). Tasting success: Your guide to becoming a professional chef. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Cervone, D., & Pervin, L. A. (2014). Personality psychology. Singapore: Wiley. Grogan-Kaylor, A., Ruffolo, M. C., Ortega, R. M., & Clarke, J. (January 01, 2008). Behaviors of the individuals in an organization setting.Individual behavior, 32, 1, 35-49.Jackson, B. (2002). Organization behaviour. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Golden Books Centre. McClelland, D. C. (1951). Personality. New York: Sloane. Robbins, S. P. (2000). Organizational Behaviour. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall. Robbins, S. P., Campbell, T. T., & Judge, T. A. (2010). Organizational behaviour. Harlow [u.a.: Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Rogers, C. (2008). Leadership skills in the tourism and service industry. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Florian, D. (1992). A chef. New York: Greenwillow Books. Source document

Developing the Global Dimension in Schools and in Classrooms Essay

The School The school where I carried out the research for my report is St Augustine of Canterbury Roman Catholic High School in Oldham. The pupils come from a wide variety of backgrounds including English and Irish working class, Pakistani, Indian, Black Caribbean, Black African, Travellers, Polish and pupils who are of mixed race. The religions I encountered included Roman Catholic, other Christian, Muslim and Hindu. Many of the Pupils at St Augustine’s have very limited experience of the outside world due to the poorer backgrounds that they come from. The Lessons This report is based on a series of four lessons I taught to a Year 11 Citizenship class. The topic of the lesson is the continent of Africa, problems within the continent, possible solutions to the problems and their complications. The purpose of the lessons is also to create a sense of empathy in the pupils, improve their research skills, and give them the opportunity to present their findings at the end of the unit. In the first lesson, the pupils are given a map of Africa and a list of countries. They have to use the internet to find out where the countries are situated on the map. This provokes discussion over how countries in Africa were formed and how their borders were affected by Western Colonisation and the World Wars. The second part of the lesson involves a brief discussion over some of the well known problems in Africa such as Civil War, Corruption, HIV, Poverty and Famine after which the pupils will start their own powerpoint presentation describing these. The pupils are assisted in starting this with fact sheets on HIV and AIDS in Africa and on Corruption in Africa. The second lesson focuses on Civil War in Africa. The pupils are given worksheets with the names of four countries that have faced Civil War, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Sudan and Sierra Leone and questions on the impact of war in these countries. The pupils watch a trailer for the film Hotel Rwanda which focuses on the Rwandan Genocide. There is discussion on what they have seen, which expands into related topics such as refugees before they are allowed to go on the internet and research the answers to the questions for two of the countries. The second half of the lesson is spent working on the powerpoint presentations and adding some of the facts they have researched into their own presentation. The third lesson focuses on Fairtrade in Africa. The pupils are given a worksheet asking questions about Fairtrade and shown a short video on the projector promoting and explaining what Fairtrade does for African producers. The pupils are directed to the Fairtrade website in order to answer any remaining questions on their sheet. The second half of the lesson is spent finishing off their powerpoint presentations and adding facts about Fairtrade. In the fourth lesson, the pupils present their findings to the rest of the class and discuss the issues as a class, each having the opportunity to express their opinions on the topic and the different aspects they have covered. The Focus Group What did pupils learn from the lesson and how do they feel school prepares them to be part of an ethnically and religiously diverse society? I chose 4 pupils to take part in my focus group, Jodie who was very opinionated, from a white, working class background; Priya, a Hindu, Indian girl who was more quiet but got caught up in the debate; John who is from a mixed Black Caribbean and White background; and Mlala, a boy from a West African background. Jodie felt very resentful about being â€Å"forced to take Citizenship†. She felt it was a waste of time as there is no qualification or exam to sit in this subject. She felt it was a waste of time and she had very little interest in what happened in Africa, she felt it would be more relevant to study problems occurring in the UK during Citizenship lessons. During the class discussions she was unsympathetic to the plight of refugees and had strong feelings regarding their presence in the UK and on immigration as a whole. John was of a similar opinion, he thought that Africans should â€Å"sort out their own problems†. Priya defended refugees and their need to come to this country pointing out that it is not always possible for refugees to go to the next nearest country as there may be trouble within that country as well and that if there are a lot of refugees coming from countries that are close to each other that one or two countries that are stable enough to accept refugees cannot take all of the refugees. Mlala also pointed out that some of the problems that occur in Africa are a direct result of European colonisation and war. I understand why Priya and Mlala are more reluctant to get involved in the debate. To some extent they may feel that the comments are directed at them or their friends or families. They see the issues of developing countries from a different perspective. Mlala only came to the UK in the last year and has grown up in West Africa. He and his family are immigrants themselves, he dislikes the picture painted in the media but does not want to get into direct confrontation over it. Priya was born here but has strong roots in India; she has friends and family there who she visits and who have come to live in the UK more recently. I also understand where these feelings are coming from in Jodie and John in the sense that they are growing up in working class, white households which are targeted in the media to feel that immigrants and refugees are coming to the UK and making life more difficult for them affecting housing, jobs, schooling the NHS and opinions within their families are being reflected through them. Jodie and John did appear to enjoy having the opportunity to express their opinions about issues that are highlighted in the media and discussed at home. Priya and Mlala, were more reluctant to talk about the issue, I believe they may have felt uncomfortable at times about some of the issues raised and the strength of other peoples opinions, however as the debate went on they were motivated to speak to get across their own different points of view. My Reflections I felt at the end of the lessons and the focus group that something had been achieved in the sense that Jodie and John’s opinions appeared to soften and they had learned some facts that they were previously unaware of. Priya and Mlala, I hope came out of it mor confident for speaking their minds and making their opinions known. I feel that the lessons were a success in the sense that they created a framework for debate and got the pupils thinking about these issues instead of just accepting what they read in the Tabloids and hear from the people around them. When I prepared the lessons I had to stick within the framework of the the topic for problems within Africa but I feel it would be good to have the opportunity to use the topic of Africa to challenge peoples’ preconceptions of the continent and the people, perhaps by focussing on the more positive aspects of Africa in order to give the pupils a more balanced viewpoint.