The Quiet American

The Quiet American In The Quiet American Grahm Green writes of a complex love triangle taking place in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He chooses Thomas Fowler as the protagonist to tell the story from a biased point of view. From the beginning, Fowler proclaims that he is objective. As the story progresses he is eventually gives into the desire to take action and get involved. It is not until after this climax that Fowler finally realizes and admits to himself that he cannot simply remain aloof his entire life.Green’s use of Fowler as an unstable narrator effectively depicts the complexity of human motive and how difficult it is to be honest, even to oneself. Fowler is a British journalist who has been working in Vietnam for several years. Living in an extremely controversial era in the middle of all the action, Fowler insists on remaining â€Å"not involved† (20). Fowler is a â€Å"reporter,† as opposed to a â€Å"correspondent,† for he reports what he s ees and â€Å"[takes] no action† (20). He often likes to sit across the street form the milk-bar and just observe.Watching people of all shapes and colors go about their normal lives, Fowler does nothing himself, but simply watches. He even uses opium to achieve a state of complete impassiveness about the world and everything around him. Just a single pipe could make Fowler grow indifferent to the â€Å"presence or absence† of his lover (6); several more and he cannot decide whether his own death would be good or bad. Opium allows him to convince even himself that he really is indifferent to all that which goes on around him.He prides himself on remaining detached and not taking sides, saying it is â€Å"an article of [his] creed† (20). Based on his determination to be merely an observer, Fowler should make a fine narrator. Impartial and neutral, he would tell the story as is without even an opinions to cloud his mind, for â€Å"even an opinion is a kind of act ion† (20). Despite Fowler’s efforts, it soon becomes impossible for him to remain stagnant. When the opportunity is offered to him, he resolves to participate in a plot to murder Alden Pyle. He justifies his decision with the fact that Pyle has caused much trouble and disaster.He is so naive that he does not realize the extent of what he has done, and even with the death of so many people on his hands, â€Å"he’ll always be innocent, [and] you can’t blame the innocent†(155). Fowler convinces himself that Pyle as a threat to society and â€Å"all you can do is†¦ eliminate him. Innocence is a kind of insanity†(155). However, his reasoning is questionable, for there are personal motives involved as well. Fowler does not want Phuong to leave him and marry Pyle. His wife had already made it clear that she will not give him a divorce.Though he cannot marry her himself, he is selfish and wishes everything to stay the way it is. When Phuong and her sister find out that Fowler’s wife remains insistent on her refusal of his request for a divorce, things start to turn against him. Phuong moves out and plans to marry Pyle. Fowler, devastated, has increased reason to want Pyle dead. In fact, the two men talk of how Phuong is â€Å"the most important thing there is† right before Fowler makes up his mind to open the book at the window and call the whole plan to action (169).It is clear that Fowler does not make his decision based solely on political grounds. Slowly, as the story goes on, Fowler starts to realize that it is impossible to stay indifferent of everything around him. â€Å"Sooner or later, one has to take sides if one is to remain human† (166). After he decides to engage in the ploy to kill Pyle, he recognizes that â€Å"[he] had become as engaged as Pyle† (175). Fowler has assumed his role in the game. He can no longer hide behind his insistence that he is neutral and â€Å"no decision wo uld ever be simple again. Stubborn as he was before about not taking sides, Fowler realizes that he â€Å"had judged like a journalist†¦ and betrayed [his] own principles† (175); he is honest to himself when he finally crosses the line into partiality. After Pyle’s death Fowler tells Phuong that he is sorry. She does not catch the significance of his apology, but he says that though â€Å"everything had gone right for [him] since [Alden] had died†¦ [he] wished there existed someone to whom [he] could say that [he] was sorry†(180). Fowler sees clearly the magnitude of what he has done.He takes responsibility for his actions and feels remorse. The instability of Fowler’s narration depicts the extraordinary intricacy of individual drive. It is never clear the reasons that Fowler makes many of his decisions, often not even to himself. Does he kill Pyle out of political concern, or compassion for the Vietnamese people? Does he do it out of love for P huong, or is it simply lust? These questions, to some degree a mystery even to Fowler himself, are emphasized by his unreliable narration.Unclear intentions are not limited to just the narrator. When Pyle saves Fowler’s life, his motives are ambiguous as well. One may assume that based on Pyle’s simple personality, his purposes are most likely be pure and genuine. He probably saved Fowler because it was in his power and it was the right thing to do. But Fowler suspects Pyle to be more calculating, that he planned to emerge a hero from the ordeal and win Phuong over in that way. Human motives are quite often multi-layered and difficult to understand.Graham makes the peculiar choice of telling a story from the prejudiced point of view of someone whose personal life is tangled in the mess of the story. Fowler starts out determined to stay impartial as a reporter and a person in general. However, as events occur and his happiness is put on the line, he gets drawn in and ta kes action. Though he makes his decision to get involved, Fowler is unsure and doubtful the whole time and feels a great deal of remorse when it is all over. It is then that he must admit to himself, and the readers see, that he is not impartial after all, and it is, in fact, human nature to take a side.

European History: Marxism and Darwinism

Chad McKeegan Mr. Horner AP European History 10 April 2013 Marxism Essay Life for Europeans during the 1800s only contained two possibilities of economic wellbeing because, as Marx would note, the wealth was not evenly distributed between the social classes. The majority of the wealth was obtained by the upper class or people with power, such as business tycoons as a result of the capitalistic economy that existed.Based on the paintings presented, Marxism theorists would exemplify that the economic differences between the two families is a result of class conflict, but Social Darwinists would argue that differences are primarily caused by their biological disadvantages to the environment. At a glance people tend to associate Marxism as basic communism, but it was Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles’ ideologies of the proletariat evolving society into one of economic and social equality that eventually developed into what people commonly refer to as Communism.Marx and Engles believe d that a proletariat revolution was necessary in order to lay the base line for a communist society, which is further explained in the Communist Manifesto. In contrast Social Darwinists philosophize about a â€Å"survival of the fittest† society, in which individuals whom have environmental advantages will obtain economic and social advantages, and those at a disadvantage will fall off the ladder.Both Marxism and Social Darwinism are based around completely different ideals, but both philosophies do not expurgate the ideologies needed to sustain a stable society. Upon analyzing the contrasted paintings it is evident that there are major economic differences between the two families. When examining the painting of the wealthy European family the degree of wealth is clearly visible in both the environment and the people.The wealthy family seems to be surrounded by various items of wealth, such as paintings, ritzy furniture, fancy curtains, and the prestigious clothing they wear all contribute to the expression of content visible on their faces. In contrast the deprived family is clustered together with their several children because it was necessary for the children to work in order to receive manageable income.This painting in particular expurgates a vicarious feeling of sorrow and misery, which is clearly visible in every family member’s face. Marxist theorists would argue that the wealthy family can afford luxurious items and live peacefully every day, while the poor family struggles because there was an incredibly uneven distribution of wealth. Based on the labor theory, the worker is cheated of the value his labor creates, which the low wages of workers meant the threat of over – production, accumulated goods, and depression.The poor family cannot earn enough money to comfortably live day to day because the corporate business owners and those of nobility do not pay the workers enough, and siphon all of the accumulated wealth. Social Dar winists would analyze the two paintings and immediately notice that the poor family is of different race. Social Darwinists would then conclude that the poor family lacked the intelligence and societal skills because their biological differences put them at an environmental disadvantage.This environmental disadvantage would be considered the primary reason the less fortunate family cannot prosper. The Social Darwinian ideals eventually gave rise to the phrase â€Å"survival of the fittest,† which accurately explains the original Darwinian concept of certain species ability to survive and mate as a result of their biologically determined environmental advantages. Social Darwinism, which was a valid concept during the 1800s, no longer has a place in modern society; considering that most civilizations are based on equal opportunity for success.Upon analyzing the two paintings Marxism theorists would argue that the social and economic differences between the two families is large ly the result of an unequal distribution of wealth, and Social Darwinists would believe that biologically determined environmental advantages is the cause of the vast gap between the wealthy and the poor. The issue associated with both philosophies is that each concept largely benefits only one group of individuals, which exemplifies the impossibility of a utopian society.

Globalization, Ethics and Islam Essay

Ian Markham in his book stated his view of religion and its value to human race. Just like the view of Said Nursi, his source of ideology, he firmly believed in world peace that is founded on deep religious ethics. For Markham, all religions of the world have responsibility and authority in keeping moral ethics alive in the society. This is contrary to the view of Alasdair MacIntyre who claimed that â€Å"there are adequate non-religious alternative foundations for ethics† (p. 66); Aristotle who said that moral assertion is â€Å"an intelligible framework† (p. 68); and other names in history like Kant, Hume. Globalization therefore, will make its sense in the absence of hate and war, and in upholding ethical values instituted in religious beliefs worldwide. Though he accepts justification for ethics of other religion, yet he believes that Islam faith could draw clearly the idea of ethical system. Religions of the world should establish its own paradigm of ethics for Markham puts it, â€Å"†¦ because moral factors should (and in practice – do) shape our public life† (p. 68). He further added, â€Å"The basic commitment to decency in our public discourse is a moral judgment that the public square needs. † Furthermore, Markham also believes that the place of religion is private and not public, which he meant that the State should not control the citizens’ beliefs and practices but the same should not allow any public expression of religious belief for â€Å"public disorder would ensue† (p. 67). Therefore, as Markham tried to explain, religion has greater responsibility in maintaining world peace if it holds to the principles of morality and ethicss; for only when faith made sense, ethical framework would not have any sense either. Comparative Analysis of Markham’s View and Thomas Michel’s on Issue of Ethics and Globalization Thomas Michel the advocate of Catholic faith believes that there are similarities in his view and that of Markham on issue of religion and world peace, which he called â€Å"the ethics of peace† (p. 37). He recognized the contribution of these two great persons to the topic. Pope John Paul II on World’s Day in 2002 delivered a message that proposed, â€Å"True peace must rest on †¦justice and forgiveness† (p. 37). Pope explained that peace in form of ‘cease-fire’ only amplify the issue; while peace may be attained by getting to the â€Å"heart of the conflict and try to heal human relations† (p. 38). He added, when there is oppression or injustice peace is impossible. The resolution for world peace according to Pope is justice in forms of moral virtue and legal guarantee; these, he believed are the elements of international system of relations among peoples – â€Å"full respect for rights and responsibilities† (p. 38). This concept is closely related with the idea presented by Markham in which, religion has to stand on idea of having moral and ethical standard established and practiced in the society. Markham clearly emphasized in his book that the world â€Å"needs deeply committed orthodox, exponents of each tradition to outline an ethical system that is both true to the beliefs and practices of that tradition† (p. 65). The Pope emphasized in the message the importance of justice and forgiveness as virtues people must embrace to have peace. Qur’an teaches about patience, which is a predominant virtue in that book. Yusuf 12 verse 90 of Qur’an says, â€Å"One who is mindful of God and patient indeed God will not forfeit the recompense due to those who do good. † Work Cited Markham, Ian S. and Ozdemir, Ibrahim. Globalization, Ethics and Islam: The Case of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. Burlington, USA: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. , 2005

Character in Hamlet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Character in Hamlet - Essay Example For instance, Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia and her untimely death; Claudius’s plot to get Hamlet killed through the two minor characters: Rosencratz and Guildenstern; Polonius’s accidental death and so on. Among these minor characters Polonius’s son, Laertes, performs a vital role in the play. Over time, Hamlet’s character has come to be symbolic of indecision and postponement of action. In contrast to this is Laertes who is, in several ways, the exact opposite of Hamlet. This paper will explore what function Laertes serves in Hamlet and how this affects the reader’s perception of him. In the play, Laertes embodies quick decision-making and action and has been deliberately created to serve as a foil to Prince Hamlet, but is ultimately the more sympathetic character. Laertes is introduced in Act I, Scene II where Claudius with almost fatherly affection asks him of his news. Laertes reveals that he is about to return to France. The figure of Laertes then, is introduced at the beginning of the play but only to have him depart soon. His introduction, therefore, must be of some importance as it could easily have been postponed in the play. It is also significant that he is introduced before Hamlet himself. It is only after speaking to Laertes that Claudius turns to Hamlet: ‘But now, my cousin, Hamlet, and my son-.’ This turning from Laertes to Hamlet establishes right at the beginning, some degree of opposition between the two. It is as if Shakespeare, right from the start, deliberately and subtly positions Laertes in contrast to Hamlet. It is also significant to our argument that Laertes too is opposed, to some extent, to Hamlet from the beginning. He advises Ophelia to not take Hamlet’s profession of love for her too seriously: For Hamlet and the trifling of his favour, Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood, A violet in the youth of primy nature, Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting, The perf ume and suppliance of a minute; No more (I.iii.6-10). He also cautions her in no uncertain terms – ‘Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister’ – that Hamlet’s affections may change. Laertes believes that ‘his will is not his own.’ Laertes, therefore, is the first character in the play to recognize Hamlet’s indecisive nature and notably, is the first to criticize or oppose Hamlet in any way. Structurally then, Laertes is cleverly presented in clear contrast to the main protagonist of the play. But Laertes is also quite different from Hamlet in behavior and action. Hamlet is crippled by the death of his father and is unable to act. His paralysis is so frustrating for him that he turns near suicidal, wishing that his ‘too too solid flesh would melt.’ Whereas, the death of his father only spurs Laertes into further action. He vows that he shall ‘be reveng’d’ and immediately sets upon taking his reveng e upon first, Claudius, and then, Hamlet. He is also successful in killing Hamlet, although not without getting himself killed in the process. It is significant to our argument that Hamlet and Laertes kill each other with the same poisoned sword. It is symbolic of their dependent opposition that one cannot die without killing the other in the process. We see then, that in terms of plot action Laertes is clearly established as Hamlet’s polar opposite: right from the beginnin

Outback Steak house Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Outback Steak house - Essay Example An effective employee selection method helps achieve a competitive advantage for organizations in terms of accepting only those applicants that are deemed fit, qualified and competent to perform identified responsibilities. As indicated, Outback Steakhouse further assess successful applicants though a series of tests that gauge their cognitive ability, personality and judgement (Author, date, p. 234). These tests are known as psychological testing instruments which are designed to effectively â€Å"predict job skills acquisition and job performance† (Schieltz, 2011, p. par. 5). According to Schieltz (2011), â€Å"the idea of competitive advantage essentially underlies the use of psychological tests to select employees. To achieve a competitive advantage in the marketplace, organizations and businesses need qualified employees with personalities, skills and talents that best fit the organization and its culture. To hire these types of individuals, a company must have a set o f procedures at its disposal that can accurately identify the characteristics of an individual who can ultimately contribute to the success of the organization† (Schieltz, 2011, p. par. 3). As rationalized, organizations who have successfully selected the right human resources who are perfectly fit for the responsibilities, perform better and deliver accurate results which increase the competitive advantage of the organization. The importance of fit to Outback Steakhouse is crucial since they structurally sift the potentially good applicants from a number of recruits and get the best among the screened applicants depending on the Dimensions of Performance, the responsibilities and the organization’s culture. Only those applicants who perfectly fit the qualifications with the standards are accepted to ensure that low employee turnover would be achieved. A perfect fit would ensure that human resources are utilized to the fullest

Alternative energy source, technology, or energy storage method Assignment

Alternative energy source, technology, or energy storage method - Assignment Example Apart from the environmental impact, the other major concern with fossil fuels is their limited capacity. Fossil fuels run the risk of becoming extinct with the rate at which it is being utilized. It is for these reasons that the need for a sustainable, alternate energy resource has become a necessity. Renewable energy has been defined by Lund (2009), â€Å"as the energy that is produced by natural resources-such as sunlight, wind, rain, waves, tides, and geothermal heat-that are naturally replenished within a time span of a few years†. This energy domain encompasses all those energy systems that convert natural resources into useful energy for instance; wind, wave, tidal, hydropower, biomass, biofuel and solar energy. For centuries plants have been harnessing solar energy to process their energy needs through photosynthesis. The earth receives 174 petaWatts (PW) of solar radiation in the upper atmosphere (A.I. & N, 2011). The thought of harnessing the sun’s energy to power man-made devices was first commercially incorporated in 1958. Space exploration equipments such as satellites and space stations were powered by solar energy. Since then, the technology of harnessing solar energy has progressed. Currently there are two major methods of acquiring solar energy. The first is direct heating; which involves concentrating the solar rays onto a specific target to heat it. Solar water heaters utilize direct heating. However, there are two significant techniques involved in direct heating which are; solar ponds and flat plate collectors (Pimentel, 2008). Solar ponds are artificially constructed ponds in which solar energy may be stored by allowing temperature rise on the bottom layer of the liquid and preventing convection currents from developing. There are multiple methods in which convection currents can be halted. The most suitable, however, is the addition and maintenance of salt concentration gradient. The

Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Education - Essay Example therefore carry out effective changes that will ensure that the education system in the country is commensurate to the improving lifestyle in the country† (Jeff 02). This way, the two reports raise myriad factors that shape the nature of education and the trends in the rising demand. Additionally, they analyze some of the education acts formulated by past regimes in the country with the effects of such policies. The increase in the population of the country coupled with the improving economy has consequently resulted in an improving lifestyle for the citizenry thereby instigating a change in the demand for educational services in the country. Such trend implies that schools, colleges and universities in the country must carry out extensive changes in their structures in order to accommodate the increasing demand for the services in the country. On the need for general education introduces an important concept in the sector as it seeks to investigate the essence of general education in the country. The economic and technological state of the society currently requires a particular degree of enlighten for the populace to survive. This refers to a type of education that every individual in the country requires in order to survive in the American society. As a basic education, the article analyses features of the demand thereby information the formation and management of such education. Just as the name suggests, general education targets the population indiscriminate of their backgrounds. Such are basic education possibly up to the high school level. At such levels, the learners obtain adequate interpersonal and communication skills that can enable them make a living in the society. However, just as the name suggests the demand is likely to be high for such education in the country owing to the rising population. The government must therefore consider intricate features of the education in order to ensure that the quality of the education is not only attainable

Art Theory Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Art Theory Paper - Assignment Example Jacques Ranciere and other western philosophers who have studied the emergence of new art have termed these form of art to be against the traditional forms of art, which is paintings and Sculptures. These forms of art as Ranciere states are always in opposition to the old schools of art. The emergence of this artistic trend tries to oppose formal or customary practices in artworks that delineated paintings, drawings and even sculptures. In his article titled problems and transformations of critical art, Ranciere explores these art forms which he terms as critical art. He proposes that critical art is more concerned about the function and not the form. Hence this type of art wills always exp-lore the themes or issues in society and not how the artwork was produced. In doing so, Critical art tends to break the rules that have been established for different kinds of schools that defined classical artworks. Artists such as Hung Liu have used art in the form described by Ranciere. Hung Li u can be categorized as being Critical art. Her art is not only political but critical of classical art movements. Ranciere states that the opposition of critical art to the classical forms of art does not criticize these pieces but tries to oppose the methods of classical works of art in modern art. The methods employed by New Art artists do not also conform to the classical schools and art movements. This paper explores how Hung Liu, one of the most famous American Chinese artist has exploited and reflected Ranciere’s proposition and contextualization of critical art. Hung Liu is a Chinese American Artist who was born in china in 1948. Hung Liu moved to the US in 1984 and then returned to China 1990. It was while in china that he discovered the art of mural paintings. Hung Liu‘s Art work uses varied medias in producing masterpieces.. Her main field of art includes Painting, print work and also drawings. Hung Liu’s work takes the form of critical art. His work i s transformational and it tries to raise awareness on various themes. Her background has a big influence in her work. Hung Liu’s style of painting and print tries to infuse contemporary and ancient Chinese culture in tackling issues to do with politics, the girl child, social problems, the Chinese society, the migrant and immigrant plight, the rural Chinese life and other social problems in Chinese and western modern life. Culturally, Hung Liu tries to raise issues in the society using her paintings. Most of her paintings depict the rural life of the Chinese people. Her work of art that she did before the moving to the US was concentrated on the rural life of the Chinese people in paddy fields where she had worked for four years. Using print as a media, Hung Liu reflects the life of the rural people and their suffering. She captures the culture of the Chinese rural worker. In her 2000 painting titled by the rivers of Babylon, Huang Liu uses oil on canvas to capture the rural life of the Chinese people and the culture of poverty. Her paintings have employed the contemporary techniques in capturing and passing a message that is transformational. This is one of the ways in which Ranciere says modern art has taken. By using Chinese images in her paintings and print, Liu identifies with her Chinese culture and she is able to communicate the issues in the culture. Hung Liu’

Capital Investment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Capital Investment - Assignment Example Even though after the democratic elections conducted in the year 2005, the country has been advised to be a safer destination for capital investments, there have been apprehensions about the stability of the country and the chances of the conflicts arising again which may hinder the sustained growth of the company's operations in the country. Apart from the political risk, there is the issue of Company's Social Responsibility and the related costs and ethical values that need consideration before taking any decision on investing in Medco Republic. In addition the report focuses on the foreign exchange risk in dealing with the currency of Medco Republic. The objective of this report therefore is to consider the soundness of the proposed capital investment from the angles of financial feasibility, country risk of Medco Republic and the foreign exchange risk in undertaking transactions in the currency of Medco Republic as against the British Pounds as the investments the commitment of substantially larger sums by the Company to be recouped over a longer period. The analysis is based on a review of the net cash flows from the project using the recognized capital budgeting evaluation methods of Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR), taking the weighted average cost of capital of the Company of 15% as the hurdle rate and the rate for discounting the present value of future cash flows from the project. Financial Feasibility The financial feasibility of any capital investment proposal can be judged based on the ability of the project to enhance the shareholders' wealth by contributing positive net cash inflows from the proposed investments. Just any other domestic capital project is being evaluated, for the international investments can also be evaluated by calculating the 'Net Present Value' (NPV) future cash flows expected out of the project. The NPV of the project depends on the initial investment or initial cash flow, expected future cash flows and the cost of capital. Based on the comparison of the NPV of the future cash flows with the proposed capital investment the feasibility of the project can be established. While working out the NPV the effect of the factors like Sales creation (additional sales), cannibalization (loss of sales), opportunity cost, transfer pricing and fees and royalties on the future cash flows should be taken into account. The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is the other criter ion that needs to be carefully looked into while deciding on the capital investment. In the case of the proposed capital investment proposals the NPV and IRR from the projects have been worked out and exhibited in the Appendix. From the NPV calculations it is observed that the project has a negative net present value which implies that the project is not acceptable. The internal rate of return (IRR) is also much lower than that of the weighted cost of capital of the company. As against the cost of capital of 15% the IRR from the project works out to 5%. This also indicates that the proposed investment is unviable. Even though the Company can set off the tax payments in the country of Medco Republic against its income tax

What are you short and long term career goals Essay

What are you short and long term career goals - Essay Example Eurasia management found the plan promising. Not long after I was offered an expatriate contract; I took the challenge because I knew that it would be another step which shall lead me towards my career goals. Moreover, when I face a challenge I always remember Haruki Murakami’s words on the topic â€Å"Running day after day, piling up the races, bit by bit I raise the bar, and by clearing each level I elevate myself. At least that’s why I’ve put in the effort day after day: to raise my own level† from his autobiography â€Å"what I talk about when I talk about running.† Together with the new executive management team, I am now an important part of the change - the change that shapes my short term goals. My objective is to contribute to this movement with a new unit within my section; a â€Å"business control unit† that will assess strategic and commercial plans with scenarios and analysis, and involve the finance department towards vital decisions. Working at the operations at Ucell will also broaden my practice in Eurasia. I aim to improve my understanding on dynamics of region’s economy and its political and social environments. I trust that the international business experience and the real world cases that will be brought to me by Warwick will help me gain insights and eventually add value to my work. The path that I am following right now, without a doubt will prepare me towards the next step - the CFO role. But in the long run, I will only be satisfied by expanding the scope of my role through encounters. I would like to experience other business areas and markets and would appreciate owning a strategic role in these areas/markets. I am confident that Warwick’s global mindset together with the extensive WBS network will help guide me towards that

Animal Farm by George Orwell Essay Example for Free

Animal Farm by George Orwell Essay Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before the Second World War. Orwell, a democratic socialist,[1] was a critic of Joseph Stalin and hostile to Moscow-directed Stalinism, especially after his experiences with the NKVD and the Spanish Civil War.[2] In a letter to Yvonne Davet, Orwell described Animal Farm as his novel contre Stalin.[3] The original title was Animal Farm: A Fairy Story, but the subtitle was dropped by U. S. publishers for its 1946 publication and subsequently all but one of the translations during Orwells lifetime omitted the addition. Other variations in the title include: A Satire and A Contemporary Satire.[3] Orwell suggested the title Union des rà ©publiques socialistes animales for the French translation, which recalled the French name of the Soviet Union, Union des rà ©publiques socialistes sovià ©tiques, and which abbreviates to URSA, the Latin for bear, a symbol of Russia.[3] Time magazine chose the book as one of the 100 best English-language novels (1923 to 2005);[4] it also places at number 31 on the Modern Library List of Best 20th-Century Novels. It won a Retrospective Hugo Award in 1996 and is also included in the Great Books of the Western World. The novel addresses not only the corruption of the revolution by its leaders but also how wickedness, indifference, ignorance, greed and myopia corrupt the revolution. It portrays corrupt leadership as the flaw in revolution, rather than the act of revolution itself. It also shows how potential ignorance and indifference to problems within a revolution could allow horrors to happen if a smooth transition to a peoples government is not achieved. Plot summary Snowballs revolution Old Major, the old boar on the Manor Farm, calls the animals on the farm for a meeting, where he compares the humans to parasites and teaches  the animals a revolutionary song, Beasts of England. When Major dies two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, assume command and turn his dream into a philosophy. The animals revolt and drive the drunken and irresponsible Mr Jones from the farm, renaming it Animal Farm. They adopt Seven Commandments of Animal-ism, the most important of which is, All animals are equal. Snowball attempts to teach the animals reading and writing; food is plentiful, and the farm runs smoothly. The pigs elevate themselves to positions of leadership and set aside special food items, ostensibly for their personal health. Napoleon takes the pups from the farm dogs and trains them privately. When Mr Jones tries to retake the farm, the animals defeat him at what they call the Battle of the Cowshed. Napoleon and Snowball struggle for leadership. When Snowball announces his idea for a windmill, Napoleon has his dogs chase Snowball away and declares himself leader. Napoleons rule Napoleon enacts changes to the governance structure of the farm, replacing meetings with a committee of pigs, who will run the farm. Using a young pig named Squealer as a mouthpiece, Napoleon announces that Snowball stole the idea for the windmill from him. The animals work harder with the promise of easier lives with the windmill. After a violent storm, the animals find the windmill annihilated. Napoleon and Squealer convince the animals that Snowball destroyed the windmill, although the scorn of the neighbouring farmers suggests that the windmills walls were too thin. Once Snowball becomes a scapegoat, Napoleon begins purging the farm with his dogs, killing animals he accuses of consorting with Snowball. He and the pigs abuse their power, imposing more control while reserving privileges for themselves and rewriting history, villainising Snowball and glorifying Napoleon. Squealer justifies every statement Napoleon makes, even the pigs alteration of the Seven Commandments of Animalism. No animal shall sleep in beds is changed to No animal shall sleep in beds with sheets when the pigs are discovered to have been sleeping in the old  farmhouse. No animal shall drink alcohol is changed to No animal shall drink alcohol to excess when the pigs discover the farmers whiskey. Beasts of England is replaced by an anthem glorifying Napoleon, who appears to be adopting the lifestyle of a man. The animals, though cold, starving and overworked, remain convinced that they are better off than they were when under Mr Jones. Squealer abuses the animals poor memorie s and invents numbers to show their improvement. Mr Frederick, one of the neighbouring farmers, swindles Napoleon by buying old wood with forged money, and then attacks the farm, using blasting powder to blow up the restored windmill. Though the animals win the battle, they do so at great cost, as many, including Boxer, are wounded. Despite his injuries, Boxer continues working harder and harder, until he collapses while working on the windmill. Napoleon sends for a van to take Boxer to the veterinary surgeons, explaining that better care can be given there. Benjamin the donkey, who could read as well as any pig,[5] notices that the van belongs to Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler (a knacker), and attempts to mount a rescue; but the animals attempts are futile. Squealer reports that the van was purchased by the hospital and the writing from the previous owner had not been repainted. He recounts a tale of Boxers death in the hands of the best medical care. Shortly after Boxers death, it is revealed that the pigs hav e purchased more whiskey. Humanisation Years pass, and the pigs learn to walk upright, carry whips and wear clothes. The Seven Commandments are reduced to a single phrase: All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. Napoleon holds a dinner party for the pigs and the humans of the area, who congratulate Napoleon on having the hardest-working but least fed animals in the country. Napoleon announces an alliance with the humans, against the labouring classes of both worlds. He abolishes practices and traditions related to the Revolution, and changes the name of the farm to The Manor Farm. The animals, overhearing the conversation, notice that the faces of the  pigs have begun changing. During a poker match, an argument breaks out between Napoleon and Mr Pilkington when they both play the Ace of Spades, and the animals realise that the faces of the pigs look like the faces of humans, and no one can tell the difference between them. Animalism Seven Commandments redirects here. For the Noahide code, see Seven Laws of Noah.: The seven laws listed by the Tosefta and the Talmud are[7] 1. Prohibition of Idolatry 2. Prohibition of Murder 3. Prohibition of Theft 4. Prohibition of Sexual immorality 5. Prohibition of Blasphemy 6. Prohibition of eating flesh taken from an animal while it is still alive 7. Establishment of courts of law The pigs Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer adapt Old Majors ideas into an actual philosophy, which they formally name Animalism. Soon after, Napoleon and Squealer indulge in the vices of humans (drinking alcohol, sleeping in beds, trading). Squealer is employed to alter the Seven Commandments to account for this humanisation, an allusion to the Soviet governments revising of history in order to exercise control of the peoples beliefs about themselves and their society.[6] The original commandments are: 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed. 5. No animal shall drink alcohol. 6. No animal shall kill any other animal. 7. All animals are equal. Later, Napoleon and his pigs secretly revise some commandments to clear them of accusations of law-breaking (such as No animal shall drink alcohol having to excess appended to it and No animal shall sleep in a bed with with sheets added to it). The changed commandments are as follows, with the changes bolded: 1. No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets. 2. No animal shall drink alcohol to excess. 3. No animal shall kill any other animal without cause. Eventually these are replaced with the maxims, All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others, and Four legs good, two legs better! as the pigs become more human. This is an ironic twist to the original purpose of the Seven Commandments, which were supposed to keep order within Animal Farm by uniting the animals together against the humans, and by prevent animals from following the humans evil habits. Through the revision of the commandments, Orwell demonstrates how simply political dogma can be turned into malleable propaganda.[7] Characters Pigs Old Major – An aged prize Middle White boar provides the inspiration  that fuels the Rebellion in the book. He is an allegory of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, the founders of communism, in that he draws up the principles of the revolution. His skull being put on revered public display also recalls Lenin, whose embalmed body was put on display.[8][9] Napoleon – A large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar, the only Berkshire on the farm, not much of a talker, but with a reputation for getting his own way,[10] An allegory ofJoseph Stalin,[8] Napoleon is the main villain of Animal Farm. In the first French version of Animal Farm, Napoleon is called Cà ©sar, the French form of Caesar,[3] although another translation has him as Napolà ©on.[11] Snowball – Napoleons rival and original head of the farm after Jones overthrow. He is mainly based on Leon Trotsky,[8] but also combines elements from Vladimir Lenin.[9] Squealer – A small white fat porker who serves as Napoleons right hand pig and minister of propaganda, holding a position similar to that of Molotov.[8] Minimus – A poetic pig who writes the second and third national anthems of Animal Farm after the singing of Beasts of England is banned. The Piglets – Hinted to be the children of Napoleon (albeit not explicitly stated) and are the first generation of animals actually subjugated to his idea of animal inequality. The young pigs – Four pigs who complain about Napoleons takeover of the farm but are quickly silenced and later executed. Pinkeye – A minor pig who is mentioned only once; he is the pig that tastes Napoleons food to make sure it is not poisoned, in response to rumours about an assassination attempt on Napoleon. Humans Mr Jones – The former owner of the farm, Jones is a very heavy drinker. The animals revolt against him after he drinks so much that he does not feed or take care of them. Mr Frederick – The tough owner of Pinchfield, a well-kept neighbouring farm, who briefly enters into an alliance with Napoleon, represents Germany. Mr Pilkington – The easy-going but crafty owner of Foxwood, a neighbouring farm overgrown with weeds, represents Britain. Mr Whymper – A man hired by Napoleon for the public relations of Animal Farm to human society, who is eventually used to procure luxuries like alcohol for the pigs. Equines Boxer – Boxer is a loyal, kind, dedicated, and respectable horse, although quite dim-witted. Clover – Boxers companion, constantly caring for him; she also acts as a matriarch of sorts for the other horses and the other animals in general. Mollie – Mollie is a self-centred, self-indulgent and vain young white mare who quickly leaves for another farm after the revolution. Benjamin – Benjamin, a donkey, is one of the oldest animals. He has the worst temper, but is also one of the wisest animals on the farm, and is one of the few who can actually read. He is skeptical and pessimistic, his most-often-made statement being Life will go on as it has always gone on – that is, badly.[12] Other animals Muriel – A wise old goat who is friends with all of the animals on the farm. She, like Benjamin and Snowball, is one of the few animals on the farm who can read. The Puppies – Offspring of Jessie and Bluebell, taken away from them by Napoleon at birth and reared by Napoleon to be his security force. Moses – An old raven who occasionally visits the farm, regaling its denizens with tales of a wondrous place beyond the clouds called Sugarcandy Mountain, where he avers that all animals go when they die—but only if they work hard. He is interpreted as symbolising the Russian Orthodox Church, with Sugarcandy Mountain an allusion to Heaven for the animals.[13] The Sheep – They show limited understanding of the situations but nonetheless blindly support Napoleons ideals. The Hens – The hens are among the first to rebel against Napoleon. The Cows – Their milk is stolen by the pigs, who learn to milk them, and is stirred into the pigs mash every day while the other animals are denied such luxuries. The Cat – Never seen to carry out any work, the cat is absent for long periods, and is forgiven because her excuses are so convincing and she purred so affectionately that is was impossible not to believe in her good intentions.[14] She has no interest in the politics of the farm, and the only time she is recorded as having participated in an election, she is found to have actually voted on both sides.[14] Glossary of Terms Coccidiosis: a parasitic infection that causes bloody diarrhea and sudden death in animals Communism: a theory or system of social organization based on the  holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state; in practice, communism is often a totalitarian system of government Comrade: a fellow member of a political party; a member of the Communist party Disinter: to exhume; to unearth that which is buried Proletariat: in Marxism, the class of workers, especially industrial wage earners, who do not possess capital or property and must sell their labor to survive Propaganda: information, ideas, or rumors disseminated to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, or other entity Regime: a mode or system of rule or government; such a system when in power Socialism: a theory or system of social organization that advocates vesting the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, and other assets in the community as a whole Totalitarianism: absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution Tushes: small, short tusks such as those belonging to a boar. Major Themes The Soviet Union under Stalinism Animal Farm is a satire of totalitarian governments in their many guises. But Orwell composed the book for a more specific purpose: to serve as a cautionary tale about Stalinism. It was for this reason that he faced  such difficulty in getting the book published; by the time Animal Farm was ready to meet its readers, the Allies were cooperating with the Soviet Union. The allegorical characters of the novel represent specific historical figures and different factions of Imperial Russian and Soviet society. These include Karl Marx (Major), Vladimir Lenin (Major), Leon Trotsky (Snowball), Joseph Stalin (Napoleon), Adolf Hitler (Frederick), the Allies (Pilkington), the peasants (Boxer), the elite (Mollie), and the church (Moses). The resemblance of some of the novel’s events to events in Soviet history is indubitable. For example, Snowball’s and Napoleon’s power struggle is a direct allegory of Trotsky’s and Stalin’s. Frederick’s trade agreement with Napoleon, and his subsequent breaking of the agreement, represents the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact that preceded World War II. The following Battle of the Windmill represents World War II itself. Despite his fairy-tale clarity in satirizing some historical events, Orwell is less specific about others. For example, the executions in Chapter VII conflate the Red Terror with the Great Purge. The executions themselves bear resemblance to both events, although their details connect them more to the Moscow Trials than to the Red Terror. Squealer’s subsequent announcement that the executions have ended the Rebellion connects them to the period of the Red Terror, however. Orwell leaves some ambiguity in the identities of the Rebellion and the Battle of the Cowshed. These ambiguities help the reader focus on the overall satire of Stalinism and the broader warning about the evils of totalitarian government. The Inevitability of Totalitarianism Orwell held the pessimistic belief that totalitarianism was inevitable, even in the West. According to Russell Baker, who wrote the preface to Animal Farm’s 1996 Signet Classics version, Orwell’s pessimism stemmed from his having grown up in an age of dictatorship. Witnessing Hitler’s and Stalin’s movements from afar, as well as fighting totalitarianism in the Spanish Civil War, Orwell came to believe in the rise of a new species of autocrat, worse even than the tyrants of old. This cynicism is reflected in  both of his highly successful novels, Animal Farm and 1984. Orwell emphasizes the insidiousness of totalitarianism early in the novel, when the pigs take the fresh milk and apples. The pigs justify their actions on the basis of their superiority; they are smart and need more nutrition than the other animals to fuel their brainpower. There is no scientific basis for the pigs’ claim—in fact, if anyone needs more food to fuel their labor, it is the manual laborers—but they can count on the animals’ being too ignorant to realize that. In this way, Orwell makes the point that totalitarianism need not be blatant in order to be operating. It can hide under the guise of the â€Å"greater good† as it did in the Soviet Union before the totalitarianism became obvious. Orwell uses a cyclical structure in Animal Farm, which helps advance the idea of totalitarianism’s predictability. The novel begins with Jones as autocratic tyrant and ends with Napoleon not only in Jones’s position, but in his clothes as well. Over the course of the novel, Napoleon essentially becomes Jones just as Stalin becomes an autocrat after pretending to espouse equality and freedom. Orwell cements this idea in the book’s final scene, where he writes, â€Å"Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which† (139). The circularity of Orwell’s story prevents the reader from imagining a better future for Animal Farm. After all, even if another Rebellion were to take place, its leaders would eventually come to emulate Napoleon. According to Baker, technology turned out to be the force freeing people from Orwell’s age of dictators. But â€Å"technology† can be just another banner under which to rally the people. While Orwell does portray technology as a source of progress in Animal Farm, he points out that it is useless unless it is in the people’s hands. Most notably, even when the windmill is finished it is used for milling corn instead of its original purpose of supplying the animals with electricity in their stalls. Intelligence and Education as Tools of Oppression From the very beginning of the novel, we become aware of education’s role in stratifying Animal Farm’s population. Following Major’s death, the pigs are the ones that take on the task of organizing and mobilizing the other animals because they are â€Å"generally recognized as being the cleverest of the animals† (35). At first, the pigs are loyal to their fellow animals and to the revolutionary cause. They translate Major’s vision of the future faithfully into the Seven Commandments of Animalism. However, it is not long before the pigs’ intelligence and education turn from tools of enlightenment to implements of oppression. The moment the pigs are faced with something material that they want—the fresh milk—they abandon their morals and use their superior intellect and knowledge to deceive the other animals. The pigs also limit the other animals’ opportunities to gain intelligence and education early on. They teach themselves to read and write from a children’s book but destroy it before the other animals can have the same chance. Indeed, most of the animals never learn more than a few letters of the alphabet. Once the pigs cement their status as the educated elite, they use their mental advantage to manipulate the other animals. For example, knowing that the other animals cannot read the Seven Commandments, they revise them whenever they like. The pigs also use their literacy to learn trades from manuals, giving them an opportunity for economic specialization and advancement. Content in the role of the intelligentsia, the pigs forgo manual labor in favor of bookkeeping and organizing. This shows that the pigs have not only the advantage of opportunity, but also the opportunity to reject whatever opportunities they like. The pigs’ intelligence and education allow them to bring the other animals into submission through the use of propaganda and revisionism. At the book’s end, we witness Napoleon’s preparations to educate a new generation of pigs and indoctrinate them into the code of oppression. Propaganda and Duplicity Working as a propagandist during World War II, Orwell experienced firsthand both the immense power and the dishonesty of propaganda. Many  types of governments make use of propaganda, not only totalitarian ones. Consider, for instance, the arguments that led many United States citizens to go along with the idea of invading Iraq after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. Propaganda serves the positive task of uniting the people, sometimes at the cost of misleading them. Orwell takes a firm stance on the harmfulness of propaganda in Animal Farm while acknowledging its value for rallying a mistreated and disillusioned populace. In Chapter IX, Orwell demonstrates the positive value of propaganda. By this point, the animals are so downtrodden that they are desperate for something in which to believe. (Note the irony, though: it is Napoleon who has robbed them of their belief in the original version of Animalism.) The falsely optimistic statistics, the songs, and especially the Spontaneous Demonstrations give the animals something to live for. This chapter is an exception in terms of portraying propaganda in a positive light. For the majority ofAnimal Farm, Orwell skewers propaganda and exposes its nature as deception. Squealer represents a totalitarian government’s propaganda machine. Eloquent to a fault, he can make the animals believe almost anything. This fact is especially clear in Squealer’s interactions with Clover and Muriel. Each time Clover suspects that the Seven Commandments have been changed, Squealer manages to convince her that she is wrong. After the executions, Napoleon abolishes the singing of â€Å"Beasts of England† in favor of a new anthem, the lyrics of which contain a promise never to harm Animal Farm. In this propagandist manoeuvre, Napoleon replaces the revolutionary spirit of â€Å"Beasts of England† with the exact opposite, a promise not to rebel. In addition to being a source of manipulation, propaganda is an agent of fear and terror. Orwell demonstrates this quite clearly with Napoleon’s vilification of Snowball and his assurances that Snowball could attack the animals at any minute. He uses similar fear tactics regarding Frederick and Pilkington. The most egregious example of propaganda in the novel is the maxim that replaces the Seven Commandments: â€Å"All animals are equal / But some animals are more equal than others.† The idea of â€Å"more equal† is mathematically improbable and a nonsensical manipulation of language, but by  this time, the animals are too brainwashed to notice. Violence and Terror as Means of Control In Animal Farm, Orwell criticizes the ways that dictators use violence and terror to frighten their populaces into submission. Violence is one of the yokes from which the animals wish to free themselves when they prepare for the Rebellion. Not only does Jones overwork the animals and steal the products of their labor, but he can whip or slaughter them at his discretion. Once the pigs gain control of the animals, they, like Jones, discover how useful violence and terror can be. They use this knowledge to their full advantage. The foremost example of violence and terror in the novel is the pattern of public executions. The executions can be said to represent both the Red Terror and the Great Purge, but they stand more broadly for the abuse of power. For example, they are also similar to the Taliban’s public executions in Kabul’s soccer stadium in modern Afghanistan. Capital punishment for criminals is a hotly debated issue. Killing suspected criminals, as Napoleon does, is quite another issue. The executions perhaps best symbolize the Moscow Trials, which were show trials that Stalin arranged to instill fear in the Soviet people. To witnesses at the time, the accused traitors’ confessions seemed to be given freely. In fact, they were coerced. Napoleon likely coerces confessions from many of the animals that he executes. Orwell’s use of the allegory genre serves him well in the execution scene. Execution with weapons is a violent and horrifying act, but many people have become desensitized to it. Orwell’s allegorical executioners, the dogs that kill cruelly, portray the bloody and inescapably animalistic side of execution. Terror comes also in threats and propaganda. Each time the animals dare to question an aspect of Napoleon’s regime, Squealer threatens them with Jones’s return. This is doubly threatening to the animals because it would mean another battle that, if lost, would result in a return to their former lifestyle of submission. Jones’s return is such a serious threat that it quashes the animals’ curiosity without fail. The other major example of fear  tactics in the novel is the threat of Snowball and his collaborators. Napoleon is able to vilify Snowball in the latter’s absence and to make the animals believe that his return, like Jones’s, is imminent. Snowball is a worse threat than Jones, because Jones is at least safely out of Animal Farm. Snowball is â€Å"proved† to be not only lurking along Animal Farm’s borders but infiltrating the farm. Napoleon’s public investigation of Snowball’s whereabouts cements the animals’ fear of Snowball’s influence. In modern language, Snowball is pegged as the terrorist responsible for the infringements on the rights and liberties instigated by the pigs. Exploitation and the Need for Human Rights Exploitation is the issue around which the animals unite. Initially, the animals do not realize Jones is exploiting them. For this reason, Old Major’s speech is a revelation of momentous proportions. Major explains to the animals that they are enslaved and exploited and that Man is to blame. He teaches them not only what exploitation means, but also the fact that it is not inevitable. Orwell suggests that exploitation is, in fact, bound to happen when one class of society has an advantage over another. The opposite of exploitation, according to Major, is the state of being â€Å"rich and free.† Major’s ideas about animal rights symbolize the importance—and scarcity—of human rights in an oppressive regime. Gaining freedom does not necessarily lead people also to become rich, but it is better to be poor and free than poor and exploited. All the animals on Animal Farm are exploited under Napoleon’s control, save the pigs. Even the dogs, which work closely with the pigs, are exploited. The dogs face perhaps even a worse form of exploitation than the other animals, because they are made into agents of intimidation and death. Whereas Napoleon exploits the other animals’ physical strength and their ignorance, he exploits the dogs’ viciousness and turns them into villains against their parents’ wishes. Boxer’s life is a particularly sad example of exploitation because he exploits himself, believing wholeheartedly in Napoleon’s goodness. In the  end, Napoleon turns the tables and exploits Boxer, having him slaughtered for profit. By the end of the novel, we see clearly how the animals participate in their own exploitation. They are beginning to build a schoolhouse for the thirty-one young pigs Napoleon has fathered (perhaps an oblique reference to the â€Å"Thirty Tyrants† of ancient Greece). That schoolhouse will never benefit the animals that build it; rather, it will be used to educate the pigs and indoctrinate them into the cycle of exploiting others. Throughout the novel, Orwell shows us how the lack of human rights results in total helplessness. However, though it underscores the need for human rights, the novel does not suggest how to achieve them. After all, once the animals expel Jones and gain rights for themselves, the pigs take those rights away and the cycle of exploitation continues with new players. Apathy and Acceptance In the beginning of Animal Farm, the idea of freedom rouses the animals as if from a long slumber. Immediately following Major’s death, the animals begin preparing themselves for the Rebellion; just the idea of revolution is enough to motivate them, since they do not expect it to happen in their lifetimes. By the book’s end, the animals have become as apathetic as Benjamin always was. Despite the many hardships and injustices they face, the animals’ pride as well as Napoleon’s propaganda keep them invested in the â€Å"greater good† and the illusion of freedom. If Benjamin is the harbinger of apathy, Boxer is its antithesis. Strong not only in body but also in spirit, Boxer will make any sacrifice for the benefit of Animal Farm. With Boxer’s eventual betrayal by the leaders he served so unconditionally, Orwell lays bare another type of apathy—theirs. Far from truly considering Boxer a loyal comrade, the pigs treat him as apathetically as they would a mere object. Symbolically, they even make a profit by having him turned into literal objects—glue and bone meal. Boxer’s enthusiasm does not give him an advantage, but the other animals’ eventual apathy gives them a defense mechanism against the painful reality of their lives. It is no coincidence that Animal Farm’s most apathetic and cynical animal, Benjamin, is one of those that survives the  longest. Benjamin’s emotional detachment from situations, whether they are good or bad, keeps him from being disappointed. In his apathy and cynicism, Benjamin represents the stereotypical â€Å"gloomy† Russian and also the perennially pessimistic Orwell himself. Summary and analysis of Chapter I Mr. Jones, the owner of Manor Farm, stumbles drunkenly up to bed as the farm animals wait in still silence. The moment he is out of sight, they begin to bustle around, preparing themselves for the big meeting that is to take place that night. Old Major has called the meeting to discuss a strange dream he had the previous night. He is waiting for his fellow animals in the big barn.

The Role Of the Teacher by Irving Layton critique Essay Example for Free

The Role Of the Teacher by Irving Layton critique Essay The essay The Role of the Teacher written by Irving Layton reviews the current state of our ever criticized school system. The author shows us how we view the problems of the school system and explains how and why we place blame on teachers. He shows how penny-pinching school boards'(p145) are the real ones to blame and not the teaches whom are the easiest to confront. A feeling has grown that schools and universities are not achieving that which they were intended: namely , the enrichment of the individuals life by giving him the tools of self improvement and the cultivated mind to use them'(p145) is how most people view the school board and what the author is trying to discuss. The author uses a logical pattern and an expository purpose. The author uses opinion based format for this essay. Irving Layton uses metaphor in his essay. books have become objects of curiosity; like an atomic pile, something heard about but never seen'(p145) This sentence lets people relate with the point that author is trying to get across to the reader. The reader now has a mental reference or link to what is being described so he can now better understand what he is reading. This stylistic device is used effectively in this essay. Knowledge spills over like a water from a seemingly inexhaustible fountain.'(p146) This is a good use of imagery. By applying this description of endless knowledge to a fountain or waterfall the reader can make a mental picture better allowing him to comprehend exactly what the author is trying to discribe. It is very hard to understand what endless knowledge would be like, so the author puts a picture of a fountain spewing knowledge forever, making the idea more plausible to the reader. The author did not use too many stylistic devices to prove his point. The few that were used only made the facts easier to grasp. The essay was based on opinion and the writer, used very relevant topics to get his point across and make the reader sympathetic to his views. Personal opinion is the main structural device used throughout the essay. If education means anything, it should mean the creation of individuals with a strong sense of social responsibility'(p146) Since this essay is in the Writing To Pursued section of the book the essays must have facts and opinions to move the reader to the writers opinion. The essay is describing the faults of the school system, this is the authors opinion. Since it is opinion based it can be argued that the school system is in a good condition. (I wouldnt) The essay was very effective because it used many relevant topics and ideas. It properly adjusted the blame from the innocent teachers to the greedy school boards, where the blame should be. Parents and alike see the faults of the schools and automatically place the teachers in the spotlight because they are the more tangible then a school board which has no shape to it.

Stages Of A Typical Performance Management System Management Essay

Stages Of A Typical Performance Management System Management Essay Performance can be defined as the end result of an activity. A performance management system therefore is defined as a process of establishing performance standards and evaluating performance in order to arrive at objective human resource decisions as well as to provide documentation to support those decisions. (Stephen P. Robbins, 2005, p. 296) A good performance management system is essential for Interact to be able to manage the dwindling individual performance. To develop a good system Interact will need to consider the three main aspects of managing individual performance, these include: planning performance, delivering and monitoring and formal assessment and reward. These are well illustrated in the performance cycle as illustrated by figure 1 below Figure 1 Stages of a typical performance management system Source: (Derek Torrington, p. 263) The first key aspect of managing individual performance is the planning performance stage. This is where a manager at interact sits down with his subject and they collaboratively set individual objectives originally obtained from team objectives and the agreed job description. These objectives are designed in a way that they also offer potential development as well as fulfilling the general organisations general objectives. They should also include measures of how they can be assessed. One common approach managers use in setting these objectives is with the SMART acronym. This suggests that the objectives set should be Specific, Measurable, Appropriate, Relevant and Timed. A good example of a good objective for an employee working in the component development department could be: To develop a new mobile phone component by March 2010 (started in January 2010) It is important that managers do not forget to plan for the support, development and resources necessary for the employee to be able to accomplish the objectives. The second key aspect is the delivering and monitoring performance stage. As the interact employee sets about to achieve the performance agreed, the manger should ensure that he is available at all times so that the employee can consult him/her at any moment when needed. There may be some unpredicted hindrances towards the achievement of performance and in some instances targets may have to be revised. Ongoing coaching is important whereby the manager can guide the employees through discussion and providing constructive feedback. Continuous informal reviews held between the employee and his manager should be carried out so as to ensure that work is going as agreed and whether the agreed performance will be attainable by the agreed dates. Objectives signed off as complete and recognition of work done so far help to act as motivation for the employee in the future for other objectives yet to be completed. The last key aspect of the performance cycle is the formal assessment and reward stage. This stage involves regular reviews of the development of the objectives and to motivate the employee. Annual reviews are also necessary in this stage whereby what has been achieved is compared with what had been set to be achieved which may affect pay and salary increments. Interact managers should take note that employees see reviews as fair only if the targets set are achievable and judgements were seen to be consistent throughout the organisation. Different styles of appraising employees could be adopted in order to make the best assessment but a popular and widely used approach is the problem solving style which is one of the styles developed by the American psychologist, Norman Maier. This approach suggests that The appraiser starts the interview by encouraging the employee to identify and discuss problem areas and then consider solutions. The employee therefore plays an active part in analysing problems and suggesting solutions, and then evaluation of performance emergence from the discussion at the appraisal interview, instead of being imposed by the appraiser upon the employee. (Anderson, 1993, p. 102). However, it should be taken note that this style works best if the employees are ready for it and the mangers are willing to behave in this way which is not always the case. After the reviews have been conducted and achievement of tasks has been high, reward is necessary. Most management systems include pay in the reward package but ongoing research has shown that element of pay had very little effect in the motivation of employees. Other forms of reward other than monetary such as promotion and offering of individual development opportunities are found to be more motivating to employees. In order for the successful implementation of a performance management system, line managers who are closer to the employees need to be included in the Human Resource team when designing the system. Training of the line managers is essential before and during the introduction of the system. Task 2 Learning can be defined as the process of acquiring knowledge. Learning and development is an essential part in keeping the performance of Interacts employees up to standard. Currently, there have been issues and complains from the employees about the quality of training being offered, and the lack of enough training to keep the component developers up to date with emerging technologies. This is a serious problem for interact being the fact that it is operating in an industry that requires a high degree of innovation and creativity. It indicates the need for an effective people development strategy. A good approach that could be used to establish an effective people development strategy would be the systematic training cycle. This cycle includes for steps that are; identifying training needs, designing development activity, carrying out development and evaluating development. This can be illustrated by the diagram below. Environment Business strategy People development strategy Figure 2 A systematic model of learning and training Source: (Derek Torrington, p. 391) Considering figure 2, the first step in the model is identifying training and learning needs. Before any activity can commence, interact managers should take note that identifying these needs should not be the sole role of the human resource team but should be a process that involves the employees too. Employees about to receive training should not be considered as subjects but as participants of the scheme. Interact managers should also take note that modern day effective training requires not only a focus on development of technical skills alone but also personal skills, attitudes and self-management therefore broadening the needs scope. One approach that interact managers could use to identify the training and learning needs is the problem centred approach. This approach analyses whether there are any performance problems and analyses whether they are caused by lack of skill and if so, which. The gap between expected performance and actual performance is the one that helps to bring about the training need. For example, an identified problem with interact is that the component developers are not up to date with new technological development therefore the training need would be to continuously keep the developers up to date. After training needs have been identified, the next step will be designing the development activity. There various methods of learning and development that Interact managers could use such as; education and training courses (off job), manager coaching and teaching, self development groups and open and distance learning. (On job). The next step is carrying out the development activity. For education and training courses, Interact managers could use the consultancy courses. They could range from one day to several weeks in some cases. These have the advantage that they enable employees from various organisations to meet and share their experiences. In order to be very effective, they should concentrate on specific skills of knowledge, such as being introduced to new technological developments. Management should take note that these courses are usually expensive despite the fact that they are of short duration. There is a big challenge that Interact managers should be prepared to face and that is the ensuring of the transfer of what the employees have learnt back to the organisation. To counteract this problem, managers could set goals for implementing new skills once the employees return from training. In case the Interact management decide to use on job training methods take manager coaching and teaching as an example, the line manager will act as a mentor or coach for the trainees involved. He will provide feedback, counselling, encouragement discussion and sincere feedback. Management should however take note that not all line managers can provide effective coaching, as it requires good interpersonal skills and commitment from the manager to accept the coaching role. Interact management could also support the use of self development groups whereby informal groups formed by employees come together and discuss organisational issues, personal development and individual work problems. The group should however be headed by an experienced leader who plays the role of a facilitator and to some extent, a source of information. This group leader could drop off as the group matures. Such a method of learning and development requires a high level of commitment from the group members and a close follow up on the side of management. The final step in the learning cycle is the evaluating development stage. While evaluating development, changes in skills, knowledge, behaviour and attitudes need to be considered. However, research has proved that it is actually very difficult to asses some aspects of learning or training that have been carried out such as changes in attitudes and behaviour. A post course questionnaire could be issued out to the trainees but this usually tends to evaluate the course and not the training. Evaluation could also be carried out by setting up goals basing on what the individuals have learnt during training and the extent to which the employees meet these goals would indicate how effective the training had been. It is recommended that managers should keep on evaluating the trainees continuously from the beginning as they attend the training courses and not to pin the evaluation process at the end of the course. Task 3 Leadership can be defined as the Process in which an individual influences other group members towards the attainment of group or organisational goals. (Shackleton, 1995, p. 2) There is a close link between leadership and motivation and performance implying that the leadership style being used may have either positive or negative impacts on these. Due to the recession, Interact adopted a rather autocratic approach and have become more task focused. An autocratic leader is a leader who tends to centralise authority, dictate work methods, make unilateral decisions and limit employee participation. (Stephen p. Robbins, 2005, p. 593) The advantage of such a style is that it leads to quick decision making and work getting done on time. However, there are various negative impacts Interact could face as result of applying such a leadership style. To start with, according to Vrooms expectancy theory which says that An individual tends to act in a certain way based on the expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual. (Stephen p. Robbins, 2005, p. 405), we can see that expectancy has an impact on motivation. Therefore not expecting employees to perform unless they are directed to will only cause them to behave in that way leading to demotivation and poor performance. Also using Maslows hierarchy of needs, the need for affiliation could be a motivational factor. Therefore not involving employees in the decision making process and centralising authority only makes the employees feel alienated and thus end up feeling demotivated. The autocratic style of leadership also fails to recognise that social needs are a motivational factor for employees. Maslow recognised the need for affiliation as an important attribute in human motivation therefore making decisions or planning activities while excluding those who are going to be affected may demotivate them. Autocratic leadership also makes the employees feel that the organisation does not trust them enough to make wise decisions for the good of the organisation. This demotivates them and makes them feel like they are not a part of the organisation or not responsible enough. As a result of being very task oriented, such as style does not have much concern for the needs of their subordinates. This is clearly indicated by the lack of a sound human resource function and the fact that the Interact management has so far refused to meet with the group of employee representatives who are trying to voice employee concerns. This has led to feelings of resentment, alienation and a drop in performance levels. In conclusion, the autocratic style of leadership has a rather more negative impact than positive effects, but this is not to say that Interact should not apply it, rather they could blend it in with other styles of leadership. Using the managerial grid designed by Blake and Mouton, THE MANAGERIAL GRID High concern for people Low concern for production Country Club management High concern for people High concern for production Team management Low concern for people Low concern for production Impoverished management Low concern for people High concern for production Authority-compliance management High People Low Production High The managerial grid Source: (Derek Torrington, p. 304) Most managers agree that the best leadership style would be the team management which has both high concerns for people and production but there is a new approach that suggests that the best style is to use all these four styles together basing on different times and different situations. Task 4 The complaints voiced by employees over the need to work harder and longer to keep their jobs and increased levels of stress are a sign that the quality of the working life at Interact is deteriorating. Work-life balance is very important as it keeps the employees happy and contented with their jobs therefore reducing absenteeism and turnover. There are a number of practices that management at Interact could implement so as to improve the situation. To begin with, offering the employees flexible working hours would greatly help employees who need more time outside the job. Allowing female workers to have their maternity leaves also enables to keep the employees happy with their current jobs. The Interact management can also train their line managers to deal with employee stress. The line managers should encourage the employees to talk and voice out what is truly getting them stressed up. An increased level of stress at work is a total wake up call that Interact needs to change its style of leadership and control. Not allowing employees to freely raise their voices over the different issues in the organisation and refusing to recognise their representative group only makes them feel unappreciated and demoralised. Interact could also reorganise their working practices such that the workers could get work done without having to spend extra long hours to work while maintaining the same quality of performance. The amount of days employees can get in their leaves should be adequate giving employees enough time to rest and relax so that they can return to work revitalised. For those workers who may not be able to get to work but and yet their jobs do not demand their physical presence at the premises, interact could offer them alternatives of working at home. This will help to boost performance while at the same time saving valuable time lost when the work is not done at all. In case workers are having to work overtime, Interact should devise a payment scheme that covers these extra hours in a manner that is of mutual benefit with the employees. Interact could even go to the extent of ensuring that maternity pay is reasonable and comfortable for the employees. This will make them return to work much more happily and boost their attachment to the company. For those in areas where the work demands them to do the same routine job everyday, Interact management could introduce rotation where other employees doing other routine work could be set up to be exchanging activities so as to prevent them from getting bored. However there are some limitations that Interact should take note about work-life balance policies. For example, some policies such as maternity pay only target the female employees therefore bringing about a feeling of neglect with the other employees. Another problem is the fact that some policies may actually be put in place and yet employees may not take them up and use them. Task 5 Absenteeism can be defined as the To tackle this problem, Managers at Interact need to set up a procedure to solve the absenteeism problem. The process could involve the following steps; Identify the absence problem Locate the absence problem Identify and prioritize the cause of absence Evaluate the current control method Design the absence control program Implement the absence control program Monitor the effectiveness of the program The first step of solving the absenteeism problem is assessing it. Interact could do this by collecting statistical data about thee current absence levels. This can be done by gathering information on how many people did not come in to work for a certain period of time. After the pattern has been identified, the next step is to locate the absence problem. This is done by using collected data to find out which specific departments had the highest levels of absentees for the period. The next step is to identify the cause of absence in the departments selected. An autocratic leadership style of the line managers in Interact, longer working hours, low levels of responsibility and decision making could result into dissatisfaction with the job situation therefore leading to a rise in absence levels. Evaluating the current absence control method is what follows after the causes of absence have been identified. During evaluation, Interact should be able to see the weaknesses of the current control program and why it is failing to work effectively. After evaluation, Interact should design a new control program that tackles the problem. There are a few recommendations of measures that could be put in place to help reduce the problem, First of all, I would recommend to Interact that they should try and maintain continuous contact with the employees who are absent from work. This is known to greatly reduce the length of absence and shows the employee that the organisation in concerned about the well being of its people. One visit a month by the line manager of the employee could be effective. Another useful activity that interact could do to manage absence is to include attendance levels in the performance review at the end of the year. Having high levels of absence during the year would be considered as underperformance in the review. I would also recommend that the line managers undergo training so as to ensure that the absence procedures are effectively carried out. Proper training on how to handle employees who are frequently absent could greatly reduce the absence levels. A deep understanding of the causes of absence would enable Interact to be able to tackle the absenteeism problem. Known causes of absenteeism at Interact include, employees working longer hours and increased levels of stress. When trying to identify the problems, management should not only consider what the absentees have filed as the reason for their absence as research has shown that they tend to write excuses that appear valid to the organisation. Interact should build a culture of trust with its employees such that they can get them to explain the real causes of absence and thus they can respond to them effectively. The last step after the absence control program has been designed is to implement it while continuously monitoring it by collecting statistical data to observe whether the absence levels are falling or not. If it is not effective then Interact have to find out why, make the necessary corrections and continue with it Task 6 Employee turnover is the rate at which employees voluntarily leave their jobs. At interact, the level of employee turnover has been relatively high. Collecting information on staff turnover is quite difficult to collect though one best approach could be by using exit interviews. However, there are some major reasons why staff could be leaving interact. Push factors One reason why Interact employees could be leaving their jobs is because of Push factors. This concept suggests poor working conditions, people development strategy, dissatisfaction with company policies, negative effects of autocratic leadership style, job insecurity among others to be the cause of forcing people to leave the organisation. In other words, Interact is pushing away its employees by failing to provide a good organisational and working environment to keep the employees satisfied. Interact could control this cause by making the organisation more employee friendly. Another reason why employees could be leaving Interact is because of pull factors. This concept implies that rival employers in the telephone component manufacturing industry are pulling Interact employees towards them. This could be because they are paying higher salaries, offering better benefit packages, training opportunities or they have more attractive working environments. The best way Interact could reduce turnover caused by this way is by first of all analysing what other organisations in the industry are offering that is making them more attractive and therefore making sure they can level up. Another approach is by identifying unique selling points offered by Interact that other organisations dont have and communicating them to staff. Employees could also be leaving Interact as a result of functional turnover. This is a situation where employee resignations are accepted by both Interact and the employee involved. This could be because of failure of the employee to conform with the organisational culture or as a result of continuous poor performance. The best way to handle turnover caused in this way is by improving the recruitment process so as to avoid such people in the first place. Outside factors could also be making employees leave Interact. These are reasons that have nothing to do with the job. They could be leaving because their partners are leaving the city, personal desire for self employment. In this situation, there is nothing much that Interact could do to stop these kinds of employees from leaving the organisation as it is beyond their control. The rate of employee turnover at Interact could be greatly reduced by putting in place certain strategies so as to manage the turnover rates. Firstly one tool that Interact could use is pay. Research has shown that organisations offering higher salaries appear more attractive than those with less. However, pay alone may not be enough to keep the employees from leaving. It should be combined with other benefits such as holidays, healthcare offers and staff discounts. The best approach in offering such benefits is by letting the employees pick benefits that they prefer as different employees may be interested in different packages. Another tool that Interact could use to help reduce turnover rates is putting in place family friendly Human Resource practices. Considering the fact that many people leave work due to family and personal reasons giving employees more time to spend with their families through holiday packages, flexible working hours and a well paid maternity leave may greatly help to reduce the rates. Improving the quality of line management may also help to reduce the turnover rates as these managers play a critical role in employee relations. To ensure that the selected line managers are effective, they should be selected basing on their supervisory capabilities, undergo training and appraised on their supervisory skills. Finally induction is also known to help in reducing early staff turnover rates as it helps to fit the employee into the organisation and defines his/her role in it. Organisational induction could be done by the Human resource department and may include a presentation on health and safety regulations and fire evacuation procedures. This type of induction could last a few days. The other type of induction is the job-based induction. This usually takes longer and is mostly carried out by the immediate line manager and in the background, fellow employees and includes activities like getting to know the organisation culture, how work is done and what is expected of him/her. Managing employee expectations from the beginning could also play a crucial role in reducing the turnover rates. This is done by letting the employee know exactly what to expect from his job right at the start of his/her career so that they are more prepared when they face the challenges. Challenges could include time pressures etc

Essay --

3) There are many causes of child labour, but the biggest cause is money. People build factories in poor areas so that it would attract cheap labour which are the children that they target. Another cause is the lack of protection from the government; the businesses help the economy grow and make the country successful. If the government stops child labour, then the businesses may threaten to move to another country that would also welcome the chance to look good. The government is too greedy and is willing to put children’s lives in danger. Poverty is another reason for child labour. The many that are poor do not have enough money to support their children, so they do not send their children to school. The majority of people don’t have a house to live in, and they don’t have enough money to buy food. So since they don’t go to school, parents send them to work, or they sell their child for money. 4) Child labour effects the knowledge, economy and condtions of the children. When parents are in need of money, they stop their kids from going school and send them to work. The children the...

ordinary people :: essays research papers

Tantilizer5510 [10:54 PM]: you do know i trust you completely right even though it may seem like i'm playing and u shrugging me off all the time? AfGiRl233 [10:57 PM]: ok Tantilizer5510 [10:59 PM]: it may seem foolish to trust you since u have a closeknit group of friends who u probably prefer greatly over me Tantilizer5510 [10:59 PM]: but i honetly see something different in you Tantilizer5510 [11:00 PM]: something that feels comforting to me AfGiRl233 [11:00 PM]: what do you mean Tantilizer5510 [11:03 PM]: well I don't wanna bother u, stress u out, or have u think of me as weird or strange anymore than u have been ever since we first met but... AfGiRl233 [11:03 PM]: yah? Tantilizer5510 [11:04 PM]: there is something about you, It can't be called chemistry because thats when the two people involved feel equally for each other. Tantilizer5510 [11:05 PM]: but i can say that even though u treat me kind of harshly a good amount of the time i still feel a need to keep striving AfGiRl233 [11:07 PM]: jeffrey, i mean your nice and everything, but i just dont see tht happening between us, im sorry, but you make me feel really bad when you say stuff like that AfGiRl233 [11:07 PM]: i thought u liked laura neway Tantilizer5510 [11:07 PM]: i look at it from ur perspective from time to time and realize how weird this must be for you and thats why i'm gonna leave u alone from now on Tantilizer5510 [11:08 PM]: i wasn't looking for a rejection i was merely making a statement AfGiRl233 [11:09 PM]: ok well whatever, your making me out to be the bad person AfGiRl233 [11:09 PM]: but yoour putting me in a weierd position, and i dont like it Tantilizer5510 [11:10 PM]: no i'm a bad person for putting u in this situation and i aplogize Tantilizer5510 [11:10 PM]: lol don't worry bout a thang no more alright steph AfGiRl233 [11:11 PM]: yah Tantilizer5510 [11:11 PM]: everything is gonna workout fine Tantilizer5510 [11:11 PM]: for jsut about every one Tantilizer5510 [11:12 PM]: this is just like Undressed or some shit like it Tantilizer5510 [11:15 PM]: I like to consider myself a man of the future. It's always nice to live in the moment, but it's our current actions which will determine where we end up in the future and if things aren't the way I'd like them to be right now; then I always will have the future to look forward to.

The Perpetual Battle Against Censorship Essay -- The Fight Against Cen

  "There is more than one way to burn a book," (176) says Ray Bradbury when explaining the reason he wrote Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury at the time was upset about "condensed books", or books which had been simplified for easier reading. Luckily, this fad seems to have passed. However, he was also upset about people who wrote asking him to change the role of women or African-Americans to make them more or less dominant in some of his works. One of the major themes in Fahrenheit 451 was just that; a society where everyone got what they wished and literature was eliminated entirely so it wouldn't offend anyone. Sadly, this still continues to happen in the United States. Many books have been banned from school and public libraries because of language, sexual innuendos, violence, religion, alternate lifestyles, and even for being anti-family ("Challenges . . ."). Although the burning of books simply for the sake of eradicating them is a futile effort today, as Bradbury stated, censoring or banning them is basically the same thing. However, should literature be banned for offending a few? Many people don't think so, and they have U.S. laws to back them up. Not only is the censorship of literature in violation of the U.S. Constitution's first amendment, but it also deprives the American people of culture and knowledge. The main argument against censorship is, of course, the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The first amendment reads "Congress shall make no law respecting on establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of gr... ...e American Library Association. n.d. 13 Mar. 2014. http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top100 Parkinson, Sid. "Milton's Areopagitica." Discourse 14 (Fall 1995). 12 Mar. 2014. http://www.stlawrenceinstitute.org/vol14mit.html Remy, Richard C. United States Government: Democracy in Action. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2012. "Stanton McCandlish on the CDA (fwd)." 14 Feb. 1996. 21 Feb. 2014. http://lawlibrary.ucdavis.edu/LAWLIB/feb96/0400.html Weisberger, Bernard A. "Chasing Smut in Every Medium." American Heritage Dec. 1997. 12 Feb. 2014. http://www.dc.peachnet.edu/~yliu/papr/comstock.htm). Woolsey, John M. "The Monumental Decision of the United States District Court Rendered December 6, 1933, by Hon. John M. Woolsey Lifting the Ban on 'Ulysses.'" Ulysses. New York: Random House, 6 Dec. 1943. pp ix-xiv.   

Congo River In Heart of Darkness Essay

The Meaning of the Congo River for Marlow, the journey on the Congo River is one of the most difficult and ominous journeys he will ever take. The fact that it takes him around and not completely into the jungle is significant of Marlow’s psychological journey as well. He never really goes on land but watches the shore from the outside. The only time he goes on shore he finds a wasteland. For Marlow the jungle of the Congo is representative of evil that man is capable of. In Heart of Darkness, it seems that the further Marlow travels into the jungle, the deeper he looks into himself. All this time is spent on the Congo River as he looks from the outside. This is symbolic as he is looking at his soul from the outside but never really sees himself until he goes on land to get Kurtz. When he arrives on land is symbolic of when he looks the deepest into himself. He goes to find Kurtz on his deathbed and is given he choice to take over for him as a god among an African tribe. Marlow is faced with the ultimate choice between good and evil. For a moment it is uncertain what choice Marlow will make. But, unlike Kurtz, Marlow picks the good over evil, as he rescues Kurtz back to the steamer. The fact that Marlow sailed along the Congo River, around the jungle, and not actually into the jungle is an important symbol also. Marlow never walks the path that Kurtz did to self-destruction. He went around the jungle to avoid getting captured by evil. Kurtz was a decent Englishman until he gave into the desires of his heart of darkness. Kurtz spent all his time in the jungle and eventually forgot all of his self-control, manners, and upbringing. He truly looked in the deepest part of himself and found that his evil desires would reign. This is symbolic because he was deep inside the jungle. In this respect Conrad uses to men to show the reader both the good and bad of humankind. He shows the true evil and good that man is capable of If proper restraints had been there would Kurtz have done things differently? The fact that no one was around to keep Kurtz in check helped him succeed in becoming capable of the immense evil he became. Marlow had his shipmates there to keep him responsible. When he left the steamboat there wasn’t anyone to restrain Marlow. He was face to face with himself and his human desires, but as he looked at Kurtz and what the evil had done to him he saw the consequences of choosing evil. If Marlow hadn’t seen the consequences would he have acted differently? In the beginning of the novel, Marlow talks of things as if they are happening far away from him and not actually happening close by which represents that he is on the outside looking in. He also talks about a fog that settles over the river. This fog represents a distortion of what lies ahead. As he makes his decisions based on what he thinks is right but really he has no idea of what will happen to him or his crew. As the novel progresses the reader will start to understand all of these themes and symbols that the Congo River represents. It represents the shedding of layers of the soul and taking a look into the desires of the heart. By the end it seams as though the reader has taken a look into their own soul to find out what ultimately dominates them. Will they find themselves to be a Marlow; a person who exercises their capacity for good, or will they find themselves to be a Kurtz; a person capable of an immense heart of darkness?