Is Iago The Perfect Villain? Essay

Few Shakespearian villains radiate evilness and jealously quite as much as Iago, the unbeknown nemesis of the play’s title character, Othello. In other plays written by the bard of Avon the villains can come across as one-dimensional- weak, personified by a flaw in their genetic make-up or unattainable ambition yet Iago is a far more complex and compelling character. True, he has the power to both betray and murder those he once worked alongside, but Iago isn’t the complete cold-blooded murderer in the same sense of Macbeth or King Claudius from Hamlet. True, he meticulously plans the death of Cassio but he plans it to be by hands of Rodrigo, his puppet. In the end opportunity presents itself to Iago and he seizes the moment to stab Cassio in the back but the blow fails to kill him. Iago also reveals a moral conscience through his three soliloquy’s which I will explore in more detail later. In short Iago is like no other of Shakespeare’s villains which makes him an utterly compelling and absorbing character. And like the other characters in the play, Iago delights in absorbing us, the viewer†¦ The tragedy of Othello was believed to have been first performed in the early 1600’s and is one of Shakespeare’s more famous plays. The play is also rich in historical context and features the Moorish race heavily, leading many to believe it was influenced by a visit to the capital of the Empire by the Moorish ambassador, who is said to have met with the ruling monarch. In the play, only Iago voiced an explicitly stereotypical view on Othello and his race and, the fact that Iago is the main villain of the play, means most scholars view the play as Shakespeare’s statement on society, notably that people are the same, regardless of skin colour- a message many would do well to remember in this current day and age. The fact that Iago is the only character to mention Othello’s skin colour is also signs of one of his weakness- the fact that he is blinded by stereotypes. This character trait is explored further by Shakespeare in Iago’s soliloquies. The play Othello is one of Shakespeare’s tragedy’s, ending in a dramatic, breathtaking climax. The proud, noble and trustworthy character of Othello promotes his young solder Cassio ahead of his more experienced ally Iago, setting off a chain of events which eventually ends with the demise of Othello, his young wife Desdemona and Iago himself. Twisted with jealously and rage Iago sets out to manipulate and exploit Othello’s trustworthy nature, instead revealing him to be slightly naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve and gullible. After a series of Iago-inspired mis-understandings, Othello believes his wife to be sleeping with his new lieutenant, Cassio and thus commences to kill his wife. However not long after he fatally wounds his wife, he learns the truth from Iago’s wife and, after apologising to Cassio, kills himself. Othello is one of Shakespeare’s only plays where the villain of the piece speaks more lines then the title character or protagonist. This fact reflects Iago’s incredible contribution to the play and also sets the tone for the story- for the most part we see things from Iago’s perspective as, after the audience, Iago has the most knowledge on what is going on in the play. You could even argue that, at times, Iago knows even more than the audience, which is a trait of a true, compelling villain. We never know what face Iago is going to show next, never know what move he is going to make, partly helped by the fact that for long stretches of the play Iago is in â€Å"good† mode. He is seemingly kind, loyal and truthful to Othello, all signs of a true friend. It is only through the intimate soliloquies that the real Iago comes to the fore. Othello’s race is particularly important in the play, despite the fact that only one character slurs his race in the play: Iago. Othello is frequently called â€Å"The Moor† in the play, implying he is either of African descent or simply just a Muslim. The fact that Shakespeare does not allot Othello a specific race could be due to the fact that he wanted his audience to see that race isn’t crucial in understanding a person or character and only the narrow minded (or evil, like Iago) would see race as a barrier. The fact that Othello is not native to Italy is especially important to the play and it’s affect on it’s audience: it makes Othello’s demise more saddening and guilt tinged as Iago has manipulated a man of a different culture and robbed the only person who he felt a real, strong connection with and, who in turn, respected him back- Desdemona. In many of Shakespeare’s other plays, the phrase: â€Å"actions speak louder then words†, could be applied to the villain of the play. Many of the villain’s true characters are revealed when they are committing their piece of true evil however with Iago, it is the opposite way around. He keeps up a false face when around Othello; â€Å"pouring pestilence into his ear† with his â€Å"heavenly shows† and this is arguably the greatest of Iago’s many evil deeds. He is manipulating Othello, influencing him. This is one of the many factors that could be seen as making Iago into the â€Å"perfect villain†. Unlike other villains of plays from the same age, Iago isn’t a butcherer, a thug. He is cold, calculative- a sadist. Yet he is also intelligent, which would have frightened the Elizabethan audience watching. His intelligence and sadism are revealed in his three soliloquies, which I will explore in this essay. â€Å"Thus do I ever make my fool my purse:† Iago’s first soliloquy, included in Act one Scene 3 opens on a sinister, malicious note. This is the first line he speaks to the audience and the audience alone and Shakespeare has made it as twisted and warped as possible. Shakespeare knows that in the soliloquies he will try to gain Iago some empathy but, he is still the villain, and with a line like this opening his first soliloquy, Shakespeare doesn’t let us, the audience, forget it. Iago is commenting on how he is able to make money from fools, from manipulating them. He shows instantly that he exploits people and revels in it. He is boasting to the audience, proud of his achievements. The words â€Å"my fool† also imply that he is in complete control of the people he decides to manipulate, suggesting that he is in a â€Å"Godly† sort of position. He is also inferring that the latest fool that is â€Å"making his purse† is Othello, a man revered by others for his honest and noble nature. Shakespeare is contrasting Othello’s just nature with Iago’s snide, evil nature, juxtaposing their characters and personalities. Iago could also be referring to his accomplice Rodrigo. Despite working closely with him, Iago is only using Rodrigo as a puppet. In an ironic twist, Iago is doing to Rodrigo what made him so angry in the first place. He is overlooking Rodrigo and instead totally committed to the demise of Othello. Similarly, Othello overlooked Iago and instead lavished his praise, and a promotion, on Michael Cassio. The line: â€Å"I hate the Moor, And it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets† is the first real example of Iago’s moral conscience struggling to break through in the soliloquy. On first glance, the line seems as malevolent as ever, Iago calls Othello not by his name, but by his race: Moor. Iago is also commenting on how some â€Å"abroad† (possibly referring to when he was away fighting with Othello) suspect that Othello has slept with Emilia, Iago’s wife. Indeed, it seems on first glance that the line is meant to make Iago even more evil, as it sounds like he has a solid motive for wanting to ruin the life of Othello. But when one reads between the lines one can begin to see Iago’s inner moral dilemma. After all the lines dedicated to describing how fair and just Othello is, it is highly unlikely that Shakespeare wrote this line as truth. Indeed, he is more likely to be hinting at Iago’s more sensitive nature. Iago was once a great friend of Othello’s and popular with the rest of the men. Many former solders comment on the bond shared between men on the battlefield, a love and commitment so strong that many would willingly lay down their lives for their comrades, fully aware of the possible consequences. Iago and Othello would have most likely have shared this connection, and it would have been impossible for Iago to lose it overnight. Iago is simply trying to justify his actions, in a perverse way he is almost pleading with them to accept why he is angry, and to not see him as a villain. This shows Iago’s morality and makes his character progression in the play all the more startling. Throughout the play, we see the small amount of morality Iago possesses diminish whereas in some of Shakespeare’s other plays, the villains are evil from the start, leaving them more detached from the audience and making it incredibly hard for the audience to direct any empathy towards them. The final two lines of Iago’s first soliloquy: â€Å"I have’t. It is engendered. Hell and night, Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light,† show once more that Iago knows what he is doing is wrong, but also hint at the fact that he has forgave any chance of redemption, and knows that his future will end in the death of his former friend, and the loss of his soul to evil. Whether this pains him, however, is never fully explored or revealed by Shakespeare. The quotation also compares Iago to the Devil, which would have shocked the Jacobean audience. People of this time would have been devoutly religious and the devil would have frightened them, as he was seen as the ultimate evil. The phrase â€Å"hell and night† implies that evil often materialises during the night, during the darkness, which juxtaposes the image of heaven and light, which could be associated to Othello. This is slightly ironic as the character of Othello is black, yet he is the â€Å"light† character being manipulated by the â€Å"black† Iago. The adjective â€Å"monstrous† proves that Iago is aware of his wrongdoing. Yet when used in his soliloquy, used after he passionately describes his plan, the word sounds very ominous and sinister. One gets the impression that Shakespeare wanted the actor portraying Iago to spit the word to the audience. The word â€Å"birth† also suggests that Iago is comparing the manifestation of his evil plan to a newborn baby. This links in with the idea of Iago hating women as he has a rather shallow relationship with Emilia and mentions in the play how he thinks women are good only for sex. In the soliloquy, by describing his plan has having a â€Å"birth† he is slurring females, as his plan is one of evil and vindictiveness. Iago’s second soliloquy continues where the first left off and provides us with a number of reasons for why Iago is so hell-bent on Othello’s destruction. Throughout this second soliloquy the possible motives of Iago progress from the rumour that Othello slept with Emilia, to the more disturbing and disconcerting motive of Iago desiring Othello’s love before destroying him, the idea of Iago being thrust into a â€Å"Godly† position. The first possible motive Iago mentions for wanting to destroy Othello is jealously. â€Å"I do suspect the lustful Moor hath leaped into my seat†¦like a poisonous mineral doth gnaw my inwards,† is evidence of this possible motive. All other evidence in the play categorically proves that it is incredibly unlikely that Othello would have slept with Emilia and it is possible that Iago too understands that Othello wound never cheat on Desdemona. However Iago finds that he has to lie to himself to keep strong and to help justify his actions to the audience, proving that he must feel some guilt. Iago is also comparing the jealously he feels to an animal or a monster â€Å"gnawing away at his inwards†. This comparison links with another line Iago speaks, however this time it is directed to Othello, not the audience. In Act 3 Scene 3 Iago tells Othello to: â€Å"Beware†¦the green eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.† In this case Shakespeare is b eing extremely ironic, as it is Iago who has succumbed to jealously and let it change his character forever, not Othello who loses his better judgement momentarily and then repents in the final scene. Iago shows in his second soliloquy that he sees people as tools, ready to be manipulated, hinting at the sense of detachment he feels. The lines: â€Å"Which thing to do, If this poor trash of Venice, whom I trash,† show this aptly. After becoming so consumed with jealously, greed or whatever is driving him on, Iago now feels no real emotional connection with ordinary people. In fact the only true relationship he has with another person is the perverse relationship he shares with Othello. Despite hating Othello, he still desires his love and praise. Iago is extremely confused and, after recoiling away from Emilia’s love the only person he feels any connection with is Othello. This makes him an extremely perverse and sadistic character, which could go some way to making him the â€Å"perfect villain†. Unlike other evil characters, who want their foes dead so they can achieve power or peace Iago has despised Othello so much that his hatred has gone full circle, and he has ended up now desiring Othello’s love again, as proved by the line: â€Å"Make the Moor thank me, love me and reward me†. This kind of relationship makes Iago seem slightly unstable thus making putting the audience one step behind Iago. Iago could commit nearly any possible action after this statement and it would still seem believable to the audience, as they recognise him as slightly un-hinged. Whereas other villains, such as Macbeth, are limited in what they can do before the story becomes too unbelievable, Iago can do just about anything as he harbours a wide range of emotions for Othello- love, respect and, ultimately, hatred. This ultimately contributes to him being the perfect villain, he is unrestricted, Shakespeare can take his character anywhere and the audience will never be able to second- guess him. This is proved in perfect fashion in the last scene of the play, where Othello and the guards confront Iago. When pushed for a reason for destroying the lives of so many people, Iago simply says: â€Å"Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I will never speak word.† This epitomises the character of Iago. Throughout the play, Iago evidences his love of talking and communicating and, when presented with no other characters to interact with, he instead communicates with the audience in his soliloquies. Therefore many would be forgiven for thinking Iago’s final stand involves a hail of angry metaphors and lies, as he finally lays into Othello. Yet instead he remains cool and hideously restrained. He doesn’t fulfil what people think he will do, making him unpredictable, compelling and, ultimately, the perfect villain. Iago’s third and final soliloquy reveals just how evil Iago can be. He loses most, if not all, of the empathy the audience have gained from him in the space of nearly 30 lines, in preparation for the plays finale where Shakespeare presumably wanted all of the initial, spontaneous empathy to be directed towards Desdemona, Emilia and Othello. Iago slightly sarcastically plays on the title â€Å"Honest Iago† in his third soliloquy, after many of the characters start addressing him by this title. â€Å"And what’s he then that says I play the villain, When this advice is free I give, and honest,† are the two lines that open his final soliloquy. Whilst some people feel that Iago us trying to gain some empathy by implying he is not totally in the wrong I personally don’t believe Shakespeare wanted these two lines to be spoken seriously by the actor portraying Iago. I get the impression that Shakespeare wanted these two lines to be spoken slightly sarcastically, as Iago is boasting in this sequence. By having Iago boast so close to the dramatic and disastrous finale, I believe that Shakespeare is showing that, despite being extremely clever and in many cases the perfect villain, Iago is still only human. He is mistaken here, as Othello and the guards eventually find him out and it is Emilia who revea ls his deceit, which is very ironic as Iago isn’t quiet in his contempt of women and believes all women to be stupid. Iago carefully maintains a veneer of â€Å"honesty and trust† but like many people, his outward appearance belies a inner deception. Iago is commonly referred to as Machiavellian, a term coined for Prince Machiavelli. Machiavelli is famous for his political treatise, â€Å"The Prince† which espouses, among other things, that the ends to power always justify the means. Machiavelli was a well known villain in the Jacobean era but, importantly, he was also renowned for his intelligence. By comparing the two men, Shakespeare is making an important statement: Iago is no fool. In many of Shakespeare’s other plays, the villain of the piece is foolish and slow, but in this play, the villain is arguably the smartest of all the characters. This keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, making Othello one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. The lines: â€Å"Divinity of Hell† When Devils do their blackest sins put on, They do suggest at first with heavenly shows,† show how Shakespeare compares Iago to the Devil, implying that Iago is the physical manifestation of evil. Contrary to popular belief, the Devil, or Lucifer, is or was not a fire-spitting, all-powerful behemoth. He was instead a fallen angel, once a trusted servant of God who eventually fell to Earth after letting ambition and greed cloud his judgement. The Devil also influences others by tempting them, in a similar fashion to Iago. Whilst prone to fits of rage, such as when he kills Emilia and wounds Cassio, Iago does the majority of his work through the spoken word. He is a master of language in a similar way that the Devil is the master of temptation. Shakespeare also uses an oxymoron, â€Å"Divinity of Hell!† to represent Iago’s conflicting personality. The phrase also somewhat represents Iago, as he is the slick, controlled face of evil, able to deceive and manipulate others, making him such an affective villain. Iago ends his final soliloquy with the two lines: â€Å"And out of her own goodness make the net, That shall enmesh them all.† Here, Iago is fantasizing about putting his plan into action. He is also once again revealing the sense of detachment he feels, he is planning on manipulating Desdemona’s innocence and purity into a weapon, thus highlighting the ruthless nature of his character. The fact that Iago sees these qualities as factors to be exploited sum up his nature in perfect fashion. Iago is an opportunist, a speculator. He is extremely apt in finding a gap in someone’s character and using it to fulfil his own needs. Whilst most would see this as a weakness, Iago sees it as strength and it serves him well until he is caught. The fact that Shakespeare compares Iago manipulating everyone around him to â€Å"enmeshing people† suggests that Iago is in a higher position than everybody else. He is rounding up the other characters, and delighting in the fact that it is Desdemona’s innocence that is luring people in. He is doing the dirty work whilst using another character o take the blame. In conclusion, I do see Iago as the perfect villain. He is opportunistic, ruthless and compelling, a perfect villain in so many ways. An Elizabethan audience would most likely have at first reacted very negatively to Iago, but such is the strength of his character that his motives for destroying Othello begin to be understood long after the play has been performed. Whilst at first he seems purely evil, upon further reflection you begin to see Iago as a victim, a victim of what ambition can do to a man. The soliloquies also help Iago gain, and lose empathy. Shakespeare uses them as a tool, an instrument in engaging the audience. First the audience feel sorry for Iago, before Shakespeare turns the story on it’s head and makes Iago utterly evil once more. This all contributes to making Iago the perfect villain; he is unreadable and unpredictable, unlike other Shakespearean characters that remain the same character throughout. Iago is constantly changing, evolving and developing.

Lord of the Flies: Intelligence and Good vs. Evil

Good versus evil is a common concept used often in storytelling, writing, plays, movies, etc. the basic story line is commonly used and developed to mold different ideals, meanings, and lessons into different types of works. William Golding’s novel the Lord of the Flies falls into this category of works with the good versus evil story line. Boiling the novel down to its most basic state it is a story of a group of boys. They all start out in a state of innocence, then as they adjust to their new surroundings after being stranded on a deserted island with no adults; they chose whether or not they turn from their innocence.When the boys turn from their innocence they go from being good to evil, or as the interpretation of this novel is commonly perceived the boys go from being civilized boys to savages. It is in this sense that civilized and good can be used interchangeably for this interpretation, and the same for evil and savagery. Golding puts an interesting twist to this bas ic plot right in the beginning of the story. Golding takes the story from just a simple tale of good versus evil to good versus evil with competing ideas of intelligence.Right in the beginning of the novel we see these ideas of intelligence take form. As the story builds the differences in the types of intelligence grows and becomes more distinct. From there the competition of good versus evil begins. After their plane crashes the boys who were on the plane to escape the warfare in England are scattered on the island. Ralph, the first boy we are introduced to meets another boy named Piggy. â€Å"It’s a shell! I seen one like that before. On someone’s back wall. A conch he called it. He used to blow it and then his mum would come. It’s ever so valuable-â€Å"(15).With Piggy’s help Ralph uses the conch they found to call out to the other boys on the island. This is the first hint at the two types of intelligence. Piggy is already exhibiting signs of natur al intelligence. This type of intelligence is developed based on the sensory analysis of the surroundings. This intelligence is more advanced and enables Piggy to think in more civilized, advanced ways. He is immediately made fun of for his appearance and as the story progresses is mocked as a know-it-all. No one listens to Piggy, even though the conch and the meeting were his ideas no one realizes this, nor do they care.Once all the boys are gathered together there is a vote on who should be chief. A boy named Jack is introduced as the leader of the choir boys and he wants to be chief, but when put to a vote Ralph is elected. Ralph does give the choir to Jack and asks what they would like to be. Jack tells Ralph that he and his choir shall be the hunters. Ralph depicts more social intelligence. Ralph knows how to work a crowd, how to lead a group, and how to gain respect. â€Å"Everybody must stay round here and wait and not go away.Three of us- if we take more we’d get all mixed, and lose each other- three of us will go on an expedition and find out† (23-24). This act showed that Ralph was able to get the attention of the boys at any time and that the boys would actually listen to him. His ability to be able to accomplish this as quickly as he did really shows his true social intelligence. â€Å"If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire† (38). Ralph does show some natural intelligence as well, but not nearly as much as Piggy exhibits.Jack also shows a form of social intelligence. He is able to keep command over his choir and they listen to him no matter what. This shows that in the beginning of the story even though the boys are all different, have different types of intelligence, and have mixed feelings about the situation they are still united together as a whole. â€Å"All day I’ve been working with Simon. No one else. They’re off bathing, o r eating, or playing† (50). The boys begin to slack and begin to realize that there aren’t consequences or punishments for the wrongs they do.Jack and his group of hunters become obsessed with the idea of killing a pig, and are the only ones exempt from helping build shelters, though the other boys don’t really care enough about their orders to help build or gather food. It’s at this point in the novel where there are serious signs of cracks and issues with the order system the boys have put in place since being on the island. Jack is beginning to slip into a more savage state, and is using his social intelligence to bring other boys down with him. The improvised form of society that the boys have created is already starting to weaken and fall. Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood† (69). â€Å"Look! We’ve killed a pig-we stole up on them-we got into a circle-â€Å"(69). It is at this point in the novel where the group of hunters, th e boys who killed the pig, have turned from innocence. The kill they had obsessed over finally happened and they were proud of themselves for killing. The act of killing a living creature, something they never had done before, was the true turning point for them. There was no turning back from it; the hunters even painted their faces, this sense of wearing a mask, pretending to be someone else enabled them to kill. ‘But they’ll be painted! You know how it is. ’ Eric says. The others nodded. They understood only too well the liberation into savagery that the concealing paint brought. ‘Well, we won’t be painted,’ said Ralph, ‘because we aren’t savages’† (Golding 172). Ralph is starting to understand that Jack and the group of boys who follow him are starting to turn to a more evil state. Ralph still tries to use his social intelligence and command over his boys so they don’t go over to Jack’s side. Within Jack’s group the obsession with hunting caused the boys to let the fire go out, and subsequently lose a chance at rescue.The hunters didn’t really seem to care about the fire; they were still overly hyped up about their kill, swearing that they would hunt again and bring back even more meat. As the boys become more and more content with letting go with the rules they get closer and closer to losing their sense of civilization completely. â€Å"‘If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it. We shan’t keep the fire going. We’ll be like animals. We’ll never be rescued. ’â€Å" (Golding 92). As the boys start to fulfill their own wishes of hunting and playing they get sick of listening to Ralph and being controlled by the conch.They don’t want to do work; they just want to have fun. Jack rebels against Ralph and makes his own â€Å"tribe,† where he could be the leader and he would no longer be controlled by the conch. Evil starts to arise rapidly; the majority of the older boys side with Jack and abandon Ralph’s authority. After that Piggy, Sam and Eric are the older boys who remain with Ralph. As the night wears on, some of the â€Å"littleuns† sneak off to join Jack. This is truly the end of their makeshift society, it has completely failed.After the split of the group it appeared as though things could settle down, but Ralph and his boys find that it is nearly impossible to keep the rescue fire going. They need to ask the others for help but Jack’s boys are too afraid to help them. Jack had taken to using torturous and intimidation methods to keep control over his group. He wears a mask, like he did when he killed the first pig; this seems to allow Jack to give in completely to his â€Å"evil† savage side. It was while celebrating their savageness and reenacting the kill that they got carried away and got themselves overly worked up. The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws† (Golding 153). The wickedness in all of the boys deludes them into mistaking Simon, the only truly â€Å"good† pure boy, as the beastie. Simon was considered to be the â€Å"pure† boy, the epitome of civilization and innocence. Jack and the other boys had completely given themselves over to their evil sides, giving in to their natural instincts and savagery.Social Intelligence and natural intelligence are both qualities that help a person to be successful in life. However, overall, society puts greater worth in social intelligence. The abilities to work with others, lead and motivate others, and inspire others make a person successful in life. Just like good and evil, social and n atural intelligence go hand in hand. One is not greater than the other, but like people believe good is better, people put more stock in social intelligence. In Lord of the Flies the boys put their trust in Ralph, but as time goes on, and rules begin to be broken, the less control Ralph seems to have.Social intelligence will only go so far, it can’t be natural instincts. Natural instincts are hidden behind the rules and expectations of society. When they begin to dwindle and those instincts become more prominent, that natural intelligence becomes important, it can be the intelligence or lack thereof that can make or break a situation. Without one, evil or good, natural intelligence or social intelligence, the other is not really known. Without evil how would we know what good is? If everyone was socially intelligent how would we know what natural intelligence is? The answer is we wouldn’t have a way of knowing.A person cannot know one without knowing of the other. Inte lligence and good and evil all work together, as seen in Golding’s novel. Jack possessed the same kind of social intelligence as Ralph, but when he gave in to evil his social intelligence the power it gave him over the other boys allowed Jack to change the atmosphere of the island and turn the boys away from goodness and civilization. Piggy had natural intelligence but because he lacked any real social intelligence he was shunned, mocked, and in the end killed for this. He came off as a know-it-all and a whiner; this annoyed the other boys and eventually led to his demise.The boys didn’t put any stock in natural intelligence; they put all their stock in social intelligence and natural instinct. Ralph, with Piggy’s help, was able to remain civilized and good. Though he lost his hold on the boys he still had his social intelligence, and even some natural intelligence of his own to rely on. When Ralph was in charge his positive outlook affected the boys as well, th ey were positive because he was positive. The struggle between good and evil does not just affect the person who’s battling it within themselves, it also affects those around them, and subsequently can change them too. ?

Art is nature

Art is expression of human imagination or inward and what they feel about the world. Art plays a large part in making our lives infinitely. Could you imagine what will happen if the world without art ? Just look at desk where you are. Someone designed that. It is art. We are all surrounded by art. Art stimulates different parts of our brains to make us laugh or incite us to riot with a whole gamut of emotion in between. Art gives us a way to be creative and express ourselves.I could say † Art is something that makes us more thoughtful and well rounded humans. Also art is created by the processes and products of human creativity and social life, such as languages , literature and history. I would like to share about of the Waldron Gallery experience. It was my first time to interested in oil painting and watercolors painting. I really enjoyed especially for watercolors painting. I looked at art which is called Two rocks. First, the lines are curved it shows that the ocean moving and space looks like linear perspective.Linear perspective objects close to us appear larger than those further away, even though we know that in truth they are of similar proportions. The shapes are organic and it portrays perfection of watercolors painting. As we looked at Two Rocks painting closer and closer, you can feel ocean wave and many lines portrays the depth and flow by the different color. Just looks so amazing and real . I am the nature lover. Because I was born in Mongolia which is one of the beautiful country in the world.And I really appreciate when art related with nature. Can you imagine walking through an art museum and not seeing any trees or water . No mountains or streams, sunrises or sunsets ? No boats on rough waves or relaxing landscape ? It's impossible, because nature is everywhere in art from the literal to the abstract inspiration provided by the textures, colors and sounds of the natural world. Being outdoors can lift our spirits and stoke our creativi ty. The beauty of nature reflected in arts is Just another reminder of our need to protect it.

Fear and Loathing on MySpace.com Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Fear and Loathing on MySpace.com - Essay Example But who is she hanging out with And who is lurking online in the shadows of MySpace leering at the profiles of these vulnerable tweens While some have hailed MySpace as the greatest social experiment of the century, others have called it a Sears and Roebuck catalogue for pedophiles. Social networking has forever altered the modern childhood relationship. This revolution has left our youngest children, ages 8-13, open to the threat of exploitation and for these kids MySpace is a dangerous space to be in. The greatest threat to these children who visit MySpace is the potential to be sexually solicited. A study conducted at the University of New Hampshire found that 1 in 5 children who have been online on a social network have experienced sexual solicitation (Mitchell, Finkelhor, and Wolak 3012). With the number of younger children creating a profile on MySpace skyrocketing1 this means millions of children are being exposed to this danger. As younger and younger children begin to logon and socialize, we put an age group at risk that are the least able to handle these abusive situations. Though MySpace requests that all users must be age 14 or older, younger and younger children are going online. ... Still, the children at risk get younger. A New Jersey Principal became concerned when "one of her 10-year-old students got an inappropriate message from "someone clearly an adult" ('"MySpace' Cadets"). This was on a school computer with close supervision. Younger children are able to deceive the registration process and could end up being molested or worse. The fact is that MySpace does not verify age and there is no way they can. The BBC reported in March 2006 that two men were arrested in the US over sex charges after they allegedly used MySpace to illegally contact their victims ("MySpace Tightens Age Restrictions"). One girl was just 11 years old. Though MySpace has made a token effort to tighten their age restrictions, they are well aware of the loopholes in security. They have even begun to warn teenagers of the danger. Recently, "the site introduced adverts warning teenagers about the dangers of sexual predators on the web" and the BBC contends that, "At the moment, MySpace has no way of verifying the age of users" ("MySpace Tightens Age Restrictions."). Currently there is not way to prevent an 8-year-old from registering as an 18-year-old. How easy is it for someone to pretend to be a different age or gender on MySpace According to computer security expert Richard Carlotti, anyone can do it. He says that MySpace currently uses the honor system and uses the information you supply it. He warns people that MySpace can never be safe for young children. He says, "If it is designed to be used by teen-agers, the security needs to be geared toward them, which means anyone with a 13 year old mind can subvert the system". The only way to increase the security is use biometric identification systems2 that are simply too expensive and

Maximising Sales and Client Base of Contemporary Art Gallery Essay

Maximising Sales and Client Base of Contemporary Art Gallery - Essay Example CAG would be catering to the needs of customers ranging from various age groups possibly from 16-65 and people from diverse lifestyles. The company has a strong belief in values and therefore the employees would be given a 10% gain sharing on the basis of their performance in the next year. Apart from this the company is aimed at acquiring 20% return on its applied capital assets in the next 15 months. Company has identified the following tasks on the basis of short term plan: Approach to the clients for the CAG to identify their needs and tastes more into the roots. Locate the sponsors and investors for implementing the objectives. Establish the infrastructure for the art gallery with all the latest facilities and equipment. Plan the first art exhibition and first musical concert which will held within the next six months. External Environment The external environment for CAG is explained using the PEST analysis. PEST is an abbreviation for political, economical, social and technolo gical analysis. It is primarily used to describe the macro environment for any newly started project in order to analyze the external factors which might influence the business in the short run or in the long run. In the recent times the horizon of pest analysis has broaden to PESTEL which further includes the environmental and legal factors affecting the business activity. Political The stable political condition of the country enables the company to carry out its operation smoothly and soundly. However the expected areas for the political intervention would be tax policy; this will be dealt through modern age accounting solutions such as the principle of depreciation which is a helpful tool in decreasing the tax rate and simultaneously increasing the company... Maximizing sales and client base of Contemporary Art Gallery The paper presents a deep business activity analysis of a Contemporary Art Gallery and future forecasting on the basis of PESTEL analysis and Seven Ps of marketing. It also describes a substantial and suitable mission statement and has also assigned the immediate tasks to be done to improve the business situation. The initial business plan is made on the basis of ‘The Pyramid of Goals’ presented in ‘The Business Plan Workbook’. Within the next 3 years, the aim of the plan is to achieve a significant position in the world of Art as well as in the artists’ lives. Over the next year, the sales and client base is expected to be increased by 15% which would enable the company to achieve the future goals as well. The company has a strong belief in values and therefore the employees would be given a 10% gain sharing on the basis of their performance in the next year. Apart from this, the company is aimed at acquiring 20% return on its applied capital assets in the next 15 months. The plan emphasizes that extending the business operations while considering different external and internal environmental aspects will facilitate the company to maximize its sales and increase the client base. The initial business plan clarifies the aims and objectives of the company and also encourages the employees by assigning them certain goals for a specified time period. Motivated employees play a vital role in increasing the overall productivity.

EMF and Internal Resistance Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

EMF and Internal Resistance - Lab Report Example This paper describes electric current as the manner in which the electric charge flow in a circuit in order to transfer energy portions to regions of resistance like resistors, buzzers, or bulbs) in the circuit. The circuit gets the energy at the start of the circuit where dry cells are producing electrical energy from chemical energy. The batteries available in today’s markets are mostly constructed from materials that possess negligibly small internal resistance. Real batteries do not only provide voltage to the circuit but they also offer some internal resistance. Any device that produces the voltage purely is called an electromotive force (E.M.F.) Which battery is the total energy that is changed electrical energy during the passage of a unit charge through the production point? It forms a voltage and reflects the total amount of energy supplied through the circuit. The terminal voltage a battery produces at a point without the flow of current is the EMF. The units for mea suring EMF is volts. All batteries/cells lose energy as heat when they are dissipating current because of the presence of their internal resistance. The voltmeter is used in the circuit to get the emf values. The addition of a resistor in the circuit drops the reading on the voltmeter voltage, v. Meanwhile, voltage does not experience full transfer in the circuit but a portion of it is wasted due to the presence of internal resistance within the battery. The dry cell only possesses internal resistance which converts the energy present into heat. The dry cells EMF together with its internal resistance can alternatively be calculated by other methods. A plot of terminal voltage versus current can help achieve the above. V varies inversely with changes in I to produce a straight line graph. The line equation of y=mx+c, is applicable to the formula of electromotive force, E= Ir.

Home birth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Home birth - Essay Example A low risk women can plan a home birth supported with all the medical care, can be transferred to hospital if needed rather, than planning hospital birth initially. Women find labor very easy to deal; since they feel control over the delivery and they have to use less drugs to cope with pain. They use methods like massage or births pools; moreover, at home she is at ease and can use any positions she likes. For the first time mothers, the need of transferring to hospital is very high compared to the mothers who have had already one delivery. But there is small chance of transferring the mother and baby to hospital after the baby is born; the problem might arise with the delivery of placenta or if the baby has problem in breathing. The most common reason for transfer is a long labor or slow progress, when either the mother or the baby gets tired and further monitoring or assistance is needed. (Briefing the Journalists, March 2006) Women who desire to have home birth will know their midwife well and if she is attended by community midwives then they team upto eight. She also meets the midwife during pregnancy. Many hospitals provide a list of midwives that can be contacted if the expecting mother requires midwifery help. (Briefing the Journalists, March 2006), (Vedam, 2003). Most women who give birth in hospital say that making journey to the hospital have to make a journey to hospital during labor is a matter of routine. Most home births also cause very little mess, a waterproof sheet on the floor is sufficient and moreover, midwives bring supplies of large absorbent pads to protect surfaces and they clear up everything after the birth (Briefing the Journalists, March 2006), (Vedam, 2003). If the women doesn’t find the local community midwife care upto the mark or has difficulty in booking a local midwife, she can book and an independent midwife. Independent midwives are equipped with experience of

Setting plays a crucial role in both of these stories. Discuss the Essay

Setting plays a crucial role in both of these stories. Discuss the importance of setting and how it contributes to the stories plots and resolutions - Essay Example the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence†(Poe, 251). This is a significant contrast of events occurring simultaneously, a deadly disease and a magnificent ball. The story essentially follows Prince Prospero from his seclusion to the time of his marvelous masquerade at his abbey. It is within his abbey that Prince Prospero desperately tries to hide himself from the horrible â€Å"red death†, but is eventually victim to death at his very own masquerade within his abbey. This is ultimately a setting of hiding and a contrast between reality and human disillusionment. Despite his efforts to avoid the â€Å"red death†, Prince Prospero succumbs to inevitable fate within the very bungalow that he used as a hiding place from a would be death. Ultimately, the setting of this piece is a grand disillusionment on the part of the Prince. In the piece written by Susan Glaspell, Trifles, the reader finds a more elemental setting. This piece introduces itself within the kitchen of a now abandoned farmhouse. This is of course the farmhouse kitchen of the Wright’s, and a very unkempt kitchen at that. This is a clue to the chaos of the situation that plays out within the piece, â€Å"The kitchen in the now abandoned farmhouse of John Wright, a gloomy kitchen, and left without having been put in order - the walls covered with a faded wallpaper†(Glaspell, 1290). The setting that the reader finds in Trifles is more realistic and conducive to the plot than that of the setting of The Masque of the Red Death. Trifles is an illustration of a woman pushed entirely too far and too long by her husband. Finally, she murders her husband and naturally, the kitchen is a mess. The entirety of the piece takes place within the home of the Wrights, a simple farmhouse showing signs of a tremulous marriage at best. The clichà ©

Events Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Events Strategy - Essay Example To do these, Nokia forged tie ups with partners which include Microsoft Communicator Mobile, towards the enhancement of unified communications proposition (Microsoft Communicator Mobile for Nokia Debuts 2010). As a result, new applications for new handsets have been released, initially available to certain models such as E72 and E52. On top of these, there are also new features that aim at achieving customer convenience – the touch screen feature similar to Iphone, mobile internet browsing using the latest technologies, development of Ovi maps, among others. These consumer-friendly features are what drive the company to further work on its Marketing, Advertising and Promotional activities to reach the target market. Half of the job is to continue developing the brand, while half is to continue developing the market reach through advertisements and events. Nokia was a paper and rubber business back in the 1800s, eventually transforming into a cable and electronic business during the first decades of the 1900s. In 1979, it focused on the mobile phone making business (Story of Nokia 2010). However, it was in 1992 that they made a strategic decision to focus on Telecommunications by launching its 2100 series which sold approximately 300% more than the target (Nokia History 2010). Nokia remains to be the world’s top selling handset manufacturer with market share of 35% versus over ten competitor brands during the first quarter of 2010. However, this reflects a decline of 1.2% from last year’s sales, presumably from the decline in sales of their high end phones. What constitutes the current market share is the presence of its mid end phones that offers both benefits and cost efficiency (Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Phone Sales Grew 17% In First Quarter 2010). As such, with the continuous product development of the other handset manufacturers, Nokia is pressured to maintain market stature as the leading company. Nokia

Final exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 11

Final exam - Essay Example Therefore, the company can use the Miller Act as a legal entry point (Cihon, Patrick and Castagnera 110). Mr. Johnny should be aware that the Miller Act primarily minimizes the difficulties that subcontractors encounter in claiming payments from the prime contractors. Furthermore, the Contract Disputes Act waivers government indebtedness only to lawsuits involving contracts to which government is part, not subcontractors. The Johnny Johns flooring company has the option of seeking payment under the Miller Act and section 8(d) or the Small Business Protection Act. It is also worthwhile that the Prompt Payment Act provides immunity to subcontractor’s payments on government contracts. The Act obliges the federal agencies to include a clause in the contract that imposes the prime contractor to remit payments to the subcontractors for â€Å"satisfactory† performance in the contract within seven days of their receiving payments from the contract owner. In the event, that the flooring company fails to verify the provision of the commitment clause, they have no legal provision to sue the government or the contractor under the Prompt Payment Act. Intellectual property rights are creations including inventions, literary and arts, designs, symbols as well as images used in commerce. The Property rights are regulated to enable the owners obtain recognition and financial benefits from their creations. The rights balance between the interest of the innovators and that of the wider public to ensure an environment in which innovation flourishes. Under the United States Copyright law, the designer of any file retains the ownership of the property rights, but the client acquires the ownership of the end product. In this case, United States Air Force is the customer and the ITI Inc. the designer . Therefore, the United States Air Force owns the new command and control system developed by ITI Inc. However, the Corporation retains ownership of the

Career Exploration Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Career Exploration Project - Essay Example In this light, the purpose of this report is to take up informational interview with two key employees of Hilton Group to explore the dynamics that are required for survival in hospitality sector. Mr. Walter Jones works as a supervisor for the hotel for three departments mainly front-desk manager, food and beverage and customer complaint and the Mr. Alex Jordan works in developing the customer relationships. This research is a primary one that will be further used for my own personal development in the professional environment. The interviews have occurred over telephone. I had to obtain the permission of the respondents before conducting the interview and this was done by e-mailing them in advance. The timing of the phone call was discussed over e-mails with the consent of the respondents. The findings from the interview are presented below. Mr. Walter Jones has worked with the Hilton Group for the past six years and he acts as a supervisor of three key areas namely front office, food and beverages delivery and resolution of customer complaints. Three most important skills have come up in the conversation with Mr. Walter Jones, namely, communication, problem solving and self-management skills. He explained that most importantly it is mandatory to manage one-self before managing others. He said that resolution of customer complaints requires having excellent communication skills. These finding is consistent with the findings of Mallinson and Weiler (2000 cited in Barron 78) who had also found that communication is most important requirement of supervisors. Problem-solving has also featured in their works. Mr. Whitman has also added that the organization has also been trying to improve its customer service experience for which it has encouraged every employee to take up computer learning skills. Mr. Whitman informed that he has recently learned internal computer software that makes his job easier. The

King Arthur Literary Analysis Essay Example for Free

King Arthur Literary Analysis Essay The name King Arthur appears throughout a countless amount of literature, stories, cinema, and legend. King Arthur has always been a long-standing icon of heroism, and heroism is a theme mankind takes pleasure in romanticizing. Arthurian Romance is the classic example of good versus evil, knights in shining armor, forbidden love, and sorcery; the basic elements of a romanticized tale. And in a dark time where religion clashed, empires fought in epic battles, and the people of Britain suffered from poverty and disease, Arthurian legend was needed to lift the spirits of the hopeless. Arthurian Romance is an accurate portrayal of the time period better known as the Medieval Ages because it takes the woes and misfortunate events of that time and twists them into a heroic soap opera full of love, tragedy, and triumph. The Medieval Ages began around 476 AD, when the Roman emperor of the West abdicated. The period ends in the late fifteenth century with the discovery of the New World. During this period, different nations conquered and collapsed, society changed, and religion was further divided. During the Middle Ages, the Holy Roman Empire had begun an effort to occupy Britain. They wanted to drive out the Anglo-Saxons and convert the Pagans to Catholicism. A long lasting relic of Roman involvement in Britain is Hadrian’s Wall, which was a heavily fortified wall running west to east and was probably used to keep barbarian tribes out and regulate trade and passage into Romano-Britain territory. Along with military involvement, Rome also spread Catholicism to a Pagan Britain. Catholicism involves a hierarchy of religious leaders, with the Pope at the top. There are also bishops, priests, monks, and nuns who are apart of the clergy. Other than the clergy, Medieval society was composed of nobles, knights and serfs. Nobles commonly owned fiefs, an estate of land, and the serfs who worked there. Knights were employed to guard the fief and fight wars with other nobles. This was called Feudalism. When nobles declared a war on each other, many different warfare tactics were used to take down castles. Siege warfare was common, in which scaling ladders, battering rams, siege towers and catapults were utilized in order to enter a fortress. Infantry included archers and cavalry, and there was a broad assortment of weapons used; daggers, long swords, crossbows, throwing axes, clubs, maces, halberds, lances, and many more. While knights commonly fought for a noble or king, a group of fearsome knights known as the Templar Knights fought in the crusades for religious conquest. The Templar Knights are associated with King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail, and some of the knights of the round table are portrayed wearing a large red cross on their breastplate (which is the symbol of the Templar Knights). Knights were also involved with jousting. Jousting was a martial game between two knights mounted on horses and using lances. This was often part of a chivalrous tournament or used as a military tactic of heavily armed cavalry. Knights and nobles also were encompassed in courtly love, a conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration. Courtly love often did not take place between a husband and wife. Instead, a man would shower another woman in gifts and symbols of his love to her and they would keep their affair secret. A famous example of courtly love is the affair between Lancelot du Lac and Queen Guinevere. The Middle Ages had many lows. Many people associate these times with the Black Plague or the Bubonic Plague. When the Mongols from the east attacked Europe, they brought with them a terrible disease that wiped out about 138 million people. Also during the Middle Ages, there was decrease in scholarly thinking and the quality of art. Religion is blamed for stunting the growth of new ideas and inventions. In fact, religion is the overlying cause for many of the events of the Medieval Ages. The greatest dispute over religion was the East-West Schism that split Christianity into the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. This split was born from disputes over whether the Pope could marry and iconoclasm (similar to worshipping false idols) and the use of local languages in church. They were even in dispute regarding the nature of God. The Crusades were another religious dispute. The Crusades were military campaigns undertaken by European Christians of the eleventh through the fourteenth centuries to take other the Holy Land and convert Muslims to Christianity. The First Crusade was a response to the Seljuk Turks conquering the â€Å"Holy Land† (present-day Israel and Palestine). However, most of these conquests were failures and achieved nothing except for interactions with the Arab world (in both beneficial and devastating ways). Lastly, there was the Inquisition. This was a formalized interrogation and persecution process of heretics (including satanic or witch-like behavior). Punishment for people suspected of heresy was torture and execution. The Church in the Middle Ages is clearly an influential factor of these times. The Medieval Ages also saw quite a bit of political changes. The Carolingian, established by Charles Martel, ruled present-day France, Belgium, Germany and Northern Italy. His grandson, Charlemagne established the Holy Roman Empire. In the North, Vikings and other Scandinavian became notorious for raiding Roman Catholic monasteries. In France, Vikings were referred to as Normans. They conquered Anglo-Saxon England in 1066. As mentioned before, Feudalism was the social, political, and economic system of the Middle Ages. England became a feudalistic society because there was not a unifying force bringing the people together. Many claims to the throne of all Britain were made, which is actually the premise of the King Arthur legend. Nobles and Kings owned land and had armies of Knights who pledged a code of chivalry to them. This was an honor system that strongly condemned betrayal and promoted mutual respect. In the Feudal society, only males could inherit the land. The land was passed down through primogeniture (to the eldest son). Noblewomen had limited rights. They could sometimes inherit fiefs but could not rule it. Noblewomen were only educated in domestic skills and were supposed to display feminine traits such as compassion and beauty. Peasants, male or female, had almost no rights. They couldn’t leave the manor without the permission of their lord. Over time, serfs (peasants) developed skills other than farming and slowly created a middle class that led Europe into the Renaissance. In the long run, all of these characteristics of the Medieval Ages are incorporated in the vast collection of Arthurian Romance. In the 1975 King Arthur Parody â€Å"Monty Python and The Holy Grail†, there is a scene that describes Arthur quite perfectly. In the scene, Arthur is traveling in a Feudal manor and comes across peasants working in a field outside of a castle. He asks a woman, â€Å"I am Arthur, King of the Britons. Whose castle is that? † The peasant woman looks up and asks, â€Å"King of the who? † Arthur repeats himself to which she replies, â€Å"Who are the Britons? † Arthur, stumped by her ignorance, tells her, â€Å"Well, we all are. We’re all Britons and I am your king. † The peasant woman shrugs and says, â€Å"I didn’t know we had a king. I thought we were an autonomous collective! † They argue about this for a moment and then the woman asked, â€Å"Well, how did you become king then? † Arthur dramatically respond with, â€Å"The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water signifying by Divine Providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. That is why I am your king! † Another peasant nearby shouts, â€Å"Listen strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony! † The meaning of the scene is that at the time King Arthur was created as a legend to legitimize the unifying king of Britain that would pull the people out of the Dark Ages. The punch line is that the land was so divided from feudalism and nobles trying to claim a non-existent throne that no one really took anyone seriously. However, Arthurian Romance became the bedtime story born out of the fantastical notion that Britain could be amalgamated into a strong empire. But let’s start at the beginning of the Arthurian legend. In most legends, Uther Pendragon is portrayed as Arthur’s father and Igraine as his mother. In Sir Thomas Malory’s The Crowning of King Arthur, the prophet Merlin helps a love-stricken Uther get with Igraine for a night. Arthur is born, but part of the agreement with Merlin was to have Arthur raised by another. Many years pass in which Arthur does not know his own nobility until he by chance, pulls the famous sword in the stone (the legend goes: â€Å"Who so Pulleth Out This Sword of this Stone and Anvil, is Rightwise King Born of all England. † (Malory, 1069)). Young Arthur accepts his role as King and unites Britain, defeats the Saxons, and establishes Camelot. In the first fictional story of Arthur’s life (Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the kings of Britain) by Geoffrey of Monmouth), Arthur is placed into a post-Roman Britain. Geoffrey uses the same fable of Arthur’s birth through the deception of Igraine. In this legend, Arthur also defeats the Saxons but he also expands his empire to Norway, Denmark and Gaul, and defeats Roman armies in order to do this. In the end, Arthur returns to Britain to defeat his nephew Modredus (Mordred) who was left in charge of Britain but betrayed Arthur. Arthur is mortally wounded, taken to Avalon and it is implied he passed away. Arthurian legend, however, is not only about Arthur. There are many huge characters in the stories. One widely known knight is Sir Lancelot du Lac. Lancelot is a tragic figure in Arthurian Romance. He was a Knight of the Round Table and one of King Arthur’s closest friends. His tragedy is that he was in love with Arthur’s wife, Guinevere. Lancelot was the son of the King Ban on Benwick and Elaine, but he was raised by the Lady of the Lake (â€Å"du lac† actually means â€Å"the lake†). The Lady of the Lake sent Lancelot off to become a Knight of the Round Table. In doing so, he meets and instantly falls in love with Guinevere. Their affair ultimately proves to be destructive. Lancelot is actually tricked by Elaine of Corbenic and sleeps with her, thinking it is Guinevere. When Guinevere hears of this, she is repulsed and banishes Lancelot. Later, Lancelot returns to assist Arthur in the quest for the Holy Grail. Other characters in Arthurian legend are Merlin and Morgaine. Merlin is sometimes a prophet, sometimes a magician, and always an advisor to King Arthur. Merlin’s earliest character depiction was as a bard driven mad by the terrors of war, who become a â€Å"man of the woods†. However, Geoffrey of Monmouth based his Merlin on Myrddin Wyllt (a prophet and a madman) and Aurelius Ambrosius (a fictional version of the historical war leader Ambrosius Aurelianus. Morgaine (also Morgan le Fay) is a sorceress in Arthurian legend. She is the half-sister of Arthur and the daughter of Igraine. In both The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley) and The Vulgate Cycle (13th century French prose) tell of how Morgaine lives in Avalon (mystical island in Arthurian legend) and trains under Merlin and the Lady of the Lake. Again in the Mists of Avalon, Morgaine is credited with having an unknown affair with Arthur. She gives birth to Mordred, who, in the end, turns out to be the enemy and murderer of King Arthur. In Arthurian Romance, King Arthur’s court is called Camelot. Camelot is where the Knights of the Round Table dwell and it is described as being a utopian land of beauty and peace. Throughout literature, Camelot has been located in many different areas of Britain, giving it no grounded location. An easy way to understand the basic ideology of Camelot, one can compare the presidency of John F.  Kennedy to the term Camelot. His presidency was regarded as a guarantee for a successful future, just like King Arthur gave Britain hope and unification. Kennedy’s assassination is like the fall of Arthur in that both had short lasting but wonderful terms in power that set the bar high for the future. Ultimately, these characters and concepts stem from Medieval life and paint a portrait of what the goals of Middle Age rulers wanted for society at the time. All Arthurian Romance contains the same specific elements: enchantment, quest, conquest, heroic behavior, utopian society, fatal passion and love. These elements, applied with Medieval life and history, equals a solid Arthurian story. The best example of all of these elements is The Crowning of Arthur from Le Morte d’Arthur (Malory, 1065). In the story, Arthur is conceived through the enchantment Merlin uses on Igraine to trick her into thinking Uther Pendragon is her husband, the Duke. Uther, who is fatally in love with Igraine, makes a deal with Merlin in that he will give the child he and Igraine produce to the wizard. Baby Arthur is taken away and grows up with Sir Ector, whom he grows to love as a father. The next part of the story is about the sword in the stone. In the story, â€Å"many of the nobles tried to pull the sword out the stone† (1069), but failed. When Arthur is sent to find Sir Kay (Ector’s son) a sword, he unknowing grabs the legendary sword from the stone and tugs it free without any effort. When Arthur comes back with the famous sword, everyone is in awe and asks him to demonstrate for them that he really pulled it. To their surprise, it is true. They ask Arthur to assume the role of king and he agrees, establishing the utopian court of Camelot. Le Morte d’Arthur is â€Å"the carefully constructed myth of the rise and fall of a powerful kingdom — a legendary kingdom, but perhaps also, obliquely, the real English kingdom which in Malorys day seemed as surely doomed by its own corruption as the ancient realm of King Arthur† (Cliffs Notes). What this means is that Arthur’s court reflects the realistic courts of actual kings because it eventually falls. The Crowning of Arthur seems naive in that a boy who just so happens to pull a sword from a stone makes him king. In the end, his kingdom falls. Crowning only sets it up. The outcome of the Arthurian Legend is quite similar to the reality of kingdoms in England of the Middle Ages, which proves Arthurian Romance is an accurate portrayal. Another story from Le Morte d’Arthur is called Sir Launcelot du Lake. It is a hectic story about Lancelot’s adventure, kidnapping, and battles with enemy knights. In the story, Lancelot decides he is fed up with his ennui and decides to go out with his nephew, Sir Lyonel. Possibly due to enchantment, Lancelot declares, â€Å"not for seven years have I felt so sleepy† (1074) and he lies down for a nap. When he awakes, he realizes three women have kidnapped him. They tell him he has to pick one of them or face his doom. Lancelot picks his death because his is loyal to his lover, Guinevere. Later, the daughter of King Badgemagus rescues him and in return he gives his services to the king. At the end of the story, Lancelot fights off Kind Badgemagus’ enemies. He displays incredible and fictitious strength when he â€Å"took another spear and unhorsed sixteen more men†¦ King of North Galys’ knight and, with his next, unhorsed another twelve† (1078). This story demonstrates chivalry and heroism, and exaggerates Lancelot’s abilities to fight. Literary critic Charles Moorman says â€Å"much of the Morte d’Arthur is thus concerned with revealing the corrupt reality beneath the fair chivalric surface. † However, Sir Launcelot du Lake contradicts that assumption by merely telling a simple story of a great knight who is loyal to his higher-up and to his lady. The story makes the knights of the Medieval Ages appear to bask in honor, goodness and strength. And in a way, they did in real life. Knights did have a strict code of chivalry as well as total loyalty to their nobles and their lovers. Again, this story gives merit to the fact Arthurian legend portrays Medieval society. The poem The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson is loose depiction of Arthurian Legend. In the poem, a woman is cursed to live in a tower and watch the world of Camelot from a mirror. â€Å"And moving through a mirror clear; That hangs before her all the year; Shadows of a world appear; There she sees the highway near; Winding down to Camelot† (verses 46 through 50). Then one day she sees Sir Lancelot riding in all his beauty and loveliness, and she decides she wants to leave the tower. The Lady of Shalott â€Å"left the web† (109) and gets into a boat. Unfortunately, she dies and floats on down to Camelot. Muriel Mellown says â€Å"she has chosen contact with Camelot, even at the price of her own destruction. † This quote illustrates that Camelot seemed like such a perfect utopian world that everyone sought its perfection and illustriousness. However, the Lady of Shalott kicks the bucket, similar to the way Camelot eventually falls. All good things never last. Lastly, a more modern and feminist take of Arthurian legend is The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. In Mists, the story of Arthur is told through the worlds of Morgaine, Arthur’s half-sister. In the excerpt read in class, Morgaine and Arthur are children neglected by their parents. Morgaine realizes her role to be Arthur’s protector, even though she feels disdain towards the child at first. When she says, â€Å"Mother’s gone, she’s with the king, but I’ll take care of you, brother,† (1085), Morgaine displays a bond of love towards her little brother. Morgaine is also depicted as a strong feminine character in both this scene and the entire story. Although â€Å"this book†¦ wasn’t so much a retelling of the Arthurian legend but only a bunch of Arthurian characters sitting around arguing about Christianity and Paganism,† (LaShawn), â€Å"Morgaine’s depiction as a powerful, savvy woman shows her to be the type of woman the feminists would champion as a prime example of what women should aspire to be, in spite of the biases still in place against them† (Ellis). Mists shines a new light and a new perspective on the events of the Medieval Ages, specifically the disputes of religion. It also represents how women did have influence over what happened in the kingdoms. In real life, noblewomen did have influence over the decisions their husbands made, though not legally. The Mists of Avalon yet again portrays a factor of the Medieval Ages. When push comes to shove, Arthurian Romance generally is regarded as a tall tale of a lost era. However, the tales depict a clear portrait of Medieval Life. Tragedy, honor, fatal passion and quest all dwell in the Middle Ages and Arthurian Romance. The characters of Arthurian Romance experience the tragedy of life like real life people and Camelot ends up failing, just like many of the empires and kingdoms of the world. The stories represent the dark times of the Medieval Ages and show that nothing is perfect. Therefore, Arthurian Romance is an accurate portrayal of the Medieval Ages.

Forensic Case Study: The Murder of James Bulger

Forensic Case Study: The Murder of James Bulger James Patrick Bulger was murdered on the 12th of February 1993 at the age of two. He was abducted, tortured, and killed by two ten-year-old boys Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. Bulger was led away from his mother when she was in A.R. Tyms butcher shop in the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, England. Jamies mother contacted security as soon as she realised her son was missing and the police were called. While reviewing the shopping centres CCTV footage, they saw that Thompson and Venables had approached Bulger before taking him by the hand and leading him out of the shopping centre at 15:42. Thomson and Venables then lead Bulger from there to a railway track 2.5 miles away in Walton, Liverpool. This would later be confirmed by witness statements who saw the three boys together and, at the time, assumed they were family. Once arriving at the railway track, Thomson and Venables threw paint into Bulgers face, some of which went into his left eye. The two boys threw stones at him, kicked him, and beat him with bricks. They then hit him with an iron bar, a partially rusted railway fishplate that was 20ins long and weighed 22lbs. Before leaving the body, Thomson and Venables laid Bulger across the railway tracks and placed rubble over his head, in the hope that a train would hit him and make his death appear to be an accident. After they left the scene, Bulgers dead body was cut in half by a train. His mutilated body was found on the railway line two days later, on February 14th 1993. The first breakthrough in finding Jamess killers occurred when a woman called the police after she recognised CCTV images of the two boys, Thompson and Venables, on national television. She had seen the two boys the day James Bulger went missing and knew that they were skipping school. The police responded to the womans call and the two boys were arrested. The forensic evidence that was found and submitted to the jury was vital to the prosecution. One piece of evidence that put Thomson and Venables at the scene of the crime was the blood found on the right shoe of one of the accused. A home office forensic scientist, Graham Jackson, said that there was only a one in a billion chance of error. DNA testing would have been used to match the blood found on the shoe to that of the victims. Forensic DNA testing is a process that begins with the DNA being isolated from the cells in this case, blood cells -and then is duplicated by a process called polymerase chain reaction. This process copies a specific stretch of DNA over and over, making it easier to analyse. The genetic code is split into separate chunks and then analysed to create a genetic fingerprint. Unlike actual fingerprints, there is a small chance that two different people could have the same genetic markers, especially if they are related to one another. To minimize this risk of error, scientists will test more than one genetic marker from a strand of DNA. Bulgers blood was also found on several bricks and on the 22lb iron bar. A forensic pathologist, Dr Allan Williams, counted 22 wounds on Jamess head and face and another 20 on his body. The wounds were so numerous that a final killing blow could not be established. Dr Williams determined that James would have already been dead by the time the train hit him as he had been stuck at least 30 times and would have endured a short period of survival after the attack began. The deep bruising on Jamess head, along with a cut that went down to the skull and the extensive damage to the back of his head, suggested that bricks and the iron bar had been used. Bulger sustained extensive head injuries, including a haemorrhage at the centre of his brain. Dr Williams also noted a severe blow to Jamess face that left a large bruise and grooved mark on the area around the right cheek and ear. A forensic scientist named Philip Rydeard was able to match the markings left on Jamess right cheek with a shoe worn by one of the boys. The shoe had an unusual arrangement of lacing rings as well as a distinctive stitching pattern. Paint found at the crime scene and on James Bulgers body was also found on the clothes of Thompson and Venables. Paint can be analysed in a few different ways to find a match: solvent tests, gas chromatography, and infrared spectrometry. Solvent tests involve exposing the paint samples to different chemicals and examining any changes that might take place (ie, a change in colour). Gas chromatography is used as a means of telling the difference between two paints that have the same colour, but have a different chemical composition. The paint sample is heated until it breaks down and is then separated into its components. Infrared spectrometry makes use of infrared light to determine the type of paint by examining the way that the paints various components absorb or reflect infrared light. Over the course of the trial, thirty-eight witnesses took the stand and said they had seen Bulger walking with Thompson and Venables, none of which could have ever foreseen the events that unfolded later that day. In addition, the 27 bricks, stones, and the 22lb iron rod used as weapons by Thompson and Venables were all presented to in court to eliminate any idea that the boys may be innocent. To conclude, the forensic evidence provided during the trial of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables was crucial to their prosecution. The DNA evidence from the traces of blood found on their clothes, as well as the shoe mark left on James Bulgers cheek, and the paint found on both the victim and the perpetrators clothing, provided absolute proof that Thompson and Venables had been at the scene of the crime. Backed up by CCTV footage and witness statements, this evidence lead to the prosecution of the youngest murderers in UK history. Sources Used   http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/james-bulger/trial https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Bulger http://www.forensicsciencesimplified.org/dna/how.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/james-bulger-suffered-multiple-fractures-pathologist-reveals-twoyearold-had-42-injuries-including-fractured-skull-jonathan-foster-reports-1503297.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/james-bulger-suffered-multiple-fractures-pathologist-reveals-two-year-old-had-42-injuries-including-1503297.html http://www.murderuk.com/child_killers_thompson_venables.html http://science.howstuffworks.com/forensic-lab-technique3.htm Comparing Leaders: Desamanya Ken Balendra and Sarath Fonseka Comparing Leaders: Desamanya Ken Balendra and Sarath Fonseka This particular assignment concentrates on comparing on two individual leaders, where one individual is a leader at present and the other has been a great leader in his time. This assignment is not only based on to understand about the particular individuals leadership traits and styles but also to gain knowledge and experience on how they have developed themselves to their positions in life and society they are in today. According to Dubrin, Dalgish Miller (2006, p.3) leadership is the principal dynamic force that motivates and coordinates the organization in the accomplishment of its objectives. Appannaiah Reddy (2006, p.261) says that leadership is an influence process of inducing a subordinate to behave in a desired manner. Therefore in order for us to practically understand the reality of the leadership theory, we have analyzed the leadership qualities of two different leaders that are in the fields of Business and military/politics. The first leader that we selected was Desamanya Ken Balendra. He was the first Sri Lankan Chairman of John Keells Holdings Ltd. (JKH), a highly diversified blue chip company and the only Sri Lankan Company to be listed amongst the worlds best 200 small companies by Forbes Global magazine. In year 2000, on reaching the age of 60, he retired from his position. Our next choice was a simple and more popular choice, which was General (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka. The former general of the Sri Lankan army who lead the armed forces of Sri Lanka to victory over the war against the Tamil rebels which dragged on for over 2 decades. A detailed analysis on each individual leader is included in the report, as well as a comparison of their leadership traits and styles through a theoretical background. BRIEF INTRODUCTION ON MR. KEN BALENDRA The major reason for choosing Mr. Ken Balendran for this assignment is because he is one of the most successful chairmans of Sri Lanka to ever be successful in a blue chip company like John Keells Holdings. He turned around things for JKH to reach higher objectives and become a well known people oriented company. And he indeed succeeded. After retirement his ways and pace of business is still been conducted at JKH. The present Chairman is also following the ways and footsteps of Mr. Balendra to bring out the best in John Keells. The reason why we selected him as the current leader is because he is still the Chairman of various other companies. He still runs his companies the same way he used to run JKH. With his experience and his visionary ways he is the most respected man in the corporate world today. He is also the holds the current positions of, Chairman of Brandix Lanka Ltd. A leading manufacturer and exporter of apparel. Director of chevron Lubricants Lanka Ltd., a subsidiary of Chevron Texaco. Chairman of the investment committee of Aureos South Asia fund Honorary Consul-General for Poland Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Council for Mental Health. Trustee of the Royal College Union HOW DID HE EMERGE AS A LEADER? Deshamanya Ken Balendra was always a Team player. At the interview with him, these were the first words he spoke to us. Saying Im a Team Player. When analyzing his history he was a good sportsman playing sports like Rugby. He was the vice captain of his team in royal college. Also he was in charge of the most important aspects of running a rugby team. Although he never became a Captain, he was determined to lead the team in to greater heights. He also played for the Ceylon Barbarians and captained the team for four years. He also received colors in doing so and is a very successful sportsman as well. When Mr. Ken Balendra was immerged to be a leader in the future, the question of role models and inspirations came in to considerations. Mr. Ken Balendra did not quite have his role models or Inspirations like most of us do, but he would recall his role models to be his bosses when he started his working career. He started his carrier with Tea. His family was in to planting and so into planting he went. Having finished creeping at Halgolla estate near Avissawella, he was transferred to Hapugastanne Group. Where he worked for the most part under the late Sepala Ilangakoon. He still reckons Ilangakoon to be Sri Lankas best ever planter. Mr. Balendra learnt readily by Illangakoons account, he was a model planter. Through this he gave Mr. Balendra experience of both tea and rubber planting. This would stand him in a good stead during his early years at John Keells. Illangakoon later put him in charge of welfare and social activities such as the annual sports meet, a sizeable responsibility considering how many families were employed and housed at Hapugastenne. He continued to play rugby as he had at school, turning out for the Ceylon Rugby Football Club as well as for the national team, the Ceylon Barbarians. Mr. Balendra then moved to the capital and started his work as a fairly senior executive in the tea department of John Keells. He did as well at Keells as he had at planting. Mr. Sepala Illangakoon was gratified to learn from Mark Bostock that the new recruit had graduated to auctioneering in a record time of three months, when most others took at least six. Because of his bosses visionary thinking of diversifying ones ability to handle business, Mark Bostock assigned Mr. Balendra in to touring operator companies and also gem miners and merchants. Here Ken Balendra discovered his true vocation. With all the problems with the JVP and at the height of the war Mr. Ken Balendra was finally appointed Chairman of John Keells. He was on set on a course to chair JKH for the next 10 years. As chairman of JKH he worked hard to strengthen and disseminate the values that had built John Keells. Management meetings were opportunities to pass along some of the old spirit, Which Balendra did in extrovert fashion, using humor, irrelevance and a listening ear to encourage people to speak their minds with eh frankness and lack of formality Keells demanded. His main technique however remained that of handing people more responsibility that they thought they could handle and persuading them that they could handle it. HOW DID MR. KEN BALENDRAN DEVELOP HIS LEADERSHIP SKILLS? Mr. Ken Balendra when answering a question of what a leader should be a person who is down to earth and knows exactly what goes in peoples minds. His leadership skills are still respected today because he knew how to handle people and most of all how listen to his followers. He was also able to motivate his followers and guide them in their journey without discouragement. But a leader would not be existent if there were no followers. Mr. Ken Balendra suggested that ones followers should be courages and able to take risks and believe in something that may not look colorful now but if thought correctly it would be in time to come. Therefore to enhance his followers to become the leaders in the future he developed a team called the 2020 Team. Whose members were outstanding young executives deemed likely to be among those running the group in the year 2020. Gatherings of the 2020 team were the most informal of all. As I quote, I used to encourage them to speak up, criticize the board and so on, and that brought out a whole lot of good ideas. Two of the groups are now Chairman and Deputy Chairman: Susantha Ratnayake and Ajit Gunawardene. They were in the 2020 Team in the early nineties and jumped over several heads to join the board at such a young age Even at his time he made it a point to attend every seminar possible and was heavy reader in various books and magazines published both here in Sri Lanka and internationally. And later his art of management came in play of handing responsibility and being accountable for ones actions. This is one of the ways he was able to get his results. But he would never sack someone due to not meeting targets, but would do so if the norms and ethics were breached by anyone. Therefore he was a visionary person who was very much People oriented as oppose to Task Oriented. He was more interested in the welfare of people more than the company itself. After all the companies existence is because of the people who work for it. Mr. Balendras efforts, combined with those of his colleagues, were effective at preserving the Keells Spirit. BRIEF INTRODUCTION ON GENERAL (RTD.) SARATH FONSEKA Named Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka born on the 18th of December 1950 is a former commander of the Sri Lanka Army and a former Chief of Defense Staff of Sri Lanka. As the Commander of the Army General (Rtd.) Fonseka played an instrumental role in ending the two decade Civil War Sri Lanka, in 2009. Thereafter he became the first serving officer to be promoted to a four star rank in the Sri Lanka Army. (Sarath Fonseka the future leader, n.d.) Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka joined the Sri Lanka Army way back in 1970 and witnessed all action throughout the 26 year civil war, culminating in a term as commander from December 2005 to July 2009. As commander, he oversaw the final phase of the civil war of Sri Lanka which end resulted in the defeat of the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam organization (LTTE). Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka has been described and viewed as Sri Lankas most successful army commander by local and foreign nationals alike, and his run of significant military victories against the LTTE during Eelam War IV led the Indian National Security Advisor Mayankote Kelath Narayanan to describe him as the best army commander in the world. (Sri Lanka Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka, n.d.) After having chosen a career in the Army in 1970 to serve this great nation, Sarath Fonseka met his life partner Ms. Anoma in 1972. They entered wedded life in 1979 and thereafter have had two daughters named Apsara and Aparna. While a career in the Army meant that Gen. Fonseka had to spend time away from his family, he always made sure that he was a devoted husband to his wife and a loving and caring father to his daughters. (Sarath Fonseka the future leader, n.d.) In mid April, 2006 Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka survived an assassination attempt when an LTTE suicide bomber attacked his motorcade, where he suffered critical abdominal injuries. Following the end of the war he was appointed Chief of Defense Staff, a post from which he retired on November 16th, 2009. (Sri Lanka Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka, n.d.) General Foneskas experience in military matters made him a very popular figure amongst all Sri Lankan citizens. Many statesmen admired his courage, stance on military matters, and his astute policy insights into governance and strengthening democracy. As a moderate he has been able to achieve what was once thought the unthinkable in Sri Lankas political history. Due to his determination and commitment to put his country before himself, he has been able to unite major political parties and ethnic communities to work with him to guide our beloved motherland to a prosperous future; a place where every citizen regardless of their ethnicity, religion and identity can live freely with pride and dignity. (Sarath Fonseka the future leader, n.d.) HOW DID HE EMERGE AS A LEADER According to Mr. Fonseka there are many characteristics of a good leader. One is that he/she needs to be very transparent should be unbiased and be able to provide good strategic direction to his followers. And Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka is a strong believer of discipline and abiding conduct. These are some of the main qualities which influenced Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka to be a good leader. Another element of his characteristics is that he was able to clearly handle the pressures of political influence and his own leadership demands and act accordingly; people were called effective leaders because they had followers who trusted them and would go that extra mile for them. An important quality he possesses is the ability to understand his subordinates and realized that influencing others alone is not sufficient in order to be a good leader. In most incidents he tried to lead by example and create a role model of himself to others. However it is a must to influence others, when and where it is required. Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka portrays a high degree of legitimate power as a Commander of the Sri Lankan armed forces. However a point which he mentioned was that some of his leadership qualities were hindered because, according to his position; he is under obligation to the president and he doesnt have the full authority to handle things his own way. (I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country, 2009) Therefore we can say that situation also plays a vital role in bringing about leadership qualities. Another quality that he possesses is that he has a high level of motivation. He doesnt believe in isolating his team and he delegates power and authority to them. Delegation and follow up is his method of working. Following up is how he attempted to keep his control, where as delegation is how he empowered his team in order to take challenges and complete their tasks. However, in an interview with Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka, it was evident that he was a courageous person. We can say this clearly because when we confronted him about his strengths and weaknesses he said that his only weakness is that he doesnt wait for the opportunity to come to him. He goes behind the opportunity or tries to create an opportunity himself. It would appear to work at times but also vice versa, at times it doesnt. (I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country, 2009) Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka also maintains positive work life balance though it is tough to keep up with the different changes in his life. Hence, we view it as, a leader should also know how to strike that type of work-life balance even when their engaged in long, gruesome and tireless line of employment. 3.2 COGNITIVE FACTORS OF HIS LEADERSHIP Problem solving and intellectual skills could be identified as cognitive factors. In order to be a successful leader, the leader must have the mental ability to inspire people, bring about constructive changes and problem solving creativity. The cognitive factors of a leader can be classified in to several parts, and these are a few identified with regard to Gen. Fonseka. Knowledge of business In order to establish a relationship with group members, the leader must have knowledge of the business and technical and professional competence related to the business. Considering the army commander, who has been working with fellow comrades before he was appointed to the position of General, it is obvious that Gen. Fonseka has the relevant technical capabilities, professional competence on operations and more than enough experience. Insight into people and situations This simply means that the leader should have the required level of intuition and common sense to make wise choices in selecting people for key assignments, enabling the leader to make the assignment work better and a better dob training and development. When appointing senior military officers to different areas, the commander acted in a way that is expected by a leader who has that required level of intuition and common sense needed. As an example, the Brigadier Walagama who previously acted as the chief of Diyathalawa army academy was identified by the commander to have brilliant experience regarding Trincomalee area and he was immediately appointed as the commander of the Trincomalee area. (I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country, 2009) Farsightedness In order to establish a corporate strategy and vision, the leader must have the farsightedness and understanding of the implications in the long run. With regard to the commander, was known to be a thinker and an extremely farsighted individual. For example when the commander had the opportunity to clear the Kilinochchi town are before clearing the Poonarin area, he restrained himself from doing so, because he knew that if he did that the army forces would be undoubtedly ambushed by the LTTE. (I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country, 2009) Openness to experience The commander admits that he still learns something new every day from his subordinates. And this statement was made of national television. LEADERSHIP TRAITS COMPARISON 4.1 GENERAL PERSONAL TRAITS Self confidence Mr. Ken Balendran: Self Confidence through the analysis of the interview has outlined that the fact of climbing the ladder to being the Chairman of John Keells requires more self confidence than any other factor. Being a Leader would be mostly based on how confident you are in your actions and opinions. Therefore through analysis Mr. Ken Balendra indeed is the most self confident Chairman Sri Lanka has ever experienced. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka Gen. Fonseka is a self assured personality without being bombastic or overbearing, he instills confidence in his team members. He always states that it is possible for the army to reach a position of strength not only to achieve its objectives according to a well conceived plan but also to retain the areas cleared. Trust worthiness Mr. Ken Balendra: Mr. Ken Balendra always believed in his visions. He was able to foresee the future because of the exposure his bosses put him through. He was always the faithful and trust worthy character in John Keells right from the start. This is why he became the chairman of John Keells. He still remains chairman of many other companies due to the fact that he is able to take up responsibility and is trust worthy in his actions to making the company succeeds. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: In Riviresa operations General Fonseka had to face many accusations on fraud due to over use of a satellite phone. The bill was raised up to 10 million rupees. However ultimately the court recovered the reason behind this to be; that the commander had given his phone to soldiers to contact their parents. (I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country, 2009) Assertiveness Mr. Ken Balendra: Mr. Ken Balendra always wanted to know what each employee in the company thought about. He even would see the worker of factory at anytime he can. He was always assertive and didnt quite hold his head up high because he was the chairman of John Keells. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: In a television interview Gen. Fonseka once stated that it is his task to eliminated terrorism as practiced by the LTTE leader while the Sri Lanka Government will resolve the political problem with a political solution, which statement sows the assertiveness and of his mind. (I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country, 2009) High Tolerance For Frustration Mr. Ken Balendra: Although he was able to be calm at any stage, he mentioned that he would have any person accountable for their actions. He was also lenient on the other side of encouraging them to take up responsibility. Through this he was quite tolerant and knew how to take up problems or anything that could frustrate the company. He handled them quite well. Because of these aspects he is the most respected man in Sri Lanka today. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: The major factor which enabled the LTTE to increase its strength and influence was because the Government during the earlier periods did not act accordingly and they were undecided whether to fight or not to fight. This gave the terrorists time to motivate and build a nexus. Gen. Fonseka observed and frustrated that due to the lack of a strategy to defeat the LTTE areas which were cleared would soon be lost due to the absence of direction and commitment. However he tolerated that. He thought that the day would eventually come when he would lead the defeat of the LTTE. (Sri Lanka Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka, n.d.) 4.2 TASK ORIENTED TRAITS Passion for the work and people Mr. Ken Balendra: In developing the 2020 team as mentioned above, he was quite visionary and interested in the small man. He was interested to educate young recruits in to being the future leaders of the company. And is still motivating young employees of Brandix Ltd. to enhance the future leaders of the company. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: Extremely passionate for his work and for his country. The commander identified group members, their interests and attitudes and the way which can use to reach and to best communicate with and influence them. When the time where he was engaging in operations he would let his personal phone be given to his subordinate to contact their families. Emotional intelligence Mr. Ken Balendra: His emotional level was quite down to earth, sharing his experience and passion often motivated his followers and the young executives at his time. When suggesting his ways of doing things it was clear that his position in the people and task grid was on the far right suggesting that he is indeed a people oriented person. He is definitely interested in the people who make things happen for the company rather than the tasks which are done for the company. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: His staff members and followers always observed his emotions. He always used his emotions to persuade his followers. Flexibility and adoptability Mr.Ken Balendra: Since the 2020 team was quite informal it is clear that he was flexible in his thoughts and tasks. With his adoptability to conflicts in Sri Lanka at his time at JKH he is able to handle any situation when necessary. He is now handling the recession with Brandix very well produces the same output. Therefore his adoptability is no doubt at the best of standards and is flexible because of the fact that his ego levels and his demand of respect are extremely low. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: Considering the behavior of the commander, who changed the structure of the army and established a clear coordination among different forces such as the army, navy and the air force to match with the modern and required level of specifications one could say that Gen. Fonseka was indeed flexible and very much adaptable to new technology and other. Furthermore he went out for new technology and aircrafts such as M27 to battle against the terrorist when the terrorist went for air attacks. These can be identified as evidence of flexibility in his leadership. Locus of control Mr.Ken Balendra: Mr. Balendra is a person with a high internal Locus of control. His ways and decision were based on what he believes in and is based on what his followers want need. His art of obtaining followers were automatic. Followers who were his needed to be able to take up responsibility for their actions and is able to be confident in what they believe. Therefore Mr. Balendra always exhibited his faiths and would allow his followers to make their own decisions. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: The commander once said in a television program, I am confident that once the Tamil youth in the East see the advantages of peace they will not go back to join the terrorists. All communication in the East is cooperating with the security forces and the Government as they can visualize a bright and peaceful future for all communities.Hence this would realize Gen. Fonseka to have an internal locus of control. Courage Mr.Ken Balendra: Mr. Ken Balendra definitely is courages in turning around John Keells. And is also still making things brighter for the companies he is chairman to. Therefore is quite clear that his level of courage to make those changes going through various critics certainly has rewarded him in being the most successful chairmans of Sri Lanka. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: He can be identified as a courages person. He had to face many barriers in reaching to his position but he never gave up his vision and his target of peace to his mother land. LEADERSHIP STYLE COMPARISON The basic leadership styles can be categorized in to three main stages. And they are; Autocratic: All the decisions of the group are made unilaterally by the leader. The leader does not give any aut hority to subordinates to make any decision. Participative: The leader gives considerable amount of autonomy and authority to take part in the decision making and the leader applies being participative. Laissez Faire The leader has gives full autonomy to subordinates for decision making and to initiate whatever decision they see fit. The leadership style of Gen. Fonsek a could be categorized into the participative style, because he shares the decision making process with the other members of his group and after the decision was made by the subordinates the general would give his consensus, if the decision is at a considerable condition. The Leadership style of Deshamanya Ken Balendra could be categorized as a participative style. He is a down to earth person who likes to delegate work to subordinates and young people to help them gain experience for their future endeavors. His leadership style also reflected that he is quite charm and would listen to anyone and their ideas in any position. His change management is successful and visionary and has made sure everyone was happy in the company. He has been the most suitable man to any company to occupy the chairmanship position. He is still the most respected man in the country and is looked up upon by anyone. CONCLUSION In analyzing of this two great individuals who have made it big in their respective careers, it is evident that these two possess different leadership styles, but whereas the essence to it are almost the same. Though various scholars have explained it in their own respective way, the question still remains; are leaders born or made? Looking at these two highly respected individuals it is quite hard to fathom of how a leader can be made, in fact if it is possible can another Ken Balendra or Sarath Fonseka made? Can you or I become one? It is sometimes too good to be true but if we look into the characteristics and traits of all leaders we tend find common ground. Some may have a bit more on certain traits or characteristics and some less. But it isnt about how good or bad these characteristics and traits are but rather how effective He/she is. Nurturing of these traits and characteristics can possibly make us a leader in our own field too and its quite sure it doesnt happen overnight. REFERENCE LIST Appannaiah, H.R., Reddy, P.N. (2006). Business management (2nd Ed.).Bangalore, India: Himalaya Publishing House ( p 260- 300) De Janasz., Wood., Gottschalk., Dowd., Schneider. (2007). Interpersonal skills in Organizations, NSW: McGraw Hill Dubrin, A., Dalgish, C., Miller, C (2006). Leadership (2nd ed.). Queensland, Australia: John Wiley Sons Australia, Ltd ( p 26 -95) Hosking, D. M. (1988). Organizing, leadership, and skilful process. Journal of Management Studies, 25, pp. 147-166. I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country. (December 13th 2009), The Sunday Leader, p.2. Internet Referencing Sarath Fonseka the future leader. [n.d.] Retrieved January, 2010 from http://www.sarathfonseka.com/about.html Sri Lanka Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka. [n.d.] Retrieved January, 2010 from http://www.scribd.com/doc/11514520/Sri-Lanka-Army-Comander-General-Sarath-Fonseka Anti-Discrimination Laws in the UK | Analysis Anti-Discrimination Laws in the UK | Analysis In recent years the Government has been attempting a massive review of the UK’s anti-discrimination laws. The impetus behind this, amongst other things is the influence from Europe. There have been several European Directives which have required implementing and there is becoming a plethora of confusing anti-discrimination laws. More recently we have seen the introduction of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, The Equality Act 2006 and there is also a new Commission for Equality and Human Rights[1] which replaces the Equal Opportunities Commission, Commission for Racial Equality and the Disability Rights Commission. In light of recent changes in the law and with the decision that more changes were necessary, the Discrimination Law Review was set up in 2005 with the purpose of considering the: â€Å"opportunities for creating a clearer and more streamlined discrimination legislative framework which produces better outcomes for those who currently experience disadvantage†.[2] A Consultation Paper was then published in June 2007 which establishes the Government’s proposal of a Single Equality Bill. Only a few months earlier, in February 2007 was Trevor Phillip’s Equalities Review published. Whilst the consultation paper and the Equalities Review considered the same topic, they have worked in parallel and looked at different angles. The consultation paper considered the legislative framework whilst the Equalities Review looked at the wider issues surrounding the topic of inequality.[3] This essay will consider these reviews and consultation paper, and discuss the Government’s proposals for a new anti-discrimination law in the UK. We will firstly examine the history behind the proposed changes in the law before turning to discuss what exactly the Government is proposing. We will then look to responses to the Government’s proposals, including analysing criticisms that the planned changes fail to address issues of enforcement and access to justice concerns. A fresh look at the anti-discrimination laws of the UK was deemed necessary after the much publicized Stephen Lawrence enquiry.[4] The Macpherson Report concluded that there was â€Å"institutional racism† both within the Metropolitan Police and the Police generally. The report made no less than 70 recommendations and the Government has been keen to implement them. The Race Relations Act 1976 has now been expanded so that it covers public bodies and authorities, and changes to double jeopardy laws have been implemented.[5] The proposed changes in anti-discrimination are intended to be an extension of the review of racism and other discriminatory practices and to move the UK forward into a 21st Century where such discrimination is a thing of the past. The changes in the law brought about by this report are more than likely to be mirrored and taken across so that they do not only apply to racial discrimination but also age, gender, religion and so forth. There is no denying that the Macpherson report has had a resounding effect but how successful the Government’s proposals will be remains to be seen. Trevor Phillips in his Equalities Review provides a definition of an equal society: â€Å"An equal society protects and promotes equal, real freedom and substantive opportunity to live in the ways people value and would choose, so that everyone can flourish. An equal society recognises people’s different needs, situations and goals and removes the barriers that limit what people can do and can be.†[6] He set out 10 recommendations in his review, which were focused on setting definitions and goals for equality and setting up a simpler legal framework with a better enforcement regime. The review recommends that the Government’s proposed Single Equality Act covers all bases of inequality, for example it should cover age, gender, sexual orientation and racist discrimination amongst others all under the same legislation. The act should also be â€Å"simpler, more coherent†.[7] Phillip’s review places a large emphasis and role, to the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights. He suggests that the Commission should â€Å"play a more dynamic role in enforcement†, which would involve inspections of known equality gaps and transparency should be encouraged. Public and private bodies should also be made to measure and publish their equality performance. The Equalities Review clearly has ambitious and far reaching aims, but it does not provide very clear explanations for how these changes are to happen. It appears as if most of the regulatory and enforcement work it attributes to the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, as is also recommended by the consultation paper, although seeing as the Commission was not up and running at the time these reports were written, no feedback was possible from them themselves. The majority of Trevor Phillip’s review is concerned with the history of inequality in the UK and its effect and what the future would look like without discrimination. Very little is focused upon definite ideas and practices which could be implemented to ensure that this vision is a success. It works well as a tandem document, providing a background into the necessity for a change in law and for providing an ideal to aspire to. The Consultation Paper, a Framework for Fairness however is supposed to be more concrete and provide definite, workable proposals for discussion. The paper is split into three parts, each of which we will consider in turn. There is also a more recent publication on the single Equality Bill is from the Government Equalities Office – Framework for a Fairer Future: The Equality Bill, which was published in June 2008 which also provides some clarification on some of the issues raised in the consultation paper. Part one of the consultation paper relates to harmonising and simplifying the law. This we will see is essential, not least because of the recent flurry of case law and legislation on discrimination laws. Employers and public bodies need to know the current law and this is easier if it is codified into one document. The proposal is that the Commission for Equality and Human Rights will be pivotal in this aspect, publishing practice notes and guidance and working together with public, private and volunteer organisations. This section also includes proposals on equal pay provisions, meaning that truly, everything relating to discrimination is brought under the umbrella of this one act. It is hoped that this codification procedure will make the law more readily accessible and easier to understand and create a â€Å"culture of compliance with the law†.[8] Ensuring that the law is simple and easy to comprehend is vital in enforcing the law, as people are more likely to adhere to a law that they are aware of an fully understand. Greater transparency will also increase access to justice, as citizens will be more aware of their rights and the means of resolving a discrimination grievance. Part two of the consultation paper concerns making the law more effective. This is a large concern where anti-discrimination law is concerned, as it is often felt that it is not the law that is the problem, but rather the fact that enforcing the law is difficult. It is this section of the consultation paper that is the weakest. The proposals include simplifying and extending public sector duties and improving the practice of equality in the private sector and outside the workplace. There are very little concrete ideas or tools which are suggested to ensure that the new laws are adhered to. The proposals mention encouraging the use of alternative dispute resolution outside of workplaces situations and giving an increasing role to the Ombudsman but these are measures that are used after an alleged discrimination has taken place. Whilst access to justice issues are clearly important, surely the primary aim should be to prevent the discrimination in the first place? Preventative measures discussed in the consultation paper are a ‘light touch’ equality check tool and a voluntary equality standard. These provisions are insufficient. They may be all well and good for those businesses that may be discriminating unknowingly, but where are the enforcement procedures for those who wantonly breach anti-discrimination laws? Part three relates to modernising the law. This reflects the proposals in Trevor Phillip’s review. The paper states that whilst part of the aim is a codification of the current law, it wants to go beyond this: â€Å"Rather than just consolidating the current legislation, we want to take this opportunity to review it, and decide whether we can improve it, to make it fit for the 21st century.†[9] This report recognises that the law does need to be streamlined, but also modernised. For example, the proposed single Equality Act will codify the recent changes to the law regarding public bodies and racism and gender and disability discrimination, but it will go further than this and include â€Å"gender reassignment, age, sexual orientation and religion or belief.†[10] Further than this the new Act is proposed to include some altogether new laws regarding age discrimination. There is already new legislation in force protecting from age discrimination in the workplace and the plan is to extend this to the supply of goods and services: â€Å"The Equality Bill will enable us to make it unlawful to discriminate against someone because of their age when providing goods, facilities and services or carrying out public functions.†[11] This is a contentious claim on the part of the consultation paper, as we will see later. There may well be new protections provided but many critics argue that the proposals do not go far enough. Clearly, therefore the new Act proposal promises the world, but can it deliver? There have been several responses to the consultation paper, and many of them negative. We will turn to discuss a selection of these now. We have seen how the Racial Equalities Commission produced a damning response, which is interesting, especially as the Racial Equalities Commission has now merged into the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights. If an organisation that is to be at the centre of the new proposals is not entirely supportive of them, it would seem that the Government is on the back foot already. The Citizen’s Advice Bureau’s response is less overt in its criticism but still feels that the proposals for a single Equality Act do not go far enough.[12] The Citizen’s Advice Bureau’s response comments that there appears to be no correlation between the new Equality Act and existing Human Rights legislation. They are of the opinion that the human rights framework should not only be a consideration in the new legislation but that they should be in some way integrated: â€Å"Not to do so seems to us to be a missed opportunity to establish a new, more integrated and effective system of human rights and discrimination law which will be fit for purpose for decades to come.†[13] Amongst other things, the Citizen’s Advice Bureau also believes that the proposals are weak in the areas of public authority duties, and that there is no parity between strands of discrimination. Of particular concern to them is that there seems to be less provided for the elderly, comparably to other strands, specifically regarding to access to goods and services. Predictably also, their response is critical of the lack of enforcement measures in the new proposals. The general consensus of this organisation’s report is that the proposals do not go far enough and they want the new law to go further than simply codifying what exists already. They are of the opinion that the proposals need an urgent review: â€Å"We would therefore urge the Government to look again at the challenge of how to achieve a workable, fair, straightforward and effective single equality law, and to address our concerns about compliance, enforcement and sanctions and the changing context of discrimination.†[14] Another key organisation which has responded to the new proposals is Age Concern.[15] Their report seems to also suggest that they do not think that the new proposals are sufficient. They are fully supportive and understanding of the need for codification and simplification but they also view the proposed Act as a wasted opportunity. They agree with the Citizen’s Advice Bureau concerning the duties of public bodies and feel that by only requiring them to focus on a limited number of equality requirements the law is actually taking a step back. They are again critical of the proposed enforcement methods and show concern about access to justice. They believe that there is still a poor awareness of legal rights under anti-discrimination law and that there is very little legal aid available which will hinder people’s access to justice. They are concerned that the proposals do little to address these issues: â€Å"Low public awareness of legal rights under discrimination law, together with the severe limitations in availability of legal aid for advice and representation in this field, represent serious barriers to effective access to justice. The idea of allowing representative claims, with an appropriate filter stage, should be revisited. This would allow bodies such as the CEHR, trades unions and consumer organisations act on behalf of groups of claimants.†[16] In fact, looking generally at some of the responses to the consultation paper and there is a striking theme. Many organisations have the same concerns on the same areas and while being supportive of the ideology of a single Equality Act are disappointed that it is not more revolutionary.[17] The question of whether the Government should rethink it’s plans for reform is a tricky one. There is definitely a general consensus that reform is necessary, despite the current criticisms of the proposed reforms. There is no doubt that the law needs simplifying and thus making it more transparent. However, there is clearly little point in implementing yet more legislation which is not far reaching enough and will require further legislation in the not too distant future to bring it more up to date. This will only result in adding more legislation to the plethora we already have. The government has an ideal opportunity here to really make a difference and take a stand against discrimination and it is very important that they make the most of it. Nevertheless, whilst the review of the law is clearly necessary, the government definitely need to review the responses to the consultation paper and take them very seriously into account. There are several common points of contention which must be addressed. There are clearly issues that need resolving regarding duties of public authorities and the new proposals for limiting the amount of equality requirements is a concern to both the Citizens Advice Bureau and Age Concern. There is a worry that if the government is too cautious with the new legislation, then anti-discrimination law will be taking a step back and will retreat from the ideas and motivation provided by the Macpherson report. The government will also need to review the numerous concerns regarding the enforcement of these new laws. Additionally, there is little consideration of how to make it easier for people to have access to justice in these proposals. The National Union of Students even comments in their review that they feel that the government has overlooked the role of education and that it can play a vital part, not only in educating about inequality but also about the law and access to justice through it.[18] It is essential that nothing is overlooked in creating such a potentially great piece of legislation, and clearly education can play a vital part, not least in attempting to rid our society of the prejudices that have resulted in the need for such legislation. If the government addresses the issues contained in many of the responses to the consultation paper they should consider bringing out a wider, more expansive and more complete proposal. The current proposals have good intentions but have not been entirely thoroughly thought out. There is also not enough correlation between Trevor Phillip’s review and the consultation paper. Many of the issues raised are covered, but not always to a satisfactory standard. For example, it would probably greatly impress the organisation’s whose reviews we have looked at here if there was some indication of Phillip’s recommendations of measured equality performance and regular and involved action by the Commission for Equality and Human Rights in the proposals, both which would aid enforcement of these laws. Overall therefore, the Government do not need to rethink its plans for reform, just the content of the reform so that the new legislation brings the UK to the forefront of the legal world in the field of human rights and anti-discrimination, which is the position we want to be in. Bibliography ADCS consultation response A framework for fairness: The Government’s ideas for a law about equality. Ideas from the Discrimination Law Review, found online at http://www.adcs.org.uk/ (as accessed on 1st December 2008) Age Concern, Summary: Age Concern’s response to a Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain, September 2007 Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Discrimination Law Review A Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain Citizens Advice Response, September 2007 Discrimination Law Review, Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain, June 2007 Equalities Review, Fairness and Freedom: The Final Report of the Equalities Review, Trevor Phillips, February 2007 Government Equalities Office, Framework for a Fairer Future: The Equality Bill, June 2008 Local Government Association Response to Consultation paper, September 2007, found online at http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/aio/103575 (as accessed on 1st December 2008) Lockton, Deborah, Employment Law, Palgrave Macmillan: London, 2008 Lord Lester of Herne Hill Kate Beattie, The New Commission for Equality and Human Rights, P.L. 2006, Sum, 197-208 McColgan, Aileen, Reconfiguring discrimination law, P.L. 2007, Spr, 74-94 McCrudden, Christopher, Equality legislation and reflexive regulation: a response to the Discrimination Law Reviews consultative paper, I.L.J. 2007, 36(3), 255-266 National Union of Students, A Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain: NUS Response, September 2007 Smith, Ian Gareth Thomas, Smith Woods Employment Law, Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2008 The Equality Bill, Government Response to the Consultation, July 2008 The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, Report of an Inquiry by Sir William MacPherson of Cluny, The Stationary Office, February 1999 www.equalities.gov.uk (as accessed on 1st December 2008) www.westlaw.co.uk (as accessed on 1st December 2008) 1 Footnotes [1] Established in October 2007 [2] Consultation Paper, Discrimination Law Review, Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain, June 2007, p.3 [3] See McCrudden, Christopher, Equality legislation and reflexive regulation: a response to the Discrimination Law Reviews consultative paper, I.L.J. 2007, 36(3), 255-266 [4] The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, Report of an Inquiry by Sir William MacPherson of Clunt, The Stationary Office, February 1999 [5] See Criminal Justice Act 2003 [6] Equalities Review, Fairness and Freedom: The Final Report of the Equalities Review, Trevor Phillips, February 2007 [7] Ibid [8] Consultation Paper op cit (fn 2) p.16 [9] Consultation Paper Op cit (fn 2) p.12 [10] Government Equalities Office, Framework for a Fairer Future: The Equality Bill, June 2008 p. 13 [11] Government Equalities Office, Framework for a Fairer Future: The Equality Bill, June 2008 p. 16 [12] Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Discrimination Law Review A Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain Citizens Advice Response, September 2007 [13] Ibid, p. 4 [14] Ibid, p. 5 [15] Age Concern, Summary: Age Concern’s response to a Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain, September 2007 [16] Ibid, p. 5 [17] Local Government Association Response to Consultation paper, September 2007, found online at http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/aio/103575 (as accessed on 1st December 2008); ADCS consultation response A framework for fairness: The Government’s ideas for a law about equality. Ideas from the Discrimination Law Review, found online at http://www.adcs.org.uk/ (as accessed on 1st December 2008) and National Union of Students, A Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain: NUS Response, September 2007 [18] See National Union of Students, A Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain: NUS Response, September 2007