Book Report on “Fathers and Sons” by Ivan Turgenev Essay Example for Free

Book Report on â€Å"Fathers and Sons† by Ivan Turgenev Essay â€Å"Fathers and Sons† is, perhaps, the most interesting book by the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, which gained international recognition. It has been first published in 1862 and concurred with a complicated period of Russian history, known as the â€Å"Great Reforms†. Abolition of serfdom, reforms of administrational system, industrialization and raise of revolutionary ideas caused profound changes in the Russian society and in the minds of people. Turgenev’s book is devoted t this dramatic mental and psychological break. â€Å"Fathers† are old generation who share conservative views and â€Å"sons† are youth, dreaming of revolution and demonstrating nihilism and disrespect towards traditional values. The narrator of the story – Nikolai Petrovitch Kirsanov, is a son of a general, who has been a hero of Napoleonic wars. His life is rather unremarkable. Being unable to serve in the army because of the childhood trauma, he has married and lived happily with his wife till her early death. After that he devoted all his life to his only son Arcady. The novel opens when the older Kirsanov stands before the door of his dominion waiting for his son returning from the university. Finally the son comes back, but he is not alone, he is accompanied by his new university friend Yevgeny Vasilevich Bazarov. Soon Nikolai Kirsanov finds out, that his son has completely fallen under influence of Bazarov’s nihilistic and realistic views. He dreams of bloody revolutionary changes and disputes with Kirsanov about the future of Russia: Aristocracy, liberalism, progress, principles, said Bazarov. Just think what a lot of foreign . . . and useless words! To a Russian theyre no good for anything! , says he. Further along the novel Bazarov continues to play a role of a â€Å"revolutionary demon†. He is pretty charismatic, so such miserable people as Sitnikov and Kukushkina fall under his influence. Those two are represent a sort of â€Å"progressive thinkers† whose â€Å"progrogressism† comes to be reduced to absurd. They are ready to admire any new nihilistic ideas being completely unable to think of them critically and add any own reasoning to them. Bazarov openly contemns Sitnikov and flirts with Kushkina to allay his boredom. What is really interesting for Bazarov are his disputes with Pavel Petrovitch Kirsanov, older brother of Nikolai Kirsanov They feel antipathy from the very first moment of their acquaintance. Pavel Kirsanov speaks of Bazarov’s nihilism as of an unfounded doctrine existing in vacuum. Bazarov’s manner of thinking is purely utilitarian: We act by virtue of what we recognize as useful, went on Bazarov. At present the most useful thing is denial, so we deny. Pavel strongly disagrees But allow me, began Nikolai Petrovich. You deny everything, or to put it more precisely, you destroy everything . . . But one must construct, too, you know. [33] But Bazarov remains sure, that to construct something it is first necessary to â€Å"Clean the ground†. Perhaps this dispute between Pavel Kirsanov and Bazarov puts forth the basic idea of the book: conflict of conservatism and revolutionary doctrine. In order to iron out the differences between Pavel Kirsanov and Bazarov Arcady tells Bazarov the story of Pavel’s life. Once Pavel was a luminous officer, but love to a woman, duchess R† ruined his life and left him completely drained. Pavel only retained his sophisticated taste, fair manners and Anglomania. Although she is not present in the novel, duchess R† seems to be one of the characters because even after years she continues to determine Pavel’s actions. He asks for satisfaction from Bazarov, when he sees him kissing Fenichka, but the real reason is not Bazarov’s behavior, but that Fenichka somehow reminds Pavel duchess R†. While men in the story are symbols of social classes and positions, women represent something, what can be called â€Å"normal life†, whether it is duchess R† – a symbol of Russian magnificent nobility, Fenichka – a symbol of common sense, or Mme Odintsov. Mme Odintsov is a very special character. On the one hand she is perfectly educated and progressive woman, on the other she does not in any way share Bazarov’s enthusiasm about social cataclysms. She is sure, that society is to be bettered by bettering of human, but not by reconstruction of it’s formation. She asks Bazarov a question which he is unable to directly answer: And you suppose, said Anna Sergeyevna, that when society is reformed there will be no longer any stupid or wicked people? [56] Bazarov starts explaining that a proper society will make no difference, but inside he feels, that Odintsova is right. Love to a woman is so contrary to Bazarov’s views, that he is unable to accept it, putting cynicism on himself, and then leaving her house. He attempts to find some occupation for himself, flirts, fights at a duel and tries to speak about his ideas with peasants. The peasants are in fact those, who are to be enthusiastic about the revolution, at least as Bazarov thinks. So he is unhappily surprised to find out, that peasants do not want to understand complicated teaching and think of him as of a cheat. Bazarov’s ideas collapse: he finds no support both with educated and common people, so he has to recognize, that revolution is actually unnecessary to anyone and that it is nothing more, than a fashionable game. Pavel Kirsanov is right: doctrines of Bazarov exist in vacuum. It is not clear whether Bazarov’s death was a suicide, but his behavior itself is suicidal, and he accepts the certainty of death calmly. The only thing he wants is to say farewell to Odintsova. At his deathbed he openly confessed, that all his prod ideas went down to the pan. He continues to speak of himself as of a giant, but now the only task he puts for himself is to die with dignity. Six month after his death the two couples married: Nikolai Kirsanov to Fenichka and Arcady to Kate – Odintsova younger sister. The normal life continues even after Bazarov’s death, and Arcady, his former confederate, becomes a wealthy landowner, representing an antithesis to Bazarov’s views. Bazarov’s grave is almost forgotten, and only his parents sometimes come to shed tears over it. Although â€Å"Fathers and Sons† is a novel about pre-revolutionary Russia, it’s lesson is useful for all generations. Sons always rise against their fathers, willing to change this world and create a totally new one for themselves. And Turgenev demonstrates how mental dissoluteness and spiritual weakness can destroy even the most sharp-minded person. The whole revolutionary fervor of Bazarov is destroyed by romantic love – the real motivation of the world. At the end of his life â€Å"the demon† feels lost and betrayed, while conservatism triumphs over his grave. Works cited: Ivan Turgenev (1998) Fathers and Sons. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Symbolism in Shakespeares Works

Symbolism in Shakespeares Works Friar Lawrence remarks that every plant, herb, and stone has its own special properties, and that nothing exists in nature that cannot be put to both good and bad uses(Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008). Later on, Friar Lawrences words prove to be correct. The sleeping potion he gives Juliet is made not to make her die but only appear to be dead, but through circumstances beyond the Friars control, the potion does result in Romeos suicide. From this example, we can see that human beings tend to cause death even if they dont intend on doing so. Similarly, Romeo blames society for the apothecarys criminal selling of poison. Poison symbolizes human societys proclivity to poison good things and make them deadly, just as the pointless Capulet-Montague feud turns Romeo and Juliets love to poison. After all, this play doesnt have an evil villain, it has people whose good qualities are turned to poison by the world they live in. Thumb-biting: By flicking his thumbnail from behind his upper teeth, Samson begins a fight between the Montagues and Capulets. This is an insulting gesture known as thumb-biting. He only did that because he wants to get into a fight with the Montagues but doesnt want to be accused of triggering the fight by making an insult. Because of his fearfulness, he settles for being annoying rather than being challenging. The thumb-biting here shows how stupid and foolish the whole Capulet/Montague feud is, even as an essentially meaningless gesture, and the foolishness of violence in general. Love: It is symbolized as religious worship. Romeo calls Juliet a saint and implies that hed really like to worship her body. Not only that, but Romeos hand would be blessed if it touched the divine Juliets. Eventually, Juliet picks up on this religion of love conceit (a conceit is just an elaborate metaphor) and declares that Romeo is the god of [her] idolatry(Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008). Sex: The main example of the sex/death connection in the play is when Capulet sees Juliets dead body and says death has lain with (slept with) Juliet: See, there she lies, / Flower as she was, deflowered by him. Death is my son-in-law, death is my heir. Shakespeare scholar Marjorie Garber offers one of the most interesting insights when she notes that even the way that Romeo and Juliet each literally die carries symbolic sexual meaning. Romeo drinks his poison from a goblet, a traditional symbol of female sexuality (womans womb). Juliet, in contrast, stabs herself with Romeos dagger a traditional symbol of male sexuality. Symbolically, Romeo and Juliet combine physical death and sexual climax (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008). Naturally, sex acts between men and women are supposed to result in the creation of life. Yet, in this play, the opposite happens. Hamlet: Skull : The skull represents death and the afterlife. At the graveyard, Hamlet picks up the skull of Yorick and starts to talk to it; he questions death, and what happens after. He eventually realizes that no matter what kind of life a person may lead, they will all die and end up in the same place after death, as mere dust. He then questions the importance of being important while alive, and the importance of being alive in general(Important symbols, 2012) He talks about how a person like Yorick could end up in the same state as Alexander the Great, when he says, as thus: Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth to dust, the dust is earth, of earth we make loam , and why of that loam, whereto he was converted, might they not stop a beer-barrel Ophelias Flowers: Ophelia has gone mad. She enters the scene with different types of flowers. She gives these flowers to different people, where each type represents something. First, she gives the rosemary to Laertes, which is a symbol of remembrance. She also gives him pansies, as they represent a symbol of thoughts particularly thoughts of love. Although she gives both to Laertes, Ophelia most likely has Hamlet in her mind when she says, Theres rosemary, thats for remembrance; pray you, love, remember; and there is pansies, thats for thoughts. She then gives fennel and columbines to King Claudius. Fennel represents flattery, and columbines represent having no faith in marriage. They were both given to Claudius because of his marriage and betrayal. Then, Ophelia gives daisies to both King Claudius and Queen Gertrude, which represent deceit and lies, because they both lied to the public and betrayed King Hamlet. Finally, violets are a symbol of faith and many people believe Ophelia gives these to Horatio because at this point, he is the only one that she still has faith in. Also, although Ophelia does not realize it, Horatio is the only person Hamlet still trusts and has faith in as well ( Importance of, 2012) Poison : Poison plays a big role in Hamlet. It is a symbol of betrayal, corruption, deceit, revenge and death. Hamlet follows the apparition of his father, King Hamlet, and learns the entire story of how he was killed by Claudius. King Hamlet says,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole/ With juice of cursed hebenon in a vial, /And in the porches of my ears did pourà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ . When Claudius kills King Hamlet by pouring poison into his ears, it demonstrates how the need for power can lead to corruption. In this case, the need for power is what made Claudius poison his own brother. Later, when they were planning on killing Hamlet, Laertes and Claudius decide to use poison. When the poison actually comes into play, it ends up killing Queen Gertrude (thus betrayal), and eventually leads to the death of Laertes, King Claudius and Hamlet. In other words this shows how the excessive love of power can lead to negative consequences, this reminds us of the main theme in macbeth Macbeth: Light and darkness: When something bad is going to happen, darkness is brought up. Lady Macbeth, for example, asks thick night to come with the smoke of hell, so her knife might not see the wound it makes in the peacefully sleeping King. The literal darkness Lady Macbeth talks about seems to relate to the evil or dark act she plans to commit. When Lady Macbeth calls for the murderous spirits to prevent heaven from peep[ing] through the blanket of the dark to cry Hold, Hold!' she implies that light (here associated with God, heaven, and goodness) offers protection from evil and is the only thing that could stop her from murdering Duncan. So, it makes sense that when Lady Macbeth descends to madness, she insists on always having a candle or, light with her as if the light might protect her against the evil forces she herself summoned in Act I, scene v. However, the candlelight doesnt seem to have done her any good, for she is too far gone and commits suicide. Interestingly enough, Macbeth responds to the news of Lady Macbeths suicide by proclaiming out, out brief candle. Now, the candles flame has become a like a symbol for her short life and sudden death. Similarly, Banquos torchlight (the one that illuminates him just enough so his murderers can see what theyre doing) is also extinguished the moment hes killed. Also, on the evening when King Duncan is murdered, Lennox reports that the fire in his chimney was mysteriously blown out. Eight kings: When Macbeth visits the witches and demands to know whether or not Banquos heirs will become kings, they summon a vision of eight kings, the last of which holds a mirror that reflects on many more such kings. Macbeth is really unhappy about the fact that these are Banquos heirs. Its important to note that one of the kings in the mirror happens to be holding two orbs and is a symbolic representation of King James I of England (a.k.a. King James VI of Scotland), who traced his derivation back to Banquo. At Jamess coronation ceremony in England (1603), he held two orbs (one representing England and the other representing Scotland). We cant dismiss the fact that King James was a major patron of Shakespeare, and that the Bard here shows his debt of gratitude to the King by exploring his Scottish roots and confirming the derivation of an English king. Bloody daggers and hands: Blood is mentioned a lot in this play. Blood as a result of actual wounds is almost ubiquitous, from the bleeding Captain in the beginning to Macbeths bleeding head at the end. However, its the imagined blood that arguably has the biggest effect as a symbol. When Macbeth considers murdering King Duncan, he sees a floating dagger of the mind that points him in the direction of the sleeping kings room. While Macbeth wonders if his mind is messing with him, the dagger becomes covered in imaginary blood, which anticipates the way that very real daggers will be tainted when Macbeth murders King Duncan. Its still not clear where the images come from. It could be the witches or Macbeths imagination or maybe its Macbeth being tempted to follow or warned not to pursue the hallucination. Eventually, imagined blood starts to symbolize guilt for both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. After he murders Duncan, Macbeth supposes that even Great Neptunes ocean could not wash away his stain of guilt. This is obviously in response to Lady Macbeths command that Macbeth go get some water / and wash this filthy witness from his hands. The idea that water alone couldnt cleanse the pair after such vulgar intentions seems laughable, especially when Lady Macbeth famously curses the imaginary spot of blood she cant seem to wash from her guilty hands. After Macbeth kills his friend Banquo, who returns as a ghost, Macbeth announces that blood will beget blood, and his image of wading in a river of blood sums up the lesson: once youve gone far enough in spilling it, you might just as well keep on going. LADy Macbe th is trying to wash the blood off her hands and even when its washed off the guilt isnt Dead children: You may have noticed this play is filled with dead babies and slain children. The witches throw into their cauldron a finger of birth-strangled babe and then summon an apparition of a bloody child that says Macbeth will not be harmed by any man of woman born. Also, Fleance witnesses his fathers murder before nearly being killed himself, Macbeth kills Young Siward, and also Macduffs young son, his pretty chicken, is called an egg before hes murdered. If we think about it, the play seems fixated on what happens when family lines are extinguished, which is probably what Macbeth has in mind when he orders that his enemies children be killed. His willingness to murder children is a clear sign that hes passed the point of no return. We can trace all of this back to Macbeths anger that Banquos children shall be kings and Macbeths children will not. Recall the way he deplores that, when the witches predicted he would be king, they placed a fruitless crown on his head and a barren scepter in his hands. When Macbeth kills Duncan and takes the crown, Malcolm is denied the due of birth. At the end of the play, order is rebuilt with the promise of Malcolm being crowned as the rightful king. Also, we know that Banquos line will rule for generations to come. So, its rather fitting that, in the end, Macbeth is killed by a man who was untimely ripped from his mothers womb. (Macduff, who turns out to be the guy who is not of woman born. He was delivered through cesarean section, which doesnt count as being born in this play.) In conclusion, we can say that Shakespeare included a lot of symbolism throughout his plays which portrayed Shakespeares life, time period, and messages he wished to get across to his audience. Most of these symbols are timeless, because they represent human nature that is the same in all eras of time. Work cited The Modern Language Review , Vol. 42, No. 1 (Jan., 1947), pp. 9-23 Published by: Modern Humanities Research Association Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3716953 St. Rosemary Educational Institution. Important Symbols in Hamlet. http://schoolworkhelper.net/. St. Rosemary Educational Institution, Last Update: 2012. Web. Retrieved on: Sunday 16th December 2012. http://schoolworkhelper.net/important-symbols-in-hamlet/. Shmoop Editorial Team. Love as Religious Worship in Romeo and Juliet Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. Shmoop Editorial Team. (November 11, 2008).Plants and Poison in Romeo and Juliet. Retrieved December 17, 2012, from http://www.shmoop.com/romeo-and-juliet/plants-poison-symbol.html Shmoop Editorial Team. (November 11, 2008).Sex and Death in Romeo and Juliet. Retrieved December 17, 2012, from http://www.shmoop.com/romeo-and-juliet/sex-death-symbol.html Shmoop Editorial Team. (November 11, 2008).Thumb Biting in Romeo and Juliet. Retrieved December 17, 2012, from http://www.shmoop.com/romeo-and-juliet/thumb-biting-symbol.html

Exemplification Essay: Separation of Church and State -- Expository Ex

   Because of my strong beliefs, I have been called the Antichrist, a witch, an atheist, and a Satanist. Fervent Christians have told me that my â€Å"kind† is solely responsible for the downfall of American morals.    Actually, none of these labels fits me. I am not a witch because the only modern religion to practice witchcraft is Wicca (American Heritage 1381), and I am not a Wiccan. I am not a Satanist because modern Satanists do not believe in Satan as an actual entity; instead, they follow a "religion of the self," as the founder of the Church of Satan, Anton LaVey, put it. (LaVey 1) Satanists also belong to an organization such as the Church of Satan or the Temple of Set, and I do not belong to any such organization. I do not call myself an atheist because atheists tend to not have well-developed ethical systems. I am a secular humanist. This means that I have no belief in supernatural beings or forces (gods or goddesses, angels, demons, leprechauns, etc.); that rational thought is more important to me than blind faith; and that I value freedom of expression, belief, and inquiry.    Now, because I value freedom of belief, it doesn't bother me that people think these things about me. If they want to believe that I fly through the air on a broomstick to a Satan-worshipping orgy, that's their misunderstanding. If they want to think my life is more exciting than it really is, they're welcome. What bothers me is the way that religious bigotry extends to the highest levels of government. George Bush was quoted as saying, "I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God." ("Quotes" 5) The problem is that the first amendment states that "C... ... of the majority, the minority endures oppression. The quality of government suffers when it has been mixed too much with religion, and the quality of religious motives suffer when they have been polluted by political motives.    Let's move to a true separation of church and state.    Works Cited American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd. College Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1982. "Blue Laws." Barron's Concise Student's Encyclopedia. 1993 ed. LaVey, Anton. "The World's Most Feared Religion." Cloven Hoof, Issue 127. Scott (Last name unknown). "Quotes." 6 pp. Online. Internet. 13 Jan. 1997. Available http://www.paranoia.com/~wcs/quotes.htm Worbois, Dean. "Founding Faiths." 3 pp. Online. Internet. 13 Jan. 1997. Available http://www.postfun.com/worbois.html [Note: this document has been moved here --webmaster, 11/25/97]   

Gene Therapy: the Danger of Enhancement Essay -- Science Medicine Ethi

Gene Therapy: the Danger of Enhancement I. Introduction Gene therapy has the potential to revolutionize modern medicine. The techniques of gene therapy are still in their infancy as medical treatments and there are still many problems which must be solved before gene therapy will live up to its potential. However, it is very likely that gene therapy will become a reality at some point in the future and when that time comes, the ethical questions surrounding gene therapy will be pushed to the forefront of medicine. Science may find a way to reduce the risks associated with gene therapy but science alone cannot eliminate the serious ethical and societal risks which gene therapy brings to bear on the world. We need to put people's fear about the dangers of altering the genetic makeup of human beings to rest by establishing ethical principles which clear the way for advancement in medical therapy. Ethical guidelines for gene therapy must be established which emphasize medical uses over uses for human enhancement. II. Concepts of Gene Therapy Gene therapy involves the transfer of genetic material into the cells of an organism in order to cause a specific protein to be produced or in order to cease the production of a specific protein. This procedure usually involves transferring a specific gene into host cells to be incorporated into the chromosomal DNA of the host and later to be expressed. However, according to Dorothy Bonn, the future of gene therapy may also include the use of antisense DNA strands to disrupt expression of a gene or the use of homologous recombination to alter host DNA (1996). In medical terms Jeffrey Leiden, M.D. (1995) defines gene therapy as, "the introduction and expression of recombinant genes in... ...Leiden, Jeffrey M. (1995, September 28). Gene therapy - promises and pitfalls." New England Journal of Medicine, pp. 871-872. Marshall, Eliot. (1995, December 15). Less hype, more biology needed for gene therapy. Science, p. 1751. Miller, Henry I. (1994, July 30). Gene therapy for enhancement. The Lancet, pp. 316-317. Nelkin, Dorothy. (1996, May-June). Genetics, god, and sacred DNA. Society, pp. 22- 25. Voelker, Rebecca. (1993, November 17). The genetic revolution: Despite perfection of elegant techniques, ethical answers still elusive. Journal of the American Medical Association, pp. 2273-2274. Wivel, Nelson A. and LeRoy Walters. (1993, October 22). Germ-line gene modifications and disease prevention: Some medical and ethical perspectives. Science, pp. 533-538. Wright, Richard T. (1989). Biology Through the Eyes of Faith. New York: HarperCollins. Gene Therapy: the Danger of Enhancement Essay -- Science Medicine Ethi Gene Therapy: the Danger of Enhancement I. Introduction Gene therapy has the potential to revolutionize modern medicine. The techniques of gene therapy are still in their infancy as medical treatments and there are still many problems which must be solved before gene therapy will live up to its potential. However, it is very likely that gene therapy will become a reality at some point in the future and when that time comes, the ethical questions surrounding gene therapy will be pushed to the forefront of medicine. Science may find a way to reduce the risks associated with gene therapy but science alone cannot eliminate the serious ethical and societal risks which gene therapy brings to bear on the world. We need to put people's fear about the dangers of altering the genetic makeup of human beings to rest by establishing ethical principles which clear the way for advancement in medical therapy. Ethical guidelines for gene therapy must be established which emphasize medical uses over uses for human enhancement. II. Concepts of Gene Therapy Gene therapy involves the transfer of genetic material into the cells of an organism in order to cause a specific protein to be produced or in order to cease the production of a specific protein. This procedure usually involves transferring a specific gene into host cells to be incorporated into the chromosomal DNA of the host and later to be expressed. However, according to Dorothy Bonn, the future of gene therapy may also include the use of antisense DNA strands to disrupt expression of a gene or the use of homologous recombination to alter host DNA (1996). In medical terms Jeffrey Leiden, M.D. (1995) defines gene therapy as, "the introduction and expression of recombinant genes in... ...Leiden, Jeffrey M. (1995, September 28). Gene therapy - promises and pitfalls." New England Journal of Medicine, pp. 871-872. Marshall, Eliot. (1995, December 15). Less hype, more biology needed for gene therapy. Science, p. 1751. Miller, Henry I. (1994, July 30). Gene therapy for enhancement. The Lancet, pp. 316-317. Nelkin, Dorothy. (1996, May-June). Genetics, god, and sacred DNA. Society, pp. 22- 25. Voelker, Rebecca. (1993, November 17). The genetic revolution: Despite perfection of elegant techniques, ethical answers still elusive. Journal of the American Medical Association, pp. 2273-2274. Wivel, Nelson A. and LeRoy Walters. (1993, October 22). Germ-line gene modifications and disease prevention: Some medical and ethical perspectives. Science, pp. 533-538. Wright, Richard T. (1989). Biology Through the Eyes of Faith. New York: HarperCollins.

US Army Total Quality Management Essay -- essays research papers fc

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT INTRODUCTION Throughout their military careers military personnel will always face some type of inspection, whether it's internal or external. Today, some units are inspected at least four times a year in supply operations, for example, Command Supply Discipline Program, Command Inspection Program, Command Logistics Review Program, and maybe the Supply Excellence Award. How does the unit prepare for all these inspections? The unit faces many great challenges. There are a lot of steps taken to prepare for inspections. There are many checklists to follow but not enough time and personnel to accomplish these many tasks. There are many subjects areas which, the unit must cover that might be inspected. AR 11-l (Command Logistics Review Program), AR 735-5 (Policies and Procedures for Property Accountability), DA PAM 710-2-l (Using Unit Supply System Manual Procedures), and AR 710-2 (Supply Policy Below the Wholesale Level) are the governing policy documents and should be understood prior to an inspection. There are a lot of non value added procedures and many tasks that overlap, where in some cases the distribution of soldiers is not according to the need of each work place. There are many soldiers assigned to tasks different from what 1 they are supposed to do, which results in no incentive for performing better. In other words, the soldiers consume their energy striving to overcome problems inherent in the supply system instead of trying to maximize the effectiveness of supply operations. A transformation in the supply operations in the units could be achieved by the adoption of a new management philosophy that could help provide greater efficiency. Currently, one of the most advanced philosophies in the managerial field is the Total Quality Management (TQM) concept. But how compatible is the TQM philosophy to the units under the current circumstances? Can the adoption of this concept help the units to overcome their problems? What changes are necessary for a successful implementation? There is a need to examine the applicability of the TQM concept to supply operations. PURPOSE The purpose of this research is to evaluate potential of TQM for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of supply inspections. What is Total Quality Management? Total Quality Management is the process of improving the organization performance at every l... ... commanders and soldiers. For example, if there are areas of the inspection, convert five areas to TQM philosophy. BIBLIOGRAPHY A. BOOKS Aguayo Rafael, Dr. Demins: _ The American who taught the Japanese about Quality First. Carol Publishing Edition, 1990. Brocka, Bruce and M. Suzanne. Qualitv Manauement: Implementinq the Best Ideas of the Masters. Richard D. Irwin, INC., 1992. Carman, Jamess M. "TQM as a Survival Strategy: the Southern Pacific Experience." California Manaqement Review, Spring 1993. pp. 118-132. Dessler, Gary "Managing Quality and Productivity" Human Resource Manauement Prentice-Hall, Inc., 6th edition, pp. 309-323. B. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS PenDell Pittman and Pat O'Farrel, "Transforming Government: Putting People and Quality First", Coverinq m the Bases: _ _ A 14 Step Guide to TQM Implementation (Sixth Annual National Conference on Federal Quality, July 20-23, 1993). United States Office of Personnel Management, Federal Total Qualitv Manaqement Handbook, (Federal Quality Institute, May 1991). Research report, Total Qualitv Manaqement (TQM), An Overview, Anthony Coppola, Air Force Systems Command, September 1991, p. 7.

Comparative Study of Texts

The module comparative study of texts should remain in the Board of Studies syllabus as it can provide a powerful insight into the human condition and social values of an era. The play â€Å"Away† by Michael Gow and poems published in â€Å"Sometimes Gladness† written by Bruce Dawe are both texts which reflect similar conditions that the typical person living in suburban Australia between the 1950’s and 1960’s experienced. There were many significant events that took place during these two decades such as the aftermath of the Great Depression and the country’s military involvement in the Vietnam War.These incidents led to an outbreak in excessive consumerism and rising conflict amongst the Australian population on the subject of conscription. Through the analysis of the above mentioned texts, comparisons can be established. The 1950’s and 1960’s saw the beginning of a very consumerist Australian society where by treasured values were r eplaced with superficiality. In the play â€Å"Away†, Gwen’s obsessive longing for all things materialistic began to take over her life and affect the relationships she had with her family.The diminishing ideals of the pre-boomer generation are the resultant of the Great Depression which occurred in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. Many Australians were left unemployed which gave them the inability to support themselves with a home or even a decent meal. On the left hand side, you can see two men walking down the streets with signs hung around their neck on the lookout for a job so they are able to efficiently provide for their family. In Gwen’s confrontation with daughter Meg whilst being accused of purposely leaving Jim’s cardboard carton behind containing Christmas presents, she explains how she has â€Å"Sacrificed!Gone without. Gone through hardship so what happened to us will never happen to you. So you’ll never know what we s aw – never, never, never. † The short sentences followed by the repetition of the word ‘never’ give emphasis to Gwen’s devastating situation as she recalls the difficult stage in her life that unless you were in the same circumstances, will never be able to understand. On the right hand side of the slide shows a house formed by Australian currency. This represents both Gwen and Jim’s desire to live the Australian Dream of home ownership.Gwen’s money-oriented nature often causes her to look down on others who she believes are not entitled to the privileges she is as they have not worked for it. While in discussion with Meg about Tom’s family and their upcoming holiday she says â€Å"They both work don’t they? In a factory, isn’t it? I’m sure that’s what I heard. A lean-to. They shouldn’t be going on a holiday if they can’t afford one. † Gwen generalizes their family in contrast to t he hardships she financially struggled with in her adolescence that she persisted through to earn what she has today.These past experiences have made her appreciate the value of money to which she vows to never have to live so miserably ever again. Likewise, similar concepts regarding increased consumerism in this particular time period can be seen in Dawe’s â€Å"Enter Without So Much as Knocking†. This poem follows stages of a man whose life since birth is built on consumerism. The 1950’s were a time where social values regarding consumerism were substantially changing, especially as a result of the new advances in technology.The television, being one of the major developments only started to become mainstream in Australia a few years before this poem was published. The poem opens with a new born baby being introduced into a hectic fast city paced lifestyle. The first words heard when carried into the front door were Bobby Dazzler on Channel 7, â€Å"Hello, h ello, hello all you lucky people. † The repetition of the word â€Å"hello† gives emphasis on the irony of the materialistic world the child just has entered into. Although Bobby Dazzler refers to the viewers as lucky, the immoral ethics and lack of human emotion that the child is exposed to would suggest otherwise.The photo on the left shows a person who is surrounded by materialistic objects along with the word consume to show how the persona in the play’s whole life revolves around consumerism. Consumerist attitudes are also seen later in to the poem, when the family are defined as a â€Å"Well-equipped smoothly-run household†, using labels that would typically be given to commercial products when advertising. The hyphenated words create an extended listing effect that would appear when reading product descriptions before considering buying.This dehumanizes the family as if they have been purchased as objects and have not been described based on persona l characteristics thus demonstrating how consumerism has completely ruined our lives. This idea is represented in the deceptive picture on the right, with the phrase â€Å"Consumerism is killing us all†, however with few letters blurred out leaves the words â€Å"Consumerism is in us all†. The Vietnam War was another prime concern which had a massive impact on both the veterans and their loved ones during the 1960’s. Specifically, the introduction of conscription laws within Australia were very ontroversial as the public felt that they should not be forcefully sent overseas, but instead used for home defence only. In â€Å"Away†, it is learnt that Roy and Coral have lost their son at war after he was randomly selected through the conscription method of recruiting troops. Both Coral and Roy have different approaches to coping with the loss of their son which begins to threaten their relationship. Roy sees his son’s involvement in the war as a contri bution to a â€Å"country with one of the highest living standards on earth. † leaving his wife Coral who is still clearly distraught from the outcome, without any emotional support.After the school play, Coral awaits her husband alone outside where through monologue, is able to address her exact thoughts out loud to the audience. Coral has been moved by â€Å"A Midsummer Night’s Dream†, in particular Tom’s role who she cannot help but think of her young and innocent son who was taken away far too early. She makes a direct reference to her son â€Å"Is it better for them to die like that? † Through the soliloquy it is evident that Coral is incapable of dealing with the pain and despair the world has to offer, leaving her in an unstable state.The image on the left is of a young Australian veteran who was called up in the first intake of national servicemen under the conscription scheme, who would have been placed in the exact situation as Roy and Co rals son. Later on in the play, Roy confronts Coral about her inability to control her low-spirited behaviour around people when she is at school functions and that Roy is also still suffering but doesn’t feel included in the mourning of their son. Roy attempts to reassure Coral that there are other families out there who have been victimised by the repercussions of the war with the lines â€Å"But.But. We are not the only ones†. The uses of short sentences are far more powerful in meaning as they are straight to the point in his efforts to comfort Coral from the tragedy. Coral is only one of a few mothers who were outraged due to conscription. On the right, you can see an anti-conscription protest by a group of women called Save Our Sons who formed to counter conscription and in general the war. Identical themes with regards to the nation’s involvement in the Vietnam War and the negative response from the Australian public can be seen in Bruce Dawe’s â⠂¬Å"Homecoming†.The poem is about the process of bringing home deceased bodies from the war who were originally conscripted to fight on behalf of their country. The title itself â€Å"Homecoming† is used in such a sarcastic manner, drawing all attention to the irony. The concept of a ‘homecoming’ would generally call for a celebration and overall give us a warm sensation, however that is not the case for the return of the dead soldiers stripped of their dignity. In the first opening lines of the poem, the procedure of how the bodies are collected for their arrival home are described using graphic terms.Through the use of visual imagery, the mistreatment of the corpses is shown in lines â€Å"they’re zipping them up in green plastic bags† which dehumanize the veterans by their absence of individuality. On the left shows luggage on the tarmac at Vung Tau, a few days before the Vietnam veterans returned home. The enormity of the war is represente d towards the end of the poem through the metaphorical â€Å"the spider grief swings in his bitter geometry. † Dawe refers to a spider’s web to portray the widespread affect the war had on the family and friends within the community who are still grieving.The image on the right shows a soldier being greeted by his young children, who was fortunate enough to arrive home unscathed, unlike many of his fellow war mates. As you can see, exploring related themes of consumerism and conscription in Bruce Dawe’s poems â€Å"Enter Without So Much as Knocking† and â€Å"Homecoming† along with Michael Gow’s play â€Å"Away† allow us to gain an insight into the human condition and social values of an era that we would otherwise not be able to understand on such scale through a study of one of them individually. In saying so, the Board of Studies should reconsider removing the module from the syllabus.

Deceptive Accounting Essay

Fraud and corruption are a menace not only in the poverty stricken countries, but also in the developed world. The worldwide menace of malpractice attempts to defeat the value to globalization. In the globalized world of investors of the 21st century with its first transatlantic stock exchange, it is necessary to continue reforms to shake off abuses of power at the level of their roots. So, Daniel Quinn Mills, a professor at the Harvard Business School, writes Wheel, Deal, and Steal (2003) to express his belief that CEOs of imperial nature are continuing their practice of stealing from investors despite the hue and cry over the financial scandals of Worldcom, Tyco, and of course, Enron. The author claims that the rules that have been designed to protect the investors are failing time after time. Hence, Mills details wide-ranging reforms that are possible and should be designed in order to encourage transparency in financial work. Additionally, the author shows how investors should, after perusing his book, try to protect the leftovers from corrupt financial practices. Investors may even be able to use Mills’ advice in recovering their lost moneys. Wheel, Deal, and Steal claims that investors are being cheated at many different levels. The auditors and the CEOs may all be involved in financial fraud for a variety of reasons, the main one being that they all want to pocket greater earnings without sharing them with investors. Moreover, the rules of law and ethics do not seem to be doing a great job in controlling accounting fraud. There is a basic clash of interests between the investors and the corporations that the investors were meant to fundamentally trust for the protection of their particular interests, that is, to create more earnings for themselves through their investments. These conflict of is the concept of alienation put forth by Karl Marx. According to Mills, even the stock market crash had this conflict of interests at its core. It is not about the accounting scandals of recent times alone. Rather, the problem is deep rooted as it is a conflict of power and money. The CEOs try to pocket as much money as possible sometimes at the expense of the investors. Originally, however, shareholders were meant to be the owners of American enterprises, and the executives were to act as the agents of the investors. But now, executives are the only ones making fortunes for themselves and expanding their own power in the corporation. Investors, on the other hand, are left far behind in the process of business. Mills offers plenty of accounting information in his book that investors should want to understand in order to gain mastery over the accounting malpractice techniques that are used to give them losses in stead of the gains of ownership. While power had been shifted from the hands of the investors to the households of the executives, the executives and their auditors had been using â€Å"creative accounting† to defraud the investors. The techniques of â€Å"creative accounting† should be learned by the ordinary investor who may from now want to replace the all-powerful executive in favor of a team of managers that should work on behalf of the investors alone. Mills advises investors to take charge through his book by informing them that only they are the ones that seem to be staying behind. The attorneys, the auditors, and the investment banks are all involved in corporate fraud that is deliberately designed to give less to investors (who are generally greater in number). The parties sharing the greater profits by defrauding investors mainly seem to be the executives of investment banks, law firms, accounting firms, and the corporation itself. The author explains that the executives of big corporations have established compliance in their systems wherewith they do not only defraud their gullible and valuable investors without a sound from the latter; but they have also developed compliant teams of accountants and boards of directors. After devising financial malpractice, the executives â€Å"had to do deals that would look good in their financials and get approval from auditors and boards for misleading financial reports. Finally, they had to cash in their options before the frauds and other misrepresentations were discovered† (8). Mills reminds us that the CFO of WorldCom, Mr. Scot Sullivan; the CFO of Enron, Mr. Andrew Fastow; and the CFO of Tyco, Mark Swartz—all were smooth operators who had been given excellence awards by the CFO Magazine. Furthermore, Fortune Magazine had given awards to Enron for being the most admired company along with Citigroup. In addition, Enron had been lauded every year from 1996-2001 for high achievement in innovation. The executives seem to be fooling everybody. What is more, the author of Wheel, Deal, and Steal blames the Federal Reserve for harnessing Mr. Brooksley Born, the chief executive of the CFTO, by telling him to stay out of the business of derivates. Thus, everybody seems to have been involved in the creation of a financial scandal whenever it has happened. While some may formulate deficient laws and others may unwisely supervise the financial practices of a corporation, the entire system appears to be flawed. A comprehensive effort to eliminate the problem of corporate fraud is therefore needed on the part of the financial system as a whole, including the supervisors. Mills provides good insights into the functioning of both the Commodities Futures Trading Corporation and the Federal Reserve while offering his advice on the reform of the system. This book also is a reminder that the Internet bubble is over and the next bubble might be of hedge funds or the funds of hedge funds. Investors must be prepared for the next bubble with an increase in consciousness with respect to their precious moneys invested for greater earnings. Thus, the book is an essential read for investors who are ready to work for change. Mills advises that the government must be held responsible for punishing corrupt executives of various corporations. Besides, the good work of eliminating fraud must be continued given that democracies also accompany corruption at several levels, mostly having to do with the cream of supervisors or top management at accounting firms as well as regulatory agencies. The latter are responsible for making good regulations to check corporate fraud. However, investors must take charge to get regulatory agencies and the government as a whole involved in the process wherever the regulations and policies appear impotent. To increase the awareness of the investors and hopefully to push them to take action with regards to the regulation of their investments, Mill’s book answers the following question: There are many Americans now in the stock market, and if we are sufficiently upset about our losses, politicians and courts may act. Estimates are that the proportion of U. S. households that owned stocks or mutual funds has grown from 19% in 1983 to 49. 5% in 2002; and the proportion of single individuals who own stocks or mutual funds has grown from 42% in 1983 to 84% in 2002. If investors exert their potential influence, can we create a safer, more reliable, more honest America? (10).