Letters on England and the Early Enlightenment

Biography of Henry V of England

Biography of Henry V of England An icon of chivalry, a conquering hero, an exemplar of kingship and a supreme self-publicist, Henry V is among the triumvirate of the most famous English monarchs. Unlike Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, Henry V forged his legend in a little over nine years, but the long-term effects of his victories were few and many historians find something unpleasant in the arrogantly determined, albeit charismatic, young king. Even without Shakespeares attention, Henry V would still be fascinating modern readers. Birth and Early Life The future Henry V was born Henry of Monmouth at Monmouth Castle into one of Englands most powerful noble families. His parents were Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby, a man who had once tried to curb the ambitions of his cousin, King Richard II, but now acted loyally, and Mary Bohun, heir to a rich chain of estates. His grandfather was John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, third son of Edward III, a staunch supporter of Richard II, and the most powerful English noble of the age. At this point, Henry was not considered an heir to the throne and his birth was thus not recorded formally enough for a definitive date to have survived. Historians cant agree on whether Henry was born on August 9th or September 16th, in 1386 or 1387. The current leading biography, by Allmand, uses 1386; however, the introductory work by Dockray uses 1387. Henry was the oldest of six children and he received the best upbringing an English noble could have, including training in martial skills, riding, and forms of hunting. He also received an education in music, harp, literature, and spoke three languages- Latin, French, and English- making him unusually highly educated. Some sources claim that the young Henry was sickly and puny in childhood, but these descriptions didn’t follow him past puberty. Tensions in Court In 1397 Henry Bolingbroke reported treasonous comments made by the Duke of Norfolk; a court was convened but, as it was one Dukes word against another, trial by battle was arranged. It never took place. Instead, Richard II intervened in 1398 by exiling Bolingbroke for ten years and Norfolk for life. Subsequently, Henry of Monmouth found himself a guest at the royal court. While the word hostage was never used, there was underlying tension behind his presence and the implicit threat to Bolingbroke should he disobey. However, the childless Richard appeared to have a genuine fondness for young Henry and he knighted the boy. Becoming the Heir In 1399, Henrys grandfather, John of Gaunt, died. Bolingbroke should have inherited his fathers estates but Richard II revoked them, kept them for himself and extended Bolingbrokes exile to life. By this time, Richard was already unpopular, seen as an ineffective and increasingly autocratic ruler but his treatment of Bolingbroke cost him the throne. If the most powerful English family could lose their land so arbitrarily and illegally; if the most loyal of all men is rewarded by his heirs disinheritance; what rights did other landowners have against this king? Popular support swung to Bolingbroke, who returned to England where he was met by many who urged him to seize the throne from Richard. This task was completed with little opposition the same year. On October 13th, 1399, Henry Bolingbroke became Henry IV of England, and two days later Henry of Monmouth was accepted by Parliament as heir to the throne, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, and Earl of Chester. Two months later he was given the further titles Duke of Lancaster and Duke of Aquitaine.​ Relationship with Richard II Henrys rise to heir had been sudden and due to factors beyond his control, but his relationship with Richard II, especially during 1399, is unclear. Richard had taken Henry on an expedition to crush rebels in Ireland and, upon hearing of Bolingbrokes invasion, confronted Henry with the fact of his fathers treason. The encounter, allegedly recorded by one chronicler, ends with Richard agreeing that Henry was innocent of his fathers acts. Although he still imprisoned Henry in Ireland when he returned to fight Bolingbroke, Richard made no further threats against him. Furthermore, sources suggest that when Henry was released, he traveled to see Richard rather than return directly to his father. Is it possible that Henry felt more loyalty to Richard- as a king or a father figure- than to Bolingbroke? Prince Henry agreed to Richards imprisonment but it is unclear whether this and Henry IVs decision to have Richard murdered had any effect on later events, such as the younger Henrys impatience to usurp his father or his choice to rebury Richard with full regal honors in Westminster Abbey. We dont know for certain. Experience in Battle Henry Vs reputation as a leader began forming in his teenage years, as he and took on responsibilities in the government of the realm. One example of this is the Welsh uprising led by Owain Glyn DÃ… µr. When the small uprising swiftly grew into a full-scale rebellion against the English crown, Henry, as Prince of Wales, had a responsibility to help fight this treason. Consequently, Henrys household moved to Chester in 1400 with Henry Percy, nicknamed Hotspur, in charge of military affairs. Hotspur was an experienced campaigner from whom the young prince was expected to learn. However, after several years of ineffective cross-border raiding, the Percys rebelled against Henry IV, culminating in the  Battle of Shrewsbury on July 21st, 1403. The prince was wounded in the face by an arrow but refused to leave the fight. In the end, the kings army was victorious, Hotspur was killed, and the younger Henry famed throughout England for his courage. Lessons Learned in Wales Following the Battle of Shrewsbury, Henrys involvement in military strategy increased greatly and he began forcing a change in tactics, away from raids and into the control of land through strong points and garrisons. Any progress was initially hampered by a chronic lack of funding- at one point, Henry was paying for the entire war from his own estates. By 1407, fiscal reforms facilitated the sieging of Glyn DÃ… µr castles, which finally fell by the end of 1408. With the rebellion fatally, Wales was brought back under English control just two years later. Henrys successes as king can be clearly tied to the lessons he learned in Wales, particularly the value of controlling strongpoints, approaches to dealing with the tedium and difficulties of besieging them, and the need for proper supply lines and a reliable source of adequate finances. He also experienced the exercise of royal power. Involvement in Politics From 1406 to 1411, Henry played an ever-increasing role in the Kings Council, the body of men who ran the nations administration. In 1410, Henry took overall command of the council; however, the opinions and policies Henry favored were often counter to those favored by his fater- particularly where France was concerned. In 1411, the king became so irked that he dismissed his son from the council altogether. Parliament, however, were impressed by both the princes energetic rule and his attempts to reform government finances.​ In 1412, the king organized an expedition to France led by Henrys brother, Prince Thomas. Henry- possibly still angry or sulking over his expulsion from the council- refused to go. The campaign was a failure and Henry was accused of staying in England to plot a coup against the king. Henry denied these accusations vigorously, obtaining a promise from Parliament to investigate and personally protesting his innocence to his father. Later in the year, more rumors emerged, this time claiming the Prince had stolen funds earmarked for a siege of Calais. After much protest, Henry was again found innocent. Threat of Civil War and Ascension to the Throne Henry IV had never secured universal support for his seizure of the crown from Richard and by the end of 1412, his familys supporters were drifting into armed and angry factions. Fortunately for the unity of England, people realized Henry IV was terminally ill before these factions were mobilized and efforts were made to obtain peace between father, son, and brother. Henry IV died on March 20th, 1413, but if he had remained healthy, would his son have started an armed conflict to clear his name, or even seize the crown? It is impossible to know. Instead, Henry was proclaimed king on March 21st, 1413, and crowned as Henry V on April 9th. Throughout 1412, the younger Henry seemed to have been acting with righteous confidence, even arrogance and was clearly chafing against the rule of his father, but legends claim that the wild prince turned into a pious and determined man overnight. There may not be much truth in those tales, but Henry probably did appear to change in character as he fully adopted the mantle of King. Finally able to direct his great energy into his chosen policies, Henry began acting with the dignity and authority he believed was his duty and his accession was broadly welcomed. Early Reforms For the first two years of his reign, Henry worked hard to reform and solidify his nation in preparation for war. The dire royal finances were given a thorough overhaul by streamlining and maximizing the existing system. The resulting gains werent enough to fund a campaign overseas, but Parliament was grateful for the effort and Henry built on this to cultivate a strong working relationship with the Commons, resulting in generous grants of taxation from the people to fund a campaign in France. Parliament was also impressed with Henrys drive to tackle the general lawlessness into which vast areas of England had sunk. The peripatetic courts worked much harder than in Henry IVs reign to tackle crime, reducing the number of armed bands and trying to solve the long-term disagreements which fomented local conflict. The chosen methods, however, reveal Henrys continued eye on France, for many criminals were simply pardoned for their crimes in return for military service abroad. The emphasis was less on punishing crime than channeling that energy towards France. Uniting the Nation Perhaps the most important campaign Henry undertook in this phase was to unite the nobles and common people of England behind him. He showed and practiced a willingness to forgive and pardon families who had opposed Henry IV, none more so than the Earl of March, the lord Richard II had designated as his heir. Henry freed March from imprisonment and returned the Earls landed estates. In return, Henry expected absolute obedience and he moved quickly and decisively to stamp out any dissent. In 1415 the Earl of March informed on plans to put him on the throne which, in truth, were merely the grumblings of three disaffected lords who had already abandoned their ideas. Henry acted swiftly to execute the plotters and remove their opposition. Henry also acted against the spreading belief in Lollardy, a pre-Protestant Christian movement, which many nobles felt was a threat to Englands very society and which had previously had sympathizers at court. A commission was created to identify all Lollards and a Lollard-led rebellion was swiftly put down. Henry issued a general pardon to all those who surrendered and repented. Through these acts, Henry made sure the nation saw him as acting decisively to crush both dissent and religious deviance, underlining his position as Englands leader and Christian protector while also binding the nation further around him. Honoring Richard II Henry had Richard IIs body moved and reinterred with full regal honors in Westminster Cathedral. Possibly done out of fondness for the former king, the reburial was a political masterstroke. Henry IV, whose claim to the throne was legally and morally dubious, hadnt dared perform any act which gave legitimacy to the man he usurped. Henry V, on the other hand, demonstrated confidence in himself and his right to rule, as well as a respect for Richard which pleased any of the latters remaining supporters. The codification of a rumor that Richard II once remarked how Henry would be king, most certainly done with Henrys approval, turned him into the heir of both Henry IV and Richard II. Statebuilding Henry actively encouraged the idea of England as a nation separate from others, most importantly when it came to language. When Henry, a tri-lingual king, ordered all government documents to be written in vernacular English (the language of the normal English peasant) it was the first time it had ever happened. The ruling classes of England had used Latin and French for centuries, but Henry encouraged a cross-class use of English that was markedly different from the continent. While the motive for most of Henrys reforms was configuring the nation to fight France, he also fulfilled almost all the criteria by which kings were to be judged: good justice, sound finance, true religion, political harmony, accepting counsel and nobility. Only one remained: success in war. English kings had claimed parts of the European mainland ever since William, Duke of Normandy,  won the throne in 1066, but the size and legitimacy of these holdings varied  through struggles with the competing French crown. Not only did Henry consider it his legal right and duty to recover these lands, but he also believed honestly and utterly in his right to the rival throne, as first claimed by Edward III. At every stage of his French campaigns, Henry went to great lengths to be seen as acting legally and royally. In France, King Charles VI was mad and the French nobility had split into two warring camps: the Armagnacs, formed around Charles son, and the Burgundians, formed around John, Duke of Burgundy. Henry saw a way to take advantage of this situation. As a prince, he had supported the Burgundian faction, but as the king, he played the two against each other simply to claim hed tried to negotiate. In June 1415, Henry broke talks off and on August 11 began what became known as the Agincourt Campaign. Military Victories at Agincourt and Normandy Henrys first target was the port of Harfleur, a French naval base and potential supply point for the English armies. It fell, but only after a protracted siege which saw Henrys army reduced in numbers and affected by illness. With winter approaching, Henry decided to march his force overland to Calais despite being opposed by his commanders. They felt the scheme was too risky, as a major French force was gathering to meet their weakened troops. At Agincourt on October 25th, an army of both French factions blocked the English and forced them to battle. The French should have crushed the English, but a combination of deep mud, social convention, and French mistakes led to an overwhelming English victory. Henry completed his march to Calais, where he was greeted like a hero. In military terms, victory at Agincourt simply allowed Henry to escape catastrophe and deterred the French from further pitched battles, but politically the impact was enormous. The English further united around their conquering king, Henry became one of the most famous men in Europe and the French factions splintered again in shock. Having obtained vague promises of help from John the Fearless in 1416, Henry returned to France in July 1417 with a clear objective: the conquest of Normandy. He maintained his army in France consistently for three years, methodically besieging towns and castles and installing new garrisons. By June 1419 Henry controlled the vast majority of Normandy. Admittedly, warring between the French factions meant little national opposition was organized but it was nonetheless a supreme achievement. Equally notable are the tactics Henry used. This wasnt a plundering  chevauchà ©e  as favored by previous English kings, but a determined attempt to bring Normandy under permanent control. Henry was acting as rightful king and allowing those who accepted him to keep their land. There was still brutality- he destroyed those who opposed him and grew increasingly violent- but he was far more controlled, magnanimous, and answerable to the law than before. The War for France On May 29th, 1418, while Henry and his forces advanced further into France, John the Fearless captured Paris, slaughtered the Armagnac garrison and took command of Charles VI and his court. Negotiations had continued between the three sides throughout this period, but the Armagnacs and Burgundians grew close again in the summer of 1419. A united France would have threatened Henry Vs success, but even in the face of continued defeats at the hands of Henry, the French could not overcome their internal divisions. At a meeting of  the Dauphin  and John the Fearless on September 10th, 1419, John was assassinated. Reeling, the Burgundians reopened negotiations with Henry. By Christmas, an agreement was in place and on 21st May 1420, the Treaty of Troyes signed. Charles VI remained  King of France, but Henry became his heir, married his daughter  Katherine  and acted as de facto ruler of France. Charles son, the Dauphin Charles, was barred from the throne and Henrys line would follow. On June 2nd, Henry married Katherine of Valois and on December 1st, 1420 he entered Paris. Unsurprisingly, the Armagnacs rejected the treaty. Untimely Death In early 1421, Henry returned to England, motivated by the need to acquire more funds and mollify Parliament. He spent the winter besieging Meaux, one of the Dauphins last northern strongholds, before it fell in May 1422. During this time his only child, Henry, had been born, but the king had also fallen ill and had to be literally carried to the next siege. He died on August 31st, 1422 at Bois de Vincennes. Successes and Legacy Henry V perished at the height of his power, only a few months following Charles VIs death and his coronation as King of France. In his nine-year reign, he had demonstrated the ability to manage a nation through hard work and an eye for detail. He had shown a charisma which inspired soldiers and a balance of justice and forgiveness with reward and punishment that united a nation and provided the framework on which he based his strategies. He had proved himself a planner and commander equal to the greatest of his era, keeping an army in the field constantly overseas for three years. While Henry had benefited greatly from the civil war being waged in France, his opportunism and ability to react enabled him to exploit the situation fully. Henry fulfilled every criterion demanded of a good king. Weaknesses It is entirely possible that Henry died just at the right time for his legend to remain, and that another nine years would have tarnished it greatly. The goodwill and support of the English people were definitely wavering by 1422 as the money was drying up and Parliament had mixed feelings towards Henrys seizure of the crown of France. The English people wanted a strong, successful king, but they were concerned about his level of interest in France and they certainly didnt want to pay for a prolonged conflict there. Ultimately, historys view of Henry is colored by the Treaty of Troyes. On the one hand, Troyes established Henry as the heir to France. However, Henrys rival heir, the Dauphin retained strong support and rejected the treaty. Troyes thus committed Henry to a long and expensive war against a faction who still controlled roughly half of France, a war which might take decades before the treaty could be enforced and for which his resources were running out. The task of properly establishing the Lancastrians as dual kings of England and France was probably impossible, but many also consider the dynamic and determined Henry as one of the few people able to do it. Henrys personality undermines his reputation. His confidence was part of an iron will and fanatical determination that hints at a cold, aloof character masked by the glow of victories. Henry seems to have focused on his rights and goals above those of his kingdom. As ​prince, Henry pushed for greater power and, as an ailing king, his last will made no provision for the care of the kingdom after his death. Instead, he spent his energies arranging twenty-thousand masses to be performed in his honor. At the time of his death, Henry had been growing more intolerant of enemies, ordering ever more savage reprisals and forms of war and may have been becoming increasingly autocratic. Conclusion Henry V of England was undoubtedly a gifted man and one of few to shape history to his design, but his self-belief and ability came at the expense of personality. He was one of the great military commanders of his age- acting from a genuine sense of right, not a cynical politician- but his ambition may have committed him to treaties beyond even his ability to enforce. Despite the achievements of his reign, including uniting the nation around him, creating peace between crown and parliament, and winning a throne, Henry left no long-term political or military legacy. The Valois reconquered France and retook the throne within forty years, while the Lancastrian line failed and England collapsed into civil war. What Henry did leave was a legend and a greatly enhanced national consciousness.

Idea of rebellion against the Martin Luther King Essay

Idea of rebellion against the Martin Luther King - Essay Example Getting to understand the issues that the clergymen were raising, one is left with more questions than answers. From my point of view, I saw these as more of political fanatics. The point that Luther was raising was clear and straightforward, while the counteraccusations holding no firm ground. I realized that in life, even the very people that one is fighting for could fight you back. The eight Clergymen based in Alabama did not quite understand the motivation behind Luther or they were ignorant, because racial discrimination affected them too. I learnt a lot about the historical perspective of democracy and the hard path of attaining a racially equal society. Such knowledge is very important for the future generations to understand where our country has come from. Question 2 The world is a dangerous place characterized by disasters and destructive activities. Disasters have denied generations’ access to vital information that could have otherwise helped build on the existing knowledge. Humans are both destructive and constructive; humans through wars, and fires and other human activities have done a majority of the destruction of knowledge resources. These activities are either accidental or sometimes intentional while others are part of the global destruction of a given area. In addition, natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and floods among others have contributed to knowledge loss. Knowledge is lost when libraries are destroyed, important information bearing sites are destroyed or an ongoing research is terminated without trace. Historical information suggests destruction of very many resources as a result of human made activities. Wars are the major contributor of all the destruction of knowledge resources; they sometimes result to other destructors such as fires and looting. The history of library destruction dates back at around 206 AD as a result of a war in China. The result was the destruction of the Epang Palace and S tate Archives, leading to destruction of volumes of resources as well as death of many scholars. Other landmark destructions include the destruction of the Library of the Alexandria, one of the respected and highly used libraries by the early scholars especially because of the many volumes of books and scrolls available. The library was strategic, being one of the early centres of civilization and having a close proximity with Greece, Rome and the Mesopotamia provided an ideal ground for study and knowledge development. The destruction of the library was consecutive leading to the shift of the knowledge base in Egypt to be at the Library of Serapeum that was also later destroyed. These incidences resulted into loss of much knowledge that had been stored therein. Books, periodicals, publications, journals, on going research proposals, tablets, and artistic knowledge bearing pieces of work among others have been destroyed. Destruction of the Nalanda centre in India saw the decline of Buddhism because all the important knowledge was lost. In England, the Glassney College Library was destroyed resulting to loss of some good amount of books. After America gained independence, its Congress Library was destroyed in 1812 after the invasion by the British Army troops who captured the city of Washington and burnt it, in the process many books were destroyed and other materials that were being used by the Congress for their study and research. The Civil War had a great impact on the institutional libraries in the city of Washington where books were burnt, looted and physically destroyed. In addition, the war destroyed the University of Alabama Library. Outside United States, the Public Records Office in Ireland was put into flames, the Japanese troops destroyed various libraries in China, and

Maybelline new york Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Maybelline new york - Essay Example Originally, the mascara from Maybelline came in black color only because it was targeted at giving the eyelashes darker fuller look. Today, variety in terms of color has become an important and unique feature of the Maybelline Cake Mascara. The variety that exists with the colors actually forms what I like most about the company’s product. As far as fashion and quality dimensions are concerned, it can be said that there is so much justification and validity with the having different colors for the mascara. This is because as people adorn different types and colors of clothing, they have become aesthetically concerned with having matches for their clothing by way of how most other parts of their bodies appear, including their hair, eyebrows, and lately eye lashes. From every indication, Maybelline has taken fashion to the next level and this level is the dynamism with which conformation and harmony can be achieved through

Trademarks infringement under Saudi Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Trademarks infringement under Saudi Law - Essay Example In situations where such marks are used to identify services, they may be referred to as service marks although they are generally treated as trademarks. In the Saudi Law, trademark protection is recognized and can extend beyond words, phrases and symbols to include other aspects of a product like the packaging and color. The trademarks make it very easy for customers of a product to identify the source of the products very quickly indeed. They do not have to go about doing a lot of reading or making a lot of enquiries to know where the product comes from. Trademarks Infringement The Saudi Law recognizes the protection of trademarks of companies. As such, trademark infringement is an issue that is offensive both criminally and civilly. This implies that a party that owns rights to a particular trademark can sue another that infringes this right. Trademark infringement can come about as a result of one party, organization or company using identical marks, words, symbols and phrases th at are already in use by another party, company or organization (USA International Business Publications, 2007, pp. 46-47). The factors that determine the level of infringement include the strength of the mark, the similarity of the marks, and the proximity of the goods and the evidence of actual confusion. The similarity of channels of marketing used and the intent of the defendant can also be used to determine the infringement. Trademark infringement is an evil as it denies the right owner the opportunity to benefit from the trademark both socially and economically. Every organization, therefore, has a right to be protected from such infringement. Crime cases on infringement of trademarks There have been several cases of trademark infringement that bar individual organizations from fully benefiting from the products that they sell. Crime cases of trademark infringement occur where the infringement from its intent, undoubtedly affects not just the organization involved, but the who le society (Bureau of National Affairs, 1995). Cases involving individuals are civil naturally, but where they extend to affect the society, they become criminal. It goes without saying that some organizations have stolen trademarks used by reputable organizations to produce substandard goods, which may bring about ill health to the entire society. In such a situation, the trademark infringement extends beyond being a civil case to a crime. Punishment for Infringement Trademark protection has seen certain punishment enhanced for those whom infringe such an important right in Saudi. The minister of commerce has a duty to appoint the officers to take stern action against those who infringe and violate this significant intellectual property right. One possible punishment is the seizure of all the counterfeit goods by the officers appointed by the minister. The individuals who infringe are, therefore, at a huge risk of losing the property that they own. The penalties for trademark infri ngement have also been increased. Individuals who infringe this right can be forced to pay up to 168000dollars (Heper, 1994, p. 36). Besides, one risks being imprisoned for infringing this intellectual property right. These punishments have been put in place to ensure that the organizations owning a given trademark have an exclusive right over it and benefit from it socially, intellectually and economically. Use of Other Trademarks for Bad Intentions It is also saddening that some individuals use some trademarks for bad

Importance of Ethical Behavior in Social Work

Importance of Ethical Behavior in Social Work Veronica Anderson Shalondria Wade Hill I. Ethics and Social Work For professions rooted in health and human services,  ethics are a vital part and have the most importance. The social work profession is the epitome of both integrity and ethics. Although the majority of social workers display ideal ethics and the nature of the career tends to attract the most compassionate and principled individuals, there is a small minority that engage in behavior that is considered to be unethical. The NASW (National Association of Social Workers) Code of Ethics emphasizes that the core of any type of social work revolves around professional ethics. The mission of the social work profession is rooted in a set of six core values. It is somewhat of a map that guides each social worker’s journey and is important to all social workers regardless of working conditions. These core values serve as the root for all social workers and if followed properly will ensure that each and every social worker remain highly ethical in any situation that they may face. The se core values are: (1) Service, (2) Social Justice, (3) Dignity and worth of the person, (4) Importance of Human relationships, (5) Integrity, and (6) Competence (National Association of Social Workers, 2013). Unethical behavior for a social worker is any deviation or violation from the six core values and the several principles and standards set forth by the NASW. The reason social workers misconduct is so important is because misconduct and neglect of duty by a social worker could have harmful consequences. Misconduct by a social worker can result in serious injury, lost financial support, child endangerment, and in some cases death (Hyslop, 2015). With such fatal consequences, it is urgent that the social work profession understand why some of their workers engage in such ethical misbehavior. According to Dr. Frederic G. Reamer, there are several prominent themes when it comes to social work misconduct: (1) Desperation, (2) Greed, (3) Impairment, (4) mental illness, (5) addiction (including addiction to substances, sex, and gambling), and professional burnout (Reamer, 2012). II. Competence One of the critical core values set forth by the NASW is competence. Competence is the ability to perform one’s duties both successfully and efficiently. This is critical for social workers. Social workers tend to work long hours and have a number of cases, so it is important that they can work efficiently but also keep the same standards to ensure that the job is done successfully as well. The ethical principle states how â€Å"Social workers must practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise† (National Association of Social Workers, 2013). For social workers it is proper to utilize their education, personal values, experience, training, and any other professional related experiences in order to properly address any situation. Although it may be overlooked at times, being competent is a crucial factor in many cases of unethical behavior. With many of these situations, competence is the first core values that many unethical social workers neglect. Having a competent social worker is the necessary first key to resolving any situation and when it is lacking, terrible consequences could be the result. The NASW believes that social workers should continually strive to increase their professional knowledge and skills in order to apply them successfully in practice. In order to remain competent social workers must work every day to not only maintain their level of competence but to also build upon it as well. III. Case An example of unethical behavior in social work can be seen in the case of Candice Lassiter and Craig Smith in North Carolina. These two social workers were each charged with three counts obstruction of justice in relation to the death of a 15 month year old little girl. According to Mitch Weiss of the Huffington Post, the social workers were aware of the child abuse going on in the home, yet after the death of the child Lassiter, who was in charge, ordered Smith, a subordinate, to falsify records to make it appear like they did an fair and competent job in investigating the case (Weiss, 2013). There were several violations of social work ethics in this case which include: (1) lying, (2) incompetence, (3) service, (4) social justice, and (5) the unethical conduct of colleagues. Gregory Achen notes how child abuse can be hard to substantiate and requires comprehensive, time-consuming assessments from social workers (Achen, 2013). If the two social workers in the previous case used the code of ethics this child’s life could have been spared. According to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), child abuse and neglect is defined as: Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or an act or failure to act, which presents an imminent risk of serious harm (U.S. Dept. Health and Human Services, 2012). In the United States 9.3% of children were victims of abuse and/or neglect in 2009. With approximately 9% of children in this country neglected and/or abused, there needs to be a voice for the children, and that voice needs to be in skilled, ethical social workers. To explain this problem in a social work setting, I propose this hypothetical situation. A social worker coming straight out of a Master’s program has just been hired by the Mississippi Department of Health and Human Services (MDHS) as a child protection services specialist. This social worker’s superior has been an excellent mentor so far and has provided necessary skills and knowledge on the subject matter and how to deal with a variety of situations. Over the past year, the young social worker has been to various functions with the supervisor and now considers them to be not only colleagues but close friends. At MDHS, social workers are informed of suspected cases through the hotline and once the case gets assigned they have 3 levels. Level 1 is called the screen out; it is centered on neglect more than actual abuse. Level 2 is still neglect and abuse but more severe than level 1 and the social worker has up to 72 hours to make a home visit. Level 3 is the most severe level. Here are the cases of extreme physical abuse and sexual abuse and the social worker has up to 24 hours to make a home visit. (MDHS). Now unfamiliar to the young social worker, her supervisor has already had a level 2 call about child abuse in a pretty bad neighborhood. The supervisor has neglected numerous home visits and eventually the hotline receives a level 3 call about this same child. The supervisor still remains to follow through, and two weeks later, the same child is found dead at the home. Upon hearing of the death, the supervisor is trying to cover their tracks and so they reach out to the young social worker. The supervisor should have handed the case to a CPS worker and oversee all of the home care visits, but did none of it. So they come to the young social worker to falsify official documents. He wants the young social worker to fill out reports showing that home visits were made and that everything seemed to be in order when they visited on the number of calls previously received. The supervisor would then sign off on all of the paperwork and even states how he himself went out to the home with the young social worker on one of the visits to ensure that everything was ok. In this hypothetical situation the police never find out about the unethical misconduct of the social workers and they continue their friendship, however due to this incident more and more cases could possibly turn out the same way and one child’s life was lost. In this scenario, there has been a variety of social work unethical behavior demonstrated. Obviously lying to cover up another colleague’s neglect is the most obvious. The core values not used were reasonable for all six. The core value of service was not administered at all here. A social worker’s primary goal is to help people in need, and in this case a child needed them and nothing was done. There was no social justice performed by these social workers because social workers are supposed to help get justice for weak and vulnerable individuals, and in this case this was not accomplished. They did not acknowledge the dignity and worth of this child, possibly because of the unsafe environment with which they were being raised. The importance of human relationships extends beyond clients at times. Although it is the target to obtain a good relationship with colleagues, it is not worth it if the clients, social workers are supposed to help, suffer as a result of it. Lastly there was no integrity or competence shown here with the falsifying of documents to cover the tracks of a superior. IV. Personal Reflection Social workers practicing in the child welfare field often face the need to make critical decisions while working in stressful work environments that can include high caseloads and limited supervision, training, and support (National Association of Social Workers, 2013). As an undergraduate social work student here at Jackson State University, the NASW Code of Ethics has played a crucial role in not only how I view social work issues but also how I look at issues in my everyday life. The role of social workers when it comes to abuse varies, but it centers on the safety and well-being of potential victims. This is one major reason why I feel that it is important to have a code of ethics and set of guiding principles that anyone can fall back on when confronted with morally unclear issues such as the prior hypothetical situation. In my opinion, both the supervisor and the young social worker were more than wrong in the above scenario. First off the supervisor was neglectful in his duties initially. Any level two calls about child abuse are extremely upsetting and his duty was to call attention to it and respond appropriately. To compound his neglect, upon the death of the child he immediately began lying to his superiors, to the young social worker, and to himself. Lying about visiting the home and lying about the entire situation was not the way to go. To top it all off, due to his negligence he brought in the young social worker to lie on his behalf. He used the friendship he achieved with a coworker to justify and cover up his mistakes. The young social worker is also at fault because she should have had more integrity to not get involved in the cover up and report the negligence of her supervisor to the proper authorities. All she did, by covering up his mistake, was leave the door open for it to happen a gain and that could cost more children harm and possibly cause another life to end as well. One of the best things about the NASW code of ethics, in my mind, is the fact that they all work with each other. Without having one core value it lessen any of the other five. That is why I feel that competence is one of the most important ones. If a social worker is not competent it makes it almost impossible to display and of the other five core values. That is why in this case I feel that the core value most in need was competence. I feel that this falls hand in hand with my personal values. My aim is to become an exceptional social worker and the way to ensure this I must remain competent with everything I do. The supervisor lacked competence by not only neglecting his duties but by involving a subordinate in the affairs as well to cover his tracks. The young social worker lacked competence, by not knowing the situation that the supervisor put her in by asking for her to falsify documents. If I was ever in any situation that could possibly contradict with my personal values or the social work six core values, it would be hard to say one hundred percent what I would do, but I am more than confident that with the importance of my values and the NASW code of ethics that a solution will be reached that does not jeopardize my integrity, the integrity of my career, and my past, current, or potential clients. As a social worker we must rely on our values and the NASW core values to help us in any situation. If any situation contradicts with either of the two then we must take appropriate action. Not only would I have denied the request the supervisor gave to falsify documents, I would also reported it to either his superior or to the authorities. Social workers are similar to a variety of professions, especially when it comes to the fact that lives could potentially be in our hands. There is no way that someone could die because of my negligence, and instead of owning up to a mistake and serving the potential punishment, I would just cover it up. I would not be able to sleep at night as a result. Social workers are the first line of defense when it comes to abuse victims and with this comes the great responsibility of protecting the innocence of the nation’s children, ensuring that they at least have a chance to rise above the situation and go on to live productive lives. Bibliography Achen, Gregory. (2013). The Importance of Ethic in Social Work. San Diego State University  School of Social Work. Retrieved From: http://socialwork.sdsu.edu/insitu/social-workethics/the-importance-of-ethics-in-social-work-by-gregory-achen/ Hyslop, J. (2015). Mastering Social Work Values and Ethics by Farrukh Akhtar, Foreword by  Professor Hilary Tompsett, Part of the Mastering Social Work Skills series, Jessica  Kingsley Publishers, London and Philadelphia, 2012. 168 pp. ISBN 978à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 1à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 84905à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 274à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 0 (Pbk), £ 17.99. Child Abuse Review. National Association of Social Workers. (2013). NASW Standards for Social Work Practice in  Child Welfare. Retrieved from:  http://www.naswdc.org/practice/standards/childwelfarestandards2012.pdf Reamer, Frederic G. (2012). Eye on Ethics: The Dark Side of Social Work: Ethical Misconduct.  Social Work Today. Retrieved From:  http://www.socialworktoday.com/news/eoe_051712.shtml United States Department of Health and Human Services. (2012). 2012 Child Maltreatment  Annual report. Retrieved from: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/cm2012.pdf   Weiss, M. (2013). Candice Lassiter and Craig Smith, social workers, charged in Aubrey  KinaMarie Littlejohn’s death. Huffington Post. Retrieved from  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/14/candice-lassiter-craig-smith-social-workersbabys-death_n_3079938.html?utm_hp_ref=crime Mississippi Department of Human Services:  http://www.mdhs.ms.gov/media/9579/titleandtoc.pdf

The Persimmon Tree by Marjorie Barnard Essay -- English Literature

How does the extract affect the whole story? (The Persimmon Tree by Marjorie Barnard) Extract: â€Å"I liked the room from the first†¦ anyone who appeared to have her life so perfectly under control.† Question: How does the extract affect the whole story? The writer of the story â€Å"The Persimmon Tree†, Marjorie Barnard, was born in Sydney. She was a novelist, historian, biographer as well as librarian in her lifetime. She wrote many books, and among them, A House is Built (1928) and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (1947) are the best known (124 tutorial 30-10-01). Although â€Å"The Persimmon Tree† is generally thought to be a piece of subtle work, and we may find it difficult to get the hidden meanings of the words, Barnard has made it charming by associating different things. She entitles the story â€Å"The Persimmon Tree† partly because persimmons represent the narrator – a weak and lonely individual whose life is in sharp contrast with what Barnard describes, the â€Å"shadow of the tree†, which represents the outside world. Barnard has delicately presented the narrator’s complex feeling living between her â€Å"shell† and the outside world, and how the outside forces contribute to her reform in the end of the story. Obviously in the beginning of the extract, Barnard suggests that â€Å"shadow† does not merely mean â€Å"shade that is caused by an object [it is the trees in the story] blocking direct rays of light† (Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary: 1380). Barnard, in fact, associates â€Å"shadow† connotatively with two things: changing matters in the outside world and new life. Although it is not presented clearly in the story, Barnard reflects her idea through the descriptions of the narrator about the â€Å"shadow†: â€Å"the mov... ... her current help. The story has an open ending, as there is not enough space for further development. We are not sure about what happens next, although the narrator â€Å"[thinks] [her] heart would break [that represents changes to a better self]† (par.14). However, in my opinion, Barnard succeeds in portraying the struggle of the narrator when she is put to different tests (the â€Å"shadow†, the â€Å"woman† and herself). As we read the story, we can see how delicately Barnard sets each character and expresses their feelings under different settings. In conclusion, â€Å"The Persimmon Tree† is a piece subtle and delicate work. Bibliography Barnard, M. (1976) in Heseltine, H. The Penguin Book of Australian Short Stories UK: Penguin pp126 – 129 Hornby, AS. (1994) in Lee, Peita Oxford Advanced Learners English-Chinese Dictionary UK: Oxford University Press page 1380

Caryl Phillips Cambridge

In Caryl Phillips Cambridge, Phillips begins by introducing Emily, a young upper-class white woman, who is sent to the West Indies for three months to inspect her father's sugar plantation. By constructing the novel into several distinctive voices, he exposes to his readers multiple points of view surrounding the novel's fictional world. The first section of the novel is in the form of a journal, narrated by Emily herself, and gives readers a sense of Emily's identity through her depictions of her surroundings. Phillips takes a gendered narrative approach to explore eurocentric influence in the depictions of black womanhood during the African Diaspora and how it has affected the conceptualization of race in the past and present. Emily often finds the need to express her disgust of the appearances of black women. Setting forth towards her father's estate, Emily is accompanied by a white gentleman, a negro driver, and a negro woman. Observing the woman, Emily states, â€Å"Her toothless gums were visible through her thick and open lips, and her church hat failed to mask her sad, unfeminine baldness† (21). Emily justifies her revulsion of the woman's appearance based on her skewed perception of femininity. Because she does not meet eurocentric beauty ideals, her appearance is not seen on her own terms but rather criticized by someone who does not share her culture nor values. Emily uses the terms â€Å"toothless† and â€Å"bald† to highlight the black woman's unappealing features and therefore, she reinforces the idea that Black women are less feminine than other women. Such depictions take an immeasurable toll on Black women, who have to constantly challenge the notion that they are less feminine, that their blackness is something curious, or difficult to handle to white standards. Despite the fact that what is considered to be â€Å"feminine† and â€Å"beautiful† is constantly changing, it does so in a way that continues to revolve around a Eurocentric standards. Emily's faulty depictions preserve the idea that white people are superior in many ways to black people, and therefore, they have the right to assert their dominance over other races. In the past, science was used to justify â€Å"white supremacy,† where attributes of European culture were used to create a rationale for European authority. European slave traders used â€Å"scientific racism† to justify their preconceived notions that Blacks were not people but property, therefore they lacked basic fundamental rights. Upon arriving at the luncheon, Emily sets eyes on Christiana; unhappy with her presence, she orders the â€Å"coal-black, ape-woman† to leave. Emily suggests that Christiana's features and mannerisms are similar to those of an ape and that her race is not only inferior but scientifically less evolved. This passage goes above and beyond; it showcases how whites distanced race from the core values of both feminism and humanism, proving that both were based on the systematic ideology of slaveholders and their allies. Phillips shows readers that the idea that all human beings are born with basic human rights was not prevalent to Blacks during this period. European slave traders used their preconceived notions to justify that Africans served no other purpose but to work as slaves. This was a view of humanity that made life grueling for Black slaves in the Americas. Equating animals to blacks was a malicious and effective instrument of dehumanisation, which historically manifested a powerful weapon that Europeans used to justify the institution of slavery. Black physical features, especially black women's bodies and hair, have been devalued for centuries. The idea that blackness exists outside the realm of beauty was imposed by whites who constructed a hierarchy that privileged those with lighter skin, and straighter hair where Blacks could not meat this ideal of femininity. Emily, stopping to observe the black men and women washing clothes with their bare hands, can't help but comment on the appearance of the women. â€Å"The appearance of the females was truly disgusting to me†¦one woman, her hair matted with filth, and, I imagine, her flesh host to countless forms of infestation, stood in a condition of total nudity in the centre of the stream..† The standards of white beauty created a barrier for Black women to attain it because it did not apply to most Black women thus, American femininity has existed behind the image of a white women. When Emily inadequately associates â€Å"natural hair† with the her own terms, she sets standards for physical characteristics that represent her race, failing to include anyone that doesn't meet her skewed notions what constitutes a feminine woman. As a result, for years, Black women have taken part in many practices that attempt to mask their physical features in accordance with socially accepted conventions influenced by Whiteness. Emily's negative depictions of Black women stems from conditions of her privilege. Through Emily, Phillips shows readers how White's responded to black womanhood in the nineteenth century. What constituted a Black woman was directly related to the control that Whites had over them. Racism was at work, reinforcing the conception of whiteness while at the same time, deconstructing blackness.

Definition and Examples of Compound Words in English

Definition and Examples of Compound Words in English In morphology, a compound word is made up of two or more words that express a single idea and function as a single word. The most common types of compound words in English are compound nouns (e.g., cheeseburger), compound adjectives (red-hot temper), and compound verbs (waterproof the deck). The rules for spelling compound words are not consistent. Some compound words are written as a single word (eyeglasses), some as two (or more) hyphenated words (brother-in-law), and some as two (or more) separate words (soccer stadium). Examples and Observations As the car pulled into the parking lot, Kenny Dennard whipped a snowball right at the windshield.(John Feinstein, Forevers Team. Villard, 1989)On Sunday afternoons in the summer, my grandfather and I enjoyed eating hot dogs at the ballpark.While we were waiting for our food, I played with my chopsticks. They make excellent drumsticks. I also told Dad all about this big baseball game we were going to play after school the next day.(Dan Greenburg, Zack Files 13: The Misfortune Cookie. Turtleback, 1998)He hid in a cave until the ship had left, only to find that his shipmates had taken pity on him, and left him a barrel of biscuits and a fire, which he kept alight for months. A year later a southbound ship stopped by.(Simon Winchester, Outposts. Penguin, 2003)A diary can take almost any form: written responses to a periodic e-mail reminder, a handwritten notebook, a narrated video, or photos with written commentary.(Kim Goodwin, Designing for the Digital Age. Wiley, 2009)In Aboriginal Au stralia all home building was do-it-yourself.(Tony Dingle, Necessity the Mother of Invention, or Do-It-Yourself. A History of European Housing in Australia, ed. by Patrick Troy. Cambridge University Press, 2000) I became a shop steward immediately and a trustee in 1936. . . . I became the locals secretary-treasurer in 1946.(Mary Callahan, quoted in Rocking the Boat: Union Womens Voices, 1915-1975. Rutgers University Press, 1996)On a hot day, nothing beats walking into a nice, cool, air-conditioned home. Unfortunately, running your air conditioner is expensive and eats up energy.(Eric Corey Freed, Green Building Remodeling For Dummies. Wiley, 2008)Heads of Compound WordsOne part of a compound word is usually clearly its head, in a general way able to represent the meaning of the whole compound. The heads of the various types of compound word are [in capital letters] in this list: bellBOY, spin-DRY, red HOT, inTO, and/OR. It can be seen that in English, the head of a compound word is always the last element, on the right-hand end. (This is not true of compound words in all languages, however.)(James R. Hurford, Grammar: A Students Guide. Cambridge University Press, 1994)Dividing Compound Word sIf you divide a compound word at the end of a line, place the hyphen between the elements of the compound (snow-mobile, not snowmo-bile).(Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell, The Concise Wadsworth Handbook, 2nd ed. Wadsworth, 2008) Metaphorical CompoundsMetaphors furnished with common household objects are figures of speech that we literally live with every day. Some of these comparisons are new, such as a couch potato, a phrase that compares lumpish watchers of television to lumpy potatoes: the longer couch potatoes sit, the deeper they put down their roots.(Richard Lederer, The Play of Words. Simon Schuster, 1990)Complex CompoundsIt is possible to form a compound from two words one of which is itself a compound. For example, we can combine the compound law degree with the word requirement to get the complex compound law degree requirement. This compound can in turn be combined with changes to get law degree requirement changes, and so on. . . . [T]he process is essentially unlimited.(Bruce Hayes. Introductory Phonology. Wiley, 2009)

Individual Development Plan. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses and the decisions or actions you need to make to better yourselves.

Individual Development Plan. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses and the decisions or actions you need to make to better yourselves. Individual Development PlanLife is a never-ending learning experience. One of the most important lessons we can ever learn from comes from within. As we go through life, it is essential that we learn who we are, and have the ability to recognize and grow from our own personal strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what we are good at and what we are weak in is the only way we can truly grow as individuals. This knowledge helps us to accomplish the goals we set for ourselves in life. Through taking these personal inventory tests of my strengths and weaknesses, I have determined what I need to do not only to better understand who I am, but how to improve my life.All my life, I've been known to be serious, dutiful, and reserved. My parents instilled a great deal of order and structure upon us so that if they happen to not be around we would know what to do.ThinkingComing from a family of four girls, me being the 2nd to the oldest, I had to be a good role model for my other sisters. While my parents worked, my older sister and I were responsible to watch the younger sisters, do choirs and then homework. Coming home from school, I always made sure that all these things expected of me is accomplished before I go out to play.We used to live in a big apartment complex with maybe 150 units so there were many kids around the neighborhood to play with. Our most favorite activity is to ride our bikes around the complex, racing at times, but most of the time just riding, talking and joking around. I was always a little older than most of the kids, but they loved hanging around with me because I...

Famine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Famine - Essay Example Social, economic, and political forces are more likely to be the driving forces behind widespread starvation than drought, floods, or natural disasters. In addition, the effects of famine, even for a short period, may be irreversible in children who are malnourished during their developmental years. This paper will examine the causes that create and perpetuate famine as well as the short and long-term effects on individuals and the larger social structure. It will conclude by offering some recommendations on minimizing the severity and effects of famine. This report will reveal the man-made reasons for the mis-distribution of food around the planet and the lasting health effects it has on the children of today and the adults of tomorrow. There are varying degrees and severities of hunger and famine that confront the people of the world. Often there are temporary and transitory conditions, such as the weather, that cause a short-term period of under-nutrition. However, in some parts of the world the problem is more severe. During the next year, as many as 6 million preschool children will die of acute starvation (Pinstrup-Anderson & Cheng, 2007). Many more children will feel the greatest long-term health effects of severe malnutrition. While the problem can be found worldwide, including the developed countries of Europe and North America, it is predominantly an issue for Africa and some parts of Asia. Almost all those affected are the rural poor who have lost social and economic access to food.Almost universally, at the core of starvation are poverty and the inability to acquire the most basic nutritional needs. External events such as draught, floods, and natural disasters contribute to famine, but are not the drivi ng cause. Scrimshaw (1987, p.6) noted that the widespread famine in Ethiopia during 1984 and 1985 was due to the poverty that arose from "primitive cultivation methods, as archaic land tenure system, overgrazing, exploitation of peasant farmers, lack of transport systems, and heavy bureaucracies". There was not a systemic shortage of food, but there was no economic means to acquire it and no motivation on the part of the social system to provide it. As the economic condition worsens, people sell off assets such as animals and land and are left destitute (Swift, 2006, p.45). In Bangladesh during the 1972-1975 famine, there was a wide availability of international aid that flowed into the country. However, the rural poor in Bangladesh during this period were denied even the basics due to a lack of political clout and the irregular distribution of the food supplies to the more wealthy, rather than those who did not have the money for even the barest minimum of rations (Dowlah, 2006, p. 349). In the midst of an ample food supply, abject poverty will still prevent the poorest population segments from obtaining the necessary food. While poverty is a generic factor that is almost universally at the core of famine, there are many other factors that contribute to the poverty, or exploit the poverty situation. The tragic famine that gripped Bangladesh in 1972 was made worse by a nine month long guerrilla war that devastated the existing economy. According to Dowlah (2006, p.346), "War dislocations, along with critical shortages of agricultural ingredients - seeds, fertilizer, and irrigation - prevented the proper planting of crops". The self-imposed militant isolation of North Korea

Qualitative Characteristics of Financial Information Essay

Qualitative Characteristics of Financial Information - Essay Example The information is not just useful for the capital providers but also to the other user groups such as government, regulatory bodies etc. The next level of conceptual framework is the fundamental concepts i.e. qualitative characteristics of financial information and elements of financial statements. The third level is the implementation level, which contains recognition, disclosure and measurement concepts through principles, assumptions and constraints (Appendix 1). The qualitative characteristics of financial information are an important part of the total conceptual framework because they act as a bridge between the first level and third level of the framework. However, the definition of quality threshold of materiality and the conflicts between prudence and neutrality, and relevance and reliability has always been debated. In addition to the discussion of these constraints, this essay presents the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting 2010 provided by IASB as to how the new framework has placed these characteristics. ... The Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting 2010 or commonly referred to as Framework 2010 states the objective of financial reporting that is to provide the financial information related to the reporting entity that can be helpful to investors and creditors in making appropriate decisions (McConnell, 2011). Therefore, in order for the financial information to be useful, it must possess some characteristics such as materiality, prudence, neutrality, relevance and reliability. An information is considered material if its misstatement, modification or omission can influence the economic decisions of the users, taken on the basis of that information. Materiality depends on the magnitude of the error in circumstances when the misstatement or omission has taken place. The financial statements are prepared in an uncertain environment due to many events such as useful life of fixed assets, collectability of doubtful receivables, and warranty claims. These uncertainties are recognized b y exercising prudence while preparing the financial statements. Prudence means making careful judgement in making estimates in the uncertain conditions, so that the income or assets are not overstated and expenses or liabilities are not understated (IASC Foundation and IASB, 2008, p.25). Neutrality means that the financial information should be free from any bias and does not influence decision making in order to achieve predetermined outcome. Financial information is useful if it has the quality of influencing decisions by helping the users in evaluation of past, future and present events related to the reporting entity. The past information regarding the financial position and performance is frequently used for predicting the future performance and position. Information is