On the Duty of Civil Disobedience Essay -- Papers Henry David Thoreau

On the Duty of Civil Disobedience In a concise essay, Thoreau proffers a challenge to all men, "not to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right." Over and over, almost redundantly, Thoreau stresses simplicity and individualism, as most transcendentalists (the new philosophical and literary movement of Thoreau's time) did. Thoreau clearly states, in his On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, that the government is unjust and doesn't represent the will of the people, that one man can't change the government, and that people succumb unconsciously to the will of the government. The first of these is a ridiculous notion; the second contradicted and supported alternately throughout the essay so that one cannot be sure of what they agree or disagree with while reading it because it always contradicts itself in the following paragraph; and the last, a well-thought-out and legitimate concept. Thoreau believed that "That government is best that governs least," (222) but his harsh feelings stemmed from his dislike of the government and its motivations at that time. He thought that everything the administration did was wrong: their head-turn at the treatment of slaves, their land-grabbing war with Mexico, and the taxes that Thoreau himself was imprisoned for refusing to pay. Even the basic system of government was unfair and biased to him. He thought that the majority system was unjust, "†¦ when the power is in the hands of the people, a majority are permitted †¦ to rule, not because they are most likely to be in the right, nor because this seems fairest to the minority, but because they are physically the strongest," (231) but what else can there be in a non-monarchical government? He shoots down the entire American gover... ...ch is a profoundly admirable position. On the Duty of Civil Disobedience is an opinionated yet sincere treatise on the efficaciousness and assumed power of the United States' democratic government. The three main points proposed in this discourse vary in sensiblity from tangible to impalpable. Unfortunately, it is a very difficult and, for some, uninteresting and exasperating reading because in many parts of his essay, Thoreau, through ramblings and descriptions, unwittingly contradicts himself many times. Because of this, he is, by many, disregarded as a great philosopher and considered a hypocrite, and one has to look deep to discover the real meaning behind his grand words and complex sentences. Works Cited i Henry David Thoreau - "Civil Disobedience" from A World of Ideas - Essential Readings for College Readers, Lee A. Jacobus, Bedford Books, 2008, 1849

Development Of The West Beyond The Mississippi :: American America History

Development Of The West Beyond The Mississippi The years 1840 to 1890 were a period of great growth for the United States. It was during this time period that the United states came to the conclusion that it had a manifest destiny, that is, it was commanded by god to someday occupy the entire North American continent. One of the most ardent followers of this belief was President James K. Polk. He felt that the United States had the right to whatever amount of territory it chose to, and in doing this the United States was actually doing a favor for the land it seized, by introducing it to the highly advanced culture and way of life of Americans. Shortly after his election he annexed Texas. This added a great amount of land to the United States, but more was to follow. The Oregon Territory became a part of the United States is 1846, followed by the Mexican Cession in 1848 and the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. At this point the United States had accomplished its manifest destiny, it reached from east to west, from sea to shining sea. No w that the lands it so desired were finally there, the United States faced a new problem- how to get its people to settle these lands so they would actually be worth having. Realistically, it is great to have a lot of land, but if the land is unpopulated and undeveloped, it really isn't worth much. And the government of the United States knew this. One of the reasons that many did not choose to settle there immediately was that the lands were quite simply in the middle of nowhere. They were surrounded by mountains, inhabited by hostile Indians, and poor for farming. Because of these geographical conditions, the government was forced to intervene to coax its citizens into settling the new lands. Basically the lands were not settled because they were available, they were settled because of various schemes the government concocted to make them seem desirable. The government participated in a great "push" to get its citizens to move to west. At first few people moved to the west, but this changed when gold was discovered in California in 1848. This caused a "gold rush" to the west coast which consisted of many prospectors seeking to find their fortunes in the gold mines of California. Many traveled to the west coast, however few actually found their fortunes. Development Of The West Beyond The Mississippi :: American America History Development Of The West Beyond The Mississippi The years 1840 to 1890 were a period of great growth for the United States. It was during this time period that the United states came to the conclusion that it had a manifest destiny, that is, it was commanded by god to someday occupy the entire North American continent. One of the most ardent followers of this belief was President James K. Polk. He felt that the United States had the right to whatever amount of territory it chose to, and in doing this the United States was actually doing a favor for the land it seized, by introducing it to the highly advanced culture and way of life of Americans. Shortly after his election he annexed Texas. This added a great amount of land to the United States, but more was to follow. The Oregon Territory became a part of the United States is 1846, followed by the Mexican Cession in 1848 and the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. At this point the United States had accomplished its manifest destiny, it reached from east to west, from sea to shining sea. No w that the lands it so desired were finally there, the United States faced a new problem- how to get its people to settle these lands so they would actually be worth having. Realistically, it is great to have a lot of land, but if the land is unpopulated and undeveloped, it really isn't worth much. And the government of the United States knew this. One of the reasons that many did not choose to settle there immediately was that the lands were quite simply in the middle of nowhere. They were surrounded by mountains, inhabited by hostile Indians, and poor for farming. Because of these geographical conditions, the government was forced to intervene to coax its citizens into settling the new lands. Basically the lands were not settled because they were available, they were settled because of various schemes the government concocted to make them seem desirable. The government participated in a great "push" to get its citizens to move to west. At first few people moved to the west, but this changed when gold was discovered in California in 1848. This caused a "gold rush" to the west coast which consisted of many prospectors seeking to find their fortunes in the gold mines of California. Many traveled to the west coast, however few actually found their fortunes.

An Overview of Peace and Conflict

AN OVERVIEW OF PEACE AND CONFLICT DEFINITIONS: Peace is often seen as the converse of war. i. e. peace and war as two sides of the same coin. Hence the definition of peace as the absence of war, and that of war as the absence of peace The problem with this definition is that it does not explain everything about peace and war For example even in situations of war, some conditions of peace still prevail. E. g. in spite the long years of hostilities between the Israelis and Palestinians, both have been able to reach a peaceful agreement on the use of their water resources.Secondly, the definition does not take into account the issue of structural violence, in the words of John Galtung. According to Galtung, war represents only one form of violence, which is physical, open and direct. The others form of violence has to do with social conditions of life. This consists of †¢Poverty †¢Exclusion †¢Intimidation †¢Oppression †¢Want †¢Fear and †¢Other forms of psychological pressure So from this analysis, it is possible not to have peace even where there is no war.This is the situation in countries where there is acute poverty, police brutality, oppression of the poor by the rich, use of power to intimidate people by those in power. Even where there is no war in such societies, they may not experience peace (Ibeanu) OTHER VIEW OF CONFLICT: †¢Conflict as the pursuit of incompatible interests and goals by different groups †¢Conflict occurs as a struggle over values. The values may be in terms of physical of material possessions or resources, status or power. (Louise Coser) †¢Central to conflict is the issue of perception.When one party perceives the action of another as preventing or blocking the attainment of a goal, conflict is said to occur. Therefore the two ingredients necessary for conflict to occur are: ? Perceived goal incompatibility ?Perceived opportunity for interference or blocking. In other words, conflict occur s when an intended action is perceived to be inimical or detrimental to the realization of one’s objective Generally perception is a product of man’s physiological, cognitive and cultural dispositions which of course differ from person to persons, and from one environment to another.Therefore, we can say that conflict is inevitable to the extent that it is fundamental to the existence of any institution, body or society It is inevitable because human beings are naturally different from one another in their attitude, perception and orientation. But conflicts could be destructive if not properly handled. Hence we often sat that the way and manner conflicts are resolved differentiates one organization or society from another. VARIOUS PERSPECTIVE OF PEACE †¢To the Instrumentalists: Peace is a means to an end. Here the absence of war serves the objective of social progress and development.In other words, where there is peace, society will experience positive transforma tion in all facets of life. 2. TO THE FUNCTIONALISTS: Peace has a social function of integration and order. That peace is fundamental if society is to function properly. If not the social and political system will experience stress, and then brake down. 3. TO THE PHILOSOPHERS: Many philosophers interpret peace as a natural, original, God-given state of human existence. i. e. , the pre-corruption state of man in society, as God established it. This is the God’s created state of perfection.EXAMPLES OF PHILOSOPHERS †¢St. Augustine of Hippo: He distinguished between â€Å"two cities†, namely; The city of God, founded on perfect heavenly peace and spiritual salvation; and the Earthly city of man, founded on acquisition and possessive mentality of man, but corrupt and always in conflict. †¢John Rousseau: He sees from the angle of a state of nature, the original state of existence of man where there are no desires, where men were naturally good, free and enjoy tranq uility. But this atmosphere was corrupted by human desire and greed for private property †¢THOMAS HOBBESHis argument was that peace is a product of the state of nature where life was poor nasty, brutish and short, and where society was in a state of perpetual war. For men to overcome this sorry state, they resolved to establish a social contract in which each gave up his/her right to self defiance to powerful force (what he called the leviathan) above all to which all were subject, thus creating a more peaceful and orderly life †¢THE HEDONISTS AND UTILITARIANS Argue that human beings naturally seek happiness and avoid pain, and consequently prefer peace to war and violence. PLATO: He addresses the social context of peace. He sees justice as the most fundamental basis of ordered social life. For him, justice is the basis of peaceful social life. Justice is given to each his or her live. Plato defines society in terms of three classes of people: – Workers – eng aged in production – men of appetite – Soldiers – defend the society – men of courage -Rulers – Govern the society – Men of Knowledge Each must operate within his area of competence, and where this does not operate, he sees injustice †¢SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF PEACE The Sociologist also addresses the social context of peace †¢The Sociologist sees peace as a condition of social harmony, the absence of social antagonisms †¢Peace to the sociologist, is a condition in which there is no social conflict and individuals and groups are able to meet their needs and expectations This is achieved through the establishment of structures to perform certain basic functions of society; for example a society must service, it must educate it citizens, produce goods government and its often provide security for its members.To achieve these structures such as schools, industries, parliaments, courts and armed forces are established. †¢Th erefore to the sociologists, peace is achieved where these structures perform their functions adequately †¢TO THE MARXISTS: †¢Conflict is a product of dialectical materialism †¢It is a product of the structure of rewards in the society †¢It is a reflection of the nature of class and class struggle †¢This breeds a struggle for the control of the means of production in the society †¢The result of the attendant inequality is in two folds; Violence perpetrated by the upper class on the oppressed – Violence engineered by the oppressed against the ruling class – revolutionary violence. Hence the phrase â€Å"Those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable† †¢Political Perspective of Peace †¢Politically peace is synonymous with political order when the political structures are stable, we talk of peace in the society: †¢Peace is also seen as a political condition that makes justice possible. The colap se of the political structures lead men to seek other route to enforce their will. These may be in the form of Mob action, demonstration, strikes or even military coups To ensure peace therefore the political structures must be stable and effective to extent that they perform their role. Politically, these must guarantee citizens participation in the political process; ensures tolerance of opposing views; and encourage bargaining and negotiation.Also politically speaking, peace suggests that government does not rely on coercion and the instruments of force (such as army, police) in dealing with citizens Instead people willingly accept and obey the dictates of government Peace in this sense connotes mutual consent and agreement to respect the rules governing a society whether locally or internationally. But the question is whose order? Must every political order be sustained just to ensure peace (e. g. The Nazis, Mobutus, Abacha)

Is Eco-tourism the way forward for countries such as Ecuador?

The Republic of Ecuador is located on the Western Hemisphere, on the northeastern corner of South America. The neighbouring countries are: Colombia in the North and Peru in the South. Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in Latin America (roughly same size as Britain). Despite its size, Ecuador offers great variety of places to visit, many different cultures, and many activities to enjoy such as nature tours, mountain climbing above 6000 meters, paragliding, white water rafting, or scuba diving. Ecuador overall has a population of 11 million people, with an annual population growth rate of 3%. Ecuador formerly is a developing nation, evidence that can be used to establish this is for starters the GNP level is depleted being $3,000 (2001), when compared to a country such as USA $36,300 (2001) or UK $24,700 (2001) it shows that Ecuador is a developing country. The diagram on the next page shows the GNP level through the years passed for Ecuador. Other aspects that show that Ecuador is a developing are the birth rate and the infant mortality rate. The infant mortality rate of Ecuador reaches up to 30.69% in comparison to United Kingdom's infant mortality rate, which is 5.78%. This already shows that there are much more babies dieing per 1000 live births in Ecuador than UK, which then leads to showing that there are more diseases and unhygienic living conditions. The life expectance of Ecuador initially is 69.54 for males and 74.90 for females, saying that, the life expectance in UK a developed country is 74.73 for males and 80.15 for females. There are over 50 % of Ecuadorians living in poor conditions. All these factors prove that Ecuador is still a developing country. Being a LEDC, Ecuador has many concerns for convalescing living conditions and improving the economy. Therefore Ecuador's main concern is money. The most comfortable way is TOURISM, there are however other ways for getting money such as labour work, but since Ecuador has beautiful sceneries and plenty of attractions tourism will be the fastest and the easiest way of bringing in money into the country. Earning more money would help the country improve the economy which then can improve and create jobs for the unemployed, it will also help build more schools and hospitals which would help the country on the whole and generally improve amenities. Commercial Tourism Many LEDC's promote tourism for money. Tourism is a huge industry that can support many different types of jobs. This would be beneficial for the people who are unemployed, they can take up jobs such as shopkeepers in fairs in order for tourists to buy souvenirs, and other jobs can include cleaners. Tourism generates â€Å"easy money† as tourists will be coming to see your culture and your traditions and also enjoy the many facilities such as sight seeing or enjoying themselves on beaches. It basically does not include much hard work for the indigenous people. Since tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, more and more people are spending more money on tourism each year, travelling abroad etc. Many countries such as Jamaica, Kenya or India are all starting to invest and become familiar with tourism. Most of the LEDC's are becoming increasingly popular with tourists coming to see different cultures or to relax and enjoy the wildlife, which are only to be found in LEDC's. Ecuador is the perfect place for tourists interested in the outdoors and nature activities. Fine colonial architecture, rain forest trips, Inca treasures and the Andes are among Ecuador's top attractions. The main reason people will go to Ecuador for a holiday is that it is â€Å"a land of contrasts you will never forget, Ecuador is divided by nature, yet solidly held together by a common cultural heritage. It is a four-in-one deal offering an awesome wealth of cultural and natural diversity; trek through the Andes, swim along a tropical coast, and explore the mysteries of the jungle and the Galapagos Islands, all in one trip!† Tourism not only provides many different jobs, but it also helps areas that are particularly spoilt to start to improve and develop. Money is invested into the local areas; services are improved such as hospitals and schools. From tourism the local transport system improves tremendously, which would benefit the local indigenous people and also tourists. As you can see, this (commercial) type of tourism can help a country economically and also help the indigenous people. While â€Å"Commercial tourism† looks to be perfect in all ways, it also has many disadvantages, some of which discourage LEDC's to take on commercial tourism. These disadvantages include social problems, for instance when western tourists offend local people or various religious groups within the society because of their style of dress or even when their behaviour seems different it discourages these local people to stop working with tourism. There can also be environmental problems, when natural environments and landscapes are damaged; from tourists for example coastal areas and seaside resorts are completely altered from rubbish from the tourists. Rivers and seas are increasingly polluted from the tourists throwing things such as wrappers and rubbish, which again effects the environment negatively. Mainly the government would be in favour for this type of tourism but only to an extent. Other wise the indigenous and the more environmental friendly people would be against this type of tourism. The main risks commercial tourism and also any other type of tourism is that a country may not be as â€Å"popular† as time passes, it will become less interesting to holiday makers and with the same leisure activities each year, it would start to become boring to people. From all the disadvantages LEDC's are being discouraged constantly from the fear of their natural environment being destroyed by tourists. Therefore more and more LEDC's have started to familiarise them selves with another type of tourism, ECO-TOURISM. Eco-Tourism Eco-tourism comes from a concern about the natural ecosystems of places and from a concern that the local ways of life and the environment or wildlife can be damaged or destroyed by commercial tourism. As commercial tourism has extensive negative effects on the beaches, local cultures and the environment, the idea of developing eco-tourism is to encourage smaller scale developments with visitor coming and staying with the indigenous people and learning about the environment. This type of tourism also supports the idea that holidaymakers will spend time learning about the wildlife and the environment. It can also include bird watching and sight seeing. The main scheme of eco-tourism is to make tourism less damaging and more in tune with the environment. The main obvious advantage of eco-tourism is that it helps the environment enormously and also the wildlife. The other advantage of eco-tourism is that the money made would go straight to the actual indigenous population by small groups performing in front of tourists or acting like guides. The Quicha people are able to use their expert knowledge of the plants and animals of the forest as the basis of tours, which again will bring money straight to the people them selves. It is also an advantage as it would make the indigenous people more self-dependent and this would mean they would work for themselves. In contrast to commercial tourism where the local people have to take up jobs such as cleaners in order to get money and sometimes they are not being paid fairly. The profits that are earned from the eco-tourism are invested to improve the community and public issues such as schools and hospitals or health centres. This type o tourism also makes the people feel they are in the commun ity and they are working together, â€Å"it makes the community stronger† There would also be less crime because most of the crime came from children stealing things of the tourists in commercial tourism, but since the indigenous people are more intact with the eco-tourists there would be less crime. While being many advantages, there are also a few disadvantages. But none of which include environmental or social issues but instead include economical issues. These economical issues would include the lack of tourists interested actually in eco-tourism. Again most people would rather spend their money to go abroad to places where they can relax on beaches, enjoy parades and basically leave their troubles behind, there would not be that many people interested in learning about the environment and the wildlife, and because of the lack of tourists going to the eco-tourism countries there would be a lack of jobs and more people unemployed since most of the indigenous people will be depending on the tourists so they could give tours. The other main disadvantage apart from the lack of tourists is that the country will just be depending on the tourism and when that starts to decrease, the country as a whole will start to be more and more less developed. Views of the local people Different people in the village would be thinking different things. The main thing on there minds will be to be in favour of eco-tourism as they will not be up for commercial tourism as that can damage the rainforest, some people even believe that commercial tourism could not bring enough jobs and if it does it would be jobs such as cutting down tree's which is against the culture and traditions. The village leader wants the village to stay together and prosper. However he is completely against commercial tourism. This is because the last time that tourist had come into the village they had paid the villagers little money and also they did not respect the villagers in a proper manner. The village leader is also not sure about the eco-tourism scheme, as he is worried it would have the same effect as commercial tourism, which was poor. Local development worker in contrast to the village leader believes that eco-tourism is the right way forward. The local development worker has helped villages around the area and has seen it work; therefore she believes that eco-tourism will work in this village. As you can see we can understand why different people will differ in their views for or against eco-tourism, for instance the village only wants the village to grow and develop through, he does not understand the facts of what eco-tourism can do because of the fear of what he had suffered when the tourist exploited their village and did not respect any of the villagers. On the other hand the local development worker believe that the village can develop very easily if they allow eco-tourism, her main argument against the village leader could be that she has seen other villages develop through eco-tourism and it can happen to this village as well. Evaluation After analysing both commercial and eco-tourism, I have found many advantages and disadvantages of both. Commercial tourism will destroy the land and the wildlife will get hurt and the indigenous people are sometimes not respected. On the other hand commercial tourism does bring more money into the country not necessarily straight to the local people and also more people are interested in commercial tourism. However the eco-tourism protects the wildlife and keeps the land clean and unpolluted. It also helps the indigenous people feel they are dependent and part of a strong community, but eco-tourism having the environmental and social advantages, it has a flaw, there is an economical disadvantage which is, it brings in less money and in most cases most tourists would go to a commercial tourism country as it would be more pleasurable. The final question really is â€Å"Is eco-tourism the way forward for countries such as Ecuador?† After going through all the advantages and disadvantages and what the indigenous people think, my answer would be, yes eco-tourism is the way forward for countries such as Ecuador. I have decided this because, it helps the environment without destroying it, it does not hurt the wildlife in anyway, and it also brings in a reasonable amount of money straight to the indigenous people. However these all are very important factors on why I have chosen eco-tourism, but there is one more imperative factor which I think is vital, it is that the Quichua tribe are happy with it, they believe eco-tourism is the way forward, it does not destroy their environment and the wildlife are safe and the Quichua people are satisfied in occupying jobs such as tour guides. The main argument I would believe which is against eco-tourism is the economical problem; people believe that eco-tourism will bring in less money than commercial tourism. However the way I see it, I believe that every industry when it starts of in the beginning has less people, in spite of this there are small groups going to countries that follow the eco-tourism scheme and slowly that group will be expanding as people will be telling others about their holiday and slowly the eco-tourism industry will begin to rise.

Research Findings on Mid Day Meal Essay

Some research findings on Mid Day Meal Scheme conducted by independent agencies reported that MDM programme is a visible programme and has helped in increase in attendance and enrolment of children particularly girls. They also reported that there is an increase in retention, learning ability and achievement as well as greater social equity among caste, creed, sex and gender groups in the schools. The main research findings are as under: i) Research findings (2010) of Pratichi trust of Prof. Amartya Kumar Sen: Unlike many other Government programmes, implementation of MDM has been a success throughout the country. Though the quality of food needs to be improved, it must be said that with active participation of the beneficiaries, it has become a community programme. The quick response of the state administration in amending the shortcomings indicates that the administration is gradually becoming aware of this. ii) The major findings of the PROBE (Public Report on Basic Education) Report indicated that 84% of households reported that the children get cooked mid day meal in schools and children enjoy varied menu. Good practices like washing hands before eating, & after eating are imparted in the schools. Incentives like MDM have contributed to improving enrolment rates. iii) Mid Day Meal Scheme in Madhya Pradesh by National Institute of Public Cooperation & Child Development, Indore has reported that MDM has shown marked improvement in enrollment pattern of children in primary schools. Mid Day Meal Scheme undoubtedly resulted in increased school attendance and retention of children in schools for a longer period. The Scheme has played a crucial role in reducing drop out, especially among girls. Parents viewed that the mid day meal had reduced the burden of providing one time meal to  their children and considered it as a great support to their families. Teachers opined that mid day meal aided in active learning of children, which indirectly improved their academic performance. The Scheme has played a significant role in bringing social equity among all the sections of the society. iv) An empirical study conducted on Mid Day Meal scheme in Khurda district of Orissa, revealed that cooked mid day meal has increased socialization among the children and helped in increasing enrolment and afternoon session attendance. MDM has created new employment opportunities for underprivileged sections. v) Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2010 reported that in 83.4% schools served MDM on a day of visit and almost same percent of schools (81.3%) schools were having kitchen sheds for cooking mid day meal. A vastly improved availability of mid day meals had contributed to the increase in enrollment. vi) vii) 2. Supreme Court Commissioners undertake extensive review of various welfare schemes through field visits. They have observed that the MDM is widely acknowledged as one of the most successful schemes of GOI. Increase in enrollment and attendance of children in primary schools has been noticed after the introduction of MDM. Performance audit (2011) conducted by Centre for Environment and Food Security on food security schemes in Orissa and Uttar Pradesh; The sample survey in 130 villages spread over 12 districts of Orissa and Uttar Pradesh (Bundelkhand) was carried out and reported that performance of the MDM scheme is far better in Orissa in comparison with the Uttar Pradesh. An overwhelming 86.7 per cent of Orissa’s children were getting second best category of MDM (regular but inadequate and unsatisfactory meal), only 51.8 per cent of children in UP were getting regular but inadequate and unsatisfactory meal in their schools. Findings of Evaluation Study by Planning Commission Performance Evaluation of Cooked Mid Day Meal Scheme – study conducted by Programme Evaluation Organization of Planning Commission (2010): The highlights of the Study conducted by the Planning Commission are as under: i. The Cooked Mid Day Meal Program has been successful in addressing classroom hunger in sample schools. ii. Cooked Mid Day Meal is reported to have created a platform for children of all social and economic backgrounds to take meals together, thereby facilitating achieving the objective of social equity. iii. It has also been observed that the programme has resulted in the diversion of the attention of teachers and students on activities related to it, rather than towards teaching and learning activities, which results in loss of studies. iv. In general, visible shortage of basic infrastructural facilities and manpower (that are crucial for the success of the Cooked Mid Day Meal programme) were noted. v. Most of the states, it was observed, did not follow the guidelines of Government of India to deliver foodgrains at the school point by PDS dealer, thereby resulting in the leakage of foodgrains. There have been instances where due to long supply chain, foodgrains supplied got adulterated and pilfered. vi. While Cooked Mid-Day Meal Scheme seems to have contributed to an increase in the attendance in schools across the country, it does not seem to have any significant impact on fresh enrolments in sample schools. 3. Review of the Scheme by Supreme Court Commissioners Supreme Court Commissioners are monitoring all welfare Schemes of the Central Government including Mid Day Meal Scheme. They have monitored seven States viz. Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Orissa and West Bengal during 2010-11. The main recommendations of the reports are as under: i) Delay in release of funds to school / implementing agencies. ii) The mid day meal should be expected to cover all children in the school going age irrespective of whether they are enrolled in school. The location of meal served can continue to be the school; this might further encourage those out of school to join schools. iii) The provision for cooking costs under the mid day meal should be increased based on Price Index developed for Mid Day Meal Scheme to counter the effect of inflation. iv) Proper infrastructure for mid day meals should be mandatory, including cooking sheds storage space, drinking water, ventilation, utensils etc. v) Mobilization for kitchen garden in school premises should be encouraged. vi) Priority should be given to disadvantaged communities (especially Dalits and Adivasis) in the appointment of cooks and helpers. All cooks and helpers should be paid not less than statutory minimum wage. vii) Mid day meal should be linked with nutrition education and related educational activities. State Government should be encouraged to adept their text books for this purpose, as the NCERT has already done for some text books. viii) Nutritious items such as eggs and green vegetables should be provided regularly. ix) Serious action should be taken in the event of any form of social discrimination in mid day meal such as discrimination against dalit children or dalit cooks. x) Community participation in the monitoring of Mid day meal should be strengthened, particularly to prevent corruption and ensure quality. xi) Mid day meal should be integrated with school health services, including immunization, de-worming, growth monitoring, health checkups and micronutrient supplementation. xii) Grievance redressal mechanism must be within easily reachable distance of complainant and should therefore be decentralized to Panchayat level. It could also consist of mobile camps that reach out to each village. *********

Family vs. Law Essay

Family, an important theme of life, gets expressed throughout many ways in society. Family may take precedence over many things, including authority and the law. Within the tragic play, Antigone, the author Sophocles presents situations where the characters have to choose between their family and the law. The characters must choose what is more important to them, their family or obeying the laws of Thebes. Throughout the play, Sophocles presents a strong theme of family values and the importance of it through the actions of Antigone, Creon and Haimon. Antigone, placed in many situations throughout the play, has to choose between her family and the law. Antigone chooses to honor her brother, Polyneces, by burying him even though she will break the law by doing so. Antigone asks her sister Ismene to help bury their beloved brother, but when Ismene says no, Antigone responds by saying, â€Å"But as for/ me/ I will bury the brother I love† (Prolouge. 192). Antigone chooses to honor her brother and risk breaking the law because family means more to her. Antigone puts her family first, presenting her as a selfless person. Along with the risk of breaking the law, Antigone also risks her death. Once Creon tells Antigone of her punishment after finding out she buries Polyneces, she has to decide whether or not burying her brother is worth it. After Creon tells Antigone of his plan for her, she says, â€Å"This death of mine/ is of no importance; but if I had left my brother/ lying in death unburied, I should have suffered. / Now I do not† (SceneII. 208). Antigone shows Creon that he cannot stop her from saving her family by trying to punish her with death. Antigone chooses to help her family and stand up for them, even when faced with death. Sophocles shows Antigone as a brave person by denouncing Creon’s rules and saving her brother. Through Antigone’s actions, Sophocles shows how he favors family over authority and the law. Sophocles expresses his devotion to family throughout Creon’s actions in the tragic play. Prior to Creon’s initial decision to let Antigone die, the Choragos convinces him to let her go free. Creon, reluctant at first, listens to the Choragos and says to them, â€Å"It is hard to deny the heart! † (SceneV. 235). Creon knows deep down inside that he will be doing the right thing by letting Antigone go free. Although Creon wants Antigone to pay for breaking the law, his family ties with her prove to out shine his devotion to the law. As Creon orders the Choragos on what weapons to bring, he says, â€Å"I buried her, I/ Will set her free† (SceneV. 236). Creon realizes that his family ties with Antigone mean more to him than justice and he wants her to know that by freeing her himself. Creon wants to prove to Antigone that he does care about her safety and her future so he will set her free so she can go on living her life with Haimon. Although Creon decides to free Antigone partly out of guilt, he mostly does it because of her love for her. Sophocles shows throughout the tragic play that he prefers family over the law through the actions of Creon. Sophocles shows his devotion to family over the law by the actions of Haimon. Haimon has to decide whether to fight for his wife’s life or obey his father. Haimon, driven mad by the situation he has at hand, decides to kill himself after he finds out Antigone has done the same. The messenger delivers the horrible news to the Choragos and says, â€Å"Haimon is dead; and the hand that killed him/ Is his own hand† (Exodos. 239). If he cannot live with Antigone, then Haimon does not want to live at all. Haimon’s devotion and love for Antigone is stronger than his will to obey the law. Even as Haimon â€Å"died/ He gathered Antigone close in his arms again,† (Exodos. 241). By having Haimon’s last moves before his death be hugging his wife one last time, Sophocles shows that family takes precedence over the law through Haimon’s selfless acts. Haimon wants to show to everyone, especially his father, that his love for Antigone overrules everything else, particularly the laws that Creon creates. Throughout Haimon’s actions in the play, Sophocles shows that family means more to him than the law. Throughout Antigone, Sophocles shows that his strong devotion to family overrides authority and the law. Sophocles proves this to the reader through the actions of Antigone, Creon and Haimon and the choices that they make throughout the play. Even at the face of death, Antigone chooses to honor her brother over obeying the law as a way of showing Sophocles’ devotion to family. Prior to Creon’s original decision to kill Antigone, he changes his mind and decides to spare her life to exemplify Sophocles’ loyalty to family life. Haimon chooses to spare his own life to support his wife and rebel against the laws his father creates to prove Sophocles’ commitment to family. Sophocles shows that his devotion to family overrides the law by the situations and decisions Antigone, Creon and Haimon make. Not just in the play Antigone, but even in the world today, family values have high precedence over the laws and rules created to follow.

The Supernatural as a Means of Protagonist Empowerment in Like Water

The Supernatural as a Means of Protagonist Empowerment in Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende IB A1 English HL World Literature Comparative Essay Word Count: 1496 Keri-Anne Murray Candidate #: 003072-058 World Literature Comparative Essay 1 In Like Water for Chocolate and The House of the Spirits, respective authors Laura Esquivel and Isabel Allende use a connection with the supernatural to empower the protagonists in three ways. Firstly, the central characters in each story possess unique otherworldly abilities, which enable them to distance themselves from their oppressors.Secondly, the supernatural is active in providing spiritual healing of those in dire situations. Finally, supernatural events are responsible for the eventual suppression of the main antagonist of each novel, and the subsequent liberation of the protagonists. Supernatural empowerment is also used to convey the authors’ perspectives on Latin American cul ture, which will be explored in relation to each form of supernatural empowerment discussed. In both novels, the oppressors of the central characters desire to control them completely, however, the protagonists have unique abilities which come to their aid.In The House of the Spirits, author Allende uses Esteban Trueba’s desire and expectation to possess his wife Clara entirely, to portray the view that in Latin American culture, there is an implication of female inferiority and submissiveness in relationships. Allende, however, expresses a negative view of this societal expectation, by giving Clara supernatural abilities which sustain her, allowing her to detach herself from him and be independent. The reader learns that Esteban desires â€Å"far more than her body; he wanted control over that undefined and luminous aterial that lay within her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Allende 111). The use of magical realism in this description of Clara’s â€Å"undefined and luminous† a spect emphasises her otherworldly character, creating an image of a bright light which Esteban cannot grasp with his hands, for his fingers simply pass through. It is precisely this supernatural aspect of Clara’s character which gives her strength, independence and the power to resist domination by Esteban. â€Å"He realised that Clara did not belong to him and that if she continued living in a world of apparitions †¦ she probably never would† (Allende 118).Clara’s clairvoyance and preoccupation with spirits prevent Esteban from controlling her. Whilst he becomes increasingly enraged at the unbridgeable distance between them, Clara is content, strong and empowered, thus defying the Latin American culture of female inferiority which is implied in the novel. In Like Water for Chocolate, Mama Elena has a similar obsession to Esteban’s, in desiring to control her daughter Tita’s every move. Through her description of the de la Garza family traditi on, the author portrays Latin American culture as giving family values great importance.In compliance with her family values, Tita, as the youngest daughter, is required to devote her Keri-Anne Murray Candidate #: 003072-058 World Literature Comparative Essay 2 life to the care of her mother, who strictly denies her the opportunities of love and marriage. By empowering Tita through her supernatural culinary abilities, an attribute of Tita’s character which Mama Elena cannot control, the author protests against this focus on honouring family tradition at the expense of individual rights. â€Å"In the kitchen †¦ flavours, smells, textures and the effect they could have were beyond Mama Elena’s iron command† (Esquivel 45).Tita’s domain is the kitchen, and she transfers her inner-most feelings to her cooking. The results are dishes which recreate Tita’s mood and infuse her deepest desires into those who consume the food. When Mama Elena bans all c ommunication between Tita and her love Pedro, Tita channels her emotions into her cooking to create â€Å"a new system of communication† (Esquivel 49) with Pedro. The author uses the oppressiveness of Mama Elena and the de la Garza family tradition to portray a negative image of extreme emphasis on family duties in Latin American culture.The attribution of supernatural culinary abilities to Tita allows her to escape Mama Elena’s control and bring herself closer to Pedro, and this illustrates the author’s desire for respect for individual rights in family relationships. In both novels, the supernatural plays an active part in healing those in troublesome situations. The authors describe positively an intimate Latin American culture in which a suffering individual can depend upon assistance from trusted friends, even in the most dire circumstances.Such a phenomenon occurs in The House of the Spirits, when the imprisoned Alba has resigned herself to death in a â₠¬Å"dark, frozen airless tomb† (Allende 469). Into this atmosphere of oppressive coldness, Clara materialises as a radiant apparition, â€Å"with the novel idea that the point was not to die †¦ but to survive, which would be a miracle† (Allende 469). Clara’s radiance contrasts with the darkness of the â€Å"doghouse† (Allende 469) which holds Alba, inspiring her with hope.Clara urges Alba to write a journal in her mind so that others may one day learn of â€Å"the terrible secret she was living through† (Allende 470), evoking in Alba a purpose and will to live. The author gives Clara the ability to empower others even after her death, emphasising her positive opinion of a culture of trust, selfless giving and unconditional love among friends. A similar healing phenomenon occurs in Like Water for Chocolate when Nacha’s appearance to Tita, as she eats the oxtail soup at Dr Brown’s house, restores Tita’s spiritual health and he r speech after her breakdown caused by Mama Elena. With the first sip, Nacha appeared there at Tita’s side, stroking her hair †¦ kissing her forehead† (Esquivel 114). Tita cries for the first Keri-Anne Murray Candidate #: 003072-058 World Literature Comparative Essay 3 time in six months, resulting in a â€Å"stream that was running down the stairs† (Esquivel 114). The author’s use of magical realism is effective in emphasising the emotion and miracle of the situation. Tita makes the decision to speak again; she is â€Å"fully recovered, ready to start a new life† (Esquivel 117-118).Like Clara in The House of the Spirits, Nacha possesses the ability to empower those she loves even after her death, and this element of magical realism is employed by the author to illustrate a positive perception of Latin American culture, where connections based on love and friendship can overcome even the most hopeless of circumstances. The final use of the supe rnatural allows the author to describe a culture in which disaster befalls those who bring control and malevolence to relationships which should be filled with love and friendship.In both novels, supernatural events result in the suppression of the antagonist to empower the protagonists. In The House of the Spirits, Esteban’s jealous suspicion causes him to banish his sister, Ferula, from his house, and ban her from contact with her family. In response to his cruelty, Ferula curses him: â€Å"You will always be alone! Your body and soul will shrivel up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Allende 158). Esteban soon observes his body â€Å"shrivelling†: â€Å"he could tell from his clothes †¦ his sleeves and his pant legs were suddenly too long† (Allende 212).There is also evidence of his soul â€Å"shrivelling†: as he drives others away from him, he is indeed cursed with the fate of being alone. His violence against his daughter and his physical abuse of Clara who stands up for Blanca, sever the few weak bonds he had remaining with these members of his family. Esteban’s experience of his physical shrinking and his alienation from family, result in personal insecurities, a deflation of his ego and a sense of loneliness, and those he has mistreated are no longer oppressed by him. In Like Water for Chocolate, Tita’s wholesome cooking has adverse effects on oth Mama Elena, and Tita’s callous sister, Rosaura, indirectly resulting in their deaths. On her return to the ranch after Mama Elena is left temporarily paralysed by a group of bandits, Tita carefully prepares oxtail soup for her mother â€Å"so that she would recover completely† (Esquivel 119). Mama Elena, however, immediately detects a bitter taste, and accuses her daughter of poisoning her. Ironically, as a result of emetic overdose taken secretly to combat the imagined poison, Mama Elena eventually dies. Tita’s sister, Rosaura, suffers a similar fate. She beco mes overweight and flatulent from eating Tita’s food.While in San Antonio, Rosaura loses weight, but â€Å"all she had to do was come back to the ranch and she got fat again! † Keri-Anne Murray Candidate #: 003072-058 World Literature Comparative Essay 4 (Esquivel 192). Following her selfish proclamation of her intention to subject her daughter, Esperanza, to the oppressive family tradition of forced self-sacrifice, Rosaura dies from an extended attack of flatulence attributed to Tita’s cooking. Through the supernaturally caused deaths of Mama Elena and Rosaura, the author describes a culture of retribution for those who bring control and malevolence to relationships which should be sources of love.Their deaths liberate Tita and Esperanza, enabling them to love freely. In Like Water for Chocolate and The House of the Spirits, the supernatural is used as a positive force to empower the leading characters. Characters possess supernatural gifts which provide them w ith an untouchable inner strength; the supernatural gives them the power to heal others in dire need; and ultimately, it is the supernatural which is responsible for the downfall of the oppressors, and the liberation of the gifted characters.Furthermore, the authors use supernatural empowerment to integrate their perceptions of positive and negative aspects of Latin American culture into the novels. 5 Keri-Anne Murray Candidate #: 003072-058 World Literature Comparative Essay Works Cited Allende, Isabel. The House of the Spirits. Trans. Magda Bogin. London: Black Swan Books, 1986. Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate. Trans. Carol Christensen and Thomas Christensen. London: Black Swan Books, 1993.