Gandhi Concept of Development

GANDHI’S WAY Decentralization According to Gandhi, modern civilization was responsible for impoverishing the Indian villages, which occupied a pivotal position in the Indian situation. Gandhi has always been a critic of the centralization of economic and political power. Large scale production inevitably led to concentration of economic and political power. Labor and material, production and distribution became the monopoly of the few rich. Such a concentration of economic power resulted in corresponding centralization of political power.Aldous Huxley, in his  Science,  Liberty  and  Peace, drew attention to this universal tendency of modern technology: â€Å"The centralizing of industrial capacity in big, mass-producing factories has resulted in the centralization of a large part of the population in cities and the reduction of ever-increasing numbers of individuals to complete dependence upon a few private capitalists and their managers, or upon the public capitalis t, the state, represented by politicians and working through civil servants.So far as liberty is concerned, there is little to choose between the two types of bosses. â€Å"14   One of the recurring themes in the writings and pronouncements of Gandhi is this centralizing tendency of technology: â€Å"I want the concentration of wealth, not in the hands of few but in the hands of all. Today machinery merely helps a few to ride on the backs of millions. â€Å"15  Again he said, â€Å"What is industrialism but a control of the majority by the small minority? â€Å"16   The solution to the problem of centralization consists in decentralization of political and economic power.Small-scale, manageable techniques, capable of being handled by individual producers, the co-operatives in the villages or the region should be given priority and promoted on a mass scale for the benefit of the masses. Gandhi, though judged wrongly by many, was not advocating a return to medieval techniqu es. He vehemently opposed the indiscriminate multiplication of large-scale industries which obstructed village development. He wanted technological research to be village-oriented, perfecting the cottage and village industries. When every village should be able to own its own technology, economic power will be diffused and the illage will emerge in the Gandhian scheme as the nucleus of social life. Decentralization of economic power will result in the decentralization of political power. Modern technology will no more be in a position to exploit the village. A proper balance between agriculture and industry will be established and, in due course, the village will exert a transformative influence. Production will be regulated by the needs of the village. Pyarelal has very lucidly described this relationship: Agriculture in this set-up will go hand in hand with industry.Such products of the village, as they enter into the daily consumption of the villagers or as they are needed for th eir cottage crafts, will be processed in the village itself; the surplus alone being sent out to the cities in exchange for services and goods on a fair and equitable basis. Cities will serve as emporia for village products instead of the villages being used as a dumping ground for the manufactured goods of the cities. Machines will not be abolished. On the contrary, the people will have many more of them. But these machines will be simple machines which the people can themselves operate and own individually or collectively. 7 This relationship between agriculture and industry, village and city, will stop exploitation and bring self-sufficiency. For him it was imperative that sufficiency should start from below, i. e. , from the village and then upward to the regional level. In Gandhi’s own words: My idea of village  Swaraj  is that it is a complete republic, independent of its neighbors for its own vital wants, and yet interdependent for many others which dependence is a necessity. Thus, every village’s first concern will be to grow its own food and cotton for its cloth. It should have a reserve for its cattle.Then, if there is more land available, it will grow useful money crops, thus excluding ganja, tobacco, opium and the like. 18 His village is self-sufficient in vital wants, but interdependent in many other spheres. Interdependence, while maintaining the independence of the village, is the keynote of Gandhi’s approach to village life. Society: Not a Pyramid, but an Oceanic Circle Gandhi described the organization of the society in the form of an ‘oceanic circle’. In this structure composed of innumerable villages, there will be ever-widening but never-ascending circles.Life will not be a pyramid with the apex sustained by the bottom. But it will be an oceanic circle whose center will be the individual always ready to perish for the village, the latter ready to perish for the circle of villages, till at last the whole becomes one life composed of individuals, never aggressive but ever humble, sharing the majesty of the oceanic circle of which they are integral units. Therefore, the outmost circumference will not wield power to crush the inner circle, but will give strength to all within and derive its own strength from it. 19He believed that all power resided in the people and that it should also originate from the people. The dynamo of power in a country like India should be the village. The village was to be a knot in a system of oceanic circles in which the remotest circle derived its strength from the center, i. e. , the individual. This would mean that sovereignty was not to remain concentrated at any one level. It was to be diffused among units rising horizontally till they reached the national level. In terms of political science, the residuary power remained with the village and the center was there to co-ordinate the work.Gandhi believed in Thoreau’s saying, â€Å"that governmen t is the best which governs the least. â€Å"20 Charkha (Spinning-Wheel): Hope of Rural Masses The message of the spinning-wheel is to â€Å"replace the spirit of exploitation by the spirit of service. The dominant note in the West is the note of exploitation. I have no desire that our country should copy that spirit or that note. â€Å"21   Gandhi again maintains: â€Å"I do feel that it [Charkha] has a message for the U. S. A. and the whole world. But it cannot be until India has demonstrated to the world that it has made the spinning-wheel its own, which it has not done today.The fault is not of the wheel. I have not the slightest doubt that the saving of India and of the world lies in the wheel. If India becomes the slave of the machine, then, I say, heaven save the world. â€Å"22   Hence, the message of the spinning-wheel is â€Å"much wider than its circumference. Its message is one of simplicity, service of mankind, living so as not to hurt others, creating an indi ssoluble bond between the rich and the poor, capital and labor, the prince and the peasant. That larger message is naturally for all. 23   Gandhi felt convinced that â€Å"the revival of hand-spinning and hand-weaving would make the largest contribution to the economic and the moral regeneration of India. The millions must have a simple industry to supplement agriculture. Spinning was the cottage industry years ago, and if the millions are to be saved from starvation, they must be enabled to introduce spinning in their homes, and every village must repossess its own weaver. â€Å"24  He wanted to make the spinning-wheel the center of all handicrafts. The spinning-wheel was a symbol of hope to the masses.The masses lost their freedom, such as it was, with the loss of the  charkha. The  charkhasupplemented the agriculture of the villagers and gave it dignity. It was the friend and solace of the widow. It kept the villagers from idleness. For the  charkhaincluded all the an terior and posterior industries B ginning, carding, wrapping, sizing, dyeing and weaving. These in their turn kept the village carpenter and blacksmith busy. The  charkha  enabled the seven hundred thousand villages to become self-contained. With the exit of the  charkha  went the other village industries, such as the oil press.Nothing took the place of these industries. Therefore, the villages were drained of their varied occupations and their creative talent which brought them meager income to supplement their limited source of income. Hence, it was suggested that the revival of  charkha  would result in making the villages economically self-sufficient. Gandhi had no doubt in his mind that the wheel could serve as the instrument of earning one’s livelihood and, at the same time, enable the worker to render useful service to his neighbors. In order to ply the wheel intelligently, he should know all the processes that precede and succeed spinning.This conviction d awned upon Gandhi even before he came to India, that the revival of hand-spinning alone could restore India to its pristine glory. He compared the spinning-wheel to the sun around which the solar system of the village economy revolved. It provided the golden bridge between the rich and the poor. Swadeshi: Antidote to Modernization Gandhi said that  Swadeshi  would mean that one should not serve one’s distant neighbor at the expense of the nearest. It is never vindictive or punitive. It is in no sense narrow, because it buys from every part of the world what is needed for our growth.We must refuse to buy from anyone anything, however nice or beautiful, if it interferes with our growth. Gandhi bought useful and thought provoking literature from every part of the world. One could buy surgical instruments from England, pins and pencils from Austria and watches from Switzerland. But one should not buy an inch of the finest cotton fabric from England or Japan or any other part of the world, because it could be easily made in India and to buy it from elsewhere would hurt the sentiments of those who work for their livelihood.Hence, Gandhi held it to be sinful for anyone to refuse to buy the cloth spun and woven by the needy millions of India’s paupers and to buy foreign cloth, although it may be superior in quality to the Indian hand-spun. â€Å"My  Swadeshi, therefore, chiefly centers round the hand  Khaddar  and extends to everything that can be and is produced in India. â€Å"25 Soul-Force: The Secret of Success Gandhi wanted to popularize the use of soul-force, which is but another name for the force of love, in place of brute-force. â€Å"Having flung aside the sword, there is nothing except the cup of love which I can offer to those who oppose me.It is by offering that cup that I expect to draw them close to me. I cannot think of permanent enmity between man and man, and believing as I do in the theory of rebirth, I live in the hope th at, if not in this birth, in some other birth, I shall be able to hug all humanity in friendly embrace. â€Å"26   Chapter 17, the most important chapter in the whole book of  Hind Swaraj  starts with the question whether there is any historical evidence of â€Å"any nation having risen through soul-force. â€Å"27  According to Gandhi, Tulsidas is a better guide here than are the Indian princes.Tulsidas and such other Acharyas taught that  daya(compassion) is the true ultimate basis of  Dharma  (duty) and, therefore, also of the  Dharma  that should govern the  Praja  (the ordinary people). However widespread the use of brute-force may have been in history, it is no reason to doubt the validity of the counter thesis. If the story of the universe had commenced with wars, not a man would have been found alive today. . . . Therefore, the greatest and the most unimpeachable evidence of the success of this force is to be found in the fact that, in spite of the w ars of the world, it still lives on. . . Hundreds of nations live in peace. . . . History is really a record of every interruption of the even working of the force of love or the soul. 28 Gandhi believed that Indian civilization had the potential to give to the world a way to achieve freedom without bloodshed and violence. To achieve this we have to develop the right relationship between  daya  (compassion) and national interest. The error of modern nationalism had been to take for granted that national interest divorced from  daya  is the ultimate principle of national conduct.He sees the distinct possibility of the national elite B the doctors, the lawyers, and the modern professional class taken as a whole B acting in their own interest, and exploiting, deceiving and oppressing the people at large in the name of the nation. They would be able to act in the interest of the  Praja  only if their nationalism is founded on the principle of  daya. For this one has to und ergo a process of inner liberation  (chhutkara). Gandhi shows how one can achieve this inner liberation. He now identifies the nation with the elite who are eager to have Home Rule.He insists that the elite have to undergo genuine moral transformation. For this they have to be imbued with a deep sense of real nationalism which is different from what the modern nationalism depicts. He wants them to be imbued with real love and to experience the soul-force within themselves. Only those who have undergone such interior transformation can speak to the English without fear or hatred. Only such transformed Indian nationals can really understand the threat posed by modern civilization and the promise held by Indian civilization. Swaraj: An Eternal Quest and Perennial ChallengeOne has to understand the true meaning of  Swaraj. In the first place,  Swaraj  is a mental condition of: (i) inner liberation from the temptations of greed and power offered by modern civilization, (ii) freed om from hatred towards the national ‘enemy,’ the British, and (iii) active love for the Indian  Praja, a love that can conquer the temptations of greed and power. Secondly,  Swaraj  is an external condition of: (i) political independence from alien domination, and (ii) life-long dedication to the task of improving the material conditions of poverty and caste oppression of the Indian  Praja.In concrete terms,  Swaraj  requires one to take a stand on brute-force and soul-force. â€Å"If there be only one such Indian,† Gandhi affirms, â€Å"the English will have to listen to him. â€Å"29   Attaining national liberation is not so much a matter of getting rid of the British as getting rid of the fascination for modern civilization which teaches the Indian elite to exploit and oppress the Indian  Praja  and establish their superiority.We have to liberate ourselves from the evils of modern civilization and fill our hearts with  daya,satya  (trut h) and  ahimsa  (non-violence). Only then would we become morally fit to deal both with the British and with the Indian people. Unless and until we are healed of the chronic sickness of imitating the West, ignoring our own age old tradition and cultural heritage, we will not be able to face any one else.

Internet Cafe Management System

Cost reduction is the process used by companies to reduce their costs and increase their profits. Depending on a company’s services or Product, the strategies can vary. Every decision in the product development process affects cost. Companies typically launch a new product without focusing too much on cost. Cost becomes more important when competition increases and price becomes a differentiator in the market. In linear programming, reduced cost, or opportunity cost, is the amount by which an objective function coefficient would have to improve (so increase for maximization problem, decrease for minimization problem) before it would be possible for a corresponding variable to assume a positive value in the optimal solution. It is the cost for increasing a variable by a small amount, i. e. , the first derivative from a certain point on the polyhedron that constrains the problem. When the point is a vertex in the polyhedron, the variable with the most extreme cost, negatively for minimisation and positively maximisation, is sometimes referred to as the steepest edge. Given a system minimize subject to , the reduced cost vector can be computed as , where is the dual cost vector. It follows directly that for a minimisation problem, any non-basic variables at their lower bounds with strictly negative reduced costs are eligible to enter that basis, while any basic variables must have a reduced cost that is exactly 0. For a maximisation problem, the non-basic variables at their lower bounds that are eligible for entering the basis have a strictly positive reduced cost. Business process re-engineering is a business management strategy, originally pioneered in the early 1990s, focusing on the analysis and design of workflows and processes within an organization. BPR aimed to help organizations fundamentally rethink how they do their work in order to dramatically improve customer service, cut operational costs, and become world-class competitors. [1] In the mid-1990s, as many as 60% of the Fortune 500 companies claimed to either have initiated reengineering efforts, or to have plans to do so. [2] BPR seeks to help companies radically restructure their organizations by focusing on the ground-up design of their business processes. According to Davenport (1990) a business process is a set of logically related tasks performed to achieve a defined business outcome. Re-engineering emphasized a holistic focus on business objectives and how processes related to them, encouraging full-scale recreation of processes rather than iterative optimization of subprocesses. [1] Business process re-engineering is also known as business process redesign, business transformation, or business process change management.

Intellectual and cultural life of colonial Mexico Essay

Mexico is a land whose history is as rich and diverse as its people. Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards to Mexico the natives enjoy great progress and technology. They’ve printed books, made paper and pigments, painted murals and manuscripts, cultivated crops, made structures and lavish designs in architecture that some historians say even outdates that of Egypt, engaged in medical practice and planted botanical crops. However with the invasion of the Spanish Empire that happened between the year 1521 to 1600 the natives who posses such technologies were suppressed by the Colonialist. Various indigenous groups disappeared since the Spaniards pushed to promote Catholicism in the country in their attempt to eliminate anything that links the people from their â€Å"Pagan past†. They also brought with them superior technology from Europe which hindered the progress of technologies that they have developed before. The diversity and development of Native Mexico is shown as manuscripts of maps of the different areas in Mexico are found in â€Å"the six Relaciones Geograficas maps†. The rich text combines native and European colorants a clear manifestation of their rich technology even before the colonialist came to the country. The inhabitants of Mexico today can be classified into two groups, the Indigenous Peoples who lived before the 14th century and the Immigration people who arrived with the Spanish conquest. The former, which are the indigenous peoples are the Toltec, Omeca, Zapotec, Maya, Aztec, Huichol, Purapecha, Tarahumara and etc. The later on the other hand are a mix of different cultures due to the wave of migration brought about by the Spanish Conquerors. For us to fully understand the impact that colonization has brought to the natives, we need to discuss their culture and practices in terms of social stratification, culture, religion and economy prior to the coming of the Spaniards. Native Mexico Mexico was the site of some of the earliest and most advanced civilizations in the western hemisphere. Its human history began with the aboriginal people we call American Indians or Amerids. Archeological records date back to older than that civilization of Egypt. They were scattered groups of nomadic hunters. The Amerids then became diverse and divided into sub classes differentiating in culture, legend and practices. These are the Toltec, Maya, Omeca, Zapotec, Aztec, Purapecha, Huichol, Tarahumara and etc. Clash of cultural minorities happened and led to the fall of different empires. When the Spaniards came to Mexico the Maya and Aztec groups where predominant in the region. Their economy greatly relies on agriculture and herding. It was a society divide into three classes: slave, commoner and nobility. However, far different from that of the Spaniard, the slaves can buy their freedom and when he manages to escape from his master and makes his was safely to the royal palace he is then given immediate freedom. Social mobility was also practiced by all the classes regardless of race as long as one has enough money and resources to do so. With regards to religion, they have numerous Gods. In Aztec society in particular, their gods are Uitzilopochtli (sun god), Tlaloc (rain god), Coyolxauhqui (moon goddess), and Quetzalcoatl (inventor of writing and the calendar and also associated with the planet Venus and with resurrection) . Animal and human sacrifices were also made to honor warriors during the war and for religious ceremonies. Prisoners were also sacrificed for less important rituals. The Spaniards found the ritual horrendous since it involves human sacrifices which are against Catholic faith. The ritual would take place on top of a pyramid where the human sacrifice is placed on a convex stone and the priest would reap their hearts out using a knife (Almanac, 2005). As of press time, the modern Aztecs people number for over a million and are the largest aboriginal group in the country. Most of them are farmers who have no access to education and most are illiterate.

Crime Causation and Diversion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Crime Causation and Diversion - Essay Example In the end, they opt to take their behaviour in the society (Rubin, 2009). Moreover, juvenile delinquent behaviours could also be attributed to race. Black Americans and Mexicans youths engage in more delinquent behaviours due to their social class and deep rooted culture of violence. Adolescents in wanting to feel recognized in the society, engage in adult activities to corrupt their behaviour (Rubin, 2009). Following a rise of incidences of juvenile delinquency, a number of juvenile interventions programs became introduced in the state where I live. The two intervention programs commonly used in the state encompass the Intensive Delinquency Diversion Service (IDDS) and the Teen Court (Rubin, 2009). These intervention programs became founded to help reduce juvenile crimes in the area through a number of interventions they provide. These programs help model youth offenders with an aim of preventing them to become adult offenders in the future (Rubin, 2009). Q. 2 Intensive Delinquency Diversion Service aims at preventing young offenders from growing into chronic and adult offenders in future (Rubin, 2009). ... Teen courts hence prosecute youth offenders with minor offenders through the help of other offenders in order to give them a near experience of how the court in the real world would be like. Q. 3 The key participants in these programs involve all females and males under the age of 18 years with a history of delinquent behaviour (Rubin, 2009). Intensive Delinquency Diversion Service for instance often enrolls youths engaged in first offense at an age of 15 or less, children involved in truancy, poor school performance, and children that lack of parental supervision, children having substance abuse problems plus those affiliated to gangs (Rubin, 2009). Participants in Intensive Delinquency Diversion Service often are providing a wider scope for the program to function through capturing and correcting youth offenders before worsening to adult offenders (Rubin, 2009). The key participants in the Teen Courts entail youth offenders under the age of 18 years and judged by their peers. These courts often have youth volunteers to judge their peers (Rubin, 2009). Q. 4 Intensive Delinquency Diversion Service often provides a number of services to the juvenile offenders (Rubin, 2009). They include mental health or substance abuse counselling, curfews, doing community service, restitution to the affected victims, writing of letters of apology, forfeiture of driver’s license, and avoidance of contact with co-defendants, peers that encouraged the child into the given delinquent behaviour (Rubin, 2009). In teen courts, youth offenders become provided with firsthand experience of how the courts will be. The program helps in sentencing youths for minor delinquent behaviour and provision of sanctions to the offenders through a peer driven sentencing mechanism

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - Essay Example He was born on September 29, 1571. By the time he was eleven, he became an orphan and he became an apprentice to Simone Petersano of Milan. When he was seventeen, he went to Rome to work for more artists. For five years, he jumped from one employment to the other, as an apprentice for other painters with less than impressive talents. In 1595, he sold a painting to Cardinal Francesco del Monte. Caravaggio was now under the wings of the church and enjoyed the protection of the cardinal, complete with board and lodging, plus pension in the house of the cardinal. He was now a commissioned artist and is quite famous. His works are very realistic and this appealed to the people in that era. His clients were mostly the religious but despite the spiritual deprivations Caravaggio had when he was growing up, he delivered his art quite well. He must have had at least forty works made for Del Monte. The realism and the play of light started showing in his paintings styles. One must take note that this happened in the Baroque period. Baroque art is heavily influenced by religion, specifically, the Roman Catholic religion. It also reflects the tensions between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. In the early fifteenth century, the Roman Catholic Church answered the Protestant Reformation movement with Counter Reformation and used art to influence its faithful followers. The light play in light and shadow, as well as the use of realism and portrayal of everyday life was the main schemes of this movement. This is why Caravaggio became successful in this era, as he was supported by the clergy. As there was emphasis on realism and the everyday life, Caravaggio employed laborers as models for his paintings of saints. This act was taken as an offense by the public but he never had a shortage of commissions (but this movement about representing religion in paintings faded, as Baroque as an art movement emphasized daily living and realism). He

How a bill becomes a law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How a bill becomes a law - Assignment Example Injuries exhibited by schoolchildren leave all stakeholders dumb folded and this is of utmost concern even to me who is a nurse. Consequently, there is a need to develop a protection mechanism for the children, which will involve proposition an idea that focus on enacting a bill into a law to ensure safety of the children in school buses. The idea that entails proposition of the bill may come from representatives or from the citizens. From this case, the idea to provide safety measures to children driving on schools bus comes from me as an ordinary citizen and a nurse. From my observation, there is an increase in the number of accidents causing injuries to children driving on front row of the school bus (Black, 2012). The number of children brought to the emergency room with fractures and other injuries is alarming thereby, this call for the need to provide protection mechanism to the children (Mehta& Lou, 2013). Children sitting at the front row are vulnerable to injuries when the bus makes a sudden braking as the bus lacks safety belts on the front rows (Macias, 2011). After proposition of the idea, the cit izen can then discuss it with their representative. After that, the representative seeks support from the fellow colleagues by discussing the bill further with them as well. As a nurse, I had an encounter with children rushed into the hospital, emergency room section, with sustained injuries because of a car having made a wrong turn in front of the bus, whereby the bus driver braked suddenly. This breaking was the cause of the many injuries like broken limbs and head lacerations that children sustained. There have been similar bills before that proposed the need to have seatbelts in school buses. For instance, the year 2007 saw the enactment of a legislation advocating for children to have seat belts in school buses. This was following a tragic occurrence whereby

Common Law Duty of Care and the Liability of Employers for References Essay

Common Law Duty of Care and the Liability of Employers for References - Essay Example At the same time, the university has a duty of care for even the students they do not know in person. It is the first element of duty when it comes to negligence, and must be established by the claimant that it was breeched as a duty of care. In this case, negligence can be the failure of the University to act in a reasonable way that it would have acted in any circumstances. The university has the duty to take liability in case of any violation of the common law duty of care. The law can between the universities and students or employees with no direct relationship, and can be formalized as a social contract. This is the responsibility held by the University to the society. The care of duty arises in cases where an employee is harmed mentally, physically, or economically. A duty care is a duty of taking care, to avoid actions which one can foresee to cause injury to persons who are close and directly affected by the act (Climenson 2010, 30). The University is expected that they carr y their responsibility and that of employees with care. This duty care can be breached through an individual action or failure by the University to act through the activities of the institution. ... Â  A duty of care exists when there is an existing relationship between two parties, the University and the students had a relationship is built on trust. The University students and employees should be qualified when they leave the institution to face potential employees. The breach of conduct comes into perspective when, the standard of care ought to have been taken falls below the standards set. This can be negligence of duty if the students not given the proper training as expected (Efstathios 2006, 49). It is the duty of the University of making sure that the organizations activities are met and the standards of ethical practices followed. The University should make sure that there is a strategy that is reviewed and updated so that necessary actions are taken in the likelihood of a risk. The institution should be aware of the duty of care that collectively or individually they take in relation to the employer and care to the assets and reputation of the employees. The Universit y must act in the interest of the institution, and not for their personal interest or another organization. When the University works and acts conscientiously in carrying out their duties this way, they limit their personal liability in cases of any loss, harm or damage caused through the breach of duty of care (Ian 2007, p 37). An employer’s duty toward their employee’s, in this aspect, the University’s duty to the current students and employees is to provide and maintain; a safe environment for learning of work, a safe system of both learning and working, and provision of fellow competent fellow employees. The university can delegate his duties or functions to nominated employers but can not delegate legal responsibility (James 2006, p 75). Employers can be liable for

Career Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Career Development - Essay Example My acumen on the technical skill rapidly becomes well established each day to an extent that they were delegating very technical and intricate work to be done. I easily I adopted to the Chinese working culture. The roles that I widely worked on included the following: When repacking the bearing for the wheel of car, I was involved in, jacking up the car and removing the wheels. Then checking the drum and ensures it is rubbed. Then prying the grease drum and also removing the cotter pin, and sliding all the castellated nuts off the spindles. In addition, I used to slide the outer bearing, with the washer in front of it, off the spindle and check the grease availability in all the spaces between the bearings. The second contact that gave a wealth of experience in my field of automotive was very satisfying. It was in a very renowned club of Manchester that involves international countries in racing competition of Manchester. I used to work for 2 hours per day earning a wage of 100$ per hour. It is contract that lasted for three years that is from September 2007 to September 2010. I finalized by getting a contract of supplying the very Manchester club with the spare parts. The contracts were for two years. I have registered with professional bodies that are affiliated with car repackaging to ensure that I get any updates involving the field of car repackaging I am at abreast with the knowledge. I have registered with the following professional bodies that allow keep me updated with the very current knowledge. Communicating ones conviction can be hard verbally compared with written. In my resume, words have been given power to communicate my convictions. In my resume I have one single conviction in life that has been the drive of my life. The drive that I intend to impact with on the institution that I place my bid for employment. The

Literary Devices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Literary Devices - Essay Example Sir Arthur Conan uses the literary devise of mood to create suspense in the reader, while going through â€Å"the hound of the Baskervilles.† The author develops a ghostly, unnatural, and a supernatural mood right from the onset of the literature. For example, Dr. Mortimer is portrayed as acting in unnatural ways – for example, in his attempt to unveil the mysterious curse. This expresses a mood of ghostly nature to enhance suspense, as it is not human to be luminous (Doyle 11). Doyle (24) says, â€Å"There stood a foul thing, a great black beast, shaped like a hound† The foul thing is included to draw a fearful mood, to enhance the suspense. â€Å"To take on the father of evil himself would be too ambitious†¦you must admit the footprint was material (Doyle 37).† This line seeks to develop a mood of fear, which enhances the suspense to read on. Through the three quotes, a supernatural mood is clearly depicted. For example, he writes of a black beast à ¢â‚¬â€œ shaped like a hound, yet larger than any hound ever seen. Through developing the mood of the story, Holmes is depicted as learning new supernatural experiences, which are used to heighten the suspense developed in the reader. Through the suspense developed in the reader, their interest to keep reading is grasped. This shows how mood is used to breathe more life into the story. Pablo Neruda, in her poem â€Å"Alturas de Macchu Picchu,† presents different counts of imagery, which enhances the creativity of his work. The quote, â€Å"like a sword sheathed in meteors,† shows the imagery of earthly and heavenly objects. Also, this quote, â€Å"I plunged my turbulent and tender hand,† tries to create a picture of the author’s hand. The examples presented show that Neruda uses imagery to instill more creativity into his poems, which captivates his readers into his poetry (Hogan). The literary device of tone, as portrayed in Sarojini Naidus â€Å"the Call to Evening

Managing The Human Resources Essay Example for Free

Managing The Human Resources Essay INTRODUCTION: This assignment is based on a case study titled Hot Work at the Aluminium Smelter in Lynmouth, and it examines the current HRM principles being used within the organisation. The HR values that are being investigated are HRM or people management values, team effectiveness and the effect of motivation, communication and the culture in the organisation, and leadership qualities. The overall aim of this assignment is to provide appropriate business solutions that help in improving the effectiveness of the organisation, from the perspective of a HR consultant. HRM PEOPLE MANAGEMENT VALUES: Armstrong (2000) argues that personnel practioners are often confused when asked about the difference between HRM and personnel management. According to Storey (1995) HRM is said to be fundamentally unitarist. This makes the management at Lynmouth more HR than personnel, as although the unions membership levels were low and their influence was weak, they were recognised by management in respect of white-collar staff. Also teamworking was introduced with the cooperation of the plants trade union, and they were asked to recommend the number of posts required for the new line that was to open in 2000. This shows that the management did consider the unions before reaching a decision. The climate of employee relations could be characterized as suspicious and mistrustful, indicating to a model of personnel management (Sisson 1994). In HRM, rules, procedures and contracts are an obstruction to effective performances and there is an emphasis on strategy and devolved responsibility to line management (Storey 1996). At Lynemouth, there were rules and guidelines set for the team leaders and employees worked according to shifts, and pay was not performance related. Read more:  Personnel vs Human Resources Although these values point towards personnel management (Sisson 1994), Lynemouth also inculcates HRM values. Despite each plant having specialist staff that kept the plant within its operating limits, team leaders worked as line managers (Storey 1996) and were responsible for the coordination and scheduling of work. Also there are few job categories and teamwork is preferred to division of labour (Storey 1995). There is a great deal of task flexibility (Sisson 1994) in the teams, and in 2000 they were given greater autonomy. Boxall Purcell (2003) states that HRM can be interpreted as having a soft developmental humanist approach or a hard situational contingent approach. The soft version emphasizes a people-centred approach to HRM, whereas the hard version emphasizes a resource-based approach (Thornhill Saunders 1998). Although the organisation appears to be soft with the implementation of teams, they can be viewed as being hard economically, as the organisation aims were resource focused, there appeared to be low trust between employees, and there was also functional flexibility within the teams (Kane et al. 1999). Responsibility for hiring new staff, and for assessing applications for internal transfers, were devolved to shop-floor workers, thus making them more flexible. A hard approach is often seen as an essential part of cost-minimization strategy (Kane et al. 1999), which appears to be the situation at Lynemouth. TEAM EFFECTIVENSS THE EFFECT OF MOTIVATION: A team is a work group or a unit with a common purpose through which members develop mutual relationships for the achievement of goals/tasks (Harris Harris 1996). Vyakarnam et al (1999) states that a number of studies have confirmed that successful ventures are often established by teams rather than a single person, and the core competence of a successful team is to build and manage relationships around a common vision. The management team at Lynemouth havent clearly described the team goals or each individuals specific task. It is essential that the first step in creating a team is to define the goal or goals that create the direction for the new group (Twomey Kleiner 1996; Arroba 1996). Harris Harris (1996) explain that teams are successful and effective when they overcome difficulties, achieved through interdependence. Teams also promote a sense of confidence and direction among the team members and helps becoming more flexible in nature (Arroba 1996). Among shop-floor workers at Lynemouth with regard to satisfaction and commitment, there was a greater sense of autonomy and participation. With regard to work organisation, there was an increase in multi-skilling, and there were clear examples of improved flexibility. For example, team members would work a crane as required, rather than waiting for a dedicated crane driver. The major difference between successful teamwork and unsuccessful teamwork is largely based upon team members sharing common goals and working together to achieve them (Tarricone Luca 2002). They also state that ineffective communication, lack of resources and lack of trust are the key attributes that hinder the effectiveness of a team. At Lynemouth, the workers were clear that the divide between manager and worker was as sharp as ever and that the enforcement of discipline was not part of the teams duties. There appeared to be low trust between them, and also communication with regard to specific tasks seems to be lacking. It is also advisable to establish a sense of urgency so that the teams dont get complacent (Twomey Kleiner 1996). Ritchie Martin (2001) states that money and tangible rewards, the physical conditions and the structure are the three key factors motivating people in a working environment. Although teamwork was favourable from a shop-floor point of view, middle managers and technical staff had reservations about teamwork, feeling undervalued and lacking determination. Macaulay Cook (2001) states that rewards and recognition processes help to focus attention on priorities, thus motivating individuals. Group leaders felt that the work they were being given was not sufficiently demanding, and technical staff felt that that their job territory was under threat. There seems to be a need for rules and guidelines in the work place, for direction and certainty (Ritchie Martin 2001). Thompson (2004) concludes that people could be motivated further and made more effective if they were given appropriate encouragement and attention. COMMUNICATION CULTURE: According to Connolly (1996) communication is a critical issue and everyone wants better communication within their team, between teams and across their organization. Employee communication should play a strategic role in an organization to work effectively (Barrett 2002). In the early 1990s there was a wide perception at Lynemouth that communication was poor, and the climate of employee relations could be characterized as suspicious and mistrustful. Barrett (2002) also emphasizes that without effective employee communication, change is impossible, and in 1997 with Lynemoths future in doubt, the management realized the importance of communication and set about to win employee consent by reforming the communication system. With regard to this, teamwork was introduced with the cooperation of the plants trade unions, which encouraged further development in employee relations. However, with the success of teamwork, white-collar staff felt undervalued. Peng Litteljohn (2001) asserts that structural arrangements may facilitate communication on the one hand, and create barriers for communication on the other. Group leaders felt that their status and authority were being eroded, and technical staff felt that their job territory was under threat, and changes were made without consulting the people involved, and there was a feeling that the appraisal system was not adequate, as the management did not seem to listen. Connolly (1996) states that to enhance communication, both the employer and the employee should realize the importance of effective communication. The author concludes by saying that perhaps the most effective ways of improving communication are also the simplest taking the time to really notice the employees, listening to how they speak and more importantly to what they say. The management could create a system where employees are rewarded for their good work, as Storey (1995) states that the way in which employees are rewarded is central to the regulation of employment relationship. Handy (1986) states that every organization is different, and each organization has a different culture sets of values and norms and beliefs. In 1990, many workers had been with the plant since it opened, and labour turnover was low. Majority of the workers were male, with few women being employed in clerical posts. There is a close and sometimes unclear relationship between organisational culture and its climate (Wallace, J et al. 1999). Although the climate of employee relations could be characterised as suspicious and mistrustful at Lynemouth, work organisation was considered to be fairly conventional. Handy (1986) argues that if organizations are to survive and meaningful jobs are to be created for all those who want to work, then both organizations and individuals will have to change the way they perceive jobs and careers. He also states that fewer, better-motivated people could create much more added value than large groups of unthinking, demotivated individuals. Lynemouth, with the introduction of teamworking could be seen as incorporating these values. However, the management at Lynemouth should create meaningful jobs for all employees. The structure of Lynemouths employees could be characterized under senior managers, middle managers and workers. Handy (1986) argues that organizations are not owned by anyone, but are a community of people who could be called citizens of the community rather than employees. Ogbor (2001) asserts that organisational culture should discourage dysfunctional work behaviours, and commit members of the organization to do things for and with one another that are in the best interests of the organization. LEADERSHIP QUALITIES: The American general, Dwight Eisenhower, once said that the essence of leadership is to make people do what you want them to with as much will, determination and enthusiasm as if they had decided for themselves (Popper Zakkai 1994). Cacioppe (1997) suggests that recent reviews of the research and theories on leadership have consolidated the key areas of leadership into personality, transactional and transformational forms of leadership. He also states that honesty, inspiration, competent, fair-mindedness and supportiveness are the characteristics that people most admire in leaders, where as Tait (1996) suggests that vision, interpersonal skills, character and drive are the four attributes considered to be necessary personality traits for business leadership. Transactional leadership is based on the interplay between the leaders guidance or direction and socio-emotional support, and the readiness or developmental level that followers exhibit on a particular task, function, or objective (Avery and Ryan 2002). The third major approach is the Transformational leadership which communicates a vision that inspires and motivates people to achieve something extraordinary (Cacioppe 1997). Transactional leadership remains highly popular among practitioners and it could be applied at Lynemouth. It appeals to managers because of its intuitive simplicity, ease of use, and perceived relevance to managerial roles (Avery and Ryan 2002). In 2000, with the end of direct supervision, management appointed team leaders from existing team members, following a formal application procedure. Team leaders were made responsible for team briefing and the coordination and scheduling of work, and they did receive an additional weekly allowance of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100. The management at Lynemouth could also try to incorporate the transformational leadership values by providing every individual and team with a vision and also motivating them, thus improving leadership effectiveness at the team levels (Cacioppe 1996). Silverthorne (2000) believes that the readiness and willingness of subordinates to perform tasks are the important aspects that contribute to a leaders effectiveness. CONCLUSION: This assignment investigated the current HRM principles being used within the organisation. A few key points in improving the effectiveness of an organisation are effective teams, effective communication between the teams and good leadership skills. Lynemouth could improve the effectiveness of their organisation by motivating each individual, improving the communication between the employers and the management, and also by providing individual, team and organisational goals for the leaders to follow. REFERENCE: Armstrong, M 2000, The name has changed but has the game remained the same?, Journal of Employee Relations, vol. 22, no. 6, pp. 576-593. Arroba, T 1996, Why are common objectives so uncommon in top management teams?, Journal of Team Performance Management, vol. 2, no. 1, pp 17-21. Avery, G.C Ryan, J 2002, Applying situational leadership in Australia, The Journal of Management Development, vol. 21, no. 4, pp 242-262. Barrett, D.J 2002, Change communication: using strategic employee communication to facilitate major change, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. 7, no. 4, pp 219-234. Boxall, P Purcell, J 2003, Strategy and Human Resource Management, Palgrave, New York. Cacioppe, R 1997, Leadership moment by moment!, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol. 18, no. 7, pp 335-345. Connolly, C 1996, Communication: getting to the heart of the matter, Journal of Management Development Review, vol. 9, no. 7, pp 37-40. Handy, C.B 1976, Understanding Organisations, Penguin Group, London. Harris, P.R Harris, K.G 1996, Managing effectively through teams, Journal of Team Performance Management, vol. 2, no. 3, pp 23-36. Kane, B et al. 1999, Barriers to effective HRM, International Journal of Manpower, vol. 20, no. 8, pp 494-516. Macaulay, S Cook, S 2001, Rewarding Service Success, Journal of Team Performance Management, vol. 5, no. 1, pp 4-8. Ogbor, J.O 2001, Critical theory and the hegemony of corporate culture, Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 14, no. 6, pp 590-638. Peng, W Litteljohn, D 2001, Organisational communication and strategy implementation a primary inquiry, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 13, no. 7, pp 360-363. Popper, M Zakkai, E 1994, Transactional, Charismatic and Transformational Leadership: Conditions Conducive to their Predominance, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol. 15, no. 6, pp 3-7. Silverthorne, C 2000, Situational leadership theory in Taiwan: a different culture perspective, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol. 21, no. 2, pp 68-74. Sisson, K 1994, Personnel Management A comprehensive guide to Theory and Practice in Britain, 2nd edn, Blackwell, Oxford. Storey, J 1995, Human Resource Management A critical text, Thomson, London. Storey, J 1995, Is HRM catching on?, International Journal of Manpower, vol. 16, no. 4, pp 3-10. Storey, J 1996, Blackwell cases in Human Resource and Change Management, Blackwell, Oxford. Tait, R 1996, The attributes of leadership, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol 17, no. 1, pp27-31. Tarricone, P Luca, J 2002, Employees, teamwork and social interdependence a formula for successful business?, Journal of Team Performance Management, vol. 8, no. 3, pp 54-59. Thompson, J. L 2004, Innovation through people, Journal of Management Decision, vol. 42, no. 9, pp 1082-1094. Thornhill, A Saunders, M.N.K 1998, What if line managers dont realize theyre responsible for HR?, Personnel Review Journal, vol. 12, no. 6, pp 460-476. Twomey, K Kleiner, B.H 1996, Teamwork: The essence of the successful organisation, vol. 2, no. 1, pp 6-8. Vyakarnam, S et al. 1999, Exploring the formation of entrepreneurial teams: the key to rapid growth business?, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 6, no. 2, pp 153-165. Wallace, J 1999, The relationship between organisational culture, organisational climate and managerial values, International Journal of Public Sector Management, vol. 12, no. 7, pp 548-564.

Wizard of Oz Analysis Essay

Wizard of Oz Analysis Essay When I was five years old, my family gathered around the T.V. on a snowy Sunday night and watched a special presentation of The Wizard of Oz. Shortly thereafter, I picked up L. Frank Baums The Wonderful Wizard of Oz  [1]  and was hooked. I read every Oz book that I could find at the public library. Nearly twenty years later, I picked up The Wonderful Wizard of Oz again and found a subtle depth which I did not expect, especially through the feminist lens. Both the book and the film are well-suited for a feminist critique because of Dorothy, the female heroine, and other important female characters. While Baums novel presents a relatively progressive view of women, the 1939 MGM adaptation of the book portrays women as weak and best suited for domestic life through the weakening of Dorothy as a character, the emphasis of Dorothys desire to get home, the dream motif, and the elimination of important female characters. The Wizard of Oz is one of the most important cultural texts of the twentieth century. MGMs movie was an instant hit: and, afterward, thanks to annual prime time television showings, more people have seen it than any other motion picture ever made (McClelland 13). The Library of Congress even included The Wizard of Oz with 24 other films that it declared to be national treasures (Rahn 109). Even with the immense popularity, the film was not met with universal critical acclaim when it was released. Raylyn Moore documents that many critics gave the film scathing reviews. She adds her own assessment: Throughout, the production seesaws alarmingly between the sentimental and the grotesque, the very pitfalls Baum so scrupulously avoided in his first Oz book (Moor 90). Like the film, Baums novel has received its fair share of criticism. Suzanne Rahn chronicles the history of the books reception throughout the century following its publishing. Most people wouldnt hesitate to call [The Wonderful Wizard of Oz] a classic of American childrens literature. Yet if a childrens classic can be defined as a book that is admired by critics and loved by children, then [The Wonderful Wizard of Oz] belongs in a peculiar category of its own. Enthusiastically received by the first reviewers, the Oz books fell into such disfavor with childrens librarians 30 years later that they were systematically purged from library collections. [. . .] Then, in the 1970s, the pendulum swung again. The last 20 years have seen a renewed acceptance and appreciation of the Oz books, accompanied by critical analyses from the full gamut of perspectives-political, economic, spiritual, feminist, and psychological. The MGM film version of The Wizard, too, has received careful study and increasing respect. Yet reservations are still expressed; while no one today would deny the cultural importance of The Wizard, its quality as literature remains somewhat in doubt. (12) As Rahn illustrates, even works that have dubious literary merit often merit scholarly analysis. Arguably, the diversity of critical perspectives applied to the study of the text and film in the scholarly community speak to the value of the works as art forms. Regardless of any particular readers or viewers personal response to the film or the text, both have shown sufficient cultural influence to deserve closer scrutiny. Both the novel and the film lend themselves extremely well to a feminist examination of the texts. While it may seem odd to apply feminist theory to childrens literature, gender issues are often blatantly represented. As Lizbeth Goodman writes, If we take a [. . .] look at some of the most popular childrens story books, we can quickly see that gender inequalities are represented there (16). Goodman also notes that our first experiences with language often come through the medium of childrens books and that these books can have a powerful impact on how we conceptualize the world around us (16). Additionally, the life of Frank Baum strongly suggests the appropriateness of a feminist reading. Baum was a vigorous political supporter of the womens suffrage movement (Dighe 6). His wife also came from a family of womens rights activists. Her mother even wrote a book about the history of the suffrage movement (Moore 50). It is apparent in Baums Oz books that he consciously deals with gender roles. Baums sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a blatant satire of certain strands of the womens suffrage movement (Huebel 35). S.J. Sackett examines [Ozs] value system and detail and sees there respect for individual freedom and nonconformity, the absence of militarism, equality of the sexes, [etc.] (Rahn 20). But perhaps the most compelling reason to look at feminism in both the book and the film is the preeminence of female characters (Moore 119). While both the novel and the film have many of the same important female characters, the film systematically portrays a more oppressive and sexist vision of women than Baum does in the original text. This is evidenced, most obviously, through the portrayal of Dorothy. In the novel, Dorothy is portrayed as a very strong, brave, resourceful six-year-old. Moore gives the following description: To the Wizards thundering I am Oz the Great and Terrible . . , she firmly replies, I am Dorothy, the Small and Meek . . , but she is not really meek any more than the Wizard is really terrible. Faced with getting back home to Kansas, she sets about it with implacable determination. And when the Wizard makes it a condition of his helping her that she destroy the second witch, she sets out immediately to do it, even though she does not want to destroy anyone or anything. (154) Dorothy is also very independent. She meets adults like the Good Witch of the North and the Munchkins who cannot help her, but she continues on her journey. In the book, it is her idea to wear the shoes (silver, not ruby-red) as she travels because she figures that they do not run the risk of wearing out (Rahn 58-59). Additionally, Rahn illustrates how Dorothy serves as an Everyman for children to follow: [. . .] Dorothy is not merely an Everyman but a model for children to emulate. [. . .] She is sensible, friendly, helpful, brave without being foolhardy, deeply attached to her friends and family, and resolute in pursuing her goals. She does not change dramatically in the course of the journey, for this is not the course of someone who badly needs to change (like Bilbo in The Hobbit or Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden) but a story of self discovery, in which Dorothy comes to realize her own potential by the journeys end. In this interpretation, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion represent not only the friends we all need to help us on our way but also the qualities Baum felt were most essential for the traveler-qualities that Dorothy is to find within herself. (57) Dorothy is the true heroine in the novel. She is the one who holds the band of travelers together. She is a very strong female character throughout the text, notwithstanding periodic moments of weakness. In the MGM adaptation, however, Dorothy is portrayed as a weaker character with moments of strength. Arthur Freed, who worked on the film, had a lot to say in the conscientious decision to weaken Dorothys character. Michael Hearn writes in his introduction to the screenplay: But the chief weakness so far, according to Freed, was the lack of a solid and dramatic drive of Dorothys adventures and purposes that will keep the audience rooting for her throughout her trip to Oz. Freed [. . .] demanded that Dorothy have a deep-rooted psychological need back home that would justify her actions in Oz. [. . .] There she is motivated by her generosity to help everyone first before her little orphan heart cries out for what she wants most of all (the love of Aunt Em)-which represents to her the love of a mother she never knew. [. . .] Consequently Dorothy in the film became far more weepy than Baums practical, determined girl from Kansas. (12) Judy Garlands portrayal of Dorothy is considerably more helpless than Baums character. In the film, Dorothy is held a helpless prisoner by the Wicked Witch of the West. She can do nothing for herself until her male friends, the Scarecrow, Lion, and Tin Woodman come to save her as she sobs. When Dorothy defeats the witch, it is because she accidentally douses her with water while trying to splash Scarecrow. The book portrays a much stronger and proactive heroine. Baum has the Scarecrow helplessly scattered across the land, the Tin Woodman dashed to the bottom of a rocky ravine, and the Lion helplessly harnessed in her courtyard. Dorothy engineers her own escape by purposefully throwing water onto the witch. While Dorothy did not know this would kill the witch, her subsequent actions show her as a brave heroine. Moore helps to interpret Dorothys actions. In a struggle over Dorothys magic shoes, of which the wicked sorceress knows the worth while Dorothy does not, [. . .] that water is spilled over the girls enemy, who is at the time also her captress. The witch promptly melts away Like Brown sugar before her very eyes. But practical, self-reliant Dorothy is not one to waste time in pointless hysteria. . . . The Witch fell down in a brown, melted, shapeless mass and began to spread over the clean boards of the kitchen floor. Seeing that she had really melted away to nothing, Dorothy drew another bucket of water and threw it over the mess. She then swept it all out the door. After picking out the silver shoe, which was all that was left of the old woman, she cleaned and dried it with a cloth and put it on her foot again. (154) Dorothy then proceeds to free the Lion and orchestrate the rescue of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman (109-111). Dorothy is unequivocally the hero in Baums novel. Additionally, Dorothy is further weakened as the dominant female character in the film by her exaggerated desire to return home. While the book contains this same motivation and even includes the phrase, Theres no place like home, this becomes a dominant motif in the movie. As Harmetz explains: Dorothys urgent desire to get home was a part of L. Frank Baums book. (Understandably, since in the book, unlike the movie, the cyclone that picked her up was not fulfilling any wish on her part.) But the movie, by design, inscribed that theme with a hatchet. Be it ever so humble, theres no place like home was a truism and a moral lesson on which L.B. Mayer, Mervyn LeRoy, and Arthur Freed wholeheartedly agreed. (298) Because the movie purposefully portrays Dorothy as trying to escape her Kansas farm, her insistence that she return home as soon as possible sends an even stronger message: women leaving the home is a mistake, and while it may lead to colorful adventures, women are happiest when they are at home. This message is hammered in at the end of the film when Glinda explains to Dorothy why she didnt tell her about the shoes at the beginning. Because she wouldnt have believed me. She had to learn it for herself. At this point, the Tin Man asks, What have you learned, Dorothy? Dorothys response is revealing. Well, I . . .think that it . . . that it wasnt enough just to want to see Uncle Henry and Auntie Em . . . and its that if I ever go looking for my hearts desire again, I wont look any further than my own backyard; because if it isnt there, I never really lost it to begin with! Is that right? Glinda replies, Thats all it is (Hearn 128). The reason that Glinda didnt help Dorothy in the first place is because Dorothy didnt yet understand that her place is in the home. The film sends the clear message that true happiness for women lies in the domestic realm. Baum in his books, however, creates a place for Dorothy both in Kansas and in repeated visits to the Land of Oz. Additionally, the good witch at the beginning of the book doesnt tell Dorothy about the charm of the shoes because she, herself, does not realize the charm; she does not intend to teach Dorothy a lesson. The biggest change made in the film adaptation from the book also serves to entrench this anti-feminist mindset. In the book, Dorothys trip to Oz is very real. The house is actually carried away. When Dorothy returns, Uncle Henry and Aunt Em are surprised to see her. They have already built the new farm house to replace the old one (154). This realness of Dorothys experience in a different world is what makes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz a fantasy. The film effectively eliminates the elements of fantasy from their text, changing the fantastical experience, instead, to a psychological dream. The writers reasoned that, you cannot put fantastic people in strange places in front of an audience unless they have seen them as human beings first (Harmetz cit. in Rahn 124). This decision invalidates Dorothys entire experience in Oz. Rahn describes the critical response, saying: Most critics-and nearly every child who sees the movie-agree that the worst mistake was to explain away Dorothys adventures and Oz itself as a dream. As art, says Harmetz, The movie is flawed by its sentimentality, by its cheerful insistence that east, west, home is best, and by the decision to void Dorothys experience by making it into a dream (229). [. . .] Whatever the film may have suggested about the power of dreams and aspirations, the journey through life, or the discovery of ones own potential is effectively invalidated by this ending. (124) In a sense, Dorothys journey and watered down accomplishments become a counterfeit. The viewer has no reason to believe that Dorothy could survive outside of Kansas in the real world. Additionally, the dream viewed as an expression of Dorothys psyche presents an even more damning view to the potential of women to be strong and solve their problems. Nathanson suggests that a psychoanalytic approach is appropriate in dealing with The Wizard of Oz. It seems clear that The Wizards dream sequence can be interpreted psychoanalytically in terms of growing up (78). When we look at the dream from this perspective, it is clear that the central conflict shifts from Oz in Baums novel to Kansas in the film. Dorothy is not really struggling against witches, flying monkeys, and an incompetent wizard. She is struggling against Mrs. Gulch who wants to take her dog and her desire to escape the dreariness of the Kansas farm. Hence, fight for her independence and the fight for Toto become the two main conflicts in the film. In regards to the first, her dream serves to convince her to stay at home in the domestic role prepared for her by Aunt Em who even tries to keep her from coming near the pig pen, let alone the outside world. In her struggle with Mrs. Gulch, Dorothys victory is fleeting. While the movie ends with Dorothy in possession of Toto, Mrs. Gulch still has the sheriffs order and legal recourse to have Toto put to sleep. In this sense, Dorothys subconscious desire to stay in the domestic confines of the farm is so great that she sacrifices her love for Toto. Where Dorothy is unquestionably victorious in the book and gains strength and wisdom, the films portrayal of her experience as a dream leaves her the ideal woman: a more submissive, ineffectual version of herself. Finally, the films elimination of important female characters from the book devalues the contributions of women in Oz. In the book, there are initially four witches: two good and two bad. The movie condenses the characters of the two good witches into one good witch Glinda. In the book, there is a queen of the mice who plays a critical role in helping the travelers achieve their goals. She is completely omitted from the film. Finally, there is a female stork who rescues Scarecrow from a river. Dighe contends that the stork is symbolic for Baums support of the womens suffrage movement (74). While the elimination of these important female characters arguably gives the film needed directionality, it severely limits the number of major female characters, shifting the balance of power towards the men in the film. The three remaining female main characters all paint an anti-feminist picture. Dorothy, as discussed, is a weakened heroine who sacrifices her dreams and battles for domestic lif e. The Wicked Witch of the West is the only female character who is powerful in the movie and in the real world of Kansas. Ironically, she is portrayed as the stereotypical strong woman: unnatural and evil. Glinda, the one good witch, is the only major character who does not represent an actual person from Kansas. The implication is that women who are powerful and good are imaginary; they do not exist in reality. While the popularity of The Wizard of Oz both in text and film amongst readers and viewers of all ages is almost uncontested, the quality of each of works of art remains debatable. It is clear, however, that gender issues permeate both the novel and the film. While L. Frank Baums book is not the model of feminist equality judged by modern standards, it portrays a world in which good and powerful women exist and where determined and resourceful little girls can accomplish extraordinary things. He illustrates that there is a place for women in both the world of the home and in the world outside the home, just as there are for men. Even though the film was released 39 years after the publication of the novel, its adaptation represents a regressive approach to gender equality through its portrayal of Dorothy, its glorification of domestic life for women, its representation of Oz as a dream, and its elimination of key women from the novel. Which raises the question: why, in our society, s o progressive concerning gender and gender roles, are we still so drawn to MGMs backward film?