Problem question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Problem question - Essay Example For instance, Gretel states that her friend Polly is to get her assortment of porcelain dolls, but ultimately, these dolls are to be shared among Gretel’s â€Å"nearest and dearest† according to her expectation, hence Polly is only a trustee for a trust comprised of Gretel’s nearest and dearest who are to receive the dolls. The class of beneficiaries in this case may be held to be unclear, because it may not be possible to draw up a complete list of all the beneficiaries4 and there may also be problems of administrative unworkability5 as far as this provision is concerned, due to the necessity to identify who would be considered as Gretel’s nearest and dearest from her perspective while she was making out her will. According to Hudson (2005), the manner in which equity functions is by mitigating the â€Å"rigor of the common law so that the letter of the law is not applied in such a strict way that it may cause injustice.†6 He states that equity applies the doctrine of acting in personam upon the conscience of the defendant; as a result, the major factor that courts are required to consider is whether or not an individual has acted in good conscience.7 Trust law is also based upon the equitable principles of acting on the basis of conscience, however where trusts develop in commercial transactions, certainty is a major requirement; as a result the doctrine of precedent has assumed importance in the application of equitable principles8. In Aurora’s capacity as a trustee of Gretel’s estate, she will be expected to administer the estate in accordance with the provisions of Gretel’s will, however when there is uncertainty, then the validity of the trust itself may be qu estioned. In the case of Westdeutsche Landesbank v Islington LBC9 Lord Browne Wilkinson also stated that equity is based upon the conscience of the person who acts as a trustee. On this basis, the trustee is required to carry out the specific purposes spelt

Killer Bureaucracies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Killer Bureaucracies - Essay Example Henninger in the article explicates that people have wrongly accused poor response to problematic issues to insufficient funding (para. 7). However, this is not the case. In fact, more funding only creates the need for additional accountability and therefore more layers are created in the system to deal with accountability issues. In my opinion, lower level representatives in the government as well as elected officials ought to be allowed to make independent decisions in terms of emergencies. In doing so, problematic cases such as the Ebola outbreak can be responded to on a timely manner and hence curbing the situation. I also agree with the postulation from the article that introducing more rules and regulations, as is in the case with introducing additional funds, will amplify human errors hence increasing inefficiency (para. 12). In my opinion, inefficiency is contributed by the introduction of more funding that translates to more rules and regulations to account for the funds. Consequently, this contributes to the amplification of human errors as it will also involve handling more

V.S. Naipaul’s Mimic Men: Analysis of Identity Crisis

V.S. Naipaul’s Mimic Men: Analysis of Identity Crisis Abstract This article attempts to determine representation of identity crisis in V. S. Naipaul’s work Mimic Men. And this article attempts to relate how this novel is replete with the theme of identity crisis. Furthermore, the analysis of the novel’s genre and characters declare themes that are coloured by postmodern trait of fragmentation, which is discussed on a theoretical base with a focus on the theme of identity crisis. V.S. Naipaul has always represented a denial of the third-world spirit, and has represented societies that have recently emerged from colonialism. He describes the way these societies function in the post- colonial order. Though imperialism has passed and the colonies have attained an independent status, but these nations of the Third World faces a lot of problems like economic, social and political, and these are emerged identity crisis in the society. As a post- colonial novelist, Naipaul concentrates on major themes related to the problems of the coloni zed people. As an observer and interpreter of the ex- colonies, he clarifies the inadequacies of such societies. In his novels, The Mimic Men, the theme acquire a universality and observes and presents the fragmentation and alienation happen to be the universal location of man in the present day world. Introduction Some eminent Third World critics concentrate mainly on Naipaul’s development as a creative artist who picks up issues relating to the Third World. His works throw light on the Post-colonial and post- imperial realities that have shaped the contemporary societies and provides important insights relating to them. Naipaul’s novels lead to a better understanding of the problems that are faced by the post- imperial generations. In The Mimic Men, it has been observed that, as in the novels studied in the previous chapters, the characters as well as situations in The Mimic Men are dealt with by an â€Å"ambivalent approach†. The larger emphasis, however, has been seen to be laid on Singh’s attitude which creates â€Å"ambivalence† identity crisis by emphasising his seesaw relationship to Isabella and London. For instance, in the attic scene, Singh has been observed to vacillate between the â€Å"magic† and the â€Å"forlornness† of â€Å"the city,† which is London, the â€Å"heart of Empire†. Then, in the forward scene, Singh on the one hand criticises his colonial island for being a â€Å"transitional† and â€Å"makeshift† society that â€Å"lacks order,† and on the other hand, he describes London as â€Å"the greater disorder† and the â€Å"final emptiness.† While Singh finds the natural elements of London, such as the snow and the â€Å"light of dusk† gorgeous, he detests London’s dullness and lack of colour. Soon after Singh has left Isabella with the intention never to return, he states that London has â€Å"gone sour† on him and that he longs for the â€Å"certainties† of his island, although this is the place from where he once wanted to escape. These early scenes, then, which pass during Singh’s stay as a student in London, tell about Singh’s disillusionment with London, to where he has come, â€Å"fleeing disorder,† and â€Å"to find the beginning of order.† In a second flash-forward, however, as Singh arrives at Isabella, he calls his journey to and from London a â€Å"double journey† and a â€Å"double failure.† This â€Å"ambivalent situation† indicates that Singh is nowhere at home, and it is an indirect criticism towards the â€Å"coloniser†, who can be said to be the original cause of Singh’s â€Å"rootlessness†, identity crisis, because he has â€Å"displaced† colonial people like Singh. This argument is reinforced by an example given by Singh, where, to write his biography, he prefers the dull suburb hotel of London to the pastoral cocoa estate on Isabella. Singh calls his return to Isabella a mistake, but he believes that the cause of his mistake has been the â€Å"injury inflicted† on him by London, where he can never feel himself as anything but â€Å"disintegrating, pointless, and fluid.† This is another example that shows to what extent Singh has been affected by the coloniser’s practice of â€Å"displacing† people. Leaving Isabella, Singh feels relief. But as he arrives in London Singh feels he is â€Å"bleeding.† For the second time he senses the â€Å"forlornness† of â€Å"the city† on which he has twice â€Å"fixed so important a hope.† Twice he has come to the â€Å"centre of Empire† to find order, but twice he has been disillusioned. Identity crisis The identity crisis that his characters face is due to the destroying of their past and those who eventually overcome the crisis are the ones who have recovered their past or somehow managed to impose an order on their histories and moved on in life. Naipaul’s attitude to culture has always been progressive. It is the Third- World’s blind mimicry of the West that he cannot stomach. He lashes out at the shortcomings of Third- World societies, which have their roots in their traditional cultures, but are unmindful of them in their blind following of the West. They are thus able to maintain a distinct identity. But for the generation born in exile, life in the foreign soil proves almost fatal, as they have not been blessed with the insularity of their forefathers, who went there from India. For the new generation, India loses the sense of reality that it had conveyed to their ancestors. The major themes that emerge from a reading of his novels are related to the problems o f the colonized people: their sense of Alienation from the landscapes, their identity crisis, the paradox of freedom and the problem of neocolonialism in the ex-colonies. The people who can no longer identify with a cultural heritage lose the assurance and integrity which the locating racial ancestor provides. In addition, the harsh conditions of colonialism have left the West Indian bad conditions under the burden of poverty and ignorance. Because psychological and physical conditions correspond so closely, the unhoused, poverty stricken West Indian is so often culturally and spiritually dispossessed as well. His only alternative is to strive after the culture of his ex-colonial masters even though he is unable to identify with their traditions and values. In The Mimic men, however, Kripal Singh is not handicapped by poverty, ignorance, a lack of natural talent or the persecution of a grasping Hindu family. He has gained the material success, public eminence and apparent independen ce that Ganesh, Harbans and Biswas all longed to have. In addition, because of his university education and his exposure to a more sophisticated society in London, he is better able to recognize and articulate the many ills of his native back ground. but his clearly superior status and acute consciousness do not make him any less vulnerable to the subtle, yet over powering consequences of his psychologically fragmented and confusing past. In fact, his ability to rationalize his own condition sharpens rather than reduces his total alienation from his environment and his final rejection of an active life. The Mimic Men, however, is more than a mere elaboration of Naipauls previous West Indian novels: it is a profound re enactment of the growth and nature of the East Indian, west Indian psyche and its reaction to the three cultures, Indian, Creole and English, which influence it. In the process, Kripal Singh, the narrator, confessor and visionary, comments on power, politics, social an d racial interactions, sex, education, displacement, isolation and identity crisis as experienced by the ex-colonial. Each topic is used to illuminate a facet of his mind. Conclusion To summarise what has been argued above, Singh is disillusioned about both Isabella and London, because he is a member of a colonised people that has been â€Å"displaced† identity crisis on a colonial â€Å"slave-island,† with a racially and culturally mixed population. In the period before Singh comes to London, he vacillates between his longing to escape from the island, where he feels â€Å"displaced† and â€Å"rootless†, and the feeling that experience past on the colonial island nevertheless attaches him somehow to it. During Singh’s political career, the â€Å"ambivalent attitudes† in Singh and Browne have shown that, while they seem to criticise the â€Å"colonised† and the colony, their â€Å"ambivalent attitude† actually indicates that the real source of the faults criticised in individuals and the society is to be found with the â€Å"coloniser†. Finally, Singh escapes from his â€Å"artificial home† to the â€Å"imperial centre† and claims to have found fulfilment there, but his â€Å"ambivalent attitude† again shows that these are not real fulfilments, but only excuses used by Singh to find a â€Å"sense of attachment† in a certain â€Å"location† of the earth. However, even during this seeming compromise, Singh makes his important statement that finally attaches him to his own culture and not to the one of the coloniser. References Bongie, Chris. Islands and Exiles: The Creole Identities of Post/Colonial Literature.  California: Stanford University Press, 1998. Harney, Stefano. Nationalism and Identity: Culture and the Imagination in a  Caribbean Diaspora. Kingston: University of the West Indies, 1996. Naipaul, V.S. The Mimic Men. London, New York, etc.: Penguin Books, 1969. (First  published 1967).

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea Essay -- essays research papers

Intellect, Precision, Courtesy; The Makings of a Leader   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ocean swells around you like a dust devil in a sandbox. Salt water fills your nostrils. The ship that deemed this fate upon you sails into the distance. You wonder, how am I going to get out of this one? Suddenly, a large metal object plants itself beneath your feet. A porthole opens and men carry you inside the belly of the large iron beast floating nether you. What’s going to happen now? In Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, this is exactly what main characters M. Aronmax, his servant Conseil, and Ned Land the harpooner, were thinking. After a hefty six-hour wait of being locked in a dark cell, the door opens. A man who introduces himself as Captain Nemo, an obvious leader and a man of stature, claims to have built the submersible in order to travel the world without ever having to step back on the land which he so greatly rejects. Reflection on the qualities of leadership reveals how Captain Nemo’s character enabled him t o do exactly this.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is soon apparent that Captain Nemo a man of keen intellect. His knowledge of the sea, the many languages he speaks, and the education he has given his men all contribute the success of his ship’s goal, to explore. Examples of his intelligence are rampant throughout the novel. In a burial at sea the captain decided to envelop the body, not only in a coral reef, but also in byssus to seal it for eternity and protect it from sharks. The uncommon understanding of the effects of byssus, or other plant life, demonstrates his depth of research. Using one’s intellect to benefit practical concerns instills admiration and confidence in those serving you. His many years of study also contributed to a broad knowledge of languages: “ ‘Gentlemen’,'; said he, in a calm and penetrating voice, ‘I speak French, English, German, and Latin equally well’ ';. Knowing many languages is essential to becoming a great sea captain for you never k now when or where you might travel. Nemo also has the ability to apply his knowledge into educating his men. It was his genius mind that taught them where to gather, and piece together, the components that would later become the Nautilus. All in all, Captain Nemo is... ...e in an inferior position to oneself. With his respectful attitude, the captain is able to put his “guests'; at ease. “The island of Ceylon, noted for it’s pearl-fisheries. Would you like to visit one of them M. Aronmax?'; Offering options to those with little control over their lives bestows them with a sense of power, however false it may be. A courteous attitude goes a long way to establish positive long-term relationships among those who may be spending extended periods of time together.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many qualities are in force to make a great leader. Captain Nemo has all of these. His well developed mind allowed him to not only deal with the technological details of the submersible, but also to deal with those around him in an advantageous way. The smooth running of any business is enhanced by attention to the smallest details. Nemo had a great capacity for the minutia of both his life and his work. A successful business depends on the respect a leader gains from his workers. When the captain showed respect he received respect in return. The three prisoners could consider themselves fortunate to be in the hands of such a leader.

Innocence Betrayed: Critical Moments In The Life Of An Enslaved Girl Essay

The story of Harriet Jacobs is one of the most compelling works of literature published in the nineteenth-century. Hers is the narrative of physical torture and psychological abuse coupled with triumphs over adversity in a southern world where oppression was the norm. From the outset, Jacobs made it clear that her â€Å"narrative was no fiction ( 3). † Jacobs’s chronicling of her experiences, like that of so many other countless enslaved people, was cathartic. Remembering and writing made it possible for her to take responsibility for the events surrounding her life and, in so doing, begin the process of healing. One could argue that in publishing her critique she had led an insurrection, an act of defiance not easily thwarted in the safer haven of the north. Jacobs’s tale is distinct from other slave narratives of the period in that her analytical framework places gender at the center of the discussion. In her work, women, in general, black women, in particular, constitute what editor Nell Irvin Painter describes as a â€Å"self-consciously gendered and thoroughly feminist ( IX) story. † The Jacobs narrative is also an intriguing examination of the slave system. Jacobs’s project was to alert and recruit northern women in her effort to expose the â€Å"foul† system that indelibly harmed its victims white and black. According to her editor: this Peculiar phase of slavery has generally been kept veiled; but the public ought to be made acquainted with its monstrous features, and I willingly take the responsibility of presenting them with the veil withdrawn. ( 6) The significance of Jacobs’s work is that it raised consciousness. It forced northern white men to publicly oppose their southern white counterparts while the project itself relieved her of constantly being haunted by a life lived in shame and humiliation. The Jacobs narrative is a slave girl’s story embedded in a woman’s discussion about freedom. Harriet Ann Jacobs was born in Edenton, North Carolina on the Chowan River located near the Albemarle Sound in the eastern portion of the state. It was a region famous for its large planter class, many of whom owned huge plantations with numerous slaves. She, and her brother John, were the offspring of Elijah, a skilled carpenter, and Delilah. Elijah and Delilah Jacobs, the slaves of a white farmer, managed to keep the family together aided by Molly Horniblow, Delilah’s mother, a chef, and a respected and influential member of the Edenton community. At the age of six, after the death of her mother in 1819, Jacobs went to live with Margaret Horniblow, a white mistress who taught her to sew, read, and write. In 1825 Margaret died and, in 1826, Elijah passed away. She was then transferred to Margaret’s sister’s three year old daughter, and the niece of her nemesis, Dr. James Norcom. Dr. Norcom who appears as Dr. Flint in the story psychologically abused Jacobs when a young girl in the Norcom household. In protection of her life and reputation, she voluntarily became sexually involved with a prominent white lawyer in Edenton, Samuel Treadwell Sawyer. Together they produced two children, Joseph and Louisa Matilda. Because slavery was both a labor and social system, their children belonged to Norcom although Sawyer would later purchase them and Jacobs’s brother, John. But in a drastic attempt to protect her and her children from the wrath of both Mr. and Mrs. Norcom, Jacobs hid in the crawlspace of Grandmother Molly’s house for seven years during which time she perfected her reading and writing skills, and nurtured her children. In 1842 Harriet escaped the bondage of slavery by going to New York and later Boston. In the north she reunited with her children and, although technically free, she continued to live in fear of being captured by slave patrols following the mandates of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, a law that allowed southern masters to recapture their runaway â€Å"property† and re-enslave them. Luckily for Jacobs that, in 1852, her employer, Cornelia Grinnell Willis, purchased her freedom from the Norcoms and it was during this period that Amy Post, a Quaker and abolitionist, convinced her to tell the story of her slavery and freedom. Post, with whom Jacobs had confided, may have been successful because Harriet Beecher Stowe had refused her (Jacob’s) suggestion that she serve as an amanuensis. Later she met abolitionist, Lydia Maria Child, who aided Jacobs in completing what would be the single most important work in her career; Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, published pseudonymously as Linda Brent in 1861. The book brought Jacobs some measure of fame particularly with northern women concerned about the amoral activities associated with the south’s â€Å"Peculiar Institution. † Not distracted by her literary success, Jacobs continued to support the cause of freedom by assisting her daughter in aiding Union soldiers during the Civil War. She later established a Free School in Alexandria, Virginia, traveled south on numerous occasions, and made one note worthy trip to England. She ended her long life as a former slave girl by becoming a relief worker in Washington, D. C. where she died on March 7, 1897. It was only fitting that Jacobs’s life would end in the nation’s capitol where just miles away stood one of the largest slave auctioneers in the union. Much like the slaves who were sold, she undressed and exposed the events of her life for all to see. She was direct and deliberate in her delineation of the facts. She not only showed how she was used as a sexual object but also revealed how she used her sexuality to determine who would be her master in bed. Her story of family and motherhood highlighted the falsity in the notion that slaves were inhuman and therefore had no capacity to love or be loved. Jacobs’s essay is also about white women who lived and slept with masters who violated young female slaves. They also endured the public humiliation and hatred which stemmed from the children that resulted from these plantation liaisons. What an awful situation, she wrote, â€Å"to wake up in the dead of night and find a jealous woman bending over you (38). † Yet when Jacobs found a free black man whom she loved and who loved her, old Master Norcom, forty years her senior, refused to allow them to marry but, instead, offered to build Jacobs a hut. Plantation slavery was a world in which even an enslaved woman’s beauty could be a curse. According to Jacobs, â€Å"if God has bestowed beauty upon her it will prove her greatest curse (31). † Jacobs showed her audiences, north and south, what it meant to have alternatives and choices. The privilege of choosing a lover that met with her satisfaction, to run away or stay, to give birth, and the privilege of deciding to write a scathing indictment of the system that stole her innocence are themes that resonated with Jacobs’s readers. Her work reminds us that freedom is never free and that the greatest price may have been her memories of oppression. Works Cited Painter, Nell Irvin, ed. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs. New York: Penguin Books, 2000 [1861].

Ending the War Against Japan Essay

In the article, Ending The War Against Japan: Science, Morality And The Atomic Bomb, the author provides information on the war in the Pacific which involved the United States and Japan. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the United States entered the second World War in 1941. United States gained control of Okinawa in 1945 which meant that the U.S had control, in the months of May through August there were major air attacks on Japan, the Manhattan Project and the two atomic bombs the United States dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were part of the choice out of the many options that might have been given to President Truman and Secretary of War, Henry Stimson. They felt that dropping the atomic bomb was the best way to get the Japanese to give an unconditional surrender. The three options that the author gives in this article are based on three different outcomes that could have changed the way the Pacific War ended. The first option would allow President Truman to end the war peacefully, and it would have also allowed the Japanese to withdraw from the war without shame to their leader and save the thousands of Japanese individuals by not making the United States have to make the choice of dropping the atomic bombs. This option would have let Truman show that â€Å"We as Americans have not sunk to the level of our enemies† â€Å"We should end the war now in a manner that reflects the value we place on the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the individual†. The author gives Truman a second option and this option approaches the war in the Pacific with a demonstration of the atomic bomb in efforts to force the Japanese to surrender without condition. This includes the uprising of the Manhattan Project which gave the United States the â€Å"weapon of almost inconceivable power† with the scare tactics of the demonstration this gives the Japanese leaders an idea of what would come if they continued on resisting a withdraw. The American people felt as though they have put everything on the line to defeat the Japanese and would like nothing less than to see them surrender unconditionally and as long as we are taking responsible authority on our terms of the Japanese surrender we can end the war and increase strength and peace. The third and final option that Truman could have chosen would be to go fourth with the complete plan without the demonstration of the atomic bombs in the deserted Pacific a demonstration provided little purpose.† The Japanese have fought a merciless war of aggression. They neither expect nor deserve mercy†. We were in need of a quick victory and the only way to make japan admit failure and surrender was with strong military force. It was too late for any negotiations with the Japanese emperor, this plan gave President Truman the chance to save more American lives many of the other choices might have resulted in more American deaths. With the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and the torture of allies this option to drop as many bombs as needed without warning might have been the only way to send an effective message to the emperors of Japan. After reading the options that the author gives about the different outcomes Truman could have made and If I were Truman and I was making the decision I would have chosen option number two, Because I feel as though the atomic bomb being used for a scare tactic is a great way to show our power but also show our respect for the Japanese. The demonstration of the bombs would allow us to strengthen our roles in America and prevent the unmoral killing of Americans and Japanese.