Knowledge and Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Knowledge and Skills - Essay Example This 'Knowledge and Skills Framework' is designed in the United Kingdom, to understand, and sustain personal and career development. It helps to identify the skills and knowledge individuals should apply to their jobs so that they are provided with equal opportunities of progress throughout their careers. 1. I have served many non profit and for-profit organizations over the past years of my life. These include fulfilling the duties of an administrator, director, operations manager and as a full time social worker at many organizations. This kind of massive exposure to the real world problems related to the management of these associations has led to the development of my psychosocial abilities and I have fully utilized these abilities to the best of my capabilities. I have served as a full time social worker at the Fresenius Medical Care formerly known as Renal Care Group, Inc, Wynnewood. This facility provides dialysis treatments to adults in 3 countries simultaneously. At the DaVita Dialysis also provides dialysis treatments to adults and Delware County and South Philadelphia area. Also, I have demonstrated my skills as a Director at 'Tressler Lutheran Services, West Chester' which provides clinical therapy to adolescents and families in the area. From 1995 to 1996, I was the 'Pro gram Director' to a foster child care and adoption services facility called 'Children's Choice', in Philadelphia. I also have served as a 'Family Preservation Case Manager' at 'Family and Community Services of Delaware County'. A. During my experience as a social worker at Fresenius Medical Care, I managed a caseload of 160-180 patients. This management was in regard to psychosocial issues, insurance coverage and transportation concerns. At DaVita Dialysis facility, where I handled the case load of 140 Upland and 75 Upper Philadelphia from May 2002 to November 2002, similar challenges were faced. The psychosocial needs of the patients admitted in these facilities were tremendous. They ranged from information about their therapies to possible side effects, stress, depression and other mental and emotional conditions. Patients suffering from dialysis undergo extensive treatments and also seek assistance in the normal day routines they can't perform independently. All these issues were successfully taken care of. The psychodynamic theory was greatly applied in these situations where the patient-doctor emotional relationships were encouraged. Successful documentation of psychosocial assessment and needs was do ne at both the facilities, keeping in mind the Medicare guidelines and Federal regulations. Patients were made comfortable with their treatments, by thoroughly informing them about the medical procedures. B. While working at the Children's Choice, my range and scope of experience increased as I was subjected to handle special need groups. These groups call for special attention psychosocially and are to be handled with care and devotion. The application of psychosocial theory has been the basis of my efforts in all these situations. Special attention was given to offer increased level of care both physical and emotional. Also, it was indemnified that the Child Welfare Regulations were being effective followed as required by the Department of Human

Environmental law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Environmental law - Essay Example One has to hire environmental consultants to do this work. It may also involve the company treating the waste to make it less harmful to the environment and this also come with additional work for the organization. It will also be subject to frequent scrutiny from the authorities to see how they conduct the treatment process and whether they are meeting the required standards. This therefore means in case of discharge to the natural water, the company with have additional work of waste treatment and have to strictly release waste which is considered environmental friendly (Novotny & Brown, 2007). This implies that the regulations with discharging into the natural water have more regulative restrictions which also come with extra costs. Discharging into a sewer system on the other hand has no major impact on the work environment. This is because the sewer company treats the waste and also takes the obligation of looking for the final destination of this waste. In that case, the company does not get into direct contact with environmental protection authorities on waste disposal. This reduces the work that the company would have undertaken and has lesser financial constraints. Novotny, V., & Brown, P. R. (2007). Cities of the future: Towards integrated sustainable water and landscape management : proceedings of an international workshop held July 12-14, 2006 in Wingspread Conference Center, (Racine, WI). London: IWA

Example Answers to Tasks on Tata Motors

Example Answers to Tasks on Tata Motors Tata Motors Limited has revenues of US$20.5 billion in 2009-10. The companys 25,000 employees are guided by the vision to be Best in the manner in which we operate, best in the products we deliver and best in our value system and ethics. Tata motors was formed in 1945 and till date has expanded across all locations in India. Today around 6 million Tata vehicles run on Indian roads. In 2005 Tata motors had entered a strategic alliance with Fiat to produce power trains and cars. Tata Motors also distributes and markets Fiat branded cars in India. Tata Motors is the first company to be listed in the New York Stock Exchange (September 2004) belonging to engineering sector of India. Today Tata Motors has Operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand and Spain. Jaguar Land Rover, was acquired in 2008 by Tata Motors and it also acquired the Daewoo Commercial Vehicles Company of South Korea in 2004 (http://www.Tatamotors.com) Task 1: a) Kurt Lewins change management model Today the theory of change management is plays the huge role in most of the business. However, how organisation change in their culture it is depend on the type of industry, change requirement and involvement if the individuals. The key thing in change management is hoe the individuals is recognised or get settled in change process. To understand the change management process in business Kurt Lewins developed the change management process model. This model was developed in 1950s and still is most used method in todays modern business. Lewins change model is going through three stages which is start from Unfreeze Change Refreeze and each of these stages is mention below. Unfreeze In this first stage of change process is preparing to check and requirement of change within the business, which involves identify the key areas which needs to change and try to break it so that you can introduce the new operation. To organize the business effectively, you need to begin at its nucleus and you need to challenge the viewpoint, ethics, approach, and behaviours that presently define it. With the similarity of a structure, you must study and be planned to modify the existing basics as they may not support add-on storeys unless this is done, the whole building may risk collapse. Usually the first part of the change process is very difficult because here you need to identify the key areas where you think change should be required. Furthermore, you may face some strong reaction who does not like the change and you should balance everything when cutting down the things. By forcing the organization to re-evaluate its nucleus, you efficiently make a calamity (which is under control), which in revolve can make a tough inspiration to search for a new balance. Without this inspiration you would not obtain to buy-in and contribution require resulting any significant change. Change After all the doubts which is created during the unfreeze stage, the change is the stage where you can try to resolve all the doubts and try to do the things in new different ways. In these stage individuals start considers and thinks in that way so that they support the new course. The conversion form unfreeze to change takes a bit time it does not happen suddenly, usually individuals take time to get adjust from unfreeze to change process. . A interrelated change model concentrate on the exact problem of individual evolution in a changing atmosphere and is helpful to understand this i will explain in detail below. Individuals should understand how the change process will help them if you want to create the change successful and acceptable within their employees. You should link the change with the individual benefit they simply did not accept the change only on the basis of the change is essential for the organisation. The two key elements to success of the change process is Time and Communication which plays the huge role. People should need some time so that they were able to understand the change and this should be highly communicated with in the employees during the change period. This is the best approach you can use while managing the change which requires great deal of time and effort. Regrettably, some individuals actually affect or harmed by the change mainly those who get the advantage for the past strategy. Others may take a bit long time to accept the change infect they accept it only when they think they will get benefit from the change. Refreeze When the changes are get start settle in the business and individuals have accepted the new ways of operational the association is prepared to refreeze. The outcomes signs of the refreeze are a steady business plan reliable work responsibilities and so on. The refreeze stage also needs to help individuals plus the internal matters of the business and try to refreeze it. That means a change should be a continuous process and needs to there in every business. With a new sense of stability, workforce feels positive, secure and motivated in new culture of the organisation. There is always a big question mark over whether a change is required in the business or not if it is required how far it should be. Although change process is regular and continuous process but this refreeze stage is very important to complete the change process. Furthermore, employees also not been able to adjust with the new culture of the business and they not even know their new role and responsibility in the business. If you did not refreeze the change effectively then it is very difficult to attempt the next change successfully. The another part of refreezing process is make sure that you should enjoy yourself in the new culture of the organisation which helps the employees to enduring himself from the past stressful and sore time . (Sarah Cook, 2004) McKinsey 7S framework The McKinsey 7S model is a vital tool for the detailed study of the strategies that are to amended or to be changed. McKinseys model is a tool which focuses on the internal factors of an organization and can be implemented on a team or a project as well. The McKinsey 7S model can be used over various situations where a perspective is may be helpful, such as; Enhancing organizations performance. Align departments during the time of mergers and acquisitions. Implementing the best proposed strategies. Deciding the future changes in the organization. The elements in the model can be further categorized as; Hard Elements Soft Elements Strategy Structure Systems Shared Values Skills Style Staff Hard elements are easy to identify and define and the management of the organization are directly influenced by them. These are the main aspects of all official processes, organizational plans, reports and IT systems. Soft elements are the aspects which are difficult to describe that are less tangible and are more affected by the culture. (Prahalad ,1990) http://www.mindtools.com/media/Diagrams/mckinsey.jpg Strategy: It is a scheme develops for maintaining constructing competitive advantage over the opposition. Structure: hierarchy of positions in the company. Systems: the day today functioning of workforce for getting the job done. Shared Values: core values of the corporation which are supported in the corporate culture and the general work ethic. Style: the manner of leadership pattern implemented. Staff: the workforce and their wide-ranging potential. Skills: the real skills and competencies of the workforce functioning for the business. The basis of model is, if a business has to excel then the seven elements have to be arranged in a line and equally strengthen. It is used for identifying what requires to be realigned to get better performance, or for uphold alignment performance throughout erstwhile kind of change. whatsoever the category of change whether it be restructuring, mergers acquisitions, new processes systems or alteration of leadership, this model is used if comprehending how the business rudiments are interconnected, and also it ensures the wider impact of changes done in one region which is engaged into deliberation. This model is used for study of the present situation, a projected future situation and for identifying fissure and irregularity flanked by them. By making adjustment and fine tuning of the elements of the 7S model can be, the effective organization mechanism can be ensured. (Sarah Cook, 2004) John P Kotters eight steps to successful change John P Kotter is a Harvard Business School professor and leading thinker and author on organizational change management. Kotters suggest a model for change which has eight stages and can be outlined as: Increase urgency encourage employees to progress, and make the objectives seem genuine and important. Assemble the channel team get hold of the right employees in correct position who have the accurate poignant promise, and the true blend of skills and stage. Get the vision correct catch up or the team to set up a uncomplicated vision and strategy, focus on poignant and imaginative characteristic essential to impel service and efficiency. Communicate for buy-in engage more and more individuals as possible, correspond the fundamentals, simply, and to request and react to peoples requirements, De-clutter the communications. Formulate the technology to work in your favour instead against. Empowerment of deed Eliminate barriers, facilitate constructive feedback and plenty of support from leaders, reward and recognise development and accomplishment. Create short-range Goals lay down short time goals which are easy to achieve in controllable figures of initiatives. End present stages prior to going for the new stages. Dont give up promote and support fortitude and perseverance, give confidence in ongoing development, bring to light the accomplish landmarks and emphasize on the future ones. Make change fix strengthen the worth of victorious change via recruitment, promotion and novel change leaders. Intertwine the change into traditions (Sarah Cook, 2004). Task 1: b) Change management is done to achieve some overall goal and its not done only for namesake change. More often than not, the factors like significant incise in grant, dealing with main new markets or new clients, requirement for spectacular boost in productivity and services, etc. are the reasons behind a aggravated organizational change. In general, organizations must carry out enterprise-wide change to develop itself to a different level in its span of lifecycle. Tata Motors was primarily a maker of commercial vehicles and it is a extremely recurring type of industry. The commercial-vehicle market place in India shrivels in excess of 42 %, with enormous repercussion on top and operational management of organisation. The 110 million US$ deficit was the first time something on this magnitude had taken place in its past, and this actually tremble each one within the organization. Tata Motors struggle to understand what had gone erroneous and hunted to generate a trail for the upcoming days to make certain that they by no means got into such circumstances for a second time. Tata motors determined and implemented a revival plan which had three discrete stages, every one of which was anticipated to last for approximately 1.5 years and 5 years in total. Stage I was planned to stalk the haemorrhage. Expenses had to be abridged in a gigantic manner, and it was a massive defy for a organisation that was not only the major player in business but had been making use of a cost-plus loom to its value strategy. Stage II two was seen as strengthen their place in India as market leader, and stage III was all about intensifying their business internationally. (http://www.Tatamotors.com) Task 1: c) To be an effective leader of an organization requires you to do five things: Understand and interpret the environment in which he operate Develop winning strategies Execute them brilliantly; Measure the impact of your strategies followers. If you get results, people will support you, systematically, adjusting strategies as often without caring too much about how you got indicated. Develop organizational, departmental; the world wont retain the support of your followers team and personal capabilities. Team building is an application of various techniques of Sensitivity training to the actual work groups in various departments. These work groups consist of peers and a supervisor (Rob Paton, 2008). Task 2: a) In current period Tata Motors have counter a lot of confront more than ever from the increasing antagonism and globalization. To tussle back these peripheral problems, Tata Motors arrive out with strategy of expansion and growth to retaliate antagonism via mergers and acquisitions. And also to fight back the effect of globalization it strong-willed to slash expenditure and in that way bring in the worlds cheapest car. But all of these actions had brutal insinuation on its in-house organizational change. This effect of Change was seen both on the top and middle management as well as at the employee level. At the management level, the insurgent change was seen for slashing the expenditure and manufacturing and offering the cheapest car to the world market in stipulated time. At the employee level the change was mainly seen because of the a great deal necessary merger of Daewoo with Tata Motors, which profoundly originated a greater deal of change in its employees (http://www.Tatamotors .com). Task 2: b) Organisation-wide change is embarking on as an affair of continued existence. It is not an alternative or nor it is a notion. Change clutches a very huge expenditure in terms of human and physical assets, share prices, stakeholders lack of confidence, consumer discontent, receivables and cash flow. The reality is often a painful period of change, during which resistance is high, morale is low, productivity is falling, and confusion is rampant (Marsh, 2001). None of the organization accepts this without due consideration. As a matter of fact why does the change fails in spite of its grounds are now right, the need to change is very clear, its substitute are properly assessed, and the path to success is corresponded as such that each one in the organization can distinguish that the change is not discretionary but necessary. The solution or probable reason for this is, Just being right isnt good enough: you have to win the hearts and minds of the employees who will make the change happen (Marsh, 2001). There is not such incorporeal organization that can be changed. It is its staff who can craft intended change into realism by altering their behaviours and the conducts they communicate to each other. Putting change into operation in an organization forces employees to adjust how they communicate to each other. It changes the ways in which they deals with one another and changes their approach towards goals, processes and equipments. This may lead to anxiety which further causes resistance for change. Only people who instigate change enjoy it; other have to suffer it (Marsh, 2001). A lot of employees feel endangered if they are forced to change supposing that they might go down on power, prestige, competence, and security. They sense that what is occurring is outside their control, beyond their area of authority, and so fright about it. These suspicions may be well high and dry in experience but it also depend upon how the organisation has faced the change in past (Marsh, 2001). Task 3: a) The changes that have happen within organizations around the world over the last five years, have revolutionized how organizations will continue to operate for the next five years.    Businesses have realized that people are more important, whether that be the customer or the employees.    Employees must be happy, self assured, educated, trained, motivated, and leaders in order to be able to create the type of business that produces quality product.    The customer must be happy, and if the employees are not happy, they have a hard time making the customers happy (Porter, 1998).    Task 3: b) Stakeholder Analysis is the process that: Is intended for group stakeholders and Understands what stakeholders expect from the project and what they need in next of impending risks It recognizes activities to reduce risks and exploit profit by functioning with the stakeholders. In stakeholder analysis involvement of employees can be done by using two fundamental approaches, Representation Delegation. Both of them have certain advantages and disadvantages. (Sarah Cook, 2004) Representation: It endeavours to take in the complete variety of views, interest groups and organisational units as part of the complete judgment making process. It is also characterised by self-governing, committee-type judgment-making process. Advantages Disadvantages Covers full range of views It has apparent way to achieve extensive approval of judgment Involves people who may have limited knowledge of the subject area time-consuming decision-making process May lead to concession which doesnt symbolize best fit in every meticulous region Delegation: It pass on liability to those recognized as being best suitable to the job. Advantages Disadvantages Job done by those who have appropriate skills and acquaintance lets the system or work to progress forward extra swiftly the acceptance simply relies on faith in those delegated requires concern about covering of all relevant issues its proper understanding. Task 3: c) A change management strategy helps in identification, prioritisation, engagement and assessment of stakeholders. Explicit region of spotlight contain: Ensuring of sufficient indulgent of the objectives, timeline and procedure by every key stakeholder. Ensure that stakeholders who will be significantly impacted by the initiative or the change resulting from it have a clear understanding of how and when they will be affected. To persuade stakeholder outlook to turn into more optimistic or in any case less pessimistic en route for the proposal and/or the change that it shall fetch in regards. To ascertain an effectual response sphere between the stakeholder set and the management panel (Rob Paton, 2008) Task 3: d) The three greatest barriers to organizational change are most often the following. Insufficient planning of change of customs. The majority of organisations are superior at scheduling changes in reporting composition, Job region assignment, work responsibilities, and organizational structure. Organizational charts are usually amended repeatedly. Deadlines are set, yardstick are laid down, changeover group are agreed upon, etc. it is nowadays common to forecast lack of success and arrangement for consequential change. Whilst the planning team is moreover barely defined or is as well determined on purpose investigation and decisive philosophy, it becomes excessively effortless to mislay prospect of the fact that the intended change will have an effect on staff. Even at work, employees formulate a lot of judgment on the basis of opinion and perception. When the opinion of staff ignored, the consequence is over and over again unfathomable bitterness due to a number of unrecognized outlawed or custom has not been suitably valued. Be short of employee participation. Employees have an intrinsic terror of change. In the majority of strategic organizational change, in any case a few employees are asked to presume different odd jobs or focus on diverse facet of their Talent and expertise. The larger the change a employee is solicited to make, the more invasive that employees fear might be. As there is fear of failure in new presumed roles there will be fright of change. For triumphant change Employees should be involve as early as possible and allow them make as much of the change as achievable. As employees appreciate the motive for the change and have a chance to endeavour the change on for magnitude they further willingly accept and shore up the change. Defective Communiquà © Strategies. Idyllic communiquà © stratagem in circumstances of noteworthy organizational change must concentrate on the message, the manner of deliverance, the occasion, and the significance of information shared with assorted division of the organization. A lot of leaders think that if they tell their employees what they fell about the change, after that each one shall be committed and prepared to progress forward. In actual fact, employees require to be aware of why the change is being made and also more significantly, how the change is to be expected to have an effect on them. A full-size portrait message from the CEO helps a smaller in employee understanding and accepting the change. They want to hear about the change from their immediate managers. An approach of appealing straight supervision and permitting them to handle the communication process is the solution to a successful change strategy (Patron, 2006, Cook et. al., 2004) Task 4: a) RELEVANCE OF THE MODELS OF CHANGE Kurt Lewin states the three stages to change: Unfreezing: Create motivation/readiness for change Demonstrate need for change Communicate desired future Engender commitment Old principles and procedure must be chucked away and new system must be cultured. Discarding the old procedure can be as complicated as learning the new ones because of behaviour influence. A leader must aid to clear out the old custom before commencement of the new. Throughout this part of the progression a small tad of training is required to be imparted, also a great amount of emotional support is required to smash the old practices. Changing: Cognitive restructuring Identification with new vision of the organization Benchmark, invent, innovate Even though there will be great amount of bewilderment, overwork and anguish, there will also be optimism, innovation, and exhilaration. This phase of change necessitate a lot of training as the employees are getting use to new customs and small amount of support for the affect of stimulation congestion. Refreezing: Link new behavior to self-concept, reward Create social acceptance of new behavior The new procedures are now rationally and sensitively acknowledged. The things that were newly learnt are now in fact practiced on the work. Again some training and support is required for setting up further change process as it is continual process upgrading. (Rob Paton, 2008) (Sarah Cook, 2004) Task 4: b) Formulation of a strategic vision: A understandable vision of the organisations new strategy and its shared values is required for carrying out effective change. This vision gives the purpose and course for the transform. Exhibit Top-management dedication: It is essential that change is managed from the top-management of the organization, for eagerness to change of the senior management is a central pointer (Cummings Worley, 2005, page 490). The top management should be in support of the change in way to really execute the change in company. Model change at the highest level: The change must be very well-known at its first stage which shows management is in its close favour. It is also significant for management to shows the power of its present culture as well; it should be emphasized that present enterprise does not require sweeping changes, but just a small number of alterations. Adjust the organization to sustain change: The fourth step is to rearrange the structure of company to carry out change. Select and entertain newcomers and remove non co-operators: A method to put into practice a change is to unite it to organizational partisanship, employees are recruited or removed w.r.t. their fit with the new system. Enlarge ethical and legal feeling: Changes in culture go ahead to create nervousness amongst organisation and its staff which leads to ethical and legal trouble. This is predominantly applicable for alter in staff integrity, control, fair treatment and job security. Change in the organizations is very significant and unavoidable. Improvement is bound to be of greater complexity than continuation. Employees over and over again oppose changes therefore it is the responsibility of the management to persuade people for possible gain which shall overshadow the losses. (Porter, 1998)

Hamlets soliloquy Essay -- essays research papers

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a complex play regarding the kingdom of Denmark, and the unusual stage it is going through. The main focus of the play concerns Hamlet, prince of Denmark, and his feeling of ambiguity toward his recently lost father and his remarried mother. Hamlet is a complicated character who plays assorted roles in order to manipulate people. These various roles make it problematic to develop a sense of the real Hamlet. Only during the soliloquies is the reader given a chance to understand Hamlet, they allow the reader to attempt to decipher who is the real Hamlet and what is an act. The first soliloquy allows the reader to initially delve into the character of Hamlet, by showing his anger and distaste towards his mother. The soliloquy also shows that, even through his anger, he is in a coherent state of mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though this first soliloquy occurs rather promptly in the play, there are still a lot of proceedings that lead up to it. Hamlet comes back from school to find all is not well in the state of Denmark. His father has died a mysterious death, and his mother has already remarried his father’s brother. In royal times it was customary to mourn the death of royalty for a year, yet his mother only waited two months to remarry. She not only waited two months, but she was committing what Hamlet and others considered incest. This anomalous marriage paired with the recent meeting whit his mother and stepfather, where Hamlet is embar...

Individualism in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is clearly a cautionary tale that spells the moral and sociological implications of the philosophy of the Enlightenment. There is a tendency to limit the theme of the novel to science, and thereby to ignore the underlying philosophy. But the scientist is only encouraged, or discouraged, by the social and philosophical milieu in which he exists. In this sense the rise of modern science must be properly attributed to the philosophy of Enlightenment, that which believed in the infinite perfectibility of man through the strict practice of reason.If experimental philosophy is one expression of this philosophy, then philosophic individualism is another. This latter philosophy maintains that the human being is intrinsically free, and therefore his nature is ultimately good, which also implies that it is devoid of evil. Apparent evil only reflects the constraints of man as a social being. The aim of politics must therefore be to minimize society and encoura ge the individual as far as possible. The extreme manifestation of such thinking is anarchism. We next take note that Mary Shelley was brought up in a climate of extreme anarchism.Both her parents were anarchists, and she was brought up in the same mould. Her husband, the celebrated poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, was also an avowed anarchist and atheist. Therefore the novel may be fruitfully analyzed from the point of view of philosophic individualism. Victor Frankenstein is not the representative of science in the novel, as is normally believed. The true such representative is the explorer Robert Walton, who is on a scientific expedition to the Artic Circle. This location symbolizes the extreme edge of the material universe.The journey symbolizes the straightforward and happy path to knowledge. Such an attitude is reflected in Walton’s following comment, made in a letter to his sister: â€Å"What may not be expected in a country of eternal light? † (Shelley 16). Science p romises to throw clear and eternal light on all things, and the path is a straightforward one of experiment and induction. Walton is not supposed to know of that which lurks beneath the surface, and he only comes to know it through the narrated experience of Frankenstein, whom he picks up on the way.He may not understand the full implication of what Frankenstein tells him, but the implied caution is enough, so he aborts his mission and turns his ship back. He is able to absorb enough of the message, that the practice of science is fraught with danger, and that it is not wise to strive towards the limits of knowledge.Frankenstein is far more than a mere scientist. Not mere rational explanations, he aims for â€Å"the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life† (Ibid 48). He sees science as a futile endeavor if it can never come to the ultimate cause of things, and must then only dabble with immediate causes.He shuns science in favor of alchemy on his first entering university. Alchemy is the arcane discipline which takes into account the limitations of science, and aims to overcome them by the more profound understanding of the processes of Creation itself. In the end it is science that is employed in the creation of â€Å"the creature†, but is also certain the secret of generation lies with alchemy. The latter is successful only when it overcomes the limitations of science. Therefore the creature, which is imbued with life, must be called a successful union of alchemy and science.Frankenstein is in the end an alchemist. He must operate in the darkest secrecy, this being the only mode of alchemy. Concerning the arcane sciences Montaigne has observed, â€Å"[T]o go according to nature is only to go according to our intelligence, as far as it can follow and as far as we can see; what is beyond is monstrous and disordered† (391). Caught up in such monstrous designs, Frankenstein cannot explain himself throughout the novel, even as the menace o f the monster becomes more and more severe. The aspect of philosophic individualism appears when we come to consider the creature itself.As soon as it has come to life it is an individual, and the inevitable comparison appears with the prototype individual, which is Adam. The parallel comparison is between the Creator and Frankenstein. What is the implication of this conceit to mimic the Creator? A vital clue is found in how Shelley describes the inspirational vision that led her to write the novel, which is included in the Preface to the 1831 edition: â€Å"Frightful must it be,† she says, â€Å"for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world† (qtd. in Lederer et al, 3).It is inevitable that the creature turn out to be a horror. All involved come to this essential truth. Frankenstein realizes this as soon as he sees the first muscle twitch. To the creature too the horror unfolds after he is allowed to compare himself with â€Å"true† creatures. His discovery of Milton’s Paradise Lost is a consummation of his understanding. He has observed the sublime virtues of the human by observing village life from afar. He feels such virtue swelling inside himself. But to express this he must have society, and his horrid demeanor will not allow him to have human company.He is truly alone, and then he discovers the parallel to his own situation in the plight of Adam when alone in Eden. The difference is that Adam’s creator is loving and forgiving, whereas his own creator has forsaken him in revulsion. He knows that the only path open to him is to excite pity in the heart of his creator. Like Adam, he asks for a female being of his kind, whose company will console him. But this is not to be, because his creator hates him too strongly. The moral of the tale seems to be that the overreach of learning tends towards alienation.In the first instance we have Victor Fr ankenstein, whose mad quest for the secret of vitality impels him into a solitary endeavor, and from which there can be no link back to society. Even when the whole thing has gone horribly wrong, and all those close to him are imperiled, and are being murdered one by one, he cannot explain what is intrinsically a secret. The creature too is no less a catastrophe. As Paul Sherwin notes, â€Å"[T]he evacuation of the spiritual presence from the world of the novel suggests that Frankenstein is more a house of ruins than the house divided† (883).The creature is intelligent and sensitive, but suffers the more so because it brings home to him the total wretchedness of his condition. To the world he is a monster, and only his creator can redeem him, through compassion and pity. Both creator and creature have been cut adrift from the world as forsaken individuals. They have both become monstrosities, and indeed the structure of the novel itself is monstrous in many ways, as has been suggested by Daniel Cottom (60). Alienation is shown to be the product of Enlightenment philosophy and the Industrial Revolution.The process of individuation in the West can be traced back to the Protestant Reformation. Calvinism and Puritanism only masked the inner tendency towards individualism, which burst forth in the 18th century as the Enlightenment. The doctrine of Calvin is inimical to all institutions. The very idea of the new individual is what animated Milton to rewrite the story of Creation in Paradise Lost. The latent anarchism of the new faith is found in the following lines where Adam complains to God: Did I request thee, Maker from my clay To mould Me man?Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me? (Milton 269) We hear a clear echo of the creatures’ lament in these words. So in Milton himself, who was a staunch Puritan, we find the seed of Frankenstein’s monster. In his younger days he wrote scathing anarchist texts, such as Areopagitica. Anarchism has always been a growing trend in the political thinking of the West from Milton onwards. John Locke and Edmund Burke were key proponents in this regards. William Godwin came to voice an extreme form of such thinking, which became extremely influential.When Hazlitt came to sum up the spirit of the age, he put the name of Godwin at the forefront. (Bowerbank 418). With Godwin, not only all socio-political institutions, but even the institution of marriage was suspect. This is the milieu that Shelley imbibed, and came to depict in her novel.The new individual is not always an anarchist by choice. The common man is more likely to be individualist by compulsion. Here we have the distinction between Frankenstein and the creature. The plight of the common man is no less tragic. He is a creature of mechanization, and is alienated from all that surrounds him.Frankenstein’s creature is symbolic of the new individual. It can only appeal to its creator, and is therefore doomed to live w ith mechanization. In this way Shelley paints for us a haunting picture of the new reality which the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution had brought about. In conclusion, Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is a cautionary tale about respecting the limits of science, but at an even more profound level it depicts the alienated individual of modern industrial society. Shelley was brought up in a climate of intense individualism.Her parents were anarchists, as was her husband, and she kept regular company with poets and artists who lived and thought in this mode. In the novel, Robert Walton is representative of science, but Victor Frankenstein is a far more important character, because he represents the arcane philosophy that sustains science. But the most important depiction is of the monstrous creature, who is representative of the new individual.Works CitedBowerbank, Sylvia. â€Å"The Social Order vs The Wretch: Mary Shelley's Contradictory-Mindedness in Frankenstein. † ELH. Vol. 46, No. 3 (Autumn, 1979), pp. 418-431.Cottom, Daniel. â€Å"Frankenstein and the Monster of Representation. † SubStance. Vol. 9, No. 3, Issue 28 (1980), pp. 60-71.Lederer, Susan E; Elizabeth Fee, Patricia Tuohy. Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature. Rutgers University Press, 2002.Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Collector's Library, 2004.Milton, John. Paradise lost and other poems. Ed. Edward Le Comte. New York: Signet Classic, 2003.Montaigne, Michel de. The Complete Essays of Montaigne. Ed. Donald Murdoch Frame. Stanford University Press, 1965.Sherwin, Paul. â€Å"Frankenstein: Creation as Catastrophe. † PMLA. Vol. 96, No. 5 (Oct. , 1981), pp. 883-903.

Essay about Reading Essay

Ever since I started learning to read, it has been one of my favorite hobbies. I love to submerge myself into a book and get the chance to go on adventures I never can in the real world. Usually, when I get hooked on a good book, I can’t put it down. I’m not myself anymore. My reality becomes eclipsed by something as simple, yet complex, as words on paper. I begin to eat, sleep, and experience through the character in the tale. I am the character in the tale. Although I experience these journeys vicariously, it feels real in my mind, and that’s good enough for me. When I am reading, I like to settle myself in a very quiet environment with little to no noise. I often read during the evening or at night. More often than not, I get myself a snack to chew. I also get some water to quench my thirst, especially if I’m reading a story taking place in dry conditions. I like to lie on the sofa or on my bed because I enjoy being very comfortable while reading. Some will fall asleep whilst reading, but I usually get too absorbed by the book to do so. Something I don’t understand is when people must listen to music or have noise in the background- for me, it is very distracting. In my life, I like to think that I’ve read quite a few books. I don’t have a favorite genre of books but I read much more fiction than non-fiction. That is something I am trying to improve on- I want to read more biographies, auto-biographies, non-fiction narratives, speeches, etc. Some books that I love are: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Gone with the Wind, Jane Eyre, A Time of Angels, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, The Help, The Fault in Our Stars, Ender’s Game, Harry Potter and more. I want to learn how to read faster and retain information better to become a more efficient reader. I often find that I have difficulty recalling details in a book. Reading allows for a break from all the stress and scurry in life. It allow one to relax and enjoy some alone time. I love when a book is quick to get into and interesting.