Impact of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in India

Impact of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in India Abstract NGO’s have grown in number over the past years in India and has been an important factor that has an impact on business, government and society. NGO’s work directly or indirectly with companies to ensure proper corporate behaviour especially when it has an impact on the society and environment. NGO’s have become an important stakeholder in business activities, government decisions by playing an important role in pointing out the shortcomings of government and Multi national corporations. The visibility of NGO’s has increased throughout the years. Many corporations are partnering with NGO’s to carry out their Corporate social responsibility related activities. So this paper aims at measuring the impact of NGO’s on Business, government and society through certain indicators and case study . Literature Review Hansen and Spitzeck.H (2010) in their paper â€Å"Stakeholder governance:An analysis of BITC Corporate responsibility index â€Å" have found that over the years NGO’s have become an integral stakeholder of a multinational corporation. Companies are partnering with NGO’s in order to address social and community needs . LaFrance and Lehmann(2005) in their paper â€Å"Corporate-Awakening why some corporations engage in Public –Private partnership† have found that the important factors why companies engage in CSR activities are to improve the community as a whole and companies provide the necessary finance , the NGO’s ensure that the right amount reaches the right people. Hess and Warren (2008) in their paper have indicated that it is important that both the company and the society benefits from CSR activities. This is on the impact of NGO’S on the business and society front. The impact of NGO’s on the functioning of the government has also increased over the years. Inger Ull in his paper â€Å"The role and impact of NGO’S in capacity development â€Å" found that NGOs have become the main service providers in functions where government lacks efficiency and over the years NGO’s have moved a step ahead from a mere â€Å"gap filling â€Å" role to a capacity building role. So this paper aims at answering the research question â€Å"In India are the NGO’s able to play a significant role in CSR activities of a company and inturn help in the transformation of the society â€Å" and â€Å" Is the government in India shunting the role of NGO’s in improving the society ?†. Method The research methodology is a case study based approach in which Procter and Gamble’s Shiksha program is taken to study how NGO’s and companies can work in a collaborative manner to bring about a change in the society. The case of Karnataka is taken to discuss the relationship between NGO’S and the government . Case Discussion CSR ACTIVITIES IN INDIA A 2011 KPMG report showed that of 100 earning companies in India only 16% of the companies have a proper CSR strategy . Even after the 2009 rule that all companies must set aside atleast 2% for CSR activities many companies struggle in putting that to use. This is mainly because companies often lack expertise on how to manage these funds. This brings a wide range of opportunities for NGO’s to step in . Major companies are relying on NGO’s to manage the CSR activities. One of the companies that has successful CSR activity in collaboration with NGO’s is Procter and Gamble through their Shiksha program PG’s CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PROGRAM IN INDIA PG’s flagship CSR program is the shiksha program which was started in 2005 when PG found that education is the sector in which consumers were willing to contribute in their own little way. Shiksha enable consumers to contribute for education of under-privileged children through simple brand choices. Since inception Shiksha has gathered close to around 22 crores for helping children for a better education. The major pillars that help PG in this endeavor are the consumers and the NGO’s with which PG has partnered with. It has partnered with NGO’s like Save the children India, Army wives welfare association, Round Table India etc where these NGO’s help in building infrastructure, lay emphasis on education of girl child and differently abled children . Through this program PG along with the NGO’s have built SHIKSHA schools which gives children proper health and hygiene facilities at schools such as clean drinking water, advanced educational aids for chi ldren such as libraries and computer centres. Shiksha has also evolved into a national consumer movement with support from media, employees , consumers and celebrities . IMPACT ON THE SOCIETY The shiksha program now reaches around 385,000 children in across 200 schools in India. It has provided children with various facilities like digital library and schemes like mid-day meal and parivartan. In 2012 PG’s initiative brought about distance learning program at Government High schools through which children had access to listen to experts from various parts of the country. PG also partnered with IBTADA an NGO to adopt a girls high school in Rajasthan to encourage education of girl child. PG’s key partner a NGO called Round Table India, takes care of the maintenance and running of the RTI Shiksha schools . With the Motto of â€Å"Padhega India Toh Badhega India† PG believes that secret of brighter India lies in the future generation attaining good quality education. Through this program PG commits a minimum donation of 1 Crore every year. IMPACT ON BUSINESS CSR activities at PG had not only benefited the society , it has benefited the business activities of PG too. The shiksha program became a huge movement which was endorsed by top notch celebrities . This has increased the brand image of PG products among consumers. Moreover by making the consumers also contributors to their CSR program , PG has made the consumers also their major partners in the CSR activities and gives them the sense of giving back to the society by buying PG products. All this wouldn’t have been possible without proper partners who can make use of the funds appropriately and ensure that the money reaches the right hands. So major credit for the success of this program is owed to the NGO’s who ensure that all activities take place in a smooth manner. Therefore NGO’s indirectly contribute to the growth of a company by helping companies manage the CSR activities. Therefore from the above example of PG we can conclude that a collaboration between a company and NGO can have a significant impact on the business and society. IMPACT OF NGO’S ON GOVERNMENT Over the years NGO’s have become an integral part of the society they have become the main service providers in areas where government fails to achieve. They not only play the role of gap filling but they also help in capacity building . Unless government and NGO’s partner with each other capacity building initiatives will not be successful. But does the government in India really support NGO activities is a big question mark. Inorder to answer the question the case of relationship between government and NGO’s in Karnataka is taken. IMPACT OF NGO IN KARNATAKA In India there can be observed a pattern in the relationship between state and NGO’s pre independence NGO’s where silent partners . Post independence the relationship became antagonistic. The state sought to control the NGO’s by posing many restrictions and regulations. But in the present India most of the states work in a collaborative manner with NGO’s and the NGO’s have also become highly professionalized. Karnataka was one of the states which has an active collaboration with NGO’s. Karnataka has a fair amount of voluntary groups and they are majorly rural oriented NGO’s. One major factor for NGO development in Karnataka is the devolution of powers within the panchayathi raj. Decentralization of power makes the relationship between the government and NGO’s easier. The NGO’s in Karnataka are mostly rural oriented NGO’s but apart from these there are NGO’s who emphasize on growing importance on the alliance between the state and NGO’s . In 1990 when Infrastructure was lacking in bangalore CIVIC was started to address the issue of rapidly decaying infrastructure in Bangalore and to pressurize the government in taking necessary steps. Today Bangalore is one of the cities that has best infrastructure. Karnataka also has a strong formal networks which helps NGO’s to express solidarity, share experiences and help in identifying developmental problems. Another important factor that has helped in the collaboration of NGO’s and the state is the establishment of point of contacts. The government of Karnataka regulates and funds NGO’s . The government has also taken initiatives in setting up NGO’s or supporting existing NGO’s . An example of this is the establishment of MYRADA inorder to resettle Tibetean stay homes. The government of Karnataka has also attempted to establish institutional channels for communication with the NGO’s. In 1984 it set up a forum that consisted of NGO representatives and government heads and it was chaired by the development commissioner . This forum meets atleast twice a year inorder to discuss developmental problems and to resolve the procedural problems between the government and NGO’s . This has facilitated a better relationship between the two parties. Today Karnataka is one of the states that has active voluntary groups and the number has increased year on year. From the above case we can conclude that if NGO’s work in collaboration with the government they can have a huge impact on the government and the society Conclusion The number of NGOs in India has increased over years and they play an important role in the society. NGO’s can also have a huge impact on business and government. Through CSR activities NGO’s help companies in manging their funds and ensure that the money allocated for CSR purpose reaches the right hands. With proper collaboration with governments NGOs not only do the role of gap filling but they also help in capacity building. Therefore NGO’s have a significant impact on business, government and society. References Allard, Gayle. The Influence of Government Policies and NGOs on Capturing Private Investment. Diss. Instituto De Empressa, 2008. Web Home. PGIndia.com Social Responsibility Programs in India: Team Building, Employee Engagement. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Hansen, and Spitzeck. Stakeholder Governance:An Analysis of BITC Corporate Responsibility Index. N.p., n.d. Web Lafrance, and Lehmann. Corporate-Awakening Why Some Corporations Engage in Public –Private Partnership. (2010): n. pag. Web

Oedipus, The Movie Essay -- Film Oedipus the King

Oedipus, The Movie After reading the play Oedipus the King, I had various expectations related to how the movie should be performed. The stage presentation of the story fulfilled some of my expectations but failed to satisfy others. Most importantly, the performance was an accurate rendering of the play. The characters in the movie were developed effectively and were portrayed precisely as I had perceived them. I thought that the movie lacked qualities including stage design, clothing, and background music. However, these facets of the performance are insignificant because the story is so powerful that it does not need attractive costumes or ostentatious props to support it. The foundation of the play is its intriguing story and thorough development of characters. The movie was very faithful to the play; it followed the story of the book nearly verbatim. The film clarified many parts of the play that I did not fully understand. For example, I found that being able to visually identify the speaker was quite helpful in many circumstances. The movie provided a constant ...

A Rhythmic History of Hip-Hop Essay -- Hip Hop Music Beat Essays

A Rhythmic History of Hip-Hop Hip-hop, which originally began more than 20 years ago, has undergone many changes during its lifetime. The music has always remained centered in urban landscapes, with most performers of the music rising up from the inner-city neighborhoods. Throughout its history, hip-hop has centered on the rhythm of the beat rather than the melody, which shows the connection between modern hip-hop and traditional African tribal music, often featuring complex polyrhythms and little to no melody. Hip-hop has also featured heavy bass sounds through out its history, with the rhythms hitting the second and fourth beat of each measure hard with either a heavy bass drum or a bass guitar. Hip-hop beats have evolved in many different ways throughout their twenty-year history, yet they are all centered around rhythm and feature heavy, syncopated bass. For my field report, I chose to compose a number of different hip-hop beats, each one emulating a different style of beat from the history of hip-hop. I composed five different beats. The first is an emulation of a beat from the mid-eighties, the second is based on a gangster rap beat from the west coast during the early nineties, the third is based on a beat from New York City during the early nineties, the fourth based on a beat from the south during the late nineties, and the fifth is based on a beat from New York City during the late nineties. For two of the beats I used samples, which is a common practice in the construction of hip-hop beats. The other beats are all originals, yet they are not as long in length as those that contain samples. The first beat is one that is based on the song . South Bronx. by Boogie Down Productions, which was released in 198... ...t, and it does have a sad and reflective tone to it. My song features a sample from the song "Ballad of the Thin Man" by Bob Dylan. The beat is still repetitive, which has proven to be the one constant between all the beats that I chose to emulate. Most of my beats succeeded in trying to capture the feeling of a different time and a different area in music. As is evident by the difference in the beats that came out of New York, Los Angeles, and the South, whatever area the beat comes from has an influence on how those beats will sound. The time from which a beat came also has an influence on how it sounds, with the old school beats sounding quite different from the modern beats. While hip-hop beats have progressed and changed over time, there have also been constants, such as repetition and rhythmic complexity, that remain as similarities between all the beats.

Motivational Cues of Students with Single Parents Essay

Discussing school issues and attending school function has a positive effect on the children’s academic achievement(Jeynes, 2005) but the need to search for a greener pasture has become one of the main issues between family members. To provide quality life for the family, one or both parents fly abroad to work and leave their kids. On their resiliency on parental absence, children of overseas Filipino workers do understand that the idea of readily available work, amenities and bigger income offered in other countries pull certain group of parents to migrate. Thus children with migrant parents view this as an opportunity for better education and they have the means to enroll in private schools (Bielza-Valdez, 2011). Few researches have shown that students who live in one parent households are disadvantaged in many counts. In Asia, the Philippines is the major supplier of labor migrants to over 100 countries and the leading female migrant sending countries along with Indonesia. More than 8 million (10%) out of the 85 million Filipinos were working or living abroad, while over 72% of total migrants from Philippines were women workers. Many of these women work as domestic helpers, nurses, caregivers, and entertainers. With this huge number of Filipino migrants (and still more) living the country temporarily (or permanently), a more pressing concern is with regards to children left behind. Though there is no systematic data on the number of children left behind, it is estimated to be 9 million or 27% of the total youth. The perceived social costs of migration have been always been part of the reasons why various sectors of Filipino society are ambivalent about overseas employment. Aside from the myriad problems migrants encounter abroad, concerns over the stability of families have received much attention. In the 1970s, when male migrants dominated labor migration, the absence of fathers was seen as weakening Filipino families. In the 1980s, women became part of labor migration. As the feminization of migration persisted, the anxieties magnified because mothers, who are considered as the â€Å"light of the home,† are not around for their families. As the foundation of Philippine society, there are fears that threats to the family redound to threats to the nation’s social fabric as a whole. Our parents portray a very big role in our achievement-most especially in academics. Parental effort is consistently associated with higher levels of achievement, and the magnitude of the effect of parental effort is substantial (Conway, 2008). The children of single parent families are more likely to be impoverished, to break the law, to abuse drugs, to do poorly in school, to become pregnant before the age of twenty, and to have emotional and behavioural problems. A common desire for all parents is to see that their child is happy, healthy, and successful. School provides an array of opportunities for children to be successful starting at a young age. Academic success can lead to feelings of competency, self-worth, and high self-esteem (Slavin, 2000). In addition to its positive effects on a child’s emotions, early academic success is related to success throughout a child’s academic career (Turner & Johnson, 2003). However, students who do not perform well in early years may develop poor academic self-concepts and, as a result, perform poorly in later years (Marsh & Yeung, 1997).

Quality Management Essay

Question You are a project management consultant assigned to a small manufacturing firm that has been experiencing a myriad of problems. After conducting interviews and fact-finding with key managers, you have observed the following: †¢Company revenues and profits have fallen dramatically over the previous 12 months, along with a drop in market share †¢Customer complaints have reached an all time high †¢Employee morale is at an all time low †¢The company has no formal quality program in place †¢No employee training program exists †¢High employee turnover continues unabated †¢Non-conformance costs are skyrocketing After analyzing your data, you are now prepared to present your findings to the company CEO. Discuss ten quality management improvement initiatives you would recommend, including quality tools to improve company poor performance. Note: To receive maximum credit, your response must be comprehensive. Company revenues and profits have fallen dramatically over the previous 12 months, along with a drop in market share Solution: First of all, it`s necessary to identify customers. Once it`s done, customer feedback needs to be gathered. Furthermore, customers` requirements must be collected, analyzed, and understood. The company must acknowledge their apparent customers such as the intermediate customers in upper management that make decisions on â€Å"X†`s future direction, the internal customers who are functional managers and employees interacting along the assembly, i.e. The next person in the process, and the external customers who buy its product. It must also recognize each of its invisible customers such as the governmental and environmental agencies that have fined the company for non-compliance so frequently in the past year. Ignoring them will continue to negatively impact revenue. Internally, â€Å"X† must interview all stakeholders as part of all project, program and portfolio planning to ensure undertakings are crafted to meet their expectations and the objectives of the company. External customer requirements may be gathered and transformed into specific, actionable process improvements using quality function deployment, a well- structured product development process which dictates what the market requires into a program to create, manufacture, and deliver it. However, teams should collaborate to arrive at a common understanding of the customer needs and determine the appropriate technical requirement of each stage. As soon as customer expectations are met, customer satisfaction will improve, resulting in a take-back of market share and an increase in revenue. Customer complaints have reached an all time high Solution: At first â€Å"X† company has to conduct a SWOT analysis, which provides data for an organization to create strategic plans, appropriating resources and developing tools or actions to bring about continued success to analyze the organization. Once the SWOT analysis has been completed, the organization is able to create the mission and vision statements. In addition to what was said before, customer satisfaction should be one of if not the main objectives. To understand the level of customers’ satisfaction, and desires â€Å"X† should implement surveys called â€Å"customer satisfaction survey.† These surveys will be sent to new and old customers during certain times a year. E-mail surveys also have to be provided for all customers. The surveys will be voluntary and, however many passionate customers gladly initiate the completion to offer their opinion. â€Å"X† also shall offer customer feedback options through different sources such as email, phone, mail, store, and social networks such as Facebook. With the different means of contact the organization will be able to bring in many opinions, complaints, and suggestions from their most prized company position, their customers. These different tools and methods of contact have to be established to constantly measure the company’s success, by measuring their customers’ satisfaction. When their customers are not satisfied the company is not succeeding. So with the use of these tools, they have access to areas that need to be addressed for the benefit of the customer. With the tools â€Å"X† could also further their quality planning for the company and future products. Alternatively, the organization might introduce ISO 9000. By doing so â€Å"X† may gauge fulfillment of its customer’s quality requirements and applicable regulatory requirements while aiming to enhance customer satisfaction and achieve continual improvement of its performance. Employee morale is at an all time low Solution: To start with, â€Å"X† company has to provide its workers a productive environment, in order to help them give their best. â€Å"X†`s management must act as true leaders who aim to help people and machines do their best. According to W.E. Deming, rather than criticize performance, supervisors should act as mentors to their workers and create an environment of trust and encouragement so workers experience a sense of pride in their work and the satisfaction of a job well done. Furthermore, workers who fear their bosses seek to meet the minimal expected standards rather than strive to give their best. Quality is neglected and respect for management is diminished. Conversely, people are at their best and are less likely to leave their jobs when they feel secure enough to ask questions and share ideas. The company has no formal quality program in place Solution: First of all â€Å"X† company shall start with measuring errors and defects. Then, when customer requirements are fully identified and processes are adjusted to meet them, processes must be monitored and measured to ensure the fewest errors and highest level of productivity. By utilizing statistical process control, â€Å"X† can apply statistical methods like control charts (Pareto diagrams, cause and effect diagrams) and designed experiments to monitor and control processes to operate predictably to produce the highest grade product with the least possible waste. Variations in a process that may affect the quality of the end product can be corrected, reducing the likelihood that problems will be passed on to customers. Second of all â€Å"X† needs to apply â€Å"adopt a zero tolerance policy for errors†. All products manufactured by this company must be durable and good quality. Moreover, a zero defect tolerance should be implemented to reduce and minimize the number of defects and errors in all processes. Therefore, the six sigma quality methodology, which aims to reduce process output variation so that on a long term basis it will result in no more than 3.4 defect parts or defects per mln opportunities, may be instituted to objectively measure and guide efforts toward zero defects. This must be combined with a policy â€Å"to do the right thing right the first time† for each process at every level/stage. If everything possible is done to eliminate the likelihood of errors and defects occurring, the need for inspection can be virtually eliminated, customer satisfaction will be greater, and profitability will be maximized. Anyhow, â€Å"X† company has to make a commitment to total quality. Another words, with the financial benefit of cost of quality to â€Å"X†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s bottom line understood, the company as a whole must declare total quality to be its first and most important priority. All its employees must not only be made aware of this new commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction, each must understand that he/she is responsible for achieving excellence by maintaining it within his/her area. Create a formal draft of the company’s quality policy, establishing quality as the driving standard for all its activities. No employee training program exists Solution: It`s very important to create an institutionalized training program. â€Å"X† company must create a formal training program conducted by qualified teachers in order for its workers to improve their skills for their current jobs as well as be amply prepared for the inevitable changes required of their positions in the future. Training sessions should be offered during work hours as well as outside of them for those who wish to attend night and weekend courses. A generous tuition reimbursement plan should be offered for all relevant training pursued externally by employees. Although, to broad the education of its workforce, â€Å"X† will allow its employees to contribute to the company in a more intelligent way, adding to its productivity and market adaptability. High employee turnover continues unabated Solution: Compensation is one of the most powerful motivator. Although not always possible, good performance should be rewarded. Making employees feel like the company success is their own. Though to celebrate each success, milestone, keep the updated on all company activities and let be the key participants in growth strategy meetings, give bonuses. Non-conformance costs are skyrocketing Solution: The organization has to understand what poor quality is costing. â€Å"X† must assess and understand the true financial impact of its continued non-compliance and low customer satisfaction versus the costs associated with process and product reform. Using a cost of quality approach, the costs incurred in maintaining acceptable quality levels is added to the cost of failure to maintain that level and meet customer requirements. Given the costs associated with reworks, delays, customer complaints, returns, and non-conformance fines, analysis clearly indicates that â€Å"X†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s internal and external costs resulting from failure to meet requirements and expectations far outweigh investing in the prevention of non-conformance to requirements and appraising its products for conformance. The cost savings from increased process efficiency and productivity alone will offset the cost of the necessary quality monitoring and control measures.

Tagore’s Gitanjali

From my LP class days, I have heard of Tagore. The loud speaker from the local church used to play songs took from this great book in the early morning. I used to tell the story of ‘golden grain of corn’. Recently, I was reading Kahlil Gibran and saw that his books are ‘inspired’ by Tagore. I thought, ‘enough is enough†¦here I am determined to read ‘Gitanjali’ first, before reading its further ‘inspirations’. And the travel was beautiful! Tagore was born in a very Rich family but he was a child without freedom. A prison View next photo er in his own house, â€Å" The child who is decked with prince’s robes and who have jeweled chains round his neck loses all pleasure in his play; his dress hampers him at every step† Gitanjali VIII (VIII). â€Å" O fool, to try to carry thyself upon thy own shoulders! O beggar, to come to beg at thy own door! † (IX) Such a childhood Tagore had to live and no wonder, he found his happiness and god’s presence with light and flowers â€Å" The light of thy music illuminates the world. The life breath of thy music runs from sky to sky † (III) â€Å" Pluck this little flower and take it. Delay not! I fear lest it droop and drop into the dust†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Though its colour be not deep and its smell be faint, use this flower in thy service and pluck it while there is TIME †. (VI) â€Å" Light, oh, where is the light? Kindle it with the burning fire of desire! .. † (XXVII). The burning desire in Tagore prayed for strength. The basis of prayer is hope. â€Å" †¦Give me the strength lightly to bear my joys and sorrows; †¦. to make my love fruitful in service†¦. never to disown the poor or bend my knees before insolent might†¦.. to raise my mind high above daily trifles. And give me the strength to surrender my strength to thy will with love. † (XXXVI) â€Å" That I want thee, only thee – let my heart repeat without end. † ( XXXVIII ) â€Å"When desire blinds the mind with delusion and dust, O thou holy one, thou wakeful, come with thy light and thy thunder †. (XXXIX) â€Å" Life of my life, I shall ever try to keep my body pure, knowing that thy living touch is upon my limbs†¦. thou art that truth which has kindled the light of reason in my mind†¦. drive all evils away from my heart and keep my love in FLOWER, knowing that thou hast thy seat in the inmost shrine of my heart. And it shall be my endeavour to reveal thee in my actions knowing it is thy power gives me strength to act . † ( IV ). â€Å" Has not the WORD come to you that the flower is reigning in splendour among thorns? Wake, oh, awaken! Let not the time pass in vein! At the end of the stony path, in the country of virgin SOLITUDE, my friend is sitting all alone. Deceive him not. Wake, oh, awaken! † (LV) The condition of the poor villagers who work in his farm land evoked Sympathy in him, at the same time he envisioned an India where the poor is empowered with light of knowledge. Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic WALLS; Where the words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led forward by th ee into ever widening thought and action – Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake . † The God concept of Tagore is the basis of his philosophy. God in our self and our self in God. Our life is only a passage a boat journey with God. Throughout the songs the author is present and the presence of God too. For Tagore, his existence and strength is closely related to the presence of god. The last judgement toWaiting Virgins with lamps to ‘Maya’ to Vishnu with Sword – Tagore do not counter any existing religious believes but find correct meaning for it and free the God from the WALLS of temples and churches. He it is, the innermost one, who awakens my being with his deep hidden touches † (LXXII) He visualized God as a loving father, â€Å" When I bring to you coloured toys my child, why there is such a play of colours on clouds, on water, and why flowers are painted in tints † (LXII), â€Å" The sleep that flits on baby’s eyes – does anybody know from where it comes? † (LXI) â€Å" Thy eyes look down on my eyes, and my heart has touched thy feet . ( LIX ), â€Å" on the seashore of endless worlds is the great meeting children † ( LX ) The mystery of death always haunted Tagore. When he was young, his brother’s wife who was his first inspiration to start writing is dead. His mother, his lonely symbol of love and freedom too left him in his childhood. This forced Tagore to find the truth that â€Å" Life and Death as twin brothers †. He absorbed the pain in his life, â€Å" †¦shall I bear in my heart this honour of he burden of pain, this gift of thine † (LII) â€Å" It quivers like the one last response of life in extacy of PAIN at the final stroke of DEATH †. ( LIII ) The reason the ‘Mahabhagawata’ was written, why not to worry to die, Tagore visualize death as only a change of foam. â€Å" I dive into the depth of the ocean of foams, hoping to gain the perfect pearl of formless. No more sailing from harbour to harbour with this my weather-bea ten boat†¦. I am eager to die into the deathless † (C) Tagore is said to be taken inspiration from Kabir Das in his poems. I can see the life of Jesus been there with him as well as the style from psalms . A bit of Shakespeare is visible (to my limited knowledge of Shakespeare) as well. Great works like ‘ THE PROPHET ’, KAHLIL GIBRAN is highly inspired by GEETANJALI. And I can undoubtedly say that this is the best book which filled my heart, mind and soul with thoughts and the presence of God. A MUST NOT MISS BOOK . â€Å" Thy love which is greater than theirs, and thou keepest me free † (XXXII). The choice is ours.

English coursework Essay

The creature not only has beautiful thoughts in this quotation but uses sensitive language: attracted, lovely, delight. However later on the creature explains that rage grasped hold of him as he realised that he would never enjoy her company. This explains that the creature is desperate to love someone, but because everyone treats him as if he is sub-human he is filled with fury, which is a natural human reaction. This is a reoccurring theme throughout the novel, and it becomes blatantly obvious that if humans treated him with respect and admiration, the creature would have never caused desolation. The above quote is far from the only example of this reoccurring theme in the novel. When the creature studies the cottagers we realise that love and desire are an element of his personality; ‘The more I saw of them, the greater became my desire to claim their protection and kindness; my heart yearned to be known and loved by these amiable creatures: to see their sweet looks directed towards me with affection was the utmost limit of my ambition. ‘ The creature clearly desperately craves for their admiration but when the cottagers encounter him, they scorn and beat him. It is clear that in this situation it is the cottagers who are the monster and the creature that is human, as the creature is reaching out for love and friendship, but the cottages dismiss him and beat him with malicious intent. At the time of the creation of this novel, a revolution was in progress in France. Throughout the novel there is an underlying connection between its story and the French revolution that became apparent. In France the radical reform was causing a severe amount of controversy and violence. Some believed the reform to be a positive movement as it would create a more democratic country, however there were others who believed that the reform would damage traditions and make several workers redundant. Therefore, despite the reformists’ intentions being good, the result caused violence and destruction. This theme is paralleled in the novel as Frankenstein intended to defeat death thus helping humanity; however the consequences of his actions resulted in violence and destruction. Another correlation between the two is that Frankenstein playing God (as he is defeating death) threatens religion as it insinuates that humans have the power and not God, and in the revolution the Church was under threat as the reform deprived them of power and encouraged liberal thinking. However the most important theme is the debate; is it the reform that causes destruction and devastation or is it peoples inability to accept something different? Is it the creature that causes destruction and devastation or is it peoples inability to accept something different? I believe the answer to both of these questions is peoples inability to accept something different, because if people were not afraid of change then they would have accepted the revolution and not created a reign of terror, and if people were not afraid of something alien and different then people would have treated the creature with some form of courtesy and consideration, thus avoiding infuriating the creature. Evidence from the text on this point is when a young boy free of prejudice and discrimination is confronted by the creature; ‘monster! Ugly wretch! You wish to eat me, and tear me to pieces – You are an ogre – let me go, or I will tell my papa. ‘ The creature had already explained that he had no intentions to hurt or harm the boy, but because the creature is different and alien, he is immediately associated with evil, and must be avoided. Mary Shelley creates a variety of interesting points throughout the novel; that we should except death and take solace in the fact that we will hopefully be reunited one day in heaven. Therefore we should not be saddened and try to control the natural process of life, but enjoy experience. Mary Shelley also warned the reader about the dangers of unknown science, and that even an experiment designed to help humanity can have disastrous consequences. However, the most inspiring point created was the connection between the French revolution and the novel. It opened the readers mind to the prejudice and discrimination that the human race evilly portray. Anything alien or different must be associated with evil, which is a fundamental flaw of society that is near impossible to eliminate. We are, as a race, extremely narrow minded. In the novel we failed to overlook the creature’s repulsive appearance and treated him with complete contempt and disdain. This story illustrates the intolerant and callous society, and no matter how considerate and selfless a person is, we will still torment and ridicule them if they are in any way different to ourselves. Therefore, I disagree that the creature is a fiend as although he is cursed with a grotesque appearance that does not make him a monster, and although he committed several fiendish acts he is not accountable for this as it is merely a consequence of humans disgraceful behaviour, however as the creature endures feelings of both compassion and rage, as he can distinguish between good and evil, and as he desires more than the basic necessities of hunger, shelter and thirst, I believe that the creature must be described as essentially human. Â