A leader of your choice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

A leader of your choice - Research Paper Example In this case, the sitting President of Uruguay will be the leader that this paper will reflect on according to Maxwell’s twenty-one irrefutable laws of power. Jose Alberto Pepe Mujica was born on 20 May 1935, and he is the sitting Uruguayan President. He had worn the 2009 presidential elections and took office on 1 March 2010. He employed guerilla tactics of warfare when he joined the Tupamos revolutionary movement that drew inspiration from the Cuban revolt. During his rebellious times, the military captured him four times and detained him under the rule of Jorege Pacheco Areco. He was a political prisoner who fought hard for the liberation of his native Uruguay. Incidentally, he got six gunshots in a failed coup attempt in 1973. Mujica witnessed a lot of torture and suffering in his rise to being president, as he sought democracy for his people. He is a leader with immense repute, as the world considers him the poorest president. Remarkably, President Mujica donates ninety p ercent of his salary and only takes home ten percent that he says is enough for him. Ideally, this President has shunned the luxurious lifestyle that presidents accord themselves for the life of an average citizen. Surprisingly, this President does not have a bank account to his name, as he claims to take home only what he needs and does not find much to save. Jose is a distinctive leader as no president has ever lived a life like his. In essence, he lives by the notion that what he gets is more than enough as there are people under his rule who earn less than what he earns and tend to do fine with that amount. On the contrary, his only valued possession is a rusty Volkswagen beetle, which is his primary mode of transport. Mujica became the first president that traced his roots to guerilla life. However, his rule has had its controversies as his government legalized the sale of Marijuana within state controlled measures in order to control substance abuse and drugs related offences. Mujica and Maxwell’s twenty-one laws of power John Maxwell is a full time motivational speaker, and a writer in all aspects of leadership. He has written over sixty books on leadership, and he is a minister of evangelism. His organizations have gained accreditation from all over the world for being the leaders in international leadership nurturing and cultivation. In one of his books, John Maxwell sought to bring out the true aspects and traits a leader portrays through the twenty-one laws of leadership. These laws serve as a basis in which a leader can rate themselves and ascertain whether their leadership is effective or not. The laws in this book are relevant and practical in modern day leadership, as it serves as an instruction manual that leaders can use to evaluate themselves on how to improve on their leadership styles. As per these laws of power, President Mujica applies these in the effective running of his country (Maxwell, 2007). For one, he applied the law of inf luence as he led people in his country to advocate for democracy and the liberation of their country from dictatorial rule. His perseverance in jail bore fruit, as he became the leader that he had desired to be. In addition, he grew progressively through his experiences as a guerilla fighter to being an admirable leader. In essence, his experiences shaped his destiny, as it was a gradual process. He did not become a leader overnight hence; he underwent a process, as he grew from an

Lord of the Flies :: science

Lord of the Flies Through my reading of Lord of the Flies, I have concluded that the subject of the novel is adulthood. The focus of this novel is on peoples desire for a more civilized and structured society. In this novel, adulthood does not represent a state of existence, but life that seems to exist as rational and structured. At the beginning of the novel after the reader is introduced to Piggy and Ralph, they discover the beautiful conch, resting in the weeds of the shoreline. Piggy says, â€Å"We can use it to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us. (p.12)†, gleaming with pride. This quote illustrates the adult imbedded in him, drawn from the influence of society. Living under the influence of leadership and politics, the suggestion of holding a meeting was instinctive and automatic. Piggy drew upon his lifelong experiences gained from his parents and other adult influences and applied it to a situation. Piggy decided that the situation lacked the order and structure that he was accustomed to. After the boys gathered into a mock assembly by the sounding of the conch, one yelled â€Å"A chief! A chief! (p.18)† in desperation for leadership in the midst of an awfully boisterous crowd. â€Å"Lets have a vote, (p.18)† yelled another. The boys were not accustomed to a society that was ungoverned as it was in the adult word. They wanted to recreate that structure to maintain that sense of order in the group of boys. Ralph won the vote for chief in account of his image. The boys’ saw that â€Å"there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out (p.19)† and they sensed a certain hint of adulthood in his manner that they relied on at home. Under the constant leadership of adults, a child grows acquainted to their temperament and the boys saw this in Ralph. â€Å"With a convulsion of the mind, Ralph discovered dirt and decay. (p.82)† At home, the boys were raised with and became habituated to proper European mannerisms and dress passed down to them from parent and other adult mentors. To act upon these mannerisms and proper dress became second nature when around adults, though on the island, they had lost that adult influence. Suddenly, â€Å"Ralph was struck with this new mood of comprehension (p.82)† that he had lost that visible image of being proper that he had been raised with for so long.

Principles of Sociology Essay

In H. Spencer s Principles of Sociology, he likened society to an organism where its functions and characteristics such as growth, expansion, division and the like, he believed, also occurs in the society and social life, thus coining the term social organism. A novel, likewise takes the form of an organism according to Henry James. He argues in the Art of Fiction (a commentary to Walter Besant’s lecture in the royal institution) that a novel is a personal impression of life. The main issue of the article is representation and how writers should treat it. James clarified that representation takes two forms; one is the direct representation, which according to him is limiting, and another is representation based on a writer’s impression of the experience which he considers what the art of novel is all about. The reality â€Å"colored by the writer’s vision† is the reality of the novel. An organism he believes best describe the complexity of a novel because an organism has in itself the individuality and unity of functions. The totality of the organism is dependent upon both the independence and the unity of its parts. Similarly, Freese in â€Å"Henry James and the application of his theory in ‘What Maisie knew’† believes that James viewpoint is that â€Å"†¦ it is not possible to examine fiction only by its individual parts because these have to be seen as interacting elements. †(p. 2) James believes that the uniqueness of every novel is determined by the â€Å"liberty of interpretation† afforded by the author. The principles of form being dictated by convention only hamper the creation of the being that is the novel. The impression of reality, the personal process of making sense of an experience, is the ultimate measure of achieving the reality. Thus, a novel is not just a product but a creative process as in painting and the other arts where each step contributes to the wholeness of the craft. The writer has the power to determine the shape and complexity of the novel and ultimately the reality that the novel contains. All these elements, as in an organism is determined by a creator and his idea of representation.

Vietnam War Glossary Terms and Slang

The Vietnam War (1959-1975) was long and drawn out. It involved the United States supporting the South Vietnamese in an attempt to stay free from communism, but ended with the withdrawal of U.S. troops and a unified communist Vietnam. Terms and Slang Agent Orange An herbicide dropped on the forests and bush in Vietnam to defoliate (strip the leaves from plants and trees) an area. This was done to expose hiding enemy troops. Many Vietnam veterans who had been exposed to Agent Orange during the war have shown an increased risk of cancer. ARVN Acronym for Army of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnams army). boat people Refugees fleeing Vietnam after the Communist takeover of Vietnam in 1975. The refugees were called boat people because many of them escaped on small, leaky boats. boondock or boonies General term for the jungle or swampy areas in Vietnam. Charlie or Mr. Charlie Slang for Viet Cong (VC). The term is short for the phonetic spelling (used by the military and police to spell things over the radio) of VC, which is Victor Charlie. containment US policy during the Cold War which sought the prevention of the spread of Communism to other countries. Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) The line that divided North Vietnam and South Vietnam, located at the 17th parallel. This line was agreed upon as a temporary border at the 1954 Geneva Accords. Dien Bien Phu Battle of Dien Bien Phu was between communist Viet Minh forces and the French from March 13 - May 7, 1954. The decisive victory of the Viet Minh led to the withdrawal of the French from Vietnam, ending the First Indochina War. domino theory A U.S. foreign policy theory that stated, like the chain effect begun when even just one domino is pushed over, one country in a region that falls to communism will lead to surrounding countries also soon falling to communism. dove A person who is opposed to the Vietnam War. (Compare to hawk.) DRV Acronym for Democratic Republic of Vietnam (Communist North Vietnam). Freedom Bird Any airplane that took American soldiers back to the U.S. at the end of their tour of duty. friendly fire An accidental attack, whether by shooting or by dropping bombs, upon ones own troops, such as U.S soldiers shooting at other U.S. soldiers. gook Negative slang term for Viet Cong. grunt Slang term used for an American infantry soldier. Gulf of Tonkin Incident Two attacks by North Vietnam against U.S. destroyers USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy, which were located in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin, on August 2 and 4, 1964. This incident led U.S. Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which granted President Lyndon B. Johnson the authority to escalate American involvement in Vietnam. Hanoi Hilton Slang term for North Vietnams Hoa Loa Prison which was notorious for being the place where American POWs were brought for interrogation and torture. hawk  Ã‚  A person who supports the Vietnam War. (Compare to dove.) Ho Chi Minh Trail Supply paths from North Vietnam to South Vietnam that traveled through Cambodia and Laos to supply the communist forces fighting in South Vietnam. Since the paths were mostly outside of Vietnam, the U.S. (under President Lyndon B. Johnson) would not bomb or attack the Ho Chi Minh Trail for fear of expanding the conflict to these other countries. hootch Slang term for a place to live, either a soldiers living quarters or a Vietnamese hut. in country Vietnam. Johnsons War Slang term for the Vietnam War because of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnsons role in escalating the conflict. KIA Acronym for killed in action. klick Slang term for a kilometer. napalm A jellied gasoline that when dispersed by flamethrower or by bombs would stick to a surface as it burned. This was used directly against enemy soldiers and as a way to destroy foliage in order to expose enemy troops. post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) A psychological disorder caused by experiencing a trauma. Symptoms can include nightmares, flashbacks, sweating, rapid heart rate, outbursts of anger, sleeplessness, and more. Many Vietnam veterans suffered from PTSD upon their return from their tour of duty. POW Acronym for prisoner of war. A soldier that has been taken captive by the enemy. MIA Acronym for missing in action. This is a military term that means a soldier who is missing and whose death cannot be confirmed. NLF Acronym for National Liberation Front (the communist guerrilla forces in South Vietnam). Also known as Viet Cong. NVA Acronym for North Vietnamese Army (officially called the Peoples Army of Viet-Nam or PAVN). peaceniks Early protesters against the Vietnam War. punji stakes A booby trap made out of a bunch of sharpened, short, wooden sticks placed upright in the ground and covered so that an unsuspecting soldier would fall or stumble upon them. RVN Acronym for Republic of Viet-Nam (South Vietnam). Spring Offensive The massive attack by North Vietnams army into South Vietnam, begun on March 30, 1972, and lasting until October 22, 1972. Tet Offensive The massive attack on South Vietnam by North Vietnams army and the Viet Cong, begun on January 30, 1968 (on Tet, the Vietnamese new year). tunnel rats Soldiers who explored the dangerous network of tunnels that had been dug and used by the Viet Cong. Viet Cong (VC) The communist guerrilla forces in South Vietnam, NLF. Viet Minh Shortened term for the Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi (League for the Independence of Vietnam), the organization established by Ho Chi Minh in 1941 to gain independence for Vietnam from France. Vietnamization The process of withdrawing U.S. troops from Vietnam and turning over all fighting to the South Vietnamese. This was part of President Richard Nixons plan to end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Vietniks Early protesters against the Vietnam War. the World The United States; real life back home.