Mr M S Ndlovu Essay Example

Mr M S Ndlovu Essay Analysis 1. The man hood The Author The author: John Wain†¢ John Wain (1925) †¢ John Wain, born in Stroke-on-Trent in the north of England, is both a poet and a novelist and a short-story writer. He was also a lecturer in English literature at Reading University from 1949-55. Wain is a prolific writer and has produced four volumes of poetry, six novels, and two collections of short stories as well as works of criticism and an autobiography. His stories are generally concerned with ordinary people faced with the problems and decisions that make everyday life so complex. Manhood written by John Wain, a well-known novelist and a distinguished poet. John Wain is a realistic writer, aware of the social problems and the social conflicts of today.The Man hood was published: 1980 as a single short story Background Setting: *The story is set in a rural part of England in the Willison home. *The events take place over 12 to 18 months. *The story start with the father (Mr Willison) a nd Son (Rob) on a bicycle ride from the woodland into the open country. The story continues at Mr and Mrs Willison’s house Language/Style: The story is told in third person narrator (omniscient) *Dialogue reveals the characters’ thoughts, feelings, and reasons for acting the way they do. *Colloquial language helps the reader identify with the characters. (â€Å"To hell with Baroness Summer skill! †, â€Å"All right†) Plot *The plot revolves around Mr Willison’s obsession with developing Rob’s physique and masculinity. He trains Rob for the boxing tournament. The story builds to a climax as the readers along with Mr Willison, believe Rob is training for the tournament. Brief summary of plot:The story deals with the awkward relationship between a father and his son. The father is very ambitious. He wants to make a good athlete from his son because when he was young he had to study, for fear of unemployment. He never had the chance to box or to row; he didnt even get a bicycle. And he doesnt want his son to grow up with the same wretched physical heritage that he grew up with. Thats why he doesnt want him to rest for too long on his cycling tour. The son has to try to break his fatigue barrier. The reason for the cycling tour was to give the installer the time to fix up a present Mr.Willison bought for his son: a punch-ball. When they get home, the son, Rob, goes to his room, because his tired. At this point the mother starts protesting because she thinks that its unhealthy for a young boy to do such things. When Rob, at the age of 14, doesnt get in to the football-team, his father is very disappointed. But when he tells him that he did get in the boxing-team, his father is happy again. When the father brings this up to the mother, shes says she doesnt want Rob to fight because its too dangerous: it could damage his brains.But finally they agree that Rob can go boxing, but he has to stop after the tournament. So they star t to train together. But the day of the tournament, Rob gets ill: he has pain in his side and thinks he has appendicitis. Then the father calls Robs coach: Mr. Granger, but he doesnt know of anything: Robs school doesnt go in for boxing. Mr Willison learns that Rob has lied to him. Themes: *Father-son relationships *Identity development *Parenting *The effect of low self-esteem *Masculinity and society’s expectations of men The main theme, as the title indicates, is masculinity.The story shows the length to which people can be driven to live up to what they think the standard of being a man should be. Mr. Willison is insensitive and this is conveyed by the image of Rob lying on the grass, â€Å"his legs thin and white among the rich grass†. This suggests that Rob could never be muscular and he is not happy about it. He calls his son a pet. Mr Willison has inferiority complex about his own physique that he manipulates his son to become what he never became. Mr Willison is obsessed about standard of what being a man is.The consequences of Mr Willison’s obsession with â€Å"manliness† are serious. Rob resorts to dishonesty and the family becomes seriously divided. Theme: Influence of society on a family, what society requires, communication barrier between the parents and between the parents and son. Statement I remember: The first thing any athlete has to learn is to break the fatigue barrier. My evaluation: The story perfectly describes how pushy parents can be. And how children feeling to be under pressure then tends to lie to make their parents happy.But a good family should discuss problems and find solutions together Characters: Rob Willison – fourteen-year-old boy, problems with heart, not so strong and ambitious like his father would wish, but he tries to satisfy him and be a good son despite his own desires, passive, resigned, and pretends he is in the boxing team. Mr. Willison – very ambitious, wants to give to his son all he hadn? t as a child, frustrated, strict, and insensitive. He is plump, of average height and flat-chested, lacks self-esteem, Rob’s father inferiority complex, obsessed with masculinity.He is a demanding father who wants his son to be what he wants. Mrs. Willison – Grace Willison – Rob’s mother, disagrees with her husband regarding Rob’s upbringing, is protective of Rob, and is concerned about his health and well-being. Worried about health of her son, doesn? t want to have an athlete from Rob, she wants just healthy and smart child, over-protective 1. The Relatives Background ; Setting: *Actual story set on return train journey from Hutchison Station to Johannesburg. *Story within the story set on journey from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Language: First person narrator – author/protagonist speaks of own experiences which adds authenticity. *Style of writing is lively, personal and chatty. *Writer uses long sentences and short s entences for particular effects. *Language fits characters (Marina, a nurse, tells him to come and see her in the morning, as if speaking to a patient). *Personal touch in use of Afrikaans words like â€Å"oupa†. Plot/ Summary Most of the story is structure around the narrator’s train journey from Cape Town to Johannesburg. There is a very short story within the main story. The plot has two ‘twists’.The first occurs when the narrator’s three friendly travelling companions get off the train and he is left alone with the two delinquents. The narrator, who came to know through his style of telling the story and the way on which he relates to the other characters, He comes across a chatty and having a sense of humour, especially about his young self. He sees the family ties and roots important. In his way back to Johannesburg he meets five people in the compartment. Two bothers in khaki clothes and three companions, who hooked him in their conversation. He tells them a story of George Abrahams who claims that he once killed a man in a train. He tells them how he detected how he thinks George Abrahams was lying and may be a way to warn him to stay away of his luggage. The fact that George was slapped by his wife and said nothing was a proof. He sends his three companions to laughter except the two boys in khaki. He also has a sense of sadness and tragedy of life. This comes out at the end of story when he writes about the death of two of his cousins in gang revenge incidents. The narrator meets the two brothers in a train compartment on the way to Johannesburg.They are wearing khaki clothes which indicate that they are delinquents from reformatory. They are unsmiling and unfriendly. When his three friendly companions get off the train the two brothers spread themselves and their possessions carelessly all over the compartment. They carelessly, without the regard to the narrator speak about gang revenge. The narrator realises that th ey are gangsters and probably enjoy scaring him. One of them show human side when he claims that they are related. They went on to become professional gangsters.Three years later the narrator read of their death during a gang revenge incident. Characters: *Chris van Wyk – aspirant writer at 21 *Two unfriendly brothers – â€Å"delinquents’, threatening, vengeful, gangsters, turn out to be distant family of the narrator. *Three friendly men on train – draw him out with stories * George Abrahams- the man who claims to have killed a man in a train. * George Abrahams- Who claps her husband at the train station. Themes: *Memories *Family bonds *Fears, real and imaginary *The importance of family ties – the writer devotes quite a bit of attention to family and roots.The narrator had planned for his first novel to be a family saga and to write it he decided to return to his roots in Carnarvon. He describes his relatives there and family sagas they related to him in detail. The story ends with him and his two travelling companions- the two young men from the reformatory- realising that they are related to another. *The tragedy of gangsterism – comes through strongly towards end of story. The narrator hears the two delinquents talking about violent revenge of the death of their gangster brother. He is relieved when he realise that they are related.However three years later he reads the news paper that the two brothers had been murdered in a gang revenge incident. He ends the story on note of sadness that is was a waste of young lives. † tragedy futility† of all and† they have never reached twenty – one†. Symbols: *Narrator’s notebook – he wrote some of the family sagas and made notes for this story. *The train itself – this symbolises a journey in the narrator’s life in terms of an experience that made him think about life and provided material for his novel and for th is story. *The graves of the three brothers symbolise the tragedy of gangsterism and the waste of young lives. |

Propaganda and Censorship essays

Propaganda and Censorship essays The Nazi=s used many different types of propaganda and used various methods to censor. These included, the press, the radio, loud speakers, books, theatre, art and music, rallies and campaigns and films. In the press nonNazi newspapers and magazines were closed down and taken over. Goebbels also told editors what they could and could not print. All of the radio stations were placed under Nazi control and cheap massproduced radios were sold. These radios were even installed in cafes and factories. Loud speakers were placed in the streets to broadcasts speeches by Hitler and broadcast proNazi plays and stories. In the cultural side of things, many writers, artists and composers were persuaded or forced to create works in praise of Hitler and the Third Reich. All journalists were banned and thousand of Jewish or anti Nazi books were destroyed in public book burnings, 1933. Jazz music was banned because it was organised and mainly played by black people. Many modern arts were declared *degenerate= and art galleries were forced to get rid of it. Rallies and Campaigns took place. There were annual mass rallies at Nuremberg and In 1936 there was and Olympic Games in Berlin, used to distract the public also, for propaganda purposes. Spectacular parades were held on other special occasions. There were local rallies, marches and fundraising campaigns led by the SA. They also had a clever use of poster campaigns. In Germany the cinema was very popular. Over 100 German (Nazi) films were made a year. All film plots has to be shown to Goebbels before production. Political films were made. Love stories and Thrillers given to pronazi slants. The Importance of the Army in Nazi Germany. Both Hitlers attempted coups were put down by the army and he knew that it was only the German Army that had the power to overthrow him. The Reich War Ministe ...

So Long As

Describing Actions Using While, As, As/So Long As While and as are used to describe actions that occur at the same moment that something is in progress. While and as are sometimes confused with the preposition during. Both express the same idea, but the structures are different. While and as are time expressions and take a subject and verb. During is a preposition and is used with a noun or noun phrase. Take a look at the following examples to note the difference. Notice how the meaning remains the same in both structures: During We discussed the situation during lunch. (noun) They are going to visit the Empire State Building during their visit to New York (noun phrase). When / As We discussed the situation while we were eating lunch. (full adverb time clause with subject and verb) They are going to visit the Empire State Building as they visit New York. (full adverb time clause with subject and verb) Future: Use while or as to state something that occurs at the same moment that something else - the main focus of the sentence - important will occur. Time clause: present simple Main clause: future form Examples: Were going to speak about the modifications as you eat lunch.Shell work out the order details while we discuss what to do next. Present: Use while or as to express what always happens when something else important takes place. This use of while and as is not as common as the time expression when. Notice that the preposition during is often used in place of while or as to express the same idea. Time clause: present simple Main clause: present simple Examples: He usually has lunch while he takes a walk around the campus.Angela often takes notes as the meeting progresses. Past: While and as are used in the past to express an action that was occurring at the moment when something important happened. While and as are also used to express two actions that were happening at the same moment in the past. Time clause: past simple OR past continuous Main clause: past simple OR past continuous Examples: Doug was drying the dishes while we were watching TV.Peter took notes as we discussed the merger. During an Entire Period of Time As long as and so long as are similar in use to while and as. However, as / so long as is used for longer period of times, while when and as are used for more specific, shorter periods of time. As / so long as are also used to stress that something will happen, happens or happened over the entire period of time in an emphatic manner. Although examples are provided for ​the past, present and future, as long as and so long as are generally used with future forms. Notice the use of tenses: Future: Use so / as long as that something will not happen for the entire period of time expressed by the time clause with as / so long as. Time clause: present simple Main clause: future form Examples: I will never play golf as long as I live.She will never return so long as she breathes. Present: Use as / so long as to express that something happens or doesnt happen over the entire period of time that another event occurs. Time clause: present simple Main clause: present simple Examples: As long as he plays piano, I go for a walk.She visits with her month, so long as her husband has to take care of business in town. Past: Use as / so long as to describe an action that did or didnt occur over a longer period of time in the past. Time clause: past simple ï » ¿Main clause: past simple OR past continuous Examples: She didnt get any exercise as long as she was working 60 hours a week.Peter didnt enjoy his company so long as he was in the house.

Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Motivation - Essay Example This piece of research work addresses motivation as an important tool that managers take in to account to get things done successfully through others. Based on Bratton’s (2012, p. 191) view that motivation highlights the nature of employment relationship, this paper explains different ways that managers use to motivate their employees. Motivation and Management Motivation is an important management strategy with which managers can accomplish their goals and lead the organization to a high performing and out-performing organization. Robbins and Judge (2011) defined motivation as a â€Å"process that accounts for an individual’s intensity, direction and persistence of efforts toward attaining a goal† (p. 204). They identified basic three elements in motivation- intensity, direction and persistence. With intensity, they meant the way people try to work hard. High or low intensity may not always lead to favourable outcome unless people’s effort is channeled th rough direction. They also argued that motivation has persistence dimension because it is important to see how long a person can maintain effort. Motivation is something that influences people’s behavior and attitude towards pursuing a specific outcome. As Lussier, Achua and Lussier (2009, p. 79) noted, motivation is a quest for a personal gain and therefore managers have to consider it as an opportunity to be seized to help the organization achieve its goals such as increased productivity, competitive advantage and long term profitability. Daft and Lane (2008, p. 226) argued that motivation is a force, either internal or external to people, that stimulates enthusiasm and persistence to pursue a specific action that managers or leaders want them to do. Both Robbins and Judge (2011) and Daft and Lane (2008) have considered persistence as a very important element in motivation. Managers and leaders are required to use motivation as strategic link between people and their ways t o achieve organizational goals. In making motivation such as link, it should in turn direct people’s skills, talent, knowledge and experiences towards the accomplishment of organization’s goal and managers’ vision. Management creates a specific environment internal to the organization in which individuals work in groups with a view to perform efficiently and effectively towards attainment of a group or common goal. As management is a process of creating, developing and affecting organizational objectives and available resources to realize organizational aspirations, managers’ central task is managing people and motivation is at its heart. Management is simply getting things done through others and therefore managers need to understand people in the organization and their varying requirements in order to influence them by helping them meet their needs and requirements (Msoroka, 2012, p. 2). Newstrom and Davis (2004, p. 30) found that the result of an effec tive organizational behavior is motivation and therefore when motivation is combined with employee skills and abilities, it results in the achievement of performance goals and individual satisfaction as well. Motivation thus builds two-way relationship. The two-way relationship created by motivation is mutually supportive because manager and employee are jointly influencing each other as well as jointly benefiting. It highlights the view

Parent-Child Relationships in a Diverse Society Research Paper

Parent-Child Relationships in a Diverse Society - Research Paper Example Following this we will discuss how this issue has been viewed from a historical perspective and discuss the impact of the employment of women in the public sphere on relationships within the family unit. Following his, we will explore the change and challenges associated with this trend at both a personal and a societal level (MacKinnon, 1999). Gender is an underlying characteristic all societies and the social construction of gender roles, behaviors and expectations is an importance aspect of modern American society. In a lucid essay entitled â€Å"Gender Role, Behavior and Attitudes†, Aaron Devor explores the socially constructed nature of gender in modern society and persuasively argues for a reevaluation of traditional gender role expectations in modern society. Unlike sex, gender is artificially imposed and although based upon biological differences between men and women, gender is socially constructed. As a social construct, gender roles, behaviors, attitudes and expectations are created by society and enforced by social norms. The idea that a woman belongs in the home to cook, clean and raise the children is a socially constructed concept that many people believe without questioning. The funny thing about gender is that we are led to believe that it is innate and something that we are born with. As Aaron Davor so eloquently points out, gender is created, acquired and constructed by the greater society at large. Sex has a biological basis and is predetermined at birth. Gender, on the other hand, is a social construction and gender roles and expectations are unique to each and every society. As social actors, individuals play an important role in the construction and creation of gender roles, attitudes and expectations and are not simply passive recipients of societal expectations about how men and

Leadership Improvement Plan Example

Leadership Improvement Plan Example Part A: Program Overview and Session Plan The Leadership Improvement Plan is an excellent tool to utilize as a self-assessment plan for the manager of the future. An individual can assess or evaluate his or her strengths and deficiencies that would aid him or her in transforming themselves into the ideal manager in the future. In completing the self-assessments provided with the book, I ensured that I completed all of them so that I could receive a well-rounded analysis of my personality and my leadership potential. I took the liberty of approaching the Leadership Improvement Plan as I would a SWOT analysis of my organization. I ensured that I employed Porters SWOT analysis to every aspect of my assessment. Typically, SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A key to an effective SWOT analysis involves being realistic about your companys strengths and weaknesses, analysis should distinguish between where your organization is today, and where it could be in the future. I avoided grey areas, always ana lyzed my current status in relation to my ideal vision of a manager i.e. better than or worse than the ideal. I attempted to keep the analysis short and simple and ensured that the Leadership Improvement Process just like the SWOT process should avoid complexity and over analysis and that it is subjective. Part B: Analysis The assessment evaluates team development behaviors in five areas such as diagnosing team development, managing the forming stage, managing the storming stage and managing the performing stage (Stoner, 2007, 18). The score ranges from 18 to 108 and it can help measure my aptitude at building and leading a team in comparison to a group of 500 students. My score on this assessment was 86, placing me in the second quartile (72-94). A score of 95 or above would have placed me in the top quartile. A score of 60 or below is the bottom quartile indicating a deficiency in effectively managing and leading a team. I believe that I am well versed in the different stages of development that teams undergo in their life cycle from initiation to disbanding. Also, I am knowledgeable about guiding the team during the trying stages of forming and storming. My experience as a team leader in a Six Sigma project and Six Sigma Black Belt certification from the American Society for Quality is considerable. One of my strengths is that I give immense feedback to team members regarding their performance and help them hone their skills and facilitate unfettered exchange of ideas. One of my weaknesses is that I often cannot exude a certain charisma or passion required to communicate an exciting and passionate vision of what the team can achieve. Some action I can take is to practice yoga and meditation on a regularly in order to focus my mind on the positive and gain a sense of optimism for the future. I can also review how successful managers exude their charisma and passion to obtain buy-in from their employees and team members. One of the books I can read is Creating Optimism: A Proven, Seven-Step Program for Overcoming Depression written by Bob Murray and Alicia Fortinberry. By doing exercises in the book, I will gain a new positive outlook of life. I wish to learn and experience new and more positive ways of looking at my past, at my relationships, at my work, at my family. Part C: Leadership Style Talking about my personal self, I believe that two qualities in particular characterize my leadership style: the ability to establish a clear vision and the ability to set an example. Establishing a clear vision up front allows me to convey a sense of purpose and responsibility to every member of my team. A clear vision also provides a roadmap for setting goals and developing action plans. As each action plan is implemented and each goal is accomplished, project milestones are reached and overall progress is observed. The impression of progress as well as evidence thereof is key to maintaining a motivated and productive team. (Tichy, 2002, 25) Once a clear vision has been established, I seek to set an example for my colleagues. Specifically, I work to gain the respect of my team through action. People are more apt to mobilize after they have observed another person in action. When team members realize that I am willing to put in the effort, they feel compelled to act accordingly. In addition, they become more responsive to my leadership and more confident in their own work. (Schein, 1995, 187; (Topping, 2002, 26) In order to become a more effective leader, I need to improve my skills in both management and organization. The proper management of resources can make or break a project operating under a tight financial or personnel budget, while efficient organization promotes resource management. A leader who understands organizational philosophy will be a successful resource manager. (Arnold, 2001, 21) Since my primary role has traditionally been a resource rather than a manager of resources, I have had few opportunities to practice these skills. These skills will become a necessity as I step into positions of increasing managerial responsibility and organizational leadership. Part D: Group Dynamics Group dynamics is an important theory that has enabled me to understand my own approach to interacting with others. People work in-groups quite frequently and in many different areas of their life e.g. at work, school/college, sport, hobbies. A group can be defined as two or more people acting interdependently in a unified manner towards the achievement of goals (Bateman, 2004, 98). There are different types of groups; they can be primary or secondary. A primary group consists of members who come into direct contact (Bateman, 2004, 98), e.g. project teams, small department teams, sports teams. A secondary group are larger, less personal, and lack immediate direct contact between members (Robbins, 2002, 28) e.g. long assembly line. This is where there is little interpersonal communication. Groups can also be formal or informal. Formal groups tend be created by management deliberately. Management will pick the members and the methods of doing work. However informal groups are usually e stablished by people who have things in common and they will decide members, methods etc. (Covey, 2004, 54) There are different stages of group development. If people are put together then it doesnt automatically mean that they will form into a successful group. (Covey, 2004, 54) developed a theory that looked at the stages of the development of groups. The first stage is forming, this is the stage where members choose, or are told, to join a team (Covey, 2004, 54; Nicolaides, 2002, 45) The people in the group will come together and start communicating with the other members to find out more about them. Information exchanged between members tends to be superficial because people are trying to establish their position within the group. The second stage is known as storming. It is at this stage that peoples views and opinions start to show and this is when conflicts among the members can arise if these differ. The third stage is Norming. (Daft, 2002, 08) This is when the differences are excepted and people start to try to work together. Peoples roles will be established and so will shared norms and values. The next stage is performing; this is when the group has bonded and interacts with each other to get the set task done. The last is adjourning; this is when the group has completed their objectives or if they agree that the group is not going to work. (Daft, 2002, 08; Nankervis, 2002, 26) In my experience with groups I have found that at times group work can be very difficult. While at college we had to get into groups of 5 to do an assignment. We were all friends so I had no doubt that we wouldnt get on. However it was a lot different to what I had expected. We started at the storming stage because we already knew each other; this is where the disagreements began. It was at this stage that I realised that we had a conflict of opinions on how the assignment should be carried out and by whom. Finally after a lot of disagreements we got to the Norming stage through interaction and communication. It was decided that a voting system needed to be established. This worked because it allowed all of us to view our opinions and then take votes on it. This interaction and communication allowed us to complete the assignment. There are many theories on leadership style and behaviour. There are 4 main styles of leadership. One is authoritarian, this type of leader is the absolute authority on all matters, and little attention is paid to the views of others (DuBrin, 1989, 21; Myers, 2002, 14)). Participative or democratic style is when a democratic leader will consult those involved or who will be affected by the decision and delegates authority to others, encourages participation, and relies on expert and referent power to influence subordinates (Kets de Vries, 2001, 47). The third style of leadership is laissez-faire. This leader does not really direct people and lets them get on with the task based on some guidelines given. The last is a charismatic leader who influences and motivates others because they have outstanding personal characteristics In my experience I have found that this kind of leadership doesnt always work. I have worked (Kotler, 2003, 15). Part E: Moving Forward/ Next Steps My leadership improvement plan would comprise of varying facets of professional and personal adjustments that would enable me to prepare and align with my vision of an ideal manager. In summarizing my results, I discover that I need a well-rounded approach to tackle some of the deficiencies I have. I have to attend emotional intelligence workshops, take courses in ethics, read books, and consider enrollment in management training programs. Additionally, I need to hone my skills in the areas I have competence or mastery in order to avoid having them dull over time. I believe that evaluating my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats continually in the future as I have done so with the Leadership Improvement Plan here will greatly aid me in my aspirations of realizing and sustaining a successful and effective managerial position. References Arnold, K.A., Barling, J. and Kelloway, K.E. (2001), Leadership and organizational development journal, vol.22, Pp 21-65 Bateman, T.S. and Snell, S.A. (2004), Management: The new competitive landscape,6th ed, McGraw Hill, New York, Pp 16-98 Covey, S.R. (2004), The seven habits of highly effective people, 3rd ed, Simon Schuster Ltd., London, Pp 15-54 Daft, R.L. (2002), The leadership experiences, 2nd ed, South Western, Ohio, Pp 08-118 DuBrin, A.J. (1989), Instructors manual to accompany contemporary applied management, 3rd ed, 21-69 Kets de Vries, M. (2001), The leadership mystique, Prentice Hall, London, Pp 47-120 Kotler, P. (2003), Marketing management,11th ed, Prentice Hall. New Jersey, Pp 15-54 Myers, I.B. (2002), Introduction to type, 6th ed, Australia Psychologists Press, Victoria, Pp 14-74 Nankervis, A., Compton, R. and Baird, M. (2002), Strategic human resource management, 4th ed, Thomson, Singapore, Pp 26-96 Nicolaides, C. (2002), Focus on soft skills: A leadership wake-up call, Pp 45-115 Robbins, S.P. (2002), Essential of organizational behavior, 6th ed, Prentice Hall. New Jersey, Pp 28-49 Schein, E.H. (1995), The leader of future, Working Paper 3832, MIT Sloan School of Management, Pp 187-241 Stoner, J.A.F. and Freeman, R.E. (2007), Management, 4th ed, Prentice Hall, New Delhi, Pp 18-74 Tichy, N.M. and Cohen, E. (2002), The leadership engine, 2nd ed, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., New York, Pp 12-25 Topping, P.A. (2002), Managerial leadership, McGraw Hill, New York, Pp 26-36

Is the father really a good guy Essay

McCarthy has given a masterpiece that has moved many people with the way he constructed the story of the Road where a father and a boy were engaged in a life changing tragedy. There were also bad things that happened during that time by which one could question if the father is really a good guy. Upon reading the story, I am overly moved that the father is not that good. He may have saved the life of his son that was close to danger. The father must do it since it was his responsibility as the parent of the boy to take care of him in any circumstances until the boy reaches the right age. I think on that part, being a responsible father to him is a good sign that he gives importance to his duties and obligations as a father. The father might have provided the son with the things he need, and I think the boy greatly appreciates the effort in the story. However in the other parts of the story, the father I think was indifferent with the issues that are widespread in their place. He may have something that makes him act that way. Nonetheless, as a citizen, he must show bits of concern with her own state. Read more:Â  My Father Goes to Court Essay He must have shown concern, if not participation for the movements that might have happened in the story. Being a human being calls for many things in life. One must learn and understand that life isn’t that grand. We can’t see all the things we wanted, and never will it happen that what we expect every other people’s interactions with us be that good, the way we would treat them. Seeing the differences and uniqueness of each one of us, I guess that there really are many things that have to be considered in order to look into something if it’s really good or bad. Life on earth is not a fantasy that we can only see the good things, however seeing the other things here, the bad things, unreasonable and strange things, we must evaluate, and I guess have to do something for the situation. In the story, there were inhumanities that are witnessed and I think, being a good citizen might apply by taking into action some virtues that we learn from our ancient thinkers. Like the saying that giving is always better than receiving presents, it is applicable with the kids the father has seen. Even if they are not his sons or daughter, it was still a humane decision if he will extend a little help to them. Also, it might teach his son some of the good manners a man must do in order to give his life a better meaning. It will give the boy some ideas on how to react with every situation that comes along. If the father will just be gentle to other kids, then he (the son) might also be gentle and helpful in his future life. The end of the story was a sad one. After all his attempts to give his son a good life, the father still died and left his boy with no one else to be with. No one would have taken care of the boy not until the time he was adopted by someone with a good heart. The example that the guy has set and has portrayed in the role was the good man, who in the past has been already following them. He showed concern with the father and the son, giving the son the chance not to be miserable in that situation. Being good in the real sense is relative to the people who evaluate others. I think, in this case, I judged the father as a good father but not a good citizen. In evaluating this, he is not good since he is only good in one side. When someone or something is evaluated, it must first fit with the given categories. And since he was not consistent with the preferences I have set in seeing if a guy is a good guy or not, then he is a bad guy, ignoring some of the important things that might also affect his son in the long run. The guy could have just given his son some insights about life that will help him evaluate his own and of course, give him the idea of what a good citizen is. Instead, the other man who adopted the son was better showing concern, and seeing earlier the danger of the father overprotecting his son with all of the elements of life. Works Cited Cormac McCarthy. The Road. 2007. 13 December 2007. .