Philosophy of life Essay

NAGAPPAN SETHURAMAN Existentialism as a philosophy is historically and culturally of European origin. Ever since it was recognised as the dominating philosophy of the West in the midtwentieth century, it has left â€Å"its impact on literature [which] has both been substantial and significant† (Chatterji 10). Existentialism does not offer a set of doctrines or a single philosophy system. It has been diversely defined and interpreted by various thinkers over the years. As a result, â€Å"as a philosophy, existentialism by its very nature defies and abhors systematisation† (Ahmad 10). Nevertheless, it is possible to identify certain traits of this school of thought. All the existentialists â€Å"emphasise the importance of the individual as well as his freedom and responsibility for being what he is† (Das 423). In their attempt to describe man’s â€Å"existence and its conflicts, the origin of its conflicts, and the anticipation of overcoming them† (Ahmad 13), existentialists focus their attention on certain aspects of human existence. Srivastava enumerates them as follows: b) it is never safe and ever at the mercy of chance, c) it is full of suffering, of one variety or other, d) it is full of conflict, e) it is rotted in guilt, f) it cannot escape from the final situation of death (185). These tenets of existentialism have been widely reflected in the literature of the world since the advent of Sartre who established an interaction between literature and philosophy in his writings. John Macquarrie sums up the essence of existentialism as, â€Å"On the whole, it has been the tragic sense of life†¦ that has been prevalent among the existentialists† (Macquarrie 164). Almost all great writers of the present generation have handled the doctrines of existentialism in their works. This is the main reason why â€Å"man’s alienation, dread, absurdity, bad faith, responsibility, commitment to freedom, anguish are the very hallmarks of 20th century literature† (Ahmad 5). As a novelist, Anita Desai exhibits a strong inclination towards the existentialist interpretation of the human predicament. In particular, she voices â€Å"the mute miseries and helplessness of married women tormented by existentialist problems and predicaments† (Prasad 139). A woman novelist, Desai has won a niche by exploring the emotional world of women, bringing to light the various deeper forces at work in feminine sensibility as well as psychology. This predilection leads her to examine the psyche of her women protagonists when they are confronted with the absurdity of life. This draws her attention to the darker side of life. She projects a tragic vision in her novels by placing her female protagonists in hostile situations. Desai further examines her women protagonists as individuals who find themselves forced into uncongenial environments, fighting against the odds. This problem of the The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 tragic tension between the individual and their unfavourable environment acquires the dimensions of existential angst. Starting from her first novel Cry the Peacock to the latest Baumgartner’s Bombay, all her novels highlight the existentialist’s predilection for portraying the predicament of man. Many critics have traced shades of existentialist thought in the novel of Anita Desai. Time and again her themes and characters have been interpreted in the light of existential philosophy. In this regard it has been pointed out: Desai’s chief concern is human relationship. Her central theme is she existential predicament of an individual, which she projects through incompatible couples- very sensitive wives and ill matched husbands. She is a minute observer and perceives everything mutely, minutely and delicately. Whenever she creates a poetical situation, she gives it a perfect poetic treatment to every detail (Singh 12) Anita Desai’s characters are self-conscious of the reality around them and they carry a sense of loneliness, alienation and pessimism. She adds a new dimension turning inward into the realities of life and plunges into the deep-depths of the human psyche to score out its mysteries and chaos in the minds of characters. Particularly Fire on the Mountain has been identified as â€Å"the lyrical fictionalization of the quintessence of existentialism† (Gupta 185). A close study of the texture and theme of the novel in relation to the tenets of existentialism justifies the above observation. It has been noted that â€Å"Fire on the Mountain displays skillful dramatisation of experiences of certain women embroiled by the cross way of life† (Choudhury 77). This novel deals with the existential angst experienced by the female protagonist Nanda Kaul, an old lady living in isolation. It also projects the inner turmoil of a small girl, Raka, who is haunted by a sense of futility. Thirdly, it presents the plight of a helpless woman, Ila Das who is in conflict with forces that are too powerful to be encountered, resulting in her tragic death. Thus, the existential themes of solitude, alienation, the futility of human existence and struggle for survival form the major themes of the novel. Fire on the Mountain falls into three sections, each further divided into several short chapters of unequal length. The first section titled â€Å"Nand Kaul at Carignano† runs into ten chapters. This section deals with Nanda Kaul, the main protagonist’s lonely life in Kasauli. â€Å"Raka comes to Carignano† forms the second section and it contains twenty one chapters. It portrays Nanda Kaul’s change of attitude towards Raka, her great granddaughter. The final section â€Å"Ila Das leaves Carignano† is divided into thirteen chapters. This section presents the tragic end of Ila Da, Nanda Kaul’s childhood friend. In all, the book runs to 145 pages. The structural unity, as suggested by the section captions is offered by Carignano, Nanda Kaul and Raka, running counter to one another complemented by that of Ila Das also provide unity of structure. Like the other works of Anita Desai, the present novel contains neither any story value nor events that are interesting by themselves. The entire novel revolves round the existential angst experienced by the women protagonists. In this novel, â€Å"the story element is very thin and there is practically no action except for the tragic end† (Indira 96). The story revolves round the inner lives of the two female protagonists, Nand Kaul and Raka. Nanda Kaul is the wife of Mr. Kaul, the Vice-Chancellor of the Punjab University. When the novel begins, Nanda The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 Kaul is living in Carignano, far from the madding crowd. She is leading a life of isolation and introspection. She shuns all human company. Even the postman’s arrival to deliver the letter is frowned upon by her. But this seeming quietude does not last long. Raka arrives at Carignano to convalesce after her typhoid attack. The old woman and the young girl live in double singleness. But as days pass by, Nanda Kaul finds herself drawn towards Raka, something she had not expected. But the little girl refuses to be befriended and escapes into the hills looking for company in solitude. Ila Das, Nanda Kaul’s childhood friend visits Carignano to meet Raka. A one time lecture in the Punjab University, Ila Das had lost her job subsequent to Mr. Kaul’s retirement. She has come to Kasauli now in her new capacity as an officer in the social welfare department. She fights against child marriage by enlightening the local people about the evils of this practice. This invites the wrath of many of the villagers of whom Preet Singh is one. His attempts to barter his little daughter for a tiny piece of land and a few goats have been successfully thwarted by Ila Das. He is lying in wait to settle his score with her. One evening, when Ila Das returns late from Carignano to her humble house in the valleys, he waylays her, rapes and murders her. When the news of Ila Das’s death is conveyed to Nand Kaul over the phone, she is rudely shocked and falls dead. Raka unaware of her great grandmother’s death, rushes into the house proclaiming wildly that she has set the forest of fire. Nanda Kaul, Raka and to some extent Ila Das, are embodiments of the existential predicament experienced by the individual in an un-understanding and even hostile universe. A detailed examination of the characters of these protagonists brings to light how Anita Desai has succeeded in giving expression to her existentialist world-view through these characters and by a subtle use of imagery and symbols. When the novel begins, Nand Kaul is presented as a recluse. Living all alone, except for the company of the servants who dare not disturb her privacy, she brooks no human presence. â€Å"She wanted no one and nothing else. Whatever else came, or happened here, would be unwelcome intrusion and distraction†(FM 3). She spends her days in isolation, musing about her past and experiencing the existential ennui. â€Å"From the musings of her agitated mind it appears that as the wife of the vicechancellor for the Punjab University and the mother of several children, she has lived a very busy and tiring life â€Å"(Raizada 44). Anita Desai unfurls her past in the form of long interior monologues punctuated by authorial interruptions, Nanda Kaul had witnessed only betrayals and demands in life before her retirement to Kasauli. She had lived a monotonous life receiving and treating the endless stream of visitors who used to call on her vice-chancellor husband. Her husband had carried on a life-long affair with his mathematics mistress Miss David, whom he would have married, had she not been a Christian. Again, the memories of her children make Nanda Kaul shudder at the very thought of her past. As a mother of several children, all demanding and unaccommodative, she had been given too many anxious moments. Now all alone in Carignano, a house associated with many weird stories, Nanda Kaul feels that loneliness is the only essential condition of human life. Whenever she looks at the tall pine trees that stand out from among the underwood, she is reminded of her own alienation. Not exactly conscious of what she is waiting for, nonetheless, she is awaiting the inevitable end to all human existence: death. She is haunted by the existential angst which has led her to conclude that human life is basically a lonely struggle against the odds of life. In her case the odds have manifested themselves in the form of an adulterous husband and cantankerous children. Strongly convinced The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 that life and dealt a raw deal to her, she has resolved to find the meaning, if any, of her existence in isolation. â€Å"She treasures her freedom, her privacy, glad her responsibilities towards her family are over, glad she needs nobody and nobody now needs her† (Krishnaswamy 260). This has coloured her outlook on life to a large extent. Her reaction to the arrival of the postman and Raka, her invalid great granddaughter, makes it appear that she has become a misanthrope. But the truth seems to be that she is a sensitive person preoccupied with the real nature of her existence as opposed to the illusory life of her past as a vice-chancellor’s wife and mother to children. â€Å"If Nanda Kaul was a recluse out of vengeance for a long life of duty and obligation, her great grand daughter was a recluse by nature, by instinct. She had not arrived at this condition by a long route of rejection and sacrifice [like Nanda Kaul], she was born to it, simply â€Å"(FM 48). Desai’s above observation about Raka’s character at once brings out the similarity and difference with that of Nanda Kaul’s in their mental make up. Raks’s characters has been introduced by the novelist as a foil to Nanda Kaul’s. If Nanda Kaul symbolises a particular aspect of existentialism, which is examined elsewhere in this chapter, Raka epitomises another aspect of the existential predicament: the influence of her parents on her life. Anita Desai makes Raka both young temperamentally and solitude-loving. When Raka is first introduced, the reader is informed that she is the granddaughter of Asha, the most problematic of Nanda Kaul’s daughters. That she is an unwelcome intruder into Nanda Kaul’s life is suggested by an image. As Nanda Kaul first looks at her greatgrand daughter who is walking towards her, she reminds the old lady of an insect: Raka slowed down, dragged her foot, then came towards her great grandmother with something despairing in her attitude.. She turned a pair of extravagantly large and somewhat bulging eyes about in a way that made the old lady feel more than ever her resemblance to an insect. (FM 39). However, the old lady is shocked to see the pale and gaunt little girl and is moved to pity. But â€Å"to Nanda Kaul she was still an intruder, an outsider, a mosquito flown up from the plains to tease and worry† (FM 40). Raka herself does not bother much about the â€Å"blatant lack of warmth†(FM 40) exhibited by her great grandmother. She prefers to stay away from company. Like a wild animal newly caged, she keeps prowling barefoot in her room, looking at the stone heaps. She is not interested in flowers or playing as children of her age normally tend to do. By using two reptile images successively in a span of two pages, and by a suggestive hint about Raka’s lack of interest in play and flowers, Desai impliedly establishes that there is something weird about her. Soon through several interior monologues enacted in Raka’s subconscious mind, the reason for the abnormality in her is unfolded. The daughter of an ill-matched couple, Raka has been witness to the brutality and futility of human existence. She is haunted by the recollections of the nightmarish nights that have made her almost a child-stoic. Somewhere behind them, behind it all was her father, home from a party, stumbling and crashing through the curtains of the night, his mouth opening to let out a flood of rotten stench, beating at her mother with hammers and fists of abuse-harsh, filthy abuse that made Raka cower under her bedclothes and wet her mattress in fright, feeling the stream of urine warm and weakening between her legs like a stream of blood, and her mother lay down on the floor and shut her eyes and wept. Under her The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 feet, in the dark, Raka felt that flat, wet jelly of her mother’s being squelching and quivering, so that she didn’t know where to put her feet and wept as she tried to get free of it. Ahead of her,no longer on the ground but at some distance now, her mother was crying. Then it was a jackal crying. (FM 72) The sudden shift from the interior monologue about her bitter past to the present observation of the jackal crying, the latter superimposed on the former brings out Raka’s predicament. By doing this, the novelist likens the haunting memories to the crying jackals. So Raka’s life is a close encounter with things that are wild and frightful- be it the memories of her mother beaten to pulp by a drunkard father or the chilling cry of the jackals. Instead of trying to escape from this harsh and unnerving experiences and memories, Raka goes farther and deeper into them as if to fathom the bottom of such wild realities. After some initial hesitation, she ventures deep down the ravine to the Monkey Point- a place not frequented by others and from where the cries of the jackals are heard: No one ever came here but Raka and the cuckoos that sand invisibly. These [the cuckoos]were not the dutiful domestic birds that called Nanda Kaul to attention at Carignano. They were the demented birds that raved and beckoned Raka on to a land where there was no sound, only silence, no light, only shade, and skeletons kept in beds of ash on which the footprints of jackals flowered in gray. (FM 90) This passage effectively coveys Raka’s plight and significance. She is at once a little girl with a splintered psyche and an unmistakable symbol of the individual’s quest for meaning. The jackals are symbols of the mystery of life and Raka’s walk to the Monkey Point is symbolic of her search for something unknown, yet inevitable and indispensable. Not all children would dare to brave the rough terrains of the ravines and impending menace of the jackals. Similarly, not all human beings are conscious of the futility of human existence nor are they in search of newer values. The existential theme of quest for meaning undertaken by those who refuse to remain merely as members of the multitude is well brought out in the lonely and mystified wanderings of Raka. In this respect it has been pointed out by Shantha Krishnaswamy: Her [Raka’s] childhood has hardened her into a little core of solitary self-sufficiency and now, a young girl up here in the mountains.. her spirit is defiant enough to go chanting ‘I don’t care, I don’t care, I can’t care of anything’ (FM 73). The conventional sweet smells and sounds of girlhood are ignored, she feels drawn by scenes of devastation and failure. The forest fires tingle her and she bursts from the shell of Carignano like a sharp, keen edged explosive to set fire to the mountainside. (Krishnaswamy 261, 262) The concluding part of the foregoing observation concerning Raka’s predilection for the forest fires needs elaborate analysis for it has symbolic overtones. Ever since her arrival at Carignano, Raka evinces a keen interest in wild fire. This obsession with the forest fire provides yet another dimension with the forest fire provides to her existentialist preoccupations. Immediately after her arrival at Carignano, on witnessing a fire in the forest she becomes obsessed with forest fires for they seem to her the empirical manifestation of her inner conflict: whether to continue with her mediocre and painful and aimless existence imposed upon her by heredity and environment or to revolt against their dictates and attempt to create her own values. The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 By an elaborate expression of her free will and demonstration of her ability to choose and act, she sets the forest on fire towards the end of the novel. The fire created by her is the result and manifestation of her existential angst to destroy the old and meaningless to make room for the new and significant. It is an affirmation of her search for values in an otherwise futile existence. Ila Das is the third female protagonist of the novel. Unlike Nanda Kaul and Raka who are central to the story, her role is only marginal. Nonetheless, Anita Desai has projected yet another aspect of the existentialist philosophy through her character. â€Å"Her life suggests another dimension of misery and meaningless existence† (Jena 30). She is first introduced to the readers, when she calls Nanda Kaul on the phone and informs her of her intended visit to Kasauli to meet Raka. She speaks in a â€Å"hideous voice† (FM 21) and is rather plain in her looks. Through a long interior monologue in Nanda Kaul’s mind, the readers are informed of her past. She was Nanda Kaul’s childhood friend. She had also served in the university as a lecturer, thanks to Nanda Kaul’s good offices. But soon after the death of Mr. Kaul she had been ousted and had struggled a lot before finding the present employment as a social welfare officer. A poverty stricken loner of aristocratic of child marriage, a practice rampant among the tribals. This lands her in an unenviable situation. She finds herself fighting a lonely battle against a mindless multitude. But she is not cowed down by adversity. She remains steadfast in her conviction and refuses to make any compromises. Though she is aware of the dire consequences that she might be forced to encounter, she remains faithful to her cause. She succeeds in stooping several such child-marriage, the prominent one being the marriage of Preet Singh’s seven year old daughter. Sustaining herself on a meagre pay and putting up with the inevitable condition of loneliness, she wages a valiant battle against the dictates of the society. Finally, she pays a dear price for her convictions and refusal to compromise. She is raped and murdered by Preet Singh who has been dying for revenge. Though Ila Das plays a minor role in the novel, she is also an allegorical figure. She not only lives in isolation but also braves the brute majority with conviction and commitment as her tools. True, she meets with a tragic end but has made her existence significant in exhibiting courage and determination in the face of stiff resistance and threat to life. †Her real involvement in people’s welfare assumes tremendous symbolic significance â€Å"(Jena 30). She epitomises the existentialist concept of struggle against the odds of life. â€Å"For the existentialist, man is never just part of the cosmos but always stands to it in a relationship of tension with possibilities of tragic conflict† (Macquarrie 17). She stands for the thinking individual who dares to exercise her free will and act according to her choice rather than submit meekly to the odds of life. The mindless tribal society in general, and Preet Singh in particular, represent the malevolent aspect to human existence-forces that are bent upon thwarting the individual’s purpose and undoing her. â€Å"One of the many ways of defining tragedy sees it as a clash between the aspiration of human freedom and creativity with a cosmic order that is stronger and defeats man â€Å"(Macquarrie 189). Though Ila Das loses her chastity and life in the process of her struggle with such brute forces, her life has nonetheless become meaningful by virtue of the fact that she chooses a cause, fights for it and sacrifices herself in trying to accomplish her task. An examination of the use of symbolism and imagery in the novel proves beyond doubt the novelist’s existential concern. She portrays a tragic world where no compromises are made, no epiphanies are exploded, to be totally destroyed, as the The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 sensitive, the visionary suffer nothing but suffocation and oppression. So, the content of the novel is sheer violence. The lives of the principal characters are ‘unloved’ and ‘unlived’. (Indira 95,96). In keeping with this concept, Anita Desai resorts to the effective employment of imagery and symbolism in Fire on the Mountain. Her predilection for prey-predator imagery abounds in this novel also. Images of ugliness, loneliness, destruction and annihilation are consistently used in order to reflect the existential tone of the novel. An atmosphere of solitary introspection is created with the help of several images. For example, when she receives a call from Ila Das, Nanda Kual â€Å"turned her head this way and that in an escape. She watched the white hen drag out a worm inch by resisting inch from the ground till it snapped in two. She felt like the worm herself, she winced at its mutilation â€Å"(FM 21). The same is continued in the next page also: â€Å"Still starting at the hen which was greedily gulping down bits of worm, she thought of her husband’s face and the way he would plait his fingers across his stomach†¦ â€Å"(FM 22). This prey-predator image of hen pecking at a worm is suggestive of Nanda Kaul’s present inner turmoil. Her past suffering at the hands of the adulterous husband and her present awareness about the harsh realities of life are both successfully established by this image. Another important image employed recurrently is that of the pine tree that stands burnt and alone, which is often an object of attraction for Nanda Kaul: â€Å"She was grey, tall and thin †¦ she fancied she could merge with the pine tree and be mistaken for one. To be a tree, no more and no less, was prepared to undertake†(FM 4). Again, this image also contributes to the existentialist theme of the novel. â€Å"Nanda’s sense of identification with the pine trees suggests her desire for absolute stillness and withdrawal from life†(Indra 97). The image of the charred pine tree is repeatedly employed in the novel. Raka is reminded of the futility of existence while she looks at the lonely hills and charred pine trees: â€Å"This hill, with its one destroyed house and one unbuilt one, on the ridge under the fire-singed pines, appealed to Raka†¦ There was something about it- illegitimate, uncompromising and lawless†¦. The sense of devastation and failure drew her, inspired her â€Å" (FM 90). Images of insects like lizards, birds like eagles and parrots, and â€Å"the thematic image of the ‘fire’ with its connotations of violence and urgency occur at regular intervals, warning the reader of the impending tragedy† (Indira 96). The critic S. Indira sums up the significance of imagery in Fire on the Mountain quoting D. H. Lawrence and the novelist herself:It is the charming mosaic of imagery woven so skillfully by the novelist that makes the Novel a work of art. Quoting D. H. Lawrence who said ‘If I eat an apple, I like to eat it with my senses,’ Anita Desai herself stated that the novel in which she attempted this closeness of man and beast, earth and vegetable was Fire on the Mountain. Imagery alone makes it possible and, in the process, the novel gains a richer texture and greater depth. As a critic says, â€Å"this novel deprived of its imagery, would be an ugly skeleton, chilling the reader† †¦ The significant house imagery, the images of plants, colour, atmosphere and moon- all contribute to the textual density and symbolic centrality of the novel. (Indira 96) Another important aspect of this novel’s narrative technique is its symbolism. There are several symbols that deepen the philosophic implications of The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 the novel. To start with, Carignano, Nanda Kaul’s present abode, is symbolic of the loneliness and barrenness of human life in general and Nanda Kual in particular: What pleased and satisfied her so, here at Carignano, was its barrenness. This was the chief virtue of Kasauli, of course- its starkness†¦Occasionally an eagle swam through this clear undoubted mass of light and air . (FM 4) The lonely house is symbolic of the lonely life of Nanda Kual and Raka. The barrenness and starkness associated with its symbolise an essential human condition –alienation which is the key note of all existential philosophy. The eagle symbol, like the house symbol, is repeatedly used in the course of the novel to highlight another aspect of existential philosophy, namely quest. The sight of the eagle flying high, makes Nanda long to be able to soar like the bird: â€Å"An eagle swept over†¦. its wings outspread, gliding on currents of air without once moving its great muscular wings which remained in repose, in control, She [Nanda Kaul]. had wished, it occurred to her, to imitate the eagle-gliding, with eyes closed† (FM 19). This longing for soaring above the reach of deterministic confines is the hall mark of Raks’s characters. To emphasise this aspect, the novelist employs the eagle symbol while describing Raka’s walk to the Monkey Point. â€Å"She was higher than the eagles, higher than Kasauli and Sanwar and all the other hills†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (FM 61). Thus Nanda Kaul’s wish and Raka’s attempt merge in the eagle-symbol, which denoted their existential angst and quest for values. The forest fire scene has symbolic overtones. Like the â€Å"The Fire Sermon† in T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, the fire in Fire on the Mountain â€Å" †¦ is a destroyer. It is also a purifier† (Brown 557). By making use of the universal fire symbol. Anita Desai endows Raka’s character with allegorical implications. Raka, the invalid restless little girl who is the product of a broken home, becomes the symbol of the existentialist’s perception of the individual who finds herself in this hostile and futile world. Yet out of compulsion, she strives to find or create values and significance for her existence. In this regard it has been observed that the symbolic implication of the forest fire is reinforced by the title of the novel, Fire on the Mountain is highly significant from the thematic point of view. The mountain symbolises Nanda Kaul and the fire is symbolic of Raka’s wild nature. â€Å"Nanda is the ‘rocky belt’, dry, hardened by time and age. Raka is silent, swift and threatening like forest fire†¦ The novel, thus [sic] may be noted as a story of inabilities of human beings to ignore the world, to place oneself in another’s position†(Choudhury 79). Another factor that adds to the philosophical implications of the novel is the frequent allusions to books and poems. As in other novels in Fire on the Mountain too Anita Desai uses poetry, and this time it is a poem by Hopkins: I have desired to go Where springs not fail To fields where files no sharp and sided hail And a few lilies below And I have asked to be The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 Where no storms come, Where the green swell is in the havens dumb, And out of the swing to the sea. (FM 87). This poem has some connection with he character of Nanda Kaul who quotes it and the poem signifies her desire to be away from the humdrum of life, to a heaven of nature far from the madding crowd. By introducing this poignant stanza from Hopkin’s poem, Anita Desai highlights the theme of alienation which is the central theme of the novel. The same effect is achieved by introducing an allusion to a passage from The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon which begins with a title ‘When a Woman lives Alone’ and through the image of a dilapidated house â€Å"with a poignantly desolate look â€Å"(FM 27). This image has symbolic overtones as it suggests the lonely and desolate life of Nanda Kaul herself. Again, when Nanda Kaul is in the company of Raka, there is an allusion to The Travels of Macro Polo (FM 87). The reference to this book reminds the ‘Cape of Good Hope’. This also adds to the symbolism of the novel. This is miniature adventure like the one Marco Polo undertook in search of something new and promising. Thus, the characters of Nanda Kaul, Raka and Ila Das are studies of women in isolation. Essentially a writer of existential inclinations, Anita Desai examines three important aspects of this school of thought through her protagonists. The predominant traits of existentialism are alienation, quest and conflict. These three aspects are epitomised in the lives of three female protagonists. Nanda Kaul is a study in alienation and existential angst. Raka symbolises the individual’s quest for meaning in an otherwise futile life. Ila Das stands for the eternal conflict enacted in the human drama between the individual and the forces of determinism. One common ground for these three characters is that they are women who live in isolation both out if choice and compulsion. Desai has examined the predicament of women in wilderness by placing these three characters Kasauli, a place surrounded by hills and valleys, for removed from civilisation. She has consciously done it to examine the predicament and psyche of women in isolation. By placing her female protagonists with nature herself as the backdrop, Anita Desai has endowed a symbolic and universal significance to the plight of her protagonists. In this regard it has been pointed out: Essentially, Desai is a novelist of existentialist concerns, chiefly considering what F. H. Heinaman described as ‘the enduring human condition. ’ In her novels, she has ably dwelt upon such existentialist themes as maladjustment, alienation, absurdity of human existence, quest for the ultimate meaning in life, decision, detachment, isolation and time as the fourth dimension, focussing on how women in the contemporary urban milieu are bravely struggling against or helplessly submitting to the relentless forces of absurd life (Prasad 140). To sum up, Fire on the Mountain invites comparison with Shakespeare’s King Lear. In this great tragedy, when he dramatises the agony of betrayed father, Shakespeare removes Lear from the palace and places him in the wild heath- a hostile place- to suggest that the plight of Lear is identical with the suffering of every wronged father. Shakespeare employs animal imagery to indicate the rotten and corrupt world of the dramatis personae of King Lear. Images of ugly and evil animals like jackals and wolves are recurrently used creating an animal imagery that reinforces the thematic concern of the play, namely the tragedy of human life, The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 personified in the life of Lear, a victim of indifference in old age. Anita Desai’s use of imagery of King Lea.

Importance of Being Earnest Essay

The Importance of Being Earnest is a serious comedy about trivial matters The Importance of being Earnest is a play that satirizes the Victorian upper classes. In the play, Oscar Wide makes fun of the upper class in many ways. Most commonly, Wilde does this by using comic irony, humor, and witty statements. However, if we look deeper into the text, a lot of the trivial matters characters discuss have a serious side to them. Wilde uses these matters to satirize the Victorian upper even more. The seriousness of death is taken light-heartedly in the play. Rather than associating death with sadness and suffering and grief Jack and Algy portray death as a method of conveniently eliminating unwanted people, whether imaginary or not. When Algy confesses that Bunbury is â€Å"Quite Exploded† something comical arises – however, his amusing phrase also has some serious implications. Although at first the fact that Bunbury has exploded may be hilarious, it is also shocking to some of the characters in the play, as Bunbury was â€Å"supposed† to be very close to Algy. Furthermore, Algy talks about his death so lightly, that it makes it seem as if Algy couldn’t care less about losing a close friend. The worst part about the way Algy communicates Bunbury’s death, is that he never admits that Bunbury never existed and lies to all the characters who felt truly sorry for Bunbury. Jack also tells Algy, â€Å"If Gwendolen accepts me, I am going to kill my brother† because â€Å"Cecily is a little too much interested in him. † Another trivial moment is when Jack admits to smoking in front of Lady Bracknell. Lady Bracknell’s replies with: â€Å"Every man should have an occupation of some kind†. Although the audience may laugh at this moment, Wilde shows how the Victorian upper class had absolutely no work to do – and therefore categorized smoking as an occupation. Cucumber sandwiches also are also used to criticize the British upper classes. â€Å"No cucumber sandwiches! † shows the absurdness of the upper classes. The scene and dialog is certainly comical, however, it shows how dramatic and over- the –top the British upper class was. Moreover, in the Victorian Era, The Importance of Being Earnest was watched by middle classes as well was the upper class; the scene must have told the Middle classes a lot about the upper class, especially when they were dramatizing trivial matters like not having cucumber sandwiches. The Name â€Å"Earnest† is also very important in the play, as this too is an example of triviality and seriousness. Gwenolden states that her â€Å"ideal has always been to love some one of the name of Ernest†. Cecily says she pities â€Å"married woman whose husband is not called Ernest. † The name Earnest in itself is a very trivial thing. Although the name Earnest â€Å"inspires utter confidence† Wilde makes fun of the fact that both Jack and Algy are very unhonest men. A name does not define the person’s personality or values, however the triviality of the name Ernest is taken out of proportions and treated very seriously in the play. In conclusion, Wilde satirizes the Victorian upper class by making fun of their trivial matters that they treat seriously. Wilde almost swaps seriousness and triviality around so that serious issues are treated trivially and trivial issues are treated seriously. Although back in 19th Century the Victorian classes may have found the play hilarious, today we have a broader view and are able to understand Wilde’s message about the Victorian upper classes more. In fact, Wilde originally subtitled The Importance of Being Earnest â€Å"A Serious Comedy for Trivial People† but changed that to â€Å"A Trivial Comedy for Serious People†. – Isn’t that the same thing though?

A Rose for Emily Analysis

Gabi Kuhn 4B 11/13/12 1) What is the point of view of the story? The point of view of the story is a third person. The amount of information the reader knows would be somewhat that of a typical townsperson, since we do not find out right away what is really going on inside of the house, or have a deep view into Miss Emily’s feelings. From this point of view, we see things as how they would appear to a townsperson or viewer. 2) What does the title of the story suggest about the townspeople’s feelings toward Miss Emily?Why do they feel this way about her? (Or: What does she represent to them? ) Is there anything ironic about their feelings? The title of the story suggests that the townspeople have some sort of caring feeling towards her, since a rose is usually a symbol of care or love. They feel some sort of respect to her and her family, since they are the last remnant of the traditional south and the only ones who embrace it the most. The townspeople actually have a pi ty for her, because after her father died, the association of her being higher class lowered.Then, it was lowered the most when she started to spend time with Homer Barron because he was from the North and a day laborer, and thought Miss Emily should have been with someone of higher status, as she was brought up. 3) Describe and discuss the symbolism of Miss Emily’s house. The dust all over the interior of Miss Emily’s house symbolizes the traditional south which Miss Emily continues to embrace mentally through her actions and visually through the looks of her house. The traditional south ways are being abandoned, but Emily refuses to go along.The traditional south ways are old, and Emily wants to stay attached to them, so they linger throughout her home in the visual form of old dust. The portrait of her father symbolizes also that Emily does not want to adjust to the new times. He lived his life in the traditional times, and she did not want to believe that he was de ad. The portrait symbolizes his everlasting presence in Emily’s life, even after his death. 4) What is the role of the â€Å"smell† incident in the story. What other problems has Miss Emily caused the local authorities?The role of the smell incident gives suspicion as to what it is in Miss Emily’s house that is causing it. It gives suspicion that it is something like a dead body, because only such things like a dead body can have such a permeating odor able to reach outside. Miss Emily also has not paid the taxes and thinks she is still entitled to the tax waiver that Colonel Sartoris gave to her, even though he is dead. 5) How do the townspeople know what they know about Miss Emily’s life? What is the source of their information? The townspeople know what they do about her house from when the Aldermen visited the inside of her house.They were the ones who saw how dusty and creepy it was inside of the Grierson house. They also get the minister’s wi fe to get in contact with her relatives, who then come and visit. They also know most of the information they know by simply keeping track of her and seeing her do the things she does, such as buy the poison, and buy the wedding gifts. They all find out by gossiping and sharing the things they see, especially the older women. 6) Consider the mixed quality of the townspeople’s reactions to Miss Emily’s â€Å"failures†. 7) What is the significance of Miss Emily’s actions after the death of her father?Miss Emily tried to keep the body of her father with her in her house. This signifies that she did not want to accept the fact that he was dead. She was lonely, and did not want him to go too, like her lover that had recently left her. He was part of the last of the Grierson family and had shaped her whole life, so she did not want to let him go. 8) What role does Homer Barron play in the story? Is there anything ironic about a match between him and Miss Emily? Homer Barron plays the newcomer to town who Miss Emily succeeds with in her ruesome plans for him. The irony in their relationship is that they are from different regions, which did not have a good relationship back then, because of the Civil War. Homer was from the North, and represented the new innovation of the coming future. Miss Emily has remained in the South all her life and wishes to stay practicing her values and not adjust to changes in life. It is also ironic that after all of the upbringing from her father sending away men who were not â€Å"high enough in class† for her, that she would choose Homer as her partner.Her father would have never approved of him. 9) Look closely at the second paragraph in section five. What does this paragraph suggest about the nature of the people’s memories of the past? 10) What is the horrible revelation about Miss Emily that the story ends with? How is this related to the overall meaning of the story? The horrible revelatio n about Miss Emily is that she actually used the rat poison to kill Homer, and even more grotesque, she kept his body frozen in time so that he could stay with her forever.We also find a gray hair from Miss Emily, which means that she laid down next to the body in the bed for her own satisfaction. This is related to the overall meaning of the story because it shows how Miss Emily was determined to live life and have things the way she wanted them, and she didn’t care that the times were changing or that her actions were socially unacceptable. She lived the rest of her life devoted to the traditional ways of the south, and did not want to accept any changes.

Read "Sticks and Stones 255-259 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Read "Sticks and Stones 255-259 - Assignment Example The controversial position taken by the Native American community led education institutions such as the Stanford University, to review the names of their teams. The move to stop the usage of Native American names, slogans and customs by sporting teams is very important. This is because sporting needs must be sensitive towards the feeling and opinions of the native communities. Adequate consent should be obtained from the leadership of the Native Communities for the usage of their traditional artifacts and practices. Consent will enhance the support and ownership of the Natives, in the sport teams. Sticks, Stones and Sporting Team Names, illustrate the controversial issue of representing an ethnic group through the sports mascots. Cases in point are the sporting teams that were known as the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians. The ethnic sporting names were not initially aimed at disparaging the Native Americans. This is because the noble symbols represent pride and strength. But, the concept of using human societies as mascots is very dehumanizing. The mascot practices, differentiates the affected communities from the rest of the American

Monitoring, tracking, and control technology on aviation industry Dissertation

Monitoring, tracking, and control technology on aviation industry - Dissertation Example The return of the airline systems to their normal schedules largely depend on the need and emergency of the schedule. For instance, there may be airline systems that require the schedule to get back to their normal plans by the next day. Hence controllers in this regard would cancel the flights or shift the passengers to other carriers, and then have time for the necessary measures (Yu, 1998, p.323). According to Dillingham (1997), e need for monitoring, tracking and control technology in the aviation industry is primarily required for attaining safety and security in the industry. This is mainly focused on the reduction of accidents of different flights. The air traffic control mechanism and processes have modified significantly keeping focused on the need for safety and security of the aviation industry. In the present times, the air traffic control can be found to have modernized extensively for this purpose. Thus the processes now include new radars, processing of data that are a utomated, navigation, surveillance, and equipments for effective communications. Thus the use of technology is effectively made in the present times trying to achieve monitoring, tracking and control on the industry (Dillingham, 1997, pp.1-5). ... There are impacts of emissions of carbon dioxide as well followed by the crowd of airlines in the skies. Thus the studies reveal that while on one hand, the aviation industry has lot to give to the economy of the world, on the other hand, the industry is faced with difficulties arising from climatic changes and competitions (Capoccitti, Khare & Mildenberger, 2010). Thus it can be understood that the need for successful delivery of flights and services across the airlines is highly essential for the airline companies. This would naturally require the airline companies to think of proper monitoring, tracking and control technology to be used such that the successful services of the aviation industry may be achieved. The need for monitoring, tracking and control technology is more for the aviation industry since it intends to lessen the environmental impact followed by emissions. The management of air traffic proves to be one of the efficient measures in this regard. Inefficiencies are still obtained as far as air traffic management is concerned and hence need improvement in this area of the industry. In order to attend the problem of climate change that is also encountered by other industries the aviation industry also has plans to reorganize their business model. â€Å"They will have to probably agree to be part of a network that moves people and goods from one place to another in an efficient and timely manner† (Capoccitti, Khare & Mildenberger, 2010). In order to reduce the emissions from the aviation industry, some of the measures have been found to be effective. These include: strengthening of the leadership strategy across the world, increasing the

Electronic medical record implementation in correctional facilities Assignment - 1

Electronic medical record implementation in correctional facilities - Assignment Example Despite the employees’ resistance to change, the significance of assessable and consistent medical records continues to be the main goal of most health care and correctional facilities. Therefore, with respect to this organization, employees should appreciate the necessity for implementation of the electronic medical records. Key strategies to successfully plan and implement electronic medical records In order to avoid major transitional challenges associated with the electronic medical system in correctional facilities, System innovators are expected to adopt creativity and consistent trials until they successfully overcome the challenges. A number of key strategies to be laid forward include; Selling the opportunity to the correctional facility leaders as a way of influencing them to adapt system change, physicians and other departmental heads should be approached with a considerate attempt and subdue them about the importance of the electronic change. This is considered eas ier to drive as compared to lower ranking practitioners who may not foresee significant concern on the electronic per-se. Adequate information should be provided to the leaders with proficient illustrations that the implementation of the new system will not in any way disrupt their current records (Perkins and Kelly 122). Staff involvement Involvement the staff members in the implementation plan is quite vital, and this is considered as one of the important factors in the implementation of the electronic medical system or any other system to be put in place. Clinical staff should be at the fore front to drive the process especially in areas where administrative and billing activity takes place. Whether it is a purchased or commercial system, customization has to be done within the correction center. Therefore, besides the implementation personnel, organization staff must be involved to help tailor the system to suite the required environment. Such kind of involvement would be deemed to have considered employees opinion in the system development and to avoid claims of organization imposing undesired system on them (Schultz, Ginsberg and Lucas 8). Staff involvement in the system plan can be used to champion other fellow physicians about the benefits of electronic medical records in their workday. A lot of emphasis is that, systems do not increase burden but instead reduces time spent in making phone call, locating test results and other information pertaining to patients’ safety at the corrective centers. Besides recruiting system technocrats, skeptics must be involved to work hand in hand with the designers until then electronic medical system meet the needs and the skeptical physicians get convinced and to enable them convert as stronger champions. Develop an in training For the success of an electronic medical system and thought all its’ implementation stages, a precise training should be executed to assists both training staff and physicians in stretching the knowledge dimensions (Rodin, Jennifer and Sharon 8). This consideration is based on the fact that quality training always provides adequate knowledge, enrich and engage all stakeholders leading to trainee bliss. Other than the training based on the supportive staff, additional training should b

Einstein's Wife The Controversy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Einstein's Wife The Controversy - Essay Example This article will examine all the evidence about this allegation and concludes that the theory that Mileva was Einsteins equal partner are, most likely, patently false, as they rely upon erroneous and incomplete information. The scholarly theory is that Mileva was Einsteins hidden collaborator on his theories. The question would become why did not get the credit that she deserved, is this is true? Rossiter (1993) might provide the answer. She writes of the â€Å"Matthew Effect,† so named for a passage in Matthew in The Bible which states that individuals may be under-recognized for their achievements. In the case of science, according to Rossiter, it is a matter of politics whether certain scientists, such as Albert Einstein, get international recognition over other scientists, such as Marian Smoluchowski, who was working on Brownian motion at the same time as Einstein. The Matthew Effect states that politics is the reason why some scientists get recognition over other scientists – these scientists have prestigious posts at universities and acolytes who are willing to extol their virtues to the public. The other scientists, who might be doing just as important work, have less prestigious p osts and fewer cheerleaders for them. Because of this, these scientists struggle for recognition, even though their work may be just as important, while other scientists get all the recognition.1 Rossiter suggests that this effect particularly effects women in the field. This marginalization of women has extended to the cases of women who were married to important scientists and have not gotten recognition for their work, as the recognition has completely gone to their husbands. It is in this category, suggests Rossiter, that the case of Mileva Maric might fall.2 Troemel-Ploetz (1990) also points to the insidious practice of not according

Motivations For Attendance At Notting Hill Festival Literature review

Motivations For Attendance At Notting Hill Festival - Literature review Example The Notting Hill carnival has been taking place on the last weekend of August each year since 1965. The carnival has become a major London and national event with over a million people attending each year. The carnival began as a way to address hate crime as well as race riots that took place in 1958. Since then, the carnival continues to be an anti-hate crime event endorsing racial harmony and the celebration of differences. The event not only brings together the black community but also tourists and Londoners alike in the biggest street festival in Europe. This study will seek to understand the fundamental magnitudes of motivations for attending the famous Notting Hill Carnival. The study will also try to discover why visitors’ numbers have decreased over the last six years of the Notting Hill Carnival. Finally, the study will analyse whether overcrowding and disruptive behavior has an effect on visitation. This research is important because it will bring awareness and critical understanding for the reason behind tourists or individuals attending the famous ‘hallmark event’; Notting Hill Carnival. Hallmark events is said to be an event that occurs in a town, city or region each year, on a specific date or around a specific time. For instance, Notting Hill Carnival occurs every year on the August bank holiday Sunday and Monday. Richie (1984, p. 2) defines hallmark events as: Major one-time or recurring events of limited duration, developed primarily to enhance awareness, appeal and profitability of a tourism destinat ion in the short term and/or long term. Such events rely for their success on uniqueness, status, or timely significance to create interest and attract attention. Notting Hill is a prime example of a well-known Hallmark event, which is why the study focuses on the key motivational factors for tourists attending the yearly event as well as importance of continuous attendance at the event. 1.2 Why Recent research has focused on visitor motivation and they experience they seek within music festival (Pegg & Patterson, 2010, p. 86). Consequently, not many studies have

Power in Organizations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Power in Organizations - Assignment Example    However, this perspective is limited by the limits of human abilities with regard to both individual ability to rationalize and overall cost of adopting a rational strategy in terms of personal, social and organizational costs. The exploitative perception, on the other hand, focuses on Marxist theory of exploitation. It speaks about the exploitation of different groups of persons in society by other classes of people. Such exploitation of segments of the population is a distinct feature of capitalistic, free markets where capital is the dominant factor. Capital is viewed as a social resource rather than a physical economic resource used to extract value of labor. This management approach considers workers as mere exploitable productive labor, and the value of workers’ wages is unequal to the value of products they make. Through this system, management always ensures surplus values that are enjoyed by the capitalists. Marxist theorists define exploitation as the labor theory of value, which affirms that the market price of a commodity is a function of quantity of labor time socially required to create the product. Therefore, because the organization makes profits on account of its workers, then the wo rkers are deemed to be exploited. The limitation of this approach is that the nature of work remains boring and mechanical, and the relationship between employers and employees remains hostile because labor is forced and workers are antagonized by their employers leading to low morale (Thomas, 2003).

The over dependence on computers and the internet Essay

The over dependence on computers and the internet - Essay Example However, in the past decade, they have undergone convenient transformations. They have now become handier and cheaper (Ray, â€Å"Article†). Rates offered by telecommunications companies have also been one of the most modern lowered and have become affordable to the middle and lower income groups in society. Its added features in text messaging, as a calculator, a camera, videophone, planner, radio, music storage, and other similar usages have added to its attraction and its popularity. Many developing nations have even embraced the technology for their businesses – to check market prices for their goods in market placed which may be two or three mountains away (Butler, â€Å"News†). Cell phones have become a convenient way for family members and friends to keep track and to contact each other, wherever they may be and whatever they might be doing. In this regard, it is also important for us to consider how the computers and the internet have become one of the mo st modern conveniences available to many people around the world. Computers have become a learning tool for many people, especially when they are used to access the internet in this currently globalized world. Countries and people which used to be an ocean away are now closer with the internet and all its features like social networking sites, search engines, and knowledge sharing. I believe that we have become too dependent on modern conveniences, both in our businesses and for our personal lives.

Does God Have a Future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Does God Have a Future - Essay Example Because by definition this is impossible many philosophers have relegated God to the dead letter box. But God is simply the belief that we each hold that defines the difference between right and wrong, and good and evil. It doesn't necessarily take a 'man in the sky' viewpoint to hold a belief in God or religion. Science changes its explanations and theories with time and so does God. This is not a dead God; it is a living and growing God. Armstrong contends that a "committed atheism can be more religious than a weary or inadequate theism". She points out that any explanation for God is either absurd or tyrannical. However, she uses the most extreme and lame versions of religion to cast her judgments. The living and evolving God is not left behind as a worn out concept, unable to keep up with science and technology. In fact, this is exactly why people are returning to God. We face challenges in our modern world that can't be confronted simply on logical or scientific terms. The decisions that we make need to resonate with the belief that there is a lasting good to come from them. This comes by being rooted in the 'passionate theism' that guides us. God may be a new and improved version of the previous over-ruling tormentor and keeper of the gates of hell.

Definition of a True Friend Essay Example for Free

Definition of a True Friend Essay What is the definition of a true friend? A lot of people have friends that they can depend on for just about anything. Some just have needy friends that are there when they need or want something. There are so many definitions of what a friend could be. The dictionary’s definition of a friend is a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. Although there are many different ways to describe a friend, you will always know when you have a true friend if you have ever had one before. Most friends come and go but a true friend will always stay. A true friend is someone that you can ask for advice and learn a lot from just from being around them. Having a true friend can be the best thing you will ever experience spiritually. One way to tell whether or not you have a true friend is if they can turn a bad day into a good day with a conversation or even a small compliment. Being a true friend means that one will not judge you by your mistakes but help to make the proper corrections to the mistakes. A true friend listens to your problems and lends you beneficial guidance to better your situation. Being a true friend means whether or not they agree with your choices, they will stand by you and support your decisions. Sometimes they may not always like what you have to say, however they will always respect it because of the common ground shared by the two of you. At times you will argue with a friend and have a falling-out with them for a lengthy amount of time. What can cause a potential altercation between you and your friend is not treating your friend with the proper respect deemed necessary in a healthy friendship. Most of the time it is just a swift disagreement that ends in a more exceptional interpretation of one another’s feelings, however, there are also times when it can be much more damaging to the friendship itself. It could take a long period of time to repair it, if it can even be repaired at all. Having the encouragement and support of a friend can be one of the most prominent qualities to keeping a friendship glued together. Letting a friend know that you are behind them in whatever they do and that you will support them in any decision they make is a good, firm foundation for a true friendship. Even though you might not make all the same choices that your friend may make, you should still support whatever decision they may make. It is very clear to see there are so many definitions of what a friend could be it is often overlooked that a true friend is really a true friend. Whether it’s going to some sort of an event or just hanging around, time with them and understanding where they are coming from is a good, solid foundation to a true friendship. So many people do not often realize the profound relationship that you had or can have with a true friend until it is lost. I advise that if you have a friend that meets any of these qualities, or gives you any of these feelings to keep them and cherish what you have. Treat a good friend the way you would like to be treated. Like a true friend!

Multimedia Applications for Educational Purposes

Multimedia Applications for Educational Purposes Multimedia Applications for Educational Purposes Tan Ai Fen ABSTRACT Multimedia is a combination of text, graphic, animation, audio, and video which are everything we can see and hear in our daily life (Vaughan, 2006). Multimedia applications can be used in many areas, for example like educations, businesses, homes and public places. This paper surveys the multimedia applications for educational purposes. There are six main elements in multimedia applications for educational purposes which are texts, images, audios, videos, animations and user control. Besides that, this paper also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of multimedia applications in education. There also have few characteristics in education which are screen design, interaction and feedback, navigation, video and audio elements on the development in education. In education, multimedia applications are used as a source of information to deliver learning resources for students. Multimedia applications also used to improve the learning process and increase the interaction between stu dents and teachers or lecturers. Teachers or lecturers can make the lesson more interesting by using the multimedia applications. A multimedia applications can highlight certain important points rather than writing on the white board. There is no doubt that the role of multimedia applications for educational purposes. This new context of learning definitely will influence the way of teachers or lecturers teach and the way of students learn. They continually search for more effective ways to engage their students during learning as well as to increase student learning outcomes. Keywords: learning, multimedia applications, educational purposes. INTRODUCTION According to Vaughan (2006), multimedia is a combination of text, graphic, animation, audio, and video which are everything we can see and hear in our daily life. Multimedia also refers to the uses of computer technology to create, store and experience multimedia content (Singh, 2007). Multimedia applications play a crucial role in education which range from preschool education to postgraduate students and corporate training packages. Multimedia applications can be defined as an application that uses a combination of many media sources such as texts, graphics, audios, videos and animations. It is often use to deliver information which is more powerful than printed learning resources such as printed text book. It also allows users to interact with the information quickly and accurately. Educational multimedia applications enable students to get information in various formats. Examples of multimedia applications are World Wide Web, courseware, interactive TV, computer games, and virtual reality. In education, multimedia application is used to provide computer based training courses and reference books such as encyclopedia. A computer based training courses lets the students go through a series of presentation, text about a particular topic in various information format (Singh, 2007). Multimedia applications are used by teachers and lecturers to convey information such as lecture slides, assessment materials and others learning resources. It can also use by students to learn new skills and knowledge without lecturers guidance. According to Steinmetz and Nahrstedt (1995), â€Å"Multimedia applications are moving from a single PC environment to either a multi-user environment or to a personalized user environment.† The rapid innovation and development in information and communication technologies has been increased the used of multimedia applications in our daily life and brought the changes to computing, entertainment and education. However, educational multimedia applications will not going to replace the roles of teachers or lecturers, it will only allow students to learn more when compare with traditional teaching methods. Multimedia applications for educational purposes are similar like the printed text books and other teaching materials, but they can be come in a wider range of sources. The potential of multimedia applications for educational purposes is well-recognized by the universities, school, government and private organization. Educational multimedia applications can be more focused on specific objectives or in more comprehensive ways (Norhayati Siew, 2004). There has been an increase in demand of educational multimedia applications at all level of citizens for them to apply their knowledge in different field of study and situations. Multimedia applications had greatly influenced the education in many ways. They give teachers or lecturers to prepare study materials for students in a more clearly and comprehensive way such as demonstrate and visualize the study material in a multimedia presentation (Milkova, 2012). Multimedia applications can also be used as a source of information. Multimedia applications can be developed to enhance the learning process and increase the interaction between students and lecturers. Lecturers can make the lesson more interesting by using the multimedia presentations. As the information is presented in variety ways, multimedia applications enhance the user experience and make the learners easier to grasp the information (Singh, 2007). THE ELEMENTS OF MULTIMEDIA APPLICATION IN EDUCATION Although the definition of multimedia application is simple, making it work can be complicated. We need to understand how to make each multimedia element together using educational multimedia computer tools. The elements used in multimedia applications have all existed before. Educational multimedia applications combine those elements into a powerful new tool, especially in the hands of teachers or lecturers and students. Multimedia applications can be used in many areas, for example like educations, businesses, homes and public places. For educational purposes, students can explore variety of information for further understanding by using multimedia applications. Educational multimedia applications are used to improve learning effectiveness. A multimedia learning environment involves numbers of elements in order to enable learning process taking places. There are six main elements in multimedia applications for educational purposes which are texts, images, audio, video, animations a nd user control. Firstly, text is an important element in multimedia applications; it can use to provide information and emphasize specific point by using different styles, fonts, and colours. Secondly, image is an object that has more significant impact than merely reading about text in an educational session. Image can be added to multimedia applications by using colour scanner or digital camera. Examples of image are photographs, artworks, drawings. Thirdly, audio can be used to emphasize certain points and enables teachers to presents a lot of information at once rather than use printed learning resources. Audio allows students to use their imagination without being biased, so it will greatly increase the learning outcome. Fourthly, video can be used to present the information beyond the scope of the ordinary lecture room such as medical operations. The use of video to deliver information can be very powerful and immediately, it allows teachers or lecturers to highlight certain key points or tell the students what are going to do next and understand the real life situation. Fifthly, animation is used to demonstrate an idea or illustrate a concept; an object that appears blurry in video can be presented clearly in animation because it can view the changes of the object over time. Lastly, user control uses to provide students with the option to skip particular parts of the multimedia application and allow them to navigate other areas of that program. All of the elements are combined to provide a platform for students to maximize the effectiveness of educational purposes (Yadav, 2006). ADVANTAGES OF USING EDUCATIONAL MULTIMEDIA APPLICATIONS The growth in use of multimedia applications for educational purposes has accelerated in recent years, and looks set for continued expansion in the future. The multimedia applications play an undeniable role in education. Multimedia applications have many advantages that allow teachers and lecturers to provide other advice which tailored to particular group of learners’ needs (Cairncross and Mannion, 2001). Teachers or lecturers discover the ways to boost student’s interest and motivate them by using educational multimedia applications. Students can also active involve in the learning process by using multimedia applications such as CD-ROM based textbook, tutorials and laboratory experiments (Yadav, 2006). Multimedia applications increase the learning effectiveness and are more attractive than traditional-based learning methods. This new learning environment definitely influence the way of teachers or lecturers teach and the way students learn. Teachers or lecturers continually search for more effective ways to attract their students during learning as well as to increase student learning outcomes. People learn better from words and pictures than from words alone. Therefore, educational multimedia applications use a combination of multimedia elements to present and emphasize particular points only, thus it is more effective because the students are easier to put attention on it rather than on static printed learning materials. Students often split their attention when they are forced to focus information that is far apart, or it is presented at two separate points at the same time. Therefore, when the related content is presented in words and picture at the same time, the learning outcome is more effective. Research found that students will participate in the lesson more actively when teachers or lecturers integrates multimedia element in learning process because they will pay more attention as the lesson becomes more inter esting (Fatimah Puteh Siti Shuhaida, 2009). For example, when the animation and narration are presented simultaneously, students are easier to understand and that information can be quickly integrated into long term memory. A multimedia presentation is an example of multimedia application, it can highlight certain information that teachers or lecturers wants to deliver. Multimedia applications are used to grab student’s attention and generate interest during learning process. It can improve the student’s attitude toward content and learning. Multimedia applications enable students increase their memory of content and foster deeper learning when compared to traditional teaching ways that use by teachers and lecturers. Multimedia applications for educational purposes also can make the learning fun and decrease the anxiety and tension toward certain scary subjects. There is no doubt that the important role of multimedia applications for educational purposes because it can influence the way of teachers or lecturers teach and the way of students learn. Multimedia applications are easy to use by the students or lecturers. Students are able to navigate and retrieve the information quickly because they have the ability to interact with the multimedia applications. Students can learn more when they can control pace of the presentation such as slow down, start and stop at certain information as they want. Multimedia applications are tailored the information need to the individual because it can be presented in different ways to engage students with different learning styles and strengths. Every student may have different preferences and modes to learn about something. As an example, a student prefers to read certain learning materials from prints, while another student may prefer a visual presentation. Therefore, multimedia applications for educationa l purposes are effective to all particular students and lecturers because it is tailored to their needs. DISADVANTAGES OF USING EDUCATIONAL MULTIMEDIA APPLICATIONS Multimedia applications for educational purposes that delivered the learning materials via videos or images need computers, projectors and other electronic devices, so the expenses for these applications can be very expensive. Normally multimedia applications for educational purposes are more expensive than printed text book because it requires expensive hardware. Multimedia applications also not so easy for configuration and requires special hardware to run it. When lecturer uses educational multimedia application, he will shift his role from instructor to facilitator. As the amount of multimedia elements increase, it will slow down the delivery and pace of the learning process. For example, a student was allowed to complete the lesson at their own pace as they navigate the stage of learning materials or students works in a group to view multimedia applications, some of them maybe are not proficient with the technology, thus they need to spend more time on learning computer skills rather than access the information. Sometimes educational multimedia applications are not effective for those who have weak learning skills. From student’s perspective, there is disadvantage exist in educational multimedia applications. Multimedia applications have the limitation such as making an e-learning accessible to all students. For example, some of the applications may not suitable to certain students. A hearing impaired student cannot heard the streaming of audio, thus these multimedia applications are not accessible to all students (Nedeva, Dimova, Dineva, 2010). Another disadvantage of multimedia applications for educational purposes is that students feel isolated and unsupported by teachers or lecturers when they don’t understand certain topics. Teachers or lecturers are not always available when students need help from them; as a result they need to work independently without assistance. Hence, educational multimedia applications are least effective to those who need guidance and assistance from teachers or lecturers. CHARACTETISTICS OF EDUCATIONAL MULTIMEDIA APPLICATIONS There are few characteristics of multimedia applications in education which are screen design, interaction and feedback, navigation, video and audio elements on the development in education. Firstly, screen design is use to coordinate text and graphic elements in order to present sequenced content to facilitate learning and enhance student‘s understanding. Each instruction that display on screen in a multimedia application must provide effective instruction and navigation tools to the students. Screen design also use to boost the interest of the students and convey the required information to them. In short, a good screen design should require focusing student’s attention, maintaining their interest, promoting processing and engagement between student and lesson content, help student find and organize the information and facilitate lesson navigation. The second characteristic is interaction and feedback, it allows student to interact and control the flow of information and stage of learning with the multimedia application. Interaction and feedback also enable student active participant in the instruction learning process and provide feedback immediately following a student response. Feedback is information about the correctness or appropriateness of student’s response which usually displayed on screen. Third characteristic of multimedia applications for educational purposes is navigation. Navigation feature can enhance learning outcome and make an interactive multimedia applications easy to use by the students. Navigation provides students some control over the events and allows them to jump into new sections or revisit the information from earlier screen. Students can also learn and understand more when they can control the multimedia applications such as slow down, start and stop at certain information as they want. Lastly, video and audio elements on the development in education have advantages to present the information to those students who have poor reading and learning skills. Students are easier to understand the lessons which use audio and video to convey the information rather than static learning materials. When audio and video is used to support text, it can provide an opportunity for the students to pause and repeat the sound. (Stemler, 1997) CONCLUSION Multimedia applications are excellent tool for educational purposes. It can improve the effectiveness of learning outcome by deliver the information to the students. Multimedia applications can use to deliver information in an interesting way by combining the elements of texts, images, audios, videos, animations and user control. Multimedia applications have a lot of advantages for the education purposes which can help students have further understanding on certain information or topics. Screen design, interaction and feedback, navigation, video and audio elements are the characteristic of multimedia applications. There is no doubt that the multimedia applications can be used as a tool to assist teachers and lecturers to achieve educational effectiveness. However, multimedia applications for educational purposes have its disadvantages too. Developing a good multimedia application has high cost that involves time and effort of the developer. There are few characteristic that a develop er tries to improve the effectiveness of educational multimedia applications which are attract student’s attention, help students organize the information and facilitate lesson navigation and integrate all the information into knowledge. REFERENCES Cairncross, S., Mannion, M. (2001). Interactive Multimedia and Learning: Realizing the Benefits. 156-164. Fatimah Puteh Siti Shuhaida Shukor. (2009). The Integration Of Multimedia Elements In Classroom Teaching Among TESL Teacher-Trainees. 1-6. Milkova, E. (2012). Multimedia Application Effective Support of  Education.13-21. Nedeva, V., Dimova, E., Dineva, S. (2010). Overcome Disadvantages of E-learning for Training English as Foreign Language. 275-281. Norhayati Abd Mukti, Siew, P. H. (2004). Malaysian Perspective: Designing Interactive Multimedia Learning Environment for Moral Values Education. 143-152. Singh, V. P. (2007). A Text Book of Multimedia. United Stated: Global Media. Steinmetz, R., Nahrstedt, K. (1995). Multimedia: computing, communications, and applications. New York: Prentice Hall. Stemler, L. K. (1997). Educational Characteristics of Multimedia: A Literature Review. 339-359. Vaughan, T. (2010). Multimedia Making It Work, 8th Edition. McGraw Hill Yadav, V. (2006). Using Multimedia in Education. United Stated:  Global Media.

Collaborative Work in Social Care

Collaborative Work in Social Care Introduction The following essay proposes to consider the question of collaborative working in social care, looking in particular at the impact of collaborative working between agencies and professional disciplines within the context of children and families. This represents an especially complex problem to attempt to tackle with the issues of both collaborative working and working with children families subject to an almost constant process of reform and change in the contemporary era. When, for instance, we pause to consider the way in which collaborative work has become such a central feature of contemporary social policy in western liberal democracies with the promulgation of the partnership approach to government dictating the pattern of a variety of social, cultural, economic and political initiatives, we can see that any discussion relating to multi-agency work must reside in some part within the realms of a constantly changing political ideology that seeks in the first instance to instil new parameters for social work practice (Quinney, 2006:5-21). Likewise, when we consider the changing nature of working with children and families in the contemporary era, we can see that a decidedly pervasive legislative and policy framework increasingly that seeks to infringe upon the practice of social work on both an individual and a collaborative level cannot help but impact upon our understanding of the nature and role of the social worker within the context of children and families (OLoughlin and Bywater, 2008:14-27). Thus, we need to observe from the outset the way in which the following essay constitutes an inherently subjective discussion where any conclusions garnered should be understood as open to further change and reinterpretation. For the purpose of perspective, we intend to adopt a dualistic approach to the problem at hand, looking firstly at the political, ideological and legal context in which social work with children and families currently takes place. In this way, we will be better able to demonstrate an effective understanding of the field of child and family work, the social work role and the multidiscipline system in relation to children in need and children in need of protection. Secondly, we will look at the implications of our own evidence-based research yielded from group dynamics involving a specific case study of children and families. In this way, we will be better able to demonstrate an understanding of the importance of evidence-based practice. Moreover, in this way, we will be better able to consider both the strengths and the weaknesses of the collaborative approach to social service provision at the dawn of the twenty first century. Before we can begin, though, we need to briefly consider the historical context in order to establish a conceptual framework in which the remainder of the discussion can take place. The political, ideological and legal context of working with children and families To understand the significance of the multi-agency, collaborative approaches to child protection we need to first mention some of the most profound cases of child cruelty, which have acted as a launch pad for reforms of social services. When, for instance, we pause to consider the case of Dennis ONeil who was starved and subsequently beaten to death by his foster father in 1945, we can see that instances of extreme abuse of looked after children directly contributed to reform of the child social services system. Maria Colwell was similarly abused and killed at the hands of her stepfather in spite of over fifty official visits to the family by social services, health visitors, police officers and housing officers before her death in 1973. As a result of the ensuing enquiry into Maria Colwells death, looked after children were assigned a guardian by the state. (Cocker and Allain, 2008:24) Likewise, public outrage, internal inquiries and institutional reform accompanied the murders of J asmine Beckford in 1984 and the uncovering of widespread sexual abuse amongst looked after children in Cleveland in 1987. In addition, the wrongful fostering of children on the Orkney Islands in 1991 after social workers mistakenly assumed that parents were part of a satanic cult triggered a reconfiguration of child protection policy, acting as a timely reminder as to the fallibility of decision making at an individual as well as an organisational level. Yet while it is true that childrens services have been influenced by individual historical cases of neglect, abuse and murder, it is also true that social work and childrens services are inherently tied to the dominant political ideology of the day. As we have already asserted, social work practice in the contemporary era is an inherently political issue with a pervasive neoliberal political ideology dictating the pattern of social policy and welfare reform over the course of the past two decades. Nowhere is this modernising neoliberal impetus more prominent than in the field of social work with children and families (Johns, 2009:39-54). Beginning with the Childrens Act of 1989 and continuing with the amended Childrens Act of 2004, the state has increasingly sought to make provisions for disadvantaged children and failing families in order to reduce the debilitating ill effects of marginalisation and social exclusion. These two Acts, in conjunction with a variety of other related social policies and statutory framework such as the Every Child Matters programme, constitute an ideological watershed with regards to the way in which the state legislatively copes with the numerous issues arising from children and families. Most obviously, these pieces of legislation and the broader emphasis upon social inclusion that they entail telegraph a new way of responding to issues arising from children and families by looking to target the causes (rather than the consequences) of neglect, exclusion, abuse and the ubiquitous problem of failing families. As a result, it is important to observe the way in which the reforms initiated over the closing decades of the twentieth century and the opening decade of the twenty first century represent a move away from the permissive social policies of the post-war years so as to incorporate a discernibly more preventative agenda for working with children and families (Morri s, Barnes and Mason, 2009:43-67). It is within this climate of preventative action that we must consider the genesis and subsequent evolution of collaborative social work practice with multi-agency work being intrinsically tied to the broader imperative of safeguarding children. The statutory framework of the Every Child Matters initiative, underpinned by the Childrens Act (2004) is, for instance, inherently tied to the partnership, collaborative approach to social service provision involving the active participation of professionals across all spectrums who work with children and young adults (Brammer, 2009:166). Understood in this way, the role of the social worker represents one part of a broader network of rights and responsibilities incorporating General Practitioners, psychologists, educational practitioners, housing association officers, National Health Service professionals, law enforcement agencies, government officials, local councillors, parents, family members and any number of related workers and associa tes who are able to help formulate an effective social agenda which places the child at the epicentre of all key decision-making. In this way, the social worker is better able to communicate with children who have suffered or are suffering from cases of neglect and abuse (Davies and Duckett, 2008:164-166). As a consequence, it is clear that partnership and collaboration should be understood as the ideological bedrock of the contemporary legal and political framework for dealing with children, families and young adults, constituting the single most important guiding principle for social workers operating in the highly complex, risk-orientated contemporary social sphere. Fuelled in some part by the high profile cases of internal failings contributing to childrens neglect where, most notably, the untimely death of Victoria Climbie in 2000 highlighted gross failures of the system (Laming, 2003:11-13), collaborative working between agencies and professional disciplines is today understood as the most viable means of positively impacting upon the well being of both children and families (Brammer, 2009:182.) In response to the murder of Victoria Climbie and, more pertinently, as a result of the economic imperative to cut back on public sector spending, the New Labour government, followed by the present coalition government, has increasingly sought to further the multi-agency approach to social services. The Childrens Plan (2007), for example, constitutes an ideological extension of the collaborative methodology championed in the Every Child Matters campaign with the government, agencies and professionals all charged with improving childrens lives. (The Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2010:29) Safeguarding the well being of children is therefore no longer considered to be the sole responsibility of the state; rather, it is clear that promoting the welfare of children and families is increasingly dependent upon adopting an integrated approach with a variety of agencies, organisations and individuals sharing the responsibility for welfare while at the same time ensuring that the child remains the focus of proactive, preventative action (The Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2010:31-34). It is consequently important to underline the strengths of the multi-agency approach to social care provision, underscoring in particular the way in which focusing upon collaborative working with children and families offers a holistic approach to what is an essentially multi-faceted problem. However, while we are correct to acknowledge the modernising ideology that underpins modern social work practice, we also need to observe the way in which the day to day practice of social work with children and families has revealed a significant underlying chasm between, on the one hand, the preventative legal framework and, on the other hand, the deep-seated flaws in the multi-agency, inter-disciplinary approach to welfare provision in the modern day (Oko, 2008:16-39). In spite of the best efforts of policy makers and in spite of the preventative statutory framework enshrined in the Every Child Matters initiative, there remain deep-rooted structural and logistical problems pertaining to the multi-agency approach. For example, the horrific death of Baby P in 2007 which occurred after social services, National Health Service consultants, and police officers demonstrates that there remains a clear and identifiable problem with regards to communication between agencies, organisations and professions. Moreover, the harrowing case of Baby P serves to demonstrate that, even when extreme levels of abuse are being reported, there remains a problem regarding intervention. The multi-agency approach to social care provision in the contemporary should therefore be understood as being inherently flawed with the collaborative system beset by a variety of structural weaknesses and new ideological complexities (Milner and OByrne, 2009:19-23). Although we should not seek to overlook the strengths of multi-agency, collaborative working we must, as Eileen Munro attests, consider the way in which an exceedingly risk-orientated socio-political culture has created additional problems for social workers in the modern era with an increasingly bureaucratic, administrative understanding of social services hampering the attainment of a critical understanding of the underlying economic, cultural and political factors that create problems in the social sphere (Munro, 2008:58-76). An over-emphasis upon res earch and policy has not yet yielded a significant reduction in the chasm between theory and practice. Working in a Group: The Lessons for Working with Children and Families Hitherto, we have focused upon attempting to understand how the dominant political, ideological and legal framework looks to dictate the pattern of social services at the dawn of the twenty first century. We have also seen that while policies and frameworks seek to instil a fresh, collaborative approach to working with children and young families the practical reality of working in a multi-agency context still leads to significant problems pertaining to communication. This, in the final analysis, is an inevitable consequence of working with the dynamics of groups where there is little by way of direction and where, more importantly, different group members harbour different perspectives and different ambitions with regards to the nature, role and purpose of the project at hand. In the group that I worked in, there were six participants. Two were two white women one a young woman in her early twenties; the other a woman in her thirties who is the mother of two young children. There were also two black women in the group; both of these women were in their thirties and both had children. In addition, there were two black men present in the group. As soon as the group began to convene, it was immediately apparent that there was a significant problem with regards to when the group could meet. Family commitments, coupled with work placements, conspired to make agreeing on a time to meet extremely difficult. Furthermore, when work was assigned to particular individuals it was not completed on time. A lack of structure was therefore prevalent from the start. As time went by and the problems with communication within the group continued to grow, it became apparent that the two white women took it upon themselves to act as the leaders of the group, delegating work as if they had been assigned the role of the managers. The younger woman in her early twenties was observed to be especially aggressive and domineering. When confronted she failed to act in a professional manner, which placed further strain upon the dynamics of the group. Furthermore, as the two white women exerted increasing levels of managerial control, it became apparent that they were withholding important information from the rest of the group. This was either because they did not trust the other members of the group to work to their standards or because they wished to take sole responsibility for the project upon completion. Regardless of their true intentions, the lack of co-ordination and communication resulted in a disappointing final presentation that had been undermine d on account of a wholesale lack of rehearsal. The lack of cohesive, coordinated action within the group revealed a great deal about the inherent problems of inter-agency work with children and families. Most obviously, there was a clear and identifiable problem relating to a lack of leadership and direction in the group. Although there were only six members, every participant appeared to have their own specific agenda, which meant that the overall goal became lost in the resulting confusion of responsibilities. This, according to Michael Gasper, is a key problem in multi-agency working with children and young people where a convergence of interests creates fertile grounds for problems relating to management and leadership (Gasper, 2009:92-110). In such circumstances, it is often the agency or partner that adopts the most rigorously aggressive attitude which ends up assuming a leadership-type role largely against the best interests of the project in hand. This was certainly the case in the group we observed where the two white w omen assumed leadership roles although no such premise had been discussed and in spite of the fact that no such policy had been agreed. In this instance, of course, it is impossible to ignore the spectre of underlying race issues that may have consciously or subconsciously influenced the behaviour of the two white women within the group. Race issues are intrinsically tied to power issues; thus, the white women might have felt the need to assume control of a group dominated by black people. Again, the issue of power and the impact that this has upon inter-personal relationships within a multi-agency setting is an important factor for us to consider. As Damien Fitzgerald and Janet Kay underscore, power is an inexorably important factor that needs to be legislated for when teams come together in an interdisciplinary, multi-professional context. This is especially true during the early consultative stages of group work the storming stage where there may be fighting, power struggles, disputes and destructive criticism, which need to be managed effectively so as to minimise the impact upon the setting or the service. (Fi tzgerald and Kay, 2007:92) The relationships that emerge from the storming stage are subsequently normalised during the ensuing norming stage where the team starts to adopt its own identity. If, however, the relationships between the various agencies have not settled down into an egalitarian pattern by the norming stage of development, the power struggles and internal disputes will inevitably affect the performing stage of task management. Most notably, the creative process will be stifled and the focus that should be dedicated towards the completion of the task will be diverted towards the power struggles within the group (Cheminais, 2009:38-40). This was certainly the case in the group I worked in where problems in the storming stage were translated into more serious structural problems in the norming stage, both of which ultimately affected the final performing stage of the task. Thus, once more, we need to acknowledge the significant divide between theory and practice in collaborative working with children and families where, as Jayat suggests, policies can be well intentioned, yet are often poorly co-ordinated and, in practice, under-resourced. (Jayat, 2009:92) Furthermore, while acknowledging the problems that multi-agency, collaborative work entails, we also need to consider the way in which the infusion of children into the scenario creates further avenues for a lack of cohesive, co-ordinated action. If, as the evidence suggests, information sharing is negatively influenced by multi-agency, collaborative working with adults, then it stands to reason that there is bound to be much greater scope for withholding information when children and families are integrated into the procedure. If relationships at an agency level are strained then it stands to reason that, as Butler and Roberts attest, that social workers will find it even harder to maintain open and honest relationships with children and their parents in a social work context (Butler and Roberts, 2004:129-130). More importantly, it is clear that there is little time for power struggles and disputes when a childs welfare is at stake. In the final analysis, this kind of internal wrang ling runs contrary to the central tenet of the Every Child Matters and the Working to Safeguard Children campaigns, which look to make sure that the child remains the centre of task-centred, multi-agency focus (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2010:32). We should, of course, be careful not to assume that all group dynamics follow the pattern of the group we observed. While evidence suggests that there remains a significant scope for problems of power, communication, authority and direction within multi-agency settings it is also true that, if handled in the appropriate manner, collaborative practice allows differences in values to surface and, if effectively minded, to be aired and resolved over time (Glenny and Roaf, 2008:111) In such circumstances, multi-agency work with children and families can serve to positively influence the health and well being of service users. As a consequence, it is important not to assume that the structural weaknesses of collaboration mean that there are no strengths to the multi-agency process. Conclusion Understanding the strengths and the weaknesses of collaborative working between agencies and professional disciplines is dependent upon first understanding the distance to be travelled between the theory of prevention and the practice of collaboration at a grass roots level. Looking to reduce the divide between theory and practice, between the political and ideological framework and the multi-agency, collaborative approach, consequently represents the most critical challenge facing social workers and social policy makers alike. This is especially true as far as childrens services are concerned. Ultimately, though, when looking to pass a judgement on the relative strengths and weakness of multi-agency working with children and families we need to recall that agencies involve individuals responding to crises in the social sphere. As Beckett attests, every individual participant in the child protection process, and every profession or agency, necessarily sees things from his, her or its own particular standpoint and has his, her or its own particular axes to grind. It is important to bear in mind that no one participant possesses the pure and unadulterated truth.' (Beckett, 2009:29) Social work is an inherently complex and subjective discipline where there is no right or wrong answer to the multitude of questions arising from the breakdown of interpersonal relationships. Collaborative work should consequently be understood as being inherently fallible. Only by concentrating upon improving the internal group dynamics of multi-agency functioning can the chasm between theory and practice begin to be reduced.