Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro

Few novels dare to touch the inner vulnerability of humankind. It is Soseki’s Kokoro that captures the essence of friendship and loneliness, truth and betrayal, and life and death. The novel is, after all, about human nature. Any one reading this powerful work will quickly relate to the characters who go through tremendous strife, personal changes and much reflection. While Kokoro was written in Japan many years ago, it may be valuable to a reader even in contemporary society as its attributes may be embraced today, despite its age and cultural focus. Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro explores a great deal of subject matter. Several themes are woven into the pages of this older novel. It is fair to say, at least based on a personal experience, that one might have a tendency to discount the credibility of the work or deem much of the information irrelevant due to ages age and cultural differentiation. However, it will be shown that Kokoro is a novel that, like so many others, breaks the barriers of time. Soseki successfully creates deep characters that permeate the weak boundaries of the human character. We recognize that this novel shares a sense of timelessness supporting the entire foundation; the themes we see explored here are quite applicable to the lives we live today. Naturally, the Japanese component of the work is what makes the clear distinction between Japanese culture and Western mentality. But all the same, the morals in Kokoro seem to be fundamental enforcing great personal reflection upon the reader. As the reader progresses through the novel, contemplating themes and depicting the characters, specifically the student and Sensei, he begins to develop the notion that indeed the characters possess a sense of timelessness. They could have been born in the twentieth century and experienced the same sort of friendship and turmoil. However, the relationship between the two men is out of the realm of ordinary fiction. It is unique and something that this author explores quite candidly. The fact that the two are in a close friendship and that the young student explores new territory is in some way allowing the older character to live up to his title of â€Å"teacher†, or Sensai. Yet, in exploring the issue of timelessness, and applicability to other situations, the particular point about the friendship between the two is omething that could have taken place anywhere and anytime. While other portions of the work are pertinent to Japanese culture, the exploration of such a friendship is something that is truly universal. The reader might note perhaps the anomaly of their relationship, though, considering the ages of the men. Yet, such friendships do form between old and young; youthful intellectuals mi ght find greater knowledge in those older individuals who experienced history than what is written in a book. Clearly, their relationship differs from that of the bonds between grandparents and grandchildren though. They are peers, respectful and yet colloquial in their manners. In the case of Kokoro, the relationship begins between two strangers but the friendship formed becomes intense very quickly. There are yet more ways to explore relationships between men in the novel. It must be emphasized that these relationships all too often go unnoticed and unexplored by fiction. Soseki looks at not only the student’s relationship with Sensei but also with his dying father. Here we have a young man, his father on his death-bed and his mentor stating to have ended his life. What was the student to do, where was he to go, who would he want to be with during those men’s last minutes of life? Quite a lot of pressure for any individual. He was caught up in the times, the evolution of modernization and the uncertainty as to remain in the traditional realm of Japanese culture and stay by his father’s side or perhaps continue to pursue his education and knowledge, returning to Sensai to demonstrate his gratitude, devotion, and friendship. Ironically, it is Sensei who commits suicide! The emotions that well up in the young man, however, are truly universal. A sense of betrayal and sadness permeate the work and create a void. After all, things were going quite well in the world of friendship and male bonding until the young student’s mentor of sorts would commit this ultimate act. This story is about one man’s journey through self-realization and the revelations he makes after befriending a man. In one way, it is more about a personal journey than about a relationship. What is most troubling, and lends the work a somber tone, is the main character’s loneliness, yet another theme illustrated in this novel. In some way, Sensei helps to break through that barrier. After K’s suicide, he realized the atrocities of his actions and the heinous development of his character from diligent student to human betrayer. After much time of personal torment, K confided in him of his love for Ojasan. Why Sensai seemed surprised as to the context of the confession somewhat confuses the reader as clearly anyone could have seen that K was also in love with her, in fact, surely Sensai knew, but he reclined to a state of denial. He states, â€Å"I felt as if I had been turned into stone by a magician’s wand. I could not even move my lips as K had done† (205). As Sensai came to understand it was he who was responsible for the death of this man, he felt he had no choice but to cease all human actions and remain an outcast in society, secluding himself to his home and his wife. Surely, no one could understand what he had done or what he had been through, not even his wife as he states, â€Å"I was saddened by the thought that she, whom I loved and trusted more than anyone else in this world, could not understand me. And the thought that I had not the courage to explain myself to her mad me sadder still. I was very lonely. Indeed, there were times when I felt that I stood completely alone in this world, cut off from every other living person† (240). He began to realize he was no longer innocent like the student who visited him often, the student he had once been, but he became his betraying uncle who robbed him of the only money his parents left him after they died. And even more than this pitiful character, Sensai then evolved into a character such as K, burying himself in books, avoiding people and friendships, bottling up all of his emotions inside and eventually ending his life as a means of escaping loneliness. Certainly another significant theme explored in this novel is the assumption that by losing one’s identity, one learns to value it. What is meant by identity is that by rejecting ones own particular understanding of themselves, they are likely to find it once again, a theory that that cannot be ignored as the student learned this by befriending the old man. And he did not do this in the easiest way. His challenge was between the two cultures, that of a liberal nature and that of a traditional nature. He imply did not know which one to turn to in times of need and in desperation to seek knowledge. In fact, perhaps what makes the novel so powerful is it’s thought provoking style, allowing the reader to analyze his own life through the main character’s journey. The loss of one’s identity perhaps creates a blank slate to enable one to find it. We see quite a change in the young man as he learns that Sensai will commit suicide. While it is difficult to read abo ut suicide and how it affects others, this is a major theme as the concept of suicide is universal. When it is brought up, the ultimate questions must be asked and answered. Sometimes there are no answers. The young man wrestles with a great deal of conflict throughout the novel but it is the knowledge of the suicide that perhaps becomes the final straw— the young man’s loneliness is accentuated. What does he have left? Many people have experienced such trauma in their lives and may be able to relate to what he felt. There is that sense of betrayal and self-blame, â€Å"what if I had done or said something differently? † Such thoughts are enough to drive any individual to insanity. There are moments when emotions of remorse and guilt are so overwhelming they cloud all better judgment and force the individual into a deep state of depression. The ultimate questions of free will and fate come rushing to consciousness. Sensai even declares that it was his pre-destined fate that his life would conclude this way as he states, â€Å"Her fate had been pre-ordained no less than mine had been† (244). The themes carried through the book are certainly something inherent in more modern fiction, thus proving that the theme has a sense of timelessness. The novel is further a testimony that suicide does indeed affect more than ones self. Of course, even if suicide is not legal or does not conform to a society’s standards, there is nothing one can do to punish the person who commits such an act. Speaking of suicide, Sensai states, â€Å" Some may say that this was a vain sort of thing to do. But who are we to judge the needs of another man’s heart? † (247). He is already dead. It is those who are living who must bear the brunt of the act and that is what, above all, this novel shows. With the use of Sensei, the author is able to tell more about the young student. This technique also creates empathy for the father who additionally served to create conflict within the reader. Loyalty is sometimes split and there is sometimes a sense of tension in the air. The characters reveal something every reader can use, something perhaps the author was conscious of. The author may not have realized that these characters, and their predicaments, would be so moving as to inspire its audience to examine ones own self. Soseki creates a difficult situation and through the main characters, is able to inspire a number of emotions that the reader likely can use and identify with. The reason is because although the author uses a certain predicament, the problem can be easily applied to other situations. Thus, it is quite easy to look at Kokoro and think about ones own personal dilemmas that are somewhat related to the problems that torment these characters. The idea that the book permeates time and is applicable to today’s world, through use of the characters, has been demonstrated. It would be difficult to argue against it as Soseki’s characters certainly live today. Reading Kokoro is like looking in a mirror, sometimes at things no one wants to see. It begs the reader to question his or her own personal relationships and how far they would go for a friend. How far would they go to protect their own honor? What would one do if a friend did kill himself? What would it take for the reader to commit the ultimate act? And yet, time would continue. That it a message that emanates from the pages of this great work and breaks through the boundaries that time tries to inflict. The concepts inherent in the work are certainly applicable in modern society despite the fact that the author lived so long ago in Japan.

Business and Society Case 1 Essay

Business and Society have a complicated relationship. Organizations make products or deliver services with the goal of making a profit. Human beings and social structures that humans create together make up society. Businesses and society are of an interactive system. Business firms participate in continuous interactions or exchanges with its external environment. Society and business make up a cooperative social system where each other’s actions affect one another. In the stakeholder theory of the firm, all businesses have a purpose to create value for its diverse stakeholders. For these organizations to stick around, they must make a profit for their owners and, in addition, businesses must understand and take all stakeholders’ interests, power, and alliances into account and thus try to create different kinds of value for their stakeholders, whether for employees, communities, or others. Businesses must recognize who the corporation’s market and nonmarket stakeholders are. Every business firm has economic and social relationships with society, whether they affect positively or negatively; are intended or unintended. Stakeholders are those who affect or are affected by the firm, whether they have a market relationship or not. Often with multiple interests in mind, the stakeholders can implement their economic, political, and other powers in ways that can help or defy the organization. Stakeholders may act independent or together to impact the companies. Modern corporations developed a range of complex, boundary-crossing departments that manage of interactions with stakeholders and society. For instance, Walmart has a huge impact on society and must effectively and efficiently deal with stakeholders interests. A number of vast factors mold the relationship between business and society. These include changing societal and ethical expectations, shifting public expectations and government policies, fast paced global economy, dealing with ecological concerns , and changing the transformational role of technology and innovation. Corporate strategy has to deal with expectations of all stakeholders and even society itself. Application Points Chapter 1 Discussion Questions 1. The issue in this case is simply that Disney had a vision of making people feel like they are â€Å"in another world† while they were in Disneyland. Although, this interferes with companies coming into their territory and building affordable housing for people who work within the walls of Disneyland. Disney ultimately has the final say in the matter because of their continuous revenue stream for the city of Anaheim. This means that no matter what Disney will get what it wants. 2. The relevant market stakeholders include the employees, customers, suppliers, and creditors. The nonmarket stakeholders include the community, governments, and the general public. 3. Stakeholder interests a. Employees – have a more affordable housing complex near Disneyland (support SunCal’s plan) b. Customers – have a fun and memorable time at Disneyland (most likely indifferent to the situation, but are affected indirectly) c. Suppliers – Ultimately make or lose money geared on the success of Disneyland (do not support SunCal) d. Creditors – Also rely on Disney revenue stream (do not support SunCal) e. Community – The city of Anaheim benefits with Disneyland tax payments (do not support SunCal) f. Governments – Same as Community g. General Public – benefit from Disneyland revenue (do not support SunCal) 4. The employees obviously have the right to quit or abstain from working for Disneyland, the customers can choose to not come to the park, the suppliers really have no power seeing the Disneyland is most likely their main source of revenue, and the creditors can chose to finance elsewhere. 6. The best possible solution would be for SunCal to move their projected idea of building the affordable housing further away from right next door to Disneyland. The employees would be more than happy to agree to an affordable housing that is a couple of miles away than having to live outside of the city and commute into work. Everyone then becomes happy with the situation from this simple solution.

Education System India Essay

Education is a co-current state level subjects and under the Indian Constitution education is made a Fundamental Right and Directive Principles of State Policy further needed free education and other facilities to children. There is no discrimination among the people on the basis of religion, caste or creed/faith etc. However, the minorities are given right to run their own educational institutions with financial aid from Government and they are free to introduce their religion, language in their institution. Education is compulsory and free upto primary standard. Indian education system has a wide structure and the educational institutions can introduce the education or learning pattern as below VA years in pre-nursery schools, in the primary schools upto V class or so. Education is further upgraded upto 10+2 system where the examinations are conducted by the Board at 10 and 12. Thereafter, students are free to choose the courses of their own at any stage, i.e. primary, secondary, s enior secondary level. Schools are of different levels. Local Boards run the schools upto Primary, V standard, both in mother tongue and English medium. Thereafter the schools may upgrade themselves upto X known as Secondary schools. They can also be upgraded upto 12, called Senior Secondary schools. The education is a co-current (state level) subject and the Central Government cannot interfere in their functioning. As such schools are pre- primary, pre-nursery, then primary, secondary and senior secondary run both by the private bodies as well as by Government. Indian schools are not as well organised as they are expected. Private/Public school charge high fee and have control on their institution. They only need the registration by the Centre/State Government or their Bodies and Management. While the Education Department has a loose control over these Private/ Public Schools government has its own schools where the normal fee is charged and the students belong with poor section of society. Overall the condition of government schools is pathetic. At state level School Education has its own organisational set up. Under this democratic set up Education Deptt is supported by the Minister of Education who has a Secretary of Education to supervise the Department with the help of Director Education who belongs to I.A.S. cadre of service. The Department is further divided into districts Deputy, Joint Directors to look after the working of schools. Under the educational system Central Board Secondary Education (C.B.S.E) is set up to maintain, the quality in Education and provide minimum qualification of the teaching staff and other necessary requirement for the school and conduct the Exams 10 and 12 standard. It has a control over both Public Private and Government Schools. After the exam; issues certificates of 10th and 12th class/standard this student who passed the Examination. C B.S.E. has its office in New Delhi. Under the Education system to keep the hi standard of Education and to maintain to quality Education an independent body is set up known N.C.E.R.T. that is National Council of Educatio n Research and Training with its Headquarters at N Delhi. This institution published textbooks for t school on all subjects and has a panel of specialists its list. The books are to be taught at schools in t country. It also conducts the competitive examination at all India level for the talent search from primary lei upto graduation and provides stipend or sponsors to that highly talented students. Teachers are the backbone of the educational system in India. Government has set up a permanent body for the selection of the teachers known as N.C.T. i.e. National Council of Teachers Education. It conducts the training and selection of the teachers and provides certificate/degree for the teachers which are an essential qualification for the teachers who seek the employment in teaching schools known as B.Ed, or Shastri education. MIEPA in set up by the Government to look after the administration and planning of education in the country the body is known as National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration. It looks ail the work of the educational /teaching/administration under the ministry of HRD an autonomous body. Kendriya Vidyalay Organisation (KVO) was set up under the Education Ministry, Government of India, New Delhi. It established 10+2 system in schools all over the country for the Government employees who use to effect posted or transferred in the country. It is good for the Central Government employees and schools are run on the medium of English from primary to twelfth standard. State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) are set up in all the states to look after the training and research work on the lines of NCERT which is at all India level. Its refresher courses, even modifies the curriculum of the schools and textbooks arc written for the secondary level standard in the state. It also arranges seminars, discusses and refresher courses for the teaching staff. There are a number of educational institutions at the District level. A Distt. Officer/ Inspector of schools looks after the educational institutions in his/her district. He/She also coordinates the different activities upto the Commissioner, State level in each district. Under this scheme, a college (Inter) 10+2 on the Government expenses is to be spent in each District and other schools are under his observation. Besides, a training centre for Primary teachers, or other refresher courses also opened in the district. The recruitment institute for the teachers, examination centers and the Boards offices are also on the line, such as Minorities schools. Local educational institutions play an important role in the area of education. As our country is poor and cannot afford the heavy expenses of Educational institutions, local education body’s arc allowed opening their schools and Government recognizes these institutions at par with the Government institutions. Minority institutions have their own schools with their own expenses or Government grants in-aid. But they fill the gap and help the Government to reduce its burden.

Distracted Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Distracted - Essay Example But the beliefs of freedom, his trust in advantages of electronic communication, fast mobility are but illusions of the modern civilization. Distracted. Yes we all are distracted, we face an erosion of attention and there is a Dark Age looming ahead of all of us. Maggie is absolutely correct in her observations in Distracted that the modern man is engrossed in everything else but the true essence of life for which he was born. (Jackson 2008). â€Å"Virtual love affairs and online games? Simultaneous books and instantaneous travel? Cubist painters, simultaneous poets, and telegraph operators were undoubtedly the front line of industrial society’s plunge into a culture of simultaneity and split screen attention. They were the first one to confront questions that we now wrestle daily. How do we navigate seen and unseen? Part I, Lengthening shadows, exploring our landscape of distraction, chapter 1, tracing the roots of our attention deficit culture gongs a bell into my ears that modern technology is a mere notion of living with the power to reach out to people when we are physically far away from them (Jackson 29) We are trying to live in a virtual world when we have the ability to live in harmony with the real one. It is costing us dearly to be wired to our mobiles, internets, ipods, television sets and high tech gadgets that have made us their slave while we glorify them to be our best assets. Humans are born with the basic sense of touch, smell, sight and taste. These are getting redundant as virtual reality does not offer them as yet. A caring hand, a tender voice, the fragrance of a rose and the taste of home made food made lovingly by a close one will never be a substitute for the best from the cyber world. Our connections to the electronic mediums of modern life are degenerating our biology. The basic human virtues are at stake and we are not in power but in constant failure of

Humanness of Caring in Nursing (Concept Analysis Paper) Essay

Humanness of Caring in Nursing (Concept Analysis Paper) - Essay Example Recently the profession of health care has undergone amazing changes and the development of science and technology has given the nurses varied tools in the service of mankind. However, without an attitude of loving and humane care giving, all the efforts of the nurses will only be exercises in futility. The paper sets forth to analyze the historical origins of nursing as a profession of loving and humane caring and the need to revitalize those aspects in a world of reckless competition, consumerism and anonymity of the human person. Historians point out that the early nurses were women and the motivating factor to serve as nurse is deeply entrenched in the maternal instinct of woman. Therefore, from time immemorial the nursing care has been loving care. The maternal instinct provided that strong impulse or motive necessary to care for those who were suffering or helpless. Women, because of their maternal instinct, were considered "born nurses." (Donahue, 1996, p. 5) It was only gradually that nursing started developing as a profession. In the early days, nursing was regarded as a calling for those who had given up the world. The intense religious motive that translates ones love of God towards fellow human beings in loving care is marked by self-sacrifice (Donahue, 1996). This other-centeredness of nursing resulted always in the uncanny knack to perform ones service in an attitude of humane care. Ancient nursing caregivers were somewhat ill equipped to render professional service but their enthusiasm and commitment alleviated the helpless condition of the patient. This attitude of loving care sprang from the realization of the other as God’ child. In the passage of time, this attitude has dimmed and there is apprehension that nurses will not care completely unless and until they care in a spirit of humane and loving care. In the past care,

The Value of Incumbency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Value of Incumbency - Essay Example Incumbency is a valued commodity in any election and can mean the difference between winning and losing, but the problem it creates for the system, and for the voters, is not so readily apparent. Incumbents have a de facto advantage because they are running as the hometown favorite. Their district has elected them once, and barring scandal there is no reason for the voters to turn on them. With a little good government and giving the constituents the legislation they prefer, an incumbent should have an advantage. But for most of them this is not enough. The sitting congressman has the purse strings to offer pork barrel projects, highway funds, military spending, and special incentives to their district. This is openly viewed as buying votes and it is a favor that the challenger is unable to provide. They can also raise money for advertising. Incumbents have the inside track on raising campaign funds year round. They have been in office and talking to lobbyists willing to contribute. Contributors are eager to donate money with the hopes of gaining access to the incumbent's influence. PACs have been formed to raise money to support key issues and they can capitalize on the news for public exposure. If the voters are unfamiliar with the challenger, the incumbent has an opportunity to define them (Gerber).

International economics ( trade ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International economics ( trade ) - Essay Example This is so because they believed in a static international economic relations which means one can only gain if the other losses. Adam smith was the pioneer of classical economics who for the first time explained the term absolute advantage in the context of international economics in 1776. His theory of absolute advantage is based on a notion that the country should only manufacture and specialize in the goods which it can produce with the lower cost. Adam smith was a great proponent of free trade. His views of international trade are based on labor division and international specialization. Assume that there are two countries i.e. UK and USA which are trading two goods i.e. wheat and cloth internationally. UK produces wheat by hiring 10 labors whilst US has an advantage to produce the same amount of wheat by employing 6 labors. The above statistics reveal that US has labor specialization in the production of wheat and UK specialize in the production of cloth. This situation leads to trade between US and UK for wheat and cloth respectively. According to Smith’s theory of trade US should export wheat whilst UK should export cloth if they want to gain from the trade. Portugal has absolute advantage in wine and cloth production over UK. According to the theory UK will export cloth because its absolute disadvantage is less here as compared to the production of wine. Contrarily Portugal should export wine as its absolute advantage in case of wine is greater comparatively. Before trade production of wine requires 120 labors whilst cloth’s production involves 100 labors which means production of cloth is cheaper in UK. This is so because 1 unit of wine will cost 1.2 (120/100) units of cloths. More precisely, with a labor UK can either produce 1 unit of wine or 1.2 units of cloth. The situation is reverse in Portugal as it has absolute advantage in the production of both goods. However, the production of wine is cheaper

Student's Analysis on Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company Essay

Student's Analysis on Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company - Essay Example Reconsidering the retail of Goodyear tires by Sears also meant that Goodyear has to review their distribution policy. Goodyear now faces several problems and a few dilemmas. Should we allow Sears to retail our products Should we only license them to market the Eagle brand Which brands, and how many should we allow Sears to carry Distribution through Sears would definitely increase the sales of passenger replacement tires of Goodyear. But what would the repercussions of this be on the company-owned and franchised Goodyear tire dealers How much loss would they incur The replacement tire market is responsible for 70 to 75 percent of tires sold every year. Passenger car tires are 75 percent of annual sales. The average mile driven per vehicle affects the principal demand for this market. Each 100 mile shift in the average number of miles traveled per vehicle there is a result of 1 million unit change in the sales of the replacement car tire market, and this is supposing that a tire has an average treadlife of 25,000 to 30,000 miles. Because of the longer treadlife of new tires, worldwide unit shipments have remarkably decreased. In 1987, a total of 204.8 million tires were sold. Of these, 151.9 were replacement tires. The following year (1988), a total of 209.4 tires were sold and 155.3 million of these were replacement. There was a decline of sales in 1989: only 205.1 million tires in total were sold and 153.8 million were replacement tires. It further declined in 1990 with only 199.5 million tires in total; of these were 152.3 million replacement cars. It did, however, increase the following year (1991) out of the 205.3 million tires sold, 155.4 million were replacement tires (Peterson and Kerin, 2007). Retail Tire Marketing Independent tire dealers normally carry brands of several major manufacturers and some discount-priced private label brands. This is to offer buyers a wide range of choices. It is usually more advantageous for manufacturers to have a broad product line to appeal to different customers with different vehicular requirements, and price affordabilities. Sears, for instance, usually carries manufacturer's brand tires and markets their own private-label tires. Most buyers buy from the retail store that they trust, and only a few really know about which tires are best. Most just follow the advice of the storeowners or salespersons that they usually do business with. For these reasons, Goodyear is considering the offer of Sears to retail their Eagle products. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company The principal activity of the company is to develop, manufacture, market, and distribute tires and rubber products. Goodyear has maintained the leading market-share in the U.S. replacement tire market. This is until Michelin acquired Goodrich Tire Company, the second largest U.S. tire manufacturer in late 1990. 83 percent of Goodyear's corporate sales were composed of tire and tire tubes in 1991. Along with this, the company also owns Kelly-Springfield Tire Company, Lee Tire and Rubber Company, and Delta Tire. And in addition, Goodyear also produces private-label tires. 20 to 25 percent of the world's tire manufacturing industry, and in the U.S. tire industry,