Policy for Psychiatric Nursing in Ireland: Analysis

Policy for Psychiatric Nursing in Ireland: Analysis Critically evaluate the relevance of a  current national (Irish) strategic policy  document for your area of practice (Psychiatric nursing) Introduction As one of the most important facets of health care, nursing has been and remains one of the most undervalued and undeveloped professions (Salvage and Leenders, 2005). Salvage and Leender (2005) state that countries need a national action plan for nursing as it assists in the development of the profession. They offer the following ten advantages, as evidence for the foregoing that shall aid in serving as a basis for the evaluation of the relevance of the present Irish national strategic policy for Psychiatric Nursing along with other inputs (Salvage and Leenders, 2005): The presence of a national action plan aids in reinforcing nursing goals, results and orientation in health care. Through the existence of a national action plan, nursing contributions can be optimized through the focusing of â€Å"†¦ nursing resources to achieve the best possible results and †¦ value for money† (Salvage and Leenders, 2005). A national action plan helps to â€Å"†¦ build and maintain vision for nursing †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Salvage and Leenders, 2005). The preceding is a result of aiding nurses in maintaining their perspectives, which can be lost in the busy and demanding everyday demands of their profession. The existence of a national action plan can result in â€Å"†¦ a clearer sense of direction †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Salvage and Leenders, 2005). A ‘plan’ can aid in making â€Å"†¦ nursing achievements more visible †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Salvage and Leenders, 2005). Salvage and Leenders (2005) point to the fact that the contribution of nurses is acknowledged by clients and patients but not â€Å"†¦ in medical textbooks, conferences and influential discussions †¦Ã¢â‚¬ . A ‘plan’ â€Å"†¦ can spur nurses and their supporters to be more active †¦Ã¢â‚¬  and through strategic planning, a ‘plan’ â€Å"†¦ helps to uncover or inspire unexpected new coalitions †¦Ã¢â‚¬  that can aid in these aspects working â€Å"†¦ together to improve health care †¦ (Salvage and Leenders, 2005). It, a ‘plan’, â€Å"†¦ can coordinate current nursing activities †¦Ã¢â‚¬  and aid in nurses identification of projects and innovations that are underway to incorporate these into practice as well as aiding in the development of frameworks for further improvements and implementation. A ‘plan’ can aid in the creation of â€Å",,, closer links between policy and practice †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Salvage and Leenders, 2005). They explain that the policy making process is usually remote from those who are responsible to its implementation, and that through the utilization of a planning process that involves as well as includes the â€Å"†¦ services users, practitioners and †¦ policy makers †¦Ã¢â‚¬  aids in reducing the â€Å"†¦ gaps between thinking and action, data and perceptions, policy and operations, planning and implementation †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Salvage and Leenders, 2005). Through the existence of a ‘plan’ the profession of â€Å"†¦ nursing is more likely to win support from the people, policy makers and other professionals† if said ‘plan’ states clearly â€Å"†¦ where it is going and what it hopes to achieve (Salvage and Leenders, 2005). And finally, a ‘plan’ â€Å"†¦ can help nursing control its own work and future †¦ (Salvage and Leenders, 2005). Salvage and Leenders (2005) explain that the existence of a ‘plan’ can aid in nursing controlling â€Å"†¦ its own work and future †¦Ã¢â‚¬  because traditionally they have â€Å"†¦ had little control over their destiny †¦Ã¢â‚¬  as a result of them â€Å"†¦ as the servants of another profession †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Salvage and Leenders, 2005). Salvage and Leenders (2005) argue that a ‘plan’ represents the â€Å"†¦ starting point for †¦ (nurses) †¦ becoming equal partners in health care work †¦Ã¢â‚¬  as well as in their relationships with the other professions in the field. In order to better understand the context of this examination, the definition of the profession of nursing is deemed an important underpinning. The ‘Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework’ defines nursing as a profession that â€Å"†¦ helps individuals, families and groups to determine and achieve their physical, mental and social potential †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Nursing Board, 2000a). The definition goes on to add that nurses require â€Å"†¦ competence to develop and perform functions that promote and maintain health †¦ as well as prevent ill health† and that such â€Å"†¦ includes the (assessment) planning and giving of care †¦ (encompassing) †¦ the physical, mental and social aspects †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Nursing Board, 2000). As the context of this examination represents the field of psychiatric nursing, the following definition as supplied by the ‘International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses’ (ISPN) pro vides clarity. They, ISPN, define this area of nursing, psychiatric, as â€Å"†¦ a specialized area of nursing practice committed to promoting mental health through the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of human responses to mental health problems and psychiatric disorders† (ISPN, 2006). The An Bord Altranais â€Å"†¦ was established by the Nurses Act, 1950, (An Bord Altranais, 2007a) â€Å"†¦ is the statutory body †¦(that) †¦ provides for the registration, control and education of nurses †¦ (and other matters) †¦Ã¢â‚¬  related to the practice of nursing in Ireland (An Bord Altranais, 2000). As of 2004, there were 76,045 nurses registered with the An Bord Altranais, as shown by the following (An Bord Altranais, 2007b): Table 1- Total of Nurses and Qualifications Registered (An Bord Altranais, 2007b) Nurses Registered Females Male Active Inactive Total Number of Nurses 60,774 15,271 70,231 5,814 76,045 Table 2 – Total of Nurses and Qualifications Registered Qualifications Registered (An Bord Altranais, 2007b) Females Male Active Inactive Total General 60,986 2,677 50,637 13,026 63,663 Psychiatric 8,301 3,525 9,566 2,260 11,826 Sick Children’s 4,578 51 3,759 870 4,629 Intellectual Disability 3,961 473 3,860 574 4,434 Midwifery 16,857 21 13,179 3,699 16,878 Public Health 2,551 1 2,084 468 2,552 Tutor 537 104 513 126 639 Other 585 26 290 321 611 Total 98,356 6,876 83,888 21,344 105,232 The examination of the Code of Conduct and other legislation shall be reviewed against the ten point standards of the World Health Organization and other documents in order to gauge the relevance of policies in this area. National Strategic Policy for Nurses in Ireland The strategic national policy document for the nursing profession in Ireland is generated by An Bord Altranais that states that the practice of nursing â€Å"†¦ should always be based on the principles of professional conducted †¦Ã¢â‚¬  as contained â€Å"†¦ in the latest version of the Code of Professional Conduct for each Nurse and Midwife †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Nursing Board, 2000b) with practices contained in Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework (Nursing Board of Tasmania, 2006) and the Standards for the Scope of Nursing Practice 2001 as prepared by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST, 2001). The evaluation of the preceding documents shall be compared against the ten-point plan outline as put forth by Salvage and Leenders (2005) to serve as a guide. Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework The Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework for Ireland states that it utilizes the ANMC National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurse, Australian Nursing Midwifery Council, (ANMC, 2006) as its basis for the determination of â€Å"†¦ regulations, organizational policies and procedures †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Nursing Board of Tasmania, 2006) as support in its practice setting. The Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework (SoP DMF) states that the determinations concerning the â€Å"†¦ scope of practice need to be †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Nursing Board of Tasmania, 2006) 1. â€Å"proactive†, 2. â€Å"responsive to internal and external forces†, 3. â€Å"flexible; and†, 4. â€Å"able to provide guidance in decision making by both the individual nurse †¦ and the profession as a whole†. The SoP DMF indicates that the foregoing â€Å"†¦ is applicable to all nurses and midwives across all practice settings †¦Ã¢â‚¬  and tha t such have been put into force to ensure â€Å"†¦ that practice decisions are based on the individual context and patient †¦Ã¢â‚¬  as opposed to the â€Å"†¦ defining nursing †¦ by tasks or procedures† (Nursing Board of Tasmania, 2006). The latitude offered from the preceding represents room for individual interpretation that can and also cannot be a wise choice in a profession that represents the fragile state of mind of patients under psychiatric care. Evidence of the problem in having such broad latitude is presented in an article by Sean Fleming â€Å"Psychiatric Abuse of Ireland† which details accounts of the use of drugs in treatment that were either later found to be inappropriate, and or had side effects that worsened the patients condition (Fleming, 2005). Such is also the subject of a report issued by ‘Aware’, a voluntary organization devotes to assist those who are afflicted with depression (Aware, 2007a). The report mentions the continuity of care with regard to psychiatric services as an area needing improvement along with eighteen other points and represents an aspect that the broad latitude in interpretation (Aware, 2007b). And while every instance of care treatment cannot be categ orized, and set forth procedurally, guidelines represent an effective means to provide tighter controls as well as instructions and steps that nurses can utilize when appropriate. Salvage and Leenders (2005) under item 4 indicate that a national action plan provides â€Å"†¦ a clearer sense of direction †¦Ã¢â‚¬  and under item 8 states that the existence of a ‘plan’ can aid in the creation of â€Å",,, closer links between policy and practice. The SoP DMF states that through providing transparency in its policy that it â€Å"†¦ greatly benefits all nurses and that it thus â€Å"†¦ provides an effective tool †¦ nurses can maximize their nursing practice †¦Ã¢â‚¬  in the standards of the profession. It states that there are six figures, with â€Å"†¦ each supported by a set of guiding principles† that can assist nurses in the discussion as well as clarification of â€Å"†¦ practice issues with their colleagues and employers† (Nursing Board of Tasmania, 2006). The preceding are 1. â€Å"Guiding Principles for Map of Role Relationships among Health Personnel†, 2. Guiding Principles for Improving the Health Outcomes of the Patient†, 3. Guiding Principles for Delegation among Nurses and Midwives, 4. Guiding Principles for Delegation to Students of Nursing, 5. Guiding Principles for Delegation to Unlicensed Health Care Workers; and, 6. Guiding Principles for Maximising th e Scope of Practice for Registered Nurses and Midwives (Nursing Board of Tasmania, 2006). The Sop DMF states that these â€Å"†¦ six figures highlight the importance of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  1. â€Å"clinical assessment by the registered nurse or midwife†, 2. â€Å"lawful authority†, 3. â€Å"preparation and experience†, 4. â€Å"risk management†, 5. â€Å"confidence†, 6. â€Å"competence†, 7. â€Å"delegation by the registered nurse or midwife: and†, 8. â€Å"acceptance of the delegation and the required level of supervision (direct or indirect† (Nursing Board of Tasmania, 2006). The foregoing harkens back to the room for latitude and actually indicates under item number 1 that nurses are making clinical assessments. This also stated, assessment, under â€Å"Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework April 2000† (Nursing Board, 2006b). The foregoing analysis with regard to the latitude is indicated in the Sop DMF d ocument under Figure 2. ‘General Principles for Improving the Health Outcomes of the Patient’ which states under â€Å"patient †¦ Clinical Assessment †¦ have I considered the consequences of my planned action?† (Nursing Board of Tasmania, 2006). The following further illustrates this issue (Nursing Board of Tasmania, 2006): The Figure indicates that if the answers to all questions are ‘yes’ that the nurse should proceed, and that if there is a ‘no’ answer to any question, then the nurse should seek advice on the issue (Nursing Board of Tasmania, 2006). The preceding represents a procedural attempt to shore up the wide latitudes present in the guidelines, still leaving room for varied interpretations. Standards for the Scope of Nursing Practice 2001 The ‘Standards for the Scope of Nursing Practice 2001’ represents a copulation of statutory material that was obtained as a result of the utilization of electronic searching in the sites of Lexis Nexus, Canlii, Austlii and other legal sites. The ‘Standards for the Scope of Nursing Practice 2001’ indicates that there were legislation aspects that could not be accessed and other measures utilized, with an instance whereby no data could be obtained (DEST, 2001). The preceding means that the document is not wholly complete. The ‘Standards for the Scope of Nursing Practice 2001’ also adds the documents from which it was based, in some instances, referred to other documents and or legislation or regulations and standards that were not included is what was accessed, and were unavailable for use in formulating the document as a whole (DEST, 2001). Interestingly this supports the broad latitude contention as mentioned under â€Å"Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework† in that it states â€Å"Given the complexity and variability of the sources of information about the standards of nursing practice †¦Ã¢â‚¬  that it is reasonable â€Å"†¦ nurses might experience some difficulty in keeping abreast of these issues† (DEST, 2001). The preceding is explained in the document as representing the difficulties in the interpretation of the ‘†¦ intent of the legislation (DEST, 2001). DEST (2001) indicates that the primary objective of â€Å"†¦ statutory regulation †¦ is the protection of the public. The utilization of the copulation technique to derive the document obviously has flaws that need correcting, however, the fact that the government of Ireland has recognized the need to produce such a document represents a critical step in the right direct, as espoused by Salvage and Leen ders (2005). Quality And Fairness: A Health System for You Action Plan Progress Report 2005 The National Health Strategy â€Å"Quality and Fairness – A Health System for You†, as stated in the document â€Å"†¦ was announced by the government †¦ to provide vision and strategic direction for the health and personal social services† and identifies â€Å"†¦ a 121 point Action Plan †¦Ã¢â‚¬  as central to implementation of a nationwide strategy and put varied â€Å"†¦ aspects of the Strategy into †¦ action (Department of Health and Children, 2005). Under National Goal No. 1, item 2, it sets forth the â€Å"Statements of Strategy †¦Ã¢â‚¬  with regard to â€Å"†¦ all relevant Government Departments †¦Ã¢â‚¬  that are to devise guidelines and strategy statements for human resources as well as other areas. Its relevance to this examination lies in the preceding. A Vision for Change Report of the Expert Group on Mental Health Policy This document represents â€Å"†¦ a comprehensive model of mental health service provision for Ireland† (Department of Health and Children, 2006). Under item 1.5 ‘Vision’, the document sets forth that its policy represents the creation of â€Å"†¦ a mental health system that addresses the needs of the population †¦ as a result of focusing â€Å"†¦ on the requirements of the individual† (Department of Health and Children, 2006). The ‘Policy Framework’ indicates that its purpose is to create â€Å"†¦. A systematic framework and plan for mental health †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Department of Health and Children, 2006). This aspect represents the reference to psychiatric nursing, which is the subject of this examination. The document covers ‘Mental Health in Ireland’ covering the differing disciplines, along with â€Å"Implementation† that defines relationships in the management of mental health and the plan to b ring the diverse aspects into closer proximity from the present system that â€Å"†¦ has encouraged isolation of catchments from each other †¦Ã¢â‚¬  which â€Å"†¦ has hindered the development of specialist services† (Department of Health and Children, 2006). The broad areas covered under â€Å"Manpower, education and training †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ sets forth â€Å" †¦ the education and training required to produce competent professional personnel †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Department of Health and Children, 2006). This document does not provide the details of policy and other facets of specificity related to strategic policy for psychiatric nursing, which are contained under â€Å"Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework† and â€Å"Standards for the Scope of Nursing Practice 2001† in limited fashion. It, the document – â€Å"A Vision for Change Report of the Expert Group on Mental Health Policy† does recognize that there are â€Å"Shortcomings in Current Education and Training†, but its usefulness as a policy statement for psychiatric nursing is not its intention. Conclusion The present strategic policy for psychiatric nursing in Ireland is an area that is still under development. The varied documents reviewed, â€Å"Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework†, â€Å"Standards for the Scope of Nursing Practice 2001†, â€Å"Quality And Fairness: A Health System for You Action Plan Progress Report 2005†, and â€Å"A Vision for Change Report of the Expert Group on Mental Health Policy† as well as other documents referenced herein are in the evolutionary stages. This incompleteness does not actually represent a cause for too much concern and the Government of Ireland, through the issuance of these documents, acknowledges the deficiencies in this area and have set about the process to correct this aspect as stated in â€Å"Quality And Fairness: A Health System for You Action Plan Progress Report 2005† under National Goal No. 1, as well as in â€Å"A Vision for Change Report of the Expert Group on Mental Health Poli cy†. Salvage and Leenders (2005) indicate the global problem concerning nursing policy and strategy, and the importance of having such plans in place, or under development to enable the profession to achieve higher standards and more connectivity with the field of medicine in general. They, Salvage and Leenders (2005), state that strategic plans are extremely important in providing the foundation for frameworks to develop that will increase the proficiency of the profession through documentation that can be thus shared, compared and utilised for further refinement. Ireland is in the beginning stages of this evolutionary process, as is the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries owing to their lack of attention and importance concerning the contributions of the field of nursing. The criticisms levied at the broad interpretational latitudes that exist in present policy statements in Ireland as found under the document prepared by the Sop DMF concerning the â€Å"Scope of Nurs ing and Midwifery Practice Framework† is an outgrowth of this developmental process. Clearly, a great deal of work still stands before the various governmental agencies and departments in achieving a substantive document that achieves the objective of providing nurses engaged in psychiatric care with the guidelines and procedures to enable them to weave their way through the difficult profession they are engaged in. The present plans, though incomplete, do represent a means whereby psychiatric nursing leaders have a platform to move forward from to collaborate in revising and amending what is established. The preceding is acknowledged by Salvage and Leenders (2005) as a huge as well as important step in the right direction. Bibliography An Bord Altranais (2000) An Board Altranais: The Code of Professional Conduct for each Nurse and Midwife, April 2000. An Bord Altranais An Bord Altranais (2007b) Nurse Registration Statistics – 2004. Retrieved on 12 January 2007 from http://www.nursingboard.ie/ An Bord Altranais (2007a) Role and Functions of An Bord Altranais. Retrieved on 12 January 2007 from http://www.nursingboard.ie/ ANMC (2006) National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurse. Australian Nursing Midwifery Council Aware (2007) Aware. Retrieved on 14 January 2007 from http://www.aware.ie/ Aware (2007b) Suicide in Ireland: A Global Perspective and a National Strategy. Retrieved on 14 January 2007 from http://www.aware.ie/online books/suicide.html Department of Health and Children (2006) A Vision for Change Report of the Expert Group on Mental Health Policy. Department of Health and Children Department of Health and Children (2005) Quality and Fairness – A Health System for You: Action Plan Progress Report 2004. Department of Health and Children DEST (2001) Standards for the Scope of Nursing Practice 2001. Retrieved on 13 January 2007 from http://www.dest.gov.au/archive/HIGHERED/nursing/pubs/nurse_regulation/3.htm Fleming, S. (2005) Psychiatric Abuse in Ireland. Retrieved on 14 January 2007 from http://www.critpsynet.freeuk.com/PsychiatricAbuseinIreland.htm ISPN (2006) Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Scope Standards. Retrieved on 12 January 2007 from http://www.ispn-psych.org/docs/standards/scope-standards-draft.pdf Nursing Board (2000b) Guidance to Nurses and Midwifes on the Development of Policies, Guidelines and Protocols, December 2000. Retrieved on 12 January 2007 from http://www.nursingboard.ie/publications/Guidance2000.pdf Nursing Board (2000a) Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework April 2000. Retrieved on 12 January 2007 from http://www.nursingboard.ie/PolicyGuidelines/SNMidwifePractiFworkApril2000/scope.html Nursing Board of Tasmania (2006) Scope of Nursing Practice Decision Making Framework: February 2006. Nursing Board of Tasmania Salvage, J., Leenders, F. (2005) National Action Plans for nursing and midwifery, In Salvage, J., Heijnen, S. (2005) Nursing in Europe: A resource for better health. World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe, ISSN 0378-2255

Amitav Ghosh Essay

Amitav Ghosh (born July 11, 1956), is a Bengali Indian author best known for his work in English fiction Life : Amitav Ghosh was born in Calcutta on July 11, 1956 in a Bengali Hindu family, to Lieutenant Colonel Shailendra Chandra Ghosh, a retired officer of the pre-independence Indian Army, and was educated at The Doon School; St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, Delhi University, India; the Delhi School of Economics and St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he was awarded a D. Phil. in social anthropology under the supervision of Peter Lienhardt. His first job was at the Indian Express newspaper in New Delhi. Ghosh lives in New York with his wife, Deborah Baker, author of the Laura Riding biography In Extremis: The Life of Laura Riding(1993) and a senior editor at Little, Brown and Company. They have two children, Lila and Nayan. He has been a Fellow at theCentre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta and Centre for Development Studies in Trivandrum. In 1999, Ghosh joined the faculty at Queens College, City University of New York, as Distinguished Professor in Comparative Literature. He has also been avisiting professor to the English department of Harvard University since 2005. Ghosh subsequently returned to India began working on the Ibis trilogy, of which two volumes have been published to date, Sea of Poppies and River of Smoke. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government in 2007.In 2009, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Work Ghosh is the author of The Circle of Reason (his 1986 debut novel), The Shadow Lines (1988), The Calcutta Chromosome (1995), The Glass Palace (2000), The Hungry Tide(2004), and Sea of Poppies (2008), the first volume of The Ibis trilogy, set in the 1830s, just before the Opium War, which encapsulates the colonial history of the East. Ghosh’s latest work of fiction is River of Smoke (2011), the second volume of The Ibis trilogy. Most of his works deals with an historical setting, especially in the context of Indian Ocean world. In an interview with Mahmood Kooria, he said: â€Å"It was not intentional, but sometimes things are intentional without being intentional. Though it was never par t of a planned venture and did not begin as a conscious project, I realise in hindsight that this is really what always interested me most: the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the connections and the cross-connections between these regions.† Awards and recognitionsThe Circle of Reason won the Prix Mà ©dicis à ©tranger, one of France’s top literary  awards.The Shadow Lines won the Sahitya Akademi Award & the Ananda Puraskar. The Calcutta Chromosome won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for 1997. Sea of Poppies was shortlisted for the 2008 Man Booker Prize.[10] It was the co-winner of the Vodafone Crossword Book Award in 2009, as well as co-winner of the 2010 Dan David Prize. River of Smoke was shortlisted for Man Asian Literary Prize 2011. Ghosh famously withdrew his novel The Glass Palace from consideration for Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, where it had been awarded the Best Novel in Eurasian section, citing his objections to the term â€Å"Commonwealth† and the unfairness of the English-language requirement specified in the rules. Subsequently, he landed in controversy over his acceptance of the Israeli literary award, the $1 million Dan David Prize. Ghosh’s notable non-fiction writings are In an Antique Land (1992), Dancing in Cambodia and At Large in Burma (1998), Countdown (1999), and The Imam and the Indian (2002, a large collection of essays on different themes such as fundamentalism, history of the novel, Egyptian culture, and literature). Bibliography Novels The Circle of Reason (1986) The Shadow Lines (1988) The Calcutta Chromosome (1995) The Glass Palace (2000) The Hungry Tide (2005) Sea of Poppies (2008) River of Smoke (2011) Flood of Fire (2015) Historical Factors and Their Narratives in Amitav Ghosh’s The Shadow Lines: A Critical Study Amitav Ghosh has won many accolades for his fiction that is keenly intertwined with history. His fiction is characterized by strong themes that may be sometimes identified as historical novels. His themes involve emigration, exile, cultural displacement and uprooting. He illuminates the  basic ironies, deep seated ambiguities and existential dilemmas of human condition. He, in one of the interviews, has observed, â€Å"Nobody has the choice of stepping away from history† and â€Å"For me, the value of the novel, as a form, is that it is able to incorporate elements of every aspect of life-history, natural history, rhetoric, politics, beliefs, religion, family, love, sexuality†. Amitav Ghosh’s success as historical novelist owes much to the distinctiveness of his well-researched narratives. He remarkably manifests a bygone era and vanished experiences to life through vividly realized detail. The better reference in this context is his celebrated second novel, â €Å"The Shadow Lines† (1988) which was published four years after the sectarian violence that shook New Delhi in the aftermath of the Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. This constitutes a logical background in the novel, and it makes readers probe various hammering facets of violence. Also, his treatment of violence in Calcutta and Dhaka in this novel is valid even today. The novel is largely set against the backdrop of major historical events such as the Swadeshi movement, the Second World War, the partition of India, the communal riots of 1963-64 in Dhaka and Calcutta, the Maoist Movement, the India-China War, the India-Pakistan War and the fall of Dhaka from East Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh. It is the story of the family and friends of the nameless narrator which has its roots in broader national and international experience. In the novel the past, present and future combine and melt together erasing any kind of line of demarcations. The text harps on the concerns of our period, the search for identity, the need for independence, the difficult relationship with colonial culture. It magnificently interweaves fact, fiction and reminiscence. It is a continuous narrative which replicates the pattern of violence not only of 1964 but also of 21st century. The fragmentary narratives unfold the narrator’s experiences in the form of memor ies which move backwards and forwards. While focusing upon the text of The Shadow Lines the paper aims at examining and elaborating Ghosh’s historical touches and their implications. Amitav Ghosh has dealt with various themes in his novels. Some of the them include search for identity, traditions versus modernity, contemporary social problems etc. Ghosh attempts to perceive the lives of his contemporaries in lands as diverse as India, Bangladesh, Egypt, England etc. His canvas is often large and his novels are peopled with a variety of characters, though not in the range of a Tolstoy or a Dosteovesky. Every significant characters is delineated realistically, As a post colonial writer, cultural heritage and identity have become important facets of Ghosh’s personality. The ability of deep research that is seen in this novel is a quality not associated with Indian writers writing English.

I Sit and Look Out Essay

Walt Whitman, a prominent American anti war poet, who lived during the times of civil war witnessed the condition around him with his own eyes and transformed it into literature which still stands relevant to our lives today. The advent of capitalism during this time and its rapid proliferation brought with itself several ramifications. Human concerns were relegated and principles were sidelined. In response to all the atrocities, the people looked around and turned a blind eye towards them. They stood as detached observers who did not try to bring about a change. The poem ‘ I sit and look out ‘ reflects the 21st century apathy of a modern observer. It is written in free verse and makes use of the effect known as symbolism. The basic tone of the poem is extremely pessimistic and the poet uses strong visual impactful words, which conjure up to create a strong impact as well as a strong apocalyptical imagery in our minds. Right from the beginning of the poem, one can feel the poet’s disillusionment of the things of the world. He states that he sits and looks out upon ‘ all the sorrows of the world, and upon all oppression and shame’. The words used in these first two lines are extremely pessimistic and negative in nature. People in today’s world do many things that are against the normal norms. These deeds are committed due to their deviant behavior. When such people realize their mistakes, they have within themselves a feeling of shame and humiliation, which slowly eats away their soul. Also, the word ‘oppression’ gives us an insight into how humans today oppress fellow human beings for completely futile reasons. This shame and oppression ultimately gives rise to a feeling of sorrow accompanied by extreme distress and regret. He also goes on to say that he hears ‘ secret convulsive sobs from young men, at anguish with themselves, remorseful after deeds do ne’. This refers to the soldiers who have been forced to fight and kill in war for their country. It highlights the extreme mental stress that these young men encounter. In the second quarter of the poem, the poet highlights how women in the world are misused and are treated as mere objects for sexual gratification. He sees ‘ in low life, the mother misused by her children. He states that the ‘mother’ who had gifted her children with a wonderful life and had nourished them is now left to die. She lies alone ‘ dying, neglected and gaunt’. He also sees‘ the wife misused by her husband’ and dubs the husband as ‘ a treacherous seducer of young women’. All this shows us how, despite being in the 21st century, the way the women are treated has not yet changed. Even today, women are the least educated, most oppressed and the most objectified part of the society. Most importantly the poet highlights the callous nature of relationships in t oday’s world and in the new generations. His eyes ‘ mark the ranklings of jealousy and unrequited love ‘which are trying to be hidden. For the poet these are mere sights, and he does not posses any insights regarding them. He also sees ‘ the workings of battle, pestilence, tyranny’. He also talks about martyrs and prisoners. All these are the by products of deadly war. In a gruesome imagine, we imagine sailors throwing out people out of the ship so that more food is left for the remaining. It can be interpreted as the policy of the survival of the fittest. The irony here is that, something that is supposed to life giving (sea/water) is taking the same life away. The final thing that the poet observes is how ‘ arrogant persons’ cast ‘ slights and degradation’ and oppress ‘the poor’ and ‘Negroes’. These people are treated in an inhuman way and are subjected to penury, deterioration and severe repression. The poet sees all this on earth, hears about them and yet remains silent. This last line ‘ see, hear and am silent ‘ is perhaps the most significant line in the poem as it brings out the satirical view of the poet as he scorns the modern observer. The whole poem revolves around the theme of 21st century apathy. It is an indictment on society in general for its inability to facilitate meaningful change within itself. People in today’s world see many wrong things occurring around them. However, they don’t try to make a difference and remain unaffected and indifferent. They seem to be overly pre occupied with their own safety and comforts and have lost their moral sense of empathy. In this poem the poet assumes the role of a representative of the society and condemns our lack of apathy, unwillingness to act and our lack of courage to actually take a stand on theses issues. He chastises the lack of moral valor in humans today, saying that we are too unconcerned to open our eyes to the world around us and make our own decisions. He makes an attempt to inspire emotions of disgust, anger and guilt but perhaps most of all, a sense of motivation. He hopes that this sense of motivation will allow the people to notice the deplorable condition, which they have put  themselves in, and wants them to make an effort to make the world into a much harmonious place. Moreover, The real beauty of this poem is that, though it was written about a hundred years ago, it is still relevant in today’s world.

Ottoman Disadvantages and its Implications on The Siege of...

Under Suleiman the Magnificent the Ottoman Empire was a force to be reckoned with, it ruled the Middle East and Suleiman was quickly realizing his goal of advancing into Europe. However in 1529 a major military upset in the Austrian city of Vienna would halt the Islamic Ottoman expansion and save Europe from the possibility of Ottoman control. However this might not had been the case if it were not for several key disadvantages the Ottoman Empire had against the Viennese. Suleiman the Magnificent’s defeat during the siege of Vienna, 1529, was caused by poor weather conditions, chaos and disorganization amongst the Ottoman ranks, and a much stronger Viennese defense than was anticipated. On May 10, 1529 Sultan Suleiman left Istanbul on†¦show more content†¦This divided Hungary into two states, Royal Hungary and Ottoman Hungary, this division lasted until 1700. In the spring of 1529 Suleiman the Magnificent began to construct his massive army in Ottoman Bulgaria, his objective is to conquer and secure control over all of Hungary and eliminate the threat posed by Ferdinand I and the Holy Roman Empire. Estimates of the size of Suleiman’s army vary vastly from around 100,000 men to well over 300,000. The army also consisted of many units of Sapahi, the elite Ottoman Calvary, and thousands and thousands of Janissaries, an extremely well trained Ottoman fighting force. With such a vast group moving all at once there were certain inherent difficulties the Ottomans faced. The biggest of these would be the sheer chaos caused by the disorganization. Desertion was particularly rampant amongst the Ottoman forces and with the disorganization it was nearly impossible to properly distribute resources, malnourishment was a big problem because of the difficulty of acquiring food. This would mark a major disadvantage of the Ottoman morale; it diminished their will to fight, and thus, their will to win. Suleiman launched his campaign on May 10th, because this was so late in the year, the weather was almost immediately a problem. The spring rains associated with that area of Europe caused flooding and bridge wash outs were very common, this barley allowed to troops to leave