Human Resource Management in Context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Human Resource Management in Context - Essay Example The audit of the writing identified with this subject has uncovered the accompanying issue: the models on which the enlistment and choice approaches are based can be exceptionally separated across associations. Practically speaking, this implies the choices of HR chiefs as to these exercises can't be controlled either concerning their believability or as to their thinking. The qualities and the guidelines applied in every association are basic, at the level that they can set the restrictions of key authoritative practices, for example, the enlistment and choice practices. 2. Individuals resourcing and business condition 2.1 HR arranging †review and key qualities The initial step for building up a powerful HR system is to make sure about that the entire procedure will be painstakingly planned. HR arranging causes HR administrators to make sure about the achievement of their choices. As per Rahman (2010) HR arranging is a requesting procedure. Blunders during the advancement of a firm’s HR plans could result to extreme issues with respect to worker execution and correspondence (Rahman 2010). For disposing of the odds for such disappointments, Rahman (2010) recommends the steady improvement of HR arranging. It is recommended that the procedure should consolidate three key stages: ‘the quantitative HR arranging, the subjective HR arranging and the arranging of individual actions’ (Rahman 2010, p.158). The quantitative HR arranging centers around the distinguishing proof and the assessment of the requirements of the association as far as the quantity of workers (Rahman 2010, p.158). The subjective HR arranging alludes to the perspectives of representatives and the idea of the errands allocated (Rahman 2010, p.158). The issues of existence, as identified with the HR needs of a specific association are tended to through both the above procedures (Rahman 2010, p.158). Another basic piece of HR arranging is the arranging of individual activities (Rahman 2010, p.158), a procedure that centers around the change of ‘actual execution into the objective performance’ (Rahman 2010, p.158). According to another perspective, the HR arranging can be utilized for making the association ‘between enrollment/determination techniques and the association strategies’ (Millmore 2007, p.286). As such, HR arranging checks the connection between the enlistment/determination forms and the business condition. Amos et al. (2009) note that HR arranging doesn't concentrate exclusively on the requirements of the associations as far as staff yet in addition on the way of thinking and qualities on which the enrollment of the staff would be based (p.99). As indicated by the above view, HR arranging characterizes the structure utilized for the enrollment and choice procedures (Amos et al. 2009). Additionally, HR arranging ought to be created utilizing explicit models: a) the standards on which different HR procedures will be ba sed, as chose by HR organizers, should be adaptable enough so they can be changed if fundamental (Amos et al. 2009), b) the structure of HR plans ought to be additionally open to changes; this implies HR arranging should set other options, accessible in instances of emanant authoritative necessities or of unforeseen weights in neighborhood or the worldwide market (Pravin 2010). Concerning the abovementioned, Amos et al. (2009) note that rules are essentially remembered for all HR plans. It is noticed that these standards help

How A Book Taught Me To Play In The Mud

How A Book Taught Me To Play In The Mud Elizabeth Kolbert, staff writer at The New Yorker, writes about science like a tall cool glass of water. Her writing, to use one of my least favorite book critic phrases is masterful. Actually, masterful is what it really is, and Im not just saying this as someone who loves good science and nature writing. It was Elizabeth Kolbert her clarity, her humor I had in mind when I started That Nature Show, a column about the animals and plants that share my Baltimore backyard. It was her essay in The Sixth Extinction about the expiration of the Panamanian Golden Frog a subject I had not known I gave a flying fig about that inspired me to collect tadpoles with my kids. I became aware of my own nature deficit disorder, the term coined by Richard Louv in his book Last Child In The Woods. When I first saw tadpoles in the spring in the water-filled wheel ruts of the cross-country trail behind my house I screeched to my husband, Leeches! Honey! Run! As a spiritual daughter of Kolbert I can now say I play in the mud. I look carefully at the layers of soil in the creek bed because they might just have a thin layer of iridium from the giant fireball meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs. That was the fifth extinction. There were four before. And were in one now, in the era some scientists call the Anthropocene, caused by us. In The Sixth Extinction, Kolbert tackles a large, thorny, complex subject: extinction of species, global climate change, and mankinds hand in it, and renders it readable. You dont want to crap your pants. Shes direct were responsible but instead of simply saying mea culpa and moving on to the next Big Box store for socks, forgetting about the Panamanian Golden Frog, Kolbert reminds us it is our responsibility to be smart, scientifically literate, curious, and to keep our heads. Many species have gone the way of the dodo, and we hairy bipeds are not all that special when the view you take is geological. We might go the way of the dodo, the ammonites, the passenger pigeon, and the great auk too, and all our works be reduced to a layer of sediment the thinness of a cigarette paper. Sign up for True Story to receive nonfiction news, new releases, and must-read forthcoming titles. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

The True Metamorphosis.. Franz Kafka Owns A Part Of The

The True Metamorphosis. Franz Kafka owns a part of the human emotional spectrum, which the world can now call the Kafkaesque, a term for someone who exhibits nightmarish qualities of Kafka’s fictional world (Franz Kafka). Kafka’s twisted world is in no way pleasant, very Kafkaesque. It feels like a nightmare, and yet it is a place where many people, if only for a moment, will end up. Kafka’s most appreciated piece of literature, â€Å"The Metamorphosis,† creates an extension of Kafka’s life through the story’s setting, the job that Gregor must work, and the abuse Gregor endures from his father to create the theme of isolation. From the very start of the story, there is a distinct correlation to Kafka’s own personal life. The setting of â€Å"The†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Tragedy shaped the Kafka home. Franz s two younger brothers, Georg and Heinrich, died in infancy by the time Kafka was 6, leaving the boy the only son in a family...Kafka had a difficult relationship with both of his parents. His mother, Julie, was a devoted homemaker who lacked the intellectual depth to understand her son s dreams to become a writer. Kafka s father, Hermann, had a forceful personality that often overwhelmed the Kafka home† (â€Å"Franz Kafka†). Basically, Kafka’s biography states that the Kafka household experiences misfortune and lacks the family values of acceptance, patience, and love. The quote also shows that Kafka is not close to his loved ones, in fact, it is as though Kafka is the black sheep in the family. Gregor also experiences the inability to form a bond with his family. The Samsa apartment contributes to the growth of family relationships that unifies them, excluding Gregor. â€Å"...his parents...appreciated his sister’s efforts, whereas previously they’d often been annoyed with her for being, in their eyes, somewhat useless. But now both father and mother had fallen into the habit of waiting outside Gregor’s door while his sister cleaned up the room, and as soon as she emerged she would have to tell them every detail of the room’s condition, what Gregor had eaten, how he’d behaved this time, and whether he’d perhaps shown a little improvement† (Kafka 333). On one hand, the quotation supports how Gregor’s transformation is the sparkShow MoreRelated Comparing Franz Kafka and Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis Essay1549 Words   |  7 PagesSimilarities between Franz Kafka and Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis It is unusual to say the least to open a book and the first line is about the main character waking up as a large insect. Most authors’ use symbolism to relate the theme of their work, not Franz Kafka. He uses a writing method that voids all aspects and elements of the story that defy interpretation. In doing this, he leaves a simple story that stands only for an objective view for his own thoughts and dreams. Kafka focuses theRead MoreThe Existential Isolation And Biopsychological Change1519 Words   |  7 PagesAn Analysis of the Existential Isolation and Biopsychological Change in The Metamorphosis and â€Å"Letter to my Father† by Franz Kafka and Unwelcome Visitors† by Tessa Farmer This literary and art analysis will define the correlation between the writings of Kafka and the installation art of Tessa Farmer’s in relation to the themes of existential isolation and biopsychological change. Gregor’s anxiety in The Metamorphosis is partially due to the alienation of society, which cases an existential periodRead MoreThe Metamorphosis Isolation Essay1491 Words   |  6 PagesFranz Kafka’s feelings of isolation throughout his life caused him to portray characters in his writing as outcasts as a result. The basis of Kafka’s novel The Metamorphosis is the effects of isolation on man and it’s impact on life. The use of modernism in Kafka’s writing was a reflection of the characteristic shift from the beauty and innocence of romanticism to the cold harsh reality of life after World War I. Kafka’s lifelong alienation intersects with his work where he draws on his personalRead MoreThe True Metamorphosis1356 Words   |  6 PagesThe True Metamorphosis The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka offers much to be critiqued, including the reason why Gregor Samsa was transformed into a hideous beetle. The truth is Gregor had put himself into a position of demise long ago. Over the years, he had worked himself into both physical and mental exhaustion. Gregor was the sole provider, and eventually his family grew less appreciative of him. His relationship with his family had gone south. They were no longer as close, and it were asRead More Franz Kafkas Life Reflected in his Work, The Metamorphosis Essay2398 Words   |  10 PagesFranz Kafkas Life Reflected in his Work, The Metamorphosis The Metamorphosis written by Franz Kafka is considered one of the few great, poetic works of the twentieth century. Addressing The Metamorphosis, Elias Canetti, a Nobel Prize-winning author, has commented, In The Metamorphosis Kafka has reached the height of his mastery: he has written something which he could never surpass, because there is nothing which The Metamorphosis could be surpassed by - one of the few great, perfect poeticRead MoreExistentialism And How This Philosophical Theory Has Developed Over The Years1443 Words   |  6 Pagesprecursors of this movement. Other major philosophers like Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger also deny any association with the movement yet their work is pivotal in bringing this theory to the world. Writers like Fyodor Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka also discuss this theme in their work, thus creating literary work on existentialism and developing this theory further. Existentialism taken up by Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and Simone de Beauvoir in the 20th century in their literary worksRead MoreMr Samsa Existential Ideal: Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka1071 Words   |  5 PagesFranza Kafka wrote one of his most popular books, The Metamorphosis, during the literary period and movement of existentialism. His novella stresses many existential ideals. The most predominant ideal that is seen through Gregor Samsa and his father in The Metamorphosis is that choice is the opportune of the individual. One’s ultimate goal in life is to successfully find a homeostasis between work and leisure. It is through the character development of the father of Gregor Samsa that we see the acquisitionRead MoreGregor Samsas Metamorphosis in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka1271 Words   |  6 Pagesare unable to develop this bond with their family members, they tend to feel alone and depressed. In the novel The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Kafka describes t he theme of alienation and its negative effect on people and their relationships with the people around them. This theme can be shown through Gregor Samsa, the main character in The Metamorphosis. After Gregor’s metamorphosis, or transformation, he is turned from a human being into a giant bug which makes him more and more distant from theRead More Essay on Metamorphosis of the Family in Kafkas Metamorphosis1868 Words   |  8 PagesMetamorphosis of the Family in Kafkas Metamorphosis      Ã‚   In Franz Kafkas Metamorphosis, the nature of Gregor Samsas reality changes insignificantly in spite of his drastic physical changes. Gregors life before the metamorphosis was limited to working and caring for his family. As a traveling salesman, Gregor worked long, hard hours that left little time to experience life. He reflects on his life acknowledging the plague of traveling: the anxieties of changing trains, the irregular,Read MoreFranz Kafka s The Metamorphosis882 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Metamorphosis† is a surreal story by Franz Kafka surrounding the transformation and betrayal of Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one day, reborn into a large insect. Along with the bizarre and nightmarish appearance of his new hard back, brown segmented belly, and many legs, Gregor only desire is to live a normal life, unfortunately, this is impossible because he struggles to even get out of bed. Gregor transformation into an insect is a vivid metaphor for the alienation of hum ans from around the

A Startling Fact about Chinese Culture Essay Topics Uncovered

A Startling Fact about Chinese Culture Essay Topics Uncovered The central government now had direct charge of the populace, permitting the ability to have a far larger workforce. On the flip side, the author may question the dependability of the narrator, since Adeline might not be in a position to grasp the way the growth of the Communist party affected her parent's individual development and so the increase of their children. Some individuals live their lives in accordance with their religion even though others don't think you should factor that into decision making in regards to determining rules for everybody. The system is not as rigid than in the past but young folks often utilize matchmakers. How to Choose Chinese Culture Essay Topics Only a few of Chinese families could have relatives living nearby. In contrast to counterparts from other nations, Chinese children should bear heavier academic burden. Chinese families are extremely close-knit. A family with over one cultural tradition is excellent. Chinese isn't an alphabetic language. There are a lot of conversation topics which are best avoided by foreigners in China. Writing is considered the maximum art form, whilst calligraphy is believed to be the deepest expression of an individual's character. As the English language is still taught, a growing number of Chinese citizens will get accustomed to the language. Gossip, Lies and Chinese Culture Essay Topics Our professionals are among the finest in the current market, and they can help you compose the perfect essay that exceeds all of your academic expectations. Our writers are specially vetted and trained to make sure they work diligently to fulfill all your requirements. Most students think that it is the lack of desire to complete assignments that results in the using of writing services. Last, a last reflection on what additional topics ought to be studied in an adult learning course is going to be shared. Even though some may want to generate a career in Chinese as a teacher, translator or maybe interpreter considering the numerous professions. If you've got an assignment deadline coming up and you are concerned that you won't be in a position to finish your task, don't hesitate to order a paper. It's also preferable that the chosen theme isn't overused because it is able to make your teacher shed interest in your essay and quit reading it altogether. Chinese Culture Essay Topics at a Glance Culture is composed of set of principles and traditions that's passed on from 1 generation to another. Oftentimes, it has always been equated to a country. Business culture is understood to be the culture that has emerged because of company or professional atmosphere. The Chinese culture has many exceptional characteristics that are very interesting for individuals to le arn. These societies have a vast gap between the powerful and the remainder of the populace. There are many sorts of cultures, so prior thorough research may be required to reveal certain characteristics each of them has. These cultures are somewhat more competitive. Individualistic cultures are generally diverse and members have a tendency to be self-reliant. Characteristics of Chinese Culture Essay Topics Totally free Chinese Culture essay samples can be found FreeEssayHelp with no payment or registration. Still, every one of them would show up in the overall list. The list was initially developed so as to provide students in my course with a broad enough collection of topics which they wouldn't all try to use the identical library resources simultaneously. It is crucial to overview the historical facts in order to know the plot of the film. You might need a guide that will help you learn how to navigate effectively. Socialization is realized to a large extent through using la nguage, the key symbolic medium whereby cultural knowledge is communicated and instantiated, reproduced and transformed. From my perspective, it's a good idea to teach the second generation Chinese and infuse them with the culture since it would help to enrich their understanding and diverse comprehension of culture. In fact, the education system shouldn't be the just one to bear the blame and the underlying cultural context also needs to be accountable. Facts, finally, will always win out against how folks are feeling at a specific moment. Chinese folks have been attempting to locate a way to live a very long life. Culture is how we perceive the Earth, it isn't a hat. In New York, it's extremely tough for everyone to prevent the reality that we're indeed surrounded by Chinese culture. Life, Death and Chinese Culture Essay Topics Composing a culture on essay can be accomplished with varied varieties of essay since it can be shown in an objective and a subjective way. Argum entative essay topics are so important since they are debatableand it's important to at all times be critically contemplating the world around us. It is really quite easy to compose an essay on culture as it can be about your own culture. The culture essay is quite much like the descriptive essay, or so the student should select a topic about any culture and explain it to the reader so they understand what it is about. Chinese Culture Essay Topics Features When wrapping, be mindful that the Chinese ascribe much value to color. Chinese wine normally have a strong scent. Chinese foods are put in a huge plate for everybody, and taking more food while there continue to be some remaining food in your bowl is quite impolite. Cantonese food is famous for its cooking procedures.

Sectarian Violence Free Essays

These days’ people immediately think of the country of Iraq when they hear the words sectarian violence or cultural conflict. Many of these individuals would be surprised to find that sectarian violence exist all over the world. Just hours ago a clash in southern Kyrgyzstan between Kyrgyz and Uzbek people claimed 26 lives in less than 24 hours. We will write a custom essay sample on Sectarian Violence or any similar topic only for you Order Now Buildings were set on fire and many individuals were treated for stab and gunshot wounds. It is unknown what caused this recent clash, but it is known that it was culturally motivated. â€Å"Sectarian Violence,† 2010) Also in the news this hour is the reporting of sectarian violence in Karachi, Pakistan that has increased a recent death toll to 5 in the just the last 15 days. (Raza, 2010) Cultural conflict is not just centralized in one location, it can be found all over the world. Samuel P. Huntington, a professor of International Studies and former chairman of the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, produced an essay called â€Å"The Clash of Civilizations? detailing his theory that the end of history will come about through cultural conflict instead of an economic or ideological reason. (Huntington, 1993) Looking at the news for the last seven hours would lead a lot of individuals that Huntington’s theory is right on track. Discussion: Sam Huntington’s â€Å"hypothes is that the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural.Nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different civilizations. The clash of civilizations will be the battle lines of the future. † (Huntington , 1993) Many indivudauls may agree with Huntington, especially after reading the book entitled The Iraq Papers. This book states that sectarian violence causes the largest number of Iraqi civilian casualties. Iraq is in the grip of a deadly cycle: Sunni insurgent attacks spark large-scale Shia reprisals, and vice versa. Ehrenberg, McSherry, Sanchez, Sayej, 2010) This book also identifies that â€Å"sectarian violence – particularly in and around Baghdad – has become the principal challenge to stability. † (Ehrenberg et al, 2010) There are, however, some individuals that feel that Huntington’s theory is very vague and very circumstantial. Jonathon Fox, an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel, completed his own quantitative analysis for the period of 1989 – 2002 and found the exact opposite of Huntington’s analysis.Fox’s researched proved that cultural conflicts were less common than non-cultural conflicts and that the Cold War had no significant effect on the ration between the t wo. (Graham, 2004) Another key fact in Fox’s research that hurts Huntington’s theory is that most cultural conflict that did occur was more likely to be between groups that were culturally similar. (Fox, 2002) Conclusion: With research showing that Huntington’s theory is circumstantial but the news proving that sectarian violence is rising throughout the world, how are we to say if the history will end over a cultural battle?We must not just look at the violence between different cultural groups; we also have to look at any unison between them. I feel that it is very hard to prove Huntington’s theory. With the right resources and finance, it is possible to deter cultural groups from their violent ways. Peace talks have been conducted for decades between cultural groups to stop violence and brutal attacks. Huntington may prove to be right in his theory, but for now, we must wait and see the outcome of sectarian violence all around the world. How to cite Sectarian Violence, Papers

Its The End Of The World...And I Feel Fine Essays - Nuclear Warfare

It's The End Of The World...And I Feel Fine Elspeth Wilson Politics & Film Final Paper December 15, 2000 Its the End of the Worldand I Feel Fine! (The role of intellectuals in the creation and justification of nuclear weapons.) In Fail Safe and Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Sidney Lumet and Stanley Kubrick question the relationship between technology and humanity by emphasizing mankinds tendency to create machines that cannot be adequately controlled. By blatantly revealing the absurdity of game theory (Mutual Assured Destruction as a reasonable deterrence for nuclear war), both directors call into question the dominant pro-Cold War American ideology. One of the most quintessential aspects of this ideology includes the drive for constant technological advance and strategic superiority. Without the brainpower of the scientists and intellectuals who dedicated their lives to the extension of technological power and the study of international conflict, the Arms Race would certainly not have been possible. These academics not only became the architects of atomic weapons but they were also faced with justifying the use of these nuclear bombs, and creating a theoretical fra mework within which nuclear warfare might be appropriately (and rationally) conducted. Within this context, one noteworthy parallel between Fail Safe and Dr. Strangelove is the existence (in both films) of a single intellectual genius that actively perpetuates the science of nuclear advancement and strategy. Indeed, through the characterizations of Professor Groeteschele and Dr. Strangelove, both Lumet and Kubrick examine the prominent role of intellectuals (both scientists and theorists) in the creation and justification of nuclear warfare. Ultimately, both Lumet and Kubrick reveal the problems with relying solely on science and mathematics to resolve international conflict, thus suggesting that modern warfare requires a more humanistic, ethical definition of right and wrong. Both Fail Safe and Dr Strangelove serve as moralizing responses to the dominant American Cold War culture, rhetoric, and political policy. In his article titled Dr. Strangelove (1964): Nightmare Comedy and the ideology of Liberal Consensus, Charles Maland identifies the dominant American cultural paradigm (during the Cold War) as the Ideology of the Liberal Consensus. Maland maintains that the Ideology of the Liberal Consensus first developed as the American people began to feel increasingly threatened by the rise and spread of Communism. After World War II, this cultural paradigm solidified, taking on an intellectual coherence of its own. Indeed, the logic behind this paradigm involved two widely accepted principles: (1) The structure of American society is basically sound. (2) Communism is a clear danger to the survival of the United States and its allies. From the combination of these assumptions, emerged a new definition of Americanism that was predicated upon the concepts of democracy, capitalism, and general material abundance. However, in order to satisfy the demands of this new Americanism, the United States needed to struggle against Communism and willingly support a strong defense systemfor power is the only language that the Communists can understand. Because the maintenance of a superior defense system required frequent technological advancement, physicists, chemists, and other scientists became necessary members of government/military research teams. In addition to the so-called hard scientists, theorists and strategic experts were needed in order to make informed and rational decisions about the circumstances under which the new technological devices (i.e. nuclear weapons) should be used. This emerging Cold War cultural paradigm was both created by and gave birth to a new breed of academicthe nuclear-intellectual. Because technology, nuclear science, and war strategy became such an integral part of the definition of American culture and security, the scientists and the theoreticians that participated in this nuclear culture achieved political prominence. These academics not designed advanced killing-machines, but they were also employed to create a new theoretical framework that rationally justified the use of nuclear weapons in specific confrontations. Thus, both the hard-scientists and the game-theorists became an integral part of the Cold War culture, supplying the country with two vital ingredients (both the machinery and the rhetoric) necessary for the creation of a new American ideology (based on democracy, capitalism, societal complacency, and soviet paranoia etc.). Because of the unique role of intellectuals in the initial formulation of the ideology, principles, and technology behind the liberal consensus, any work that

Chinas Roots by Orient Lee †Book Review

Chinas Roots by Orient Lee – Book Review Free Online Research Papers China’s Roots by Orient Lee Book Review As one of the oldest and largest civilizations in the world, China has seen both its political state and culture morph in countless ways through periods of war, peace, prosperity, and destitution. To summarize its thousands of years of history in a mere few hundred pages is, undeniably, a formidable task, but Orient Lee attempts it in his work China’s Roots. As the title suggests, the book describes how China and the Chinese people came to be what they are today through a chronological retelling of Chinas development from prehistoric to contemporary times. It is not, however, a comprehensive description of Chinese history, but nor does it profess to be. Rather, Lee, a Chinese scholar with many historical works under his belt, presents a broad framework of the nations transition through various periods of history. Above this frame, he selectively adds more detailed descriptions of the most notable events, persons, and cultural aspects, offering insight into things that have come to define China and the Chinese people. In the same vein, Lee also supplements his history with separate chapters on the evolution of science, art, and literature in China. Presented in both Chinese and English trans lation, the book is moreover accessible to both Chinese and foreign readers. However, while China’s Roots is a commendable introduction to China’s history and culture, it is nevertheless marred by several faults, including uneven focus, unreliable information, and the author’s clear bias towards certain subjects. China’s Roots summarizes Chinese history and cultural development in twelve chapters. The first chapter introduces China’s geography and describes the nation’s land mass, provinces, cities, mountains, lakes, deserts, plains, prairies, plateaus, forests, islands, and rivers, showing that most do not shy in comparison to those of the powerful nation in the world, the United States. He also highlights the nation’s most notable natural wonders, including the Great Central Plain, Himalaya Mountains, Yellow River, and Yangtze River, whose length is comparable to that of the Nile and Amazon. On the whole, Lee’s descriptions emphasize the beauty, usefulness, and grandeur of the Chinese landscape. The second chapter concerns China during prehistoric times, citing various archaeological remains from Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic times. The author traces the development of humans in various regions through these ancient times, describing the tool s, houses, pottery, and other artifacts of each era. In the next seven chapters, Lee relates China’s historical past from the Xia Dynasty to modern China, with focus on the political aspects of the country’s development. He begins by blending the myths of China’s origin with historical fact to create an account of proto-history. A brief description of the Xia Dynasty is given, though it is made clear that the information is based on ancient texts as opposed to archaeological evidence. The Shang Dynasty is also only described briefly, with passing remarks about its 28 kings and achievements in agriculture, military, and the like. Next Lee describes how the Zhou Dynasty was established as well as the four main vassal states during Middle Zhou. He also describes each of the Five Hegemons individually and gives a brief account of the seven Warring States, the growth of feudalism, and how Qin came to power. The account of Qins and its achievements in road-building, measuring, writing and such, is brief like its re ign. Following this Lee traces the establishment of Han and its first five emperors, but then quickly speeds through the rest of the emperors and attainments in the lengthy eras of Former and Latter Han, with special attention given to certain emperors such as Wu Ti and Ming Ti. When drawing attention to the Three Kingdoms period, the author briefly describes the three states and their rulers, and then reflects on why no kingdom was able to unify China. This is followed by a detailed portrayal of the struggles between the eight princes of Jin, and a description of the minority tribes of the period as well as the Northern and Southern Dynasties stage. There were also significant developments in philosophy, science, literature, and religion at this time. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, society and economy flourished, although this epoch was also plagued by problems such as the Fanchen Warlords and rebellions. The Five Dynasties period only lasted shortly, and the Northern Son g Dynasty that followed suffered from a poor military and administrative system. Despite Wang AnShis reforms, rebellion rose. Numerous battles between Jhin and Sung took place during the Southern Song, and the economy of the period suffered great deficit. The Mongol-ruled Yuan Dynasty treated the Han Chinese as ninth-class citizens. After years of misrule, rebels eventually established Ming, though the first ruler was deemed insane and ruled poorly. Another rebellion eventually brought about the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which had the misfortune to fall to the status of a sub-colony after fighting two Opium Wars as well as several other foreign wars. Next Lee describes the establishment of the Republic of China, which fought an 80 year war against Japan as well as a civil war that eventually put China under the rule of a communist government. After noting Deng XiaoPings reforms that opened China, the author ends his historical account by asserting his hope for one China. The latter third of the text focuses on various cultural achievements in science and technology, art, and literature. As for technological developments, Lee chronologically details the evolution of technology in different areas, including irrigation, transportation, and chemistry. He also includes a subsection on the sciences that the Chinese purportedly excelled at, including math, astronomy, metallurgy, and medicine. The chapter on the development of arts is separated into subsections of architecture, sculpture, and painting. In each section, Lee describes the development of the art throughout the ages and names specific artists and their accomplishments. Finally, in the last chapter, the author chronologically tracks the growth of Chinese literature and lists several notable authors and works. In critiquing China’s Roots, it is firstly of note to mention that the book has a fairly unique format, which is at times helpful for the reader but sometimes detrimental. The work imparts the aforementioned information in both Chinese and English using Wade-Giles romanization. From the limited amount of Chinese I can read, the English version appears to be a direct translation of the original, with minor discrepancies. For example, when speaking of the math of China, the English version merely mentions that a mathematician solved problems with the â€Å"Method of Finite Difference† (p.201) while the Chinese version actually details the equations and mathematics associated with the method. Similarly, a picture of an oracle describing novas appears only in the Chinese version. Clearly, such discrepancies, which appear throughout the book, indicate that each version is intended for a specific audience. Foreigners are expected know the Method of Finite Difference wit hout further elaboration, and only Chinese readers are expected to recognize characters on the oracle bone. Although this entails that certain details will be missed by those who only read one version, it also implies that the author knows his audience and is likely catered his writing accordingly. Indeed, even the title, presented as â€Å"Our Roots† in Chinese but â€Å"China’s Roots† in English, likewise suggests a specific audience for each version. This review is based off of the English version. When comparing the organization of Chinas Roots with two other similar works on Chinese civilization, An Introduction to Chinese Civilization by John. T. Meskill and China: Tradition and Transformation by John Fairbank and Edwin Reischauer, one sees evident uniqueness in Lee’s approach. Lee chooses to first present geography and chronological history, and then delve more intensively into specific aspects of culture, including science, art, and literature. Although he still enriches his earlier chapters with some cultural information, such as when he describes the flourishing of Tang metropolises, he does not interweave it entirely with history as Fairbank does. In doing so, he succeeds in drawing greater attention to culture as well offering a more coherent narrative of its development. Furthermore, the sections in the chapters of Roots are laid out with appropriate headings, subheadings, and bolded proper names that make specific content easy to access. However, unlike the two aforementioned works, it lacks an index. So while a reader can easily find information regarding certain time periods, he will have difficulty locating more specific names and subjects embedded within the text. The book also suffers from peculiar, counterintuitive organization in some areas, such as when it covers the effect of Qins rule on the six other Warring States before describing the wars that led Qin to accomplish its takeover. It might also be of note that there are several printing errors in the book, including typographic errors, truncated paragraphs, and even repeated pages. It is, then, not unreasonable to assume that certain names and dates could contain errors as well. Altogether, such details mar an otherwise well-organized book. In general, China’s Roots provides well-written and comprehensive overviews of its subjects. Compared to the works of Fairbank and Meskill, Roots is shorter in length but covers the same events, names, locations, and other facts important to Chinese history and culture. It does so in a more succinct manner, often offering only the most important details, so that readers can learn a great deal about Chinas origin without having to read hundreds and hundred of pages of text. Indeed, in merely 250 pages, Lee has laudably created a comprehensive, compact, and largely well-written piece of work that has summarized a massive history for almost anyone to enjoy. Like the other authors, Lee also, in a professional manner, tries to prove most of his assertions or opinions with fact. When he claims that Tangwas the greatest [dynasty] in Chinese history (p.102), he immediately appends a list of facts about Tangs political, criminal, military, and philosophical bearings, which support his assertion as evidence. Similarly, when he claims that the Tang dynasty flourished, he proves it with numbers and statistics. Moreover, in addition to capturing the essence of the longer and more well-known books, Lees book also delves into subjects that are not usually touched upon by other writers. For example, while Lee uses a similar organization of chapters as Meskill, the latter fails to include a section on science as Lee does. In all fairness, few people would associate China with scientific innovation, but Lees unique inclusion of the subject serves to shatter misconceptions by highlighting Chinas lead in many areas of technological achievement. Also, while Meskill and Fairbank are reluctant to include unproven information that is not supported by evidence, Lee freely includes stories and myths in spite of dubious accuracy. This leads him to include sections on the myths of origin about Yao, Shun and Yu, as well as information on Xia that is only supported by writ ings from thousands of years after the fact. In contrast, the other two works only mention the Xia Dynasty briefly in one paragraph or even just a sentence. Lees inclusion of such information expands the readers understanding of China and where the Chinese people believe their roots lie. Lee also writes about China in a unique style that often adds to the entertainment value of the book. While Fairbank and Meskills works read like bulky textbooks that would only incite interest in a small specific group of readers, Lee reaches out to a larger audience. Most likely in effort to conjure up more interest in his subject, he uses style and includes content that a larger audience will enjoy. In some ways, Lees descriptions read almost like flowing narratives as he explains cause and effect and the rise and fall of each dynasty. Often times, he even includes anecdotes that make otherwise trivial or dull subjects amusing. For instance, he highlights greed, deceit, and betrayal of the ruling class in a needlessly detailed but unarguably interesting account (p.81-3) of the power struggle between eight Jin princes. At other times, he points out interesting facts that other history writers are likely omit, such as the financial enigma of Sung, whose yearly expenditures con sistently exceeded revenues (p.137). Indeed, Lee attempts to inject his own interest in China into his readers. On the other hand, the authors efforts to lay emphasis on topics that are more appealing prove to have adverse effects as well. For one, Lees compulsion to share topics that he finds interesting results in uneven focus throughout many parts of the book. In one such instance, Lee devotes dozens of pages to the lengthy wars between Jhin and Song and even specifically describes the terms of many peace treaties and battle strategies. Such details offer little insight into Chinese history as a whole, and even Fairbank and Meskill only make passing references to them. The needlessly detailed description must then have arisen from the authors interest in the subject, which ultimately imposes tedious information upon the reader. Furthermore, at other times, the author fails to include information on a subject if he finds it uninteresting. This is the case with the Five Dynasties Stage, to which he only devotes three pages because, to him, None of the Five Short Dynasties in the metropol itan region had an edifying or interesting history. Theirs was a series of wars, murders, and usurpations (p.119). Clearly, this uneven coverage of different subjects leaves the reader with information that is overabundant in some areas and insufficient in others. In the same vein, Lees desire to please his core reader demographic is detrimental to foreigners who wish to extract accurate information from the text. It can be inferred from the Chinese title of the book, Our Roots, and the Taiwanese phonetics on the cover, that the core readership will be Taiwanese. With this in mind, Lee has created a work that often seems to glorify the Taiwanese and their ancestors specifically. For instance, when describing Chinas geography, Lee presents his opinion that Taiwan isthe most beautiful [island] as fact (p.6). He also occasionally glosses over information that makes China appear weak in the face of other nations. When speaking of the Opium War and foreign dominations that follow, he only includes a few pages (p.154-6) on the subject, whereas Fairbank and Meskill both provide long sections on the details of the war, the resulting agreements, as well as other wars that followed. It is unfortunate that Roots fails to provide information on a s hameful but nevertheless important part of Chinese history that helps to explain Chinas inferiority complex during the many decades that followed. Similarly, the book names modern scientists, artists, and writers in Taiwan but not the Peoples Republic of China. This, too, denies readers information that they will need to study and understand todays China as a whole. In addition to the aforementioned instances in which the author inserts his own bias and opinions in an unapparent manner, Lee also frequently asserts his views explicitly. There are many cases in which he utilizes the words I think, I believe, or I propose, such as when he asserts that I think the human elementhad also played a role in historic happenings of every epoch (80). While it is helpful to provide an experts opinion, including them also makes the work appear less objective. When opinions are inserted into a work of history, one begins to question the reliability of the rest of the information, which are then likely to be influenced by bias. Neither Meskill nor Fairbank address themselves in the first person in their works. Although Lee supports assertions with evidence for the most part, there are also times when he makes statements without sufficient proof. Often, these statements make Roots appear even less professional and less reliable. For example, he frequentl y describes characters without proof, such as when he repeatedly asserts that certain rulers are stupid, ugly, (p.81), or crazy (p.149). Moreover, although it is most likely due to inaccurate translation, the use of these adjectives, which are generally colloquial, reduce Lees credibility as a qualified historian. Overall, Chinas Roots is a well-written but nevertheless flawed piece of nonfiction on Chinas past. Despite having listed many faults with the book, I would recommend it to anyone interested in Chinese history. While the writing may not be entirely objective, it does provide an abundance of valuable information on China and its origins. Furthermore, it conveys that information in a succinct and interesting manner, rendering what could otherwise be dull material into a more entertaining and understandable form. Personally, I found the stories of wars and power struggles to be fascinating. It is important for every Chinese person to learn about his or her origins, and this book represents a great source from which to draw that knowledge. On the whole, it provides the most important details of Chinese history and culture without being too detailed or too rough about its subject matter. However, readers must also take Lees words with a grain of salt, especially when he writes subj ectively. When the author asserts that that Tang is the greatest dynasty, for example, readers should question the statement and decide for themselves the qualities that constitute true greatness. BIBLIOGRAPHY Lee, Orient. Chinas Roots. 2nd Edition. Monterey Park: Evergreen Publishing, 2002. Meskill, John T. An Introduction to Chinese Civilization. Lexington: DC Health and Co, 1973. Fairbank, John K. and Edwin O. Reischauer. China: Tradition and Transformation: Revised Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989. Research Papers on China’s Roots by Orient Lee - Book ReviewDefinition of Export QuotasMind TravelCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaPETSTEL analysis of IndiaTwilight of the UAWWhere Wild and West MeetQuebec and Canada