Assignment 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 14

1 - Assignment Example Such confusion happens because speech sounds and meanings relate in an arbitrary manner. In other words, there is no rational and logical relationship between speech sounds and meanings. The Portuguese model can best illustrate language arbitrariness. Similarity in words should not be an issue, and neither should the words be understandable to a foreigner. However, the tribesmen need to understand what words mean. The Portuguese words tigre-dente-de-sabre mean a sabre toothed tiger. These words are the signifier. Suppose one was to go back 40 years and ask a Portuguese where to find a tiger with a sabre tooth, he or she would have no idea about it. The reason is that there is no connection between the words and the animal in question. Maybe one would wonder how the words are signified or related to the animal. According to Tomasello, every sign is arbitrary and has conventional associations, which have been established by a social rule (Tomasello 87). At first, one could argue that the statement is completely flawed, especially when onomatopoeic words are concerned. However, when one looks gives a detailed look at specific languages, one will notice certain differences. For instance, cock-a-doodle-doo is the English representation of a cock’s crowing whereas cocorico is the French version of the same. It is unlikely that cocks in Britain and France crow differently. In conclusion, all languages are arbitrary but it does not mean they are unpredictable. Precisely, arbitrariness means that one cannot exactly predict specific features that can be found in a language. It is impossible to predict what sounds will occur. Languages have their systems that differentiate sounds and meanings. Not every new concept necessitates the creation of a new word. The wing of a plane, for instance, was lifted from the wing of a bird. Moreover, a banker and a baker sound almost the same

The Next Dance Company Concert Essay Example for Free

The Next Dance Company Concert Essay Yesterday I went to a dance concert Next Dance Company Concert whose presented work by The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance. The dance was performed by the graduating students of this school. The performance was combined with eight pieces of dance, each of them has its own theme, mood, and phenomenon. With simple music and costume, performers and audiences were delighted and having spirit communication. One thing that most impressed me was the way they designed music. Many sounds from daily life can be heard in the music. I heard people wheezing, screaming, crying. I heard clock’s ticking. I heard sound’s in office, like keyboarding or pouring coffee. They are not composed by instrument, but they are pretty familiar to us. These sound, after editing, provided us a strong sense of rhythm. Combining the dance, it allows us to think of the deep meaning of each theme. Amount of eight pieces of dance, the one I like the most is Bad Faith. The two performers displayed a strong depressed feeling through their repetitive actions with some change in each repeat. They had a dialogue, but they didn’t act like talking. They rely on each other closely but sometimes they have problems and get separate. They used their bodies to express feeling each time they talked. Such movement is oppressing to me. I love it although it is not as large-scale as others performance I saw before. And because of this reason, I sat really close to the stage and the dancers. I could hear musicians tuning their instruments, I could see light refected on performers’ faces and, the most important thing, I could see dancers’ facial expression. Sometimes they even had no background music. Instead, they used the sound of dancer’s feet rubbing the floor or footsteps as the beat. Attending a live performance is really more enjoyable than watching the same event on television. Dancer is not just a job that repeats movement that other instructs he or she to do, but an artist that use their body as a tool to express emotion, story, or ideas in a nonverbal way. From viewing this concert, I discovered the motion of dance , I feel the change of my mood with the fluctuation of motion performed in different parts of the concert. From these eight pieces of dance, I feel like I have eight times of experience. From this dance, I discover that the dance has its own motion. It might show happiness or sadness and audience will experience the change of mood of their own. All I want to say is, this was a wonderful evening and it was really worthy to go!

Accessing Health and Social Care in the UK

Accessing Health and Social Care in the UK When the National Health Services (NHS) was founded in 1948, one of the principles was to provide complete services to all and free at the time of need in UK (nursing times.net 2009). Access to healthcare services is based on clinical needs of an individual and not the ability to pay the services. This means everyone has the rights of accessing to health and social care, although it is still a major problem for low social group and ethnic minority who are facing personal, socio economic, cultural and problems happening as results of the structure of health and social care processes (POSTNOTE 2007). In this essay, a case study will be used to demonstrate a patient with learning disability who faces various problems during his access to health and social care services and factors that contributed to these problems. Also it will focus on how nurses could support these individuals to make decisions about their care. The meaning of learning disability will be explained. The assignment will also look at major cultural and social economic influencing the health and health choices of individuals. Also it will analyze the differences between health education and health promotion and with their importance in individual in accessing health and social care. The challenges inherent in meeting the needs of people of varying abilities and social backgrounds will be look at as well as the factors that trigger the accessing of multi-professional health and social service. The essay will also discuss the understanding of the legislation related to the provision of health and social care, as a nu rse why are we needed to be aware of the inequalities in provision. A name mentioned in the case study has been changed in order to comply with the code of NMC (2008) and consent was obtained from the patient and the name Anil will be used in stead. Anil is a boy of eighteen years old who came to UK from South East Asia seven years ago. He lives with his parents in the housing estate of East London where majority are ethnic from South Asia. His father who earns minimum wages works in a food factory in six days a week, speaks English and his mother is a fulltime housewife and does not speak English, only Hindu. Anil was born with Asperger syndrome, a lifelong disability that affects how a person makes sense of the world, processes information and relates to other people. People with Asperger can find difficult to communicate and interacts with other (NAS 2010). Anil had never been to hospital in India and he was treated by traditional healers. He only started seeks medical assistance when he moved to UK. Anil physical condition has deteriorated recently. He does not eat well; look tired, sometimes suffered headache and finding difficult in sleeping. Since he came to UK, he had been to school for three years only and he never had friends. He does not mix well with other people and his parents do not bother about this. At times he lets himself become a little neglected. Anil represents a small and vulnerable group in a society who find difficulty in accessing and using health and social care because of the greater health care needs they have than general population. Motor and sensory disabilities, Epilepsy, hypertension and Alzheimers disease are some of the conditions that are common in this group (NURSING STANDARD 2010). The MENCAP report (DEATH IN DEFFERENCES 2007) states that people with learning disability are being treated wrongly in all part of healthcare provision and they are not equally valued in the health services. The government also revealed that people with learning disabilities are poorer particularly uptake of invitations on primary care and hospital provisions such as access screening services (ALD 200/01). Because of their greater needs of healthcare, they are more prone to a wide variety of additional physical and mental health problems as it shows to Anil. According to Tudor- Hart (cited in Hart 1985) there is an increasing in e vidence of an inverse care law where those who needs are greatest get the least. Learning Disability is a life long condition which has a significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information and it is vary from one person to another. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines learning disability as impairment of the body function which limits the activity of an individual in performing a task or action (WHO 2010) According to Thomas and Woods in their book Working with people with learning disabilities 11(2003), a learning disability is a terminology used to label people with lower level of intellectual that is lower than the average to normal people in the society. The term itself was widely accepted in England following a speech in 1996 to MENCAP by Stephen Dorrell, the then secretary for Health. From time to time the title and labels have changed and this has been driven by several influences. The term used to cover children with specific learning problems that may arises from a number of different things like emotional problems, medical problems and language impairment (BILD 2004). In the past, many people with learning disability were lived in institutions and have been labeled differently by their generations. Many different forms of terms have been used before. Terminology such as menace, sub- human organism, unspeakable objects of dread, holy innocent, diseased organism, eternal child and many more (WOLFENSBERGER,1972). There are about 1.5 million people with learning disability in UK who require different levels of support (MENCAP). It has been identified that approximately 26.5% of people who have learning disability as being associated with genetic factors (Craft et al 1985). Learning Disabilities is caused by problems during brain development before, during and after birth (RCSLT 2009). There are different types of learning disabilities some of which are Asperger syndrome (a specific type of Autism) which affect a person the way interact to the world, reading disabilities, writing disabilities, non verbal learning disabilities (NVLD) and many more (ALD 2000-2010), reading disability (dyslexia), speech and listening disability, and auditory processing disorder. It is often detected in early childhood. In UK there are laws and policies which describe how the needs of people with learning disabilities should be met. The purpose of these laws and policies is to improve quality of life and based on empowerment, making choices and decision, having the same opportunity and rights as other people and social inclusion. Policy such as` valuing people which explain how the government will provide same opportunity and choice for people with learning disabilities and their families to live full and independent lives as part of their local communities and to ensure they gain maximum life chance benefit ( DOH 2010). The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 which is a piece of legislation promotes the rights of people with learning disabilities to access healthcare and other care services. Healthcare providers must respect, support them and their families and conforms to professional standard (NHS 2006). It is the NHS duty to make sure they provide an equal service that can be easily accessed by anyone according to this Act. Most of the people with learning disabilities have sensory and physical impairment that make it hard to make their choices and to understand by others. A piece of legislation which protects them in England is Mental Capacity Act 2005 which is empowers and protects vulnerable people who are not able to make their own decision. People with learning disability will still have the right to give their consent for daily living and accessing the services despite of having significantly reduced ability to understand new learning skills (NURSING STANDARD 2010). If the person lack a capacity of giving or refusing consent, it is still possible for care providers to provide care and treatments for the best interest of the person (DOH 2003). A survey showed that nearly 62%of all people with learning disabilities depend on their parents and other caregivers (EMERSON et al 2005). However, healthcare providers have a duty to understand and recognize the needs of a person with learning disabilities and make sure their needs are met. It is a nursing role to work in partnership with the clients to overcome barriers by identifying what management and decision to represent the person mostly professionally although clients and their cares may make their own decision. People with learning disabilities in lower social classes are particularly disadvantage relative to the higher social classes in accessing healthcare services because of physical, social, psychological and economic barriers that limit their full participation in society. Acheson (1998) identified the links between inequalities and poor health. He noted that health inequalities were widening with the poorest in society being more affected than those who are well off. The post code lottery which depends on where you might live is a big issue in NHS. The availability of better treatment, drugs and waiting time in a deprived area where people depend on state healthcare provisions will carry on experience poor access to services and treatment than those who have the power of buying services in private services (GUARDIAN 2000). People from ethnic backgrounds experience healthcare service differently due to their lack of knowledge which can be limited by the ability to communicate in English. They may find challenge to enter healthcare services because it may require, for example making a telephone call, appointment, coping with a queuing system and complex procedures ( NHS 2006). Different in cultures attitude and stigma between where they came from and UK can impact Anils health. It is believed that South Asian parents dont have positive attitudes towards disabilities because religious and superstitious beliefs (ROYAL COLLEGE OF PSYCHIATRIC 2003). Anils parents might not take his problem seriously because of their background and social stigma of having a child with disability (AUTISM-INDIA 2008). According to the report of Department of Health (2009) a review in development in tackling health inequalities of Acheson, recommended the improvement of living standards of people with lower income than average. Among the people in this group are people living in a deprived area and depend on social housing. Also people with learning disability may fail to get the necessary services because of lack of understanding about health issues articulating their needs based on their poor experiences of education system (Mathews 1996). Research carried out by Cartwright Obrien1976 found that General Practitioners spend far less time with their patients from lower classes ( cited in Hart 1985,p59). The situation may be more complex for service users who have little or no verbal communication and those with learning disability. A learning disability person may be unable to identify and describe the signs and symptoms requiring accurate medical attention. The information may not be presented in accessible format and the staffs may ask questions which can not understand (NURSING STANDARD 2010). Unavailability of an experience interpreter in the healthcare settings can be barrier. It can affect the sensitivity of patients values and attitudes. To use a professional interpreter can reassure patients to communicate and feel freer when describing their religious beliefs and unsatisfactory environment conditions but to healthcare professionals may feel disempowerment and may depend on interpreters in order to carry out their roles (ROYAL COLLEGE OF PSYCHTRIC 2003). Sometimes physical access may be an issue for people with learning disability; they find their appointment times are often too short to understand the system because of their difficulties and transport needs to access healthcare facilities are more distant. Practitioners may be given job in deprived areas with all facility available but they may be in the risks of vandalism, theft and anti social behavior (Thomson J et al 2003 p59). The aims of the government today in UK is convince individuals to be more involved in their health. But the problems with availability of health promotion services and involvements are some of concern due to the restructuring of health and social care for people with learning disabilities has been accelerated by NHS and community care Act (DOH 1990, Emerson Et al 1996 chap 11). For example, most of the health promotion discussion and activities to accessing suitable primary healthcare is focus on medical involvements such as immunization (Stanley et al 1998 p71). Some of this medical approach can lead to reinforced dependency for people with learning disabilities. Those with severe learning disabilities, their needs are becoming known to service providers through secondary and tertiary care after being referred by primary care. Among health promotion is prevention which is focusing on decrease of risk occurrence of diseases, disabilities and handicap. These activities occur in health care settings. Primary prevention is to prevent from risk factors such as obesity through education, exercise and diet. Primary prevention produces information on various health issues in pictorial and easily understandable format such as cancer. On secondary prevention, it involves identifies early signs of diseases occurring such as cancer screening and tertiary prevention is involves reducing the impact of the disease and promoting quality of life through active rehabilitation (Thomson et al 2003). Anils state of confusion may be caused a number of factors which might need further investigation. It is the duty of his General Practitioner (primary prevention) to refer him to hospital (secondary prevention) for investigation. A consultant may decide whether Anil has physical or mental illness. To deal with and removing barriers such as difficulty with interpersonal communication, health promotion will need to promote inclusion and reduce inequalities in service provision (Thomson et al 2003 p129). World Health Organization (2010) has made it clear that health promotion is the process of enabling individual to improve and increase control of their health. Many primary healthcare professional do not have skills to overcome this problem as results those people who have learning disabilities are less likely to receive lifestyle advice than those who do not have learning disabilities (Fitzsimmons Barr 1997). Learning disability nurses have a variety of skills in communication and observations which could be useful to teach other healthcare professionals in health and social care settings (Thomson et al 2003 p131) Health education as a part of health promotion is defined as a planned communication activities designed to attract well being and ill health in individuals and group through influencing the knowledge, belief, attitudes and behavior of those in power of the community at large (Tannahill 1985p167-8). For people with learning disabilities, health education might promote social inclusion through decreasing negative stereotyping by valuing and respecting their needs. On a more individual level, people who receive health education messages have a choice to decide whether to follow or not the message given (Thomson J et al 2003). Building partnerships between nurses, careers, other professional and people with learning disabilities is essential in order to promote and educating health by identifying their physical and mental health condition (DOH 1995). A partnership is not only the way to bring up to date statutory services but also is about developing and acknowledging the collective responsibility for the health and wellbeing of the community which they belong (Thomson J et al 2003, p102). Having the opportunity to make choice about their healthcare is critical to their sense of inclusion in society. It is also a key factor in allowing individual like Anil to feel in control of his life. The NMC (National Midwifery Council) code of 2008sets out number of responsibilities on nurses to promote choice and respect the decisions of those they care. Nurses need to help them making their choice by making some simple adaptations. The first step can be taking a little more time to explain something and giving the person with learning disability more time to understand what is being said (NURSING STANDARDS 2010, P53). Other approach could be the involvement of relative or paid career not to make choice on behalf of the person with learning disability but to use their knowledge of the person to help the care professional interpret or to explain treatment options. In all this processes, nurses need to ensure that they obtain consent before they begin assessment and treatment. Any decision to be taken by the staff must be in the interests of the person and must regard to his or her human rights. To conclude, the essay has set out key difficulties experienced by people with learning disabilities in accessing healthcare services and the gap between rich and poor who are accessing healthcare appear to be widening. People who have learning disabilities are generally underestimated and find themselves failure to succeed their expectation. They experience more health problems than any other group in a society but use healthcare services less than the general population (RODGER 1996). Inequalities in health for people with learning disabilities must be dealt with by healthcare providers in health care provision with the aim of closing the division between the general public experiences and this group. By using good quality of health care and respecting peoples rights to access, and making reasonable adjustment, the lives of people with learning disabilities can be changed. Healthcare providers have a duty to ensure that people with learning disabilities are offered regular checking and are included in health screening program.

growaw Metamorphosis of Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopins The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

The Metamorphosis of Edna Pontellier in The Awakening The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, tells the story of a woman, Edna Pontellier, who transforms herself from an obedient housewife to a person who is alive with strength of character and emotions which she no longer has to repress. This metamorphosis is shaped by her surroundings. Just as her behavior is more shocking and horrifying because of her position in society, it is that very position which causes her to feel restrained and makes her yearn to rebel. Adele Ratignolle is Edna's close friend and confidante, but the two women are nothing alike. Adele is the perfect housewife and mother; she is the epitome of what a Creole woman and mother ought to be. She lives her life for her children, always being sure that they are properly cared for, clothed, and educated. Unlike Adele whose life is fulfilled through loving and caring for her children, Edna is "fond of her children in an uneven, impulsive way" (Chopin, p. 18). They are not enough to justify her life. Adele could not understand how Edna could say that she "would never sacrifice herself for her children, or for anyone" (Chopin, p. 47). Edna's being is taking on a new importance in her life. She is starting to realize just how important it is to be true to herself. She has never done that before. She went along with the way things were supposed to be, holding her socials and tending to her house until she became aware that she needs more from her life. Edna's marriage to Leonce is safe, but there is no passion or excitement. "She grew fond of her husband, realizing with some unaccountable satisfaction that no trace of passion or excessive and fictitious warmth colored her affection, thereby threatening its dissolution" (Chopin, p. 18). While this lack of emotion is enough to satisfy Edna for the majority of her marriage, after she begins to allow her true self to come forth, she feels trapped and seeks a way to escape. She realizes that she needs intrigue and flavor in her marriage, especially, in her life. Leonce cannot understand that she does not fit the mold of the typical Creole woman. Her lifestyle is suffocating her. The person whom Edna truly admires is Mademoiselle Reiz, who is a brilliant pianist.

Racism in America Essay

Racism is very much a problem in our country; we just can’t admit that it’s there. We bury it back in our minds, not able to admit the pressing problem in our nation. All of the groups in our nation demonstrate racism and believe that they are right for hating a certain type of people. The Klu Klux Klan, Aryans, Skinheads, Neo Nazis, and many more are a good example of the racism that still lingers. There is also a substantial amount of racial profiling now ever since the September 11th tragedies. Many people ridicule Middle Easterners and people who are considered to have â€Å"their color† because some of us think that since a few Middle Eastern terrorists bombed us, they all hate us and want us to die. This all started with slavery and the Africans being sent away from their homelands to break their backs working on our farms. We spit on them, treated them like shit, and expected them to work hard for us and like it. Many of the white people do feel sorry and are guilty for what we did to the African American ancestors, but there’s nothing we can do to take it back. It is history and we cannot change it. There is still racism towards African Americans. Whenever you hear a murder, robbery, assault, or drug bust on the news, they say it was an African American. There are just as many white people that commit those same crimes, but they aren’t on the news nearly as much. Affirmative Action in today’s society has nothing to do with slavery and if it does, it really shouldn’t. We use Affirmative Action to make a school or work environment have diversity, not pity on what we did. Affirmative Action is to make sure minorities have the same opportunities as everyone else.

Chinese Philosophy Essay

Human being is by nature a dynamic being, whose tendency to evolve is manifest in history, archeology and other disciplines that have put human development and progress in focus in the course of evolution and so does the society / community in which he resides. Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher, once stated; â€Å"As they step into the same rivers, different and still different waters flow upon them† (qtd. in Snooks 1). In line with this saying, we may say that change is something that is part of nature. Many of the activities of communities can address, embrace or resist change. In order to manage the various incidents and conditions that are experienced by man and his society, various instruments and frameworks are devised. In the case of the Chinese society, a number of philosophical standpoints were developed in a bid to confront the challenges facing China. This paper endeavors to examine Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism and Legalism as the instruments put in place by the Chinese in response to the wars that China was experiencing, especially in regard to leadership in a society. Confucianism Confucianism puts quality on the ability of the human being to achieve, through self introspective processes, a state of inner harmony and moral uprightness, which can elevate the individual from the stables of a common person to a noble person. Confucias (541 – 479 BCE) was China’s first moral philosopher who linked moral behavior to traditional roles and hierarchies. He linked the Zhou order that was deteriorating and believed that all should understand and accept their role in the society. This system of thought is good in so far as it has faith in the human being as being capable of managing his own destiny, and being able to change for the better. Confucianism gives an individual member of the society a chance to take responsibility for creating and maintaining harmony in the society, by having it entrenched in the individual countenance that recognizes nobility as a state that can be achieved by an individual, without anybody being able to gain it through ascription or inheritance and this is not closely attached to the exercise of political power per se (Barry et al. 24) In China where many communities were vying for political dominance, Confucianism offered a window for the restoration of order through self cultivation, oriented toward achieving a noble state, in spite of the person’s social extraction. This, as a philosophy that sought to bring harmony in the warring Chinese society, worked toward the establishment of personal moral uprightness, which in turn would affect the way people related to one another, especially in their relation to leadership. If the society regarded nobility highly, then the noble people, having cultivated themselves effectively; would have their influence in the society to steer clear of war, or to effectively lead the people in better battle campaigns against their adversaries. If on the other hand, the Chinese society was to transform itself into a nation of noble people according to Confucian principles, then everybody would maintain the peace, because people would look at each other with more humility and kindness. The Confucian noble is thus, one who is able to provide leadership without really reigning or ruling. Confucianism can also be seen as a direct response to insensitive leadership during the war period, and thus, a system to try and impress the virtue of good leadership amongst the rulers of the time (86). This was done in such a way that it did not threaten as much, the social structures prevalent then, hence the Confucian recognition of the social hierarchies, and insistence on the citizenry to uphold respect for the superiors. Of course, war is a period when it matters to positively receive instruction and commands from the superiors. Daoism While Confucianism promotes the practice of self improvement in line with the argument based on natural evolution of the human species, Daoism on the other hand places all human effort in the search for knowledge and purposeful transformation in the realm of vanity. Daoists wanted the governments not to override their lives and were interested in the spiritual aspect of human existence. The temptation to dismiss this school of thought prima facie is quite high. This is due to the natural orientation of man to take responsibility of his destiny and the natural tendency to seek a better life, to marvel at nature and to try to influence it so as to satisfy personal needs. In that respect, one would expect that a working formula has to emphasize man’s rationality and his wants and needs, as the central pillars of his push toward creating his own history and having dominion over his environment. On the other hand, Daoism offers a situation where, as a country at war, the Chinese had an opportunity to re-examine their value systems and act accordingly. The Daoist concept of being in harmony with nature and not struggling to bring about change could be looked at as a peace strategy. This is because wars are naturally fanned by human desire to achieve something that humans feel is of ultimate importance to them. Wars also spring out of humans’ questioning of things and hence inventions of valuable things (which they desire so much). Humans would also like to either wrest from people who wouldn’t like them to possess the valuable items, or fervently protect the items from the people who would covet them. The need for man to change, to improve on things and to have an influence over his environment is a tendency that puts man in contention with the Daoist principle. If people followed Daoism, then they wouldn’t engage in a lot of questioning, which would bring about the escalation or perpetuation of the war. Their social relationships would be smooth, for all of them would be in harmony with nature, which would naturally take its course and not support of war. Daoist leadership would therefore be a laid back kind of leadership, with nature ‘taking care of itself’. The kind of transformation to come out of the society would therefore be premised on the Daoist fact that nature is capable of transforming itself, and man doesn’t have to take steps to interfere with occurrence of events. This however, would be criticized on the premise that change is something to be managed by the human being, by use of his intellect. Daoism as a leadership style would be an aloof kind of leadership, and during the war period, something deliberate had to be done, the solutions to the problems then were not just left to ‘fall from heaven’. To best illustrate this, Barry calls Daoists â€Å"†¦those who wandered off†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (48) Legalism This school of thought argued that strong government depended upon effective institutional structures not just the moral quality of the leaders. This could be described as the application of law for the benefit of the majority. Legalism thus becomes a system of reinforcement, with an emphasis on both positive and negative reinforcement meted out to the members of the society in order to discourage certain socially undesirable behavior according to the majority of people paying allegiance to the society in question (Ebrey & Buckley 23). According to legalism school of thought, society is shaped through its reward system, with socially unacceptable behavior being punished for, with blessings from the social framework that awards certain individuals the power to dish out these rewards, without necessarily being seen to deny one or infringe upon their rights. This may help galvanize a society or community, which will in turn have a more prominent sense of identity and solidarity. Such a stand in a war situation is good for the purpose of gaining victory over the enemy. Legalism is quite an ideal system for bringing the society together in the face of a common enemy. This also gives the ruler the chance to act with speed, since legalism is a system that is responsive to the times; changing with circumstances and accordingly responding to the dictates of the time. War times need an atmosphere where there is quick action and response, and with the foundation that gives legality to what the rulers are deciding on behalf of their subjects. Legalism was therefore, an ideal philosophical grounding for individual Chinese communities during the time of war, for it is a system that can well serve the expedients of war. This comes in the light of the fact that the Chinese had developed government structures bequeath to them by the Chin dynasty, and which lasted for more than two centuries (Barry et al. 145). The structures brought about by the Chin dynasty were important in the realization of the dictates of the legalistic system, which was organized around reward and punishment, and had to have a basis in the common will of the people. Thus, there had to be a person vested with the power to mete out punishment to errant members of the society, while at the same time hand down rewards to those who performed and behaved in accordance with the needs and aspirations of the society. This person also derived mandate from the same common will that requires the people to obey and take reward, both positive and negative, with understanding; since it is for the common good that this is done. It can be argued that legalism is something close to Confucianism, because it comes out of man’s free will. It is a product of social engineering, with a view to bringing about an ideal society; something totally distanced from Daoism, which emphasizes the need to let life just flow, without taking any action to influence one’s environment. Mohism This is a system of universal brotherhood, where everyone on the face of the earth is related to each other, with an obligation to look after one’s kin (Ebrey & Buckley 35). Taken from this very standpoint, this is a perfect doctrine for humanity at any one time, and in this case, for China during the warring times. This is because, as we have noted above, human conflict springs out of differences. These differences, when not solved amicably, lead to war. The inclination to keep some things away from others and to take what is owned by others is a perfect recipe for war. If, in the light of Mohism, all of humanity was to lay a claim on brotherhood, and maintain that doctrine of being each other’s keeper, then the incidence of war would be remote. This is because brotherhood entails harmony and amity. It also presupposes the ability to communicate with each other without necessarily taking to arms. Mohists might not have been comprehensive in their brotherhood matrix. Even though all men are supposed to be brothers, the Mohists’ view of the world is quite hierarchical, with the junior members of the society bearing a social responsibility to be subservient to those who are perceived to be on an elevated social platform. This is a system that would have borne fruit if only the small people accepted it. If however, the common people are not agreeable to this arrangement, then Mohism would be just but another plank of wood in the fire, for they would revolt as a response to this flawed brotherhood arrangement. From a different perspective, Mohism could be taken to be the answer to the perceived social injustices prevalent in China then. Much as one could be the other’s brother, this system sought to cultivate an environment where an individual, after striving for, and accumulating enough superior residues; would acquire a higher status and would lead people. War needs strong willed people, since it carries a lot in terms of collateral damage, both in terms of human life and material possessions. War time also needs utmost sacrifice, so that as brothers, some members of the society do not just sit back and wait for the other people to work out way-through for them. If one is in a lower position, then he has to be obedient and provide for that one who is up. In this way, Mohism comes out as a system that influenced the social set up such that it recognized the need to love each other, and to be ready to stand by each other; while at the same time, not losing the individual. If they were to be juxtaposed, Mohism and Confucianism would relate up to a certain extent. One would easily say that in terms of hierarchy, both Confucianism and Mohism teach about the society in light of inequalities and the need for these to be maintained through proper social decorum. Confucius goes deeper to analyze, at a finer level, the social relations and how they should be handled for the sake of peace and tranquility. Mohists may differ on some of these because of the pedant stand they regard the social hierarchies and how they observe and maintain them. However, it provides a framework for the legitimization of rulership, for a ruler is someone who occupies a place in a hierarchical set up. Legitimacy of a ruler springs out of the acceptance the ruler enjoys from the society. War times need strong leaders who derive legitimacy from their people. In times of war too, a ruler could impose himself on the people, but for as long as he serves to protect them or unite them against the enemy, then his legitimacy may not be much of a problem, since it is in the people’s name that the ruler reigns. This solidarity is best achieved by communities that recognize hierarchy as a natural phenomenon in life, and which Mohists and Confucians upheld in their thought. Conclusion In conclusion, based on personal point of view, the various ideological developments in China which brought about the four schools of thought which have been examined in this paper are a response to certain conditions in the society at the time of their emergence, and that these are mechanism that were crafted so as to manage change. The difference only lies in the points that were stressed. Mohism, for instance, is a system that was conservative to a certain extent, reacting to the possibility of occurrence of a development that could challenge the existing hierarchical status quo. At the same time, it endeavored to foster change in the way people regarded one another, with the small people (the serfs and commoners) fully recognizing and venerating their lords. Confucianism on the other hand, much as it strove for change on the individual level which would later on seep into the entire social fabric of the Chinese, was also a fairly conservative system. Just like Mohism, it posed no threat to the existing powers. It was a system that would be used to bring the people together in times of war, for this was not a time for people to start questioning their authorities. By defending the hierarchical system existent then, the Confucians thought of an alternative leadership style where noble people would get to influence the rulers through their self cultivation. This system almost totally absolved the ruler from responsibility, since the leader had the social privilege of lording it over his subjects without being obliged to observe certain tenets of leadership. It was however incumbent upon the subject to go through the process of self improvement. What would happen if all the subjects had transformed themselves yet the leadership was not together with them? What avenues would they have to really exercise power? Daoism was one way of running away from the human responsibility to respond to change. By letting all systems go, the society would be at a greater risk of falling prey to the dictates of a bad ruler, a coward or one who would sell them to the enemy during this war period, since the Daoist doctrine was all about living and letting live. After considering everything, legalism seems to be the system that would have best defended the particular communities, and even a collection of the communities, for it is a system of action and reciprocation. The common person reacts, and then the system responds by awarding a deserving reward; whether positive or negative.