Charles Mills vs. John Locke

The Introduction While analyzing John Locke’s philosophy through the eyes of Charles Mills, some fundamentals on both philosophers’ worldview must be considered.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Charles Mills vs. John Locke specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More First of all, it should be pointed out that Mills is incapable of analyzing Locke’s conceptions from different perspectives. In other words, one can conclude that his reasoning seems to be unambiguous. For instance, Mills is of the opinion that Locke’s views on civilizations development are all influenced by race. However, the fact that Locke speaks about all men in his Second Treatise of Civil Government is totally neglected by Mills. Both of the philosophers – Mills and Locke are deeply concerned about moral equality; although they consider the issue in different ways. The thesis statement Charles Mills criticizes John Lockeà ¢â‚¬â„¢s theory, relying on racial liberalism. He is unable to suppose that racial prejudices can be regarded separately from the social contract. According to him, Social Contract Theory cannot exist without racial injustice. It is evident that Mills interprets Locke’s arguments in his own way.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The body Mills’s viewpoint on human moral equality To prove that Mills’s position is wrong, one is to read Locke’s arguments on the state of equality. Thus, according to the philosopher â€Å"all the power and jurisdiction is reciprocal, no one having more than another; being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions† (Locke 1-2). It seems to be unclear why Mills accepts the expression all men as the white population. There were probably Mills’s considerations o n racial injustice, which he decided to analyze on the basis of human moral equality. As far as Locke’s work is closely related to the time when the basic principles of moral equality were established, it becomes evident that Mills decided to justify his positions relying on some general conceptions concerning human rights. Mills’s comparative approach towards Locke’s arguments Taking into account the fact that Mills associates racial inequality with slavery, genocide, etc., one can state that his vision of Locke’s arguments is distorted by a variety of themes political philosophy is based on. Thus, one can notice that Mills does not consider Locke’s The Second Treatise of Civil Government in detail; moreover, he does not provide readers with an opportunity to trace back the points which formed his position in relation to Locke’s argument. On the contrary, his reasoning on racial inequality is based on the so-called comparative approach: he compares racial issues of the modernity with those ones, which appeared in times, when the concept of moral equality was formed. The method seems to be rather doubtful, as no appropriate evidence is introduced. Some basic points on the State of Nature Generally, it is necessary to keep in mind the time period Locke lived within. According to the philosopher, a person’s right to be free can be regarded as one of the basic principles of the State of Nature. However, it should be noted that the issue of freedom is considered to be of pre-political origin.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Charles Mills vs. John Locke specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As far as people â€Å"are assumed to be equal to one another in such a state, they, therefore equally capable of discovering and being bound by the Law of Nature† (Friend par. 17). It is the Law of Nature, which determines morality. Locke states that all pe ople are equal before God. Keeping in mind Mills’s interpretation of the expression all people, what, according to him, means the white population, one can conclude that Mills accepts the sentence as The white people are equal before God. In other words, Mills’s attempts to criticize Locke’s views are preposterous. Logically relevant arguments vs. conditional statements In my opinion, Locke’s arguments are logically relevant. The philosopher states that people are free to start war, if other persons want to make them slaves. Mills, in his turn, considers the position from his own perspective. According to him, great atrocities involve slavery; and slavery involves racial injustice. Thus, Mills just continues to develop Locke’s idea from his own perspective and cannot accept it in a proper way. He neglects the correct meaning of the statement and tries to find in Locke’s words some signs of racial prejudices. According to Social Contract Theo ry, to form civil government, people’s moral and political duties are to be established. What seems to be interesting is that Mills associates the process of people’s obligations establishment with the time when racial injustice appeared. So, one can probably notice that all Locke’s arguments are analyzed by Mills on the basis of racial issues.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Mills recognizes that according to Social Contract Theory, moral equality Locke highlights is to be based on the just polity; although he cannot admit even the thought of the society where people’s rights are not disrespected. Mills’s arguments are conditional. Locke’s arguments are affirmative. Mills’s opinions are based on assumptions (what if, it would be, etc.); Locke’s views are concrete. Mills tries to criticize Locke’s position relying on racial liberalism; however, his arguments are rather controversial. For instance, Mills says that â€Å"Racial liberalism, or white liberalism, is the actual liberalism that has been historically dominant since modernity† (1382). The issues described by Locke are not related to modernity; so, Mills did not take into account certain historical concepts depicted by Locke. One can notice that Mills relies on some autobiographical data from Locke’s life. For instance, he states that Locke à ¢â‚¬Å"invested in African slavery, justified Native American expropriation, and helped write the Carolina constitution of 1669, which gave masters absolute power over their slaves† (1382); but in his Second Treatise of Civil Government, Locke pointed out that people can keep under control certain things harmful to them, in order to preserve mankind in general. Keeping in mind the Law of Nature, one can conclude that investment in slavery is considered to be one of the ways to protect one’s property. Locke stated that those who failed to utilize certain resources, etc. couldn’t possess any property. For this reason, slaves seem to have no legitimate claim to any property. In other words, Locke clarifies that the protection of property is one of the key issues the society cannot function without. An explanation is quite reasonable; but Mills charges Locke with The Whiteness of his political philosophy. Some important aspects of Social Contract Theory Mills consider s racial exploitation as an internal process of Social Contract Theory; although Locke does not say any word about a contractual violation of people’s rights. Locke clarifies that people’s desire to raise their children is determined by the State of Nature. Such voluntary agreements between individuals are considered to be moral, but not political as one can think. Those people who form political societies have a moral right to punish individuals who break the Law of Nature. Thus, the will of the majority is recognized to be the linchpin of the social contract. Still, Mills analyzes the position from his own perspective, and interprets the major points of social contract on the basis of racial liberalism. As far as Locke’s arguments can be applied to all men, one can conclude that the issue of equality is also related to the colored minority groups. To disprove Mills’s arguments, one can rely on the method he uses to accuse Locke of his ignorance toward r acial problem. So, Locke does not underestimate the rights of minorities; he explains that all people have a right to self-defense. Therefore, â€Å"when the protection of people’s rights is no longer present, or when the king becomes a tyrant and acts against the interests of the people, they have a right, if not an outright obligation, to resist his authority† (Friend par. 21). For this reason, it becomes evident that according to the statement even slaves (who also belong to the category, which is determined as all men) have a right to resist the authority of the whites. In other words, minorities as well as the whites are equal in their rights. The Conclusion For Mills the racial contract is considered to be the synonym of the social contract. According to him, the establishment of a political society is to be based on racial liberalism. However, as far as most of Mills’s arguments are conditional statements, one can suppose that his assumptions can be regar ded as unreliable. Works Cited Friend, Celeste. Social Contract Theory, 2004. Web. https://www.iep.utm.edu/soc-cont/#SH2b. Locke, John. The Second Treatise of Civil Government, New York: Prometheus Books, 1986. Print. Mills, Charles. Racial Liberalism, 2008. Web. This essay on Charles Mills vs. John Locke was written and submitted by user Maxx Bates to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Jay Gatsby

Jay Gatsby Amman Mahmood 12Jay Gatsby: A Hero like no otherThe definition of the word "hero" has changed throughout the ages. A hero is someone who is recognized for his or her outstanding abilities and who helps people who are in need. A hero is courageous, strong-willed and strong-hearted. A hero is often the main character of the story. Our idea of the word "hero" has indeed changed, but everyone has his or her own perception of who a hero really is. Jay Gatsby who is one of the main characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby is the hero but a dreadful one. When asked about whom a hero really is people tend to have different views. Jay Gatsby has some qualities that question if he really is the hero of the story but again he has some qualities that make him a true hero. Again everyone's definition of hero might be different.The Great Gatsby (1926 film)Ever since Jay Gatsby was a little kid he idolized his mentor Dan Cody an eccentric billionaire. Jay wanted to be all the things that Dan was. He was willing to do anything and rise above anyone to get those things. His road to success had a few bumps on them but he didn't regret it. Those bumps made Gatsby who he was and he wouldn't change a thing. Jay Gatsby was many things but he was not a two faced hero. Gatsby was a bootlegger and he was corrupt. He used to throw lavish parties for his one true love Daisy. Even though Gatsby knew these things were not right he still did it because of love. Everything he did he did for love. He built himself to a person who Daisy would love and gladly accept. He wanted to be the man...

The Coursework is concerned with the new coalition Government's Essay

The Coursework is concerned with the new coalition Government's Localism Bill, a major piece of legislation that will affect a - Essay Example The fact is, a planning process determines who can construct and what they can construct as well as how and where that construction can be conducted. This report will identify the main planning contents of the Localism Bill, provide an analysis of the Bill’s impact on the chief stakeholders impacted by the proposed planning reforms and provide an appraisal of the winners and losers should the Bill become law. Finally, this report having identified the key planning contents of the Bill, stakeholder interests and winners and losers, a list of recommendations for achieving the Bill’s purpose will be provided. A. The Proposed Planning Procedures under the Localism Bill The Department for Communities and Local Government reports that the planning provisions of the Localism Bill is designed to â€Å"make the planning system clearer, more democratic, and more effective†.1 The first step in that direction is the abrogation of regional focus which are currently strategize d to identify parts of England and Wales that require new development. This includes targeting specific areas which have been identified by the central government. Local communities and their populations have very little input with respect to these strategies. The government has determined that regional strategies is not only â€Å"bureaucratic†, but also â€Å"undemocratic†.2 Part 5 of the Localism Bill 2010 will therefore set out to abrogate regional strategies.3 Part 5 of the Localism Bill also intends to address the current planning framework’s instructive and dictator approach by introducing neighbourhood planning.4 In other words, rather than being told by the Government what should be built and where and â€Å"how they should look,† the Localism Bill will confer upon communities the right to compose its own â€Å"neighbourhood development plan†.5 Local populations are at liberty to vote by virtue of referendum on a neighbourhood development plan if it is consistent with the country’s policy for planning and the â€Å"strategic vision for the wider area by the local authority and with other legal requirements†.6 This immediately invites questions as to whether local populations are qualified to make this kind of determination. Should the majority choose a neighbourhood development plan that is inconsistent with the country’s policy, the law, or the local authority’s vision for the wider area, the neighbourhood is ultimately left with no neighbourhood plan and will have to plan and vote all over again. A lot of time can be wasted this way and will defeat the purpose of the planning provisions under the Localism Bill relative to saving time in the planning process. Although the Localism Bill requires that local planning official lend technical support to neighbourhoods in planning their neighbourhood’s development, there is no guarantee that this support will be accepted or understood. I n addition, individual minds may be made up and no amount of advice and support will change those minds. The community’s right to build is also a novel idea and will only provide for neighbourhood development. Under Part 5 of the Localism Bill, individual groups will have the opportunity to put forth smaller development projects. These projects can include businesses, shops and dwelling houses. All benefits deriving from these projects will remain within the community.7 Part 5 of

Strategic leadership in changing world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Strategic leadership in changing world - Essay Example They should analyze the significant initiatives to be taken by the top leaders in the company, and integrate resources in order to create organization change. Denis, Langley and Rouleau (2010, p.67) argue that strategic leaders should change their skills through implementing unique strategies that will enable them to meet the demanding needs of an organization in today’s changing business world. Michael Porter and Gary Hamel offer varied disciplines that managers or leaders should practice in order to achieve success in the global changing business. Therefore, they have employed varied approaches to the paradox of the market and resources, but organizational circumstances or the changing business world affects the choice of strategic leaders when employing their approaches. Porter and Hamel offer varied approaches that strategic leaders should follow, but some of their approaches would affect the choice of strategic decisions because of the ever-changing business environment. One of the approaches employed is the industrial organization in achieving a competitive advantage in a business entity. Hamel, the American economist in management came up with a core competency management concept in order to achieve a competitive advantage. This concept takes varied forms including technical matter of knowhow and close relationship with clients. It also takes into consideration product development or cultural aspects through employee dedication towards creating a successful business environment. The core competency strengthens the industrial relation with other organization and offers fundamental basis for adding value to products. Moreover, Hamel emphasizes that the core competency should enable strategic leaders to employ asset of effective skills or design techniques in order to deliver value to their clients. However, the core competency may affect the deliberate decision of leaders in the current business setting. This is because many companies are nowadays e mploying customer value approach as a way of achieving a competitive advantage. They emphasize on creating product value that satisfies the needs of customers; thus enabling them to become leaders in the global market (Pongsakornrungsilp and Schroeder 2011, 319). Hamel emphasize that the core competencies contributes to the advancement of worth products that meet the needs of customers. The core competency is effective because it is developed continuously with varied organizational improvements overtime. Hamel further use the industry organization approaches in explaining the way strategic leaders can achieve the core competency. The industrial organization method is a based on the financial theory, which deals with competition, distribution of resources and economies of scale issues. The hypotheses behind these  approaches are the rationality  aspects,  profit maximization and  self-discipline behaviors in the work environment. This approach is essential because leaders in the current changing business environment should understand the core competency in an industry. They should predict the future challenges and business opportunities in order to help them stay top in any varying business situations. Hamel reveals that the core competencies are developed through constant changes of brands in order to meet the demanding needs of customers in the changing business world. Therefore, in order for organizations to succeed in the emerging global market economy, they should create the core competen

Major Differencies Between Eastern Essay Example for Free

Major Differencies Between Eastern Essay Western philosophy has its roots in Athens, Rome and Judeo ­Christianity while Eastern philosophy is derived from Confucianism, Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism. As Greek and Latin are to Western civilisation, so classical Chinese is to East Asian civilisation. I will focus on four major differences between Eastern and Western philosophies. 1. Western Individualism and Eastern Collectivism In the Greco? Roman tradition, the image of Prometheus powerfully illustrates the struggle for individual freedom. Prometheus had gone against Zeus, the all powerful god who ruled the sky from Mt. Olympus. Prometheus annoyed Zeus by creating human beings. To protect the human beings from Zeus, he stole fire from Hephaestos, the blackmith god and gave it to the human beings. This angered Zeus to the extent that Prometheus was chained to a rock and an eagle tore out his liver. In European consciousness, Prometheus had become the hero who: defied the patriarchy in the name of individual freedom, who brought light into our darkness. He was the saviour who sacrificed himself for the sake of mankind, the benefactor who brought the gift of technology down from heaven, the teacher who taught us that we are not at the whims of the gods any more, who showed us how to use our intelligence to take control of the world. The Christian tradition has also reinforced the notion of individual rights. The Bible speaks of God creating Man in His own image and letting him have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle and over all the earth, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth (Genesis 1:26). By comparison, the Chinese live in a world of obligations: obligations to serve the ruler, obligations to work for the family, obligations to obey elders, obligations to help relatives, obligations to do well to glorify the name of ancestors, obligations to defend the country in times of trouble, and obligations to oneself to cultivate ones own virtue. It would also seem that rights only belong to one individual ? the Son of Heaven. Confucianism promotes conservatism and this stifles creativity and robs the people of self? introspection. 2. Fragmentary and Holistic According to Fritjof Capra, the emphasis of rational thought is epitomised in Descartes celebrated statement,Cognito, ergo sum ? I think, therefore, I exist. This has forcefully encouraged Westerners to equate their identity with their rational mind rather than with the whole organism. This division between the mind and the body has led to a view of the universe as a mechanical system consisting of separate objects, which in turn were reduced to fundamental building blocks whose properties and interactions were thought to completely determine all natural phenomena. This mechanistic conception of the whole world is still the basis of most of our sciences and continues to have a tremendous influence on our lives. Academic disciplines become fragmented and this has served as a rationale for treating the universe as if it consisted of separate parts to be exploited by different groups. The essence of the Eastern world view is the awareness of the unity and the mutual inter? relation of all things and events, the experience of all phenomena in the world as manifestation of a basic oneness. All things are seen as independent and inseparable parts of a cosmic whole, as different manifestations of the same ultimate reality. The Eastern traditions refer to this ultimate, indivisible reality as Brahman in Hinduism, Dharmakaya in Buddhism and Tao in Taoism. 3. Conflict and Harmony The Marxist view of history saw change as arising from a dialectic interplay of opposites ? hence class struggle and conflict. Western civilisation based itself on the struggle between the Good and Evil, God and Satan or Psyche and Cupid. Eastern philosophical thought is based on this notion of the Yin and the Yang. Frithjof Capra describes the Yang as the strong,male creative power associated with Heaven while yin is the dark,receptive, female and maternal element. The dark yin and the bright yang are arranged in a symmetrical manner. They are dynamic ? a rotating symmetry suggesting very forcefully a continuous cyclic movement. The two dots in the diagram symbolise the idea that each one of the forces reaches its extreme, it contains in itself the seed of the opposite. Life says Chuang Tzuis the blended harmony of the yin and the yang. Taoism permeates the economic and social lives of the Chinese through geomancy, qigong, Chinese medicine and idol worship. As Chan observes:Almost every hotel, office and commercial building that has gone up within the last decade adheres to certain principles of geomancy or Fengshui ? the art and science of harmonising man and nature. 4. Idealism and Pragmatism. The Western idea of democracy does not fit into the Eastern scheme of things easily. In an interview by the Daily Telegraph on 16 October 1989 the former Prime Minister remarked that: I think in a mainly Chinese electorate, the idea of a loyal opposition and an alternative government does not come easily. Youre either for or against the government. The Confucianistic idea of social hierarchy where a persons existence is relational, extending from his family, society and country. The pragmatism of the East is exemplied in the way Confucianism has been used to emphasize order through social hierarchy and the rules and conventions. Taoism provided the meaning of life and thus compliment Confucianism. Confucius preached the doctrine of the here and now. The emphasis is one of life and life and not life and death. The sage hoped to hear the right way in the morning, and die in the evening without regret. What lays the foundation of life for the Chinese is the family and the continuation of the family also means the passing on of experience, culture and thought. The Taoists has an equal view of life and death seeing life and death as the coming out and going back of a human form of existence. Chuang Tsu talks of coming and going . Lao Tzu said,out to life, in to death. The crux of the matter is to make the best of the present.

Diabetes :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since diabetes is such a complex disease with many different forms, I decided to focus on diabetes type I. This is known as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). This type of diabetes includes people who are dependant on injections of insulin on a daily basis in order to satisfy the bodies insulin needs, they cannot survive without these injections.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to understand the disease you need to know about insulin. Insulin is a hormone. The role of insulin is to convert the food we eat into various useful substances, discarding everything that is wasteful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is the job of insulin to see that the useful substances are put to best use for our well-being. The useful substances are used for building cells, are made ready for immediate expenditure as energy and also stored for later energy expenditure. Insulin comes from the beta cells which are located in the pancreas. In the case of diabetes type I almost all of the beta cells have been destroyed. Therefore daily injections of insulin become essential to life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The cause of diabetes is an absolute or lack of the hormone insulin. As a result of this lack of insulin the processes that involve converting the foods we eat into various useful substances does not occur.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the products that is of vital importance in our bodies is glucose, a simple carbohydrate sugar which is needed by virtually every part of our body as fuel to function.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Insulin controls the amount of glucose distributed to vital organs and also the muscles. In diabetics due to the lack of insulin and therefore the control of glucose given to different body parts they face death if they don't inject themselves with insulin daily.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since strict monitoring of diabetes is needed for the control of the disease, little room is left for carelessness. As a result, diabetic patients are susceptible to many other diseases and ser-ious conditions if a proper course of treatment is not followed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other diseases a diabetic is open to: Cardiovascular disease, stroke, Peripheral artery disease, gangrene, kidney disease, blindness, hypertension, nerve damage, impotence etc.

Comparing The Golden Pathway Annual to Blue Remembered Hills Essay

In the autumn term of 2006 I performed as Enid and The Head in The Golden Pathway Annual, a play by John Harding & John Burrows, for my scripted performance. The class was split into groups of three (which was very fitting as in The Golden Pathway Annual most scenes have only three characters, only the odd few scenes had four) and then given different extracts from the play. My group was exceptionally conscious in keeping the props, costumes and especially acting appropriate to the time period, so some brief research was done using the Internet to give us a better understanding of, for example, what statuses the mother and father would have in relation to each other, or what costumes should be worn. Obviously, a reading of the entire play was done prior to any rehearsals, so that the scenes that we would be performing made sense to us. We also read through Blue Remembered Hills, by Dennis Potter, as a class. The Golden Pathway Annual is almost completely non-naturalistic. The same actor plays Michael, the lead role, throughout all his ages – from the age of two-and-a-half into his adulthood. Also, two of the four actors play a range of characters, as opposed to one actor playing one character, as they would in a naturalistic play. At first glances, Blue Remembered Hills would seem to be a non-naturalistic play. Firstly, the characters are all children, whereas all the actors are adults, similar to The Golden Pathway Annual, where an adult actor would play the role of the child Michael. However, the scenarios in Blue Remembered Hills are completely naturalistic – everything that happens could happen in real life. In contrast, The Golden Pathway Annual has moments, such as the fantasy sequences, where Michael is a dog with members of the Famous Five, which are evidently not naturalistic. The other very naturalistic thing about Blue Remembered Hills is that the play is in ‘real-time’ – â€Å"one incident after another without the imposition or intervention of memory in the form of flashback† in Potter’s words. The play is set in one day, unlike The Golden Pathway Annual, which spans a time period of more than 20 years – there is even an instance in the beginning where the transition between two scenes indicates the change of several years, where a child had been born and raised to the age of two-and-a-half – not naturalistic in the slightest. The emotions in Blue Remembered Hills are very naturalistic. This is because the play shows realistic emotions and how the different characters would react, for instance when Donald dies towards the end, all the characters are â€Å"badly shaken†. If the emotions were non-naturalistic, such as in a comic style, the emotions would portray Donald’s death as humorous. The Golden Pathway Annual also has very naturalistic, touching moments, such as: Enid: What’s going to happen to us? George: When? Enid: When we die. Enid feels upset and slightly pessimistic now that Michael has left home, a natural reaction for a mother to feel. George, in the following lines, tries to be brave and attempts to convince Enid she’s â€Å"not talking sense† – an also natural thing for a husband to do. A noticeable difference between the two plays is the themes. The Golden Pathway Annual mainly has the theme of expectations, where Michael is pressured throughout his life, by his parents and by his school. He works hard, however this is only to find that all he worked for amounted to nothing. The main theme of Blue Remembered Hills is, in my opinion, childhood (other people may think differently – it depends on a person’s interpretation). The play goes through the emotions and activities of children, with an ending showing how all fun and games can end in catastrophe. Basing the two plays on their main themes, it could be said that they are divergent, however the two plays have other themes, which do relate the two of them. Nostalgia seems to be portrayed in both of the plays. A sense of looking back can be seen in both Dennis Potter’s and Ed Thomason’s (the director of the first The Golden Pathway Annual productions) introductions; â€Å"Every event in the script which had sparked off a personal memory, a moment of recognition for me, would do the same for an audience† (Ed Thomason). It is clear that The Golden Pathway Annual was written with the intention of nostalgia and Blue Remembered Hills was written using Potter’s memories. Both the plays similarly experience the theme of fantasy, however one experiences it naturalistically and the other non-naturalistically. Blue Remembered Hills has times when the children will imagine they are Indians and cowboys, for instance, running through the forest wailing and shooting each other with their imaginary guns. This is naturalistic, as the audience sees the children â€Å"playing pretend†. The Golden Pathway Annual has non-naturalistic fantasy sequences. Michael’s fantasies are much more like dreams – the audience views a dream where Michael is a dog or is James Bond; it is not Michael pretending he is James Bond. Although Blue Remembered Hills was written for television, a successful stage adaptation has been made of it. A problem posed by this, which is overcome in different ways, depending on the production, is the staging. There is a section towards the end where there are instant transitions between inside a barn and outside a barn. On television, this is easy to do, however on stage this is harder. Therefore, the staging must be unnatural – the stage could be split, for instance. This is alike to The Golden Pathway Annual, where the staging is very unnatural – such as in a scene I performed – a â€Å"Granny’s footsteps† scene, where Michael’s parents advance on him in the ironic fashion of this child’s game. As a group, we decided to stage it abstractly, similarly to the way Blue Remembered Hills would be staged. The Golden Pathway Annual is set during the 1940s and 1960s. Our group established this time period in many ways; one was the way the two parents related. I performed as Enid in a way that allowed George to be the more dominant character, reflecting on the main beliefs of that time, that men still seemed to be the â€Å"superior† gender. The Golden Pathway Annual begins just after the war, whereas Blue Remembered Hills is set during the war. It is interesting to see that just the two years changes the historic period entirely, making the two plays acted very differently. There is a similarity in time periods between the plays, and that is that the time period is a given circumstance – it is set, and cannot be changed. The reason Blue Remembered Hills cannot be changed is quite obviously as it is during the war, and the context of the play wouldn’t make sense without the time period. The time period in The Golden Pathway Annual is essential to the characters, plot and emotions; without the time period, the nostalgia of the play would be lost. In addition, the production notes stress the time period heavily. One difference I notice about the style of how the two plays are written is the freedom the writers allow for the production, and what given circumstances there are. Blue Remembered Hills seems to be more flexible with how the play can be performed. Potter gives an option of what Willie can be doing in the first scene, whereas Harding & Burrows have much more strict given circumstances, where the props, as examples, are much more set – the placing of the two chairs (which are the props that create the illusion of many other items in the play) is stated. Society and culture is a significant difference between the two plays. The Peters family in The Golden Pathway Annual is of working class. The family was hard-hit by the war – literally; their house was bombed and they lost â€Å"everything†. Society in the times of the beginning of when The Golden Pathway Annual is set had the popular belief that the future would get better, the high hopes due to the recent winning of the war. It was also believed that the young generation should make the best of what they have offered to them, a culture reflected deeply into Enid and George’s parenting, which is shown through all the pressure applied on Michael to do well at school and get good qualifications, so he can succeed in life. However, as the play progresses, we see that cultures change and Michael finds that â€Å"like the pound, his degree has devalued†. The class and culture are both very different in Blue Remembered Hills. The children spit, threaten and fight regularly in the play, something that Michael is never known to have experienced. Michael is always made presentable, as his parents believe that they need to fit in with the society. It is likely that the same case occurs in Blue Remembered Hills, however the culture is different – the entire town is likely to be of the â€Å"lower† agricultural class, working on the farms; the way the children behave is normal in the society they are in. It is clear that the upbringing of the children in Blue Remembered Hills is not to get a degree and do well in life and to better themselves, as Michael is in The Golden Pathway Annual; the children are parented in a sort of ‘the present matters’ mentality, in contrast to The Golden Pathway Annual where Enid and George have firm beliefs that it is the future that matters, and that everything is done for a child to better themselves in the future. In conclusion, I have learnt that although the two plays are very different in where they are set and the way the characters behave, similarities still lie in the themes and some of the styles, such as staging.