Nelson Mandela And The Fight For Human Rights - 1305 Words

Nelson Mandela Apartheid is â€Å"a former policy of segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-European groups in the Republic of South Africa† (Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, n.d.). When you hear the word apartheid, you automatically think of Nelson Mandela, the most influential man in the fight for human rights for black South Africans. Mr. Mandela was a Visionary and Ethical Leader. His actions, decisions and behaviors lead to the end of apartheid and the creation of a democratic government in South Africa. During this essay, I will discuss how Mr. Mandela realized his vision using the Eight-Step Change Process and his Transformational Leadership trait of Inspirational Motivation. Mr. Mandela was Morally Courageous and although behaved unethically for a time, I will argue his behavior, according to Consequences Test, was justified. I will then share what I have learned from Nelson Mandela and how it is personally relevant to me. Visionary Leader Nelson Mandela’s vision was to see the end of apartheid and to gain equality for South African natives. He did this using the Transformational Leadership trait of Inspirational Motivation. According to Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education [BCEE] (2014), he did through his spoken words, which inspired his followers to envision freedom and democracy for all South Africans. According to his autobiography, Mr. Mandela spent twenty-seven years in prison, convicted of crimes committed in hisShow MoreRelatedNelson Mandela Fight For Human Rights796 Words   |  4 Pageswhy it is important to fight for human rights. There are many people who stand up to fight to keep their human rights. Nelson Mandela fought for everyone to be free. Gandhi fought to end racial injustice in South America and to be independent from Britain. Erika Andiola fought for her brother and mother’s rights from being detained because her family were immigrants. These three individuals all foug ht for their human rights and freedom from discrimination. Nelson Mandela was in prison for a longRead MoreNelson Mandela949 Words   |  4 PagesNelson Mandela The life story of Nelson Mandela has long become a legend, a story that transcends race, borders, culture, or language. He is one of the greatest leaders to ever step foot on this Earth. He was willing to give up his own personal freedoms for the good of his people. Still, his decisions at major points in his lifetime hold lessons for individuals who are inspired of becoming good leaders. Many leaders are inspired by the actions and decision-makings abilities of Mandela. He kept theRead MoreGke 1 Task 21300 Words   |  6 PagesNelson Mandela was known as a world leader for his role in fighting apartheid and being the first multi-racial president of South Africa. His presidency created a significant change in the perception and building of a multiracial society in South Africa and around the world. Nelson Mandela was also known to be a leader of a civil rights organization known as the African National Congress. The purpose of the African National Congress was to demolish racial seg regation and discrimination. The two mostRead MoreDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay1134 Words   |  5 Pageshistory have always evolved around human rights race relationships and power. In this paper, I will focus on the themes of racism, human rights, and power and how history makers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi (just to name these few) helped to redress them to an extent and how theirs efforts shape contemporary events. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on 15 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia and is one of the most remembered Human Rights Activists in America history. HeRead MorePositive Impact Of Nelson Mandela1254 Words   |  6 PagesHaseeb Sial Ms. Poll Global Studies Honors December 11, 2017 Nelson Mandela   Ã‚  Ã‚   Nelson Mandela was a great leader of South Africa. Nelson Rolihlahla   Mandela was born in South Africa on July 18, 1918. He was an anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist, who was the first black and democratically elected President. Before Mandela was elected president, South Africa was a country with a white supremacist government, ruled by apartheid. There were racial tensions between whitesRead MoreNelson Mandela And The Social Injustice Of Apartheid1652 Words   |  7 Pagesorganizations that took stands in the past. Nelson Mandela used both peaceful protests and armed resistance to fight against the white minority oppressive regime of racially divided South Africa. My exhibit talks about all the sufferings Nelson Mandela went through to end apartheid and brought a multiracial â€Å"Government of National Unity† in South Africa. Also, the main idea of my project tells how Nelson Mandela impacted the world by addressing global pr oblems and easing human sufferings. My research focusesRead MoreMahatma Gandhi And Nelson Mandela1447 Words   |  6 Pagesinspired Nelson Mandela to fulfill his vision for human rights, would Nelson Mandela have inspired Barack Obama to continue that legacy? Mahatma Gandhi practiced civil disobedience and lobbied for the rights of Indians in South Africa and India. Nelson Mandela hungered and fought for a South Africa, where all races were equal and unified as nationalists. Barack Obama sought to build a more tolerant United States through his historic presidency, immigration policies, and equal rights for all peopleRead MoreApartheid in South Africa1154 Words   |  5 PagesNelson Mandela helped bring an end to Apartheid in South Africa because he was a believer in basic human rights, leading both peaceful and violent protests against the white South African Government. His beliefs landed him in prison for twenty-seven years, almost three decades. In doing so, he became the face of the apartheid movement both in his country and around the world. When released from prison in 1990, he continued to honor his commitment to fight for justice and equality for all peopleRead MoreNelson Mandela My Role Model1211 Words   |  5 PagesNelson Mandela, full name Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, pet name Madiba, Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, South Africa and died on December 5, 2013, in Johannesburg. The black nationalist and the first black president of South Africa (1994–99). His agreement in the early 1990s with South African Pres. F.W. de Klerk helped end the country’s system of racial segregation and started in a peaceful transition to majority rule. Mandela and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for PeaceRead MoreThe Rise Of Nelson Mandela1158 Words   |  5 PagesTyrise Elam HIS102 Research Paper May 20, 2015 The Rise of Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela is one of the greatest honorable and governmental leaders. Mandela, was a universal idol, whose enduring devotion was to fight against racial oppression in South Africa. Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, then he became the presidency of his country in 1994. Up until his prison release in 1990 Nelson Mandela has been at the center of the most captivating and inspirational governmental concerns in the

Contrasting Differences Between “the Cooperative” and “Hsbc Plc” Free Essays

string(65) " correct management of their expectations and agreed objectives\." The purpose of this essay is to explain and analyze contrasting differences between â€Å"The Cooperative† and â€Å"HSBC plc†, and to explain its stakeholders. At the end I will explain and evaluate their mission aims, objectives and impact of their companies. The simplest form of ownership and possibly the most common too, is sole-trading, which is owned by one individual. We will write a custom essay sample on Contrasting Differences Between â€Å"the Cooperative† and â€Å"Hsbc Plc† or any similar topic only for you Order Now Possibly this individual opened his company by using his savings or quite commonly by means of a bank loan. He is capable of running every aspect of his business and is solely responsible for is business.Most multinationals generating billions of pounds per year of our days started as sole-trading companies. Partnerships are the next evolutionary step. They are owned by two or more individuals, usually specialists who join venture. As sole-trading all parties contribute privately towards the business’ capital through savings or bank loans, usually profits are shared depending on how much capital was invested by each party. There can be partners who usually do not take part in the running of the company called sleeping or dormant partners they mainly invest and share the profits.Private Limited Companies (Ltd) are companies whose ownership is divided into equal parts called shares, who own these shares in turn are called shareholder, only by consent of all shareholders can shares be sold to a particular buyer and usually who owns more shares ultimately has majority of the decision making. This type of company is considered to be an entity of its own, the owners only run it. Public Limited Companies (Plc) follow the same principle has Ltd companies but they must first of all, raise sufficient capital, minimum of ? 50,000. 0 by selling its shares in the stock market . A minimum of two directors, two member s and a qualified secretary are needed to trade as a Plc and its directors must provide statutory documentation to the companies house. Cooperative Companies are raised through an association between individuals united usually by socio-economical factors. Capital is raised privately and no matter how much one shareholder invests in contrast with others, shareholders he or she has only one vote, meaning this every shareholder has the same power. Democracy is the cornerstone of this type of company.Shared responsibilities towards decision planning policy making and aims of this company are done by every member, capital is owned in common property of the cooperative. Main advantages are equally shared ownership, equally shared profits depending on how much invested social and economic awareness services and products, environmental awareness. Main disadvantages can be financial control, management effectiveness poor planning, `and longer decision making less trust in the cooperative ideology. Franchises are defined as trading under the name of a third party company. The franchiser gives a license to the franchisee to trade under its name. Its main characteristic is how the business is ran, the franchisee owns and operates the business but the franchiser maintains control over the products or services sold, its marketing, quality and standards of the entire business. The two companies I will talking will be The Cooperative which falls into the cooperative type of company and HSBC Holdings which is under the public limited company category. HSBC Holdings exist to provide financial services worldwide.The Co-operative are democratically run by members to meet their common needs and aspirations Their main reason is not chasing profits like other types of ownership businesses, but the ability to steer their products and services in a more responsible direction. The Cooperative provides food and retail products, financial, funeral care, legal, pharmacy and travel services. HSBC Holdings provide a range of financial services, personal, commercial, corpo rate investment and private banking customers. The Co-operative is run by over two-and a-half-million of members who share on how the businesses are run.HSBC Holdings is run by a board of directors but the owners are the investors and shareholders who have bought the company’s various types of shares. HSBC Holdings is an entity of its own, meaning it has legal rights and responsibilities and is used in such way to conduct business totally in the interests of its shareholders who invest their capital and the employees who contribute towards the company with their labour. The Co-operative is defined as being an association of individuals who voluntarily unified to meet common cultural, social and economic needs.They come to be a democratically owned and controlled business. Its members have a say in how the business is run, by attending meetings, voting for their representatives, this way members influence policies, both at ethical and operational levels. The level of influence is irrespective of how much a member invests, it can be one pound or one hundred thousand pounds. Stakeholders are individuals or groups who contribute voluntarily or involuntarily with their wealth to create profitable businesses. They are the potential beneficiaries or risk bearers of their business.They can be active or non-active representatives members in their companies. Commonly these days stakeholder term is used to represent individuals or organizations who have legitimate interests in projects or entities. The concept of stakeholder can be more widely used to include other forms of individuals or organizations that may not take part in benefit or profit sharing but still have a â€Å"stake in the business involved, this can be employees, pressure groups, customers, suppliers, communities, governmental bodies.HSBC Holdings, and The Co-operative have various types of stakeholders and the ones with a direct influence over the company are the internal stakeholders. In the case of HSBC Holdings these are the owners, board of directors, and employees. In the case of The Co-operative these are the owners, board of directors, employees’ and its members who actively are encouraged by the company to take part in the running of the business. The mportance of stakeholder is to support its organization in achieving its strategic objectives, by interpreting and influencing the external and internal environments and creating positive relationships, the stakeholders through correct management of their expectations and agreed objectives. You read "Contrasting Differences Between â€Å"the Cooperative† and â€Å"Hsbc Plc†" in category "Papers" This management is a process that must be planned and guided by the principles stipulated by the stakeholders. In the case of the Co-operative we can see their entire business in managed in accordance of all their members.Has the business was created to help and support communities all their stakeholders from directors to staff members have the same influence on how the business is run. Most importantly all its shareholders agree the main factor of the company is to provide goods and services at reasonable prices, ethically viable and do not look for profit margins with the exception to stay in business and grow. HSBC Holdings believe their success is the only outcome required by their shareholders if not their stakeholders would not invest, good employees would not want to work for them and the customers would not want to bank with them. They want to be the largest international financial institution, have a cosmopolitan customer base and to have considerable financial strength. Except for The Co-operative whose stakeholders do not necessarily look for profits, like HSBC Holdings, both cases owners and senior staff look for performance and direct their business according to their aims and objectives they want to get a good return on their investment, non-managerial staff mainly look for quality and security of jobs, good pay of rates, job satisfaction, good benefits promotion prospectus.Their main external stakeholders even if not necessary for this essay I feel it is important to explain their importance too, governments look for low employment risks and ability to gain profits through taxation, trade unions look for working conditions, wages and legal requirements, customers for quality, value and more recently for ethical services or products and local communities who want to be involved in their business and expe ct job security, expect environmental and social issues best interests to be answered.Both companies have been around for more than a century, both believe their stakeholders internal or external have a fundamental importance in their companies both have different objectives and aims but, similarly both believe in managing their business in a sustainable way and taking responsible attention in their decisions to be successful in the long term. They have taken very different routes simply because the aims and objectives expected by their stakeholders are not just that.Creating aims and objectives is no easy task especially when both terms have vague distinctions and imprecise definitions. All business has a hierarchy which usually starts from their mission statement to their aims and finally to their objectives. Objectives give the business clear defined targets it is a detailed picture of the business and plans must then be setup to achieve the objective in question, they are stated into measurable targets using â€Å"S. M. A. R. T. † definition-. †-Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Realistic and Time. Objectives can then be considered medium to long term goals required by a business to maintain its path these are the strategic objectives, the day -to-day or short-term objectives are called tactical objectives they help the strategic objectives being accomplished. Aim is the goal or general statement a business wants to achieve. They are important in developing implement and evaluate a business future. Aims are long term plans necessary for a business and where businesses objectives derive.Usually businesses may have several aims and objectives, all simply depend of the nature of the business. The most common can be to make profit, survive, expand, break even, improve quality, competitive value, and more recently, more and more business aim to be environmentally friendly. All of these help any business to be able to stay, in business. Objectives and aims provide a clear structure for all of the various activities that an organization carries out.Measuring how well an objective have or not been achieved, managers can make necessary arrangements to their activities to ensure progress and achievements of the stated mission statements, aims and objectives are followed. Aims and objectives within an organization are established at a number of levels from top level corporate objectives, all the way down to team objectives and individual objectives that create a framework for operational activities.An example could be the customer service department of HSBC Holdings which aims to satisfy customers, and the marketing department which aims to identify customer’s needs. HSBC Holdings mission statement is â€Å"We are the world’s local bank† meaning they want to be the largest international emerging markets bank, widespread international network focus on a unique international customer base and have unq uestioned financial strength. To achieve this their aim is to run a sustainable usiness in long terms, to do this they want to give their stakeholders sustainable profits, have and build long-lasting relationships with their customers, value their employee, respecting environmental boundaries and investing in communities. The Co-operative mission statement is â€Å"From community projects to a share of the profits, we’re good for everyone†. They believe in providing ethical services and goods from banking travel, pharmacy, legal services, funeral care, food and on-line shopping only in the United Kingdom.They are a group who base their aims on their ethical values, influencing this way the way they do business. Their aim in this way is to show good quality products and services do not have to come at the expense of honesty and social responsibility. We can see HSBC Holdings and The Co-operative mission statements, aims and objectives focus their business in maintaining their purpose. Both businesses believe in sustainability of their employees, communities and environmental values but differ on how their profits are shared and who runs the business.The Co-operative by being managed in a democratically way focus its aims and objectives in ethical issues, in the interests of all their internal and external shareholders. HSBC Holdings most important aim and objective are actually to produce profits for their internal shar eholders and expanding worldwide. Bibliography: www. hsbc. co. uk -Accessed more than once www. thecooperative. coop -Accessed more than once Tutor Handouts: http://go. guildford. ac. uk/webapps/portal/frameset. jsp? tab_id=_2_1url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_9140_1%26url%3D How to cite Contrasting Differences Between â€Å"the Cooperative† and â€Å"Hsbc Plc†, Papers

Symbolism In Sir Gawain And The Green free essay sample

Knight Essay, Research Paper From the first clip I read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight I have been troubled by the inquiry of whether or non Sir Gawain was right or incorrect in lying in order to maintain the girdle and salvage his life. He was torn between honestness and his ain life. The inquiry he was forced to inquire himself was # 8220 ; what did he value more: his honestness or his life? Many bookmans have struggled with this inquiry for centuries, every bit good as the inquiries of why Gawain made the determination that he did, how guilty he # 8220 ; truly # 8221 ; felt for his actions, and what the poet is seeking to state the reader through Gawain # 8217 ; s ordeal. When I was turning up I was told to ever be honest. I was merely # 8220 ; grounded # 8221 ; twice in my life-time: one time for non stating my ma where I went one afternoon and one time for stating her a prevarication. We will write a custom essay sample on Symbolism In Sir Gawain And The Green or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I was in Kindergarten and broke a taper ( wear # 8217 ; t inquire me why or how ) . I blamed it on the cat. I couldn # 8217 ; t stand the force per unit area of my female parent # 8217 ; s intense question that consisted of merely inquiring me how the cat could perchance brake the taper which was surrounded by a hurricane lamp. My guilt was so overpowering that I broke down and told her the truth. Thus, I was introduced to the construct of # 8220 ; anchoring # 8221 ; and the importance of honestness. I was taught at a immature age that the foundation of any relationship is honesty and without it, a friendly relationship can merely last so long and its roots travel go merely so deep. But honestness is non everything. My female parent would likely anchor me once more if I did non lie to person to salvage my cervix. There is another side to the inquiry about Sir Gawain # 8217 ; s determination to non give Bertilac the green girdle. While honestness should be extremely valued, it may be unwise to undervalue life itself. In about every civilization decease, every bit good as Gawains # 8217 ; civilization, decease is recognized # 8220 ; as a terrorizing thing which work forces and animate beings likewise try to get away by every device in their power, irrespective of self-respect or responsibility # 8221 ; ( Burrow, # 8221 ; The Third Fit # 8221 ; 37 ) . It may be even more hard to put an overruling significance on the value of honestness in visible radiation of life # 8217 ; s option: decease. # 8220 ; # 8230 ; images of decease permeate the medieval universe # 8221 ; ( Clien. 55 ) . A modern reader of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight should derive an apprehension of what decease means within the # 8220 ; cultural surroundings # 8221 ; which surrounded the Gawain author. Wendy Clein in her book # 8220 ; Concepts of Chivalry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight # 8221 ; describes the knightly attack to decease as an uncomfortable and awkward matrimony between the warrior # 8217 ; s code on one side and Christianity of the the antithetical side. The warrior codification calls for the knight to # 8220 ; defy decease in Acts of the Apostless of gallantry and thereby derive worldly fame # 8221 ; ( 55 ) . However, the Christian philosophy demands that the knight resignation worldly fame and accept decease as a # 8220 ; transition from this imperfect universe to infinity # 8221 ; ( 55 ) . If knight is to derive celebrity and carry through the warrior codification that is so profoundly engrained into the mind of a warrior, he must play with decease. This is what war and tourneies are all about. It is about looking decease in the oculus and non squinching. Once a knight can make this he has fulfilled the warrior codification of a knight, at least for the minute. The Christian attack to decease is much different from the warrior attack to decease. While some parts of the verse form may look be merely # 8220 ; Christian in harmoniousness with pre-Christian nature belief and ritual # 8221 ; , the issue of infinity and how to populate life can be rather cacophonic ( Speirs. 85 ) . The Christian is called to reject the secular glorification that is offered by the universe of the knight. However the knight who gives up worldly glorification is non left without any awards or glorification. These temporal glorifications are replaced by the # 8220 ; religious wagess # 8221 ; that are enjoyed by the saints. While it might look that the two universes of Christianity and the warrior are reciprocally sole, they can truly congratulate each other when human logic is applied. If warriors are supposed to crush up people, and Christians are supposed to populate their lives for God so logic Tells us that we can unify these two life styles by crushing up people for Jesus. The Crusades were great for these particular sort of persons who desired to keep their committedness to the Church while prosecuting in the bang of violent escapade. This is one of the alone times when the values of mediaeval Christianity and the medieval warrior truly compliment each other: when it is clip to crush up aliens for Jesus. There are a figure of advantages to the religious life that Wendy Clein explores. One advantage that the religious universe has over the warrior universe is that it is non of an sole nature. In a conflict to the decease, merely one warrior can win, while the other warrior must decease. Whereas in the religious universe, redemption is unfastened to all and accomplishable by all who embrace the Christian manner of life, because it is non of an sole nature. Rich and hapless, every bit good as the strong and the weak, can accomplish the wealths of the religious universe. Harmonizing to Clein the 14th century civilization points out to that another benefit of fall ining the Christian nine is that it does non offer one of those miserable life-time ranks. By fall ining this nine, all members automatically receive an ageless guarantee on the human psyche at no excess cost. A life-time guarantee expires manner to early: Moralists turned assorted occasions into chances to reflect on decease. John Mirk # 8217 ; s discourse for the Feast of the Circumcision moves from sing Christ # 8217 ; s mortality to cheering hearers to believe on their ain # 8230 ; . Images of disintegrating flesh provide the most dramatic illustrations of earthly transiency. The cadaver as souvenir mori appears early in a Christian context, transforming the Egyptian and Roman image from a carpe diem exhortation to an admonition non to give ageless felicity for the fugitive pleasances of the organic structure. The image pervades the ulterior Middle Ages. ( 60-61 ) In visible radiation of this kind of imagination it is apprehensible how Gawain might hold felt the guilt that appears to be utmost to most modern readers of the verse form. Gawain # 8217 ; s guilt is utmost when he at the terminal of the verse form he discusses why he wears the set: This set symbolizes the incrimination I bear on my cervix ; It signifies the sorrowful loss that I have suffered, Caught by cowardliness and covetousness at that place ; It is a item of the untruthfulness that trapped me, And I wear it for every bit long as I may populate ; For a adult male can conceal his injury, but neer hurl it off, Since one time it is attached, it will neer vanish. ( ln 2506-2512 ) It was believed that the pleasances of the tribunal threaten work forces by deflecting them from the # 8220 ; truth # 8221 ; that the cadavers can now understand. In the civilization of the Gawain poet, merely as in our modern civilization and every civilization in between, there was lip service and handily timed alterations of bosom. After the knights went out into the universe to prosecute in their varied and unhallowed pleasances of the universe, they would reprobate knighthood. There is a certain rhythm to the human status that brings relevancy to the narrative of Gawain. Just as the babe boomer parents didn # 8217 ; Ts like all that stone and axial rotation music their kids adored so much, the knights did non desire their kids to hold excessively much merriment. The # 8220 ; Black Prince # 8221 ; becomes low and rejects the secular pleasances in composing his epitaph: # 8230 ; /now I am hapless and lowly, laid deep in the Earth, / My great beauty is all gone, my flesh is all dissolved. / My house is really narrow and I have nil but truth. ( John Nichols. A Collection of All the Wills of the Kings and Queens of England. Clein p.62 ) While his epitaph is quaint and marked by humbleness, the prince still ordered a expansive funeral that was far call from the humbleness he professes: And we wish that at that clip our organic structure be led through the town of Canterbury to the priory, that two war Equus caballuss decked in our weaponries and two work forces armed in our weaponries and our helms attend our said organic structure, viz. , one for war in our whole weaponries quartered, and the other for peace in our badges of ostrich plumes with four streamers of the same suit, and that each of those who carry the said streamers have on his caput a chapeau of our weaponries. And that he who is armed for war has an armed adult male transporting after him a black pennant with ostrich plumes ( nichols. p88 CLein p70 ) . The # 8220 ; truth # 8221 ; of which the Black Prince writes in reasoning his epitaph was improbably of import to 14th century moralss. The importance of truth is manifested in Gawain # 8217 ; s guilt trip at the terminal of the verse form. He wears the green sash to remind him of his # 8220 ; untruthfulness # 8221 ; ( ln. 2509 ) Not merely was I taken aback by Gawain # 8217 ; s extreme guilt which seems absurd, but I was thrown off by the wickednesss with which he chooses to reprobate himself, peculiarly the Cardinal or capital wickedness of # 8220 ; covetousness # 8221 ; ( ln 2508 ) . J. A. Burrow dismisses Gawain # 8217 ; s self-conviction of covetousness. The observer argues that Gawain # 8220 ; is non conceited or envious: he does non have on the lady # 8217 ; s gift # 8216 ; for wele # 8217 ; ( lns. 2037,2432 ) . It seems clear # 8230 ; that the ring episode is designed to do the same point-to brand sure in progress that the reader does non misconstrue the hero # 8217 ; s motivations # 8230 ; .It clears the land. Anyone who refuses such a ring is immune from covetousness at least # 8221 ; ( Burrow. 42 ) The job with this reading is that the author defines covetousness excessively narrowly and more narrowly than the writer intended. While it might be easy to state that Gawain merely went brainsick at the terminal of the verse form this merely opens up a whole new set of inquiries. Why would he desire Gawain to travel brainsick when he has been a symbol of the closest a homo can acquire to perfection? Why would the writer make the tribunal which has appeared foolish and weak in the right while Gawain was in the incorrect? D. F. Hills explores why Gawain was right to impeach himself of covetousness, why Gawains # 8217 ; response was proper, and how the poet # 8217 ; s usage of # 8220 ; covetousness # 8221 ; maps to clear up and stress instead than confuse. It is obvious why Gawain accuses himself of # 8220 ; cowardness # 8221 ; ( ln 2508 ) and # 8220 ; untruthfulness # 8221 ; ( ln.2509 ) , but why would he bear down himself with # 8220 ; covetousness # 8221 ; ( 2508 ) ? Hills recognizes that in order to understand why Gawain every bit good as what the poet is seeking to state us we # 8220 ; must analyze the medieval construct of covetousness # 8221 ; ( 313 ) . Hills quotes St. Thomas Aquinas from Summa Theologiae: # 8230 ; covetousness can be diversely understood. In one sense, it is an inordinate desire for wealths # 8230 ; . In another sense, it means an inordinate desire for any temporal goods whatsoever # 8230 ; . In still another sense, it can intend some disposition of a corrupt nature to overly want bribable goods. And therefore they say that covetousness is the root of all wickednesss, by analogy with the root of a tree, which draws its nutriment from the Earth, for in the same manner all wickedness grows from the love of temporal things. ( 314-315 ) Gawain reacts as he should if life in the universe of Aquinas, because he has tapped into the root of all wickedness. Gawain senses that his being has been usurped by his wickedness, and he will get down decomposing from the interior out. Along this same way of medieval idea, covetousness is the # 8220 ; antithesis of charity # 8221 ; ( 315 ) . It is a love of the universe which is non a love directed toward God, but instead covetousness is love directed towards the ego: Covetousness is the component in all wickedness which is due to loving oneself more than God and seeking # 8230 ; a solace which has no solace # 8230 ; . So no affair how much the human psyche contains, it is neer full unless it can keep God, whom it can ever keep. O envious adult male, if you wish to be satisfied, discontinue being envious, because every bit long as you are envious you can non be satisfied. ( 318 ) Hills states that # 8220 ; It is basically a religious disease # 8221 ; ( 319 ) and Gawain monsters out when he accepts that he has contracted the disease. By specifying covetousness in this manner we open up a whole new manner of looking at the significance of Gawain # 8217 ; s mistake. Hills takes the Aquinas definition of covetousness and brings it to fruition by using it to Sir Gawain # 8217 ; s self-proclaimed wickedness of covetousness: Clearly a rigorous regard for the truth # 8230 ; would necessitate that Gawain should manus over the green girdle to Bertilak or possibly decline to accept it in the first topographic point. In non making so because he loved his life excessively much he was puting his love for himself above his love for truth and hence God. ( 321 ) By the poet explicitly calling Gawain # 8217 ; s mistake # 8220 ; covetousness # 8221 ; he is clear uping his subject of the H2O and oil nature of the religious universe and the the secular universe. He is calling the root of wickedness. Man valuing this universe over the following. Why does it count if you get your caput violently cut off? You are traveling to decease shortly anyhow, so you should be free of any wickedness, even the small 1s, in order to acquire on God # 8217 ; s good side. Eternity is a long clip. While Gawain sees himself as this dark evil individual the reader joins Arthur, Bertilac, and the Court of Arthur in thining the significance of Gawain # 8217 ; s discourtesy. Bertilak sees it as # 8220 ; a little defect, my friend: you lack some faithfulness./ It didn # 8217 ; t originate for an disingenuous object or amative fling-/ No! You merely loved your life! And I blame you the less for it # 8221 ; ( ln. 2366-8 ) . This did non function to soothe him, because it merely precipitated a # 8220 ; Shivering inside himself with a black fury # 8221 ; ( ln. 2370 ) . John Burrow argues that covetousness is non so of import to understanding the poets purposes. Rather that cowardliness is the root of Gawain # 8217 ; s failure. Burrow provinces that # 8220 ; cowardliness led him to perpetrate one of the traditional # 8216 ; Acts of the Apostless of covetise # 8217 ; # 8221 ; It was merely because Gawain was a coward foremost that he subsequently became covetousness harmonizing to Burrows reading. I will fall down on Hills # 8217 ; side and suggest that the poet is utilizing the fact that Arthur # 8217 ; s tribunal doesn # 8217 ; t reprobate Sir Gawain, but in fact laugh at him for doing such a large trade out of his wickedness, to foster his motive of the cyclical stupidity of the multitudes. To add sarcasm to diss the writer has the Round Table where the sash as a grade of award when it is truly intended to be a grade of shame. The writer is shouting to the reader that the Court with all of their energies focused on this universe merely do non grok what is traveling on. When Gawain accepts the lacing, he does non understand the nature of the trial ( Benson. 224 ) . For Gawain # 8217 ; s trial is non a trial of temporal endurance as with what we see with the fox, it is a religious trial. It is a trial of which universe Gawain will take to populate in, and he can non populate in both. It is either/or with nil in between. For Gawain recognizes that in the 14th century universe that he took the first measure, which is non undistinguished in theological footings, on that long way to hell. Bibliography Benson, Larry. Art and Tradition in # 8220 ; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight # 8221 ; . New Brunswick: Rutgers Universty Press, 1965. Burrow, John. # 8220 ; # 8216 ; Cupiditas # 8217 ; in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight # 8221 ; . Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1964. Critical Surveies of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1968. # 8212 ; # 8221 ; The Third Fit. # 8221 ; A Reading of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, Ltd. , 1965. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Clein, Wendy. Concepts of Chivalry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Norman, Oklahoma: Pilgrim Books, 1987. Hills, David Farley. # 8220 ; Gawain # 8217 ; s Fault in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight # 8221 ; . Review of English Studies. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963. Spiers, John. # 8220 ; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight # 8221 ; . Scrutiny. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1949. 35f