Reflective Blog Entry #1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflective Blog Entry #1 - Essay Example Having communication goals will help me concentrate on what I want to say and how I want to say it because I know what I want to attain in the end. In addition, as a professional, I must also be factual, practical, and concise when I express myself because this is how a true professional communicates with others. I should not waste the time of my audience or confuse by telling them irrelevant or vague information. As for the audience, the video asserts that they are important to the communication process, especially when using the audience-centered approach. The audience is critical to successful personal and business communication because they are stakeholders and they are the target end receivers of the message. The video emphasizes that speakers/writers should focus on understanding and meeting the needs of the audience, by providing information that they need, by listening to their concerns, and by maintaining positive working relationships, if present. The video highlights that there is no effective communication at all if readers do not understand the message, at the minimum. Furthermore, if the speaker’s main communication goal is to persuade the audience, then it becomes more essential to know who the audiences are, such as their goals, motives, and conditions, so that the speaker can connect more meaningfully to the

Falling in Love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Falling in Love - Essay Example I was looking at the most beautiful crescent blue eyes with long fringed eyelashes. My whole world had come tumbling down with dazzling stars! ‘Are you okay?’ He had enquired in a deep husky concern that had sent a shiver of excitement down my spine. I was dumbstruck and could only nod. I could feel my world going round and round. I was staring and then a little coughing woke me up from my stance. The guy was smiling and offered his hand. I took his hand and stood up. I could not look into his eyes for I was still very embarrassed at being caught staring in such a public place! He was gently pushed me towards the perfume section and before I could protest, he had bought two bottles of the Chanel 5, one having the smell fragrance as the one which was smashed into thousand pieces and the other one which I had wanted but could not afford. He then took me for a cup of coffee and I can still remember how the hours had flown. It was mutual love at first sight. Falling in love is total magic because it completely changes you and makes you feel at the top of the world. You find the things to rejoice in the most weirdest of situations and cry at the drop of a hat. It seems as if the nature rejoices in your happiness and lets you discover things about you that you were never aware of. Indeed, I did not know that I could become a book lover but then I had not met the love of my life! It is funny but I had become a highly cheerful and optimist person from the shy individual who would always be looking at the gloomiest aspect of things. I wonder if other people also discover whole new world of good things when they fall in love. My love had also become my soul mate. He told me much later that he had also experienced the same magical moments and had loved my silence with the same passion as he had loved my voice which he found to be very soothing. He was quite stressed

The use of Critical Reflection in Nursing Practice

The use of Critical Reflection in Nursing Practice Nursing practice is a complicated phenomenon, and usually something which has many dimensions. Nurses can develop better understanding of the ways in which they practice, the influences on their practice, and of their responses to challenging situations, through reflection on that practice, and, specifically, reflection on critical incidents. The use of reflection in nursing practice has been established as an important learning and development tool. Not only has it been described as an effective means of engaging in professional and personal development through self-assessment and self-evaluation (Gustafsson and Fagerberg, 2004 p 271), it is also known to be a way of looking at the quality of practice, and questioning how things are done (Bowden, 2003 p 28; Coutts- Jarman, 1993 p 77). Nurses usually use reflective models to guide their practice, as placing a structure on this process makes it more purposeful (Gibbs, 1988, online; Rolfe, 2005 p 78; Jones, 1995 p 783). Price (2004 p 4 6) also argues that reflection is a patient-centered activity, and one that is linked to the development of critical thinking. The NMC (2004 b), the professional body that governs nursing practice and sets the standards for nurses, states that nurses should: Act to ensure the rights of individuals and groups are not compromised; manage risk to provide care which best meet the needs and interests of patients, clients and the public; review and evaluate care with members of the health and social care team, and others; share experiences with colleagues and patients and clients in order to identify the additional knowledge and skills needed to manage unfamiliar or professionally challenging situations; contribute to the learning experiences and development of others by facilitating the mutual sharing of knowledge and experience. This assignment shows how the author has attempted to adhere to these guidelines through this process of reflection. WHAT The author witnessed a member of staff putting medication in the food of a confused and sometimes aggressive patient who regularly refuses their medication. The member of staff was crushing tablets and putting them into the patients food. This patient, an elderly and confused person, is someone dependent upon nursing staff for support with all of their activities of daily living (Farley et al, 2006 p 46). They are difficult to communicate with and it is not possible to get informed consent or true compliance from them. However, the medications were necessary to maintain their state of health, address their mental condition and prevent exacerbations of chronic conditions (such as hypertension). The author was moved to question this practice, and asked the nurse about this, but the reply was rather defensive. It seemed that they believed this was the only way to administer the medications and that it was for the patients own good. SO WHAT To begin with, the author felt that it was important to question this occurrence, because they found it ethically challenging. While the author understood the need to ensure the patient had had their medication, this occurrence challenged previously acquired understanding of informed consent and respecting the rights and dignity of the patient (NMC, 2004a, online). Acting in the best interests of the patient, however, is another requirement of nurses, and in this case, it was easy to see that they did need the medication and that it would help their subjective feelings of wellness to some extent. However, the author would also question how far this would improve their state of being, because with their cognitive impairment, they might not be able to recognize the difference between subjective measures of sense of wellbeing. The main issues in this scenario revolve around the competence of the patient and their ability to give consent (Hedgecoe 2008). The issue of consent is central to nursing practice, particularly in relation to ensuring the patient care is client-centred (DoH, 2001, online; NMC, 2004a, online). The autonomy and dignity of the client is at stake when one considers providing or enforcing care without consent (DoH, 2001, online). Veitch (2002) offers an authoritative overview of the practical issues involved in consent and advises that it is the dividing line between treatment and assault. (Veitch 2002 Pg 11). This is a very important issue to consider, because, as already discussed, the NMC (2008, online) requires nurses to only act in the best interests of their patients. That means being proactive, providing information to the patient, and communicating with them as best they can, even when there are communication difficulties. Veitch (2002) also goes on to comment that Consent is not just the signing of a document prior to undergoing a procedure, it is a hugely complex area with legal, ethical and practical components and all of these are brought into sharp focus when they are compounded by degrees of reduction in cognitive function (Veitch 2002 Pg 22). The problem here is that the patient, who is suffering from vascular dementia, cannot really be considered fully competent to make decisions about their care. They are cognitively impaired, and in need of significant care, surveillance, assistance and input in order to maintain basic levels of health and functioning. As such, this issue highlights the plight of such individuals, because they are occupying a cognitive world which is disconnected from reality, and within which they are unable to reason or understand what is being asked of them (Bowler, 2007). However, in this case, the scenario is taken to be in a residential care home. This means that one could reasonably assume therefore that the patient is not severely cognitively impaired and may suffer from fluctuating degrees of impairment (Bowler 2007). To this extent, the situation may be helped by considering whether they were happy to take the medication when they were less confused. If the patient is normally happy to take their medication when they were cognitively aware, the legal considerations become easier as Lord Donaldson has stated, in legal statute, that if a patient is judged not to be competent then the healthcare professionals who are responsible for their care are also responsible for making a decision that they believe is in the patients best interests and in line with a decision that they believe the patient would have made if they were competent to make it at the time. (Donaldson 1993). It would appear, therefore, that perhaps the actions of the nurse in placing the medication covertly in the patients food is excessive, and may be motivated by expedience and convenience rather than the best interest of the patient. It might be that, as may be the case in many circumstances, preconceptions about patients, and even stereotyping and prejudice, could be affecting actions here, because despite the egalitarian nature of the nursing profession, there appears to be ongoing ageism in clinical practice (DoH, 2001, online). According to the Department of Health in the National Service Framework for Older People (DoH, online), older people are often subject to preconceptions and prejudice because of ageism, and this ageism can be quite subtle, and pervasive in our modern society. Even those who deal extensively in the elderly may be prejudiced towards them, or have some degree of innate ageism (Gunderson et al, 2005 p 167). With the ongoing focus on patient-centeredness (DoH, 2 001, online) and on ensuring patient safety through the highest standards of care (DoH, 2004, online), this author would argue that actions which occur as a result of prejudicial preconceptions are quite likely to place patients at more risk. In this situation, the nurse may possess such preconceptions but be unaware of them, but this action could place the patient at risk. If someone else came along and asked the patient if they had had their medication (obviously in a more lucid moment), the patient would say no, because they would be unaware that this had occurred. Therefore, the patient could be overdosed because a second dose might be given. The ethical considerations that arise from this particular scenario are not the same as the legal ones, although there are large areas of both overlap and concordance of views (Lo, 2005). Hippocrates has been cited as stating that one should first do no harm. (viz Carrick 2000). This is the basis of the Hippocratic Oath which is taken by all doctors in the UK, and also the basis of fundamental principles of healthcare and professional practice. This is effectively translated into the Principle of Non-maleficence which means that the healthcare professionals must ensure that the patient is not harmed. An aggressive and confused patient may well be in danger of harming themselves and suitable treatment can be considered as justified in this context (van Uffelen, Chinapaw, van Mechelen et al. 2008), but it is questionable how much harm would occur due to this refusal to take the medication. The author would question whether it would not be more appropriate to allow the patient time to return to a more lucid state and then give consent for the medication, complying with their care themselves. This would respect their autonomy, and would also mean that the care given was not entirely bound by routines within the residential home, and would mean a patient-centred approach (DoH, 2001, online). The Principle of Beneficence can also be considered here, and it should be noted that this Principle is coloured by the circumstances of the event being considered. One could argue that the use of medication to ease the patients apparent distress is doing good under the terms of this Principle. If the overall aim of nursing practice is to act in the best interests of the patient, then it may be necessary to take such action, and to take responsibility for making such a decision, if it can be fully established that these actions are only done because it is better for the patient. This author would argue that in this situation, if the decision to put the medication in the food is just about expedience, about it being more convenient and manageable for the staff, then this would not be acting within the principle of beneficence. It is important to not just continue with standard or routine practice just because everyone does it. The balance in this situation is between beneficence and m aleficence, and is therefore relating to the motivation of the individual. Is the nurse doing this to avoid having to spend time and energy persuading the patient to take their medication? Or is this simply the best solution because otherwise the patient will not take the medication and will become ill as a result? More details about this would be required to fully understand the ethical challenge here. It would seem that the major problem with hiding medication in food is deception. Although it may be considered a practical expedient, It would not be an appropriate course of action if the patient was rational and competent, so consideration is required as to why it would be considered appropriate just because they are not competent and rational at this time (Wong, Poon, Hui 2007). Therefore, it is appropriate for the author to have questioned this practice, at this time, and to explore the parameters and dimensions of this action (Hargreaves, 2004 p 196). This area of intervention is fraught with difficulty and should not be entered into lightly. If a decision is made by the healthcare professionals to give the medication, it should be recorded in the notes together with the reasons for that decision and it should be given. If the patient will not take tablets then alternative routes of administration should be considered (Welsh and Deah 2007). It is not appropriate to overtly deceive or mislead the patient as doing so contravenes any concept of personal autonomy and dignity (NMC, 2004a, online; NMC, 2008, online). ). However, it may be that this course of action has been agreed with relatives or next of kin who have responsibility for the patient, which clouds the debate somewhat. There appears to be a fine line here between ethical and unethical practice, and therefore, it is important to clearly understand and justify why this course of action was taken. It would also help if nurses could address their own prejudices and potential bias about certain patients, through critical self examination and reflection (Daly, 1998 p 323). This would also help develop critical thinking skills (Daly, 1998 p 323). Nurses could then reflect critically on these kinds of actions to explore if there are not perhaps alternative approaches which could be used, such as providing the medication in a different form, one that is more palatable to the patient. It is not possible to easily define what the right course of action is in these circumstances, but if the nurse adheres to the principles of client centred practice (DoH, 2001, online), it should be easier to evaluate the motivations for these actions and therefore understand the ethical impact of this situation. However, it wo uld also be important to consider the theoretical basis for this, and for nurses in this particular care environment to discuss this practice and come to some consensus relating to the ethical issues and the ethical principles which arise from this kind of situation. NOW WHAT As part of this reflection the author will now try to draw together conclusions about the scenario described and discussed above, evaluating it as a whole. Having reflected on this scenario, it is apparent to the author that there is a lot to be learned from the situation. To begin with, it highlights how complex even simple nursing actions can be, particularly when they address ethical issues. The primary ethical issue in this scenario relates to the autonomy and capacity of the patient, and the motivation for the actions of the nurse involved. Autonomy is a key ethical principle, and respecting the rights and the individuality of the patient is central to professional nursing practice. Patient-centered practice is an ideal, but it should be a fundamental principle and in such a scenario, using patient-centeredness as a benchmark for evaluating care could be a useful way of analyzing whether nursing actions are ethical or not. In this scenario, the author would argue that the nurse should have taken more time with this particular patient, and should perhaps have considered how to provide the medication safely without challenging her autonomy quite so much. It is obvious that deception is a concept and practice that is incompatible with the fundamental principles of nursing and health care. This author has learned from this that covert actions are inacceptable, and if this situation were to arise again, they would feel empowered to challenge it, and to take action, to turn the focus back onto the rights of the patient. It is also important to consider the balance between the factors surrounding what constitutes the best interests of the patient. There will always be an ongoing negotiation, in situations when the patient is not fully competent, but if the nurse adheres to ethical principles, they will provide patient-centered care and this must, ultimately, meet the individual needs of the patient. This process of reflection has been a significant learning journey for the author, because it has broadened and deepened their understanding and insight into ethical challenges they face in their daily work and practice. Reflection, guided by a constructive model, has helped the author to analyze and evaluate this situation, and to explore the parameters of the ethics and philosophies which apply to it. The author has found that carrying out this reflection has not only enhanced their understanding of this situation, and of the complexities of the ethical questions raised by it, but also enhanced their critical thinking skills. Ethical decision making in nursing appears to be something that is hard to pin down, as ethical questions often leave a degree of confusion about the right and the wrong thing to do. Such is the case here, but the author has learned that there is literature to inform the nurse about the rights and wrongs of the more ambiguous ethical dilemmas, and that using such information can aid understanding and improve future practice.

Red Badge Of Courage :: essays research papers

Zack Andre RED BADGE OF COURAGE Red Badge of Courage Physical and emotional pain is what the tattered solider illustrates in the book. The tattered solider pain comes from all of the horrible things associated with war. Him going crazy brings emotional pain and the physical pain is brought on by the endu rances of war. "There was a tattered man, fouled with dust, blood and powder stain from hair to shoes, who trudged quietly at the youths side". The tattered solider also characterizes the toughness people can endear. Even through the harshness of war people will find something inside of them, overcome it and not let it bother them. The tattered solider goes out and lives through the tough endurance's of war but he finds something inside of him to live through it. The perfect solider is what Jim Conklin brings to the book. Jim never complains about war and fights as good as the next man. Many of the people look up to Jim because he is so strong willed. The regiments almost look up to Jim in a spiritual way find ing peace inside of them when they think of him. It is a tragedy when Jim dies because of all of the moral inspiration he gave the regiment. True to his character Jim dies a quiet and peaceful death not distributing any of the regiment. Wilson represents the two sides of human nature. In the beginning of the book Wilson is a mean tough guy that no one liked. This outward act of being tuff is just a cover of the true nature of Wilson. It is natural for people to cover their true natur e in front of new faces. Towards the end of the book Wilson starts to care about Henry. hen Henry is injured and he doesn't try and fight the other men anymore. True to human nature once times start getting more difficult and Wilson becomes more comforta ble with his surroundings he transcends into the calm compassionate person he really is.

Comparison of Miss Havisham and Lady Macbeth

Throughout both ‘Great Expectations’ and ‘Macbeth’ surroundings are used to influence and define Miss Havisham’s and Lady Macbeth’s characteristics. These surroundings are not only physical, but also psychological; found in their relationships and trauma from past events. Although both women are presented in different forms Lady Macbeth is also strongly influenced by her physical surroundings. Like Miss Havisham, her home is metaphorical of her characteristics. She lives in a great castle from which we never see her leave.Like the castle she first comes across as strong, powerful and intimidating with strong walls, yet we later see these crumble and leave her as nothing but a wreck of what she used to be. The castle also lures King Duncan into a false sense of security the same way Lady Macbeth does, this can be seen when he describes her as ‘Fair and noble hostess’ and states ‘This castle hath a pleasant seat’ showing that he feels comfortable and unsuspecting of both. This is ironic because later that very same night he is murdered, highlighting his naivety. This shows how like Lady Macbeth the castle can also conceal the evil within.Pathetic fallacy is often used in Macbeth to emphasise the atmosphere of the events occurring. For example on the night of Duncan’s murder, when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are in a state of paranoia, ‘someone knocks at the gate’ . This makes them feel as though they have been discovered by someone and there is almost knocking on their conscience, ultimately leading to Lady Macbeths loss of sanity. The next morning we learn that ‘The night has been unruly’ and ‘some say the earth/ Was feverous and did shake’ reflecting the earth shaking events of the night prior, and further impressing the guilt on Lady Macbeth, influencing her mental state.Another influence on Lady Macbeth appears to be the witches. When we are first intr oduced to her character she appears to be speaking in incantation which mirrors that of the witches: ‘Come thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell’ This suggests that the witches have some sort of influence over her, or are possessing her so that she can carry out their wishes of over throwing the King, it also shows that she does not fear the religious consequences of her actions.She also goes on to call on spirits ‘Come, you spirits’, this gives the impression that she believes in the superstitious, and not only that but sees it as a source of help. She does not fear it like the vast majority of people in the 1600s. Miss Havisham is also greatly influenced by her psychological and emotional surroundings. The paramount influence over her life was her relationship with Compeyson, as this is what led to her incessant need for revenge, strained relationship with Estella and subversion from conformity.The enormous impact that Compeyson jilting Miss Havisham had on her perception of love can be seen when she describes love as ‘Giving up your soul to the smiter-as I did’. The use of the word smiter emphasises just how deeply she was hurt; her heart was not just broken, but deliberately crushed. She never heals from this pain so dedicates her whole life onwards to breaking men’s hearts. She even goes to the extent of raising Estella to do this ’’You can break his heart. ’’. Yet she shows signs of regretting bringing Estella up ‘so hard and thankless’ and robbing her of the ability to love, like Compeyson did to her.This failing relationship leads her further into depression, but does not stop her need to inflict pain on Pip, suggesting she cannot control her psychological impulses. Miss Havishams failed relationship led her to rebel from the stereotypical Victorian woman, who is supposed to be a married, dutiful wife, well presented and loving. She is quite the opp osite of this as a mad spinster, but is left to her own devices due to her wealth and power Throughout Macbeth we see Lady Macbeth change from a foreboding, deeply ambitious and manipulative women, to a regretful and guilt ridden soul.This change creates a sense of sympathy in the eyes of the audience as it is her own actions which lead to her ultimate demise. Unlike Miss Havisham, Lady Macbeth is married and is perceived by outsiders as a typical loyal wife. However, within her relationship it can be seen that she has also rebelled from expectations. In Lady Macbeth's mind being a woman is a great weakness; she construes femininity as compassion and kindness, preventing her from ever being as powerful as a man.She labels her husband as â€Å"too full o' the milk of human kindness,† to commit treason, and for this reason she calls on the spirits to â€Å"unsex† her and â€Å"Stop up the access and passage to remorse†, as she thinks this will allow her to carry o ut acts of evil. She also manipulates Macbeth into doing what she wants: ‘When you durst do it, then you were a man’. This shows that she knows how to use what could be seen as the female method of achieving power, this being manipulation, to further her supposedly male ambitions.This position of power can again be seen in the use of imperative verbs when she talks to Macbeth: ‘look like the innocent flower’, ‘Leave all the rest to me’, displaying her authority and control over the situation. The play implies that women can be as ambitious and cruel as men, yet social constraints deny them the means to pursue these ambitions on their own. Lady Macbeth’s guilt is the crucial psychological surrounding which influences her downfall. Although her will to kill the King was previously so strong, after the murder she begins to slide into madness.She and Macbeth undergo a role reversal, he seems to lose all sense of remorse, whilst her feminine attributes, which she tried so hard to eradicate, take over, leaving her trapped in her guilt. This ironic turn of events can clearly be seen when Lady Macbeth initially comforts Macbeth by saying â€Å"a little water clears us of this deed†, yet she soon comes to realise this is not the case. Her guilt consumes even her subconscious mind leading to her sleep walking, whilst in this state she questions â€Å"will these hands ne’er be clean? and goes on to recount the events of the day of the murder. This illustrates how she is constantly reliving that day, desperately trying to change what happened but can’t. This desperation to clean the blood from her hands eventually drivers her insane, and the only way she can free herself from this mental torture is to end her life. Although Great Expectations and Macbeth were written in different centuries and in different forms; Macbeth being a concentrated play, written around 1604, and Great Expectations being a length ily novel from around 1860.They were both considered quite outrageous and innovative at the time, due to their previously unspoken themes of madness, superstition and matriarch. As shown in my essay, Miss Havisham and Lady Macbeth are similarly influenced by their surroundings. Both women used people as their puppets in order to carry out their desires, and both descended into madness through losing their control of their puppets. However Lady Macbeth was power hungry and was willing to take down anyone to satisfy her ambition, whereas Miss Havisham wanted purely revenge, and thought what she was doing was bringing justice.The former is more manipulative and done purely for selfish reasons, so her madness was self inflicted and grew as time progressed. While the latter was done in response to the pain she was caused, meaning her madness was less calculated, but was constant since the cause of pain. Both are middle aged and wealthy women who have rebelled from expectations, however M iss Havisham rebelled due to a traumatic event in her life and does not try to conceal her atypical lifestyle. Whereas Lady Macbeth tries to mask this, and use her apparent innocence to her advantage.

Cultural Meaning Essay

The meaning humans give to actions, concepts and behaviours is dependent on the cultural milieu and is conditioned to a great extent by the underlying meaning systems, values and frames of meaning he/she inherites from the society in general. Socialization plays a direct role in that process. Education, effects of peers and the intellectual atmosphere all contribute to what is called cultural meaning or systems of meaning. Cultural meaning conditions our perception and determines the way we process external perceptions. In this sense, what Gregory Bateson calls â€Å"an ecology of mind† is at work here. The mind acts in an ecology of preceding concepts, comments and semantic networks operating in a particular field and in society as well. Through these networks meaning is produced within a particular person, system, or culture. This meaning then frames and motivates the actions of individuals and groups. â€Å"Events are not just there and happen, but they have a meaning and happen because of that meaning,† wrote Clifford Geertz. Meaning is also historically formed. For example; body image varies across cultures and is shaped by the specific meaning given to it by a culture. There is a time dimension involved in this same process, too. Western societies tend to value slim and fit bodies in terms of representation in popular culture. Whereas, body images of other cultures are very different in most cases. Some Pacific island people prefer fatness both as a sign of wealth and of esthetic superiority. But with the advent of globalization and the expansion of western cultural codes through TV and other media, these same people have come to question their body images. Western culture’s meaning system expanded its sphere of influence in that case. In fact, a mild fatness was accepted as a desirable physical trait in western history, too. Much of what is classified under popular culture is subject to meaning systems and the accompanying perceptions about them. A society’s selective perceptions and evaluations favor a certain behavior, a mode of thought and even such ephemeral things as fashion fads. Famous anthropologist Clifford Geertz suggests that an analysis of culture must also cope with the category of meaning. â€Å"The culture concept to which I adhere . denotes an historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited concepts expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life. † As is understod from this definition, meaning is an inseparable component of culture and it directly shapes our perceptions and understanding. Alternative meaning systems combine to give a culture its core values. As a cultural phenomenon, gift giving may be evaluated from that pespective looking at different cultures and their subjective meaning systems attributed to this practice. As can be deduced from David R. Counts’ article , some cultures see the act of gift giving in a radically different way. Reciprocity brings about a gift giving approach that is essentially different from ours. The people of New Guinea think gift giving must include a symmetry in that you also have to respond to the act of gift giving by giving something in return for the one you received. It is a kind of implied bargain, or shopping through barter more to say. In the lack of formal rules and practices of trade, the natives created their own concept of reciprocal gift giving as a means of doing trade. From a western point of view, the meanings ascribed to gift giving are very different, though. But New Guineans have refined this form of gift giving through centuries and created this particular meaning system. Western culture sees gift giving as away from commercial thoughts. Though reciprocity is emphasized again, the hints of mutual give-and-take are shunned carefully lest monetary concerns come between. Western culture’s refusal of this kind of gift giving and its derisory look at the issue are witnessed through some sayings and idioms. The term â€Å"Indian giver† is one such example. A network of meanings developed through centuries of experience emerges as cultural meaning. It becomes a culture’s core over time and forms the basis also of other attitudes. Western culture makes one think there are indeed too many bananas, whereas in New Guinea there can not be too many bananas at all. Another cultural phenomenon seen through the different lenses of various cultures is leadership. Leadership is also loaded with cultural meanings and values. In general, eastern cultures are said to put much emphasis on social harmony and collective action. Respect to elders, family ties are given importance in these cultures. Leaders in these cultures are expected to be humble, caring and considerate thinking about the well-being of their followers. In this sense, they are seen as somewhat paternalistic figures. They are required to show mercy and understanding towards inferiors, to care for the problems of those they lead. Whereas, in western culture a competitive society is preferred and leaders are thought to be assertive, highly competitive and efficient decision makers. Humane considerations do not seem to play great role in this scheme. Efficiency and beneficial results matter more than paternalistic protection of subordinates. So, one who is accepted in the West as a good leader may be perceived as a ruthless go-getter obsessed with his egotistic views in the East. Cultural meaning acquired through immediate experience and classified into an unwritten code of ethics, appears as the determinant of perceptions about power and leadership. In contrast, a western look may detect an apathetic, lethargic society in the East viewing the style of leadership there as suffocating innovation and development. These two seemingly irreconcilable views about the same concept result from the respective meaning systems of the two cultures. Leaving aside the theoretical concerns over the validity of the broad-based concept culture, it is possible to derive conclusions after comparing differences between meaning systems of societies. Culture as a web of meaning systems is observed best in such comparisons. I would like to quote here a passage from Clifford Geertz who is among those attributing great singificance to culture as a system of meanings. † The concept of culture I espouse . . . is essentially a semiotic one. Believing, with Max Weber, that man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun, I take culture to be those webs, and the analysis of it to be therefore not an experiential science in search of law but an interpretive one in search of meaning. . . . Meaning, that elusive and ill-defined pseudoentity we were once more than content to leave philosophers and literary critics to fumble with, has now come back into the heart of our discipline. † New Guineans asserted their view on gift giving and that’s what struck westerners most as strange. In the other case of Fiji girls experiencing problems with their body image, western culture’s meaning system can be said to intrude upon the culture-and hence meaning system- of Fiji through the images brought by mass media. Culture is an ambient, all encompassing structure composed of interrelated and interdependent meaning systems. There are both implied and overt systems of meaning in a culture and they can be grasped through socialization. As I tried to show with respect to the phenomena of gift giving and leadership, specific meaning systems forming a culture condition our perceptions and how we evaluate certain phenomena. If I am not mistaken, Italian writer Umberto Eco penned a short story protagonist of which is a â€Å"savage† from a distant land who visits a â€Å"developed and civilized† country to observe the mores, customs and habits of the people living there. Of course the apparent irony points to the reversal of the usual relationship between â€Å"savages and the civilized†; it has always been the civilized who observed and analyzed savages but that time roles were exchanged. The savage travels across the lands of the civilized people and, as can be expected in this case, gets surprised much. For the first time, the usually observed, passive one turns a critical gaze toward the usually active observer. It is such a striking idea that the story caught me surprised. I think the irony here explains once again the essence of culture as a web of meanings. The savage walks through streets of cities, analyzes people and their unintelligibly strange habits, behaviors and customs. He is faced with a maze of meanings totally out of reach of his understanding because he is the product of another set of meanings. He has difficulty with interpreting certain behaviors; some of them look funny and others as grotesquely irrational. I think Eco’s wonderful story has many implications for understanding culture and cultural phenomena. When faced with a different culture, all of us become as helpless and stricken as the savage. Devoid of cultural cues to interpret the events taking place around us, we try in these circumstances to find a usual meaning that enables us to grasp the world anew and have a sense of familiarity. We all live out our pesonal narratives in this search for meaning in a maze of seemingly opaque networks of meaning.