Arming Pilots Essay Example for Free

Arming Pilots Essay After the September 11th attacks on America’s homeland, citizens became aware that action must be taken to protect passengers and pilots from terrorists. Although strict security measures have been put in place at all American airports, the only way to be certain that another terrorist attack does not occur using commercial aircraft lies in arming pilots with handguns. Not only will arming pilots help act as a preventative measure, it will ensure safer air travel and restore faith in America’s main form of long distance travel. Even though the number of hijackings is minuscule compared to the number of flights, arming pilots would be a first line of deterrence and a last line of defense. Some people may argue that other means should be used to stop hijackers, but as is the case with any illegal activity, if a person wants to commit a crime they will find the means. Therefore, the only way to prevent aircraft hijackings is with the use of guns. One alternative way that has been suggested is arming pilots with tasers, electric shock probes. These are considered problematic by many experts and do not guarantee bringing down a hijacker. As Criminal Justice expert Michael Swedemen said, â€Å"Had the pilots on the ill-fated planes on September 11th had stun guns, they might have dropped one of the hijackers, but the remaining three or four still would have overpowered the plane† (Dougherty, 2002, January 22). Arming pilots would also aid airlines in recovering from the economic downfall that has plagued the industry since the attacks. With armed pilots, passengers would know they are safe from any possibility of a hijacking and the only thing that might cause catastrophic damage would be an unforeseen mechanical problem. Should hijackers be among the passengers they could easily be brought down with guns similar to that of a defiant criminal. Opponents have argued that a stray bullet might penetrate the fuselage or inadvertently hit an innocent passenger. The Air Line Pilot’s Association has called for arming pilots using special ammunition that can kill an attacker but not pierce the fuselage (Dougherty, 2002, January 22). Hitting an innocent passenger is a risk that must be taken. One innocent life lost is far better than the possible countless losses on the hijacked aircraft and immanent destruction resulting on the ground. If passengers know that hijackers cannot take control of the plane, millions of Americans would once again begin flying which would improve economic conditions in a hurting industry. Other questions lie in the ability and mental state of a pilot to carry weapons. Senator Bob Smith (R-N. H. said, â€Å"Commercial pilots are trusted with the lives of thousands of Americans every day, and with proper training they could †¦ protect our skies from future acts of terrorism† (Dougherty, 2002, March 19). Pilots are some of the most mentally, physically, and psychologically tested people with hand/eye coordination that is among the best in any profession. Issuing firearms to pilots would, in effect, be like issuing a gun to a police officer. A pilot should be able to defend his aircraft instead of being left defenseless. The second amendment to the Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms. As this is true for a homeowner to protect his family and himself, this should be true for pilots and their aircraft should they come under attack. Although the idea of using air marshals still exists, they are seen as being less effective. Along with ineffectiveness, the cost of placing an air marshal on every flight is unrealistic. A pilot who has undergone the proper training can perform the same task while being paid by the airlines, rather than spending taxpayer’s dollars (Shaw, 2001, September 19). As support for handguns in the cockpit grows, we must ask ourselves if four guns had been in the cockpit on September 11th would 3,000 people be dead, two 110 story buildings have been brought down, the Pentagon attacked, and a nation left in shock? Americans must realize that committed terrorists will be able to get past security, leaving pilots as the last line of defense. Along with pilots, many Americans feel these measures have to be taken in order to make the friendly skies, friendly again.

Robin Hood Swot Essay Example for Free

Robin Hood Swot Essay 1) Perform a basic SWOT analysis on the situation Robin Hood is in. List the top 3-4 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that Robin Hood faces. Strengths * The more people that join Robin Hood the better to outnumber the Sherriff * His close friends have a good understanding of their duties * Are pretty organized and have a clear goal Weaknesses * Group became too large * Discipline was not in reach once such a large group banded together, many arguments ensued * Became more disorganized as group grew * Less accommodations were available Opportunities * Restoring power to King Richard will solve Robin Hoods issue with the Sheriff * King Richard may recognize Robin Hood abilities and make him his right hand man * Robin Hood could make a name for himself and be in history books due to his accomplishments Threats * Sheriff’s backing was becoming stronger and organized * Sheriff has political connections and influential allies * Sheriff’s men could kill them all 2) Are the various Threats that Robin Hood faces and the Weaknesses he has getting worse or getting better? As the days went on, the threats and weaknesses were mounting against Robin Hood. Since there wasn’t any filtering of persons joining the group, they did not weed out the unscrupulous ones. The group was running out of the necessary supplies to survive and couldn’t contain the madness. When all of this was happening, people started leaving Robin’s group to back the sheriff. His allegiances and organization was very attractive to Robin’s men. 3) The case describes several different options (the Opportunities in your SWOT analysis) that Robin Hood could choose to follow to fix his problems: a. Implement a fixed Transit Tax b. Expand to a larger area within/around the forest c. Kill the Sheriff d. Join the Barons in a plan to free the King Richard. Which ONE of the opportunities described in the case do you think will do the best job of addressing the situation that Robin Hood’s group is in and fixing their long term problems? Why? I would say that the best choice for Robin Hood to fix his problems would be to join the Barons in a plan to free King Richard. I think that Robin Hood could bring his people (the ones that remained) together and build some sort of a structured environment. Once that is completed, they could join forces and free King Richard. In a successful rescue and â€Å"re-throning†, he will be able to address the people’s concerns and bring happiness to all. Maybe then they will not be anymore â€Å"stealing from the rich to give to the poor†.

Unilever Pakistan: Motivation From HRM

Unilever Pakistan: Motivation From HRM Introduction: There is no doubt that organizations in the modern world have placed great importance in the development of the human resource management. This is because organizations seek to select, hire, retain and staff the best talent to the workforce. Rewards strategies are one of the main functions of human resource management. Indeed, these functions are set to increase the motivation of their workforce and avoid any dissatisfaction that may occur to the employees. Different theories of motivation were thought of to explain and analyze the behavior of employees. In addition, many reward strategies were practiced in order to increase the motivation of employees and allure them. The main aim of this paper is the chance to explore how multinational organization of Unilever in Pakistan increases the motivation of their employees and deal with any dissatisfaction through the use of reward systems as Unilever Pakistan facing HR problem of lack of proper reward system for the motivation of employee s and supervisors. Since the constraints of the situation are demanding that the research is conducted through the HR managers of Unilever Pakistan to be included in the research it has been decided that Maslow Hierarchy of Needs is the most appropriate vehicle for testing the impact of rewards. In Unilever Pakistan HR managers are responsible for assessing levels of motivation in the workforce and this will normally be a subjective assessment of levels by groups and not by individuals we feel that this reinforces the choice of Maslows theory for the purpose of the research. Background of Unilever Pakistan: Unilever Pakistan Limited is a multinational organization. Unilever PLC London is its parent group. Unilever is a European based company with command center in London, and their shares are quoted at the stock substitute of several European countries. They deal in all kinds of harvest from animal foodstuff to foods and detergents plus other personal and consumer products. The organizational structure of Unilever Pakistan consists that Unilever has its subsidiaries in over 80 countries of the world, to which it spreads its vast understanding and resources.Unilever has 500 working companies in 80 countries. It has 0.3 million employees and proceeds of sales in 23000 million pounds. Unilever has around 2000 employees in Pakistan. Interventions: The interventions relevant to the situation of reward system in Unilever are as follows: LINK BETWEEN MOTIVATION AND REWARD: To assess the link between motivation and reward of multinational organization of Unilever in Pakistan. The results indicate that there is an enormous link between motivation and reward. At Unilever Pakistan the best way to ensure continuous growth in peoples performance is to constituent a Reward system and the reward system must emphasis on positive reinforcement as it is the most successful mean to motivate preferred behavior. By positive reinforcement at Unilever Pakistan people put in more effort in work so that they may achieve a reward of their hard work and reward system ensure that their hard work doesnt go uncompensated. So it clearly indicates that at Unilever Pakistan there is an enormous link between motivation and reward. A well planned and efficient reward system when managed effectively would result into smooth organizations change process hence positive reinforcement of the desired behavior would enhance the performance which proves our research objective of extensiv e link between motivation and reward. Whenever the word Motivation is used, the first theory that hits the thought is the Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs. He investigated the human behaviors and pointed out five basic needs of human psychology and existence in a hierarchy. These basic needs (physiological, safety, social, self esteem and self actualization or self fulfillment) can be considered basic goals for any human. These basic needs or goals have been prioritized into ranking and elaborate the pattern in which humans go for these in their lives (Goble, 2004). Mans foremost struggle arises for its existence and as per Maslow, physiological (hunger, sleep, sex etc.) and safety or protection needs reflect the same efforts. As first need is satisfied the demand for the next one arises and gradually the aim is shifted through these needs one by one and finally reaches self actualization. Although, virtually all of these five needs exist in every one, but the realization of the need only comes when the human fulfils the general criteria to get qualified for that specific need. In-fact, the real variable that builds the ground for the qualification is the satisfaction of previous needs. According to the study, Job satisfaction of Employees Horticulture Case studies in Michigan, it has been proved that the supervisors and non supervisory employees differ regarding their satisfaction with job components. Supervisors see job security, attainment, interpersonal relations and supervision as the most satisfying factors at workplace. They perceive the job itself and the company as ambiguous factors while the compensation and working conditions as the hygiene factors. Supervisors are apt to be less displeased with their rewards (Sara , Barry Kathleen, 2004). One of the most rejoiced solution of this HR problem is that rewards by the employees at Unilever Pakistan can be awarding them with paid leave by their supervisors as the acknowledgement of their commendable performance. Along with that Supervisors must be rewarded with salary increment within the approved salary range of their positions. Organization at Unilever Pakistan must facilitate their supervisor to have an authority to reward their employees with annual merit increment due to their praiseworthy work which has brought about considerable benefit to the organization or department. Key words: Positive reinforcement, behavior, reward, motivation REWARDS STRATEGIES TO INCREASE MOTIVATION: To assess the extent to which organizations attempt to use their reward strategies to increase motivation of their supervisors at multinational organization of Unilever in Pakistan. Unilever Pakistan implementing performance management process must also not lose track of variables which are critical for its success and evaluate them at pre defines regular intervals. Feedbacks must be depicted in charts in timely manner; performers must be valued through some token of appreciation. Performers reviews must be use as an opportunity to reflect how winning can be possible in achieving goals and which practices must be adopted and these reviews must be as frequent as possible so that the learning is fortified. Always set many closely achievable milestones instead of quarterly achievable milestones and whenever those milestones are attained celebrate them. There must be some other source of feedback other than annual performance appraisals. Keep in mind while designing your organizations pr ogram to be as original and unique as possible and avoid the design to just comprise of forms. (Reference: Pinder. C.:(1984) Work and motivation; University of brutish Columbia;, Foresman and company. ) Three assumptions formulate Adams equity theory. First, beliefs that are developed by people hold that the fair they receive is equitable to the contributions they made for their work. Secondly, the theory suggests that employee compare their input and output with and the benefit they received with other employees input and output. Finally, if an inequality is existed then this will lead to the dissatisfaction of the employees (Pinder 1984). Therefore, this theory gives HR manager some guidelines in to design a reward system that can be perceived as equable by employees and avoid any dissatisfaction (Richard, 2008). Hertzberg provided five motivators in the workplace: recognition, achievement, advancement, responsibility and the work itself. He differentiated motivators and hygiene factors by suggesting that motivators aim achieving job satisfaction in the long run but hygiene factors are focused on short term satisfaction of the employees (GÃ ³mez Crowther, 2007). HR managers use different strategies to reward different class of employees depending upon their job nature, competencies, skills, knowledge, performance and their contribution in the productivity of the organization. In terms of best practice, different policies of HR are only suitable in different circumstances (thrope and Homan 2000). Following are some general practices in this regard: These rewards may be monetary as well as nonmonetary (Nelson, 2005). Longevity pay plans Pay for performance strategies Pay work skills and knowledge Team based pay packages to promote team efforts Individual pay plans Compensation plans for Executives Incentives Profit sharing in terms of merit based bonuses or by giving ownership share through stocks Offering perks and fringe benefits Providing healthy job environment, flexible working hours, interpersonal and recreational activities etc. Rewards are given to emphasize or reinforce the certain attributes like performance and loyalty etc. depending upon the strategic goals of the organizations. The nature of attributes and rewards varies from organization to organization. Key words: Motivation, reward, physiology RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POSSIBLE CHANGES: REWARDING AND MOTIVATION: To make recommendations for possible changes to practice at multinational organization of Unilever in Pakistan. Certain sets of criteria are designed keeping in mind all the salient aspects which are needed to be catered in designing and evaluating programs. Specific: Ambiguity emerges when there are unclear instructions about the rewards and their required actions and this creates a negative sense for the organization in the heart and mind of the people. Keeping it simple, clear and specific helps remove ambiguity and hence strengthening the overall program. Meaningful: Rewarded achievements should carry a significant return over investment for both the performer and the organization. The rewards must be specified for an achievement which has any significant impact on organizational progress as well as performers personal or professional life. Achievable: If goals are unrealistically high to achieve then those propagates negative reinforcement within the employees so while setting the goal for any individual or group of employees it should be kept in mind that those goal must fall within the boundary of achievable. Reliable: The program designed must follow its rules and procedures accordingly. Any Exceptions must be dealt with certain pre-defined steps which are specified in the programs design. Timely: Time factor is very keen in positive reinforcement. The Reward system heavily relies on rewarding the performers at the right time for their hard work so that they can feel esteemed. Certain intervals must be specified onto which the performers would be rewarded. At Unilever Pakistan supervisors appraisal are top of the list when it comes to positively reinforce and motivate the employees. Supervisors at Unilever Pakistan must acknowledge employees contribution both verbally and in written either personally or with an electronic aid although the personal interaction is much more effective and employees feel valued and recognized for their effort and contribution. Another solution is that supervisors at Unilever Pakistan must be provided with opportunity to increase their professional expertise and skills by letting them participate in educational programs and workshops. It is very important for professional growth and development opportunities at Unilever Pakistan. As employees at Unilever Pakistan would develop new skills, organization can have additional benefit from it. (Reference: Bruce, Anne Pepitone, James S.(1998) Motivating employees., McGraw-Hill Professional,.) Bruce and Pepitone (1998) provide that motivation is the inner drive that compels a person to behave in a particular pattern. People have different needs which they require to satisfy through different means. People are motivated when their needs are satisfied. When people are in need they seek opportunities which can satisfy them. The urge to get satisfaction drives a person to achieve something. Therefore, the existence of needs motivates individuals to work hard to achieve goals and objectives. Various theories of motivation explain the influence of rewards on the behavior of individuals and teams (Armstrong 2002). Motivation determines the performance of activities within the organization. The behavior of individuals is shaped by the motivators since people seek factors which improve their work conditions. Satisfaction of one need leads to the demand for another need according to Abraham Maslow (McClelland, 1987). There are both intrinsic and extrinsic factors which motivate an i ndividual to behave in a particular manner. Intrinsic factors emanate from within the person and give a person the will to achieve more. Extrinsic factors originate from the environment in which a person lives (Goble, 2004). Bruce and Pepitone (1998) were of the opinion that there are two categories of motivational factors: Intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors refer to the inner feeling that a person has about the place of work. Extrinsic factors are the external factors which motivate an employee. Extrinsic factors include rewards, promotion, recognition and others. Employees work harder when their welfare is put into consideration by their managers. According to Bogardus (2009) employees are not only motivated by the wages they receive from the organizations but also motivated by many other factors within the environment of the organization. Therefore, in an organization the employees have different personalities, attitudes, responsibilities and views. Employees require different motivation strategies to ensure they improve their performance and work for a long duration of time (GÃ ³mez Crowther, 2007). Finally, reward systems are developed to cater the requirements of any organization in a specific manner because it is considered that they directly affect the efficiency of employees by motivating or de-motivating them (Sara, Barry Kathleen, 2004). Further to the discussion, the later part of the review will cover the various theories of motivation. Key words: Motivation, reward, performance Conclusion: I analyzed that to achieve Unilever Pakistan goals and to bring out the required results from the employees it is highly necessary that they are kept highly motivated and should be provided with such an environment in which their motivation is not only keep intact but also flourish. To attain this environment and to stimulate their motivation I figured out that positive reinforcement through rewards and performance appraisal system can prove very much beneficial. While above we discuss what kind of rewards could be employed and what criteria should performance appraisal system must abide to enhance motivational environment of the organization, here are list of few steps that a manager can take himself apart from all the organizational process and procedure to keep a clear check, balance and knowledge about the motivating factors of his employees. Dont just stick to theory. Implement it practically because just reading the articles or research wont help until it is put in practice. Analyze your own set of factors that keeps you motivated in the organizations. This would help you understand other employees factors as well. Identify the factors and then take input from the employees. It can also be done through a survey forms. Work with each employee to include their motivational factors into the reward system. Improve your interpersonal relationship with each employee and try to nurture the skill to delegate in every employee. Rewards must not be lingered for long. They must be awarded as soon as the desired behavior or the reward criteria is achieved by the employees. Late rewards have negative impact on motivation of the employees.

decriminalize drugs Essay -- essays research papers

One the many controversies in our country today, regards the prohibition of illegal narcotics. Deemed unhealthy, hazardous, and even fatal by the authorities that be; the U.S. government has declared to wage a â€Å"war on drugs.† It has been roughly fifteen years since this initiative has begun, and each year the government shuffles more money into the unjust cause of drug prohibition. Even after all of this, the problem of drugs that the government sees still exists. The prohibition of drugs is a constitutional anomaly. There are many aspects and sides to look at the issue from, but the glaring inefficiency current laws exude is that any human should have the right to ingest anything he or she desires. The antagonist on the other end believes that by doing so chaos would result because of the ingestion of said substances. This purely speculation, and we have seen in the history of man that this has never occurred nor is there reason to believe it will happen this time. Many proponents of the current drug laws claim that legalization and/or decriminalization would in turn increase the number of drug users. If a drug is legalized/decriminalized, the price will fall and the quantity of demand will rise. The evidence from prohibition suggests we can expect two broad patterns of response if legalization occurs. First, there will be a small rise in consumption, which will take place to some extent across the spectrum of consumers. People who had never used drugs may choose to use them. Secondly, there will be a change in the nature of the drugs used and in the way in which they will be used. Specifically, there will be a move toward less intensive drug forms and less abusive patterns of use. When drugs are illegal, more damaging drugs drive out less damaging ones. In jurisdictions that liberalize their drug laws, this process will reverse itself. The evidence on this from Prohibition is unequivocal: as soon as repeal occurred, the consumption of hard liq uor dropped by more than two-thirds. In addition, there was a massive shift from higher potency liquor toward the lower-proof varieties of liquor. The vast majority of all people, addicts and alcoholics included, do not consume drugs as a means of destroying their lives. Nor do they consume them intending to become addicted to them. Abuse and addiction are the adverse consequences that sometimes occur when drugs are ... ...its goal and at this rate we as a nation will run out of money long before it does ever come close. The real tragedy of this situation are those who suffer, and those are the ones incarcerated. From the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 1997 3 out of 4 state and 4 out of 5 federal prisoners may be characterized as an alcohol or drug involved offender. The percentage of those in prison for drug offenses was 54.8% in 2002. Prisons are overcrowding and it seems less money is being put into them. Prison sentences are being handed out everyday and the average length of those put in for drugs has doubled from 1986 to 1999. The rehabilitation of these â€Å"criminals† is almost nonexistent. The culture inside of prison hardly reinforces the recovery of the inmates, instead it breeds a criminal culture from which it s hard to escape. In conclusion, the government’s war on drugs has not been successful to date, and shows no sign of victory in the future. I think it that is about time we reconsider what values we hold high and take a second look at the damage that already has been done by the war on drugs. What it comes down to is personal freedom and the constitutional anomaly that destroys it.

The Long, Bitter Trail: Andrew Jackson and the Indians by Anthony F.C. Wallace :: American History

The Long, Bitter Trail: Andrew Jackson and the Indians by Anthony F.C. Wallace The Long, Bitter Trail: Andrew Jackson and the Indians was written by Anthony F.C. Wallace. In his book, the main argument was how Andrew Jackson had a direct affect on the mistreatment and removal of the native Americans from their homelands to Indian Territory. It was a trail of blood, a trail of death, but ultimately it was known as the "Trail of Tears". Throughout Jackson's two terms as President, Jackson used his power unjustly. As a man from the Frontier State of Tennessee and a leader in the Indian wars, Jackson loathed the Native Americans. Keeping with consistency, Jackson found a way to use his power incorrectly to eliminate the Native Americans. In May 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed into law the Indian Removal Act. This act required all tribes east of the Mississippi River to leave their lands and travel to reservations in the Oklahoma Territory on the Great Plains. This was done because of the pressure of white settlers who wanted to take over the lands on which the Indians had lived. The white settlers were already emigrating to the Union, or America. The East Coast was burdened with new settlers and becoming vastly populated. President Andrew Jackson and the government had to find a way to move people to the West to make room. In 1830, a new state law said that the Cherokees would be under the jurisdiction of state rather than federal law. This meant that the Indians now had little, if any, protection against the white settlers that desired their land. However, when the Cherokees brought their case to the Supreme Court, they were told that they could not sue on the basis that they were not a foreign nation. In 1832, though, on appeal, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokees were a "domestic dependent nation," and therefore, eligible to receive federal protection against the state. However, Jackson essentially overruled the decision. By this, Jackson implied that he had more power than anyone else did and he could enforce the bill himself. This is yet another way in which Jackson abused his presidential power in order to produce a favorable result that complied with his own beliefs. The Indian Removal Act forced all Indians tribes be moved west of the Mississippi River. The Choctaw was the first tribe to leave from the southeast.

Career as a Concept Artist Essay -- Video Game Development

The employment outlook in my area for a Concept Artist in Video Game Development isn’t too promising. Nebraska isn’t the metropolis for technological employment like this, thus I would have to relocate to somewhere along the East or West Coasts, where jobs are more available than they are in the mid-west. This is due to the fact that a lot of the Game Publishing companies, such as Blizzard Entertainment, Monolith Games, a subdivision of Warner Bros. Entertainment, require an applicant to work on-site. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2007, Graphic Designers earnings ranged from entry-level pay of about $35,000.00 to staff-level median of $45,000.00. More seasoned designers earned $62,000.00 and freelance designers earned around $60,000.00. Design Directors earned up to $98,600.00. Graphic designers with ownership or partnership interests in a firm or who were principals of the firm in some other capacity earned $113,000,00. Generally, for every company, there’s a different salary, depending on the type of work being completed and what they need. The role of ...

Consider carefully which of Bathsheba Essay

TASK: Consider carefully which of Bathsheba’s three suitors, Boldwood, Troy or Oak possessed the qualities most likely to make Bathsheba a good husband. In the book, ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ by Thomas Hardy, there are three suitors for the novels protagonist, Bathsheba Everdene. Unfortunately because she is a very capricious lady, one suitor is murdered by another, who was consequently sentenced to life imprisonment. This essay will discuss which suitor would have been the most compatible to Bathsheba in marriage. In the novel, Bathsheba is the second character we are introduced to, and Thomas Hardy portrays her as a very beautiful but penniless woman. She is the protagonist of the novel, and her interaction with her various suitors propels the plot. As the story unfolds, her character is developed, but it is very clear in the beginning she is a very vain woman. This is firstly shown when Gabriel sees her sitting on top of a carriage full of furniture. It is obvious her beauty entrapped him and he, ‘followed the vehicle to the turnpike gate some way beyond the bottom of the hill, where the object of his contemplation now halted for the payment of the toll. ‘ Bathsheba’s vanity was evident where she refused to pay the turnpike keeper the extra two pence he wanted. Subsequently, Gabriel paid it and she was neither pleased nor dismissive because she had lost her point, she was just a little disgruntled. In addition to this, shortly after she is seen looking into her mirror, admiring herself. Further reference to Bathsheba’s vanity is later in the story when she has just inherited the farm and she throws all of her existing clothes away because she feels she has moved up a class, and her old ones were inferior. The last evidence of her vanity occurred after she had encountered Troy for the first time, when she was in front of her dressing table mirror and she repeated a sentence he had whispered to her, ‘Hello gorgeous’. Despite this flaw in her character, she showed independence in both financial and spirited terms. She was able to run the farm she had inherited by herself, and after finding her bailiff stealing grain, she fired him and took on that job as well. Furthermore, having moved up a social class didn’t seem to effect this self-reliance as she still travelled to Bath on her own not asking for a chauffeur to ride the cart for her, as most rich people would have because of their status. She wasn’t accompanied by anyone when she went out horse riding either. This shows both independence and that she likes to be alone sometimes, not in the eye of her employees. There are many other of her characteristics which are described in the novel, including bravery which is highlighted on three occasions: in the beginning of the novel where she saves Gabriel from gas poisoning in his hut; when she helps Gabriel to secure the hayricks in the storm and the way she dealt with the numerous disasters on her farm. One of those disasters was bought on by her impetuousness as she fired Gabriel because he rebukes her, saying ‘I cannot allow any man to – to criticize my private conduct!†¦ Nor will I for a minute. So you’ll leave the farm at the end of the week! ‘ From this it is obvious she is intolerant towards gossip and people’s views. Unfortunately, shortly after Oak leaves, a disaster happens, whereby the sheep all get a disease, which only Oak knows how to treat. Subsequently she has to swallow her pride to save her sheep. A further example of her impetuous character was a little later on in the novel, when she visited Bath and married Troy so that his attentions would only be focused on her, and not any other women. This also shows immaturity in her, not just the rash decision of marriage, but also the quick dismissal of Oak because she couldn’t take criticism. Contrary to this though, when Fanny went missing, she was responsible enough to send out a search party, so despite being volatile and distant from her workforce, she was still interested in their well being, even though she was an x-employee. No later than Troy goes missing, she turns to Boldwood who she had previously sent a valentine to, admittedly quite reluctantly, but she does, and this highlights the capriciousness and flirtatious side of her character. This isn’t a good thing for a relationship, especially in a vain woman like Bathsheba, who would be easily convinced to see other men, so a compatible partner for her would have to be stern with her, but in a loving manner. Therefore, the best suitor for Bathsheba needs to be able to cope with the characteristics I have highlighted above, being similar to some of her characteristics, and the opposite to others. The best person for her would be a handsome and romantic farmer who was financially secure. Mr Boldwood is the wealthiest of the three suitors whom Bathsheba could have chosen, owning a neighbouring farm. As his name suggests, he is quite a wooden man. By this I mean he doesn’t reveal his true emotions until he is sent the valentines letter on a whim when he suddenly develops feelings for her. From this point onwards, he loses his self-control and pursues her with a single-minded passion to make her his wife. Unfortunately, because his love becomes so all-compassing and single mindedness, it leads him to neglect his farm losing all of his crop one stormy night. He is also quite a personal and reserved man who, despite many women finding him attractive, lives a quiet life on his neighbouring farm. His high status in society is indicated on numerous occasions, but the most obvious occurrence was when Bathsheba invited Mr Boldwood over to join in the celebratory dinner after the successful harvest. At first Gabriel Oak, Bathsheba’s main shepherd was sitting at the head of the table, but when Mr Boldwood appeared a little later, Gabriel was asked to move from the head of the table so Mr Boldwood could be seated. It is obvious from the moment Mr Boldwood starts to develop feelings for Bathsheba that he is a caring man, always checking up on her, but it is later on in the story when Mr Boldwood’s chivalrous side is shown to its full extent. Bathsheba had been seeing Troy for a little while, and they were having relations outside of marriage, which for the novels time was not allowed. Therefore Mr Boldwood offered Troy money to marry her, in order for her name to be respected. This was obviously a very hard act to come to do, especially as he loved her so dearly. When Troy went missing, believed drowned, Bathsheba was in mourning for a little while, but because no body was found, she had to wait seven years before she could marry again. Mr Boldwood made his feelings clear to her again a little later, and she agreed upon marriage if Troy didn’t reappear after seven years had passed. This showed a very patient side of Boldwood, different to the very persistent side of him seen earlier in the book. Unfortunately, after seven years had passed, on the night Bathsheba had promised to accept Boldwood’s proposal, Troy burst into the party, insisting on regaining his half of her farm, which came with the marriage. At first Boldwood was deeply upset, but knew there was nothing he could do about it and accepted it, but Bathsheba refused to go at first, and Troy rough handled her. Boldwood, did not like, or accept this, especially because he was so protective and obsessed with her. A mixture of jealousy and over protectiveness then took hold of him, and he shot Troy, killing him almost instantly. Boldwood was then sentenced to death, but because of his high status, because he was a well-respected gentleman and finally because it was argued he was mentally unstable, the sentence was changed to life imprisonment. After the sentence was passed, his obsession with Bathsheba was revealed to its full extent, as items of clothing and jewellery were all found in Boldwood’s house, all gift wrapped and with a label saying ‘Bathsheba Boldwood’. Sergeant Troy is the second of Bathsheba’s possible suitors. Troy is the novels antagonist, and is the less responsible male equivalent of Bathsheba, and his description is the complete opposite of Gabriel Oak’s. His irresponsibility is shown on the night of the ‘after harvest celebratory meal’ when he decides to get drunk, knowing there is a storm which could destroy all the hayricks which they had just harvested. Unfortunately, because he was devastatingly attractive, had a dashing manner, continually flattered Bathsheba and was skilled in swordsmanship, she fell for him. This was mainly because of her vanity; he said what she wanted to hear. And furthermore, it was his vanity which made him say such things as, ‘Thank you for the sight of such a beautiful face’ and ‘Ah, beauty; good-bye! ‘ This first impression of Troy gives him the appearance of having some strength of character, such as helpfulness when he offers to help in the haymaking when he bumps into Bathsheba one night. Unfortunately, this strength in his character is quickly shown to be limited, for example, he initially gave the impression of being frank, letting his thoughts be heard, but this is quickly offset by his lies. Troy lied on numerous occasions, such as when Bathsheba saw a lock of golden hair in Troy’s pocket watch, when he said he went to church regularly through the back door, which when investigated by Gabriel was found to have not been opened for a very long time and thirdly when he said he didn’t know the tramp on the road. It was in fact Fanny Robin who he was engaged to, but neglected after they miscommunicated about which church they were due to have their marriage in. She was actually Troy’s true love and the lock of hair in his pocket watch belonged to her. Another act, which showed Troy’s character to be limited, was the way he acted and cruelly abused her after they were married. This really shows that Troy was quite capricious in a way because no later than Troy has left Fanny, he seduces Bathsheba. Troy was an unstable character, mainly because when his parents died when he was only small, he was sent off to be a soldier. This environment, which he grew up in, therefore influenced his character, and he became a mercenary, working only because he wanted to spend money at the races. Unfortunately, not being trustful, he left Fanny gambling debts, and he used a lot of Bathsheba’s money up as well. Another quality of Troy’s was his cunningness and deviousness. This is shown near the end when, after seven years of being missing, presumed dead, he returns, not for Bathsheba, but for the money which he was entitled to, namely half Bathsheba’s assets (farm and contents) which came with getting married. That was what triggered Boldwood to kill Troy in the end, the way he was only interested money, and the way he mishandled her. The third and final suitor was Gabriel Oak. He was in fact the first of the three men whom Bathsheba met in the novel when he generously paid the two pence toll for her because she felt she had already paid enough. The novel starts describing Gabriel; ‘When Farmer Oak smiled, the corners of his mouth spread till they were within an unimportant distance of his ears†¦ ‘ He isn’t the best looking of men, and is only a shepherd, but has a very strong, good character, which is developed throughout the novel. Being a shepherd, he has exceptional skill with animals, and is hardworking. He knows the trade so well that he can tell when it is going to be bad whether and acts accordingly. An example of this was when the storm came after the hayricks had been harvested and, knowing a storm was on its way, Oak tried to alert the others for help, but after realising they weren’t interested, he started tying them down on his own. This shows determination, responsibility and reliability. Whenever Bathsheba needed help, he would be there, even after he had been dismissed for criticizing her judgement, he forgave her and came back to save the sheep from a deadly disease. Another example of his responsibility was when Joseph Poorgrass stopped off at the Buck’s Head Inn for a drink, rather than taking Fanny’s coffin to the church. It was Gabriel who went to the inn and too the coffin to the church, and then on to Bathsheba’s house because Joseph had delayed them so much. When he saw Fanny’s coffin, he was generous in spirit, because he rubbed off ‘and baby’ after Fanny’s name because he wanted to spare Bathsheba’s feelings, especially as it was Troy’s baby. The reason Bathsheba said that she would not marry him when he asked was because he wasn’t that rich and he was unromantic, which is a characteristic in Oak which Bathsheba would have wanted from her husband. Shortly after, he unluckily lost all of his sheep, but instead of reverting to alcohol, or committing suicide, he put it behind him, paid off his debts with what he had left, and went to the market to look for a job. While this is all occurring, he is still steadfast, wanting to marry Bathsheba, and he is loyal, not going after any other women. Instead he just concentrates on his work, and is as hardworking as ever, in a sense he is quite boring because he doesn’t ease up on his work. Even when she marries Troy, he is thoughtful, sparing her feelings, as she is not aware of all the truth. His loyalty, whether standing up for Bathsheba when the workers gossip, or just by being there for her, is repaid later when Bathsheba finally gives him the job of Bailiff. It is mainly because of his organised nature, and because he has a very good knowledge of the farm. In conclusion, I have to answer the original question, ‘Consider carefully which of Bathsheba’s three suitors, Boldwood, Troy or Oak possessed the qualities most likely to make Bathsheba a good husband. ‘ After analysing each of their characters, I feel she would really be best off with a person who had parts of each of the suitors: Boldwood’s money and devotion, Troy’s handsome appearance and Gabriel’s knowledge of farming. Unfortunately this is impossible, therefore I have chosen Gabriel Oak as whom I feel would be the best suitor for Bathsheba Everdene. I think that despite Boldwood saying that she would never have to work again, she is a very independent woman, and I’m not sure she would appreciate that. Troy is like the male equivalent of Bathsheba, and I don’t think that she would last that long with him, as problems would arise. Furthermore, he mishandles her, and I think their marriage would be over very quickly. Gabriel is quite different to Bathsheba, and I think that he would be devoted to her, especially after analysing his character, but wouldn’t smother her, still giving her her independence. Furthermore, his knowledge of farming would be helpful on the farm. Marriages last if the couple can communicate, and come to a conclusion about situations, and I feel Boldwood would just do whatever she wanted to do, Troy would only do what he wanted to do, but Oak would do whatever was best and fair. Gabriel’s character is opposite to Bathsheba’s, but in this case I think the marriage would work really well.