The Tragedy Of American Diplomacy - 983 Words

Well-known professor of American history, William Appleman Williams, crafts The Tragedy of American Diplomacy to illustrate that there is more to history than what meets the eye – more than what most Americans have been taught. He argues that there is a tragic past when the history of American diplomacy is analyzed. Throughout crucial periods of time in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Williams explores and analyzes instances in which American diplomacy was challenged, policy was deficient, actions were hypocritical and the structure of the system proven inconsistent. Preface to Specific Content Williams demonstrates his cognizance, and skills as a writer, as this book is a well-written piece of literature, touching upon historical†¦show more content†¦Over and over again, Williams illustrates this theme of â€Å"American Exceptionalism.† Throughout the book, there are several occurrences in which the â€Å"We are the best, and all that we are doing is of benefit to the world† mentality is shown. On one hand, there is nothing wrong with being proud of roots as an American and believing that America is the greatest country, but on the other hand, using this thought process in in order to legitimize the domination and control of other nations unlike America while preaching one set of values and acting on others, is wrong. We see these actions play out time and time again as America invades and controls other countries â€Å"to help† them, however, prohibits the country from experiencing the full advantages of self-determination – a value th at America claims to hold i.e. a tragedy of American Diplomacy. The Spanish-American War in 1898 was a point where American’s demonstrated their power and true colors. America wanted to free the Cubans from Spain, but it was not purely out of the interest of the Cubans. America was in it for the Philippines. Spain had control of the Philippines, and the Philippines were located in close proximity to China. The issue here was that the Philippines was not interested in having the U.S. around and rebelled against the American forces (47) .The U.S. wanted to capitalize on the economic struggles in China and the Philippines wasShow MoreRelatedComparative Critique of Kennans American Diplomacy and Williams the Tragedy of American Diplomacy1279 Words   |  6 Pagesto understanding of American diplomatic history during the period of 1900-1950. Kennans book, American Diplomacy, offers a sharp critique with its focus on American mistakes, specifically examining the absence of direction in American foreign policy and with the end result of America n strength and insecurity at the start of the Cold War. Williams, in his book The Tragedy of American Diplomacy, pursues a different but still critical perspective by asserting that American policy was largely motivatedRead MoreThe Tragedy of American Diplomacy by William Appleman Williams932 Words   |  4 PagesUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison, Famous historian William Appleman Williams of Atlantic, Iowa, wrote the book, The Tragedy of American Diplomacy in response to the rampant changing things happening around him. Enraged, Williams’ addresses several points with foreign policy being the main one. He encompasses several themes throughout his book such as American capitalism, the failure of American liberalism, and the Open door notes. These themes help convey his view on the matters at hand, which for a lackRead MoreThe American Imperialism Essay558 Words   |  3 Pagesabout American imperialism and its behavior. Historians such as William A. Williams, Arthur Schlesin ger, and Stephen Kinzer provides their own vision and how America ought to be through ideas centered around economics, power, and racial superiority. Economics becomes a large factor in the American imperialism; but more specifically that expansion in foreign markets is a vital part in the growth of America. As historian Charles Beard puts it, â€Å"[it] is indispensable to the prosperity of American businessRead MoreLumumba s Alliance With The Soviet Union1016 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Congo, which received the support of the Soviet Union, China, and several other African countries. They made great strides in August 1964, when they began to push back on the Congolese national military force, which led to a joint Belgian and American intervention. This operation, Dragon Rouge, though initially a rescue movement, is credited as the movement that broke the resistance. As a result of the rebel defeat, Tshombe lost the support of Kasa-Vubu who then dismissed him from his post asRead MoreWhat Were The Key Of The Cold War? Essay1409 Words   |  6 Pagesvarious authors have proposed led to the Cold War. There are three viewpoints on w hat on what were the significant factors that led to the Cold War. There is the Orthodox viewpoint, which blames Soviet expansion, the Revisionist view, stating that American imperialist capitalism led to conflict. I will pay particular attention to the eminent William A. Williams who is considered the father of Revisionist school of thinking. There is also the post Revisionist view which places the responsibility onRead MoreEssay751 Words   |  4 Pagesidentity, culture, and preserve its way of life while expanding to different territories, this alone has led to countless wars and skirmishes resulting in devastation over Europe including the 30 year war, 100 year war, and the Napoleonic era. After the tragedy known as World War II, an attempt to integrate France along with other European states to form a supranational government resulted in the formation of the European union. Along the way France has battled with proponents and opponents going back andRead MoreThe Policies Of Ei senhower s Vietnam And John F. Policy1688 Words   |  7 Pagescontradicted with their ideologies. DWIGHT EISENHOWERS FOREIGN POLICY VS. JOHN F. KENNEDYS FOREIGN POLICY The view by some historians is that The Dwight Eisenhower foreign policy was popularly known as the â€Å"New Look†. This policy aimed to maintain the American financial economy while Eisenhower was planning the Cold war and continue the containment of communism regime. Also, the â€Å"New look† policy relied heavily on nuclear weapons to stop communism. Therefore the policy was been assessed as being suppressingRead MorePresident John F. Kennedy1738 Words   |  7 Pagesmeant to be the future President of the United States, died due to the blowing up of his plane. After this tragedy, father’s hopes and aspirations were put on John F. Kennedy, and that is when his political career started. In his inauguration speech, Kennedy said his famous phrase, â€Å"Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country† (1961). He tried to make the Americans more active citizens. Kennedy showed an example himself, doing a lot to his country. Still, the biggestRead MoreBlack And White: The Reason Why Gun Control Debate Fails 1457 Words   |  6 Pagescontroversial topic for many years that people try to discuss about it. This issue has become more serious because of many recent tragedies have been happened in the US, and the main reason of those tragedies is lack of control. For example, tragedies in Newtown or Colorado, which everybody has known, took away many lives of innocent children and adults. That is why American citizens think that guns are dangerous and should be banned. However, there are some problem of banning guns brings more negativesRead MoreThe Cold War And The Soviet Union1462 Words   |  6 Pageslearned truth about world within.   Ã‚  And they have learned to seek security only in patient but deadly struggle for total destruction of rival power, never in compacts and compromises with it. (Kennan, 1946) Kennans telegram formed the basis of American policy toward Russia for the next fifty years. He presented a country that was inherently incapable of being a responsible world partner. Kennan implied that direct military confrontation was too risky, and so a policy of â€Å"containment† would play

Graduation Speech High School - 1522 Words

The most anticipated moment in High School occurs at the start of Junior year; students come to the realization that college is right around the corner, so they must begin their college research. Some High Schools hosts college fairs or college visits which would help students begin their college research. There are many factors that must be considered when choosing the right college such as cost of tuition; location; academics; wide range of majors, and most importantly if you meet the requirements. One major fact that either prevents or encourages a student to apply to a specific University is the acceptance rate. If the acceptance rate is low, like Stanford (the acceptance rate in 2016 was 4.8%) High School seniors are less likely to apply. Students also have to carefully choose the colleges they want to apply to because college application are expensive, averaging ninety dollars per application. The minimum number of colleges that students are told to apply to varies from counse lor to counselor. Students could always apply to more colleges but the application fees add up. Therefore, students tend to gravitate towards colleges that they have a higher chance of getting accepted into. A plan that has been implemented in several universities called The Affirmative Action plan promises to increase diversity on college campuses and ensuring racial and gender inclusion. For example, there would be an increase of minorities on campus. With this in mind, more minority studentsShow MoreRelatedGraduation Speech : High School934 Words   |  4 Pageslife would be graduation. For many people, graduating from high school is an objective. It takes a lot of time, effort, and determination to accomplish that goal. For others graduation is the end of high school, and the beginning of a new chapter in life. When graduated people feel as if adulthood has begun. In the long run, graduating opens a lot of opportunities for people to thrive. I can almost reminisce the day as if it was yesterday. I was sitting in bed like any other school day. It seemedRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School852 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to a report from Thomas Nelson Community College website, 15.7 percent is the graduation rate in 2010. 84 percent of students failed to receive their degree. That’s beyond sad. College can be difficulty especially with everyday life is getting harder to main family life work and financials. Because college is challenging, I know that I have issues that I must overcome. I told myself the more patient s I have the better success I will have. Although college will be difficult my goal isRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School Essay2254 Words   |  10 Pages The day I graduated from high school The High school graduation day is a life full of journeys for everyone, high school life is a memorable time for most people, for me as well. High school can be filled with lots of good memories for some people and it could be filled with bad memories, for me it was both I had good times and I had bad times. The High school Graduation day should definitely be the best day of your life because that means no more high school, no more having to wake up at 6Read MoreGraduation Speech : High School Graduation854 Words   |  4 Pagesfail High School graduation can be an exciting time in a student’s life. It is a time in their lives where they begin to experience the kind of freedom that comes along with growing up. This freedom allows students to choose the type of college or University they would like to attend. It is necessary that they understand how responsible they need to be with the freedom that is being offered to them. When choosing what college or university to attend it may be tempting to want to go to a school thatRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School Graduation1507 Words   |  7 PagesForest English 1010 9/9/2014 Graduation During our lives, most of us have hated getting up early. Whether we as humans enjoy mornings or not, we’re always looking forward to that unforgettable day. That special is high school graduation for me. Graduation is a ceremony that recognizes students that have excelled through school. Graduation was one of the best days of my life, perhaps even better than the day that I started college. There is no other day like graduation where there comes this feelingRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School Graduation933 Words   |  4 PagesHigh School Graduation With regards to high school graduation, Balfanz, Herzog, and Iver (2007) followed 12,972 Philadelphia students enrolled in traditional middle schools from six grade (1996-1997) until 1 year beyond their expected graduation from high school (2003-2004) in order to understand what indicators would affect their projected graduation date. Unlike many of the early K-8 schools, the population Balfanz et al followed consisted of 64% African American, 19% White, 12% Hispanic,Read MoreGraduation Speech On High School Graduation851 Words   |  4 PagesThere Is No Success Without The Opportunity to Fail High School graduation can be an exciting time in a student’s life. It is a time when they begin to experience the kind of freedom that comes along with growing up. This freedom allows students to choose the type of college or University they would like to attend. It is necessary that they understand how responsible they need to be with the freedom that is being offered to them. When choosing what college or university they would like toRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School997 Words   |  4 Pagesup, I loved going to school and dreamed of one day attending college. Attending school every day and receiving good grades had become my top priority from K-12. I excelled from K-8th grade, but entering into high school was completely different than primary school. The atmosphere and environment was new to me, I was free to roam the halls or walk back out the door without any repercussions. This began my downward spiral in high school. My freshman year was by far the best school year for me becauseRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School897 Words   |  4 PagesHigh school was one of the most challenging moments in my life. Not only did I have to deal with the academic pressures and social issues from my peers I had external factors that were heavily impacting me as well. During my junior year my mom separated from her husband and me and my three little brothe rs ended up staying house to house with close relatives. Shortly after that time at the beginning of my senior year, my mom was sent to prison. In the midst of dealing with all of the demands thatRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School Essay1434 Words   |  6 PagesWhen I was in high school I had one goal, I would graduate top of my class and go to the University of Florida for pre-medicine, then onto their medical school. I never considered that I would want anything else, so I went to a specialty high school that would allow me to specialize in Biomedical sciences(STEM) and never even thought about the possibility of a life other than the one I had so precisely planned out for myself. When my nephews were born my sophomore year all of my priorities changed

Differences Between The North And South Of The World

Inequality, a topic that I believe runs through the centre of Geography, dominates both the UK, and the entire world. In the UK, numerous economic, cultural and political factors divide the North from the South. To name a few: there is a missing year of life expectancy north of the line, children south of the line are much more likely to attend Russell group universities, house prices have recently soared in the South, and politically, the South tend to vote conservative, while the North vote labour. Similar geographical concerns are occurring on an international level. In my opinion, this divide between the North and South of the world is being exacerbated by globalisation. Although this is the belief that countries are becoming too similar, due to a decrease in cultural differences, I believe it is leading to even larger economic differences. Through my reading of ‘Globalization’ by Joseph Stiglitz, it is clear that me and him have the same view. He explains that despite constant promises of reducing poverty made over the last decade, the actual number of people living in poverty has increased by almost 100 million. This occurred at the same time that total world income actually increased by an average of 2.5 percent annually. Stiglitz explains that the benefits of globalisation have been less than its advocates claim, and that the price paid has been greater. The environment has been destroyed, political processes have been corrupted, and the rapid pace of change has notShow MoreRelatedSlavery And The American Civil War1125 Words   |  5 Pagesbeen the sole cause of the American Civil War. Whereas the institution of slavery has been a major cause of the war, the differences in ideologies and beliefs between the North and the South also play a role in the origins of the Civil War. The origins of the Civil War can also be attributed to the political, economical, social, and cultural differences between the North and South during the 1800s. The Cornerstone Speech by Alexander Stephens, Vice President of Confederacy, and the Nast’s cartoon ofRead MoreDissimilarities Between North Korea and South Korea1037 Words   |  5 PagesDissimilarities between North Korea and South Korea â€Å"We risked our lives for a South Korean dream, but If a war breaks out, should I fight South Koreans or should I shoot at my relatives in the North?† asks Ri Kyong† The Republic of Korea was small a country which was located in the far eastern edge of Asia. It was separated when the Korea War started in 1950 and lasted until 1953. At that time it turned into two different countries, which are known today as North Korea and South Korea .ThereafterRead MoreSocial Differences Of The Korean War And Vietnam War826 Words   |  4 Pagesbelieve the world would be a better place if everyone were to get along and agree on social differences, but in the end these differences are the root cause of many wars. These two major wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, not only had serious impact within the country, but also give a prime example of how similar and different between the two. Both wars were commenced similarly from its conflict with expansion of a communist govern ment and the involvement of the United States. Differences came fromRead MoreWhy the compromises from 1846~1861 failed to prevent the Civil War1133 Words   |  5 PagesThe compromises from 1846 to 1861 were, by their intentions, to postpone the struggle between the north and the south temporarily but not to solve it. The foundational problems, like the the slavery itself, the differences in social structure and economic system and the expansion of slavery, were left. The increasing struggle between the abolitionists and slave owners and between the newly formed Republican Party and the Democratic Party kept putting those questions in front of the US people. TheRead MoreInter Korean Relations And Reunification Of Korea Essay1114 Words   |  5 PagesMaybe that’s because Koreans cannot feel separation in everyday lives. However, due to the division of South and North Korea, both countries are spending needless and considerable amount of money on military expenditures, which is all burdens for the citizens in both countries. Also, due to the poor status of North Korea’s economy, various aids are done for the starving North Koreans, by South Korea, the US, the United Nations, etc. Many scholars and economists have sought to find solutions for bothRead MoreKorean War And Its Effects On Korea1512 Words   |  7 PagesKim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, is currently testing weapons of mass destruction and threatening to aim them at the United States. The Democratic Republic of Korea is a communist dictatorship with Kim Jong-un declaring himself the Supreme Leader. The Republic of Korea, otherwise known as South Korea, is a non-communist state with Moon Jae-in as its president. It is a democratic republic with three branches of government. North Korea and South Korea were once one nation under Japan. They are nowRead MoreThe North and South in Antebellum United States993 Words   |  4 PagesThe North and South in Antebellum United States In the time just before the Civil War, the United States was one of the most successful nations in the world. The United States had become the world’s leading cotton producing country and had developed industry, which would in the future, surpass that of Great Britain. Also, the United States possessed an advanced railroad and transportation system. However, despite its successes, the United States was becoming increasingly divided. The North andRead MoreNorthern And Southern United States989 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferently. The South was mostly into farming, while the North was more about the industry. Both regions also had sectional differences in the way tariffs and slavery were intertwined. Since there were unfair tariffs that tested dominate leaders like the Britain Crown, many rebellions have been staged. The North and South in the United States did have many differences between each other, but they eventually came together as a united country. The Industry was booming in the North and this madeRead MoreThe Global North/South Divide1724 Words   |  7 PagesGlobla North/South divide. Explores the social, cuptural and economic differences that exist between the regions defined as the global north and the global south. The theory of the Global North and Global South is a new geopolitical perspective. It divides the world into two blocs – the industrialized countries of the global North and the poor countries of the South on the global level of analysis. While â€Å"Global South† is sometimes used as a synonym for the more familiar â€Å"third world† that termRead MoreSantosh N. Williams. Dr. Washington. 28 March 2017. . The784 Words   |  4 PagesMarch 2017 The American Civil War The American Civil War was a war against the North and the South during the 1860’s. The Southern removed themselves from the Union. The U.S didn’t allow states to be removed from the Union. The North also wanted to get rid of Slavery but the South wanted African American slaves to help them and work for them. The War started when the army in the South attacked a military base in South Carolina. The American Civil War was the first war that killed thousands of Americans

The Critique of Piagets Theories Essay - 1620 Words

The Critique of Piagets Theories Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980) was a constructivist theorist. He saw children as constructing their own world, playing an active part in their own development. Piaget’s insight opened up a new window into the inner working of the mind and as a result he carried out some remarkable studies on children that had a powerful influence on theories of child thought. This essay is going to explain the main features and principles of the Piagetian theory and then provide criticism against this theory. Cognitive development refers to way in which a person’s style of thinking changes with age. Piaget argued that cognitive development is based on the development of schemas.†¦show more content†¦The stages theory is open to criticism as they are too rigid and neglects individual differences such as memory span, motivation etc. Piaget also underestimated the age at which children could do things. This maybe due to his failure to distinguish between competence and performance. Piagets studies tested performance and then he assumed that a child who failed simply lacked the underlying cognitive structures that he believed were needed to succeed on that task. Subsequent research suggests that a child may have these competencies earlier than Piaget suggested. However, simply to focus on age limits is to miss the central point of Piaget’s theory that universal, qualitative, biologically regulated cognitive changes occur during development. This is supported by cross -cultural research that has replicated Piaget’s findings (Smith et al, 1998). Another criticism relates to the concept of biological maturation or ‘readiness’. If the development of cognitive structures is related to maturity, then practice should not improve performance. In other words, if a person is not biologically ready to move on to the next stage then no amount of practice should get them there. However, there is evidence to suggestShow MoreRelatedIs Conceptual Critiques Relevant for Psychology?1472 Words   |  6 PagesWe shall consider Skinner’s Operant Conditioning theory as another type of example on Conceptual Critiques (Skinner, 1963). His theory states that the best way to understand a behavior is to look at the association made between the behavior and the consequence of that behavior. Although Skinner’s primary interest was in human behavior, most of his research was done on animals using laboratory apparatus well known as the Skinner box. Hence, in his experiment, Skinner placed rats in the Skinner boxRead MorePiaget s Theory Of Cognitive Development1096 Words   |  5 Pagesto take on account the individual differences between children in development. The focus of this essay is on Piaget’s theory because it is one of the most influential theories. Furthermore, this essay will evaluate whether Piaget’s theory is able to account for individual differences in cognitive development. The main focus will be the development of children. Jean Piaget developed a theory about the cognitive development in childhood. He was convinced that the development of thinking is a linearRead MoreDevelopmental Theory Essay1726 Words   |  7 PagesSummary of the Contributions and Shortcomings Of Piaget’s Theory. This essay will be summarising the contributions and shortcomings of the Cognitive-Developmental theory and firstly explore the background and key concept’s of Piaget’s work behind child development. Secondly Piaget’s ideas about cognitive change and the four stages of development from birth which are the sensorimotor stage, the pre-operational stage, the concrete operational stage and the formal operational stage and how thisRead MoreCritically Evaluate Piaget s Stage Theory Of Cognitive Development1605 Words   |  7 PagesCritically evaluate Piaget’s stage theory of cognitive development Jean Piaget’s (1896-1980) theory of cognitive development is considered of significant importance and use, so much so, there has been considerable research to test his theories, but also, to refute his claims. Despite numerous objections to Piaget’s findings, I will maintain that Piaget’s stage theory of cognitive development is continuously influential in contemporary psychology. I will briefly outline and explain Piaget’s four stagesRead MorePiaget s Stages Theory And Evaluate Its Appropriateness For Explaining How Children Develop Mentally1726 Words   |  7 PagesThe aim of this essay is to briefly explain Piaget’s Stage Theory and evaluate its appropriateness for explaining how children develop mentally. His theory states that children develop in four different stages from the ages 0-12. There are varying sub-stages for these and each has its own description with experiments to test which stage an infant is in. Although Piaget is a credited t heorist this particular theory is often criticised and this essay will explore the reasons for this as well as providingRead MoreHow Children Cope With Peer Provocation1413 Words   |  6 Pagestheir research rights subsequent to the debriefing. The piece or component (e.g. proposed theory) of the research study that I will analyze is the contention that children can assent to research involvement and effectively understand their research rights is commonly guided by philosophical perceptions about children and the reference to the development theory of Jean Piaget. Critique of the Research In the vigorous challenge of the concept of whether children can freely assentRead MoreHow Do the Major Theories of Child Development (Known as the ‘Grand Theories’) Explore the Importance of Social Experiences?1675 Words   |  7 PagesHow do the major theories of child development (known as the ‘grand theories’) explore the importance of social experiences? Social experiences play a vital role in the development of children. Theories of child development have been created to help us to understand how children’s minds develop, taking into account the differences between cultures around the world. Some of these theories explore the possibility that children gain knowledge, develop new concepts and bridge new ideas through interactionRead MoreThe Physical Development Of Children1739 Words   |  7 PagesThis essay consists of a critique of the major theories in relation to the development of children from birth to three years and if they apply to all children’s development. The physical development of children is explored by Freud. His theory displays children at a very young age, showing interest in their own bodies, as he believes they receive pleasure from exploring their genital area. This sexual fixation is started at infancy when the infant takes nourishment and pleasure from suckling milkRead MoreThe Theory Of Innate Language Acquisition994 Words   |  4 Pagesof the brain is specifically used to apply these skills and that it is an inbuilt commodity that we are born with. However, no proof in within science has been found to agree or disagree with this idea. A differing view that contrasts the Nativist theory of innate language acquisition is from the theorists Sapir and Whorf. The two never wrote the hypothesis together, but due to similarities in the thesis they are often cited together (Whorf was a student of Sapir). Their concept is based upon anRead MoreEarly Childhood Care And Education Affect Cognitive Development762 Words   |  4 Pagesdevelopmental trajectories across the various cognitive domains. They also did some research on Piaget’s perspective taking which was complete and accurate. The authors even provided good examples with the use of graphs on Piaget’s observation of children communicating egocentrically. Furthermore, the authors provided critiques such as Donaldson, versus Piaget’s work with more examination of Piaget’s theory.

Prelude to Foundation Chapter 4 Library Free Essays

string(114) " for across the room he saw a red light flashing brightly and rapidly, accompanied by a harsh, intermittent buzz\." VENABILI, DORS-†¦ Historian, born in Cinna†¦ Her life might well have continued on its uneventful course were it not for the fact that, after she had spent two years on the faculty of Streeling University, she became involved with the young Hari Seldon during The Flight†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica 16. The room that Hari Seldon found himself in was larger than Hummin’s room in the Imperial Sector. It was a bedroom with one corner serving as a washroom and with no sign of any cooking or dining facilities. We will write a custom essay sample on Prelude to Foundation Chapter 4 Library or any similar topic only for you Order Now There was no window, though set in the ceiling was a grilled ventilator that made a steady sighing noise. Seldon looked about a bit ruefully. Hummin interpreted that look with his usual assured manner and said, â€Å"It’s only for tonight, Seldon. Tomorrow morning someone will come to install you at the University and you will be more comfortable.† â€Å"Pardon me, Hummin, but how do you know that?† â€Å"I will make arrangements. I know one or two people here†-he smiled briefly without humor-â€Å"and I have a favor or two I can ask repayment for. Now let’s go into some details.† He gazed steadily at Seldon and said, â€Å"Whatever you have left in your hotel room is lost. Does that include anything irreplaceable?† â€Å"Nothing really irreplaceable. I have some personal items I value for their association with my past life, but if they are gone, they are gone. There are, of course, some notes on my paper. Some calculations. The paper itself.† â€Å"Which is now public knowledge until such time as it is removed from circulation as dangerous-which it probably will be. Still, I’ll be able to get my hands on a copy, I’m sure. In any case, you can reconstruct it, can’t you?† â€Å"I can. That’s why I said there was nothing really irreplaceable. Also, I’ve lost nearly a thousand credits, some books, clothing, my tickets back to Helicon, things like that.† â€Å"All replaceable.-Now I will arrange for you to have a credit tile in my name, charged to me. That will take care of ordinary expenses.† â€Å"That’s unusually generous of you. I can’t accept it.† â€Å"It’s not generous at all, since I’m hoping to save the Empire in that fashion. You must accept it.† â€Å"But how much can you afford, Hummin? I’ll be using it, at best, with an uneasy conscience.† â€Å"Whatever you need for survival or reasonable comfort I can afford, Seldon. Naturally, I wouldn’t want you to try to buy the University gymnasium or hand out a million credits in largess.† â€Å"You needn’t worry, but with my name on record-â€Å" â€Å"It might as well be. It is absolutely forbidden for the Imperial government to exercise any security control over the University or its members. There is complete freedom. Anything can be discussed here, anything can be said here.† â€Å"What about violent crime?† â€Å"Then the University authorities themselves handle it, with reason and care-and there are virtually no crimes of violence. The students and faculty appreciate their freedom and understand its terms. Too much rowdiness, the beginning of riot and bloodshed, and the government may feel it has a right to break the unwritten agreement and send in the troops. No one wants that, not even the government, so a delicate balance is maintained. In other words, Demerzel himself can not have you plucked out of the University without a great deal more cause than anyone in the University has given the government in at least a century and a half. On the other hand, if you are lured off the grounds by a student-agent-â€Å" â€Å"Are there student-agents?† â€Å"How can I say? There may be. Any ordinary individual can be threatened or maneuvered or simply bought-and may remain thereafter in the service of Demerzel or of someone else, for that matter. So I must emphasize this: You are safe in any reasonable sense, but no one is absolutely safe. You will have to be careful. But though I give you that warning, I don’t want you to cower through life. On the whole, you will be far more secure here than you would have been if you had returned to Helicon or gone to any world of the Galaxy outside Trantor.† â€Å"I hope so,† said Seldon drearily. â€Å"I know so,† said Hummin, â€Å"Or I would not feel it wise to leave you.† â€Å"Leave me?† Seldon looked up sharply. â€Å"You can’t do that. You know this world. I don’t.† â€Å"You will be with others who know this world, who know this part of it, in fact, even better than I do. As for myself, I must go. I have been with you all this day and I dare not abandon my own life any longer. I must not attract too much attention to myself. Remember that I have my own insecurities, just as you have yours.† Seldon blushed. â€Å"You’re right. I can’t expect you to endanger yourself indefinitely on my behalf. I hope you are not already ruined.† Hummin said coolly, â€Å"Who can tell? We live in dangerous times. Just remember that if anyone can make the times safe-if not for ourselves, then for those who follow after us-it is you. Let that thought be your driving force, Seldon.† 17. Sleep eluded Seldon. He tossed and turned in the dark, thinking. He had have never felt quite so alone or quite so helpless as he did after Hummin had nodded, pressed his hand briefly, and left him behind. Now he was on a strange world-and in a strange part of that world. He was without the only person he could consider a friend (and that of less than a day’s duration) and he had no idea of where he was going or what he would be doing, either tomorrow or at any time in the future. None of that was conducive to sleep so, of course, at about the time he decided, hopelessly, that he would not sleep that night or, possibly, ever again, exhaustion overtook him†¦ When he woke up it was still dark-or not quite, for across the room he saw a red light flashing brightly and rapidly, accompanied by a harsh, intermittent buzz. You read "Prelude to Foundation Chapter 4 Library" in category "Essay examples" Undoubtedly, it was that which had awakened him. As he tried to remember where he was and to make some sort of sense out of the limited messages his senses were receiving, the flashing and buzzing ceased and he became aware of a peremptory rapping. Presumably, the rapping was at the door, but he didn’t remember where the door was. Presumably, also, there was a contact that would flood the room with light, but he didn’t remember where that was either. He sat up in bed and felt along the wall to his left rather desperately while calling out, â€Å"One moment, please.† He found the necessary contact and the room suddenly bloomed with a soft light. He scrambled out of bed, blinking, still searching for the door, finding it, reaching out to open it, remembering caution at the last moment, and saying in a suddenly stern, no-nonsense voice, â€Å"Who’s there?† A rather gentle woman’s voice said, â€Å"My dame is Dors Venabili and I have come to see Dr. Hari Seldon.† Even as that was said, a woman was standing just in front of the door, without that door ever having been opened. For a moment, Hari Seldon stared at her in surprise, then realized that he was wearing only a one-piece undergarment. He let out a strangled gasp and dashed for the bed and only then realized that he was staring at a holograph. It lacked the hard edge of reality and it became apparent the woman wasn’t looking at him. She was merely showing herself for identification. He paused, breathing hard, then said, raising his voice to be heard through the door, â€Å"If you’ll wait, I’ll be with you. Give me†¦ maybe half an hour.† The woman-or the holograph, at any rate-said, â€Å"I’ll wait,† and disappeared. There was no shower, so he sponged himself, making a rare mess on the tiled floor in the washroom corner. There was toothpaste but no toothbrush, so he used his finger. He had no choice but to put on the clothes he had been wearing the day before. He finally opened the door. He realized, even as he did so, that she had not really identified herself. She had merely given a name and Hummin had not told him whom to expect, whether it was to be this Dors Somebody or anyone else. He had felt secure because the holograph was that of a personable young woman, but for all he knew there might be half a dozen hostile young men with her. He peered out cautiously, saw only the woman, then opened the door sufficiently to allow her to enter. He immediately closed and locked the door behind her. â€Å"Pardon me,† he said, â€Å"What time is it?† â€Å"Nine,† she said, â€Å"The day has long since begun.† As far as official time was concerned, Trantor held to Galactic Standard, since only so could sense be made out of interstellar commerce and governmental dealings. Each world, however, also had a local time system and Seldon had not yet come to the point where he felt at home with casual Trantorian references to the hour. â€Å"Midmorning?† he said. â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"There are no windows in this room,† he said defensively. Dors walked to his bed, reached out, and touched a small dark spot on the wall. Red numbers appeared on the ceiling just over his pillow. They read: 0903. She smiled without superiority. â€Å"I’m sorry,† she said. â€Å"But I rather assumed Chetter Hummin would have told you I’d be coming for you at nine. The trouble with him is he’s so used to knowing, he sometimes forgets that others occasionally don’t know.-And I shouldn’t have used radio-holographic identification. I imagine you don’t have it on Helicon and I’m afraid I must have alarmed you.† Seldon felt himself relax. She seemed natural and friendly and the casual reference to Hummin reassured him. He said, â€Å"You’re quite wrong about Helicon, Miss-â€Å" â€Å"Please call me Dors.† â€Å"You’re still wrong about Helicon, Dors. We do have radioholography, but I’ve never been able to afford the equipment. Nor could anyone in my circle, so I haven’t actually had the experience. But I understood what had happened soon enough.† He studied her. She was not very tall, average height for a woman, he judged. Her hair was a reddish-gold, though not very bright, and was arranged in shore curls about her head. (He had seen a number of women in Trantor with their hair so arranged. It was apparently a local fashion that would have been laughed at in Helicon.) She was not amazingly beautiful, but was quite pleasant to look at, this being helped by full lips that seemed to have a slight humorous curl to them. She was slim, well-built, and looked quite young. (Too young, he thought uneasily, to be of use perhaps.) â€Å"Do I pass inspection?† she asked. (She seemed to have Hummin’s trick of guessing his thoughts, Seldon thought, or perhaps he himself lacked the trick of hiding them.) He said, â€Å"I’m sorry. I seem to have been staring, but I’ve only been trying to evaluate you. I’m in a strange place. I know no one and have no friends.† â€Å"Please, Dr. Seldon, count me as a friend. Mr. Hummin has asked me to take care of you.† Seldon smiled ruefully. â€Å"You may be a little young for the job.† â€Å"You’ll find I am not.† â€Å"Well, I’ll try to be as little trouble as possible. Could you please repeat your name?† â€Å"Dors Venabili.† She spelled the last name and emphasized the stress on the second syllable. â€Å"As I said, please call me Dors and if you don’t object too strenuously I will call you Hari. We’re quite informal here at the University and there is an almost self-conscious effort to show no signs of status, either inherited or professional.† â€Å"Please, by all means, call me Hari.† â€Å"Good. I shall remain informal then. For instance, the instinct for formality, if there is such a thing, would cause me to ask permission to sit down. Informally, however, I shall just sit.† She then sat down on the one chair in the room. Seldon cleared his throat. â€Å"Clearly, I’m not at all in possession of my ordinary faculties. I should have asked you to sit.† He sat down on the side of his crumpled bed and wished he had thought to straighten it out somewhat-but he had been caught by surprise. She said pleasantly, â€Å"This is how it’s going to work, Hari. First, we’ll go to breakfast at one of the University cafes. Then I’ll get you a room in one of the domiciles-a better room than this. You’ll have a window. Hummin has instructed me to get you a credit tile in his name, but it will take me a day or two to extort one out of the University bureaucracy. Until that’s done, I’ll be responsible for your expenses and you can pay me back later.-And we can use you. Chetter Hummin told me you’re a mathematician and for some reason there’s a serious lack of good ones at the University.† â€Å"Did Hummin tell you that I was a good mathematician?† â€Å"As a matter of fact, he did. He said you were a remarkable man-â€Å" â€Å"Well.† Seldon looked down at his fingernails. â€Å"I would like to be considered so, but Hummin knew me for less than a day and, before that, he had heard me present a paper, the quality of which he has no way of judging. I think he was just being polite.† â€Å"I don’t think so,† said Dors. â€Å"He is a remarkable person himself and has had a great deal of experience with people. I’ll go by his judgment. In any case, I imagine you’ll have a chance to prove yourself. You can program computers, I suppose.† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"I’m talking about teaching computers, you understand, and I’m asking if you can devise programs to teach various phases of contemporary mathematics.† â€Å"Yes, that’s part of my profession. I’m assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Helicon.† She said, â€Å"Yes, I know. Hummin told me that. It means, of course, that everyone will know you are a non-Trantorian, but that will present no serious problems. We’re mainly Trantorian here at the University, but there’s a substantial minority of Outworlders from any number of different worlds and that’s accepted. I won’t say that you’ll never hear a planetary slur but actually the Outworlders are more likely to use them than the Trantorians. I’m an Outworlder myself, by the way.† â€Å"Oh?† He hesitated and then decided it would be only polite to ask. â€Å"What world are you from?† â€Å"I’m from Cinna. Have you ever heard of it?† He’d be caught out if he was polite enough to lie, Seldon decided, so he said, â€Å"No.† â€Å"I’m not surprised. It’s probably of even less account than Helicon is. Anyway, to get back to the programming of mathematical teaching computers, I suppose that that can be done either proficiently or poorly.† â€Å"Absolutely.† â€Å"And you would do it proficiently.† â€Å"I would like to think so.† â€Å"There you are, then. The University will pay you for that, so let’s go out and eat. Did you sleep well, by the way?† â€Å"Surprisingly, I did.† â€Å"And are you hungry?† â€Å"Yes, but-† He hesitated. She said cheerfully, â€Å"But you’re worried about the quality of the food, is that it? Well, don’t be. Being an Outworlder myself, I can understand your feelings about the strong infusion of microfood into everything, but the University menus aren’t bad. In the faculty dining room, at least. The students suffer a bit, but that serves to harden them.† She rose and turned to the door, but stopped when Seldon could not keep himself from saying, â€Å"Are you a member of the faculty?† She turned and smiled at him impishly. â€Å"Don’t I look old enough? I got my doctorate two years ago at Cinna and I’ve been here ever since. In two weeks, I’ll be thirty.† â€Å"Sorry,† said Seldon, smiling in his turn, â€Å"but you can’t expect to look twenty-four and not raise doubts as to your academic status.† â€Å"Aren’t you nice?† said Dors and Seldon felt a certain pleasure wash over him. After all, he thought, you can’t exchange pleasantries with an attractive woman and feel entirely like a stranger. 18. Dors was right. Breakfast was by no means bad. There was something that was unmistakably eggy and the meat was pleasantly smoked. The chocolate drink (Trantor was strong on chocolate and Seldon did not mind that) was probably synthetic, but it was tasty and the breakfast rolls were good. He felt is only right to say as much. â€Å"This has been a very pleasant breakfast. Food. Surroundings. Everything.† â€Å"I’m delighted you think so,† said Dors. Seldon looked about. There were a bank of windows in one wall and while actual sunlight did not enter (he wondered if, after a while, he would learn to be satisfied with diffuse daylight and would cease to look for patches of sunlight in a room), the place was light enough. In fact, it was quite bright, for the local weather computer had apparently decided is was time for a sharp, clear day. The cables were arranged for four apiece and most were occupied by the full number, but Dors and Seldon remained alone at theirs. Dors had called over some of the men and women and had introduced them. All had been polite, but none had joined them. Undoubtedly, Dors intended that to be so, but Seldon did not see how she managed to arrange it. He said, â€Å"You haven’t introduced me to any mathematicians, Dors.† â€Å"I haven’t seen any that I know. Most mathematicians start the day early and have classes by eight. My own feeling is that any student so foolhardy as to take mathematics wants to get that part of the course over with as soon as possible.† â€Å"I take it you’re not a mathematician yourself.† â€Å"Anything but,† said Dors with a short laugh. â€Å"Anything. History is my field. I’ve already published some studies on the rise of Trantor-I mean the primitive kingdom, not this world. I suppose that will end up as my field of specialization-Royal Trantor.† â€Å"Wonderful,† said Seldon. â€Å"Wonderful?† Dors looked at him quizzically. â€Å"Are you interested in Royal Trantor too?† â€Å"In a way, yes. That and other things like that. I’ve never really studied history and I should have.† â€Å"Should you? If you had studied history, you’d scarcely have had time to study mathematics and mathematicians are very much needed-especially at this University. We’re full to here with historians,† she said, raising her hand to her eyebrows, â€Å"and economists and political scientists, but we’re short on science and mathematics. Chetter Hummin pointed that out to me once. He called it the decline of science and seemed to think it was a general phenomenon.† Seldon said, â€Å"Of course, when I say I should have studied history, I don’t mean that I should have made it a life work. I meant I should have studied enough to help me in my mathematics. My field of specialization is the mathematical analysis of social structure.† â€Å"Sounds horrible.† â€Å"In a way, it is. It’s very complicated and without my knowing a great deal more about how societies evolved it’s hopeless. My picture is too static, you see.† â€Å"I can’t see because I know nothing about it. Chetter told me you were developing something called psychohistory and that it was important. Have I got it right? Psychohistory?† â€Å"That’s right. I should have called it ‘psychosociology,’ but it seemed to me that was too ugly a word. Or perhaps I knew instinctively that a knowledge of history was necessary and then didn’t pay sufficient attention to my thoughts.† â€Å"Psychohistory does sound better, but I don’t know what it is.† â€Å"I scarcely do myself.† He brooded a few minutes, looking at the woman on the other side of the table and feeling that she might make this exile of his seem a little less like an exile. He thought of the other woman he had known a few years ago, but blocked it off with a determined effort. If he ever found another companion, it would have to be one who understood scholarship and what it demanded of a person. To get his mind onto a new track, he said, â€Å"Chetter Hummin told me that the University is in no way troubled by the government.† â€Å"He’s right.† Seldon shook his head. â€Å"That seems rather unbelievably forbearing of the Imperial government. The educational institutions on Helicon are by no means so independent of governmental pressures.† â€Å"Nor on Cinna. Nor on any Outworld, except perhaps for one or two of the largest. Trantor is another matter.† â€Å"Yes, but why?† â€Å"Because it’s the center of the Empire. The universities here have enormous prestige. Professionals are turned out by any university anywhere, but the administrators of the Empire-the high officials, the countless millions of people who represent the tentacles of Empire reaching into every corner of the Galaxy-are educated right here on Trantor.† â€Å"I’ve never seen the statistics-† began Seldon. â€Å"Take my word for it. It is important that the officials of the Empire have some common ground, some special feeling for the Empire. And they can’t all be native Trantorians or else the Outworlds would grow restless. For that reason, Trantor must attract millions of Outworlders for education here. It doesn’t matter where they come from or what their home accent or culture may be, as long as they pick up the Trantorian patina and identify themselves with a Trantorian educational background. That’s what holds the Empire together. The Outworlds are also less restive when a noticeable portion of the administrators who represent the Imperial government are their own people by birth and upbringing.† Seldon felt embarrassed again. This was something he had never given any thought to. He wondered if anyone could be a truly great mathematician if mathematics was all he knew. He said, â€Å"Is this common knowledge?† â€Å"I suppose it isn’t,† said Dors after some thought. â€Å"There’s so much knowledge to be had that specialists cling to their specialties as a shield against having to know anything about anything else. They avoid being drowned.† â€Å"Yet you know it.† â€Å"But that’s my specialty. I’m a historian who deals with the rise of Royal Trantor and this administrative technique was one of the ways in which Trantor spread its influence and managed the transition from Royal Trantor to Imperial Trantor.† Seldon said, almost as though muttering to himself, â€Å"How harmful overspecialization is. It cuts knowledge at a million points and leaves it bleeding.† Dors shrugged. â€Å"What can one do?-But you see, if Trantor is going to attract Outworlders to Trantorian universities, it has to give them something in return for uprooting themselves and going to a strange world with an incredibly artificial structure and unusual ways. I’ve been here two years and I’m still not used to it. I may never get used to it. But then, of course, I don’t intend to be an administrator, so I’m not forcing myself to be a Trantorian. â€Å"And what Trantor offers in exchange is not only the promise of a position with high status, considerable power, and money, of course, but also freedom. While students are having their-education, they are free to denounce the government, demonstrate against it peacefully, work out their own theories and points of view. They enjoy that and many come here so that they can experience the sensation of liberty.† â€Å"I imagine,† said Seldon, â€Å"that it helps relieve pressure as well. They work off all their resentments, enjoy all the smug self-satisfaction a young revolutionary would have, and by the time they take their place in the Imperial hierarchy, they are ready to settle down into conformity and obedience.† Dors nodded. â€Å"You may be right. In any case, the government, for all these reasons, carefully preserves the freedom of the universities. It’s not a matter of their being forbearing at all-only clever.† â€Å"And if you’re not going to be an administrator, Dors, what are you going to be?† â€Å"A historian. I’ll teach, put book-films of my own into the programming.† â€Å"Not much status, perhaps.† â€Å"Not much money, Hari, which is more important. As for status, that’s the sort of push and pull I’d just as soon avoid. I’ve seen many people with status, but I’m still looking for a happy one. Status won’t sit still under you; you have to continually fight to keep from sinking. Even Emperors manage to come to bad ends most of the time. Someday I may just go back to Cinna and be a professor.† â€Å"And a Trantorian education will give you status.† Dors laughed. â€Å"I suppose so, but on Cinna who would care? It’s a dull world, full of farms and with lots of cattle, both four-legged and two-legged.† â€Å"Won’t you find it dull after Trantor?† â€Å"Yes, that’s what I’m counting on. And if it gets too dull, I can always wangle a grant to go here or there to do a little historical research. That’s the advantage of my field.† â€Å"A mathematician, on the other hand,† said Seldon with a trace of bitterness at something that had never before bothered him, â€Å"is expected to sit at his computer and think. And speaking of computers-† He hesitated. Breakfast was done and it seemed to him more than likely she had some duties of her own to attend to. But she did not seem to be in any great hurry to leave. â€Å"Yes? Speaking of computers?† â€Å"Would I be able to get permission to use the history library?† Now it was she who hesitated. â€Å"I think that can be arranged. If you work on mathematics programming, you’ll probably be viewed as a quasi-member of the faculty and I could ask for you to be given permission. Only-â€Å" â€Å"Only?† â€Å"I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but you’re a mathematician and you say you know nothing about history. Would you know how to make use of a history library?† Seldon smiled. â€Å"I suppose you use computers very much like those in a mathematics library.† â€Å"We do, but the programming for each specialty has quirks of its own. You don’t know the standard reference book-films, the quick methods of winnowing and skipping. You may be able to find a hyperbolic interval in the dark†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You mean hyperbolic integral,† interrupted Seldon softly. Dors ignored him. â€Å"But you probably won’t know how to get the terms of the Treaty of Poldark in less than a day and a half.† â€Å"I suppose I could learn.† â€Å"If†¦ if†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She looked a little troubled. â€Å"If you want to, I can make a suggestion. I give a week’s course-one hour each day, no credit-on library use. It’s for undergraduates. Would you feel it beneath your dignity to sit in on such a course-with undergraduates, I mean? It starts in three weeks.† â€Å"You could give me private lessons.† Seldon felt a little surprised at the suggestive tone that had entered his voice. She did not miss it. â€Å"I dare say I could, but I think you’d be better off with more formal instruction. We’ll be using the library, you understand, and at the end of the week you will be asked to locate information on particular items of historical interest. You will be competing with the other students all through and that will help you learn. Private tutoring will be far less efficient, I assure you. However, I understand the difficulty of competing with undergraduates. If you don’t do as well as they, you may feel humiliated. You must remember, though, that they have already studied elementary history and you, perhaps, may not have.† â€Å"I haven’t. No ‘may’ about it. But I won’t be afraid to compete and I won’t mind any humiliation that may come along-if I manage to learn the tricks of the historical reference trade.† It was clear to Seldon that he was beginning to like this young woman and that he was gladly seizing on the chance to be educated by her. He was also aware of the fact that he had reached a turning point in his mind. He had promised Hummin to attempt to work out a practical psychohistory, but that had been a promise of the mind and not the emotions. Now he was determined to seize psychohistory by the throat if he had to-in order to make it practical. That, perhaps, was the influence of Dors Venabili. Or had Hummin counted on that? Hummin, Seldon decided, might well be a most formidable person. 19. Cleon I had finished dinner, which, unfortunately, had been a formal state affair. It meant he had to spend time talking to various officials-not one of whom he knew or recognized-in set phrases designed to give each one his stroke and so activate his loyalty to the crown. It also meant that his food reached him but lukewarm and had cooled still further before he could eat it. There had to be some way of avoiding that. Eat first, perhaps, on his own or with one or two close intimates with whom he could relax and then attend a formal dinner at which he could merely be served an imported pear. He loved pears. But would that offend the guests who would take the Emperor’s refusal to eat with them as a studied insult. His wife, of course, was useless in this respect, for her presence would but further exacerbate his unhappiness. He had married her because she was a member of a powerful dissident family who could be expected to mute their dissidence as a result of the union, though Cleon devoutly hoped that she, at least, would not do so. He was perfectly content to have her live her own life in her own quarters except for the necessary efforts to initiate an heir, for, to tell the truth, he didn’t like her. And now that an heir had come, he could ignore her completely. He chewed at one of a handful of nuts he had pocketed from the table on leaving and said, â€Å"Demerzel!† â€Å"Sire?† Demerzel always appeared at once when Cleon called. Whether he hovered constantly in earshot at the door or he drew close because the instinct of subservience somehow alerted him to a possible call in a few minutes, he did appear and that, Cleon thought idly, was the important thing. Of course, there were those times when Demerzel had to be away on Imperial business. Cleon always hated those absences. They made him uneasy. â€Å"What happened to that mathematician? I forget his name.† Demerzel, who surely knew the man the Emperor had in mind, but who perhaps wanted to study how much the Emperor remembered, said, â€Å"What mathematician is it that you have in mind, Sire?† Cleon waved an impatient hand. â€Å"The fortune-teller. The one who came to see me.† â€Å"The one we sent for?† â€Å"Well, sent for, then. He did come to see me. You were going to take care of the matter, as I recall. Have you?† Demerzel cleared his throat. â€Å"Sire, I have tried to.† â€Å"Ah! That means you have failed, doesn’t it?† In a way, Cleon felt pleased. Demerzel was the only one of his Ministers who made no bones of failure. The others never admitted failure, and since failure was nevertheless common, it became difficult to correct. Perhaps Demerzel could afford to be more honest because he failed so rarely. If it weren’t for Demerzel, Cleon thought sadly, he might never know what honesty sounded like. Perhaps no Emperor ever knew and perhaps that was one of the reasons that the Empire- He pulled his thoughts away and, suddenly nettled at the other’s silence and wanting an admission, since he had just admired Demerzel’s honesty in his mind, said sharply, â€Å"Well, you have failed, haven’t you?† Demerzel did not flinch. â€Å"Sire, I have failed in part. I felt that to have him here on Trantor where things are-difficult might present us with problems. It was easy to consider that he might be more conveniently placed on his home planet. He was planning to return to that home planet the next day, but there was always the chance of complications-of his deciding to remain on Trantor-so I arranged to have two young alley men place him on his plane that very day.† â€Å"Do you know alley men, Demerzel?† Cleon was amused. â€Å"It is important, Sire, to be able to reach many kinds of people, for each type has its own variety of use-alley men not the least. As it happens, they did not succeed.† â€Å"And why was that?† â€Å"Oddly enough, Seldon was able to fight them off.† â€Å"The mathematician could fight?† â€Å"Apparently, mathematics and the martial arts are not necessarily mutually exclusive. I found out, not soon enough, that his world, Helicon, is noted for it-martial arts, not mathematics. The fact that I did not learn this earlier was indeed a failure, Sire, and I can only crave your pardon.† â€Å"But then, I suppose the mathematician left for his home planet the next day as he had planned.† â€Å"Unfortunately, the episode backfired. Taken aback by the event, he decided not to return to Helicon, but remained on Trantor. He may have been advised to this effect by a passerby who happened to be present on the occasion of the fight. That was another unlooked-for complication.† The Emperor Cleon frowned. â€Å"Then our mathematician-what is his name?† â€Å"Seldon, Sire. Hari Seldon.† â€Å"Then this Seldon is out of reach.† â€Å"In a sense, Sire. We have traced his movements and he is now at Streeling University. While there, he is untouchable.† The Emperor scowled and reddened slightly. â€Å"I am annoyed at that word-‘untouchable.’ There should be nowhere in the Empire my hand cannot reach. Yet here, on my own world, you tell me someone can be untouchable. Insufferable!† â€Å"Your hand can reach to the University, Sire. You can send in your army and pluck out this Seldon at any moment you desire. To do so, however, is†¦ undesirable.† â€Å"Why don’t you say ‘impractical,’ Demerzel. You sound like the mathematician speaking of his fortune-telling. It is possible, but impractical. I am an Emperor who finds everything possible, but very little practical. Remember, Demerzel, if reaching Seldon is not practical, reaching you is entirely so.† Eto Demerzel let this last comment pass. The â€Å"man behind the throne† knew his importance to the Emperor, he had heard such threats before. He waited in silence while the Emperor glowered. Drumming his fingers against the arm of his chair, Cleon asked,†¦ Well then, what good is this mathematician to us if he is at Streeling University?† â€Å"It may perhaps be possible, Sire, to snatch use out of adversity. At the University, he may decide to work on his psychohistory.† â€Å"Even though he insists it’s impractical?† â€Å"He may be wrong and he may find out that he is wrong. And if he finds out that he is wrong, we would find some way of getting him out of the University. It is even possible he would join us voluntarily under those circumstances.† The Emperor remained lost in thought for a while, then said, â€Å"And what if someone else plucks him out before we do?† â€Å"Who would want to do that, Sire?† asked Demerzel softy. â€Å"The Mayor of Wye, for one,† said Cleon, suddenly shouting. â€Å"He dreams still of taking over the Empire.† â€Å"Old age has drawn his fangs, Sire.† â€Å"Don’t you believe it, Demerzel.† â€Å"And we have no reason for supposing he has any interest in Seldon or even knows of him, Sire.† â€Å"Come on, Demerzel. If we heard of the paper, so could Wye. If we see the possible importance of Seldon, so could Wye.† â€Å"If that should happen,† said Demerzel, â€Å"or even if there should be a reasonable chance of its happening, then we would be justified in taking strong measures.† â€Å"How strong?† Demerzel said cautiously, â€Å"It might be argued that rather than have Seldon in Wye’s hands, we might prefer to have him in no one’s hands. To have him cease to exist, Sire.† â€Å"To have him killed, you mean,† said Cleon. â€Å"If you wish to put it that way, Sire,† said Demerzel. 20. Hari Seldon sat back in his chair in the alcove that had been assigned to him through Dors Venabili’s intervention. He was dissatisfied. As a matter of fact, although that was the expression he used in his mind, he knew that it was a gross underestimation of his feelings. He was not simply dissatisfied, he was furious-all the more so because he wasn’t sure what it was he was furious about. Was it about the histories? The writers and compilers of histories? The worlds and people that made the histories? Whatever the target of his fury, it didn’t really matter. What counted was that his notes were useless, his new knowledge was useless, everything was useless. He had been at the University now for almost six weeks. He had managed to find a computer outlet at the very start and with it had begun work-without instruction, but using the instincts he had developed over a number of years of mathematical labors. It had been slow and halting, but there was a certain pleas ure in gradually determining the routes by which he could get his questions answered. Then came the week of instruction with Dors, which had taught him several dozen shortcuts and had brought with it two sets of embarrassments. The first set included the sidelong glances he received from the undergraduates, who seemed contemptuously aware of his greater age and who were disposed to frown a bit at Dors’s constant use of the honorific â€Å"Doctor† in addressing him. â€Å"I don’t want them to think,† she said, â€Å"that you’re some backward perpetual student taking remedial history.† â€Å"But surely you’ve established the point. Surely, a mere ‘Seldon’ is sufficient now.† â€Å"No,† Dors said and smiled suddenly. â€Å"Besides, I like to call you ‘Dr. Seldon.’ I like the way you look uncomfortable each time.† â€Å"You have a peculiar sense of sadistic humor.† â€Å"Would you deprive me?† For some reason, that made him laugh. Surely, the natural reaction would have been to deny sadism. Somehow he found it pleasant that she accepted the ball of conversation and fired it back. The thought led to a natural question. â€Å"Do you play tennis here at the University?† â€Å"We have courts, but I don’t play.† â€Å"Good. I’ll teach you. And when I do, I’ll call you Professor Venabili.† â€Å"That’s what you call me in class anyway.† â€Å"You’ll be surprised how ridiculous it will sound on the tennis court.† â€Å"I may get to like it.† â€Å"In that case, I will try to find what else you might get to like.† â€Å"I see you have a peculiar sense of salacious humor.† She had put that ball in that spot deliberately and he said, â€Å"Would you deprive me?† She smiled and later did surprisingly well on the tennis court. â€Å"Are you sure you never played tennis?† he said, puffing, after one session. â€Å"Positive,† she said. The other set of embarrassments was more private. He learned the necessary techniques of historical research and then burned-in private-at his earlier attempts to make use of the computer’s memory. It was simply an entirely different mind-set from that used in mathematics. It was equally logical, he supposed, since it could be used, consistently and without error, to move in whatever direction he wanted to, but it was a substantially different brand of logic from that to which he was accustomed. But with or without instructions, whether he stumbled or moved in swiftly, he simply didn’t get any results. His annoyance made itself felt on the tennis court. Dors quickly reached the stage where it was no longer necessary to lob easy balls at her to give her time to judge direction and distance. That made it easy to forget that she was just a beginner and he expressed his anger in his swing, firing the ball back at her as though it were a laser beam made solid. She came trotting up to the net and said, â€Å"I can understand your wanting to kill me, since it must annoy you to watch me miss the shots so often. How is it, though, that you managed to miss my head by about three centimeters that time? I mean, you didn’t even nick me. Can’t you do better than that?† Seldon, horrified, tried to explain, but only managed to sound incoherent. She said, â€Å"Look. I’m not going to face any other returns of yours today, so why don’t we shower and then get together for some tea and whatever and you can tell me just what you were trying to kill. If it wasn’t my poor head and if you don’t get the real victim off your chest, you’ll be entirely too dangerous on the other side of the net for me to want to serve as a target.† Over tea he said, â€Å"Dors, I’ve scanned history after history; just scanned, browsed. I haven’t had time for deep study yet. Even so, it’s become obvious. All the book-films concentrate on the same few events.† â€Å"Crucial ones. History-making ones.† â€Å"That’s just an excuse. They’re copying each other. There are twenty-five million worlds out there and there’s significant mention of perhaps twenty-five.† Dors said, â€Å"You’re reading general Galactic histories only. Look up the special histories of some of the minor worlds. On every world, however small, the children are taught local histories before they ever find out there’s a great big Galaxy outside. Don’t you yourself know more about Helicon, right now, than you know about the rise of Trantor or of the Great Interstellar War?† â€Å"That sort of knowledge is limited too,† said Seldon gloomily. â€Å"I know Heliconian geography and the stories of its settlement and of the malfeasance and misfeasance of the planet Jennisek-that’s our traditional enemy, though our teachers carefully told us that we ought to say ‘traditional rival.’ But I never learned anything about the contributions of Helicon to general Galactic history.† â€Å"Maybe there weren’t any.† â€Å"Don’t be silly. Of course there were. There may not have been great, huge space battles involving Helicon or crucial rebellions or peace treaties. There may not have been some Imperial competitor making his base on Helicon. But there must have been subtle influences. Surely, nothing can happen anywhere without affecting everywhere else. Yet there’s nothing I can find to help me. See here, Dors. In mathematics, all can be found in the computer; everything we know or have found out in twenty thousand years. In history, that’s not so. Historians pick and choose and every one of them picks and chooses the same thing.† â€Å"But, Hari,† said Dors, â€Å"mathematics is an orderly thing of human invention. One thing follows from another. There are definitions and axioms, all of which are known. It is†¦ it is†¦ all one piece. History is different. It is the unconscious working out of the deeds and thoughts of quadrillions of human beings. Historians must pick and choose.† â€Å"Exactly,† said Seldon, â€Å"but I must know all of history if I am to work out the laws of psychohistory.† â€Å"In that case, you won’t ever formulate the laws of psychohistory.† That was yesterday. Now Seldon sat in his chair in his alcove, having spent another day of utter failure, and he could hear Dors’s voice saying, â€Å"In that case, you won’t ever formulate the laws of psychohistory.† It was what he had thought to begin with and if it hadn’t been for Hummin’s conviction to the contrary and his odd ability to fire Seldon with his own blaze of conviction, Seldon would have continued to think so. And yet neither could he quite let go. Might there not be some way out? He couldn’t think of any. How to cite Prelude to Foundation Chapter 4 Library, Essay examples

Building Strengths and Capabilities

Question: Discuss about the Building Strengths and Capabilities. Answer: Community Engagement: Building Strengths and Capabilities Child Fund Australia is among the renowned communal organizations in Australia operating under the Child Fund Alliance which composes of about twelve international associations. Recently, the Child Fund Alliance has been able to provide aid to approximately 15 million children beneficiaries in different national backgrounds. Teacher training, equipping social amenities, such as learning institutions, hospitals, and offering other social facilities like motivational schemes comprise the primary activities undertaken by Child Fund Australia. This essay serves various purposes in evaluating the internal intricacies of this establishment in the light of its human resources, support requirements among other particulars regarding the sustainability of Child Fund Australia Association. Potential for Sustainability Sustainability suggests an incessant or the capacity of an organization to maintain its mission and vision in a particular setting (Roseland, 2012). This terminology often has various primary constituents depending on the context, but in this case, we shall focus on three of them, namely, economy, society, and the environment. Each and every undertaking at Child Fund Australia is thoroughly controlled and assessed in a systematic manner to ensure efficiency of operations. For the past few years, this activity monitoring strategies have enabled the establishment to maintain and even develop its major responsibilities in the community. Financial resources at Child Fund Australia are well apportioned and managed to ensure that transparency and openness prevail (Jean-Franc?Ois, 2015).This association has been categorized as among the Australian organizations leading in providing critical issues of sustainability while using the most minimum communal resources. Due to this aspect and amon g other notable sustainability mechanisms employed at Child Fund Australia, both domestic and foreign supporters have come on board to augment its present and prospective sustainability measures further. Also, both state and federal government regimes have come in to assist in expanding the benevolent nourishment and sustenance of this institution. Need for Volunteers Point out, volunteer activities involve those undertakings an individual or an organization carries out without any expectation of financial compensation (Duguid, Mundel Schugurensky, 2013, p. 175). Ideally, every institution aiming at providing public aids is often in dire need of volunteers and therefore Child Fund Australia is not an exception (Musick Wilson, 2008). The establishment requires individual volunteers to provide official responsibilities at various localities for example at Sydney offices. While at such premises volunteers are expected to carry out professional duties such as budgeting, filing, data entry among others (Atkison, 2008). The volunteers play a crucial role in the success of any community organization and as such Child Fund Australia has automated their support by facilitating online contacts between them and the unpaid service providers. In overall, volunteer activities have helped significantly in cutting off operation expenditures thus strengthening t he competitive edge of the institution. Treatment of Volunteers versus Paid Employees It is imperative to address issues surrounding the welfare of compensated and non-compensated service providers in a very vigilant manner (Wittich, 2013). Individual development of the two parties for instance through training ought to be administered in consideration of their duties and level of performance they conduct. However, despite the disparities, both paid employees and volunteers should be treated with reverence since they are all aligned to the top goals of the institution. In the same breath, it is vital to offer similar incentives and benefits to all service providers regardless of whether they are volunteers or paid workers. This norm will go a long way aiding Child Fund Australia in ensuring impartiality, fairness, and objectivity while handling its critical success factor; human resources. Besides, it will work in strengthening the cordial relationships between volunteers and compensated workforces resulting in robust teamwork and outstanding performance. Point of Differentiation within the Community Gallagher, (2008) in his work maintains that differentiation or categorizing of community members in accordance with their unique attributes assist in maximizing their societal productivity. Child Fund Australia has been reported to have introduced grouping stratagems meant to differentiate community members so as to align all of them towards attaining the goalmouths of the association. Also, practical identification and grouping schemes are employed to distinguish the most vulnerable members deemed to be in greater need of the services offered by the organization. Society members are categorized by use of various parameters such as age, gender, health status, social and economic status and so forth (Stebbins Graham, 2004, p. 21). Such differentiation mechanisms often help an institution in identifying diverse classes of individuals with different talents, needs, and wants. Active and negative issues regarding the Sustainability of the Organization The principle of sustainability in every social initiative forms a critical success factor and therefore Child Fund Australia ought to bring into line all its decisions, practices, and actions to this standard (Soyka, 2012).The establishment always keeps in touch with all its stakeholders through automated systems such as social media platforms in an attempt to augment and sustain their stern and robust support for the feasibility of the organization. Besides, the institution keeps up-to-date information and records putting all concerned parties on the same page. Daily, weekly, monthly, and annual reports are provided consistently to all interested individuals to ensure transparency, openness, and scrupulousness (Kohl, 2016). As hinted earlier, this association has generated mechanisms tailored to attract and maintain other community supportive groups willing and enthusiastic to aid the most disadvantaged and vulnerable community members. However, the donation strategies put in place at Child Fund Australia have resulted in increased dependency ratio in the locality with massive communal proportions depending on the earning subset (Clark, 2014). Relation to Theory discussed in Class and Readings So far it is clear that the theoretical discussions and readings held in class during this course closely correlate with the discourse of this paper. Just at is presented in these deliberation concerning Child Fund Australia, the topic of organizational sustainability has formed a significant segment of the theories described in class. Sustainability measures are crucial fragments needed for the success of any typical organization irrespective of whether it is profit-oriented or not (Thiele, 2013) Stakeholder Concerns Stakeholders are individuals subjected to various risks but willing to take a stake in the body of an association. Stakeholders at Child Fund Australia are concerned mainly with providing welfare aid to the less advantaged and vulnerable individuals in the Australian community. Conclusion As depicted in this paper, sustainability of any typical community-based organization remains a responsibility of all and sundry. Every society member has a crucial role to play to ensure that the association has accomplished its primary goals and objectives. Bibliography Atkison , 2008, The ISIS agreement : how sustainability can improve organizational performance and transform the world, ebook edn, VA : Earthscan, London ; Sterling. Clark, W 2014, Global sustainable communities handbook : green design technologies, eBook edn, an imprint of Elsevier, Amsterdam : Butterworth-Heinemann. Duguid, F, Mundel, K Schugurensky, D 2013, Volunteer work, informal learning and social action, eBook edn, SensePublishers, Rotterdam ; Boston. Gallagher, C 2008, The community life of older people in Ireland, Print book edn, Peter Lang, Bern ; Oxford. JEAN-FRANC?OIS 2015, Financial sustainability for nonprofit organizations., Print book edn, Springer Publishing Company, New York. Kohl, K 2016, Becoming a Sustainable Organization: A Project and Portfolio Management Approach, ebook edn, CRC Press. Musick, MA, Wilson 2008, Volunteers: A Social Profile, ebook edn, Indiana University Press., Bloomington. Roseland, M 2012, Toward Sustainable Communities : Solutions for Citizens and Their Governments., eBook edn, New Society Publishers, New York. Soyka, PA 2012, Creating a sustainable organization : approaches for enhancing corporate value through sustainability, Print book edn, N.J. : FT Press, Upper Saddle River. Stebbins, R Graham , M 2004, Volunteering as leisure/leisure as volunteering : an international assessment, eBook edn, MA : CABI Pub, Wallingford, UK ; Cambridge. Thiele, PL 2013, Sustainability, eBook edn, NY John Wiley Sons , New York. Wittich, B 2013, Attract the Best Volunteers : Stop Recruiting and Start Attracting., Print book edn, BookBaby, Cork.

A window into Warsaws Jewish past Essay Example For Students

A window into Warsaws Jewish past Essay Coming to Warsaw for the first International Conference on Jewish Theatre in Poland is a sure way of conjuring up Jewish spirits from the past, ancestors only imagined, pictures in the minds eye of Sholom Aleichem fiddlers on roofs and Chagall floating horses and lovers. Music is in the air, so to speak; a range of sounds from the klezmer rhythms to the strains of the Warsaw Ghetto partisan hymn, Beneath our tread, the earth shall tremble; we are here. Moments after arriving at the airport, I am whisked away to the opening hours of this unprecedented conference sponsored by the Polish Ministry of Culture and organized by the theatre department of the University of Lodz and the Polish Society of Theatre Historians. As the thin forest of trees rushes by outside the speeding car window, a curtain over Jewish history is sliding aside; not an iron curtain nor a stage curtain, but a flimsy, lace curtain like the ones gracing Polish windows everywhere. Autumn light in Warsaw throws a slightly foggy lavender cast, and in an instant of arriving downtown it is clear that this is no bland Communist-style city. Instead, looming ahead are magnificent ornate churches, statues, rococo carvings on stately buildings, all reconstructed from the rubble of World War II. The afternoon light draws a visitor back to a time when Warsaw was considered the Paris of eastern Europe. At the elegant double-door entrance of the State Theatre School is a large, antique brass handle a motif of unexpected grandeur. It is at this academy that the four-day scholarly event was held last October. The participants gathered upstairs in a large room with a stage, a podium, a vase set at the front of the stage full of dozens of peach-colored roses and booths at the rear of the room for the two women who provided simultaneous translation. It is apparent from the first hours of the conference that the tales of Jewish theatre history in Poland, recited here in the former heartland of eastern European Jewish life, will create a strange sense of time and place, a mystic moving between past and present. Through the looking-glass of Jewish theatre is a road leading back to centuries of Jewish culture in the region. It also leads to an understanding that Polish history is intertwined with the history of Jews, and to a fuller realization of how much American Jewish culture carries a legacy from the destruction of Polish Jewry and its vibrant way of life. The conference seems to be part of Polands attempt to recapture its particular history and culture after shedding 50 years of oppression. One of the ironies (and there are many) is that in listening to the 27 papers presented by scholars from Poland, the U.S., Israel, Germany, Ukraine and Italy, giving details about the breadth of Polish Jewish theatre, a symphony of profound yearning is created. It is a yearning not only for what has been lost to world Jewry but also for what has been amputated from the very soulfulness of a bygone Poland. It is a Poland that will never again be able to recapture its true self. The conference begins with a movie from the Polish film archives showing the great Polish theatre personality Ida Kaminska acting in theatrical works, and in an interview. Part of the spirit of this gathering emanates from the presence of Kaminskas daughter and granddaughter, linking everyone to this celebrated theatre family founded by Idas mother, Esther Kaminska, in the first years of the 20th century. As the afternoon continues, Jakub Rotbaum, 92, the last survivor of the famous Vilna Troupe (the theatre company that produced the world premiere of The Dybbuk by S. Ansky in 1920, in Warsaw) speaks from the heart about the meaning of theatre in Jewish life: Jewish theatre survived against all limitations and restrictions. History will make sure to remember it. It was a monument to Jewish culture and, for everyone involved in creating it, it had to be a calling, the only thing in your life. The Vilna Troupe was a theatre driven by ideas. I would describe it as the human being in reb ellion determined to convince others. .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81 , .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81 .postImageUrl , .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81 , .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81:hover , .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81:visited , .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81:active { border:0!important; } .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81:active , .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81 .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5238b7a07b421d3cacabbb45fef4fd81:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Scoundrels in a funhouse EssayAnna Kuligowska-Korzeniewska, president of the Society of Polish Theatre Historians and one of the figures behind the creation of this event, sets the tone the following day for a series of revelations, the peeling away of time. We are approaching Jewish theatre in order to trace the great and vanished culture in which fate has linked us, she explains, speaking in a city that once had 350,000 Jews in a total population of over one million, and of a land where the famous towns from Jewish stories Lublin, Lodz, Cracow, Bialy-stock were 50 percent Jewish with their own theatres in every quarter. On a bus tour to the citys Jewish cemetery, the sun is bright in a blue sky and the air has an October chill. Beyond a low stone wall rest the remnants of the 19th-century Polish Jewish community. The sound of crackling leaves on damp ground punctuates the whispering voices of the visitors. The gravestones are set in an airy, poetically beautiful forest, and are covered with symbolic carvings flowers, animals, fruits, Hebrew and Yiddish passages and poems. The group gathers at the shrine of Esther Kaminska, pauses before Anskys grave, examines the tomb of Yitzak Peretz, the distinguished literary leader from the turn of the century, little known in the West. Here the intellectual insights of the conference intermingle with the emotional impact of standing before the richness of a Jewish historical and artistic past. Back at the academy, two American professors reinforce the stirring experience at the cemetery by focusing on various aspects of Peretzs contribution to eastern European Jewish identity and culture. Michael Taub of SUNY Binghamtons Jewish studies department views Peretzs rewriting of Hassidic stories as an attempt to strike a compromise between love of the past and the need for reform. Michael Steinlauf of Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. discusses Peretzs fear of Purim in other words, the literary figures fear that Jewish theatre in Yiddish would never be accepted for its artistic quality because of the carnival-like quality inherited from the centuries of the Purim play. It was Peretzs insistence on mixing the highest esthetic with a new Yiddish mass culture, Steinlauf notes, that initiated the profound intimacy between the Jewish community and its blossoming theatrical life in the early 20th century. At the end of the day, transformed by this immersion into the world of a magisterial literary figure, one steps out onto the dark, stone-covered streets of Warsaw where the very dust is haunted; time and place become blurred. A Warsaw festival of Jewish culture, coinciding with the conference, imports theatre troupes from various parts of the world. Wladyslaw Kowalski, a well-known Polish actor, takes on the role of Isaac Bashevis Singers Gimpel the Fool. At Teatr Zydowski (the Yiddish Theatre), one of the few full-fledged Yiddish-language theatres left in the world, 500 well-dressed, mostly non-Jewish Polish theatregoers take their seats, don earphones for simultaneous translation and sit in rapt attention for a performance of Herb Gardners Im Not Rappaport, brought to Warsaw by the Yiddish Theatre of Israel, recently formed by Shmuel Atzmon, formerly of that nations Habima Theatre. Teatr Zydowski has consistent full houses for its season of plays. Still, after this performance a dilemma hangs in the air: How to make the reconciliation between the joy of these events and the sorrow of recent history; the sense of being at home in the land where the mortal wounds to the culture and language of eastern European Jewry were executed with a devastating precision? It is gray and raining the day we leave Warsaw. I carry with me a new conviction that a precious legacy dating back to the 12th century-a Jewish theatrical heritage that sustained meaning, identity and spiritual resources is worth passing on to the present and future descendants of Polish Jewry scattered throughout the world.