Hospitality Management Essay Example for Free

Hospitality Management Essay Introduction The tourism industry is rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing and successful industries, with revenue of recorded 693 million international tourist arrivals in 2001, reported by World Tourism Organization (WTO), nevertheless its definition cannot be agreed on. Youell (1998; pg.9) presents a definition given by WTO in 1993 defining tourism as â€Å"activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure and other purposes.† During the nineteen century, there was a surge of mass tourism due to the advancement of all types of transportation as well as the development of seaside resorts. Society had greater income and more time for leisure (Urry, 2002; pg 16). Although tourism industry continued to grow, there was a shift in the tourism behaviour, WTO justifies this behaviour stating that society had become more aware of the environment and developed the sudden interest in different activities and opportunities involving local culture. Fennel describes alternative tourism as â€Å"small scale†; â€Å"locally-oriented†, tourists became more aware of local communities and with the environment. This theory is supported by WTO adding that consumers are now looking for â€Å"special, high quality, unforgettable experiences in which they can be active participants†. Furthermore it is added that special interest tourism is an extra motivation to tourist interest in engaging in more specific activities. Focusing solely on this topic, the author is to write a report on the grounds of special interest tourism. In order to achieve this, the author has chosen to analyze the surroundings of ecotourism in Amazon, Brazil. Therefore the report should offer the reader, provided with a justification, a sight full reportage based on one only special interest tourism, highlighting its history, size of market, market segmentation and examples of products available for the chosen special interest tourism. A review of models of motivation and tourism motivation enabling a study of different characteristics of the participants in the chosen special interest tourism should be included on the second section the report. The third section provides the reader an evaluation and profile of ecotourism identifying key organizations, agencies, communities, and businesses involved in the development of ecotourism in Brazil. Finally the last section incorporates an appropriate conclusion and recommendation which should include approaches that could provide a greater opportunity for the development and promotion of the ecotourism in the Amazon. Descriptive profile of the Special Interest Tourism activity The author had a chance to consider all options of research and carefully chosen to undertake a research and write a report concerning ecotourism in the Amazon. This topic was chosen as this is a new concept of special interest tourism and is in constant growth. Also this gives the author a chance to inform herself about ecotourism and its significance to the environment. As for the destination, Amazon was chosen because of its size, as it is the biggest tropical rainforest in the world and biggest biodiversity. Ecotourism activities have had a significant growth over the years due to â€Å"consumer concern about the environment† (WTO, 2002). United Nations decided to make 2002 the International Year of Ecotourism, focusing their reason to â€Å"bring together governments, international agencies, NGOs, tourism enterprises, representatives of local and indigenous communities and identify some agreed principles and priorities for the future development and management of ecotour ism† (Butcher, 2007, cited in CNEP/ WTO 2002a:7). Although 2002 was awarded as the International Year of Ecotourism by the United Nations, there is a general uncertainty concerning its history and meaning. Fennel (1995, pg. 25) defines ecotourism relating to nature, stating it is â€Å" a sustainable form of natural, resource-base tourism that focuses primarily on experiencing and learning about nature† connoting that such activity should occur in natural areas, contributing to the preservation of this. Opposing to this, WTO gives an alternative meaning to ecotourism, also based on the grounds of nature as â€Å"form of tourism in which the main motivation of the tourists is the observation and appreciation of nature† (WTO, 2002) Further to this, WTO views ecotourism as a form of tourism with 5 characteristics: 1. Tourists’ motivation should be nature-based involving observation and appreciation of nature as well as  preserving it. 2. It should contain educational features. 3. It should be organized by specialized tour operators for small groups. 4. It should minimize the negative impacts of the environment. 5. It should support the maintenance of natural areas by generating beneficial income to local communities, organisations and authorities responsible for the conservation of ecotourism areas. In contrast to the above definitions, based on nature, the International Ecotourism Society (ITES) offers a more profound meaning relating nature to local communities, â€Å"is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well being of local people† (ITES). It is agreed that both organisations have the same principles regarding the maintenance of ecotourism areas, where tourists should respect the environment, provide financial benefits and empowerment to local communities. Although there is a general disagreement on the exact meaning of ecotourism, all researchers agree that involves the environment and local communities; however it appears that there is an uncertainty about its origin. Research shows that ecotourism can be traced back to the late 1970s, this supported by Fennel (1999.pg 18) who presents reasonable arguments from studies demonstrating the origin of ecotourism. He describes how ecotourism emerged through tourists searching for environmental travelling surrounding nature and wildlife. In accordance with WTO (2002) ecotourism is a small niche market with a big potential for growth and economic advancement, one that if well managed can be used in conservation and preservation of nature and of the environment. Following their research based on the most popular countries for ecotourism, WTO has identified the market segmentation for ecotourists, which shows that: †¢ The majority is aged between 30 and 50 years old †¢ Mostly women †¢ Preferred activities were wildlife viewing, being in wilderness areas followed by seeing rare species. †¢ The top five preferred destinations for ecotourists were United kingdom, Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America Estimated as the biggest and richest ecosystems in the world, the state of Amazon in Brazil comprises of nine countries in South America all together, occupying almost half of the whole country. The state of Amazon is approximately 5million square kilometres, home to 200 mammal species, 950 bird species, 2,500 fish species and 300 reptiles’ species, making the Amazon the largest tropical rainforest in the world. In addition, the Amazon River, which cuts right through the state, is the second biggest river in the world after the Nile. Boats and ships are the best way of transportation as the Amazon is covered in forest. Amazon got its name after the Portuguese explorers started expeditions along the river for a lost city known as ‘Eldorado’ in the hope of uncovering a city made of gold, before the British, French and Spanish explorers found it. Eldorado could never be found, but the name remained the same. Amazon is not only the habitat of thousands of species but also home to indigenous tribes who live off the land just like their ancestors did depending on the ecosystem for their food, shelter and livelihoods. Although ecotourism is a new concept, it is rapidly becoming a fast growing economic factor in the Amazon as it attracts major tourists for its attractions. On the other hand, it is also in danger due to deforestation, logging and forest cleaning, which presents a threat to the Amazon (www.amazon-rainforest.org). As a form of special interest tourism, it is important to have products available for this, which represents the nature preserving its natural habitat. With this in mind, there are many activities disposable for tourism as ecotourism is growing in the Amazon (www.embratur.gov.br). With the growth of ecotourism in the Amazon, many ecological crosswalks activities are provided to tourists wanting contact with the largest biodiversity of the world. The National Park of Pico da Neblina and the national Park of Jaà º are two of the most popular locations for crosswalks in the Amazon (www.embratur.gov.br). Another popular product available to tourists is cave tourism otherwise known as espeleotourism, consisting of exploring the inside of caves and studying their formations. Within the Amazon, Mato Grosso is the most visited cave  (www.embratur.gov.br). Floatation is an additional form of ecotourism activity, consisting of light diving with the use of a snorkel and a mask allowing the diver to be enchanted by the beauty underneath the water. Mato Grosso is the most popular and sought after location for this in the State of Amazon. Fauna watching is popular for those mostly interested in wildlife. National Parks in the Amazon grants visitors with thousands of different species, experiencing nature at its best. Bird watching has become reasonably popular to numerous tourists who travel specifically to Amazon for its biodiversity in search of all types of endangered species. Considered as the most sophisticated city on the planet and an important location for ecological tourism, Manaus the capital of Amazon forest is home to almost 1.5 million inhabitants. The city attracts tourists for its natural beauty, ecological parks and a diverse of over 15 attractions (www.embratur.gov.br). These include: âž ¢ Paricatuba Waterfall located in the bank of Negro river formed by sediment and surrounded by vegetation. âž ¢ Love cascade situated at Guedes bayou and filled with cold and crystal clear water. âž ¢ Parque do Mindà º, one of the last resorts housing endangered species. âž ¢ Grove of the National Research Institute of Amazonia (INPA) âž ¢ Zoo of the Forest War Instruction Center (CIGS) which house 300 species of animals, among monkeys, jaguars, ariranhas (Brazilian otters), snakes, alligators, macaws, tapirs and land turtles. âž ¢ Tupà © Beach whose only access is by riverboat It is clear that tourists travel to Brazil for its raw beauty, especially to Amazon which is rich in biodiversity. Ecobrasil has published statistics on international ecotourism to which shows that 39% of tourists visit Brazil for its natural beauty, this being their main motivation for doing so, while 7% visit Amazon as their main source for ecotourism (www.ecobrasil.org.br). Ecobrasil has also demonstrated results carried by Embratur Domestic market study carried in 2005/2006 in which shows that 6% of tourists view ecotourism as a motivation for travel, confirming that only four million tourists are interested in ecotourism. Profile of the evidence of the motivation and satisfaction of SIT Above the author mentioned the statistics for tourists that visit Brazil and their motivation for such. However some researchers have identified other motives for motivation which explain reasons to choose a specific ecotourism location. Maslow generated a hierarchy of needs based on what motivates individuals when deciding where to go on holidays and what activities to pursue. This hierarchy of needs is based on a series of levels, starting on the lowest level and terminating on the upper level once all levels of achievement are satisfied. The hierarchy of needs is displayed as a pyramid and at the lowest level, this for physiological needs, where individuals have the needs to satisfy their most basic needs such as eating and clothing. Once this need is achieved, Maslow identifies the individuals desire to carry on achieving the remaining needs until all levels of the pyramid are satisfied (Mullins, 2007, p.258). On the contrary to this view, Ryan (1997) has argued that the tourist behaviour is behind the motivation of the traveller leading to a certain type of holidays, focusing on the social motivation rather than needs. He identifies how two tourists from different backgrounds can have different attitudes to holidays but have similar motivation for such stating â€Å"both sets of behaviour arise from the need to be with others†. Ryan also recognizes theoretical models of motivation by classifying theories and their researchers. One of these the concept identified by Pearce who argued travel motivation through the concept of travel career ladder, this corresponding to â€Å"learning through tourist experience† (Ryan, 1997, p.37). The travel career ladder is characterised by different forms of motivations, with relaxation at the bottom of the ladder, followed by stimulation, relationship, self-esteem and development and fulfilment, and it should be by order of travel experience, the more experience they are, more interest they start developing and their motivation to travel start to increase. This meaning that a tourist on their first holiday is looking for relaxation however the more they travel, motivation starts to change as they become more concerned with learning about history and culture, and in time, the tourists will rich the upper level of the ladder, searching to get more involved in the province (Ryan, 1997). Other analyses have emerged with the expectancy of encountering tourists’ motivation for choosing this type of special interest tourism. Thus Hall and Weiler (1992) have identified researchers who have studied motivations for specific special interest tourism. Hall and Weiler (1992) have identified research made by Crompton in which he noted that tourist were in a cultural and educational travel motivations. This can be said it is closed linked to what was later interpreted by Read (1980) in which he admits what motivates tourists is the need for authenticity and uniqueness as well as educational. With this he emerged with the idea of REAL tourism, translating that travelling should be rewarding, enriching, adventuresome and a learning experience for the tourist. Hall and Weiler have created a table identifying tourists motivations associated with the specific special interest tourism and they have concluded that tourists may have various motivators related to the special interest activity. Therefore, it is said that the motivations for the participants in ecotourism are apart from learning is to be in contact with the nature or indigenous civilians. A further argument into the motivations of tourists has emerged, as Page and Dowling (2002) presented two sides of ecotourism: hard and soft tourism. Hard tourism refers when the participant are environmentalist who take sustainability quite serious and is purely interest in the nature and being in contact with the wilderness, taking a prolonged trip in almost undisturbed location, while soft tourism refers to tourists in short term trip, have little contact with nature and are not strongly committed environmentalists. However, motivations are not the only factors tourists take into account when deciding on the special interest tourism. The type of product and expertise by those involved promoting this specific special interest tourism. Hall and Weiler (2002) argue that experienced professionals play an important role on the tourists’ selection of destination. Professionals such as Specialty Travel Index offer a multitude of travel opportunities worldwide (http://www.spectrav.com/index.shtml). Evaluation of the development of a named SIT within an identified destination area Butcher (2007) views community participation as an important step to the development of ecotourism, as decisions made concerning ecotourism affects the community and their lives. Butcher adds that this initiative is also supported by World Wide Fund for nature (WWF) in which they state communities should have a high level of control on the development of ecotourism. Additionally communities should be intensely in all decision-making concerning the growth of the landscape â€Å" tourism should therefore respect and value local knowledge and experience, maximise benefits to communities, and recruit, train and employ local people at all levels (Butcher, p.67). Ecotourism should be beneficent local communities, conservation of the environment and provide financial contribution to the upkeep of a conservation project. In addition local communities’ involvement in the development of ecotourism â€Å"improves the tourist experience† (Page and Dowling, 2002). Alternative Travel Group (ATL) is an example of the above, in which they work effectively with local communities. Founded in 1979 is an organisation based upon sustainability http://www.atg-oxford.co.uk/index.php) ATL collaborates with local communities, listening and acting on what was suggested. This allows communities to express their concern about the conservation of their habitat (http://www.atg-oxford.co.uk/index.php). Profits go towards construction of infrastructures and conservation projects in the most necessitated areas. They incentive individuals to present their ideas and providing they are sustainable to which they can invest on. Hence they have various projects ongoing worldwide which benefit local communities and preserve the environment (http://www.atg-oxford.co.uk/index.php). It is not only local communities that play a vital role in the making and development of ecotourism, many organisations, agencies and small businesses have an important and constant involvement in the successful and promoting of this growing form of special interest tourism. World Wide Fund for nature (WWF) is the largest non-governmental organisation in the world. Based in over fifty-two offices and active in over ninety countries, it has over five million supporters worldwide, many volunteers (Butcher, p. 42). WWF has three main missions that represent their work: safeguarding the natural world, tackling climate change and changing the way residents live. Consequently they have generated a program designed to protect the environment. Amongst other projects, WWF is working in ensuring the ecosystem in the Amazon maintains its environmental and cultural contribution to local people (http://www.wwf.org.uk/). WWF main objectives regarding the Amazon as a whole are: âž ¢ Tackling deforestation âž ¢ Encouraging responsible agriculture and production âž ¢ Helping create protected forest âž ¢ Ensuring free-flowing rivers and forest-friendly roads Moreover WWF has enlisted the help of Sky TV in promoting the safeguarding of rainforest in Amazon. Both work with local communities offering them with economical help to look after millions of hectares of forest, combating illegal logging and forest deforestation (http://www.wwf.org.uk/). Additionally WWF closely works with two UN bodies, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). WWF has written guidelines highlighting a community-based ecotourism in which the organisation directly works with communities in conserving and preserving the environment and provide advice on how to deal with issues surrounding their landscape. One of their project is based in Manaus, capital of Amazon, a community –based initiative, the Silves Association for Environmental and Cultural Preservation, this aims at protecting the fishing lakes at this site. On top pf this, WWF opened an ecolodge in the same region run by local people, 20% of all profits go towards the management of preservation of the site. In addition, WWF has created a programme in Brazil solely based on raising awareness about forms of ecotourism that should be practiced based on its principles (http://www.icrtourism.org/Publications/WWF1eng.pdf). The international ecotourism society (TIES) is a non-governmental organisation funded in 1990 with the objectives of aiding the development of ecotourism, helping communities, organisations to promote and practice the principles of ecotourism. TIES have clear aims concerning ecotourism which consists of bringing together individuals, institutions and tourism industries in the interest of ecotourism, educating tourist and professionals on ecotourism and influencing organisations on practicing all principles regarding ecotourism. Working in partnership with other NGOs such as Planeterra and yourtravelchoice.org, all three organisations provide tourists with opportunities to get involved in ecotourism activities, help local communities, work together in inform tourists on how to conserve the nature. Furthermore, they offer their own input on eco-destinations, allowing individuals to get some relevant information on ecotourism and its issues (www.ecotourism.org) Although Planeterra is more involved with community, they still remain concerned with the environment. This non-governmental organisation organises community based projects worldwide in order to help local people live in a more environmental safe surroundings (http://www.planeterra.org/). The Brazilian Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Trade Association (ABETA) is an association that closely works on the development of ecotourism activities in Brazil. Their goal is to promote the conservation and preservation of Brazil’s cultural and historical heritage (http://www.brazilnature.travel/index.php). ABETA promotes amongst adventure tourism, ecotourism activities such as bird watching, caving, safari and wildlife. Thus in partnership with the Tourism ministry, Brazilian tourism board (Embratur) and BBECO which is administered by ABETA, all have the same common aspiration: promote Brazil as one of the top destinations for ecotourism while keeping it environmentally safe (http://www.brazilnature.travel/index.php). Embratur, a Brazilian Tourism Board is an organisation responsible for providing policies in tourism related activities, including ecotourism activities such as hiking, cave tourism, floatation, bird watching and fauna watching (www.embratur.gov.br) Ecobrasil, a Brazilian ecotourism Association  is a NGO founded in 1993 whose primarily focus is on ecotourism. Whilst incorporate a clear mission in which they want to promote Brazil as a â€Å"reliable destination for ecotourism†, their vision is to â€Å"forward ecotourism and sustainable tourism through building knowledge networks and participate in and/or develop projects that helped advance the knowledge about good ecotourism practices and planning in Brazil†. Hence their objectives is to create a network of data solely on ecotourism, commitment in minimising the impact of tourism on the environment, acknowledge statistics on ecotourism and represent ecotourism on a worldwide level (www.ecobrasil.org.br). Proecotur Programa de Desenvolvimento do Ecoturismo na Amazà ´nia Legal (programme of ecotourism development at the Legal Amazon) recognises that ecotourism has a huge potential to be converted into the biggest source of income on the Amazon, predicting up to three million ecotourist annually. Therefore they have generated new strategies to guarantee that Amazon becomes the most popular state for ecotourism. They believe the creation of a sustainable environment does not require greater investments, rather intelligent strategies for transportation. With this to attract tourists they agree that there is a need for improvement in the transportation and improvement of the quality of services available to tourists plus there should be a cre ation of more sustainable products (http://www.faunabrasil.com.br). Conclusion Although tourism is not a new concept, ecotourism is. This emerged with the individuals growing concern with the environment. There is a general disagreement when defining ecotourism but many researchers and organisations agree that is a form of activity in which participants want to be in touch with the nature and with the environment and this should follow principles set by organisations for the safekeeping of the environment and also benefiting local communities. Various researchers have attempted to clarify the motivations for tourist choice of destinations and specials type of interest, and with this it was concluded that none could have a general agreement on these except that  tourist could have common attitude when selecting destinations. They could be educational and cultural; however the idea of tourist wanting new, unique and untouched surroundings gave away to the new concept of Real travel: rewarding, enriching, adventuresome and learning. Ecotourism is a growing and prosperous form of special interest tourism and the activities incorporated for this are increasingly generating income to those involved in promoting ecotourism and to local communities who should be involved in the decision-making concerning the development of ecotourism. The author during the research into organisations involved in the promotion of ecotourism has come across the fact that most organisations are non-governmental organisations that depend on volunteers. Also the majority of these organisations are interrelated having common objectives when it comes to ecotourism: promoting all ecotourism activities, safeguarding the environment and preserving the nature. Recommendations Although organisations are interlinked with one another, it appears that it is not enough, as the market segmentation show, only a certain type of individuals practice ecotourism and ecotourism related activities. Brazil is popular with tourist for its beauty therefore NGOs, agencies and business should do more to promote ecotourism in Brazil, speciality in Amazon, which is a huge area with a lot to offer to all types of tourists. Hence all organisations should work together not only in the safeguarding of the environment but advertise Brazil as the best country for ecotourism, enhancing its beauty and reasons to visit as well as promoting ecotourism activities in a way that appeals to all age groups and gender. Additionally NGOs, agencies and business should stress the need to practice the imposed regulations in protected areas in order to preserve the nature for tomorrow. Another recommendation would be to look how other forms of special interest tourism could be useful in providing aid in the development of ecotourism. An example of this would be religious tourism. For this type of special  interest tourism there is an online religious organisation which incentives spiritualists to include faith in their living. They relate religion and faith with the environment believing that there are simple steps that individuals could do to help recreate the earth preserving the environment, it also emphasises the need to care for nature. Therefore this initiative could be adopted in order to lure tourists into caring and investing more in ecotourism. Words: 4,017 References: †¢ Abeta (2008) Brazil: land of nature and adventure. [Internet], Brazil, Available from: http://www.brazilnature.travel/index.php [Accessed 30 November]. †¢ Amazon rain forest (2004) Save the Amazon rainforest [Internet]. Available from: http://www.amazon-rainforest.org/ [Accessed 2nd December 2009]. †¢ ATG Oxford (1979) ATG: Quality value [Internet], Oxford, Available from : http://www.atg-oxford.co.uk/index.php [Accessed 3rd December 2009]. †¢ Butcher, J. ed (2007) Ecotourism, NGOs and development: a critical analysis. Oxon, Routledge. †¢ Fauna Brasil (2005) O portal da fauna brasileira. [Internet], Brazil, Available from: http://www.faunabrasil.com.br/sistema/ [ Accessed 13 December 2009]. †¢ Fennell, D. (1999) Ecotourism.2ed. Oxon, Routledge. †¢ Instituto Ecobrasil (1993) Instituto Ecobrasil: ecoturism-turismo sustentavel [Internet], Brazil. Available from: www.ecobrasil.org.br [Accessed 2nd December 2009]. †¢ Ministerio do turismo (2005) Brasil [Internet], Brazil, Available from: http://www.embratur.gov.br/site/gb/home/index.php [Accessed 2nd December 2009]. †¢ Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour.8ed. England, Pearce Education Limited. †¢ Page, S.J Dowling, R. Ed (2002) Ecotourism. Essex, Pearson Education Limited †¢ Planeterra (2003) Planeterra. [Internet],Available from: http://www.planeterra.org/ [Accessed 27 November 2009]. †¢ Specialty Travel Index (1980) Adventure Special Interest Travel [Internet], San Anselmo, Available from: http://www.spectrav.com/index.shtml [Accessed 2nd December 2009]. †¢ The International Ecotourism Society (1990) International Ecotourism Society. Washington. Available from: http://www.ecotourism.org/site/c.orLQKXPCLmF/b.4832143/k.BD87/Home.htm [Accessed 27 September 2009]. †¢ Urry, J. (2002) The Tourist gaze.2ed. London, Sage Publications LTD. †¢ Youell, R. (1998) Tourism: an introduction.2ed.Essex, Addison Wesley Longman Limited. †¢ Weiler, B Hall, C.M, Ed (1992) Special Interest tourism. London, Belhaven Press. †¢ World Tourism Organisation (2002) World overview tourism topics. Madrid, world tourism organisation. †¢ WWF (1961) WWF for a living planet [Internet], Surrey, Available from: http://www.wwf.org.uk/ [Accessed 3rd December 2009]. †¢ WWF (2001) Guidelines for Community-based ecotourism development. WWF International.

Alexander The Great Essay -- essays research papers

Alexander the Great Alexander the Great, was born in June, 356 BC, in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. His parents were Philip II and Olympia. Some say that Zeus was his father but it is probably just a myth. Aristotle taught Alexander in his early teen years. He stimulated his interest in science, medicine, and philosophy. In the summer of 336 BC, Alexander's father was assassinated, and Alexander ascended to the Macedonian throne. He found himself surrounded by enemies at home and threatened by civilizations all over. But Alexander disposed of quickly of all his enemies by ordering their execution. Then he took off to Thessaly, where partisans of independence had gained ascendancy, and restored Macedonian rule. Before the end of the summer of 336 BC as general of the Greeks in a campaign against the Persians, originally planned by his father before he croaked, he carried out a successful campaign against the defecting Thracians, penetrating to the Danube River. On his return he crushed in a single week the threatening Illyrians and then again took of to Thebes, which had revolted. He took the city by storm and razed it, sparing only the temples of the gods and the house of the Greed lyric poet Pindar, and selling the surviving inhabi ¬ tants, about 8000 in number, into slavery. Alexander's promptness in crushing the revolt of The ¬ bes brought the other Greek states into instant submission.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alexander began his war against Persia in th...

Ho Chi Minh Puppeteer

Ho Chi Minh: Puppet or Leader? United States presidents from Harry Truman to Richard Nixon were wrong to think that Ho Chi Minh and his followers were â€Å"puppets† to the Soviet Union or Chinese Communist. Many policies the Presidents made throughout the war proved that they never tried to see Ho Chi Minh as anything else but communist and were convinced that they had to do everything and anything to stop him from gaining any control over the country of Vietnam.The Vietnam War, specifically the United States aid to France, agreements at the Geneva Conference, and the election of 1956, are prime examples of how far American Presidential Administrations went to exclude themselves from their own Constitution to give themselves a blank check and continuous, unnecessary escalation for war. When I look at Communism I view it as a dictatorship, someone more or less trying to control the people of the country they have control over by putting fear in the eyes of the citizens and not allowing them to live a peaceful, independent life.With that said, yes, Ho claimed to be a Communist but I truly feel that his sole goal was to conquer the independence of the country of Vietnam from forces trying to control it and give it back to his people, basically saying that Ho was a nationalist and communism was simply the most effective way to carry out his tasks. He followed the way of what the Trung Sisters wanted Vietnam to be and did everything in his power to give the â€Å"What it is to be Vietnamese† outlook to his people. The United States would view his ideology as only communism, arguing that nationalism was just a maneuver.United States involvement in Vietnam occurred within and because of the larger context of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Immediately after World War II, tensions between the United States and USSR escalated. Ho needed the help from the Soviet Union to follow out his goals for Vietnam. He obviously was not th eir puppet; the Soviet Union helped fund the war for the Vietminh with supplies and ammunition but half the time they made empty promises of what they would do to help.Truman feared that if Ho were to win the war, with his ties to the Soviet Union, he would establish a â€Å"puppet† state and the Soviets would ultimately control Vietnamese affairs. (New World Encyclopedia) The Vietminh were not very militarily effective in the beginning of the war and only really harassed the French troops. China gained control over the northern borders which allowed unlimited support in terms of weapons and supplies to the Vietminh which transformed itself into a conventional army between two armies equipped with modern weapons supplied by the United States and the Soviet Union. 29) The idea of communist domination in Southeast Asia was all the United States needed to support France in containing communism. Gaining help from USSR and China was all Ho could do to regain Vietnamese independenc e. He was looking for the bigger picture and if letters from him would have been answered then the thought process of him and a communist puppet would have never existed, nor would the assumption of the domino theory.It was completely and utterly wrong, immature, foolish, and rude for President Truman to ignore the many letters Ho Chi Minh sent to him in 1945. How as the president of the most powerful country in the world just get handed letters over and over and continuously set them aside and allowed them to go unnoticed. Ho Chi Minh wrote eight letters to President Truman reminding him of the self-determination promises of the Atlantic Charter. He even sent one to the United Nations. Zinn) Within one of the letters that Ho Chi Minh sent he offered a deep-water port in Cam Ranh Bay to be used as a military port, but still the letters were ignored. For years, Ho had tried to court the United States to support him against the French, including supplying the U. S. with military intel ligence about the Japanese during World War II. Whatever hopes Ho had for securing American assistance died in anticommunist paranoia. (20) The communism is not a disease; it’s not like if you kiss someone communist you therefore become communist.This unfortunately is the ridiculous theory that Eisenhower came up with about countries trickling from one communist country to surrounding countries, to next thing having the entire world plagued with communism. After the fall of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, Eisenhower gave a speech that would become a famous and important outline of United States Cold War policy. Eisenhower stated that the United States needed to contain the USSR at all locations for its neighbors to not become Communist. The theory was coined the domino theory.The Nationalist government of China fell to the Communist forces of Mao Zedong and this started to put the United States into deep paranoia and fear that Communists would take over the world and might even be plo tting secret operations in the United States. The U. S. policy makers began to see Vietnam as extremely important. If Vietnam was to be a united nation with Ho Chi Minh as its leader and become a communist country then in logic to the domino theory all of Indochina would fall and maybe even Southeast Asian countries to communism.I don’t believe that the small country of Vietnam, who was just trying to gain recognition as an independent country had that much power over its surrounding countries or even of the entire world. The popularity of Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh in both Northern and Southern Vietnam had U. S. leaders in fear that the free elections promised at the Geneva Conference to occur in 1956, would result in a unified, Communist Vietnam. (SparkNotes Editors) After WWII, President Truman set up, what I think, was a fair plan to stop colonialism throughout the world.In his State of the Union speech in October 1945, he stated that he believed 1) in the eventual retu rn of sovereign rights and self-government to all peoples who have been deprived of them by force, 2) that all peoples who are prepared for self-government should be permitted to choose their own form of government by their own freely expressed choice, without interference from any foreign source, 3) the United States will refuse to recognize any government imposed upon any nation by the force of any foreign power. (Pamphlet No. , PILLARS OF PEACE) These are just some of the points within the twelve stated. Unfortunately, none of these points were actually followed by the President, himself, or the United States. These points were supposed to end colonialism throughout the world after World War II, but when France asked the United States for help to continue their control and reign over Indochina, President Truman went very willing. Fear of communism was in his eyes and with the help of the USSR to Vietnam he didn’t believe that there was any other way.In May 1950, President Truman announced his decision to supply $15 million in military assistance to Indochina, but realistically just to French troops, to fight the Vietminh. (29) In order for France to fight this war without it looking like it was to gain control over a colony that they have already been fighting for, they defined it as a fight against Communism instead of a colonial war. Ho hated the French for what they had done to his country, but also hated the elite Vietnamese who enriched themselves at the expense of the poor peasants.The Vietnamese people were broken under French rule both prior to WWII and after. Truman in one week sent an abundance of supplies to the French and continued to do so for the next four years. Throughout the aids exceeding number of ammunition, weapons, tanks and other supplies were sent to both the French and Vietminh from the US and USSR and China. This resulted in the battle of Dienbienphu. In 1954, the French planned on overtaking the outpost of Dienbienphu in th e mountains of northern Vietnam. Their idea was to take post in the center on these mountains and lure the Vietminh in.The Vietminh saw this strategy a mile away. They moved 40, 000 troops up into the mountains and conquered this territory. Even though there were more Vietnamese casualties than French, they had military brilliance and were more willing to a higher death toll then their enemies. (SparkNotes Editors) The victory over the French at Dienbienphu had demonstrated the triumph of Ho’s nationalism. (46) And the United States would later learn that no matter what is handed to the Vietminh they were going to fight to the death for the independence of their country.I believe and have also heard and even read that if the election of 1956 had been held that possibly eighty percent of the population would have voted for the Communist Ho Chi Minh as their leader rather than Chief of State Bao Dai. In April 1954, the world's powers had met at Geneva to discuss Vietnam. Many a rguments can be presented for the escalation of the war. One reason is the failure of the United States to adhere to provisions in the Final Declaration of the Geneva Conference on the Problem of Restoring Peace in Indo-China. In July 1954, it was decided to divide the country in two at the 17th parallel.Bao Dai was to lead the south and Ho Chi Minh the north. The meeting also decided that in 1956 there would be an election in both the north and south to decide who would rule the whole country. The election would be supervised by neutral countries. This election did not take place and the split had become permanent by 1956. Ho Chi Minh was very liked by a great majority of the people in both North and South Vietnam and Boa Dai was just a puppet to the United States to carry out their commands and also was controlled very much by the corrupt madman Ngo Dinh Diem. Simkin) The United States and Diem refused to allow the 1956 elections to happen. Diem stated that it would only be a mean ingful election on the condition that it was absolutely free. No communist was going to be democratically elected if the US had anything to say about it. All not allowing this election did was set the course of escalation to the war further in motion. I do not understand why we even needed to get involved. As Americans we believe in the right to vote and free election, that is exactly what Ho Chi Minh wanted but was denied by us, a democratic country. (rationalrevolution. et) The Vietnam was an unnecessary war because of the way America handled it. The countries or nations involved had nothing to with the United States and we were supposed to take a neutral role. When we didn’t stay neutral the USSR and China stepped in and also helped. In America’s eyes that was only to spread communism, but truthfully we were no better and had every opportunity to stop this war and not allow it to escalate as it did with our help. â€Å"Vietnamese history is the history of defense b y outsiders and resistance to occupation when outsiders were temporarily successful. †References: VietnamWar. et, â€Å"Educational, Entertainment, and Research Material Relevant to the Study of the Vietnam War† http://www. vietnamwar. net Simkin, John (BA, MA, MPhil) â€Å"Vietnam War† http://www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk/vietnam. html SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on The Vietnam War (1945–1975). † SparkNotes. com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. Pamphlet No. 4, PILLARS OF PEACE. â€Å"PRESIDENT TRUMAN'S NAVY DAY ADDRESS: An excerpt dealing with Four Military Tasks and the Fundamentals of Foreign Policy, October 27, 1945. † pages 136 and 137, Published by the Book Department, Army Information School, Carlisle Barracks, Pa. May 1946 http://www. ibiblio. org/pha/policy/post-war/451027a. html rationalrevolution. net, â€Å"The American involvement in Vietnam† http://rationalrevolution. net/war/american_involvement_in_v ietnam. htm, 2003 – 2007. Web. 20 Oct. 2007. Zinn, Howard. â€Å"The Impossible Victory: Vietnam excerpted from a People's History of the United States† http://www. thirdworldtraveler. com/Zinn/Vietnam_PeoplesHx. html New World Encyclopedia â€Å"Indochina_War_(1946-54)† Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. http://www. newworldencyclopedia. org/entry/Indochina_War_%281946-54%29. 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2007

The Lord Of The Rings Essay - 2159 Words

â€Å"The murder of Dà ©agol haunted Gollum, and he had made up a defense, repeating it to his ‘precious’ over and over† (The Fellowship of the Ring 62). This quote gives a look into the strongest moment of shock that impacted young Smà ©agol’s life forever. Gollum is a fictional character unlike any other in The Lord of the Rings series, as he is portrayed as having undiagnosed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. There are six recurring symptoms that must happen in conjunction with traumatic factors in order for someone to be diagnosed with PTSD, and unfortunately for Smà ©agol his actions and history sync perfectly into the diagnosis. Due to the fact that Gollum is a fictional character out of a book, it seems that the author, J.R.R. Tolkien, may have purposely given these attributes to Gollum to display PTSD. Though Tolkien may argue that his time in the war did not highly influence his books, subconsciously Tolkien, like many who were in the war, could h ave had undiagnosed PTSD or known someone who did. As a combat veteran, Tolkien and his friends were more likely to develop PTSD. This may have resulted in portraying these symptoms on to one specific character, Gollum. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder â€Å"is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event† (NIMH), just as Gollum had and continues to be put through. He has had a rough past of loss and exile, as well as continuously trudges through horrific events and torture in which he mustShow MoreRelatedThe Lord Of The Rings1648 Words   |  7 Pagesand religious truth (or error), but not explicit, not in the known form of the primary real world.† As The Lord Of The Rings is, by Tolkien’s definition, a fairy-story, it would be correct to assume that it, too, contains â€Å"elements of moral and religious truth.† However, many who read Lord Of The Rings dispute the trilogy’s religious content. Tolkien states, The Lord Of The Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work†¦ That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practicallyRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings1736 Words   |  7 PagesThe Lord Of The Rings The story began as a consequence to Tolkien s 1937 fantasy novel The Hobbit, but eventually improved into a much larger employment. Written in stages between 1937 and 1949, The Lord of the Rings is the second pick-selling surprising ever written, with over 150 million carbon copy sold. The Lord of the Rings is an epopoeia exalted-imagination recent written by English subcreator J. The toil was initially intended by Tolkien to be one roll of a two-volume put, the other toRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings1383 Words   |  6 PagesSome stories can affect people emotionally, but once in a while a story can call a person to escape to it. The Lord of the Rings is an enchanting story with masterful use of setting and sensational characters that engages readers and can move them to experience life in a deeper way. As a child J.R.R. Tolkien lived in Africa until his father passed away. Then his mother moved them to England. Mrs. Tolkien made certain that her children learned literature and languages. It was probably due somewhatRead MoreThe Lord Of The Ring1455 Words   |  6 PagesTom Bombadil placed the magic ring on his finger; everyone waited for him to disappear, but nothing happened, and he handed the ring back to Frodo without a slight hesitation. Frodo offered Galadriel the ring and she grew into a horrible creature towering over Frodo, but fought the ringâ€⠄¢s strong temptation, and finally decreasing back to her normal self and declined the powerful ring. Both Tom and Galadriel, in The Lord of the Ring, portray Tolkien’s respect for nature and strong spirituality, becauseRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings1549 Words   |  7 PagesDarkness extended over all of Middle-Earth like a veil during the time of war. New laws were enforced and the citizens’ freedom was taken away. Frodo’s magic ring represents the unsustainability of the environment, and the characters of Middle-Earth. In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien uses the magic ring to reflect the politics of sustainability, by drawing from his own life experiences. Two philosophers, Scruton and Hart write their recipes for sustainability. Scruton believes that finding the rightRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings1469 Words   |  6 Pagesauthor of The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre, defined fantasy as â€Å"the creation of a moment of hesitation betw een two worlds†(qtd. Kelly, Course Introduction 2). This description of the genre compliments J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings trilogy due to the author’s use of sub-creation to construct his alternate world. Tolkien believed that the way to create a believable, all-encompassing world was to combine fragments of reality, or the â€Å"primary world†, together to constructRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings1698 Words   |  7 Pagesaudiences. Both of these have had a profound effect on the world, whether it be through changing a way of life or just by making time pass for a few hours. Certain books and movies have played great roles in the world and had many influences. The Lord of the Rings has had a massively positive effect on both literature and film. Its creation has led to many positives and in doing so has become one of the most influential stories ever created. It has also led to some major impacts outside of literature andRead MoreThe Lord Of The R ings999 Words   |  4 Pagesby J.R.R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings, where the ultimate power source created contains enough power that the master of the Ring becomes in turn the master of Middle Earth, and absolute power follows in accordance to absolute corruption of he who possesses it. Many a man and creature wields the Ring, falling to the temptation of its power and the poison of its possession, bringing about death and evil life to the masters of the Ring.In Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the wizard Gandalf renouncesRead MoreThe Lord Of The Ring841 Words   |  4 PagesThe Lord of the Ring J.R.R Tolkien Setting the western, middle, and southern region of Middle earth in the third age Character Frodo - a Hobbit with the one ring and has to take it into the land of Mordor and throw it into Mount Doom Sam - a Hobbit who is Frodo’s best friend who helps Frodo on his journey and come with him to the end Peregrin Took - a Hobbit call Pippin, who is Frodo’s friend and he helps Frodo on his journey Merry - a Hobbit who is Frodo’s friend and he helps Frodo on his journeyRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings1352 Words   |  6 PagesThe darkness that had extended over Middle-Earth, lifted like a veil the moment the magic ring was destroyed. New laws were enforced and the citizens’ freedom was taken away. In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien uses the magic ring to reflect the politics of sustainability, therefore exploring the hardships of an unsustainable community. Frodo’s magic ring represents the ruthless actions of the creatures of Middle-Earth. Two philosophers, Scruton and Hart write their recipes for sustainability. Scruton