Lolita vs. Frankenstein Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Lolita vs. Frankenstein - Essay Example It is almost in the same period that Vladimir Nabokov gave vent to a world clung to puritanical thoughts in Lolita. Lolita was very sensational in United States in the late 1950s because of its controversial substance. Many critics branded the novel as pornographic trash, and they condemned this masterpiece as a piece of poor quality literature. However, there were many other critics who praised the work for its uniqueness, genuineness, and vivacious wit. In this novel, Nabokov formed the character of Humbert Humbert as complex mixture; he is a mad rakehell as well as wild romantic at the same time and Lolita falls a victim of his incessant obsession for her but ended it as form of murder. The essay seeks to bring out a comparative and contrastive study between the two novels in terms of their themes, character sketches and the over all setting and treatment of both the novels. While Frankenstein depicts the story of the hero who is ruined by his unchecked pursuit of knowledge, in Lo lita the tragedy of the hero stems from his obsessive drive for sex and violent nature; both fail to foresee the consequences of their actions until they are completely ruined. The strong passion of Love is the basic instinct of sex that is displayed on various forms on this novel. â€Å"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins, my sin, and my soul† (Nabokov part 1: 1) utters Humbert in the opening of the novel which shows his deep passion and strong desire on Lolita. It also displays mixture of feelings such as deep pain, love, anger and regret that he experiences. In the book of Frankenstein the author indicates the strong desire of Frankestein to produce another human â€Å"Beautiful! -- Great God!† (Shelly.98). Here the author mixes up the emotions of excitement as well as enthusiasm of Frankenstein very effectively. One can notice parallels between the themes in both the novels and there are many who argue that in Lolita Nabokov reworked fundamental

The Importance Of Coaching Management Essay

The Importance Of Coaching Management Essay This chapter will include recommendations following the analysis and findings of the last chapter. Suggestions about the coaching function of PMS will be further elaborated so as to help the organisation. A conclusion will also be included so as to sum up this study. Importance of coaching First of all, it is crucial that all the employees of the organisation are provided with the opportunity to learn more about coaching. Even though the majority of employees and managers opted for the definition of coaching as per Parlsoe (1999), we can still notice that a few seem to define coaching as counseling or others. Therefore, they should be sensitised. This can happen through focus group or creating more awareness about the function of the PMS. Managers should especially have an in-depth knowledge about coaching as they would be the one to coach other employees. Also, coaching should not be imposed on employees as this may create negative feelings and they might not appreciate it when they are being coached. Instead, they should be given the chance to know more about the benefits of coaching. Coaching Process Without a proper process, coaching cannot be fully exploited and thus would not bring the expected result which is to improve performance. A coaching process is used to guide both the coach and coachee during the coaching process. Each stage is important as it allows a good flow if information in both directions and allows both the coach and the coachee to determine whether coaching is bringing in results. In this context, the establishment of a coaching process is essential. HR can in collaboration with the managers devise a most appropriate coaching process which could be used. This process will include well designed stages that managers would have to follow while coaching. Coaching Culture As pointed out in the previous chapter, the coaching culture of the organisation is at the tactical stage (Megginson and Clutterbuck, 2006). From the findings, it is clear that organisation is aware of the importance of setting a coaching culture but however, the level of understanding of what would be involved remains low. For coaching to be embedded in an organisationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s culture, just recognising its importance is not enough. Everybody has to play their respective roles. For instance, the HR professionals are at the best position to develop strategies for coaching to occur and also aligning it with the objectives of the organisation. Therefore the intervention of HR is essential. They could set up the structure for coaching to take place. Additionally since coaching requires a 360 feedback, HR could work in this direction to enable such process to run smoothly. But the intervention of HR only is also not sufficient; the participation of top management is required. Leaders and managers need to embrace coaching. They should be the one to build coaching accountability. Furthermore, the participation of employees is mainly required. Employees should recognise the importance of coaching of a coaching process as well as accept it. Employees should be willing to be coached. Training Managers It is vital that managers are trained so that the can be good coaches. From the findings, it is seen that 40 % of managers do not even agree that coaching form part of their duty. As such, it should be made clear to the managers whether they need to coach their subordinates or not. These managers should be more exposed to coaching and its benefits. By understanding more about coaching, the managers would have a clear view of what is required on from them. When a manager engages himself to coach, he needs to be clear about the procedure to be undertaken. He ought to follow certain well defined and meaningful stages of coaching. Besides, managers can be trained to be coaches. In this context, the help of external coaches could be required. During the training sessions, they would increase their knowledge about coaching and know more about all the aspects of coaching. Moreover, the managers would learn how to tackle each stage of the coaching process. They should also be empowered with particular coaching models and techniques that they would be able to use to coach their subordinates. However, coaching is not only about processes and models or techniques. There are certain soft skills that coaches need to acquire to be able to coach. These skills would help them to better communicate with their coachees. It should also be noted that managers should adopt certain roles while coaching. 83.3% of managers agree that they do not adopt any role while coaching and this may hinder coaching. Managers need to be acquainted with the roles of facilitator, assessor, supporter and advisor as this would highly be beneficia l for them. Alongside, while adopting these roles, managers may better communicate with their subordinates. If a manager is only following a certain process without engaging himself, the results may not be as expected. As a coach, a manager additionally needs to build a relationship of trust with his coachee. As stated by Ulrich (2008), coaching is a relationship ultimately. Therefore, there should be a two-way communication which would allow a good flow of information. This information would in turn be helpful in knowing the following. Where the employee stands for the time being? What are the areas where the employee needs to improve? Is coaching being helpful and the right approach? Whether the employee wants to improve? What are the actions to be taken to improve performance? Coaching style As seen in the analysis chapter, even though a PMS is implemented, coaching is not being carried out at all the levels. Some employees state that they are not being coached. Additionally, the question raised to know more about the coaching culture of the organisation brought mainly à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“neutralà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  as answers. This shows that there is not really a coaching culture at the CEB. In an organisation, where coaching culture is at such a stage, there need a lot of improvement to reach a point where coaching occurs naturally. In this context, am appropriate coaching style should be adopted. When we talk about inexperienced individuals, a hands-on style is best suited. But if we are talking about highly experienced individuals, a hands-off style is more appropriate. But since we noticed that managers have not totally acquired the skills needed to coach, they first of all need to enhance their skills and find a coaching style which is appropriate for them to deliver coach ing. Summary This chapter concludes all the recommendations. There are certain areas that need particular attention for coaching to take place and to be carried out well. Finally, we can say that for coaching to be successful and consequently bring in positive results, the contribution of each and everyone in the organisation is vital. 6.0 Conclusion In the light of the above, we can deduce that coaching can have a significant impact on employeesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ performance. Literature shows that coaching should be carried out in a certain way and includes a process which is constituted of several stages. Organisation can benefit from coaching when the organisational culture fosters coaching and when managers are good coaches. In the analysis and findings, we saw that coaching is being carried out partially at the organisation. A certain percentage of employees firmly state that they are not being coached but also say that coaching can improve their performance. This indicates that employees are aware that coaching can help in improving their performance. Also, some managers who coach their subordinates mentioned that they did not adopt any role while coaching other employees. Furthermore, a number of managers also said that they did not make use of the soft skills needed to coach. This point to the fact that they are not totally prepared to be good coaches. Nonetheless, they agree that these skills should be developed so that they can play their role of coaches. Recommendations were then made following the findings. The main points included in the recommendations were, the importance of coaching and raising awareness among employees. Also, more awareness should be raised about the coaching process, the coaching culture, coaching style and training of managers. This research enabled us to know how coaching was being carried out at the CEB and where should the organisation focus even more to be able to use coaching as a tool to improve performance.

Senses Lesson Plan Essay -- essays papers

Senses Lesson Plan TOPIC: The Five Senses OBJECTIVES: Knowledge: ï‚ · The students will understand the concept of the five senses that humans have. These five senses are touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing. These senses make it possible for people to interact with others and get around in their daily lives. ï‚ · The learner will identify and observe the objects in mystery boxes by using touch only. ï‚ · The learner will identify and observe what various pieces of food are by using taste only. ï‚ · The learner will identify his or her surroundings, after being blindfolded and walked around the classroom. ï‚ · The learner will identify and observe the various smells of each object by using smell only. ï‚ · The learner will identify and observe various sounds made by the teacher using hearing only. Process Skills: ï‚ · Communication- The learner will communicate with a partner his or her observations about each of the five sense activities. ï‚ · Prediction- Students will predict what is in the box by using their five senses. Attitudes: ï‚ · Students will enjoy the challenge of solving the puzzle of what is in the box, and learning about the five senses. N.Y.S. STANDARDS (M/S/T): ï‚ · #1, Students will use scientific inquiry to pose questions as to what is in the mystery box and seek answers using their five senses. ï‚ · #4, Students will understand and apply scientific concepts about the senses pertaining to the physical setting and living environment through the realization that they use their senses in almost everything that they do. MATERIALS: Mystery boxes objects in mystery boxes lemons oranges apples blindfolds cherry lotion peach gel grape soap heartbeat sound box maracas worksheet on observations ORGANIZATION & TRANSITIONS: At the beginning of the session, the students will sit quietly in their desks, and they are asked to count to 10 and then start over. The students with the same number will form a group, mostly of two (about ten groups), and wait for further instructions from the teacher. Each group will pull away from the others and take turns coming up to the front station where the materials are set up. The groups will be competing to correctly guess what are in the boxes and what noises they hear (and the winners get can... ...2. Taste 3. Sight 4. Smell 5. Hearing (done as a class) Observations for the Five Senses Name:_______________ Date: _____________________ Directions: List three observations for each of the five senses. Try to remember what we did in each activity. Touch _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Taste _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Sight _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Smell _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ Hearing _____________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

Manage People Performance Essay

Project 1 When allocating it is important to consider that work should be allocated on a fair basis taking into consideration the employee experience, expertise, skills, knowledge understanding and workloads. It i salso important to consider the following: Goals and objectives Work must be goal and target oriented. Managers and their employees need to set goals that are realistic, achievable and have timeframes attached. Large goals can be broken into smaller steps to which specific timeframes are attached so they can become milestones. This enable work to be allocated and to be monitored and measured as it progresses. Competence When allocating work the competencies, knowledge, skills and experience of employees must be considered so that work is allocated to those who are best equipped to do it. When drawing up actions plans it is important that managers and leaders take into consideration the competencies of the staff members to be involved, the interest of the staff members, their availability and the likely outcomes of involving specific employees. Operational need When drawing up a work plan it is important to focus on the goal of the action plan. Action plans outline what will be done, how it will be done, by whom it will be done and the timeframes and deadlines that apply and the resources that will be required. The plan will outline what needs to be done and who is responsible for the various implementation aspects of the plan. Efficiency A plan must be performed in the best possible manner with the least waste of  time and effort possible. This means using all the information, knowledge and skills learnt and using the time at your disposal. Also giving employees responsibility, accountability and delegating appropriately are all processes which will increase involvement, commitment and enthusiasm for the achievement of specific outcomes and that, I believe, is a way to make a plan efficient. Cost effectiveness To maintain costs at an acceptable level, resources must be used in the most effective ways so that use is maximised and expenditure is minimised. Staff should learn to manage the work they do in ways that don’t needlessly waste resources and work allocations must allow for the most effective use of resources. Hiring and training new staff costs, as mistakes, rework and misuse of resources. It is also necessary to negotiate the best possible prices for resources. Consultation Consultation is a key element in the development of an operatinal plan. It is important to consult with people who use the resources to determine the best deployment and acquisition methods. Employees who use resources on a day-to-day basis in order to complete their work will be able to identify problems and if encouraged to do so will be able to suggest improvements that will increase resource efficiency and effectiveness. Also consultation involves employees and gives value and credence to their ideas by making them feel valued and aware them that they contribute toward the big picture goal achievement of the organisation. When allocating work and drawing up work plans it is also necessary to consider the following: Develop KRAs and KPIs that meet the organisation’s needs  It is important to develop KRAs and KPIs because thay are a vital part of the organisational planning process. They provide a clearly defined way of measuring whether or not organisational goals have been achieved. KPIs enable organisations to measure progress towards its goals, but also define  what progress looks like. KRAs are generally formulated for the long term and focus at a higher level of organisation, while KPIs are measurable in very short intervals, they are directly tied to actions on the frontline and adjustable in real time. Develop and implement effective performance management systems Performance management systems are necessery to identify, evaluate and develop employees and teams work performances so that an organisation’s goals and objectives are more effectively achieved. Performance management systems enable management to track, monitor and evaluate work to ensure that is contributing towards the success of the organisation. Performance management is also the process of communication between manager and employee that results in mutual understanding of what employee is to be doing during the next period of time. Have a code of conduct for the organisation It is important to have a code of conduct because it provides a guide to staff for appropriate behaviour. It will not cover all issues that arise but will provide a framework within which staff can address behavioural and ethical issues. The code establishes standards by which staff and management conduct themselves towards other staff or collegues, government authorities and the general community and perform their duties and obligations. A code of conduct is generally established on values such as integrity, honesty, conscientiousness, compassion, courtesy, fairness and respect. Regurarly monitor and evaluate the work of employees It is necessary to monitor employees performance to identify and establish performance requirements as KRAs and KPIs and also to clarify and communicate the organisation’s goal achievement strategies. When conducting performance monitoring both managers and employees must have a clear agreement and understanding of the performance expectations, evaluation, processes and implications. By drawing up an action plan it becomes possible to monitor each step in the implementation process and to assess effectiveness as you go. Employees are able to see what they are achieving as they achieve it. Give effective feedback and reinforcement to employees and acknowledge good work Feedbacks are important because they reinforce good work and encourage employees to continuing improvement. Employees whose contribution to improvement processes and organisational success is recognised will be motivated to continue improving and, at the same time, it will be created an higher level of enthusiasm. If employees don’t receive feedback to let them know what they are doing well so they will continue doing it or what they are not doing well so they can make adjustments, they will not know whether their efforts are noticed and whether their performance meets the organisation’s expectations. Also satisfied staff will stay with the organisation and so will the knowledge and skills. Have systems in place to manage poor performance Is important to understand that feedbacks on poor performance will be more effective if they are adressed at the time they occur and not left until they are either escalated or been forgotten about. When poor performance is identified it is necessary to take specific steps to address it. This will involve the collection and analysis of performance related to information. When possible is better to collect direct information and from a number of different sources. It might be necessary to report to senior management the performance issues and the proposed steps that will be taken to resolve the issues that are identified by the monitoring and evaluation process. Understand the organisation’s termination policy and the legislation to which it relates It is necessary to understand that any kind of action should be performed in accordance with the law and that there are regulations that protect the employee and that prevent the management to take definitive actions if they don’t follow the law. (Fair Work Act 2009). If mangers decide that an employee’s performance is so poor as to necessiate dismissal, they must be aware of the requirements and possible consequences of dismissal under unfair dismissal laws. Unlawful dismissal are primarly based on discrimination grounds and notice periods. Project 2 It is clear that at the base there is a problem of communication within the organisation. In this case I think that the main problems are two. The first is represented by a poor training to staff which leads to insufficient knowledge of the methodology to be used during these operations and poor ability to deal with issues once they arise. The second problem is the lack of communication between the two leading department. This gap has led the supply department to make mistakes such as the client didn’t receive the goods on time or the goods have not fully made up. The result of these two major gaps made that the work was done wrong and has led the customer to be dissatisfied. To make sure that such situations do not arise again, as a manager / leader of the organisation I would focus on improving the phase of training of staff in which I’d put special attention on the internal communication between the various department. First of all, the training must be done so that employees have the material, the support and the time to acquire all the information needed so they can do their job in the best way possible and in the way that they are able to remedy any errors that may occur during one of the processes. The training also needs to be tested on site with real performances and, occasionally, with updates. Internal communication whithin an organisation is vital. Without good communication made of daily contacts between the various department, reporting changes or improvements and updates on the methodology, an organisation can not do the job in the right way, bringing the results to be insufficient for the customer and, most likely, the failure on the market. Both managers and employees therefore need training so they understand how the system works, how they can and should contribute and what the results of an appraisal should be. They must know and be involved in setting the relevant performance standard. They need to understand how the appraisal process fits with the organisation’s procedures and expectations for future performance. Starting with the basis of a good training to managers and employees and  giving proper attention to the communication system, I believe that the results of an organisation are intended to improve, even in the short term period. In the event that, despite efforts to bring the level of knowledge of the individual employee and the team to a satisfactory level, I don’t see improvements in the production and receive constant complaints from clients, I would probably consider the possibility of proceeding with more important procedures such as a final conclusion of work of the staff responsible for the lack of results.

Book Review on the Godfather by Mario Puzo

Submitted by Md. Jane Alam Sufian Assistant Director 29th BCS (Ansar) Ansar & VDP Academy Shafipur, Gazipur Book Review On The Godfather By Mario Puzo Submitted To: Hira Miah Course OIC Director (Training) Ansar & VDP Academy Shafipur, Gazipur Submitted by Md. Jane Alam Sufian Assistant Director 29th BCS (Ansar) Ansar & VDP Academy Shafipur, Gazipur Acknowledgement Book review is an important assignment for an officer. For the successful accomplishment all credits and praises are due to Almighty, the most merciful the most gracious Allah.To complete this very work I had to seek guidance and help from lot of persons who helped me without any hesitation, I am really grateful to them for their patience.. I had to take notes from the internet in this case I have used wikipedia as reference and As I had submitted the book name by Mario Puzo and it wasn’t available in our library so I had to collect this book from Nilkhet, Dhaka. I would like to express my sincerest and deepest resp ect to my course OIC Hira Miah, Director (Training) Bangladesh Ansar & VDP Academy and CC Deputy Director Kamrun Nahar Bangladesh Ansar & VDP Academy.Finally I would like to express my deepest sense of gratitude and heartfelt thanks to my course mates. Introduction The Godfather is a crime novel written by Italian American author Mario Puzo, originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. It details the story of a fictitious Sicilian Mafia family based in New York City (and Long Beach, New York) and headed by Don Vito Corleone, who became synonymous with the Italian Mafia. The novel covers the years 1945 to 1955, and also provides the back story of Vito Corleone from early childhood to adulthood.The book introduced Italian criminal terms like consiglieri, caporegime, Cosa Nostra, and omerta to an English-speaking audience. It formed the basis for a 1972 film of the same name. Two film sequels, including new contributions by Puzo himself, were made in 1974 and 1990. The first an d second films are widely considered to be two of the greatest films of all time. The cover was created by S. Neil Fujita whose design featured a large Gothic-style letter â€Å"G† with a long curl at the top emphasizing the first three letters of the title, accompanied by the hands of a puppeteer holding a set of strings over the â€Å"father† portion of the word.Title Some controversy surrounds the title of the book and its underworld implications. Although it is widely reported that Puzo was inspired to use â€Å"Godfather† as a designator for a Mafia leader from his experience as a reporter, the term The Godfather was first used in connection with the Mafia during Joe Valachi's testimony during a 1963 United States congressional hearing on organized crime. Main characters The Corleone family patriarch is Vito Corleone (The Don), whose surname (Italian for â€Å"Lionheart†) recalls the town of Corleone, Sicily.Vito has four children: Santino â€Å"Son ny† Corleone, Frederico â€Å"Fredo† Corleone, Michael â€Å"Mikey† Corleone, and Constanzia â€Å"Connie† Corleone. He also has an informally adopted son, Tom Hagen, who became the Corleones' consiglieri. Vito Corleone is also the godfather of singer and movie star Johnny Fontane. The godfather referred to in the title is generally taken to be Vito. However, the story's central character is actually Michael. Its central theme follows that it is Michael's destiny to replace his father as the head of the family, despite his determination to lead a more Americanized life with his girlfriend (and eventual wife) Kay Adams.The Corleone family is in fact a criminal organization with national influence, notably protection, extortion, gambling and union racketeering. Serving under the Don is his oldest son Santino, who serves as underboss. The operational side of the organization is headed by two caporegimes, Peter Clemenza and Salvatore Tessio. Film adaptation Ma in article: The Godfather In 1972, a film adaptation of the novel was released, starring Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone, Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola.Mario Puzo assisted with writing the screenplay and with other production tasks. The film grossed approximately $269 million worldwide and won various awards, including three Academy Awards, five Golden Globes and one Grammy and is considered to be one of the greatest films of all time. The sequel, The Godfather Part II won six Oscars, and became the first sequel to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film is similar to the novel in most places, but leaves out some details, such as extended back stories for some characters. Some of these details ere actually filmed, and were included in later versions such as The Godfather Saga. A subplot involving Johnny Fontane in Hollywood was not filmed. The biggest difference was that the novel included a more upbeat ending than the film, in which Kay Corleone accepts Michael's decision to take over his father's business. The film, in contrast, ends with Kay's realization of Michael's ruthlessness, a theme that would develop in the second and third films, which were largely not based on the original novel. Vito Corleone's backstory appeared in the second film.Other adaptations Main article: The Godfather: The Game The video game company Electronic Arts released a video game adaptation of The Godfather on March 21, 2006. The player assumes the role of a â€Å"soldier† in the Corleone family. Prior to his death, Marlon Brando provided some voice work for Vito, which was eventually deemed unusable and was dubbed over by a Brando impersonator. Francis Ford Coppola said in April 2005 that he was not informed of Paramount's decision to allow the game to be made and he did not approve of it. 4] Al Pacino also did not participate, and his likeness was replaced with a different depiction of Michael Corleone. Sequels In 1983 Pu zo's literary sequel to The Godfather was published. Entitled The Sicilian it chronicles the life of â€Å"Guiliano† (Salvatore Giuliano) but the Corleone family is featured heavily throughout, Michael Corleone in particular. Chronologically this story sits between Michael's exile to Sicily in 1950 to his return to the USA. Due to copyright reasons the Corleone family involvement was cut from the Michael Cimino movie adaption.In 2004, Random House published a sequel to Puzo's The Godfather, The Godfather Returns, by Mark Winegardner. A further sequel by Winegardner, The Godfather's Revenge, was released in 2006. The sequel novels continue the story from Puzo's novel. The Godfather Returns picks up the story immediately after the end of Puzo's The Godfather. It covers the years 1955 to 1962, as well as providing significant backstory for Michael Corleone's character prior to the events of the first novel. The events of the film The Godfather Part II all take place within the t ime frame of this novel, but are only mentioned in the background.The novel contains an appendix that attempts to correlate the events of the novels with the events of the films. The Godfather's Revenge covers the years 1963 to 1964. Continuing Puzo's habit, as seen in The Godfather, of featuring characters who are close analogues of real life events and public figures (as Johnny Fontane is an analogue of Frank Sinatra), Winegardner features in his two Godfather novels analogues of Joseph, John, and Robert Kennedy, as well as an analogue for alleged organized crime figure Carlos Marcello (Carlo Tramonti).In The Godfather Returns, Winegardner also dramatizes the sweep of organized crime arrests that took place in Apalachin, New York, in 1957. Winegardner uses all of the characters from the Puzo novels, and created a few of his own, most notably Nick Geraci, a Corleone soldier who plays a pivotal role in the sequel novels. Winegardner further develops characters from the original nove l, such as Fredo Corleone, Tom Hagen, and Johnny Fontane. Real-life influencesLarge parts of the novel are based upon reality, notably the history of the so-called ‘Five Families', the Mafia-organization in New York and the surrounding area. The novel also includes many allusions to real-life mobsters and their associates, and Johnny Fontane is based on Frank Sinatra, Moe Greene on Bugsy Siegel, for example. Summary Ageless Books are boldly ignorant of the passage of time. The past and the future merge in the permanence of a timeless story. Years and decades pass us by, we grow up and grow old, and yet these books only become more enduring with time.The Godfather story is insurmountable, it is beyond a classic, it is unashamedly ignorant of cultural, geographical or age boundaries – it resonates with all of us and has so ever since it first appeared in print in Mario Puzo‘s epic novel in 1969. Nino Rota‘s world famous main theme song is etched in the depth o f my memory from my childhood days when the music filled my house in London. the Godfather has held a special place in my heart all my life. I knew the music many years before I watched the movie first, and that came many years before I read the novel.Now, and only now, after reading the novel do I understand why everyone loved this story so much and why they repeatedly watched and listened to the music. Now I feel closer to one of my friend Razib and marvel at his taste in what I find to be a remarkable story. How I wish he could be here today to tell me his thoughts on the Godfather, now that I can appreciate it. We may express the gratitude we feel toward our families while we have the chance, but why is it that the true understanding of that gratitude often greets us bitterly late in life?The ingenuous story and remarkable characters aside, the writing of Mario Puzo is of highest quality. Puzo’s novel speaks to every reader from every walk of life, and evidently through d ifferent generations. It runs through themes understood by all humans: family and brotherhood, sacrifice and justice, trust and betrayal, revenge and retribution, business and friendship – friendship that the Godfather held so tenderly and seriously, friendship that he offered openly and generously, friendship in the name of which he offered favors and collected them in due time.In the core of this magnificent story is Mario Puzo’s writing. On the surface, it mostly appears to be a crime novel with grotesque scenes and unhappy outcomes but it is only the surface. The writing is solid, authentic, lustful and obsessive through and through – it takes your imagination into the scene, it places you inside the situation with the character and it demands that you fully partake in the intensity of every moment. The story endures and the writing of this remarkable author is the solid foundation of support which upholds t. â€Å"Amerigo Bonasera sat in New York Court Num ber 3 and waited for justice†¦. † And so we enter the under world of Italian immigrants in New York city. We encounter characters we can never forget. The depiction of these unforgettable characters – Luca Brasi, Tom Hagen, Sonny Corleone, Kay Adams, Johnny Fontaine – while secondary to our main characters, paints a permanent picture before our eyes in the hands of Mario Puzo’s masterful prose.Through these characters, we get to know our heroes, Don Vito Corleone as the head of the Corleone family and business, and the mastermind of the ingenious mafia world, and Michael Corleone, the Don’s favorite son, who refuses to follow in his father’s footsteps, joins the army and keeps a distance from the family, until one day in the deep countryside of Sicily, he meets his ultimate fate. Perhaps, in its essence, in its very core, the Godfather is a story about father and son and their undeniable bond, which can be weakened but not broken, in the company of family loyalty and devotion reciprocating that of the Corleone family. I will reason with him. † – Don Corleone’s famous motto, a phrase that, when used, immediately translated to Tom Hagen, his consigliere, that the Godfather will not be persuaded otherwise, and that it would be in the best interest of the opposing party to acquiesce to Godfather’s terms because no matter what terms presented to them at this time, if they should fail to agree, it would most certainly be subject to harsher circumstances. Don Corleone is not a criminal man in his own world. He is a gracious, reasonable and honorable man.He has earned the respect of his family, his community, his workforce, the entire immigrant population from Italy, and all who know him through his distinguished reputation. When he first came to America, for the young Vito, this was the dream land of opportunity at a time when jobs were scarce in Sicily and the government was to be feared and no t trusted. He wore out his welcome quickly in America. He soon realized that the government and the authorities do not exist to protect him, to grant him justice in the face of adversity and to act in his best interest.They exist to protect the law, which often is lacking in reason and circumstantial exceptions. The young Vito’s turning point in life comes to him in the early days in America, when recently armed with this bitter knowledge, he had to protect himself against the corrupt and feared Fanucci in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen. Vito Corleone makes the simple, logical, ingenious decision on the fate of Fanucci, and subsequently the fate of all those families and businesses from whom Fanucci extorted money for nothing in return. That marks the day when he realizes his own fate in life.He begins to believe that every man has one fate, something Michael always remembers about his father but does not fully comprehend until his hideout in Sicily later. The obsess ion and the reverence of the Godfather is stunning and undeniable. He is worshiped on a massive scale, and yet by society’s measures, he is a first rate criminal. Even as he commits the most heinous crime in all of the story, that of beheading of Khartoum, the magnificent horse belonging to Hollywood hotshot Woltz and the symbol of all beauty and innocence, the Godfather stands tall and respected.It is all understood and forgiven him as part of the business, necessary to reach certain goals and to protect certain interests. It is the legendary Marlon Brando performance engraved into a rock in our memory – standing erect and powerful, commanding his world and bringing justice where none can be achieved by society’s standard measures. The ethics of Don Corleone come to surface as he is first approached by Sollozzo, the â€Å"Turk† about the drug business. It makes perfect sense to get engaged in trafficking drugs as a guaranteed measure to long-term power a nd money.Tom Hagen lays it down clearly: If we do not get into it, someone else will. If it is not a main stream of income in the families now, it will be in 5 years, 10 years down the road. We must act quick, Tom tells the Godfather. Sonny, with his short and quick temper, makes a fatal mistake during the course of these negotiations by disagreeing with his father during the meeting with Sollozzo – words that have no doubt made a proud mark on the American pop culture when the Godfather tells him never to let anyone outside the family know what you think.Yet despite the advice of his consigliere and his most likely successor, Sonny, the Godfather stands strong if alone in refusing to engage in drug business on ethics and brilliant business vision. This decision along with Sonny’s foolishness to speak up at the Sollozzo meeting costs the Godfather 6 bullets. Even so, these bullets do not even come close to matching the merciless gunning down of Sonny that later follows . These harsh blows to the most powerful man in all of NYC at the time raise intensity among the mafia world, and yet the Don refuses to act on this with justified vengeance.It is with unwavering belief and rock-solid ethics that the Godfather then delivers a most unforgettable speech to the five Italian families in hopes of truce on the drug business. The judges and senators that hold his friendship dear would no longer wish to be associated with him if the business graduated from the small petty crimes around importing and exporting of olive oil and other goods, gambling, prostitution – a favorite of Tattalias – to a seriously debilitating substance.In all of this, he stands alone as visionaries often do. When all hell broke loose after Godfather’s shooting and his hospitalization, it took a mastermind planning session between Clemenza, Tom Hagen and Sonny and Michael to arrive at the perfect solution. It was risky but the only way to handle the situation and it was for Michael to kill the slimy NY cop, McClusky, and the head of drug business, Sollozzo, in a public restaurant. Michael flees overnight to a hideout in Sicily, and waits for the smoke to clear to come home.It takes almost three years before he is able to safely return home – during which time the Godfather tells Hagen every day â€Å"Remember to use all your wits for a plan to bring Michael home. † But it takes the genius of the Godfather’s sharp mind, even in his weakened condition, to find the only legitimate way to realize this – and that brings us to the story of Felix Bocchichio. This was omitted from the first movie but brilliantly told in the book. The Bocchichio family are the primitive borderline hostile generation who would take revenge – an eye for an eye – if anything were to happen to their clan.For that reason, having a Bocchichio hostage or having one arrange a meeting is absolute insurance on the impartial validity of the matter. And it is through a misfortune of the Bocchichio family that Michael is able to return home. When Felix Bocchichio has his wake-up call after the ruthless way in which his colleagues betray him, he has to pay for a crime he did not commit. After he served his term and was released, he shoots his enemies dead in broad daylight, and waits to be arrested. It is impossible to find a way out of this mess for Felix Bocchichio.The genius of Godfather arranges for Felix to confess to the murder of McCLusky and Sollozzo, for an exchange of large pension to his family for life. Felix confesses and Michael comes home at long last. The recurring theme of taking care of one’s family in exchange for a ‘favor’ to the Godfather is renewed at the turn of every page in this book. Some of the sub-plots running through the Godfather, non-central to the overall theme and missing from the movie, still make up my most cherished parts of this genius story.The indelible, lus tful, raw passion which Lucy Mancini and Sonny enjoy for a short while is on top of that list. Even the sweet brief romance of Michael Corleone and his first wife, the Italian bella Apollonia, deliciously described as it was, pales in comparison to the passages imparting the details of Sonny’s wild affair with Lucy. Mario Puzo proves no less a gifted author in his creation of the erotic love scenes between the impassioned lovers. The love making is predatory as Lucy and Sonny devour one another with voracious appetite.When Sonny dies, Lucy’s whole physical being aches for him, a loss and a wound that Sonny’s wife is far from experiencing. With the move to Vegas, thanks to Hagan’s arrangements to take care of â€Å"extended† relations of Sonny, Lucy embarks on a new life and adventures, including the nature of her relationship with Jules. Large or small, Puzo takes the time to first develop his characters fully – even if in isolation of other s – and then to carefully weave each into the central plot. There is a reason and time for each character to play their part, pay their dues, return a favor, or bestow an act of friendship to the Godfather.The Don, the mastermind of Mario Puzo’s creation, is the only one who knows well in advance of others – and that includes the reader – how and when each chosen one will be called to action. From the wide spectrum of the compelling personalities at his finger tips, Mario Puzo affords way too much time to developing that of the wasteful, whiny, incapable Johnny Fontaine, the Godfather’s Godson. If there is a more insufferable type in all of the Godfather, I must have missed the chapter – because Johnny Fontaine is it for me. To my disappointment, we delve into Johnny and peel layer after layer into his life, his career, and his psyche.The irony surrounding the deep love the Godfather feels for Johnny is blatant. He makes heaps of mistakes, b ut he also destroys the one singular value held of highest regards in the eyes of Don Corleone, that of family: He divorces and abandons his Italian wife and family in his drunken and desperate stupor of dealing with fame. Still the Don continues to love and support his Godson unconditionally. It is for the undeserving Johnny Fontaine that Jack Woltz pays dearly in the beheading of Khartoum, the finest, priciest, and rarest racehorse in the world.All of this sacrifice for the sacred bond of the Godfather to Godson relationship – one held very high in the eye of a Sicilian man – a bond for which the Godfather murders and destroys anything and anyone in order to protect. A sacred bond ever so wasted on a man such as Johnny Fontaine. Conclusion As a novelist and a masterful story-teller, Mario Puzo is gripping in every passage, every chapter and every book (total of 9 books in The Godfather). Movies 1 and 2 are no doubt classics of our time, and tightly capture the essenc e of the novel.Timeless movies as they be, with unforgettable theme music to pull us in even deeper into the elusive ways of the Italian mafia underworld, it is the writing that I prefer. It is in the riveting passages of Mario Puzo’s original book that his characters come alive in more riveting shapes and colors, although I admit that it is impossible not to associate them with the actors that have burned those names into our memories since the original Godfather movie. The Godfather is a masterpiece and a classic, and a story that once read and consumed, leaves its readers and viewers changed permanently.About the author Mario Puzo Mario Gianluigi Puzo (October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather (1969), which he later co-adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola. He won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in both 1972, and 1974. Puzo was born into a poor family fr om Pietradefusi, Province of Avellino, Campania, Italy living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York. [1] Many of his books draw heavily on this heritage.After graduating from the City College of New York, he joined the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. Due to his poor eyesight, the military did not let him undertake combat duties but made him a public relations officer stationed in Germany. In 1950, his first short story, The Last Christmas, was published in American Vanguard. After the war, he wrote his first book, The Dark Arena, which was published in 1955. At periods in the 1950s and early 1960s, Puzo worked as a writer/editor for publisher Martin Goodman's Magazine Management Company.Puzo, along with other writers like Bruce Jay Friedman, worked for the company line of men's magazines, pulp titles like Male, True Action, and Swank. Under the pseudonym Mario Cleri, Puzo wrote World War II adventure features for True Action. Puzo's most famous work, The Godf ather, was first published in 1969 after he had heard anecdotes about Mafia organizations during his time in pulp journalism. He later said in an interview with Larry King that his principal motivation was to make money. He had already, after all, written two books that had received great reviews, yet had not amounted to much.As a government clerk with five children, he was looking to write something that would appeal to the masses. With a number one bestseller for months on the New York Times Best Seller List, Mario Puzo had found his target audience. The book was later developed into the film The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The movie received 11 Academy Award nominations, winning three, including an Oscar for Puzo for Best Adapted Screenplay. Coppola and Puzo collaborated then to work on sequels to the original film, The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III.Puzo wrote the first draft of the script for the 1974 disaster film Earthquake, which he was unable to continue working on due to his commitment to The Godfather Part II. Puzo also co-wrote Richard Donner's Superman and the original draft for Superman II. He also collaborated on the stories for the 1982 film A Time to Die and the 1984 Francis Ford Coppola film The Cotton Club. Puzo never saw the publication of his penultimate book, Omerta, but the manuscript was finished before his death as was the manuscript for The Family.However, in a review originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jules Siegel, who had worked closely with Puzo at Magazine Management Company, speculated that Omerta may have been completed by â€Å"some talentless hack. † Siegel also acknowledges the temptation to â€Å"rationalize avoiding what is probably the correct analysis – that [Puzo] wrote it and it is terrible. † Puzo died of heart failure on Friday, July 2, 1999 at his home in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York. His family now lives in East Islip, New York. Works of PuzoN ovels †¢The Dark Arena (1955) †¢The Fortunate Pilgrim (1965) †¢The Runaway Summer of Davie Shaw (1966) †¢Six Graves to Munich (1967), as Mario Cleri †¢The Godfather (1969) †¢Fools Die (1978) †¢The Sicilian (1984) †¢The Fourth K (1991) †¢The Last Don (1996) †¢Omerta (2000) †¢The Family (2001) (completed by Puzo's girlfriend Carol Gino) Non-fiction †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Test Yourself: Are You Heading for a Nervous Breakdown? † as by Mario Cleri (1965) †¢The Godfather Papers and Other Confessions (1972) †¢Inside Las Vegas (1977) Short stories †¢Ã¢â‚¬ The Last Christmas† (1950) â€Å"John ‘Red' Marston's Island of Delight† as by Mario Cleri (1964) †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Big Mike's Wild Young Sister-in-law† as by Mario Cleri (1964) †¢Ã¢â‚¬ The Six Million Killer Sharks That Terrorize Our Shores† as by Mario Cleri (1966) †¢Ã¢â‚¬ The Unkillable Six† as by Mario Cleri (1967) †¢Ã ¢â‚¬ Girls of Pleasure Penthouse† as by Mario Cleri (1968) †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Order Lucy For Tonight† as by Mario Cleri (1968) †¢Ã¢â‚¬ 12 Barracks of Wild Blondes† as Mario Cleri (1968) Screenplays †¢The Godfather (1972) †¢The Godfather Part II (1974) †¢Earthquake (1974) †¢Superman (1978) †¢Superman II (1980) †¢The Godfather Part III (1990) †¢Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992)Summary:The book opens with the wedding of Connie Corleone, daughter of Don Vito ‘The Godfather' Corleone, head of the most powerful of the five great Mafia clans or ‘families' of New York. Don Corleone is shot at by a new contender for power in the city, Virgil ‘the Turk' Solozzo, who plans to obtain power by the lure of vast profits in the drug trafficking trade. After the Don is incapacitated by his assassination attempt, the book follows the Corleone family's progress as they must now adapt to the changing times and power dynam ics and maintain the Corleone empire.Santino ‘Sonny' Corleone is too blunt and brash a man to ever become Don while Freddie is weak and ineffective. The book follows the journey and transformation of the youngest, and hitherto the Don's most distant, son Michael as he realizes that though he may have tried to live by society's norms, rejecting what his father represented, inside lives a true Sicilian who will stop at nothing to get what he wants and protect those he loves. Michael has a tough task ahead of him, he has to locate his father's would-be assassin, crush the rival gangs and regain once more the respect that the name Corleone inspired in New York†¦