235 Essay Example

Continuum of Care Hcs/235 Essay Example Continuum of Care Hcs/235 Essay Continuum of Care Hcs/235 Essay Running Head: CONTINUUM OF CARE Continuum of care Vicki Turner HCS/235 February 28, 2011 Lisa Church Emory health care, located in Atlanta, Georgia, has been the leading health care resource and for providers since 1905. Emory Healthcare has been the leading entity of medicine, practicing revolutionary research, and collective knowledge into lifesaving achievements. The Emory health care system is the largest, most wide-range health care system in Georgia. Emory Healthcare has 1,184 patient beds, 9,000 employees and more than 20 health centers throughout Atlanta,(Emory health care, 2010). According to Emory health care, 2010, the Emory Healthcare system includes The Emory Clinic; Emory University Hospital, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Emorys Midtown Atlanta hospital; Emory University Orthopedics and Spine Hospital in Tucker, Georgia, Emory-Adventist Hospital at Smyrna, Emory-Childrens Center, Wesley Woods Center, and Emory Johns Creek Hospital. Emory benefits from a close working relationship with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Grady Memorial Hospital. The health care system in addition, is the main partner in the Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute (ACTSI), where Emory doctors and researchers team up with colleagues from the Morehouse School of Medicine and the Georgia Institute of Technology to proficiently understand the means to advance healthcare for the Atlanta community. The services that are provided by the Emory health care system are as follows: Acute care, Cancer care, Dermatology, Ear, Nose, and Throat, Eye care, Geriatrics, Heart and Vascular services, Infectious diseases, Kidney disease and dialysis, Liver disease, Mental health, Neurology and Neurosurgery, oral surgery, Orthopedics, Spine care and Sports medicine, Pain management, Pediatric subspecialties, Plastic and cosmetic surgery, Primary care, Pulmonary care, Radiology and imaging, Rehabilitation, Transplant, Urology, Weight loss, and Women’s health. The Emory health care system is extremely broad in disciplines as well as city ide locations the continuum of care factor is addressed through system sponsored community health care events, and through the Emory’s interactive website, emoryhealthcare. org/about-us/index. html. Emory also offers annually 250 classes and events to educate the community on various health care topics. With Emory being a teaching organization, the health care system serves as a massive resource tool not only for Atlanta and its communities but also as an international resource, as patients come from around the world to be seen and treated by Emory health care’s specialist. Moreover, because Emory has a wide range of services for a wide age range the health care system could very well begin seeing a patient at birth and see that very same patient in several areas of medicine, throughout his or her life to include geriatrics. Though the system is large the electronic health record is utilized making the patient’s health information accessible for all disciplines in the health care system. The Emory health care system website is very helpful regarding the scope of medical services provided to the community and is also gives helpful information regarding who one would see for various health issues. With the website being user-friendly one could be an active participant in one’s own health care delivery. As a patient, one can request copies of medical records, ask nurse questions, schedule appointments, and take a virtual trip to Emory hospital. In addition to the website, on can also interact with Emory on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, and Emory healthcare Blog. I would use this website to help me to manage my hypertension, as the website offers diets for hypertensive patients, and blood pressure logs. Reference Emory Health care. (2010). Retrieved from, emoryhealthcare. org/about-us/index. html

Something new, something old, something personal Essays

Something new, something old, something personal Essays Something new, something old, something personal Essay Something new, something old, something personal Essay The Item I picked for something new Is my Hess Truck Collection. I have been collecting these trucks since I was five years old. They are made and sold once a year by Hess Gas Stations. Hess Gas Stations are on the East Coast. My Grandmother lives In Philadelphia and bought my first truck for me. The trucks are amazingly detailed. Each year is a really unique model with lots of Intricate details. Some of the rare Hess Trucks are from the sasss. I hope to find some of them someday. For my something Old I chose my Marx Train. I have always enjoyed trains. Maybe hats because I have been taking the Amtrak train from Oregon to Philadelphia Pa. Since I was born, sometimes twice a year. I love the history of trains and how they helped open the West. I love the motion on a long train ride (it rocks you to sleep). The views are great and so is the food When you are on a train for a long time you make what my family calls travel friends. There are a lot of people on road trips across the country every day. The company that makes my train, the Marx company no longer exists which makes these trains a little rare. This engine was made in 1926. I definitely would say that my dog Buddy is the most special thing to me besides my family. He is a Golden Retriever and he is eight years old. This breed has a reputation for being really friendly and he really is a good friend. If I am ever feeling down he helps me. He sis good listener. Buddy has some Alpha dog behavior. He feels like he has to be in charge.

The Political Economy of States in the Middle East and North Africa Essay

The Political Economy of States in the Middle East and North Africa - Essay Example First, the report highlights the dominant economic activities and social service in Egypt. Second, the study will look at the political systems in Egypt with an emphasis on their connection with the citizens. Third, the paper will explore the citizenship rights and the role of women in politics and development of Egypt. Finally, the research will relate the views of international community about Egypt with a keen interest on the stand of U.S on the matter. Political Economy of Egypt Egypt leads in the population in the Arab world. It is the second populous country in the African continent. It has a population of about 80 million people living in different locations. The regions include Alexandria and Cairo, the banks of river Nile, and along Suez Canal. The regions support many people. They are in the category of the world’s densely populated regions. On average, a square carries over 3,820 persons. Egyptians are fairly homogeneous people of Hamitic origins. Most of the citize ns in Egypt are Muslims. However, there are minorities who are Christians (Aldosari 33). Egypt economy depends on petroleum exports, tourism, and agriculture. Egyptians practice agriculture in the fertile grounds of Nile Valley and Delta. This area is approximately 2.5 million hectares. The estimate of the workforce that engages directly in farming is about one-third. Egyptians who do carry out the tilling of the land make their fortunes from the agricultural industries. The factories deal with processing of agricultural products that feed the Egyptians. The surplus is exporter to earn foreign currency. There are projects in progress to convert the Egyptian deserts to productive lands. This is a government initiative to balance agricultural outputs in Egypt. A good example of such projects is the Toshka project in the Upper Egypt (Aldosari 1144). The warm weather and steady supply of water supports crop farming throughout the year. Predominantly, Egypt grows cotton, rice, sugarcane, sugar beets onions, wheat, corn, and beans. Cotton contributes significantly to agricultural exports. Egypt also produces fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Egypt export crops such as grapes, potatoes, and green beans to Europe. The close proximity of Egypt to the European markets boosts the export trade remarkably. This is because the short distance reduces the shipping costs. Farmers rear livestock in small quantities. These comprise of buffaloes, chicken, and water buffaloes. In addition to the agricultural capacity, the Nile Valley and Delta Egypt is endowed with natural resources. These include petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, and iron ore deposits. The gulf of Suez Canal and Western Desert contain rich sources of crude oil. Natural gas comes from the Nile Delta that is off the Mediterranean seashore, and in Western desert. Oil and gas product contributes to about 12% of the Egypt Domestic Gross Product (GDP). In the year 2008-2009 the petroleum and its products brought in $ 11.4 billion (Oxford Business Group 104). Tourism industry flourishes in Egypt. The country provides reliable domestic air service for tourists. Cairo is the major tourist hub in Egypt. Egypt leads in tourist destination in the Middle East. For instance, in the year 1996 Egypt tourists’ arrival reached a high mark of 3.9 million. This was an average stay of six nights. This contributes to 25 % of all of the total tourist traffic to the Middle East. The

'The budget is a tool of repression rather than innovation' cited by Essay

'The budget is a tool of repression rather than innovation' cited by Hope and Fraser - Essay Example Budgets also enable the measurement of actual financial operations against a forecast and establish the costs constraints of a project, operation and program (Daum 2001, p. 21). Budgets have been used as tools for aiding the planning of actual operations by ensuring managers consider changes in their environment. Additionally, budgets enable managers to outline steps and measures for ensuring the organization meets it objectives. Budgets crucially help managers to examine the relationships between the different departments and their own operations. Most importantly, budgets control resources, and help in communicating organizational plans within the different settings (Drury 2007, p. 31). It is equally crucial to mention that budgets motivate managers to work towards the achievement of the organization’s objectives, provide visibility of the organization’s performance, and help when evaluating the performance of managers. Recently, budgets and budgeting processes have f aced immense criticism consequently attract publicity. Critics to budgets and budgeting note that budgets provide barriers to successful management and utilization of organizational resources. According to these critics, budgets influence managers and employees in counterproductive ways. It is essential to note the movement of current economies and their rapid rates of maturity are negatively affected by budgets because they impede flexibility of organizations (Daum, 2004, p. 41). Since 1998, several propositions have been made for the development of a new management philosophy called Beyond Budgeting. These proposals emerge as responses to dissatisfactions with traditional management approaches. These approaches focus on management as a function of budgeting through control cultures and command influences. In recent years, organizations have faced immense pressure to change their management strategies and approaches. This has been motivated by the need to shift from traditional man agement strategies because of changing business and operational environments. It is crucial to note that company and organizational activities become complex when seeking income generation. In this case, company activities have grown in dynamics, complexity and competitiveness despite the uncertain and turbulent business conditions (Dugdale, and Lyne, 2006, p. 51). Currently, businesses are not limited to production and sales, but rather, they engage in different economic and non-economic activities. Currently, organizations need to operate with the intention of addressing quality aspects of the business spectrum to maintain their productivity and competitiveness as well as maintain contact with their customers. Therefore, companies have begun identifying internal processes that impede their functioning in order to respond to challenges within the current business environment. In the process, companies are getting rid of their inflexible processes or procedures that limit their flex ibility (Hope, and Fraser, 1999, p. 67). The Beyond Budgeting model provides an essential strategy for organizations to fill the gap left by abandoning budgeting. This strategy provides tools that enable managers to achieve their market objectives and develop plans. It also prevents managers from focusing their energies on their budget requirements. The Beyond Budgeting approach provides organizations with platforms for controlling and managing

Agnews General Strain Theory (GST) Summary and Analysis

Agnews General Strain Theory (GST) Summary and Analysis INTRODUCTION According to an American Psychological Association survey, 73% of Americans named money as the primary affecter of their stress levels. Stress can be influenced by a variety of factors however, whether it is accumulation of wealth, death of a friend, or perhaps loss of job. Anger and depression are often are the results of failing to achieve goals, such as a student struggling to fit in with his peers or with the loss of a positively valued stimuli such as a friend or family member. Peoples methods of coping with stress can take two general avenues, the first avenue being the use of legitimate means of achieving goals or coping with stress, such as seeking professional help, and the second being illegitimate means, for example, bullying kids at school because of frustrations of not fitting in. Are people more likely to commit crime when stressed? This question would be answered yes by Robert Agnew and can be examined using his General Strain Theory which explores the causes strain, h ow to measure strain, the relationship between strain and crime, as well as policy implications based directly off his theory. A BRIEF HISTORY OF STRAIN THEORY Emile Durkheim first popularized the term anomie, which essentially is defined normlessness, or the instability that occurs when norms and cultural values breakdown. Durkheim argued that during rapid changes that take place in society, norms will breakdown. Robert King Merton in 1938 used the idea of anomie to help develop the foundation for strain theory. Merton argues that the struggle to accumulate wealth is the chief cause of strain (Merton 1938: 670). Merton suggests that there are two important elements of social structure. The first contains cultural goals, the function of the goals, and interests (Merton 1938: 672). The second phase of the social structure defines how society is to go about achieving these goals, by placing regulations and creating laws (Merton 1938: 673). The American dream is a popular culturally defined goal, Merton argued, which through honest-dedicated work, anyone can achieve this dream of wealth. Society defines what avenues are to be considered legitimate to achieve this goal, for example, earning a college degree and earning a high paying job would be a legitimate path as defined by our society. Since wealth in American is not distributed equally Merton (1938) argued that strain often occurs for those who are undercapitalized and do not have access to these legitimate means. Merton (1938) illustrates four responses to this strain. The first, conformity, Merton suggests that people who take this path subscribe to cultural goals and go about achieving these goals by using societys institutionalized means. The second path, innovation, suggests that when a person finds that an obstacle inhibits the ability to achieve the cultural goals, the person will not use institutionalized means; rather, they will employ other means. The third path, ritualism, describes a person that will reject the culture goals of society, but use its institutions as an avenue for advancement. The fourth, is the polar opposite of the path of conformity such that a person who is retreatist will reject cultural goals and its institutionalized means, people that take this path are people who essentially are not part of society (Merton 1938: 674). Furthering Mertons ideas in 1994, Messer and Rosenfeld expanded on idea of the American Dream as an origin of criminality. Messer and Rosenfeld (1994) state that the heavy emphasis on American Dream encourages criminal impulses while creating a weak normative environment. Agnews Revision of Strain Theory Robert Agnew, who devised a revision to previous strain theories, argued that most of the previous theories accredit crime to the failure of adolescents to accomplish traditional goals defined by society through legitimate avenues (Agnew 1985). Agnew (1992) states that despite criticism from distinguished theorists such as Travis Hirschi, strain theory can be vital in the explanation of some delinquency, although to do so effectively, strain theory needs revision. Agnew cites that if in fact the previous theories were to be true, it would be expected that crime would occur when there would be there a strong desire for monetary success and a low expectation of fulfilling that desire (Agnew 1985). However, Agnew (1985), suggests that tests have proved differently. According to Agnew (2001) studies show that delinquency peaks when desires, goals, and the expectation of achieving the desires or goals are low, and delinquency is lowest when desires, goals and the expectation of accomplishing the goals are high(Agnew 2001:). This is only one example of how Agnew began his revision Agnews General Strain Theory Agnews strain theory is focused on the individual level and their immediate social environment (Agnew 1992:48). Where most other strain theories, such as Mertons, put a heavy focus on accumulation of wealth, a structural cultural goal, Agnew tends to focus on goals that cause strain other than wealth accumulation. Agnew (1992) identifies three major sources of strain, being, the prevention or blockage of achieving positively valued goals, the removal of positively valued stimuli, and the threat or presentation of negatively valued stimuli. Failure to Achieve Goals Agnew (1992:51) describes multiple types of strain that fall under the category of failing to achieve positively valued goals. They are (1) strain as the disjunction between expectations and actual achievements; not achieving these goals is likely to cause anger, dissatisfaction, and disappointment, this cause of strain connects back to previous strain theories, such as Mertons (Agnew 1992:51). (2) Strain as the disjunction between just or fair outcomes and actual outcome. This source looks beyond simply failing to achieve a goal of monetary success or doing well in school (Agnew 1992:53). An example of this source of strain would be when an outcome of a situation conflicts with what the individual believed they deserved. Lets say a sales worker who thought they deserved a promotion due to good sales performance gets demoted while someone with less credentials get promoted. This can lead to strain due to inequity, where an individual will feel that they are unequal to those of their peers and will subsequently increase the chances they engage in delinquency. The main reason for delinquency in this case is to attempt to improve their outcome, such as lying on sales and fudging the books, or affect others outcome, such as writing slanderous rumors that get someone fired (Agnew 1992:54). Removal of Stimuli Agnew describes that by removing a positively valued stimuli it has the potential to cause strain. Getting something of great value stolen from you would be an example of the removal. The desire to get the object back could lead to a person committing delinquent acts by seeking revenge for those responsible. Negative Stimuli The existence of unpleasant stimuli can lead to delinquent behavior through the following avenue: Agnew (1992) states that a person may seek an escape from the negative stimuli, by trying to dispose of the stimuli. An example of removing stimuli could be someone shooting up a school because they were bullied, thus terminating the negative stimuli. Crime In short, using the above sources of strain, it is clear that negative relationships with other have potential to cause strain in an individual and in turn result in negative emotions. Agnew (1992) argues that the key emotion associated with General Strain theory is anger. A negative affect such as anger, is likely to lead an individual to take corrective steps to quell their anger. Often times anger leads an individual to seek revenge and is also a strong motivator for action. Broidys Test Agnews Theory state that strains are shaped by various factors, including the nature, intensity, and duration of the strain, the emotions that the strain produces in the individual, the collection of coping mechanisms at an individuals disposal (Broidy 2001:10). By measuring these factors, primarily intensity and duration of strain, General Strain Theory can be empirically tested by criminologists. (Broidy 2001:10) Lisa Broidy, from the University of New Mexico, examined cross sectional data of 896 undergraduate students from seven different disciplines, who participated in self report surveys. Although Broidy (2001) suggests that the non random sample is not ideal, being neither representative of all college students nor representative to the population as a whole is useful for the purpose of this test. Broidy (2001) asserts that by testing the theory with most middle-class, white college age students, it ensures that the results of the test are not spurious. Using the survey data to test three hypothesizes, Broidy found that a failure to achieve goals that were set by an individual were less likely to result in anger where a failure to achieve goals due unfair circumstances were much more likely to cause negative emotions. This study done by Broidy appears to be consistent with general strain theory such that, anger induced from strain is likely to lead to illegitimate coping strategies. However, Broidys study yielded some results that were not consistent with General Strain Theory. For example, the finding that anger is unrelated to the likelihood of legitimate coping, is a finding that is not assumed in General Strain Theory (Broidy 2001:29), as the theory does in fact predict that negative emotions like anger would be associated with legitimate coping strategies. Also found in this study was that females were much less likely to employ illegitimate coping strategies than males, leading Broidy to suggest that future studies of general strain theory should study the effect that gender has on assumptions described in general strain theory. (Broidy 2001:) Since Agnews major revision in 1992 there has been a substantial amount of empirical tests like Broidys, which there had not been previously (Froggio 2007: 392-394). Much of the test results conducted between 1992 and 2003 confirms that correlation exists between stressful events, strain induced anger, and criminal activity. However, Froggio (2007) argues that despite evidence of correlation between delinquency and assumptions of General Strain Theory, the correlation is not clear cut in that many of the surveys conducted were limited. Moreover, Froggio (2007), argues that surveys in the future should incorporate Agnews assumptions of when crime is most likely to occur. Policy Implications After reading the literature, policy implications for General Strain Theory become obvious. Since General Strain Theory builds off the idea that blocked goals cause negative emotions such as anger, it should be emphasized that going to anger management is appropriate route to coping with stress rather than using alternative means such as beating someone up. Encouraging K-12 schools to teach children that the accumulation of wealth is not what is success necessary is could be another implication based off of this theory, by doing this it could encourage children to value family, job stability, and good health rather than simply becoming wealthy. Although difficult, equalizing the opportunity for all to become successful would prove to be effective based on the assumptions of strain theories. Equalizing opportunities could include paying females equal wages, or provide more intensive education in low income areas, as well as making it easier for those in lower socioeconomic classes to attend college. Strengths, Weaknesses, and Comments General strain theory can be easy to subscribe to due in part to its broad scope, and General Strain Theory unlike previous strain theories is able to focus on middle and lower class delinquency, rather than exclusively lower class like Merton. Some empirical evidence regarding general strain theory shows a strong correlate between negative emotions (anger) caused by strain and criminal activity. However, General Strain Theory fails to explain why some individuals who experience great amounts of strain fail to resort to illegitimate coping strategies. General Strain Theory by definition is a logically sound theory, as it is not tautological, and can clearly be falsified. General Strain theory in my opinion is parsimonious in its general explanation of why strain causes crime, but latent variables such as gender, age, race, neighborhood, and other factors make it complicated when it boils down to experimental testing. Although the theory appears to be logical and fits the criteria for being a good theory by what was learned in CRMJ 301, I have become a skeptic of the theory. In order for a person like me, who is eternally critical, to become an advocate of a theory like such, I would like to see more comprehensive studies done. If money and resources were not an issue I would suggest organizing a birth cohort study, where a team follows children from birth until they are in their 25. This would let the researchers look at various factors that cause strain firsthand, by doing interviews and surveys more frequently. Until then I beli eve that General Strain Theory is incomplete but if incorporated with other theories it can be helpful in explaining some delinquency.

Harimann International Essay

Executive Summary Vikram Dhawan is the president of Harimann International that he established in May of 1990. Vikram established the business in an effort to fund his impending Masters in Business Administration in the United States. The business is located in Delhi, India where tax incentives are offered for business who export goods and materials to targeted countries including Japan, Canada, and France. Incentives in India include no tax on goods shipped to target countries, incentives on shipments exceeding 150,000 INR, partial rebated duties taxes on raw materials imported for the use of exported goods, cash incentives, and license renewals for materials used in production. Harimann International in its first year, 1990, focused on the exporting of linen household goods. Business was slow and profits were low until 1991 when a particular type of hand-embroidered table linen became very popular. Sales and orders increased. Dhawan was then faced with the inability to rely on his supplier after the demand exceeded their ability to provide material need for the impending orders. Dhawan then established a second manufacturing facility employing over 100 employees and producing an average of 1,000 garments a day. In January of 1992 one of Harimann International’s first clients Pioneer Trading Company requested samples and later placed an order with Harimann for six styles of garments. The order well exceeded the 150,000 INR requirements and qualified for other incentives provided by the Indian government. Pioneer Trading Company also placed a stipulation on the order that it had to be provided by the deadline of April 6th. This deadline would give Harimann International about two months to fulfill the order. Placing the order would allow Harimann to make a large profit, but also allow him to continue to employ workers for an extend period of time that would be furloughed in other cases. Decision Problem What should Harimann International choose to do? Should they accept the order and potentially make a high profit deal, continue the relationship with Pioneer Trading Company, and benefit Harimann International employees or deny the deal and not suffer the potential for a lose by not meeting the April 6 deadline established by Pioneer Trading Company? Analysis of the Industry and the Company Textile production and trade is the leading industry in India. According to India Brand Equity Foundation (ibef.org) the textile industry provides â€Å"14% of the industrial production, 4% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) , and 10.63 % of export earnings.† The textile industry is second only to agriculture in providing employment to the people of India proving over 35 million employment opportunities. The textile industry in India produced over 7.58 billion in revenue compared to the United States at 7.21 billion between April and July of 2010. Indian government provides incentives to organizations exporting large amounts of textile products. Incentives include tax breaks on imported raw material as well as exported finished goods, cash incentives, and insurance benefits to employees of the organization. Possible Decision Alternatives Harimann International is faced with a number of decisions to be made. First Vikram Dhawan can reject the order entirely and risk losing an established customer who has helped his organization grow over the past year. A second alternative is to accept the order as well as the deadline of April 6th leaving the risk of not meeting the deadline. This alternative has the potential of making a substantial profit due to the size of the order and the incentives provided by the Indian Government. This alternative also provides more work for employees of Harimann International that would not have been provided if the order is not accepted. The alternative also has the potential for disaster in that it if the deadline is not meet the respected client could and future profits could be lost. The third is to accept the order, not meet the deadline, and sell at a reduced price to Pioneer. This alternative also has the risk of losing an established customer and future business. Evaluation of Alternatives Three alternatives face Vikram Dhawan of Harimann International. The first is to not accept the offer and reject the proposal of delivering the product to Pioneer Trading Company. The decision would have lasting repercussions with the relationship between the two companies and inevitably cost Harimann International future profits. Harimann International will also incur a loss due to purchasing the product already and having to resale. The decision trees found in tables 3 and 4 show the loss after selling the embroidered product at 65 % of cost and the unembroidered product at 90% of cost to be a loss of $45,202.50. The second is to accept the offer with two different outcomes. The first outcome is that the order is completed and delivered on time. This outcome of alternative two will gain a profit of $315,238. The completion of the order will also keep a good relation between the two companies with the possibility of further profit for Harimann International in the future. The second outcome is some what more complicated. The second outcome consists of probabilities that Dhawan believes will occur. As seen in tables 3 and 4 the probabilities will be applied if the shipment is not delivered on time. If the order is not delivered on time Dhawan believes that the probability of 50% payment will occur 40% of the time. The payment for this occurrence will create a loss for Harimann International of $72,081. The probability of 30% payment Dhawan believes is 40% netting a loss of $311,380. The final probability is 20% of a 20% payment of $360,720. Recommendations After careful review of the two alternatives Dhawan should proceed with the order. With an 80% chance of completing the order and a profit of $315,238 he should take the risk. Tables 3 and 4 both show the probability in dollars of accepting the order to be in the positive at $270,132.32. Table 3 uses color codes to label the arithmetic occurring and 4 is a more simple way of presenting the decision tree. Table 1 shows the total profit that can be made by achieving the order on time. Table 2 shows the loss that will be incurred if the order is not delivered on time. Even though the possibility of incurring a $360,720 loss is possible, the probability of it  occurring is very small. With an 80% chance of completing the order on time Dhawan should take and complete the order with Pioneer Trading Company for a profit and securing future business that will also bring in more profit for Harimann International.

Life on the Western Front Essay

The First World War was a shattering experience for all Europeans, both soldiers and civilians. Memoirs show that soldiers expressed a wide variety of views on the war. Some soldiers enjoyed the war and some hated it, but most were unable to decide how they felt about it. In this essay I will be examining whether or not official accounts of the Western Front more accurate than personal accounts. I will survey several sources and try to draw a conclusion. Soldiers in the war were allowed little correspondence. Their letters and postcards sent home were censored to the point of very little detail. They were only allowed to write about family, friends and their health, as can be seen on the field service postcard, source A1. The honour clause was a statement all soldiers had to sign to confirm they were not writing about anything else other than private family matters. The honour clause also gave the officials permission to examine the contents of the postcard/letter e.g. ‘Green envelope’ source A2. The officials censored letters and postcards because they didn’t want people back home to know too much and also because they didn’t want the Germans to accidentally find out their plans. They were able to do this under the defence of the Realm Act 1916. Postcards and letters were limited because the government wanted to maintain high morale on people back home so that recruitment would not be affected. The postcards are useful to historians studying the Western Front because it shows how little time the soldiers had. They also tried to be more optimistic when writing back home to family and friends. This is because they didn’t want them to worry too much so tried to keep a happy tone in their letters. I personally think letters in the personal section give the most information about trench life because in the official account the trenches are shown as they are meant to be, not as they actually are. Whereas in the personal account soldiers describe what the trenches are like. â€Å"About six feet in depth, they were floored with duckboards and were wide enough for two men to pass comfortably†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Some of the letters in the personal account are similar. Many soldiers wrote about the same things i.e. light-hearted happy conversations. â€Å"I got your letter today and you seem quite cheery so as long as Dora’s all right all’s well with the world.† So as to not worry their family and friends. The letters and postcards in the official and personal section do not give off the same impression of life on the Western Front. For example, Teddy Bennett who was a second lieutenant of the twenty-ninth battalion of the Machine Gun Corps described the trenches as eighteen inches and only three feet deep , only big enough for a ‘drain pipe’. But George Coppard wrote that the trenches were ‘in very good condition’ and were ‘about six feet in depth†¦ enough for two men to pass through comfortably’. These two clearly show that trenches varied in condition. The majority of soldiers used the same tone and wrote about similar things effectively censoring themselves. The letters and postcards do not give the same impression of life on the Western Front as other sources. The other sources i.e. photos showed soldiers dieing cruel deaths and suffering from severe injuries and diseases. I don’t think this type of evidence, personal and official, gives a totally accurate view of life on the Western Front but they are useful as evidence of soldiers feelings and opinions. Official war artists were commissioned by the government to paint pictures/images of the war. Fortunino Matanaia and C.R Nevinson are examples of war artists. Paul Nash was a front line soldier for four months in 1917 but was sent home after an accident. He was then sent back to the Western Front as an official war artist. He was ordered not to show any dead bodies in his pictures. He gave off a peaceful and honourable impression of the war. The content of some of the paintings in the official section are not reliable because they censored dead bodies. I don’t think these paintings in the official section are an expression of opinion because the artists were told what to hide & what to draw. The painting by John Singer showing soldiers blinded by gas seems fairly accurate to me because it was painted in 1918 and during that time many soldiers suffered from tear gas that caused temporary blindness. The painting is very similar to source A5, a photo. I think source A4, the photo showing two British troops in anti -phosgene masks manning a Vickers machine-gun, was posed to show those back home that anti-phosgene masks were provided for soldiers so more volunteers would sign up to join the army. I think it was posed because until after 1916 there were no more volunteers and conscription was introduced. My feelings towards source A9, a photo of two men badly disabled from the war which might have been used for propaganda purposes, is sympathy. But soldiers would not want pity because they felt proud. This is one of the differences of the two generations. I think that they feel the need to smile to show they are strong and they probably think they have to put on a brave face so their loved-ones won’t worry. Sources B9-B13 are more gruesome compared to the sources in the official account. The reasons for the difference are officials wanted to conceal all the gruesome deaths that the British soldiers had and only took photos of their peaceful deaths. I think photos, official and personal, are quite accurate as source of information on the Western Front for a variety of purposes. Punch was a British humorous political magazine. It contained anti-German propaganda. The main purpose of political cartoons is to get a message across in a more entertaining way. I think source A10 is very useful to historians studying soldiers’ attitudes to life on the Western Front because it shows that soldiers were pessimistic and found trench life difficult to handle. I don’t think source A13 is reliable. This is because the cartoon was taken from a British political magazine and the Germans were the enemy so they would have wanted to make the Germans look bad. There are a few hints of bias in sources A14 and A15, for example â€Å"Our operations, in conjunction with the French, definitely stopped the German attack, and it has not since been removed.† and â€Å"We progressed North Poziers and hear High wood and Delville extremely severe enemy losses.† This is because the articles were written by the British and also because they were official. Based on what I have read I don’t think cartoons and newspaper are reliable. Although it is useful for historians studying soldiers’ humour. The most famous war poets are Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. Seigfried Sassoon serviced was an officer who suffered from shell shock and had come to the conclusion that the War was pointless. He was sent home on sick leave in 1916. During his second visit to France his views on war became more doubtful about the way in which war was being conducted from a military point of view. By July 1916 he was well enough to return to duty but he couldn’t bring himself to do so, so he wrote a statement which he regarded as ‘an act of wilful defiance of military authority’. The officials found this hilarious and he was ordered to attend a Medical Board at Chester in July 16th but he failed to attend. A Second Board was arranged at Liverpool on July 20th, which he attended and it was recommended that he be sent to Craiglockhart. Wilfred Owen spent the winter on 1916-7 on the front line but was then sent home on sick leave. He returned to the front on 1st September 1918 and was killed on 4th November, seven days before the war ended. He was awarded the Military Cross. Many of the poems were about warfare and the effects of gas and bombardment. For example ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen tells the story of a phosgene gas attack as troops were making their way back from the front line. This poem is backed up by source A5. It is possible that these poems are exaggerated because the soldiers might have been suffering from depression and by writing these poems they were drowning their sorrows. I don’t think the poems are inaccurate because they are from soldiers’ views. Many of the poems are making a specific point i.e. ‘Does it Matter’ and ‘For the Fallen’ written by Siegfried Sassoon. The poem ‘Suicide in the trenches’ by Siegfried Sassoon tells the story of a ‘simpler soldier boy’ who fought in the war and couldn’t cope so committed suicide expresses anti-war sentiment. The poem ‘Returning, we hear the larks’ written by Isaac Rosenberg also expresses anti-war sentiment. In the poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ the title is Latin saying Dulce et Decorum est pro patria mori meaning ‘It is sweet and noble to die for your country.’ I think it is used in the last line because the soldiers die in the end and the poet is saying it is sweet and noble of them. Also to highlight the wrong. Overall, these poems are quite accurate as evidence of life on the Western Front because they are soldiers’ points of views and this was the only way they were allowed to express their feelings. Siegfried Sassoon was decided as having mental illnesses because he didn’t agree with the way war was conducted. As a result of this he was admitted into a mental hospital to be treated for shell shock. My opinion of the war poets are they were all depressed and found war difficult so they wrote poems to show this. I think they can be relied upon as they are the thoughts and feelings of soldiers. Which cannot be ignored and tend to highlight the variety of experience on the Western Front. The conditions of the trenches were often very bad. The mud was often deep and became very muddy whenever it rained. The trenches were lined with sandbags and collapsed as they filled with water causing the sides to rupture. The trenches were always shelled by enemy artillery which destroyed the sandbags and sides of the trenches so needed frequent repair. Barbed wire lined the outside of the trenches to keep the enemy from attacking. Many soldiers experienced illnesses and diseases whilst living in the trenches. Trench foot was a common disease which many soldiers got by standing in mud for too long. To prevent this from spreading the soldiers rubbed whale oil on to their feet everyday. Being bitten by lice was also very common in the trenches. They tried to prevent this by running a lighted candle along the seams of their clothing but this only killed the lice, not their eggs. The lice carried a disease called trench fever. I think sources A9, B3, B13 would be most useful to historians wanting to find out about the morale of the soldiers. The people today view the war a lot differently compared to the people who lived through it. When you step back and take a closer look at the picture you see things differently. Overall, I have a fairly accurate view of life on the Western Front from looking at personal and official accounts. I have found both, official and personal, accounts useful. I can’t really put together an accurate picture of what life on the Western Front was actually like using personal accounts because the soldiers may not remember what happened to give an accurate description and would be bias against Germans. The official account has been censored so that also is not really reliable. Therefore I think that by looking at both accounts would give a clearer picture.