All of the panelists who presented today were extremely impressive!
In addition, I am pleased with the class and truly believe that the groups were not only scholarly in their approach, they were professional.
Continue the great work!
ASSIGNMENT DUE 9/27
TASK:
1. The next play we will read is "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams.
I will introduce our next play subsequent to the final presentations on Thursday. We will have 3 groups present.
BE prepared on Thursday - Do some research on Williams? Who is he? Where does he come from? What does he do? Provide some background information in the form of notes. Be prepared to respond to questions about the playwright in class during my lecture. This assignment is in the form of notes and should be documented in your notebook. I highly suggest using an outline format to provide a brief summary of the author's bio.
2. Respond freely to the following question below and PUBLISH YOUR RESPONSE as a comment (under this post). Total 2 paragraph response. Be sure to proofread your response before you publish your writing.
Based on our discussion of leadership as it relates to the play, your knowledge of history and your exposure to current events (hint- the presidential campaign), think about the concept of leadership. Discuss the personality traits of successful/unsuccessful leaders. How do these traits effect the public and their overall trust and security in civil law. What traits if any ,do you believe constitute good leadership? Be CREATIVE in your response! THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!
Leadership is a vital aspect to the success of any society. A leader must possess a certain set of attributes in order to receive the respect and honor of the people they govern. During my junior year of high school I tackled a rigorous course based on modern political theory studies. Based on various sessions of verbal discourse and historical notions we concluded that there are four major characteristics leaders should possess. Successful political leaders tend to be kind, frugal, merciful, and religious. Some leaders however, tend to make themselves appear as if they have such traits in order to win the support of the people.
ReplyDeleteIf you study world dictators we can see how not having some of these traits can greatly effect their standing with the citizens and in some cases, how it lead to their ultimate demise. Take for example Muammar Gaddafi. The former dictator of Libya did not possess kindness and couldn’t be classified as merciful. He was known for violently mistreating his people which lead to a massive revolution from the people. This unfortunately, resulted in the death of the tyrant. In other historical references of political tyrants we can see similar endings. Whether it’s Germany’s Adolf Hitler or Italy’s Benito Mussolini, most unsuccessful leaders prove to have the same trait of a merciless, fear based, sense of rule. Fear is a common tactic to govern a body of people. Those who fear their leaders tend to abide by the established law. We can see this present in the play “Antigone” by Sophocles. Creon could be considered merciless and unkind with his decision to execute his niece under the law of his edict. As seen within the play, massive disapproval spread between the people of Thebes all the way up to the royal family. Haemon and Antigone are concrete examples of how when faced with strict, unjust leadership, the people of the country will not tolerate such action by the ruling party.
Leadership is defined as the action of leading a group of people or organization. This is a rather vague definition that does little justice for such an important term. Leadership is essential in all phases of life, in the household, at work, on an athletic team, as well as in politics. Personally I find leadership as a tough quality to define however there are attributes that could be associated with being a leader. Such attributes include being a visionary, empowering person, motivating, reliable, and a good listener. A leader is someone people look up to as a role model, John Quincy Adams said “if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
ReplyDeleteThere have been many great leaders in history including Mahatma Gandhi, George Washington, Julius Caesar, and Winston Churchill. When researching each of these individuals you will find that they share many characteristics. Each of these people were determined, well-respected, fearless, and motivating. Someone more outside the box that represents a present day leader is Ray Lewis. Ray Lewis is a fifteen year NFL veteran and captain of the Baltimore Ravens. He is one of the most motivating, influential, and respected people to ever play football not only because of how he plays the game but how he leads his team. On the other end of the spectrum are leaders like Adolf Hitler, Fidel Castro, and Creon. These three represent unsuccessful leaders in my eyes personally because they ruled through the fear of the people. They were not respected by the people but they were feared which would lead to the demise of each of them.
There are various traits that contribute to one being successful or an unsuccessful leader. In the play, Antigone, Creon was an unsuccessful ruler because he was ignorant and selfish. He had too much pride to listen to what anyone had to say and that was his downfall. Throughout history there are leaders who were unsuccessful who possessed similar traits as Creon. For example, Hitler, he was ignorant just as Creon was. Even though WWII was going on due to Hitler’s actions, he continued and didn’t let anything or anyone stand in his way, and this left him defeated. Other leaders in history that were unsuccessful include Clinton. Clinton was careless and dishonest, two traits that demonstrated poor leadership. He was infamous for his dishonesty and it greatly affected his presidency.
ReplyDeleteIn comparison to the traits of unsuccessful leaders, those that are successful have ambitious, personable, practical and confident attributes. Alexander the Great was a triumphant leader because he was personable and was aware of the people’s concerns. He was also pragmatic in the way that he let the city states rule themselves. By doing this he won over the people and it allowed it to be a powerful and successful ruler. Having these positive qualities are very important in being successful due to the fact that people need to be able to depend on and believe in their leader.
The concept of leadership is to be a role model; to encourage, motivate, direct, guide and sometimes persuade in order to exceed not one's own, but others' expectations. In order to be a successful leader, one must be knowledgable, experienced and confident. They must be able to hold themselves accountable for positive and negative actions and decisions. An unsuccessful leader is unknowledgeable, a pushover, soft-spoken, rude and has low self-esteem. How is anyone supposed to follow you if you cannot believe in your own actions and decisions? Unsuccessful leaders are not committed, they have no ambition and they're unable to care for others and sometimes even themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to the play, I believe that Antigone is the character that depicts most of the successful leader characteristics, and Creon is the character that depicts the unsuccessful leader characteristics. Antigone was the one who was able to stand up for what she believed in. She held herself responsible for her actions and she had all the positive intent in the world to justify why she buried Polyneices. Even in the darkest times of her last days she was able to turn the people of Thebes around and make them understand. Creon was a coward. Even after he sentenced Antigone to death, it was only when he found out his own blood line and maybe his own life was in danger that he listened to the Prophecy and went back on his . A successful leader never goes back on their word.
A leader is someone who commands a body of people or any sort of creature, but a common thread between all of them is that they are in charge. It may be apparent that they have some traits about them that keep them in power and the bold and leading voice, not one cowering in fear behind all the others. Niccolò Machiavelli wrote a handbook for leaders stating that they could choose just one option, to be loved or to be feared. There are two types of leaders in the modern world, and they all abide by what Machiavelli wrote all those years ago. Some may tyrannical, for a few examples; Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, Mao Zedong, and the most popularly mentioned, Adolf Hitler. Traits that have made them all good leaders (not to say that they were insane, power-drunk, or even agents of chaos of the modern world) were that they had made themselves known and had become something more than just men among men. They had believed themselves to be gods amongst men, higher powers than anything that this Earth had to offer. And any type of leader like this will always show up throughout history, not just the 1900’s and on, but way back before even the United Kingdom was founded. King Ramses II, Julius Caesar, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, and many more before and after them. All of them had fear on their side, they brought hell to their people, brought them false hope, gave them an ultimatum that death was the alternative to their reign, their power. And it always seemed like there was the other leaders that were their opposites, yet their equals that either brought them down or came after them, no matter what the time period.
ReplyDeleteThose leaders were the ones that were and are loved by their people, the one who are considered good rather than evil. The ones who are not corrupted, or as corrupted, as those mentioned above. Traits that could characterize those like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Alexander The Great, Martin Luther King Jr., and too many others stood against those leaders that tried to keep the people down, tried to silence everyone but themselves would be their kindness and selflessness, too many people are filled with greed and hate, while these men and women were and still are the opposite. Any type of leader may turn either way, to the side of love and good, or to the side of fear and evil, yet they both are considered leaders, may they be ones that stand out in history as those that stood up for the ones that were too afraid to stand up for themselves or those who shouted at those afraid and kept them in the dark so long as they could remain on their throne, in their own little world.
Leadership is a quality that every person carries with them. Whether it is through a career, a sport, or family, every person has their moment, their niche, where they are capable of guiding. Webster defines the word leadership as the act or an instance of leading. While some of us are better frontrunners, there are people who have made poor decisions to be considered followers. The few characteristics and decisions of leaders, such as Hitler or Antigone, can be the determining factors as to who is a successful leader versus an unsuccessful one.
ReplyDeleteWhile looking back into history, it is evident that there have been some vital leaders, along with disastrous ones. The intentions that are seen in some successful leaders are cyclical; having a mission, seeing their vision, and having a force to support the choices they make. A good leader knows what they want, and they know how to execute their plan. Antigone for example, knew that she needed to give her brother the respect and dignity she thought he deserved. Regardless of who told her she wouldn’t be able to do it, she did, knowing it was best for her family. Executing a plan the people and society can agree on is the foundation for a successful and respectable leader. While an unsuccessful leader may have genuine intentions, their actions will prevent them from success. Hitler, in my eyes, was a poor example of a leader. While he had a motive in his decisions, he instilled fear in his own people, showed little to no remorse, and provided slight hope for his country. The characteristics and decisions of a leader, depends on that of their way of life. A leader must know what’s best in the end, and how to prevail in the end.
For most, leadership is a role, a title, or simply a position of prestige. However, I believe that for some leadership is a quality or a trait granted at birth while others can spend a lifetime struggling to master it. As most good things accomplished by man, leadership is a double edged sword, it can bring about pride commonly referred to as "the deadliest sin", and nevertheless it can unite nations "far and wide." History has taught us time and time again the consequences of poor leadership. For example, take Napoleon Bonaparte and what most might call his arrogant conquest throughout Europe, ending with his consecutive defeats, Exile at St. Helena and finally death.
ReplyDeleteOne can say that Napoleon was defeated by his own arrogance and unrealistic ambitions. This leads me to what I believe is certainly among the most essential qualities of a leader; judgment. Without good judgment a leader is nothing more than an individual with power, a true leader always practices good judgment and aims to better himself. In order to lead a group, one must know the limits of his followers and be careful not to force them to bear what they cannot. Nonetheless, a good leader must know his limitations and must honorably abide by them. One example of a good leader would be Harriet Tubman, an African American woman who courageously lead men and women alike out of the clutches Southern of tyranny. Harriet Tubman possessed confidence, initiative and courage; she did what most of her time would never even consider. In conclusion, a great leader must possess qualities and traits which allow him to go above and beyond the norm. However, I truly believe that among the most notable leadership traits lay enthusiasm since "nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).
Sam Rayburn once said "You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too." This quote is very significant when it comes to what a leader should be like. There are many characteristics that a leader should possess. For instance, a leader should have an open mind to what the people want, integrity, and dedication to make a change for the better, fairness, and assertiveness.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to those qualities and the recent play Antigone that was read in class; many of the traits were not present. Creon, the new King of Thebes was too prideful, and so set in his ways, that he did not want to listen to any advice from anyone at all. A true leader is not afraid to listen to what others have to say. Being able to work with the public is an essential asset to have as a leader. A successful leader in the play would be Antigone. Antigone is someone who had an idea, who knew what she wanted, and was determined to achieve what she had set her mind to. She did turn away from what she believed was right. A true leader is someone who goes out of their way to help the people achieve a better goal, and lead by example.
Leadership is a quality that cannot be obtained or taught but instead is an instinct. To be a leader is someone who sets the right example for those around them. One who has this instinct to be a leader is a person that has great responsibility, confidence, honesty, and most of all is someone who will listen to others. Throughout history there have been many leaders who have exemplified these traits. These leaders can be found anywhere; whether it was in the workplace, politics, or any kind of movement we have seen in history these leaders have impacted everyone around them.
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther King Jr. said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Not only does Dr. King show that he has great confidence in himself but he shows he will take responsibility for all of those around him. A leader is someone who is strong and accepts the challenge to overcome adversity. Dr. King represents an extraordinary leader because he simply used words to express what he believed and felt. There was never a thought to use violence during the civil rights movement. Dr. King preached to the African-American people and got them to believe that he was going to lead them no matter what. He was honest with them when times were going to be hard. But he guided them through the challenges they faced.
Leadership can not be gained without the peoples trust or respect. Every single president was at one point a leader whether their leadership increased or just failed eventually. One thing every president had in common was that they had the peoples trust. The people felt good enough about the president to put the country in their hands and lead the United States of America into a better path. If these leaders never had the peoples trust they simply would never have been elected. A successful leader has respect and trust from people which leads to power. An unsuccessful leader does not have the peoples trust or respect. Leadership is something that builds and gives you power. This is why some of the most evil leaders had good leadership.
ReplyDeleteA president with good leadership does not get overthrown. Adolf Hitler, one of historys most evil and hated man was a great leader. He began by gaining the trust of the people which he respectedly earned and gave him a lot of power. Yes he vecame a horrible dictator which caused him to lose a lot of peoples trust and support but at that point the people had given him too much power.
Unsuccesful presidents get overthrown. Richard Nixon, president of the United States lost the peoples trust and got his presidency removed. I concur that without the peoples trust and respect you can not be a leader. Some of leaderships most tasty ingredients include the peoples trust and respect.
The act of leading or governing a group of people is called Leadership, where based upon one’s leadership skills he/she are classified as a good or bad leader. A good trait a leader should possess it to lead by example for their actions will be portrayed by their followers for example, parents. If parents set bad or good examples for their children, in most cases, the child will follow. Also a country’s behavior to their leader is based on whether or not the leader has good leadership skills. As the quote says “It takes a village to raise a child”, it also takes more than one person to run a country.
ReplyDeleteSome traits that should be found in a good leader are Respect, Confidence, trustworthy and a sense of humility. A nation must be able to trust their leader; however, in order for a leader to gain leadership of a country, he/she must gain the people’s respect. One example of this is the Pope, if the Pope did not gain the respect from his the Catholic People he probably would not be the leader of the Catholic Church. Also if the Pope decides one day to lead a life different from the church, it will affect all his followers such that they will stop believing in him and the Cardinals who elected him.
A good leader, in my eyes is someone that can find common ground with his followers and lead them safely to peace and prosperity. Someone who appreciates and understands how the below average, average, and above average person lives and tries to overcome daily struggles. A man or woman that truly cares about the well being of his or her followers is someone I would consider a good leader. Too many “leaders” have passed through our history that only cared about their gain and their power. More often than not these “leaders” fail to follow through with their promises and sometimes make matters worse. Gaining peoples trust with lies is not a quality that makes a good leader.
ReplyDeleteColin Powell once said “Great leaders are almost always great simplifier, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.” I agree wholeheartedly with what Colin Powell has to say on characteristics of a good leader. An example of a good leader I have come in contact with was my Rugby captain while I was at SUNY Plattsburgh. He had to deal with a bunch of rowdy Rugby players, the coach, collecting all the dues, the limited amount of funding we had because we were only a club, getting all of the players to each game and so on. On top of all that he did to keep the team running he was one of the most dedicated players on the field as well. There was one practice where I broke my nose and he personally drove me to the ER and waited until I was released, he was a good leader because he cared.
Jason,
ReplyDeleteYour response is transcends insightful and knowledgeable. Your ideas are creatively constructed into a masterpiece. Bravo
Do you think that kind, frugal, merciful, and religious are attributes to describe our current leader?
Alex,
ReplyDeleteIt is ten minutes after nine???
Sean,
ReplyDeleteI truly appreciated your definition of a good leader. I thought that it was extremely authentic and from the heart. Your connection is well thought out and one that is relatable. Great Job!
According to the oxford dictionary leadership is defined as the action of leading a group of people or an organization
ReplyDeleteLeadership is a quality that is present more abundantly in particular individuals than in general society. There is a very vast list of persons in the past and present of human history that stands out as great leaders. Five very random examples of famous leaders are: Jesus, Barack Obama, Fidel Castro, Moses, King Charles and Martin Luther King. However the question has to be asked though, what makes an individual a leader? What are some common traits shared by leaders? And thirdly, the very debated question of, can you be taught to become a leader or is it just a natural feature which can be comparable to a person naturally being able to use their left hand while others use their right hand.
Some brief examples of some of the traits of leaders are: Leaders are able to command a body of people some as large as continents. Furthermore leaders are more often than not, able to speak well; this excellent communication helps them in commanding their followers. How are you going to get persons to understand and go by your ideals if you cannot communicate them to the masses? Leaders are able to relate to the people, knowing what they want and assume the way they feel and therefore act upon this knowledge eg Barack Obama when he was campaigning for president in 2008 in his yes we can campaign he won because he touched on points in his speeches about correcting problems that resignated with a majority of the American public. Leaders are usually headstrong and are not influenced by every bit of advice they hear, meaning they wouldn’t be carrying a donkey on their backs because some persons down the road told them the donkey looks hurt.
Can leadership be learnt, this question that has been asked time and again, some believe it’s a skill that you are born with others believe that it can be taught. Personally I believe it can be taught. Science has proven that body language voice tones among many other things can give a person the influence to cause others gravitate towards him/her and embrace ideas articulated more readily. Leadership courses are being thought in school and also on a daily basis regular workers are promoted to and assume leadership positions.
Throughout history we read of leaders that simply become too powerful, their authority becomes above the law. Even today we all witness people that change when given the smallest dose of authority. People such as police officer’s, security guards, or even bosses and managers at fast food restaurants can start to exaggerate their authority. Unfortunately, it’s almost as if it’s in human nature to strive for more power over others. The same as it’s in human nature to be violent or competitive.
ReplyDeleteA more recent leader that proved to have gained too much power was Adolf Hitler. Everyone knows what this man failed to do. This man was proven to be crazy, and went far beyond what the imagination can grasp to show his dominance. Realistically, Hitler was a good leader, but he had no respect for anyone else’s beliefs besides his own. Respect is just one of many traits that a good leader should have. The public is greatly affected by leader’s traits because they want to feel safe, secure, and comfortable with who is governing them. A good leader has to care for others interests as well as their own, and listen to what others have to say. No one person is the smartest, the wisest, the strongest, or the best in any way, no matter what they say, do, or believe. A group of people will ultimately have one person state a final decision though.
A good leader is someone who listens to people. A good leader is firm yet understanding, strong, confident, reliable, but most important relatable. If someone who is a leader of a group places themselves much higher above those that they are leading, they will not succeed. People want to look up to someone that they feel can relate to them. They will be more trusting of them this way. Recently, I watched the president and first lady, Barack and Michelle Obama on The View. They were speaking of their marriage, how they met, and life at home with their two daughters. After watching I had read a facebook status that read: "would like to know why the media makes such a HUGE deal about the obamas marriage WHO GIVES a *** and what does that have anything at all to do with him running for president?!?!?!?!?!?!?" I think it has everything to do with it. People are going to be more trusting and feel better about having someone they can relate to being their leader.
ReplyDeleteI feel that parents are also very important leaders. I became a mother at a young age and I have two young boys that look up to me and depend on me for everything. I set certain rules and expectations upon my boys and have to be sure that I am always doing what is best for them, and that I am always setting a good example. I also have to be understanding and willing to listen to them. They know that I am in charge but they also know that they can talk to me about anything at anytime and I will always be there for them. I think that is the most important thing.
Just what makes a leader clothes, titles, money, personality, renown? I personally believe it’s all of these factors and more. A good leader inspires those who look to him for guidance and acts almost as a figurehead for the group’s collective beliefs. The ability to lead is not something that is solely taught or trained; it takes person of outstanding natural charisma charm and ability to be a leader worthy of following. Leadership is not a title to be given away it has to be earned, claimed with the support of both the people you intend to guide and yourself, because once you are in that position there is no taking back what you say or do, from that moment on you are the symbol, the avatar of those who put their faith in you. "The King - lives to the fullest!! He needs to live more fully than anyone else! He is a figure of admiration to his people!!” (Iskander fate/zero Vol 2)
ReplyDeleteThe leader himself has to have ambition, a drive that caused other people to follow him, Iskander King of Conquerors had his conquest search for Oceanus, Napoleon had his wish to rule Europe and put France at its head, Even Hitler had his wish for Germany to rise as the master race of the entire world, each one of these people had all the qualities of true leadership despite their selfish goals of domination, why? These men were able to rouse those who took them as their leader and truly made their own personal goals and dream the goals and dreams of those who followed them. It is by the leader that the state or country survives Hitler’s unwillingness to listen to his generals and fanaticism lead to Nazi Germany's defeat, much the same with Napoleon and his ill planed invasion of Russia a mistake he and Hitler shared, and Iskanders nation collapsed soon after his death due to there being no clear next in line but despite their failures they still had the admiration of the people who followed them. An example of a bad leader would be king Arthur who after gaining the thrown never listened to his counsel or the concerns of the round table nor did he ever connect to the people he ruled, thus leading to the events that would cause his down fall taking Britain with it.
the space did not show up after the quote a new paragraph begins
ReplyDelete