Leadership Analysis Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leadership Analysis - Research Paper Example These grand challenges however, also highlight the overall human element involved in achieving the superior performance as well as manage the modern organizations in most professional manner. What is also significant to understand that increasingly complex organizations at the global level have also created challenges for the firms to manage their expenses while at the same time ensure that employees remain motivated. This has only become possible due to the increasing level of insecurity related with the job and fear of unemployment. Organizations like Wal-Mart has been accused of discriminating on pay issues especially with women and as such the overall impression of such global organizations is not considered as favorable. This paper will therefore attempt to discuss and explore human side of the leadership and provide a leadership and motivation analysis of the issues identified above. The Human side of Management’s Grand Challenges One of the key challenges faced by the o rganizations is to ensure that organization delivers socially significant goals. This should also be considered along with full embodiment of community and citizenship ideas of the organization. ... Reduction of fear and insecurity is another critical important element to be considered because fear and insecurity may not allow employees to become creative and innovative in nature. Besides, this can also force them to resist any change for the betterment of the organization as a whole. Creation of diversity and allowing disagreement is also another element to be considered in order to become effective leader. This should allow the employees to not only feel themselves as part of the organization but also contribute positively towards the achievement of organizational goals. This also could be associated with the unleashing of the human imagination and achievement of desired level of performance through developing holistic performance measures. Leaders of today are also required to share the responsibility of goal setting under which sharing an employee’s voice to be considered as productive rather than a sign of power. Leaders therefore have to ensure that they achieve the desired level of commitment from their employees by giving thorough consideration to the voice of the employees and making them part of the overall process of setting the direction for the firm. This process will allow the leaders to have access to diversified range of creative ideas also. Finally, in order to achieve better performance, it is critical that the management must be able to overcome complacency and allow autonomy to the employees so that decisions can be made at local level. Unemployment and its Impact on Motivation: Motivation can arise at two levels i.e. explicit as well as implicit motivation and organizations can actually design and develop policies to

Fast Food in Malaysia Essay Example for Free

Fast Food in Malaysia Essay Restaurants have been around in some form for most of human civilization. But they usually catered to travelers. As far back as ancient Greece and Rome, inns and taverns generally served food to people who had a reason to be away from home. This trend continued until relatively recently. Although taverns and coffee houses were popular places to gather and share beverages in the 17th century, the idea of eating out for fun didnt take off in Western society until the late 18th century. Although McDonalds was the first restaurant to use the assembly-line system, some people think of White Castle as the first fast-food chain. White Castle was founded in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas. At the time, most people considered the burgers sold at fairs, circuses, lunch counters and carts to be low-quality. Many people thought hamburger came from slaughterhouse scraps and spoiled meat. White Castles founders decided to change the publics perception of hamburgers. They built their restaurants so that customers could see the food being prepared. They painted the buildings white and even chose a name that suggested cleanliness. White Castle was most popular in the American East and Midwest, but its success helped give hamburger meat a better reputation nationwide. So, like cars, White Castle played an important part in the development of fast food. Image courtesy Brands of the World The McDonald brothers opened their redesigned restaurant in 1948, and several fast-food chains that exist today opened soon after. Burger King and Taco Bell got their start in the 1950s, and Wendys opened in 1969. Some chains, like Carls Jr. , KFC and Jack in the Box, existed before the Speedee Service System, but modified their cooking techniques after its debut. McDonalds, which started it all, is now the worlds largest fast-food chain. According to the National Restaurant Association, American sales of fast food totaled $163. 5 billion in 2005 [ref]. The industry is growing globally as well. Total sales for McDonalds grew 5. 6 percent in 2005, and the company now has 30,000 franchised stores in more than 120 countries [ref and ref]. However, McDonalds and fast food in general does not always get a welcoming reception around the world. McDonalds restaurants have been attacked in several countries, including the United States, China, Belgium, Holland, India, Russia, Sweden and the U. K. Protestors have accused McDonalds and other chains of selling unhealthy food, marketing aggressively to children and undermining local values and culture.

Life Success Of Bill Gates

Life Success Of Bill Gates The traditional definition of leadership by Webster dictionary states its an interpersonal influence directed towards the achievement of a goal or goals. Leadership is a dynamic relationship based on mutual influence and common purpose between leaders and collaborators in which both are moved to higher levels of motivation and moral development as they affect real, intended change (Friedberg K and Friedberg J, 1996). Using the key words here such as influence and change, history has her fair share of leaders. In 1974, TIME magazine published a special section on history greatest leaders where a variety of individuals were asked to name their selection and a large number of people were nominated. Each for a different reason but mostly because they created a culture of influence and brought upon change. With the myriad of eligible entrepreneurs contesting to be great leaders of today, we dissect and analyse the lives of two living legends that have become household names in the world, William H Gates and Oprah Gail Winfrey. Two distinct individuals driven by ambition have become the core subject of business educators to delve into what makes them great leaders and like the old mythology, the search of the Holy Grail (Pearce T 2003). Famously known as Bill Gates, an American businessman, philanthropist, software executive and founding father of Microsoft Corporation, he is also the worlds second richest person (Forbes Magazine 2010). He is one of the best known entrepreneurs of personal computers revolution (Bellis M, nd). Oprah Winfrey a television host, producer, philanthropist and one of the most influential women in the society today, was ranked the richest African-American of the 20th century. She is credited for revolutionising the intimate confessional form of media communication (Wikipedia). 2.0 LIFE AND SUCCESS OF BILL GATES A personal computer in every desk and in every home (Keegan, Davidson Brill, 2003) A simple vision made him possibly the greatest visionary of our times. Bill Gates born to a prominent defence lawyer and a school teacher was introduced to computers at a very young age. He was enrolled in Lakeside Elementary School when his parents noticed his deep interest in computer and programming. After dabbling in various programming software, he developed his first software programme for controlling traffic under Traf-Data and sold it for $20000 (Paluri R K, nd). Following the release of MITS Altair 8800 based on the Intel 8080CPU in 1975, Gates and his best friend Allen started their own software company Microsoft. In 1976, when Microsoft was registered with the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico, Gates dropped out of Harvard (Wikipedia). From releasing a version of FORTRAN language for microcomputers in 1977, they went on to introduce a version of COBOL 1978. In 1979, a new version for BASIC was developed by Microsoft. Gates focused on product development, harvesting best talents and intelligence, and introducing innovative and aggressive marketing strategies transforming Microsoft from a million dollar company in 1978 to a market leader in software with revenues in billion dollars by 2002 (Des Dear Love 2002). Resigning as CEO in 2000 to spend time with software architecture and passing the torch to Steve Ballmer, his childhood friend, he and his wife Melinda have built a foundation to support philanthropic initiations on global health and education (Fritz J, nd). 3.0 LIFE AND SUCCESS OF OPRAH WINFREY Oprah Gail Winfrey born in rural Mississippi to a teenage single mother is an African American television host, for the multi-award winning, self-titled talk show. She is also the greatest black philanthropist known to date who is one of the most influential women today (Wikipedia). Raised in a difficult childhood in a ghetto and an abusive one, she was not only raped by relatives but also got pregnant at the age of 14. Oprah Winfreys life turned when she lived with her father in Nashville and attended high school there. She was academically successful and became an incredible speaker which earned her a scholarship to Tennessee State University (Fry E). With her publicity at being a good speaker in University she landed her first job as a television co-anchor. Graduating with a degree in communications she became a news anchor at WLAC-TV in Nashville, later in Baltimore for the 6 o clock news. In 1984 she hosted AM Chicago which became the highest rated talk show within a year. The show was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986. In 1988, she founded Harpo Studios (Harpo Inc.) to take over the show. In 1990, movies projects, she ventured into acting projects and gradually progressing to the launch of O, The Oprah Magazine. The initiation of Oprahs Book Club star ted her multimedia breakthrough. In 1987, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation and in 1997, Oprahs Angel Network was founded respectively for charity (Allen S). Oprahs talk show is all about encouraging the peoples potential, making them feel safe and affirming their personhood (Davis P). Oprah Winfrey once said As a young child I had a vision, not of what I wanted to accomplish but I knew that my current circumstances would change. That dream propelled her to success (Entertainment Executive 1991). 4.0 THEORIES ON LEADERSHIP Leadership theories have evolved through the years beginning from archaic ideas such as The Great Man Theory being self explanatory to more civilised, refined concepts. The trait approach identified a group of traits were positively associated with leadership such as intelligence, self confidence, initiative and persistence. However this is in no relation to effectiveness (Stogdill 1948, 1974). The behavioural approach took focus on two dimensions creating leadership styles; task-oriented behaviour and relation-oriented behaviour (Stogdill 1948) on organizational outcomes (Blake Mouton 1964). These approaches pay too much attention to the leaders perspective not considering the followers. The situational leadership model ( Hersey and Blanchard,1982) emphasises leadership flexibility and adaptation, the contingency model (Fiedler,1967) is much more consistent with less flexibility and the path-goal theory (House and Mitchell, 1974) assumes that leadership styles not only vary with different subordinates but in different situations. This theory is based on the assumption that situation moderator variables are easily identified but it is subjective to individual inference which change the actions and outcomes. Servant leadership stems from the notion that leadership arises out of a desire to serve rather than a desire to lead (Katzenberg and Smith, 1994). Asking questions, providing opportunities and seeking a common understanding instead of consensus to make any particular decisions were thought to be qualities that make a leader. Transactional leadership has remained the organisational model which is built around a person who needs to get a job done, has power and perks, striving to work in the current system with short term goals. The shift to use transformational leadership has more meaning with morals and ethics, focusing on missions and strategies, making it more meaningful and challenging with long term goals (Liu J and Liu X, 2006) Leadership is a complex process in which leaders, followers and the situation interact with each other usually one or the other theories overlap in reality. 5.0 LEADERSHIP QUALITIES OF BILL GATES AND OPRAH WINFREY Using Kouzes J and Posner B survey as a basis where common characteristics of leaders were formulated after interviewing 75,000 people, below are the characteristics present in both of our personalities discussed. 5.1 LEADERSHIP QUALITIES OF BILL GATES PASSIONATE He is a Harvard dropout (Richard D). While it is every Americans dream to be selected into Harvard University, he stopped his education halfway with the strong passion to pursue his dream for software architecture. VISIONARY A computer on every desk and Microsoft software on every computer (Paluri RK). This is a dream that propelled Gates to his overwhelming success and realising that dream proves him to be a far visionary. INTELLIGENT Starting at a very young age he began dabbling at computer programming (Walter I). He believes in intelligence and with that you can achieve almost anything in the world. His parents observed their sons intellectual capacity and enrolled him in private school (Wikipedia). INNOVATIVE Creating new versions of FORTRAN, BASIC and created MS DOS for personal computers (Des DearLove). He also realised that internet was taking the world over by storm and not to be left out in the rat race he incorporated Web in his advancement. He spoke in April 2002 that in the upcoming digital decade the tools created in the next 10 years will be the best tools for empowerment and productivity the world has ever seen.( Krames J A) STAFF ORIENTED He coined the phrase digital nervous system to speak of a culture that encourages the workforce not only to think but to share their thoughts (Gates 2002). His company engages in a ritual known as THINK WEEK twice a year where he reads almost 100 mails and ideas from his employees (Dvorak D). COMPETITIVE Constantly meeting rivalry such as Apple, Google. With the advent of Windows system, Microsoft won over the rivalry of format with Apple (Richard D). His competitive nature suggests that to maintain high standards in the global economy is innovation and hiring a workforce that consists of the worlds brightest minds (Gates 2007). DIVERSE Employment of staff from around the world harnessing intelligence (Krames J A, 2003). He gained even popularity in China during his visit there with his charisma. (Microsoft Presspass, 2003) HUMBLE The idea is not just to make money but to give something in return, the knowledge and the software. Evident in his character is the fact that he employs his own childhood friends or individuals he knew from his past to participate in the rise of Microsoft. He values the people he comes to meet and know such as Steve Ballmer and Paul Allen. CREDIBILITY Though the government opened antitrust trial against Microsoft challenging Bill Gates credibility where it accuses Microsoft of bundling its internet explorer browser with its Windows OS to eliminate Netscapes Navigator browser (Brinkley J, 1998) ENTHUSIASTIC -He has shown his zeal in many of his undertakings such as business, golf, and donations (Lesinski, 2007). CONFIDENCE At an early stage he was confident he could sell his idea to a huge company like IBM and made it materialize (Des DearLove) TRUSTWORTHY His team constituted of people he worked and studied with and brought only his trusted friends to start a small team (Wikipedia) PHILANTHROPIST- Funnelling large amounts of his wealth through The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation to raise standards in health and education. Caring for the lesser fortuned population despite having abundant wealth (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). ASSERTIVENESS Due to multilevel and cross-sectional communication between his employees he is able to know their needs and respect their opinions while maintaining his goal (Gates 2002). 5.2 LEADERSHIP QUALITIES OF OPRAH WINFREY ENTREPRENEURSHIP She transformed from media talk show host to media industry mogul millionaire. As a simple girl who ventured into news anchoring, she surpassed many obstacles to become one of the most renowned individuals in the movie or television industry. Harpo Inc is an active supplier of motion pictures, produces not only Oprahs talk show but also produces Rachel Rays, Dr Phils and Dr Ozs shows (Wikipedia.) CONFIDENCE As told to business partner Gayle King I dont know what the future holds but I know who holds it (Baldoni J, 2008). To be a successful black in the movie industry which is dominated by the Americans is a formidable task. Oprah once said, It is confidence in our bodies, minds and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures, new directions to grow in, and new lessons to learn which is what life is all about (Fry E). INNOVATIVE Though the mainstay of her career is the confessional form of talk show, she went on to create Harpo Productions Inc, Harpo Films Inc, Harpo Studios Inc, and Harpo videos. She expanded her empire by forming Oxygen Media LLC which includes a women cable TV network and internet site. In 2000, O magazine was launched (Jet 2003). INTELLIGENCE Though she had an unstable childhood that did not deter her from obtaining a degree in mass communications from Tennessee State University and carving her path in the entertainment industry INFLUENTIAL Changing the lives of many Africans and African Americans especially the down trodden. The 66th U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice describes her as a woman of moral character and source of strength for millions of her admirers (Rice C, 2006). INTEGRITY She is true t her work and keeps control of her products and her image not over marketing it. She believed in keeping control of her branding and being in control of Harpo Inc. (Baldoni J, 2008). CHANGE She is people driven bringing change to the lives of the young African girls. She used her past as a lesson and channelled it to a positive growth and lesson for others. Her metamorphosis is certainly laudable. PHILANTROPHIST Starting the Oprah Winfrey foundation to support the education and empowerment of women, children and families in the United States and around the world. Her caring nature allows her to empathize with the unfortunate. Post hurricane Katrina, she donated her own money to build new home for 65 families. She is also actively campaigning victims of abuse to find justice so that they can move on. She is championing her cause with the sole message that I did it, so can you (Rice C, 2006). CREATIVITY She created a reality show hosted by Nate Berkus called the Big Give encouraging others to give and aid the less fortunate. She also formed Oprahs Angel Network to inspire people to make a difference. STRENGTH Despite coming from a dysfunctional home and being molested by family she managed to make the mess of her life into a message for other women. Most individuals tend to cocoon themselves to cope with the post traumatic stress disorders or rebel at life due to dysfunctional family background but she is proof of dealing with misfortune in a positive manner. HARDWORKING She worked her way to the top with her skills and opportunities strewn in her way. VISIONARY The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls inspired by her humble beginnings to provide educational and leadership opportunities to academically gifted girls from impoverished background. She became a visionary for others after obtaining such success in her life. TALENTED She is not only an honours student, winning oratory contests and skilled in public speaking, she has indulged in acting in movies, became a famous talk show host and television programmer. 6.0 SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN BILL GATES AND OPRAH WINFREY 6.1 EARLY YEARS Gates was a young visionary who had a dream which he ambitioned to full fill. He was born into a family of standing who valued his intelligence and supported him in his undertakings. Winfrey was a lady who was presented with an opportunity and she used that chance to create a dream and then envisioned a future. Coming from a past of difficult times without supportive parents, it was a bold and courageous move to achieve what she has today. Two different upbringings and knowledge foundation but both proved to be great leaders of our time. Gates was an intelligent individual but a university dropout by choice, but Winfrey used her education and oratory skills to propel her forward. Both are leaders using different foundations to grow. This shows the use of situational leadership in their decision making. 6.2 LEADERSHIP TRAITS IN GATES AND WINFREY 6.2.1 Transformational Gates and Winfrey both exerted transformational leadership qualities. In the early days of Microsofts birth, Gates was more transactional, he was driven to get his vision across, and using the position he held, he focused on tactical issues on a daily basis. He relied on the existing structure to maximise his output. Using MS DOS as a foundation to license it and sell it to other personal computers (Richards D). Software programming was the mainstay of his indulgence and finding the core programmes was a challenge. When IBM approached him to do his programming it was his breakthrough in the networking world. He wanted more and with that dream Microsoft was born. Gradually when he left IBM he transformed Microsoft to be an organization which identified human potential and talents with larger mission and strategies, had long term goals which had more meaning( Wikipedia). He kept redesigning jobs to keep them challenging. Winfrey was not a leader in her early years, being a struggling African American herself; she paved her career with short term goals and opportunity. When she had her breakthrough she practised more situational leadership qualities to ensure she made improvements and progress based on needs and ideals of the populations. She took what was offered to her and climbed gradually to the top. Her transformations were based on change. She brought change to the African society in general and mostly the women. She transformed the thoughts of people to rise from the ghettos and reach for the stars. She generously gave hope (Allen S, nd ). She also managed to penetrate the white dominated entertainment industry though acceptance of a black woman was an issue. Influential Both individuals are influential to mankind, creating a class of believe and a sense of idolism in the world they have introduced a metamorphosis in the entertainment and technological revolution. Microsoft and Bill Gates are almost synonyms in the computing world (Gates 2008). The blacks mainly from the African continent are faithful and devout worshippers of Winfrey (Black Enterprise). Philanthropic Winfrey has been described as a person with warmth and deep love, an abiding commitment to the principles of goodness and generosity that transcend any individual (Rice C, 2006). Melinda Gates seeing that malaria was a transmittable disease in the African continent causing the death of millions decided that it was a vacuum that does need to be stepped into. Melinda and Gates Foundation provide more than a third of worlds entire malaria-research funding. They also funded the creation of a synthetic form of artemisinic acid, a drug to combat malaria (Bower A, 2006). Their magnanimous natures of caring for the population and channelling financial aid to the needy have made them both philanthropic idols (Alleyne S, nd The New York Times June 2010). Passionate Gates does not only thrive on profit, if he did he would not have stepped down as CEO and allow Steve Ballman to continue, instead he moved to concentrate on his primary passion that is software programming and actively nurturing his charity foundation. Winfrey too does not make business decisions purely based on profit. She develops partnerships and ventures in instinct and utility (Alleyne S 2008). Employee relationship Gates usually involves his employees in the think tank of Microsoft, having twice yearly meetings to harvest new ideas or resolve old issues. His relationship is purely business like in nature (Dvorak D). He is almost beaureaucratic in leading with his employees though financially rewarded are tired of being overworked and have temporarily opted out. His monopolistic character in the early days of Microsoft gradually transformed from an autonomous approach to be involved only with the broad strategy (Heller R, 2006). However Oprah being in touch with her emotional perspective of nature thinks taking care of employees and rewarding them occasionally is the path to be a good leader. Debbie McElroy, a head hunter for the Lucas group said, Employees get a six week vacation in their first week at Harpo. The pay and benefits are exceptional. (SellersP, nd). Named as the Worlds Greatest Boss by the Chicago-Sun Times newspaper, she went cruising with 1,700 employees all expense paid in 2009. In 2005, it was a company vacation to Hawaii (Bieganski M, 2009). 7.0 CONCLUSION What makes a good leader? Leadership can vary depending on situation and background of the leader. The personalities chosen to define leadership in this assignment are from different backgrounds, Oprah being from a dysfunctional and uneducated family and Gates from an educated and family of standing in society. The two individuals are also yin and yang in race; one is a white American and the other of African American origin. They differ in the upbringing, values, goals and vision in life. The industries they are involved in are different, Oprah in the entertainment industry and Gates in the software industry. Nevertheless, amazingly both of them are leaders of the generation today. Both are successful, talented and influential billionaires. The similarities they share also include their common interest in philanthropy and giving away their earnings to the population to help the needy and to connect to the population. Both these leaders are charismatic, but Gates is through his business skills and Oprah is through her general caring nature and love for people. Oprah does not believe in doing the marketing her business, over merchandizing her products and always kept in control the on goings of her company allowing her partner only 10% of the business control. Whereas Bill Gates handed over the day to day affairs in 2000 to Steve Ballmer and finally resigned in 2007 to completely hand over the business to his partner. He practised empowerment as part of his leadership quality but Oprah though allowing others to carry out the designated jobs approval was always maintained by her. Both our leaders in the assignment are with varied qualities; however, they are still great leaders of our generation.

Why Stalin Emerrged as the Leader of the USSR in 1929 rather than Trotsky :: essays research papers

Why did Stalin rather than Trotsky emerge as the leader of the USSR in 1929? A power struggle for control of the Bolshevik party began after Vladimir Lenin's death in 1924. Among the several contenders, two of the most important names in this struggle were Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin. Ultimately, Stalin was able to secure power and vote out Trotsky. In the following essay I will discuss the reasons why Stalin rather than Trotsky emerged as the leader of the USSR in 1929. First of all, Stalin was lucky. Trotsky remained ill for most of the power struggle and Lenin died at an opportune time. Indeed, had Lenin lived, Stalin would probably have been sent to the provinces to work for the party. Dzerzhinsky, the head of the Cheka and political adversary to Stalin, also died fortuitously in 1926. His death facilitated the infiltration of Stalin?s supporters into the political police which Stalin eventually used against his opponents. It was also fortunate for Stalin that Lenin?s testament was not publicized. If Lenin?s negative views on Stalin succeeding him had been aired, there would have been no possibility for Stalin?s victory. Another reason for Stalin?s victory was his influence over the party machine through his key positions in the Politburo and Orgburo and as General Secretary. This power allowed Stalin to appoint his supporters to key positions in the party. He also controlled the membership of the party by admitting members likely to support him and expelling those members likely to support Trotsky. Stalin?s control of appointments and membership also made him a valuable ally to other contenders who needed his ability to deliver votes in the congresses. Stalin was also politically skillful and cunning. In the Politburo, when matters of high policy were being discussed, Stalin never imposed his views on his colleagues. He carefully followed the course of the debate and invariably voted with the majority. To the party audiences he appeared devoid of personal grudge and rancour and even seemed to be a detached Leninist, a guardian of the doctrine who criticized others only for the sake of the cause. Stalin always adopted policies that were broadly approved by the majority of the Communist party. Hence, using his political dexterity, he maintained a good reputation within the party. Stalin also made full use of Lenin?s funeral to advance his position. He tricked Trotsky into not attending the funeral by letting him know that he would never make it on time (of course this was not true).

Narrative Report On The First PTA Gener Essay

In order to settle things up, Bunga Elementary School, headed by our principal Mrs. Jessica Narvasa, together with her teaching staff, officers of the Parent – Teacher Association (PTA) and the Barangay Bunga Council, which is headed by Brgy. Capatain Edgardo Aguilar had its 1st PTA General Assembly Meeting at Bunga Elementary School Stage last July 04, 2014. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the following: 1. Personal Safety Lesson 2. SOSA Performance Indicator/School Policy/SIP 3. School Feeding 4. Tree Planting and School GPP Competition Mechanics 5. Class Report/Feed backing 6. Voluntary Contribution 7. Family Day 8. Expected Monthly Activities/District and Division Competition In this meeting, it was majorly favored that in celebration with Family Day this coming December 2014, families would celebrate it together with Jollibee and it will be a fund-raising. Moreover, the school and the barangay agreed to jointly implement the project (which is the water facilities) that will provide a safe water supply system to the school’s children. In addition, there was also an open forum between teachers and parents wherein they were free to ask questions regarding to the agenda’s that had been discussed. There were many questions raised by parents that were answered well by the school staffs. The meeting was then ended ensuring that all the matters that have been tackled and agreed was fully understand by the concerned subjects of this meeting, and was hoping for positive outcomes.

buy custom Hamlets Hesitation essay

buy custom Hamlets Hesitation essay Shakespeare wrote an interesting tragedy, Hamlet. The tragic action in the play originates from a flaw of shame and horror which results to the protagonist suffering intensely. In the play, Hamlet that plays the role of the protagonist has a tragic trait in his character and behavior of uncertainty and delay in action. The protagonist faces two kinds of conflicts. First, he has an inner conflict in the mind and his soul and secondly, he has a physical conflict as he collides with his enemies and opponents. However, the sense of the tragic impression lies in the fact of waste. At the end of the play, a wasted talent and an unnecessary suffering comes out clearly. Why did Hamlet hesitate to act after he promised the ghost of his father that he would avenge his murder on his behalf? In the tragic play, the character of Hamlet stands out as different from that of other characters. His character has a characteristic of strength, will, and passion that has a combination of sentiment and thought. He indulges his imagination and thought to reflect upon terrible nature of crime and refining the schemes that he would use in his revenge mission that to put it into immediate action. His passion reflects a will to think carefully instead of acting in an immediate manner. The son of a murdered noble, Hamlet has an obligation to avenge the death of his father with any chance that comes his way. However, he decides to wait and performs the act at the end of the play. Hamlet does not avenge the death of his father immediately because of certain reasons. Hamlet hesitates to kill King Claudius because he suffered from a form of Oedipus complex and for the fact that he had sanity and practical too perform an act of murder. The basic sanity that Hamlet possessed, kept him from committing an immediate act of murder. In society, people grow to believe that those who commit acts of murder have insanity or some form of sickness. The society where Hamlet lives has no exception from that norm. However, his society believes that the son of a murdered noble has the responsibility of finding those who killed his father and his death. Therefore, Hamlet has an obligation to avenge the death of his father. When the ghost of king Hamlet appeared to Hamlet and told him that Claudius killed him by pouring poison in to his ear, he did not act on the word of the specter immediately. Hamlet does not go to kill King Claudius immediately but instead takes time what the ghost had told him. Hamlet contemplates whether the ghost was good or bad judging by the fact that what the ghost had told him had a serious undertaking that could lead to the death of a person. Hamlet does not want to act stupidly just because a ghost told him that Claudius killed his father. This makes him to try to find out whether the ghost told himthe truth. Hamlet engages himself in plans and carries out analyses of situations. When actors came to town, Hamlet implored one of them to perform a play called the murder of Gonzaga that would happen the next day. Hamlet uses the play as a scheme to find out whether his uncle, King Claudius killed his father. The play that Hamlet requested has similarity to the murder that the ghost described, to him. Hamlet wants to capture the conscience of King Claudius through the play. Hamlet considers that if the manor of King Claudius would change with the play then he would know that he killed his father. This clearly shows that Hamlet did not hesitate to fulfill his commandment because of indecision but rather he wanted to ascertain that the ghost had told him the truth and that if he would carry out the revenge then it would have been on the right person. Hamlet had been plagued by self-doubts. This comes out clearly in the second soliloquy where the essence of the true conflict that Hamlet experienced comes out. He has a commitment to avenging the death of his father, but he cannot act on behalf of his father because he had revulsion towards performing the revenge. The self-condemnation that Hamlet has takes several forms. Hamlet engages in a series of imaginary and demeaning insults that highlights him as cowardly. He feels he has not done anything to King Claudius to avenge the death of his father. This makes him feel as if he has no ability to revenge the death of his father. Hamlet failed to suppress his apprehensions of committing murder. This makes him try to focus on a plan that would ensure that King Claudius admits that he killed his father. Hamlet could not find a way that he could use to confront King Claudius and make him agree that he killed king Hamlet. The only way he could do that required him to formulate a plan that would force King Claudius to confess his actions. Hamlet figures out that because he had no way of confronting king Hamlet, he would make him confess his actions by making King Claudius have a guilty conscience. The hesitation that Hamlet had in avenging for the death of his father has a relation with the Oedipus complex that he had. Hamlet loved his mother in a certain manner. This fact presents itself clearly towards the end of the play. Towards the end of the tragic play, Queen Gertrude drank poison and died. Hamlet responded to that by killing Laertes. The mother of Hamlet had died, and it happened that he decided to kill King Claudius at the same time. Hamlet delayed killing King Claudius because he understood why King Claudius wanted his father out of the way. When his mother died, Hamlet decided to kill King Claudius because without his mother he had nothing much to live for because his life had bed ruined. Without his mother, he had no passion to live. Hamlet hesitated to carry out the revenge because he feared that if King Claudius knew that Hamlet wanted to kill him, he would have made plans to make Hamlet appear bad and would instead kill him. Therefore, he had to delay and look for a proper way that he could use to avenge the death of his father once he knew that king Claudius had murdered his father. Committing a murder was a serious crime in the society that Hamlet lived. Hamlet did not want to kill without purpose because that would have led to his own death. Hamlet has intelligence and has a sense of social duty. He wanted to have the support of the society once he avenged the death of his father. The only way that he could have the support of the society and prevent his own death, he had to display a sense of moral integrity. He decided to use the play to have King Claudius show people that he murdered king Hamlet. Once he proved that, the society would support his revenge mission and he would appear the hero, in his society. This showed that Hamlet delayed the revenge because of a sense of social and moral obligation. Hamlet hesitated to perform his revenge because he relied on morals and had a sense of nobility. As a noble man, he had the responsibility to confirm that his uncle had indeed murdered his father, as an action of proving to the society of his actions and more so, as an action of nobility. Nobility, in the sense that he could not just believe words that came from a ghost. In his third soliloquy, to be or not to be, Hamlet questions whether one should live or not, but it happens as a question of whether he should act or not based on the responsibility he has towards the revenge mission. This has governance from reason, as opposed to frenzied motion. Hamlet faces a state of divide between morality, responsibility and societal nobility. His morals do not allow him to kill, yet as a son, he has the responsibility of avenging the death of his father. At the same time, he has to display a sense of nobility to the society judging by the fact that he is the prince. All these facts make him he sitate because he cannot decide the proper action that he can take in the situation he finds himself. This makes Hamlet spent most of his time thinking instead of acting. He wanted his revenge to display him as a hero in every perspective and display King Claudius as an evil man. In conclusion, Hamlet delayed his revenge against King Claudius mainly because of indecision and self-doubts. He wanted to perform a revenge that would be right in every aspect. Despite the fact that Hamlet hesitated, it did not make him a coward. Rather, his hesitation helped display him as honest, moral and noble because he proved that his uncle killed his father. The death of his mother also quickened his action because of his love for her. Buy custom Hamlets Hesitation essay