Rehabilitating Offenders Effective Rehabilitation

Question: Describe about the Rehabilitating Offenders for Effective Rehabilitation. Answer: Introduction Rehabilitating offenders is not an easy task but when carried out successfully then an offender is able to change and live a normal file. For effective rehabilitation to take place, risk principle, need principle as well as responsivity principle must be strictly observed. When the society locks offenders in prison and does not provide a means by which the individual can understand why he or she committed the crime in the first place, then the corrective behavior will be hard to come by. Through interventions, recidivism can be significantly reduced. The interventions must be directly proportional to the severity of the offense (Christian, Martinez Veysey, 2009). Nigel is a serious and violent juvenile offender. He was charged with assault and robbery as well as other cases which involve violence. He is also a persistent offender which is as a result of various factors. First, Nigels father has served time in prison. Furthermore, both of his parents are alcoholics and he has suffered a lot in their hands since he was abused physically and psychologically. An environment where drugs are being abused by the very people who are supposed to be role models contributed to intergenerational transmission behavior (Crow, 2001). Nigel became an alcoholic just like his parents since his surrounding at home had easy access to it. Lack of social skills is also a great contributor. Mostly because of his harsh environment at home, he feels like everybody is judging him and looking down on him. His abuse in the past has contributed to him feeling a sense of satisfaction when he inflicts harm on those he thinks are looking down on him. It is safe to conclude that violence is the only mode of solving problems that he knows since he does not have a mentor to offer guidance (Flowers, 2002). Risk Assessment factors As far as assessment is concerned, high-risk offenders should be accorded the first priority. The criminal justice system is tasked with correctly predicting future violence. These predictions are critical since they aid in correctly identifying those inmates who require additional security, extra supervision as well as treatment. Making correct predictions is of topmost importance since making wrong predictions may lead to unnecessary restriction of liberties (Kemshall, 2008). Attachment theory According to attachment theory, it is very fundamental for people to have strong emotional and physical attachment to at least one primary care giver to ensure better personal development. In this case, Nigel does not have any attachment to his parents since they are not available to offer any support needed for development. Social ecology theory According to this theory, a childs ecological environment which comprises of siblings, community school, caregiver, peers as well as the extended family affects how he or she turn out to be as an adult. The hostile relationship between Nigel and his parents has contributed to the bad behavior observed in him. Actuarial risk assessment Actuarial risk assessment is most appropriate for this scenario since it more accurate than clinical prediction, reduces subjective biases, risk factor are empirically derived and finally risk scales can be tested for reliability (Priestley Vanstone, 2009). Nigel is a moderate risk offender, therefore, he should receive medium intensity program. This conclusion is based on actuarial risk assessment. The offender in question has been in several juvenile institutions for committing several violent offenses. Currently, he is serving a six-year sentence for assault and robbery. Nigels records in prison show that he has been charged with assault against fellow prisoners. These events show a consistent violent behavior that has lasted for several years. He also shows general recidivism by physically harming those he thinks are looking down on him. The act of constantly inflicting harm on people especially based on a misguided idea that another person is looking down on him which might not always be true is an important fact to be considered. Abuse of alcohol seems to also contribute to violence since when he drinks heavily his chances of engaging in violence increases significantly. Nigel should be enrolled in a prison-based violent offender program since it is directly related to assault and robbery. Violent offenders make up a significant number of prison population hence the need rehabilitate them so that they can eventually be released back to society having transformed their lives (Sherman, 2002). Vocational Training and Education As far as the case study is concerned, to try and rehabilitate Nigel vocational training and education should be introduced to him. Nigel is only nineteen years old hence he has his whole life ahead of him. The fact that Nigel has at only nineteen years of age is serving a six-year sentence and has been in juvenile institutions since his early teens, it would be safe to conclude that he has not progressed a lot as far as education is concerned. This view can be supported by several statistics and observations. Basically inmates have fewer job skills and less educated compared to the general population. Statistics collected from police detainees in Australia back in the year 2007 reveal that forty-three percent females and forty- seven percent males had not completed beyond year ten and only five percent had reached university (Dawe National Centre for Vocational Education Research (Australia), 2007). There is a link between employment and crime. It is worth noting that employment is also associated with education. High rates of unemployment lead to involvement in crime although this trend is usually more conspicuous among minority communities. Farrington research actually concludes that lack of employment does not in any way compel upstanding individuals to engage in crime but it hastens felonious rates of delinquency-prone youth. Education and training while in prison proves fundamental because of various benefits. Participating in basic and secondary education is linked with lower recidivism rates as well as a more stable employment. Tertiary education however, produces mixed results but a huge chunk of the results are positive. Vocational training is linked with fewer violations of parole, fewer recidivism rates, encouraging institutional disciplinary record as well as better post-release employment patterns (Sherman, 2002). Barriers Faced By Prisoners in Completing Courses As far as education is concerned, completing a course in prison proves difficult because of reasons like short prison sentences, waiting list for courses that is too long, inmates desire to make money in prison through paid prison work, early release or transfer to another prison as well as need for inmates to undertake other programs like offending behavior (Sherman, 2002). Treatment The treatment extended to the offender should focus on criminogenic needs. Criminogenic needs are essentially problems, issues or traits that are directly associated with the persons chance to re-offend and commit another offense. These needs are categorized into two that is static and dynamic factors. Static factors cannot be changed while dynamic factors are those that structural factors that make an individual commit a crime (Burkhead, 2007). As far as the case study is concerned, alcohol is a great contributor. Whenever Nigel drinks alcohol heavily, he comes more violent and the chances of committing an offence increase. If measures are taken to ensure that he quits drinking alcohol, it would reduce the chances of being violent significantly. Secondly, there are a lot of issues back at home especially in regards to his parents and the environment they all live in. Nigel has been abused psychologically and physically by her parents and they are never there to offer the support tha t an ordinary individual needs from a loved one. They have for a very long time deprived him of love, guidance and sufficient education and instead exposed him to drug abuse and a life of violence. If Nigel is to be successfully rehabilitated, then constant counseling and a change of environment where he will be able to live far away from his abusive parents must be implemented. These treatment strategies are mainly informed by the social ecology theory that talks of the relationship between environment and how it affects an individual (Richmond, 2006). As far as multisystemic interventions are concerned, Nigels parents should be encouraged to join parental training programs so that they can learn essential skills on how to handle children because judging from the treatment of their son, they have completely failed. The community should also get involved in establishing programs that ensure offenders who have served their time are welcomed back to society instead of being branded as robbers or thieves. Awareness should be made to the society that people can change their ways. When this is done, then social isolation is far much less likely and chances of repeating the offence also reduces significantly which is in line with the social ecological theory (Prins, 2005). Serious and violent juvenile offending can be prevented by carrying out several measures. To avoid children from turning out to be serious and violent juvenile offenders, actions have to be taken early enough. During developmental stages, children have to be taught the negative effects of crime and abuse of drugs which contribute immensely to youth delinquency. In areas that are mostly disadvantaged in particular, public health tactics must be implemented to tackle risk factors that compel the youth to engage in delinquency (Seredycz, 2010). Integration of services needed like child services, medical services and schools coupled with co-ordination can make contribute a lot towards violent juvenile offending. Example of primary prevention approaches that can be executed may involve interschool interpersonal skills training, support for teenaged parents as well as parent training so that they can learn how to handle their children in an effective manner that is guaranteed to bring out their full potential (Hamilton, 2011). Obstacles Facing the Various Rehabilitation Interventions First, there are scarce resources available. Screening as well as prioritizing of resources is not easy since there are a lot of projects that need funding. Most of the time what is allocated for rehabilitation programs is usually not enough to see the programs through to the end (Lobley Smith, 2007). Secondly, the intervention efforts usually face resistant from the client or family members. Sometimes the client in this case the offender may frustrate any efforts of positive intervention. Other times the family members may not agree to such interventions hence denying the client any chance of changing his or her life (Parker, 2007). Thirdly, organizational constraints also reduce the chances of success. At times, there are insufficient fitting and skilled practitioners. This makes the rate of interventions slower therefore not enough clients are able to gain from the interventions. Co-ordination of services across multiple agencies proves to be an uphill task therefore frustrating the rehabilitation efforts (MacKenzie, 2006). Recommendation There are several general needs that should be availed to persistent youth offenders and their families. First, their family environment should be improved. Dysfunctional family environments and interactions should be improved by all means necessary. The environment a child grows in will contribute a lot to the kind of adult the child becomes in the future as dictated by the social ecological theory. According to research, children who grow up in abusive environments where they are physically and psychologically abused end up engaging in crime and often elicit aggressive and antisocial behavior. This view is supported by the systems theory that family problems more often than not lead to delinquency (Masters, 2004). Second, familial affection and bond should be enriched. Family bond ensures that family members care for one another and work hard to improve the welfare of one another. Familial affection ensures that children feel free to share their problems with their parents since they know they will receive the necessary support and guidance (McIvor Raynor, 2007). This strategy is can be backed up by the attachment theory that calls for strong physical and emotional attachment among primary care givers. Third, enhance problem-solving skills. In a world where problems and conflicts are virtually impossible to avoid, having appropriate problem-solving skills and developing non-violent conflict patterns will contribute a lot in living a better life. Most youth offenders are driven by anger and poor conflict management skills which compels them to do things that the society does not agree with. As such, having this skills in their arsenal will ensure that they restrain themselves from resulting to violent means of handling their problems which may result in jail time (Layton, 2002). Four, improving parenting skills should be prioritized. Every parent should have an idea of how children ought to be handled whether male or female. There should be an element of give and take and the parent must create a system where there are specific consequences for their actions. The discipline practices guarantee that the child exercises restraint as far as committing certain negative behaviors is concerned. Disciplining children also helps parents to be responsible adults who are able to respect the law of the land hence reducing their chances of finding themselves in prison for breaking the law in one way or the other (Cornelius, 2010). Five, help is needed to help the young come up with constructive leisure activities. Whenever you people are idle, they tend to engage in destructive activities like drug abuse, unprotected sex as well as criminal activities. Persistent young offenders should be encouraged to engage in constructive hobbies like dancing, reading books as well as sports that will help in nurturing their talent and destruct them from any thoughts of going back to the negative ways of crime (Goodman, 2012). Conclusion All in all, rehabilitating offenders is a noble task aimed at transforming offenders lives so that they can abandon their bad activities like engaging in crime and assault. For the rehabilitation to bear fruits, proper assessment must be done so as to determine the risk factors and in the process devise better ways as well as appropriate programs that will be of maximum help to an offender. As far as the case study is concerned, Nigel needs to be enrolled in a prison-based violent offender program where he can be able to go through different approaches like education and training to ensure he does not go back to crime. Taking courses in prison is rather difficult because at times prisoners are released early, some prefer to earn a living by participating in paid prison work and some get transferred to other prisons. As far as treatment is concerned, Nigel should counseling especially for the physical and psychological abuse that he received from his parents. In addition, Help should be offered on the best ways to avoid drug abuse. Some of the measures that can be taken to prevent the likelihood of children turning out to be serious and juvenile offenders comprise of tackling risk factors that compel the youth to turn to crime, integration of crucial services like medical and child services as well as proper coordination from different agencies. To ensure that there is a reduction in repeat youth offenders, assistance must be given to ensure that they come up with constructive hobbies. Parental skills and family affection must also be improved. Furthermore, their problem-solving skills must be enhanced and proper guidance given. References Burkhead, M. D. (2007).The treatment of criminal offenders: A history. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. Christian, J., Martinez, D. J., Veysey, B. M. (2009).How offenders transform their lives. Cullompton: Willan Pub. Cornelius, G. F. (2010).The correctional officer: A practical guide. Durham, N.C: Carolina Academic Press. Crow, I. (2001).The treatment and rehabilitation of offenders. London: SAGE. Dawe, S., National Centre for Vocational Education Research (Australia). (2007).Vocational education and training for adult prisoners and offenders in Australia: Research readings. Adelaide: NCVER. Flowers, R. B. (2002).Kids who commit adult crimes: Serious criminality by juvenile offenders. New York: Haworth Press. Goodman, A. (2012).Rehabilitating and resettling offenders in the community. Chichester: John Wiley Sons. Hamilton, Z. K. (2011).Treatment Matching for Substance-Abusing Offenders. El Paso: LFB Scholarly Pub. LLC. Kemshall, H. (2008).Understanding the community management of high risk offenders. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Layton, M. K. D. (2002).Reducing the Criminal Activities of Known Offenders and Delinquents: Crime Prevention in the Courts and Corrections (From Evidence-Based Crime Prevention, P 330-404, 2002, Lawrence W. Sherman, David P. Farrington, et al, eds., -- See NCJ?198648). United States. Lobley, D., Smith, D. (2007).Persistent young offenders: An evaluation of two projects. Aldershot, England: Ashgate. Masters, R. (2004).Counseling criminal justice offenders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. MacKenzie, D. L. (2006).What works in corrections: Reducing the criminal activities of offenders and delinquents. New York: Cambridge University Press. McIvor, G., Raynor, P. (2007).Developments in social work with offenders. London: Jessica Kingsley. Parker, M. (2007).Dynamic security: The democratic therapeutic community in prison. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Priestley, P., Vanstone, M. (2009).Rehabilitating offenders: Key readings. Cullompton: Willan. Prins, H. (2005).Offenders, deviants or patients?. London: Brunner-Routledge. Richmond, D. (2006).Barriers to reentry for ex-offenders: Factors contributing to recidivism. Seredycz, M. A. (2010).Offender drug abuse and recidivism: An access to recovery program. El Paso [Tex.: LFB Scholarly Pub. Sherman, L. W. (2002).Evidence-based crime prevention. London: Routledge.

Present How Strategic Planning, Performance Improvement, and Information Systems Are Interrelated and Fundamental to the Delivery of Quality Healthcare Essay Example

Present How Strategic Planning, Performance Improvement, and Information Systems Are Interrelated and Fundamental to the Delivery of Quality Healthcare Essay HCA 340 Managing in Health Human Services Instructor: Elizabeth Wells-Beede Latriest Fisher July 18, 2011 Course Learning and Outcomes Read texts that you deem most important or relevant for a course first, particularly when your professor mentions a passage or when a reading is to be covered in class. Prioritize readings by determining what will be reviewed in discussion sections and by knowing test dates and due dates for papers. Be sure that you have enough time to complete your reading assignments by scheduling more time than you think you need. To get the most from your class readings, use the following tips; managing reading assignments, and Reading effectively. Condense information take margin notes and highlight important points within readings. When it is time to study for tests, focus on the notes youve taken and the passages youve highlighted in a separate notebook; write down ideas and questions that arise while youre reading. This will help you think critically about what youve read, and will serve as a guide as you study for tests, write papers, and ask questions in class. Identify sequences of events in your readings and make lists to put events in order. We will write a custom essay sample on Present How Strategic Planning, Performance Improvement, and Information Systems Are Interrelated and Fundamental to the Delivery of Quality Healthcare specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Present How Strategic Planning, Performance Improvement, and Information Systems Are Interrelated and Fundamental to the Delivery of Quality Healthcare specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Present How Strategic Planning, Performance Improvement, and Information Systems Are Interrelated and Fundamental to the Delivery of Quality Healthcare specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Gain a broader understanding of what you read by visualizing characters and working to grasp their motivations. Be attentive to cause-effect relationships that are central to knowing why events happen. Prioritize your reading assignments, Read the assignments that you deem to be most important first. If you know some readings will be covered in class, or if your professor has mentioned specific reading assignments, those may be your priority. Similarly, you may want to prioritize assignments in which youre reading about things you dont know over assignments that cover subjects that youre familiar with. Generally, you may want to read primary source assignments for a class before reading secondary source is to find a place to read where you feel comfortable. An ideal place to read minimizes outside distractions and is well lit. Evaluate the reading progress you make where you currently study. If you feel you could read better elsewhere, give a new place a try. To become an effective reader, you must be an active reader. That means doing more than just reading the words on each page of a reading assignment; it means becoming involved with material and thinking about it while you read. The basic steps for becoming an active reader are: Know generally what youre going to cover in a reading assignment and why. Make a rough outline of the reading assignment as you go Watch for key terms and take notes with brief definitions Take notes on the main points and general themes Summarize your reading assignments in short paragraphs Write a short reflective response about the reading assignment after youre finished with it . Skim texts and read selectively only if you dont have enough time to devote to reading an entire assignment. To skim a text you need to: Read introductions, conclusions, and summary paragraphs, read the first and last lines of paragraphs look at all illustrations, graphs, and tables read all words and phrases that are highlighted in bold or italics. The Discussion questions that have to be answered each week are a form of seeing if we have read and understood the particular chapter. The process of responding to your fellow classmates gives us the ability to interact with our fellow classmates. To have a view of their opinion as well as gaining a new friend that you may have to call on down the road.

Character Tags in Fiction

Character Tags in Fiction Character Tags in Fiction Character Tags in Fiction By Maeve Maddox In the parlance of fiction writing, a character tag is a repetitive verbal device used to identify a character in the mind of the reader. More than a simple description, a character tag calls to mind aspects of the characters personality and uniqueness. Uriah Heeps clammy hands, his constant hand rubbing, and his use of the word humble to describe himself and his mother are character tags that make him unforgettable. Sherlock Holmes and his violin, his shag tobacco, and his uncanny aptitude for noting and interpreting details others ignore, are only three of the numerous character tags that make him live in our imagination. Character tags may be drawn from any aspect of the characters appearance or behavior: voice gestures body carriage dialect and speech mannerisms hair clothing scent mental state A sympathetic character who has red hair may be described as having carrot red hair, while a creepy character might have hair the color of dried blood. Some characters in a novel may appear only a few times, but the most minor character needs a character tag or two to make him memorable. In The Mummers Curse Gillian Roberts introduces a minor character with this description: I didn’t recognize him, but I didnt think I should be scared. He was polite, his voice low-pitched and confident, and apparently he knew me. Besides, he was elegant. In his early forties, I thought, with prematurely silver hair uncovered despite the freezing wind, and looking none the worse for it. His topcoat was visibly soft, cashmere, I suspected, and his hands, encased in buttery brown gloves, held a leather-bound book with gold-edged pages. When the character appears again, the author reiterates some of these details, for example, the silver hair that defies the elements, the expensive attire, and the book. C. R. Corwins Morgue Mama Mysteries feature a newspaper librarian in her sixties. Many of her character tags have to do with her appearance: My name is Dolly Madison Sprowls. Im 68 years old. Im short, a little dumpy, and I havent changed my hairstyle since college. I looked up and found Chick Glass. I figured that was you, Maddy, he said. He playfully flicked my Prince Valiant bangs with his fingers. Used judiciously, character tags add dimension to the characters and enable the reader to tell them apart. Depending on what mental baggage the reader brings to the story, however, character tags can jar the reader out of the dream and cause annoyance. In the Amanda Pepper mysteries by Gillian Roberts, Amanda is a native of Philadelphia. Her boyfriend Mackenzie is from the South. One of his character tags is that he lapses into his native speech when stressed. Speech tags involving dialect and speech mannerisms can be effective, but Roberts doesnt just make use of the tag and move on; she has Amanda comment at such length on Mackenzies lapses that I grow annoyed at what seems to me to be a display of a misplaced sense of regional superiority. The Maddy Sprowls character has two character tags that yank me out of the story every time they occur. One is a speech tag and the other involves a habitual gesture. Here are examples: Are you saying Gordon was gay? Good gravy, does everything have to be about sex? She took the brick†¦How much did you pay for it? I pawed the air. It was a steal. Every time I read the interjection Good gravy, I pictured Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica from the comics. I dont know if they said it, but thats what I thought of every time and there are lots of good gravies in Dig. The other tag that never failed to jar is I pawed the air. Maddy paws the air a lot. Every time I read that tag I imagined a rearing horse. I finally decided that Corwin intended to convey the dismissive gesture one might make while saying Pshaw! Character tags are great ways to make fictional characters live, but take care to avoid any that may defeat the purpose of keeping the reader engaged in the story. More on character tags: Kaye Dacus Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely?50 Idioms About Roads and PathsMood vs. Tense

Chromatography Definition and Examples

Chromatography Definition and Examples Chromatography is a group of laboratory techniques to separate the components of a mixture by passing the mixture through a stationary phase. Typically, the sample is suspended in the liquid or gas phase and is separated or identified based on how it flows through or around a liquid or solid phase. Types of Chromatography The two broad categories of chromatography are liquid chromatography (LC) and gas chromatography (GC). Highs of other types of chromatography include ion exchange chromatography, resin chromatography, and paper chromatography. Uses of Chromatography Chromatography is used primarily to separate components of a mixture so that they can be identified or collected. It can be a useful diagnostic technique or part of a purification scheme.

Innovations in robotic surgery and its limitations Assignment

Innovations in robotic surgery and its limitations - Assignment Example Robotic instruments are also able to, very easily, reach parts of the body that are normally hard to access through lesser surgical incisions as compared to laparoscopic or traditional open surgery. Robotic surgery also ensures faster recovery, shorter hospital stays, and smaller scars. This paper presents several issues associated with robotic surgery such as limitations and real-life examples. Robots consist of metal or another hard substance than contains a number of gears that are controlled by system software. Robotics is used in many fields such as industry, health, and entertainment. Surgical robotics started in early 1990s but it was all just experimenting nothing definitive about using robots in surgery. Not since the Da Vinci surgical system which was approved by the FDA (US food and drug administration) in 2000 opening the way to a promising future for robotic surgery Hottenrott stated in (2012) that â€Å"The age of robotic surgery has dawned and there still a lot of improvement to be made in the near future†(p.580). Every robot is designed for a certain operation or field in surgery depending on its function and capability. Furthermore the purpose of this report is to show the advances and innovations that the surgical robots reached in the past five years (Camarillo, Krummel & Salisbury, 2004). This subject is connected to mechatronic engineering becaus e mechatronic is the study of the relationship between hardware and software which complies with robotics. Robotics in surgery became prominent at the turn of the new millennium, which was also marked by other significant inventions and discoveries. In the purpose of making improvements in surgeries that a surgeon may have a difficulty while performing a complex procedure and face challenges that only a robot can help the surgeon to do it with more precision, accuracy, less time and effort (Hottenrott, 2012). There are some promising surgical robot

Thesis statement is The corporate model of management should not be Essay

Thesis statement is The corporate model of management should not be used for citywide hospital agencies to address its inefficiences - Essay Example thcare sector has massively invested resources in carrying out research on the possibility of developing cure/treatment for these infections that claim lives of many in the 21st century. However, both the states and local government have equally increased medical and clinical awareness campaigns aimed at increasing and improving the quality of healthcare provided to the public. This has been made possible through enacting legislation on healthcare provision to ensure universal access to services. This has resulted into improvement in the quality of life and hence the general productivity of the industry. The management and administration of hospital agencies remains an incredibly complicated and challenging task that calls for effective balancing of all aspects in a hospital setting. Therefore, hospital overseers must balance between pressure from all aspects including internal demands (public expectations, pattern of emerging diseases and demographics changes), demands from suppliers (health care workforce, clinical knowledge and technology), as well as social demands (global research and development market, internationalisation and financial pressures). The complexity of managing hospital agencies remains a concern to researchers who have questioned the wisdom of the application of the corporate model of management in the hospital settings. Presently, many hospitals agencies citywide are relying on a corporate model of management. This model has encouraging impacts on the hospitals productivity. However, overreliance on the model presents severe consequences on the quality and sus tainability of service delivery. It is notable that the theme for adopting corporate model of management in the citywide hospital agencies arose from the need to improve productivity and quality of service delivery (Debra et al.). The need to enhance the development of citywide hospital agencies necessitated the adoption of this model. The model has presented diverse discrepancies,

A Research Paper on G.K. Chesterton and The Man Who Was Thursday Essay Example for Free

A Research Paper on G.K. Chesterton and The Man Who Was Thursday Essay While doing research on G.K. Chesterton and his literary masterpiece, I came upon this article on Gilbert Magazine in which his answer to the question â€Å"What is the difference between progress and growth?† was posted. To this question, he answered: The fatal metaphor of progress, which means leaving things behind us, has utterly obscured the real idea of growth, which means leaving things inside of us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First of all, I didnt even know he has a magazine. Secondly, since I have never heard of him before, I ask myself why on earth has it taken so long for me to discover such an amazing man? His statement above is just one of the marvelous pithy quotations of a man who never earned a doctorate and, in fact, never even attended a university. I have read some of them and I am amazed at how he can say something about everything and says it better than everybody else.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is with utter delight that I am taking this journey to the discovery and uncovering of a genius – a journalist, a debater, an artist, a happy man – for in discovering him, I discover passion, wisdom, and myself. G.K. Chesterton: A Poet, Storyteller, and Ironist   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   G.K. Chesterton cannot be summed up in one sentence. Nor in one paragraph. With all the fine biographies I   have encountered that have been written of him, I dont know if the Gilbert Keith Chesterton has really been captured between the covers of those books. In the first place, how could one simplify a man of such complex talents? He was very good at expressing himself, but more importantly, he had something very good to express – the reason why he was one of the greatest thinkers and writers of the 20th century and a champion of the Roman Catholic religion. K. Chesterton is alive and kicking today in a way that most of his contemporaries are not precisely because he enunciated clearly and forcefully the fundamental principles in the light of which issues, whether of today or of yesterday, can be confronted intelligently, and he has dedicated this extraordinary intellect and creative power to the reform of English government and society. Literary types would laud him for his poetry and novels and detective stories and plays; social critics would approve him for his prescient admonitions about eugenics and nihilism and socialism; champions of domestic democracy would like his doctrine of distributism; philosophers would be challenged by his insights and quips; the fundamentalist Christian would defend him for defending Christianity, and the Catholic Christian would enjoy the enjoyment Chesterton derived from his Catholicism. This is a multifaceted man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gilbert was a day boy at St. Paul’s. The masters rated him as an under-achiever, but he earned some recognition as a writer and debater. Although he never went to college, he proved that genius cannot be tied down to the rules of the academy, nor need we be subservient to the prejudices of the academy in evaluating genius. Chesterton, in fact, chose to be a journalist, because in that role he could think most profoundly, powerfully, cogently, and effectively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He was vitally concerned with the injustices of Great Britain to its dependencies. He progressed from newspaper to public debate. He used logic, laughter, paradox, and his own winning personality to show that imperialism was destroying English patriotism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1900 he published his first literary works, two volumes of poetry. In 1900 he met Hilaire Belloc, and in 1901 he married Frances Blogg. These events were two of the great influences in his life. From 1904 to 1936 Chesterton published nearly a dozen novels, the most important being The Napoleon of Notting Hill (1904) and The Man Who Was Thursday (1908). In 1911 Chesterton created the ‘‘Father Brown’’ detective stories. During his literary career he published 90 books and numerous articles. He poured out a wealth of lighthearted essays, historical sketches, and metaphysical and polemical works, together with such well-known poems as ‘‘The Ballad of the White Horse,’’ ‘‘Lepanto,’’ and the drinking songs from The Flying Inn. Among his major critical works are studies of Robert Browning (1903) and Charles Dickens (1906). Prodigiously talented, Chesterton also illustrated a number of Belloc’s light works.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chesterton spoke of himself as primarily a journalist. He contributed to and helped edit Eye Witness and New Witness. He edited G. K.’s Weekly, which advocated distributism, the social philosophy developed by Belloc. Chesterton’s overriding concern with political and social injustice is reflected in Heretics (1905) and Orthodoxy (1909), perhaps his most important work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I could say that Chesterton was not a philosopher in the sense of one who, like Plato or Aristotle, Aquinas or Bonaventure, Descartes or Kant, Hegel or Kierkegaard, made original contributions to the history of human reflection on the reality of the real. We can, however, say that he made two remarkable contributions which are still immensely worthwhile today: (1) he was unmatched in his ability to satirize the philosophical foibles of his day; and (2) although his philosophy was not unique his manner of expressing it was unique; one cannot read him, even today, without being again and again suddenly pulled up short. In view of his perennial concern with ideas and with ideas that count, with ultimates he has to be called a philosopher, not merely, however, as a lover of wisdom, but as one who possessed a certain kind of intuitive wisdom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout his life, G.K. Chesterton was one of the most colorful and loved   personalities of literary England. To his intellectual gifts he added gaiety, wit, and warm humanity that endeared him even to his antagonists. This English author, journalist, and artist was born in London on May 29, 1874. He died at his home in Beaconsfield on June 14, 1936, but it doesnt matter. To those who know him and are passionate readers of his works, his wisdom lives on. To those like me who simply stumbled upon him, he lives again. In our hearts, his wisdom is timeless. The Man Who Was Thursday: A Masterpiece of a Non-Degree Holder Genius   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Versatility of topic, address, genre, device, whatever more there is in the heaven and earth of mind and spirit brought to letterssuch is the hallmark and mandate of Chesterton. He can be straightforward and for right, crisp and to the point, or witty, with a certain malice aforethought. He can take the way of irony or simply snort when his patience is exhausted. He can soar with angelic sweep or swoop like a bird of prey. His descriptive hand is as authentic as any, as witness this from the beginning of The Man Who Was Thursday: The suburb of Saffron Park lay on the sunset side of London, as red and ragged as a cloud of sunset. It was built of a bright brick throughout; its skyline fantastic its ground plan wild. More especially this attractive unreality fell upon it about nightfall when the extravagant roofs were dark against the afterglow and the whole insane village seemed as separate as a drifting cloud. This . . . was more strongly true of the many nights of local festivity, when the little gardens were often illuminated, and the big Chinese lanterns glowed in the dwarfish trees like some fierce and monstrous fruit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Man Who Was Thursday was the phantasmagoric 1908 novel of eccentric anarchists, philosopher-detectives and a riddle-writing criminal mastermind who just might be God. Subtitled A Nightmare, this masterpiece by G.K. Chesterton better known for his Father Brown detective series mingles theological brainteasing with cloak-and-dagger capers like a cross-country balloon chase and a  Ã‚   bombing conspiracy fomented over jam and crumpets.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This metaphysical thriller spirals out madly from a marvelous premise: a London counterintelligence chief has formed a corps of â€Å"policemen who are also philosophers.† An initiate tells the books hero Gabriel Syme, who is with the British police: The ordinary detective goes to pot-houses to arrest thieves; we go to artistic tea-parties to detect pessimists. The ordinary detective discovers from a ledger or a diary that a crime has been committed. We discover from a book of sonnets that a crime will be committed We say that the most dangerous criminal now is the entirely lawless modern philosopher.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Soon after joining these vigilantes, he was hired by an unknown, unseen man to infiltrate the noted anarchist movement, making him stumble upon an anarchist conspiracy to destroy civilization and morality itself. He starts with a loudmouthed poet of disorder, Gregory, and follows him into a meeting of the anarchists. Gregory is forced to keep Gabriels identity a secret for his own sake, for he himself had led the policeman into their secret hideaway.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The undercover Gabriel manages to get elected as one of the seven top men in the organization, alias Thursday, much to Gregorys silent chagrin. Gabriel meets with the other members of the council, all of who appear to be dark and dreadfully evil most of all the President, the huge mountain of a man called Sunday. Little by little, however, Gabriel realizes that the other five people under Sunday are not at all evil, but all of them spies from the police!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the process, however, Gabriel succeeds in getting an entire French countryside to think he and his new friends are really anarchists (meanwhile they are thinking, or wondering in disbelief, that the entire countryside is full of anarchists after them). They nearly get lynched. When things are settled, this group of undercover police go back to England to seek out Sunday, whom they soon find is the very man who hired them to infiltrate the council in the first place! Sunday leads them on a strange and wild chase, during which the six philosophize about the nature of their strange antagonist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Phantasmagoric escapades proliferate, and police pursuit collides with the carnivalesque nature of the universe. They realize that they have been seeing him from behind, and from behind he looks brutal; but the apparent evil was misleading. The journey ends at a palatial estate where the six are treated like kings, and finally see Sunday for who he is The Sabbath, the peace of God. The council of anarchists has turned into a High Council commemorating the Seven Days of Gods Creation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The purpose of Sunday as the evil anarchist was to bring forth good through the others to urge them on to unnatural virtue. As they were fighting, they were fighting Satan. As the hearers grow indignant at Sundays using them for his purposes and allowing them to go through such trials, the paradoxical Problem of Evil seems somehow resolved. The last question asked of the strange man as he recedes into space is Have you ever suffered? and the answer the Christian knows is whispered from the distance. The last scene sees Gabriel Syme waking from his reverie, and chatting philosophy with the other Poet of Saffron Park, Gregory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Chesterton offers up one highly colored enigma after another in The Man That Was Thursday. He truly knows how to create an atmosphere of hallucinatory suspense, to use the fantastic and paradoxical and fugitive to glimpse the other side of God. In an article published the day before his death, he called this literary masterpiece of his, â€Å"a very melodramatic sort of moonshine.† I guess thats how we would describe a novel set in a phantasmagoric London where policemen are poets and anarchists camouflage themselves as, well, anarchists. By turns hilarious and terrifying, Chesterton’s The Man Who Was Thursday is a lyrical search for truth in a world where nothing is what it seems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is not a book. This is a glorious experience. Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Modern Horror Writers (Writers of English). New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994. Chesterton, G.K. The Autobiography of G.K. Chesterton. New York: Sheed Ward, 1936. Chesterton, G.K. The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare. New York: Dodd, Mead Company, 1908. Coren, Michael. Gilbert, The Man Who Was G.K. Chesterton. New York: Paragon House, 1990. Dale, Alzina Stone. The Outline of Sanity: A Biography of G.K. Chesterton. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1982. Dale, Alzina Stone. The Art of G.K. Chesterton. Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1985. Ffinch, Michael. G.K. Chesterton. San Francisco: Harper Row, 1986. â€Å"More letters asking Whats the Difference?.† Gilbert Magazine Outlining Sanity. 30 November 2007 http://www.gilbertmagazine.com/page_16.html Titterton, W.R. G.K. Chesterton: A Portrait. Folcroft, Pennsylvania: Folcroft Library