Outline and Evaluate Research Into the Effects of Day Care on Social Development Essay Example for Free

Outline and Evaluate Research Into the Effects of Day Care on Social Development Essay Belsky and Rovine (1988) conducted a study in order to assess attachment using the strange situation technique. They observed infants who had been receiving 20 hours or more of day care per week before the age of 1. Their findings suggested that, in comparison to children at home, these children were more often insecurely attached. With insecure attachments being associated with poorer social relationships this may be considered a negative effect of day care. The NICHD started a longitudinal study in 1991 to study many aspects of child development. Similarly the NICHD study found that children who were in day care for more than 30 hours a week were 3 times more likely to show behaviour problems when they went to school. By comparing the two studies we can see that the amount of time spent in day care plays an important role in whether or not children showed negative effects. However Violata and Russell’s meta-analysis showed that when time spent in day care exceeds 20 hours a week negative effects become apparent however the NICHD study found this time to be 30 hours therefore the results are contradictory and inconsistent. The EPPE study was a large scale, longitudinal study of the progress and development of 3,000 children in various types of pre-school education across the UK. The results of the EPPE study found that high levels of day care, particularly nursery care in the first 2 years, may elevate the risk of developing anti-social behaviour. To some degree the EPPE study supports the findings of Belsky and Rovine’s study as both found that the age of the child when placed in day care contributed to whether or not it was perceived to have negative implications. However the two studies can only be looked at comparatively to a certain extent as Belsky and Rovine’s study assessed infants under the age of 1 whereas the EPPE study assessed children up to the age of 7. Clarke-Steward et al studied 150 children and found that those who were in day care were consistently more advanced in their social development than  children who stayed home with mothers, enabling them to better deal with peer relationships. Likewise, the EPPE study found increased independence and sociability in the children who attended day care. Field (1991) found that the amount of time spent in full-time day care was positively correlated to the number of friends children has once they went to school. However, although these findings suggest that full-time day care had positive effects on the child, the results clash with studies conducted by Belsky and Rovine. This may be due to individual differences of the children assessed in both studies, for example shy children may have appeared insecure when assessed using the strange situation technique by Belsky and Rovine. Moreover the positive correlation shown in Field’s study cannot accurately be used as grounds to state that full-time day care causes children to be more popular as correlation is not causation.

Unemployment In Saudi Arabia And The Uk Economics Essay

Unemployment In Saudi Arabia And The Uk Economics Essay This essay will discuss a macroeconomic issue that affect to government economy. Understanding this issue is related to understand some general concept about the economic first. What is economic, what it divided to and how it related to government issues. Then after understanding these general ideas will focus on unemployment issue, what it is and how it affect to government economy. After that a comparison between unemployment in Saudi Arabia and unemployment in UK. In order to understand the issue in these countries using an analysis tool in necessary which will be PEST analysis in order to relies the reasons why that issue is important and the reason of it also. First of all what is economic, economics is a way to find how people lives process in that way which the live now. It is a measurement tool used by economics to know more about how people live. Also to find out the influences of some factors that could change these process to be better. Economics is mainly contain two part which are Macroeconomic and Microeconomic, and each part is focus on different way of study area. Macroeconomic is a field of study which related to governmental issues economy or globally and how economy fluctuate. The purpose of study macroeconomics in to understand and be able to analyze some issues such as national income, unemployment, inflation, rate of growth and price level. On the other hand, Microeconomics is discuss people decisions which related to the market. The aim of study Microeconomics is to define services and goods quantity and price, and also to discover the effect of government rules and taxes to the goods and services price, as an example of what Microeconomics study are cars prices and demand, telecom and electricity. In this essay will discuss one of Macroeconomic issue in two different countries which are Saudi Arabia and UK. The issue will focus on is unemployment, and the reasons of this issue. Then considering how it affect to the government economics. According to Donald Rutherford in his book Dictionary of Economics, he define unemployment as the stat of being part of a labor force, wanting to work, but without a job.( Rutherford, 1992, p. 473) Unemployment is defined as person who is available to work, looking for a job and does not have a job now. And some countries add more conditions to define person as unemployment, such as in Saudi Arabia mention that the person account as unemployment if the previous conditions apply on him and he accept the minimum rate of salary. And in UK they define unemployment as In the United Kingdom the definition of unemployment is someone who is in receipt of the jobseekers allowance (Parkin et al , 1997). Unemployment. Unemployment is a major problem that could affect to government economy, there are different side of that affect. Unemployment could affect to government policy, social relationships between people, economic growth, productivity and technology development. In this essay will use a tool to analyze this issue through the chosen countries and how it affect. PEST Analysis. PEST analysis based on four factors which are : Political : and it consist of governmental regulations and laws, government type and political change. Economic : which consist of growth, labor supply and labor costs. Social : and contains population growth, health and education. Technology : contain impact of technology and productivity. Unemployment in the United Kingdom. Unemployment in the UK actually is not a new problem or happen recently it started years ago and it fluctuated in high percentage to low percentage during 1855 to 1994. According to C.H.Feinstein, he mention that the percentages of unemployment in the UK changed from time to time. It reach the highest percentage in 1935 where it was 15% and almost 0% during 1945. Both of them have it own political reasons at that time. Political. There are many reasons that leads to unemployment, first political reasons: government always centralize the governmental organizations and businesses to be inside the big cities and rather than smaller one or rural side which affect that most people leave these village and move to live in big cities. And thatà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s affect to most businesses and market be only in big cities and then this country lose one or more of public sectors like education for example, and that what happen in the UK actually. Most of population be in big cities and the most of universities opened in big cities, then it will lead to lack of knowledge between people who lives in these places and cannot offer to let their children to lean in cities cause of expensive. Economic. Also there are economics reasons for unemployment in the UK, labor market are always linked with economy of these country. For example, the salary for employee in a rich country is different than other who could do the same job but in poor country. Employee lose their motivation to work because of the low payment and that affect to the company or organization productivity. Another economic reason of high percentage of unemployment is the credit crunch. Since the credit crunch happen and most of companies affected of it, they try hard to adjust their balance and the only way to do that is end a lot of their employee contract. The next chart shows that the percentages of unemployment is start to increase sharply when the world affected by credit crunch. http://www.tradingeconomics.com/Temp/United-Kingdom-Unemployment-Rate-Chart-000001.png?0b055430-d250-4215-93a4-27094745a09b Technology. Also the technology affect to spread the unemployment in United Kingdom in different ways. A lots of companies nowadays work hard to introduce machines to their company instead of human. The companies managers have their own point of view, the managers think that these electronic machines work more than the humans and at that time the productivity of the company will raise tribal. The human employee work 8 hours daily but these machines could work without break time or stop during 24 hours. Also the costs of this machines is lower than human and for future the expenses will reduce and the profit will increase and that what private sectors looking for. The new generations of robot employee will increase the rate of unemployment in UK. Social. Lora a student in a university were graduate recently from a law school. She works hard to find a job in a lawyer office, but unfortunately for her she graduate when the percentage of unemployment is high. As she not born in a rich family and cause of shortage of money she works in a clothes shop. Years after another trying hard to find a job that she looking for, but after a while she find herself stuck in the clothes shop because she cannot compete the new graduates law students. Previous example is shows how can unemployment affect socially, Lora found a solution for her problem in her way but others could not handle the unemployment like Lora. Rises of crime, alcoholism and violence are reflect of people who are jobless and have nothing to do. People who are unemployment and deal with this situation in wrong way by dealing a drug for example, easy money will be in their hand and they will never think of find a job but they will act in different way to try hard to make the worker be addict and then they will be a jobless cause they cannot do their job in the right way. If the unemployment increase the social problem will increase as will. Unemployment in the Saudi Arabia. Unemployment in Saudi Arabia in a new problem actually, the government did not face that huge increasing in unemployment like what happen recently. Unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia reach the highest percentage in Dec 2009 when reach almost 10.5 % , where the lowest percentage was during 1999 when reach 8.1 %. There are many reasons that affect to the unemployment to raise in Saudi Arabia. http://www.tradingeconomics.com/Temp/Saudi-Arabia-Unemployment-Rate-Chart-000002.png?cd318801-9e82-4d60-b5a6-41ce6853181e Political. Because of Saudi Arabia more than 50 % of its total area are desert, government did not make much effort to consider that the people who live in these areas are jobless. There is no industries inside these areas and those people who lived in desert which named Bedouins most of them are unemployment. They did not study or finish their graduation year cause of their culture enforce them to stay in their land to implant or raising camel through their childhood. They grown up and the time is change and they cannot depend on what their father used to do, but also they are not capable to work cause of lack of education. Economic. Saudi Arabia are like all other countries which affected by credit crunch, but because of the government regulations the private organizations cannot fired these employee before their contract will end. Then they companies use different way to reduce the number of the employee by adding more work to do for them. Actually that idea reduce the employee because most of them resign from work and also the company save more money than they expect. Many organization do that strategy and number of unemployment raise. Another reason of high percentage of unemployment is foreign labor. Some company hire a foreign labor cause of low cost of them and the high skills or professional employee can costs nothing comparing with local employee and with high experience in foreigner side. Technology. Technology is important in any organization in different way especially in industrial sectors. And because there are no much Saudis skilled employee who can work in these sectors, the organizations replace hiring Saudis with foreigner. Most of Saudis cannot handle to use technology in their work, not at this time actually, that raise the percentage of unemployment. Companies always looking to professionals in a way of reduce the cost of labor by using technology. Social.

Persian Proverb Doubt Is The Key To Knowledge Philosophy Essay

Persian Proverb Doubt Is The Key To Knowledge Philosophy Essay I have been quite fascinated by the many changes that keep happening to what seems to be a certainty and realized that doubt has traditionally played a significant part in the philosophy of knowledge. The ancient Greek philosophers debated the issue of knowledge and the relevance of doubt. Plato described knowledge as justified true belief1 the key word being belief which in itself is subject to interpretations by individuals. The famous French philosopher Renee Descartes tried to define knowledge in terms of certainty and in his arguments the path to certainty begins with doubt. In his book Meditation 1 What can be called Doubt, he says I realised that it was necessary, once in the course of my life, to demolish everything completely and start again right from the foundations if I wanted to establish anything at all in the sciences that was stable and likely to last.2 So is there any truth in the Persian saying Doubt is the Key to Knowledge? Is this purely an epistemological rhetoric or will it hold true in areas of knowledge as diverse as science and arts? Nobel laureate and leading physicist, Richard Feynman described doubt in relation to science as follows: Scientific knowledge is a body of statements of varying degrees of certainty -some most unsure, some nearly sure, none absolutely certain. A strong parallel can be drawn between his statement and space research. What made man land on the moon or explore the possibility of life on Mars? As a knower, I know that if we would not have doubted the probability that man could live on the moon, space expeditions to the moon would have stopped after the near life and death drama of Apollo 13. The Apollo3 series of expeditions seemed to have established that the moon was completely uninhabitable because of its inability to sustain water. The desire to know and doubting what was already known, led to the Indian unmanned space expedition to the moon. The Indian space craft Chandrayaan discovered traces of ice on the moons surface. So, can man really live on the moon? Science generally relies on a set of deductive logic to prove their hypothesis. Euclids two dimensional geometry is a classic case of using modus ponens or deductive logic to prove assumptions or hypothesis. Going by this, one could easily argue as follows: Man needs oxygen and water to live. Water contains oxygen. Ice is formed from water. Ice has been found on the moon therefore, man can live on the moon. www.plato.stanford.edu/entries/knowledge-analysis/à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ modus ponens xenodochy.org/article/popper.html www.rep.routeledge.com/article/DA026SECT4 www.space.com/8193-caused-apoll-13-accient.html Popper doubted this process of deductive truism and said it cannot prove a theory true every time. In his theory of falsification he argued that modus ponens is purely truth preserving and therefore a better alternative is modus tollens which uses the conditions of denying to falsify the assumption e.g. if P implies Q and Q is false, then P must also be false. Poppers falsification theory pointed out no scientific theory is ever conclusively verified, no matter how many tests it has survived4 For example, Schizophrenia has all along been seen as a chronic relapsing psychotic disorder that primarily affects thought and behaviour.5 A recent study by the University College of London has established by means of an experiment that in some cases, the perceptions of schizophrenic people is more accurate than those without schizophrenia. Therefore a doubt is created whether schizophrenia is really a psychotic condition or are there other dimensions to it. Going by the argument that deductive knowledge doesnt always hold good, I can safely surmise that we do not have adequate information to conclude that man can live on the moon and therefore more questions need to be asked. On the other hand doubting every scientific fact leading to unnecessary research and information overload could lead to a situation of complete paralysis in our normal day to day life. For example, if we were to doubt that oxygen is a life giving substance, then it could lead to critical situations in medical emergencies. Similarly while dealing with society at large and friends and relatives in particular, if we were to doubt everything to seek more knowledge, we are most likely to find ourselves with very little knowledge and even fewer friends! Peoples emotions, intentions and their behavioural traits like honesty, integrity, sincerity etc. should not be doubted. There will be rare cases where people may want to deceive, but that by itself cannot lead to a doubt about people in general. _____________________ science.martinsewell.com/falsification.html priory.com/schizo.htm. Shakespeare said If music be the food of love, play on6.Wonderful as it sounds and probably not argued too much, yet people have researched the effect that music has on plants. There is one school of thought that believes and claims to have empirical data to prove that plants respond well to sedentary classical and similar genre of music but they wilt under the influence of hard rock and similar music. Drawing a parallel with human life they argue that hard rock, metal etc is actually detrimental for human growth and therefore should be banned. Traditional botanists however argue that the so called empirical data based on research is purely coincidental and there is no correlation between music and growth of plants. They resort to another set of evidence which shows that growth of plants is related to a number of factors that are not related to music such as condition of soil, temp, moisture content etc. On a third dimension, music itself has different genres enjoyed by different people. Therefore is music also subject to perception or is it absolute? Does it really impact plant detrimentally or otherwise? If we doubt the basis of the claims and counterclaims and pursue with investigation from all angles, then, knowledge will progress and facts can be established. Science notwithstanding, art is abstract enough to create its own set of debates which normally focuses on the likes and dislikes of the perceiver. This leads me to wonder, if art and aesthetics are synonymous then to what extent is beauty a necessary ingredient for something to be considered art? Platos theory of forms claimed that It is by beauty that beautiful things are beautiful. Immanuel Kant, an 18th century German philosopher on the other hand claimed that aesthetic experience is not a matter of understanding or reason, (and hence not true knowledge), but is a matter of judgment [Critique of Judgment].7 Taking this argument further, the painting by Eduord Manet8, Luncheon on the Grass, was hotly debated when it was first exhibited in 1863. Most of all it was not viewed as an art, but as an affront to society. The painting, depicting a naked woman sitting amidst two fully clad men, all of whose images were contemporary and almost identifiable as one among the viewers, earned the painter the wrath of the critiques and masses. Yet an earlier painting by Thomas Coutre in 18479, Romans in The Decadence of the Empire depicted a scene with Romans lying about with many naked women in various poses of sensuality. It appears to me, that a nude in classical settings such as the ancient Greek or Roman empires was considered acceptable but a nude in contemporary setting was not. Either way, the painting, known for its controversy today hangs as a masterpiece in the Musee D Oray in Paris. 6. www.enotes.com/shaespeare-quotes/music-food-love-play 7 www.creatorix.com.au/philosophy/t03/g010.html 8 http://blog.photos2view.com/2008/05/27/art-and-controversy.htm 9 http://www.essentialart.com/acatalog/Edouard_Manet_prints_Luncheon_on_the_Grass.html As a student of visual arts in IB, I was told that there are three basic colours red, yellow and blue. While using the computer, trangely I found that the primary colours were red, green and blue, otherwise called the RGB format. So, what are the basic colours? The answer lay in the different mediums where they are used. Red, yellow and blue are primary colours which are used in while mixing dyes to achieve other shades and colours on a painting canvas. Red, green and blue are used where there are overlapping shades to be used while projecting on screens such as in LCD panels or monitors for computer screen. My doubt about the basic colours led me to seek additional information. The key to knowledge in this area of art was learning how to mix primary dyes in painting and this learning has been both experimental and experiential. Taking the Platonist view that knowledge is justified true belief, I can now reasonably claim to have knowledge that red and yellow if mixed in equal proportions would give the colour orange or shades of orange. Whether the area of knowledge is science or arts, doubts and questions remain. Some answered with a reasonable amount of justification which points to a probable definitive answer based on information available at that point in time and others remain unresolved leading to further doubts. Therefore the question is knowledge absolute or is it infinite? We can never know unless we doubt all knowledge leading us to seek more and more information. The downside do we doubt everything in life or should we accept some events as empirical realities. The answer? It is situational. At the end, as a knower, when I look at the word doubt I can safely say that the Persian saying Doubt is the Key to Knowledge is not just an epistemological rhetoric; it is indeed a means to gain more knowledge. In the words of H L Mencken an influential writer and critic of the 20th century, Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt.9 ___________________________ www.leopoldsegedin.com/essay_detail_mona_lisas_smile.cfm www.notable-quotes.com/d/doubt_quotes.html

Irony in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay -- Heart Darkness ess

Irony in Heart of Darkness      Ã‚   The use of irony within the ‘The Heart of Darkness’ by Conrad is an important notion.   Irony in this novella helps to bring about encapsulating self-discovery and enlightenment of the self.   Furthermore the use of characters and what they represent also brings about communicating what it means to be civilised.   Thus these two facets shall be the focus within my essay. Firstly each of the main characters in Heart of Darkness plays a significant role in the overall theme of the novel, as mentioned above. The central character is a thirty two year old sailor, Charlie Marlow. He is a dynamic character who essentially controls the development of the theme. Through Marlow's experiences and revelations, the author illustrates how forces of light and darkness serve to weave the human soul together; thus, essentially how both good and evil are reflected within the individual. Marlow's journey leads him in an urgent search for Kurtz, the one man who can provide him with the truth about himself. One central theme that prevails throughout the novel is mankind's capacity for good and evil. Illustrated in the evolution of the two central characters, Marlow and Kurtz. Both symbolize the two conditions of human nature. "Kurtz represents what man could become if left to his own intrinsic devices outside ... ... startling use of characterisation is that of the black slave with white pearls around his neck, this example of semiotics epitomises how black innocence personified in trapped beneath white materialism.      Works Cited "The Congo" Created December 07, 1997 (Accessed 12 February 2002). Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Penguin Books, 1983. "The Fear" Created December 07, 1997 (Accessed 12 February 2002). "Heart of Darkness: A systematic evaluation of the darkness inherent in men's souls" "The Perfect Native" Created December 07, 1997 (Accessed 12 February 2002). "The Setting" Created December 07, 1997 (Accessed 12 February 2002).

Dear Shakespeare: A Critique Of The Tempest Essay -- essays research p

Dear Shakespeare: A Critique of The Tempest To Mr. William Shakespeare,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I am going to get right down to business. I am writing to you regarding our recent collaboration on The Tempest. In my opinion I think we need to make a couple of changes. The first is in regards to Caliban and the second has to do with Prospero.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I was reading the section of the play where Caliban takes Stephano as his master I began to think about how he should be wiser by now. As is Caliban begs a drunken Stephano to be his master. In my opinion Caliban should show development by not drinking and possibly taking advantage of the drunk Stephano and Trinculo. It should develop in this fashion:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Caliban:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I believe that I can assist you in your stay on the island.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stephano:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What mean you beast?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Caliban:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow, And I with my long nails will dig thee pignuts, Show thee a jay's nest, and instruct thee how To snare the nimble marmoset. I'll bring thee To clustering filberts, and I'll teach thee to get Young scamels from the rock. Does't though attend me? Stephano: I do. For all this service what want'st you in return. Caliban: I ask but one simple service. The death of my tyrant master. Stephano...

Babie’s Nutrition Essay

Is immunity compromised in babies who are formula fed for their first year compared to babies who are breastfed for the first year? Anastasia J. Jorgensen LCC Nursing 165 Is immunity compromised in babies who are formula fed for their first year compared to babies who are breastfed for the first year? Many hospitals are now implementing a â€Å"Baby Friendly† environment in their delivery and mother-baby units. This initiative promotes breastfeeding as the priority feeding method to new mothers and leaves formula feeding by the wayside. Is formula feeding hurting these children or all of the children who have been formula fed up to this point? One study suggests that there is a high use of laxatives in formula-fed infants (Gitte Zachariassen, 2013). While another sets out to prove that formula containing galactose, galactooligosaccharides (GOS) would help reduce infections and allergic manifestations with a prebiotic effect on intestinal microbiota (Carlos Sierra, 2014). Purpose In Sierra’s et al.’s (2014) article, which reviews the effect of prebiotic’s during the first year of life in formula fed infants, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is performed to assess the effects of prebiotic supplements on intestinal micro bacteria and the incidence of infections and allergic reactions during the first year of life. In Gitte Zachariassen’s et al.’s (2013) article on preterm infant diet and the high use of laxatives among the formula-fed infants, a study was performed to see what the effects of formula were on the infant gastrointestinal system versus infants who were given breastmilk along with formula and breastmilk alone. This study included the number of meals given, number and amount of regurgitation, number of stools, and amount of laxatives used daily. Summary of Studies1 Population. The first study, Carlos Sierra et al. (2014), consisted of infants less than 2 months old and healthy term infants from eight Spanish hospitals. These infants ranged in gestational age of 37 to 42 weeks and weighed more than 2500 grams. The infants were then placed into different groups to monitor the effects of the different food given whether it was formula or breastmilk. In the next study, Gitte Zachariassen et al. (2013), parents of very preterm infants (  regarding breastfeeding is important but I believe that more information should be provided about formula feeding and the problems that can occur. Specifically, I think parents should be informed that their infant could be more irritable because they are gassy or constipated if they are only formula fed, this may deter some parents from the use of formula or at least encourage them to supplement with breastmilk. I also think that they should be informed that breastfeeding, while it does contribute to passive immunity, is not the only way to keep your infant healthy. Formula, while more convenient to use at times, is not going to make your infant less healthy but it will not increase their immunity eith er. References Carlos Sierra, M.-J. B.-I.-L.-M. (2014). Prebiotic effect during the first year of life in healthy infants fed formula containing GOS as the only prebiotic: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind and placeboi-controlled trial. Springerlink.com, 11. Gitte Zachariassen, J. F.-G. (2013). Preterm dietary study: meal frequency, regurgitation and the surprisingly high use of laxatives among formula-fed infants following discharge. ACTA Paediatrica, 7.

Death of a Nation Essay

Clifford Dowdey’s Death of a Nation: The Story of Lee and His Men at Gettysburg is a military history examining the Confederate loss at this epic battle, particularly the decision-making process and the Southern commanders’ failure to perform up to their potential. Partly a fawning defense of Robert E. Lee and partly an insightful study of why the South even dared invade the North, it demonstrates the author’s Southern bias without trying to justify slavery, as well as Dowdey’s fusion of history and storytelling. The book looks almost exclusively at the Civil War’s largest battle, in which Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia invaded the North in hopes of scaring Lincoln into halting the war and recognizing the Confederacy. Instead, as Dowdey’s title implies, it proved the Confederacy’s apex as a military power, beginning its two-year decline and ultimate collapse. Dowdey, a native of Richmond, Virginia, who produced numerous histories and novels about the Civil War, takes a decided pro-Southern stance and offers a rather generous view both of the Confederacy, never approaching its defense of slavery, and of Lee, the inventive, chance-taking commander who proved the South’s greatest leader. The first chapter, â€Å"Rendezvous with Disaster,† conveys in its title how Dowdey sees the battle, yet he is loath to blame Lee for the loss. He opens with an account of Confederate troops invading Pennsylvania, depicting them not as a menacing enemy but as a somewhat merry band: â€Å"[The] Confederate soldiers had not committed acts of vandalism or abused the inhabitants. On the contrary, the troops had been highly good-humored in the face of taunts and insults† (3). The author then introduces the general as a striking, almost godlike figure, quoting an officer who deemed him â€Å"a kingly man whom all men who came into his presence expected to obey† (5); this description recurs throughout the book. Subsequent chapters describe the buildup and the battle itself. In chapter two, â€Å"The Opening Phase,† Dowdey portrays the decision-making process that led to Lee’s invasion of Pennsylvania as a Jefferson Davis-engineered travesty, â€Å"a necessary expedient in the policy of static, scattered defensiveness† (27). The author considers Lee almost a victim of Davis’ vanity, rigidity, and inability to admit his own lack of military expertise, and he absolves the man he believes â€Å"embodied the image of the patriarchal planter who, as military leader, assumed benevolent responsibility for his domain† (33). Throughout the battle, which dominates much of the book, Dowdey introduces Lee’s subordinates as characters in a novel or drama, describing their personalities in lively, even somewhat chatty detail. Jeb Stuart, whose cavalry failed in its reconnaissance duties before the fighting began, appears as a capable soldier who refused to believe he erred; Richard Ewell is a crusty but soft-hearted eccentric whose marriage softened his fighting skills; and John B. Hood is â€Å"a fighter, not a thinker† (174). He reserves his harshest criticisms for James Longstreet, deeming the lone general to openly question Lee’s decision to wage the unwise assault best known as Pickett’s Charge, a lying defeatist. Dowdey claims that â€Å"objective historians and Longstreet partisans have tried to re-evaluate him outside the text of controversy. This is almost impossible. . . . Many other men performed below their potential at Gettysburg, but only James Longstreet absolved himself by blaming Lee† (340). By the end of the book, one realizes that Dowdey will not concede that the figure he admires may have simply made fatal errors at Gettysburg. Dowdey’s descriptions of the battle cover the three days in a generally accurate but not original manner. He alternates between broad, sweeping pictures of dramatic combat and close-up accounts of individual Confederate units and soldiers. (He gives little mention to Union action throughout the book, making clear that his sole interest is depicting Lee’s army and not providing a holistic history of the battle. ) Though his approach provides reliable but not groundbreaking information, Dowdey makes clear that he considers Lee’s defeat not the venerable commander’s fault (despite his own tendency to take long chances against the larger and better-armed Union Army), but rather his subordinates’ inability to perform as competently as they had in previous battles. In this account, Stuart’s ego kept him from realizing he failed in his scouting duties, A. P. Hill lost his usually strong will, Richard Anderson staged a poor excuse for an assault on Cemetery Ridge with undisciplined, poorly-led Carolinian troops (rather than the Virginians that Dowdey, the Virginian, favors), and Ewell did not adequately prepare his troops for their attack. While Dowdey concedes that Lee, â€Å"alone in the center of the vacuum, could not have been less aware of the total collapse of co-ordination† (240). However, he implies, Lee’s unawareness was not his fault, but that of usually-reliable subordinates who curiously failed all at once. The work ends somewhat abruptly, with Lee’s broken army withdrawing from Pennsylvania after Pickett’s failed charge (in which the general whose name it bears appears as a minor figure) and returning to Virginia; the author offers no broad conclusion or explanation of the battle’s meaning within a larger context. Dowdey, primarily a fiction writer and college instructor who also produced numerous histories of the Army of Northern Virginia, approaches the work with a storyteller’s vigor and flair, writing this history with a novelist’s attention to visual details and his characters’ personalities and quirks. Frequently, he aims to stir the reader’s attention by adding what his characters may have said or thought in rich, occasionally overstated terms. For example, he deems Ewell â€Å"this quaint and lovable character† (121); Jubal Early becomes â€Å"the bitter man [who] became as passionate in his hate for the Union as he had formerly been in its defense† (123); and Union general Daniel Sickles (one of the few figures for whom he shows genuine scorn) is â€Å"an unsavory, showy, and pugnacious character from New York who went further on brassy self-confidence and politicking . . . than many a better man went on ability† (203). In trying give his characters personality, Dowdey writes often picturesque and lively prose but also offers a somewhat distorted picture that more detached academic historians may find objectionable. For example, while Lee can do no wrong, Jefferson Davis, the Confederacy’s much-reviled president, appears as nearly as much a villain as Longstreet. Of Davis, Dowdey writes: â€Å"The crisis [in the South’s military fortunes] was caused largely by the defense policies of the president. . . . Among the limitations of this self-aware gentleman was an inability to acknowledge himself in the wrong† (14). As a Lee apologist, Dowdey implicitly blames David for the South’s collapse, though he wavers on this by adding: â€Å"Lincoln had at his disposal unlimited wealth, the organized machinery of government, a navy, the war potential of heavy industry, and a four-to-one manpower superiority. Davis led a disorganized movement in self-determinism composed of proud and fiercely individualistic provincials (15-16). Dowdey comments little about the South in general and does not directly glorify the Southern cause, though he also refrains from any mention of slavery or racism. He seems to simply accept the South as it was, writing his works to illustrate a particularly regionalist sense of pride, if not in its plantation past, then certainly in Lee, its most shining example of military leadership and manhood. He reveals, perhaps unintentionally, his own sense of romance about the South when he writes: â€Å"In a land where the age of chivalry was perpetuated, the military leader embodied the gallantry, the glamour, and the privilege of the aristocrat in a feudal society† (15). Characters like Lee, he implies, gave the South respectability and nobility, while lesser individuals, like the supposedly duplicitous, disloyal Longstreet and the rigid, arrogant Davis, somehow stained it and failed to match its ideals. Despite Dowdey’s biases, he cannot be faulted for failing to do research. He includes a short bibliographic essay at the end, explaining his sources’ strengths and limitations. In addition to using many secondary sources, he relies heavily on participants’ personal documents, such as letters and memoirs, though he concedes that â€Å"the eyewitness accounts are subject to the fallibility of memory, and many of the articles suffer the distortion of advocacy or indictment† (353). This last comment is telling, because Dowdey himself neither advocates nor indicts the Old South, but rather aims to depict the military aspects. The result is a work that shows clear fondness for the South’s self-image as an embattled land of chivalry, but to his credit, Dowdey does not excoriate the North or its leaders. Lincoln scarcely appears in this volume, but the author pays some compliments to Union generals whom historians have seen less favorably, such as Joseph Hooker (whom Lee soundly defeated at Chancellorsville) or George Meade (who won at Gettysburg but failed to pursue and destroy the remains of Lee’s army as it withdrew). Death of a Nation is not a comprehensive history of the battle of Gettysburg, but neither does it claim to be. Instead, it is an often-entertaining, well-researched account of the Southern side’s participation, including its ill-starred behind-the-scenes planning and the personal dynamics among the commanders who underperformed at this key point in the war. Though Dowdey’s conclusion is so brief as to be unsatisfactory, one can draw one’s own conclusion from this volume’s title and the battle it describes: that defeat at Gettysburg meant the Confederacy’s failure to win its nationhood. Dowdey does not openly lament this fact, but instead shows the process that made this failure a reality. Dowdey, C. (1958). Death of a Nation. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.