Comparation of Gandhi to Socrates, to buddha, to Jesus and to St. Fancis of Assisi
explanatory Essay
940 words
Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand) “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever walked upon this earth in flesh and blood”. -Albert Einstein Throughout history most national heroes have been warriors, but Gandhi was a passive and peaceful preacher of morals, ethics, and beliefs. He was an outsider who ended British rule over India without striking a blow. Moreover, Gandhi was not skillful with any unusual artistic, scholarly, or scientific talents. He never earned a degree or received any special academic honors. He was never a candidate in an election or a member of government. Yet when he died, in 1948, practically the whole world mourned him. Einstein said in his tribute, “Gandhi demonstrated that a powerful human following can be assembled not only through the cunning game of the usual political maneuvers and trickery but through the cogent example of a morally superior conduct of life”. Other tributes compared Gandhi to Socrates, to Buddha, to Jesus, and to Saint Fancis of Assisi. The life of Mahatma (great soul) Gandhi is very documented. Certainly it was an extraordinary life, poking at the ancient Hindu religion and culture and modern revolutionary ideas about politics and society, an unusual combination of perceptions and values. Gandhi’s life was filled with contradictions. He was described as a gentle man who was an outsider, but also as a godly and almost mystical person, but he had a great determination. Nothing could change...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that gandhi was a passive and peaceful preacher of morals, ethics, and beliefs. he was not skillful with any unusual artistic, scholarly, or scientific talents.
- Explains that mahatma gandhi's life was an extraordinary life, poking at the ancient hindu religion and culture and modern revolutionary ideas about politics and society.
- Explains that gandhi's life was devoted to a search for truth. he believed in nonviolence, purity, poverty, scripture-reading, humility, honesty, and fearlessness.
- Explains how gandhi was inspired by leo tolstoy's christian writings, which stated that all government is based on war and violence, and that one can attack these only through passive resistance.
- Explains that gandhi developed a method of direct social action, based upon principles of courage, nonviolence, and truth, called satyagraha (holding on to truth).
- Explains that in 1884, he founded the natal indian congress to fight for indian's rights and used and perfected the tool of satyagraha (nonviolent resistance) in demanding and protecting the rights of the indian community of south africa.
- Narrates how tolstoy started two ashrams in south africa, one named phoenix and the other, to teach people about fearlessness, self-reliance and suffering. once educated, they could practice brahmacharya, satyagraha, and ahimsa.
- Explains that he believed in manual labor and simple living. he spun thread and wove the cloth for his own garments and disagreed with those who wanted india to become an industrial country.
- Describes how gandhi's experiences of open, racial discrimination moved him into agitation. his interest soon turned to the problem of indians who had come to south africa as laborers.
- Describes how gandhi began his peaceful revolution in 1906, declaring he would go to jail or die before obeying an anti-asian law. he started protest campaigns and organized demonstrations, but never used violence.
- Narrates how gandhi began his last protest on january 13, 1948, at the age of 78. on january 18, their leaders pledged to stop fighting and gandhi ceased his nonviolent attack.
- Opines that mahatma gandhi was an astounding example of someone who was pass and misunderstood, but had great determination and beliefs. he brought attention to his beliefs of equality and nonviolence, two main factors of world peace.
- Opines that gandhi's true intention could result in a powerful effect on humanity, resulting in rebuilding of government and society and in effect - world peace.
Related
- analytical
- argumentative
- opinion
- explanatory
- Mahatma Ghandi Influenced Martin Luther King, Jr.analytical essayMahatma Gandhi was great among philosophers yet, small among society. “Gandhi was born 2 October 1869, in Porbandar, in the western part of India, to Karamchand Gandhi, chief minister of Porbandar, and his wife Putlibai, a devout Hindu (Stanford).” When Gandhi turned eig...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how gandhi's philosophies and life affected martin luther king, jr.
- Explains that truth is found based on the environment and in our dna. gandhi was one of those truth seekers.
- Explains that martin luther king, jr. was born on january 15, 1929, and was raised in a religious family. both his father and grandfather were pastors in their baptist church.
- Explains that mahatma gandhi was great among philosophers yet, small among society.
- Explains that martin luther king jr. was an advocate on civil rights, but not many know where he developed his technique or his philosophies.
- Describes how martin luther king, jr., realized that gandhi was the first person in history to reinvent the christian ethic of love as a potent instrument for social and collective transformation.
1119 wordsRead More - Gandhi´s Beliefs and my Beliefs: Personal Essayargumentative essayMahatma Gandhi was born October 2nd in 1869. He grew up with the Hindu culture around him because the main religion where he was born was Hinduism. He heard about a religion called the Jain religion, which influenced his thoughts on the world around him. The religion was based around peace and being non violent to living beings and things. After spent lots of his life in Africa working on Indian civil rights. He tried to make things non violent as he believed that people should be non violent. He held the salt march on the 12th of March 1930 with almost 80 people; they marched about 10 miles a day. They did this because the English made it illegal to have salt. This shows Gandhi’s leader ship and how he believed and made things better. Gandhi died on January 30th in 1948 at the age of 78. Many people were sad at his death because he was an important person to many and people such as Martin Luther King Jr. used his concept of non-violence.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes gandhi's beliefs about peace and non-violence. gandhi believed in ahimsa, satya and brahmacharya.
- Opines that they believe in life after death and that all people are equal and no one is better than someone because they have different skin color or have more money.
- Compares themselves to gandhi because they believe in rights for all people and that everyone is equal.
- Concludes that there are many beliefs in the world and many people believe in different things. they compared their beliefs with gandhi's about gods, non-violence, and true behavior.
- Describes mahatma gandhi's beliefs about the world, including non-violence, gods and higher power beliefs, and the hindu beliefs of satya, ahimsa and brahmacharya.
- Analyzes how gandhi believed in the after-life, and what his views of heaven and hell were.
1022 wordsRead More - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: A Revolutionary Leaderopinion essayIn the 18th century, the British took control of India, and its population. From this point on, the Indians endured the hardships that come with being a British colony. India remained under British rule, until Mohandas Gandhi came along. Some call him “Father of the Indian Nation”, others call him “Mahatma” meaning “great soul”, but regardless of titles, Gandhi was truly a great man, and an example of the pure love and peace we can find in every soul. Gandhi was not only a politician, but a revolutionary leader, and without his efforts, and use of satyagraha, India would not have gained the independence that it still has to this day.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that mohandas gandhi was a great man and an example of the pure love and peace we can find in every soul.
- Explains that mohandas karamchand gandhi was born on october 2, 1869 in porbandar, india. he was educated from a young age and married kasturba gandhi.
- Describes how gandhi formed the natal indian congress to counter the attacks on indian rights from the south african government.
- Analyzes how the british exploited indian land, had a monopoly over all indian goods, and passed laws that prevented indians from independently buying and selling their own goods.
- Explains that gandhi's approach to justice was not violent in any aspect. he resorted to civil disobedience to free himself and his people from oppression.
- Opines that gandhi's success with satyagraha, and powerful stance against oppression, inspired and paved the way for great leaders such as martin luther king jr.
1175 wordsRead More - Benegal’s Gandhi is not Attenborough’s ‘saintly’ Gandhi; rather he only strives to be the latter. Benegal’s Gandhi is a bright, hopeful young lawyer who came to South Africa to earn a living. He is neither great nor saintly but he is courageous enough to stand for the right cause. This movie gives a glimpse into the making of a great man; he was not born great but he achieved greatness by adhering to the simple human values. It is an intimate account of the life of Gandhi who worked hard and gave many sacrifices to become a leader. The wife, Kasturba and son, Harilal were the constant reminders of his human side and he learnt that to follow the right path he must give away whatever little he holds dear to himself. Since Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is the human counterpart of Mahatma Gandhi, and the movie makes the former its prime subject. Shyam Benegal in an interview said, “It is the young Gandhi we don’t know”. Mahatma Gandhi is known to all with due regard to Attenborough’s film production, the human side of Gandhi which is safely omitted by the director is little known. Benegal’s sees these twenty one years spanning from 1893-1914 as crucial since these were the years Gandhi spent as a human who longed to find his purpose in life, these were the experiments that made him the Mahatma
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the movie covers the time span of 1893 to 1948 in gandhi's life and the struggle for independence in india.
- Analyzes how jinnah shares a public platform with gandhi at the meeting organised by indian national congress to formally welcome him back on indian soil.
- Analyzes how benegal's movie makes a shift from the existing image of gandhi, and creates gandhi as the human who was capable of making bad decisions and faltering in his steps that led to greatness.
- Analyzes how hey ram (2000) is an intelligent piece of work that astutely portrays many of the historical characters, and attempts to rewrite history differently than we remember.
- Analyzes how the movie creates a fictional story of gandhi's assassination with the protagonist being part of many organisations who wanted to get rid of him.
- Analyzes how the tug of war between harilal gandhi and mohandas gandhi is deeply rested in the movie.
- Opines that the directors and story-writers are pushing the boundaries of gandhi's complex image. they are willing to show the darker side of the mythical man.
- Analyzes how richard attenborough's gandhi (1982) is one of the most celebrated movies based on the gandhian tradition.
- Analyzes how attenborough's movie, the making of mahatma, created a portrayal of gandhi as an ideological archetype.
- Analyzes benegal's portrayal of gandhi as a complex character who imposes his views on his family members.
- Analyzes how the movie depicts gandhi as a shrewd man who is inadvertently responsible for the conflicting interests of the hindu and muslim community.
3061 wordsRead More - Gandhi`s Strategy of Nonviolent Resistanceanalytical essayMohandas Gandhi was a religious man, however, his religious beliefs did not come from his childhood but from his studies that he began as a political activist in South Africa. Upon his return to India from England, he had had a rough start as a lawyer and accepted an offer to work on a case in South Africa. He ended up staying in South Africa for more than twenty years. In South Africa Gandhi became a leader of the Indian immigration population. Gandhi had to learn skills to overcome caste, class, and religious divisions to build a base for dramatic mass actions. In the process, Gandhi’s religious development influenced his politics. He believed that the search for truth was the goal of human life, and since “no one could ever be sure of having attained the ultimate truth, use of violence to enforce one’s own necessarily partial understanding of it was sinful.”
In this essay, the author
- Explains that mohandas gandhi's religious beliefs came from his studies in south africa, where he became a leader of the indian immigration population.
- Describes gandhi's strategy of nonviolent resistance called satyagraha, which consisted of training volunteers to lead mass marches and violations of laws that resulted in intentional mass arrests.
- Analyzes how gandhi's non-violence strategy appealed to two groups of people: masses of villagers and wealthy merchants, landlords and small-holding peasants.
- Explains gandhi returned to india and joined the indian national congress during the first world war. the war brought an economic and political crisis for the british, and space opened up for indian textile bosses to get a greater share of the home market.
- Analyzes gandhi's approach to the rowlatt act, which sought to extend war-time restrictions on civil rights, coincided with a strike wave by mill workers.
- Analyzes how gandhi condemned the violence that had broken out on both sides, though it was far from equal. he felt he had made a mistake calling for mass civil disobedience without enough organizational and ideological control over the movement.
- Analyzes how gandhi called an all-india movement and then called it off when it got too militant for his taste.
- Describes gandhi's civil disobedience movement, which began with the campaign to violate the british salt monopoly.
- Explains gandhi's commitment to nonviolence was one way to keep the struggle calm. the refusal to lessen physical force virtually ruled out strikes as a method of struggle.
- Explains that gandhi launched the quit india movement, which became the biggest revolt against the british since 1857. after the war, the revolt continued without congress support.
- Explains that congress agreed to partition off pakistan because the party was not prepared to support class struggle. the british were eager for congress to take over, since they realized that an indian government could more easily put down the wave of strikes than they themselves could.
- Explains that gandhi's moral authority was able to stop the violence, but when he left, all the social and economic problems that led people to see another religious group as their main enemy were still in place.
- Analyzes how gandhi's principle of nonviolence repeatedly held back many struggles at key moments. the british were gone, but bureaucracy and police still functioned with little change.
- Explains that gandhi's nonviolent political action movements showed that an exploitative class structure cannot be broken without violence. property rights, defended by state violence, have never yielded to the peaceful pressure of the exploiting class.
1017 wordsRead More - Biography Of Mohandas Gandhiexplanatory essay“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” It all started with a foreigner wanting to practice law in South Africa. The journey to the end was a difficult one for him to reach, but with fierce determination and a strong mind, Mohandas Gandhi was able to accomplish his main goal at the time; peaceful protesting leading to India’s independence. For many years, Gandhi was beat down by British authorities, but his determination always brought him back up. Many saw, and still see, him as a leader and a father of India.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that mohandas gandhi was a very influential person in the peace movement because he led india’s independence movement, proved that one man has the power to take on an empire, and influenced other leaders around the world.
- Explains how gandhi began his activism as an indian immigrant in south africa in 1893, where he experienced his first form of discrimination.
- Describes gandhi as one of the most respected political and spiritual leaders of india because he proved to the people that it only takes one man to lead an entire empire.
- Explains how gandhi's leadership and teachings influenced many leaders around the world, such as martin luther king and james lawson.
- Narrates how mohandas gandhi achieved his main goal, peaceful protesting leading to india's independence.
755 wordsRead More - essayanalytical essayDespite all these that have been mentioned, is Gandhi really the good, saint man he seems to be? Is he really the Mahatma, which literally means Great Soul, as portrayed by Attenborough in the film Gandhi. He he worthy enough to be compared to other legends of his times. These are some questions one has to ponder over. It is not right to always look at only one side of the coin. I personally feel that this film is an exercise in myth-making in its portrayal of Gandhi, his ideas and the events in his life. No doubt, in this film Gandhi, Gandhi is pictured as an overly good man one should worship and look up to as an idol. There have been many instances in the film where the events were inaccurate or the portrayal of the characters were biased. In any case, lets now explore some of these issues. Throughout my essay, my main focus will be on whether Gandhi is really the good man he seems to be in the film ...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how attenborough portrays a clean and understanding relationship between gandhi and his wife kasturbai throughout the film.
- Analyzes how attenborough's film portrays muhammad ali jinnah as austere, aloof, and a villain to gandhi.
- Argues that the film is an exercise in myth-making in its portrayal of gandhi, his ideas, and the events in his life.
- Analyzes how attenborough's film is successful in portraying british imperial control of india as a negative experience and in empowering and supporting indian resistance, but the film remains problematic in the way it presents to the public only the most positive aspects of gandhi.
1456 wordsRead More - We live in a world where leaders become rich at the expense of the citizens, where leaders live for selfish reasons or even where leaders send others to fight on their behalf yet they stay safe. However, Mohandas Gandhi, also known as Mahatma (“The great Soul”) Gandhi was not one...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that only special kinds of leaders can entice their follower’s commitment to fulfill difficult missions when it seems impossible. they carry a combination of characteristics that help inspire to greatness.
- Defines visionary leadership as the ability to create and articulate a realistic, credible, and attractive vision of the future that improves upon the present situation.
- Explains visionary leaders are strategic planners, social innovators and change agents, able to see the future and envision what the organization will look and function like. they focus on the win/win philosophy and are more proactive than reactive.
- Analyzes how mohandas gandhi, also known as mahatma, was a true example of visionary leadership. he lived in voluntary poverty, made his own clothes, and marched along with every other citizen of his country.
- Explains gandhi's quest in hardship and struggle began while he was in south africa. he experienced racial discrimination and prejudice directed towards indians and coined the term satyagraha.
- Describes how gandhi organized a movement in 1930 where he marched 250 miles to dandi to protest against the british salt tax. gandhi and the may supporters walked down to the sea to make salt.
- Narrates how gandhi's arrest led to a salt movement, which resulted in british-led police beating the peaceful demonstrators. gandhi was released from prison in 1947 and worked for peace between hindus and muslims.
- Describes gandhi as a leader who was enthusiastic, empathetic, confident, and strong with conviction not vilence. he inspired those around him with his passion and dedication.
- Opines that they have always looked to mahatma gandhi as an inspiration, because he embodies the kind of transformational change that can be made when ordinary people come together to do extraordinary things.
- Compares charismatic leadership to visionary leadership. they obtain the trust of the people by self-sacrifice and personal risks in the name of their beliefs.
- Describes nelson mandela's ability to motivate his followers, to make sacrifices personal and otherwise that served the interests of the group.
- Opines that mandela has dedicated his life to the struggle of the african people. he cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society where all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.
- Explains that nelson mandela was the first president of south africa in 1994 and one of the most influential icons in the world today. he struggled and lived many years in prison trying to carry out his vision.
- Analyzes how mandela tried non-violence methods that he adapted from gandhi, but guerrilla warfare was used to achieve his means. the united states deemed him a terrorist and refused him entry.
- Explains that nelson mandela represented hope for south africa. he was an optimist and won the noble peace price in 1993 and was one of the most influential people of 2004.
- Explains that both visionary and charismatic leaders exuded similar characteristics. they impacted and transformed the culture for the betterment of their country through their tireless efforts.
- Explains that mandela's successor, thabo mbeki, didn't carry on the legacy that he fought so hard for.
- Opines that a nation needs new aged dynamic leaders who can exhume leadership in the management fields. steve jobs was both visionary and charismatic.
- Explains that leaderships are the ones who see things differently and aren't fond of rules. they push the human race forward.
- Cites corinne mclaughlin's "the center for visionary leadership" in chron: small business.
- Explains that nelson mandela is called mahatma gandhi of south africa.
1444 wordsRead More - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhianalytical essayMohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a person who had a cause to act, acted instead of being acted upon, and not only influenced India and South Africa, but the entire world. “ French writer Romain Rolland (1866—1944) said Gandhi was as stubborn as a mule, but a “sacred mule”(qtd. in Cook). Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an extremely confident, peace loving man which is proved by the quote. Gandhi is a very important and amazingly influential person in the society we live in today. Without Gandhi’s influential ideas the world would have faced many terrible wars resulting massive destruction and would have affected many aspects of our current lives. Problems like the British rule and the caste system caused Gandhi to act. Great leaders and books influenced Gandhi’s belief of life. Gandhi accomplished many important things in his life to solve the problems faced by many people in South Africa, but most of all in India. Many people do not realize how much impact Gandhi’s accomplishments and beliefs have on the world. Indian independence was Gandhi’s most important accomplishment and the highlight of his illustrious life. Gandhi’s beliefs and vision influence the world today most notably through the civil rights movements of Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States and Nelson Mandela in South Africa, but his ideas are present throughout the globe. Through these great leaders who adopted Gandhi’s technique, we see the power of strong words and nonviolent action.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that mohandas karamchand gandhi was an extremely confident, peace loving man, which is proved by the quote.
- Explains that gandhi was influenced by teachings, customs and events that had been occurring for centuries, events in the present, and many great books.
- Explains how gandhi's nonviolent resistance campaign helped dampen indian discrimination in south africa. gandhi opposed the partition of india and pakistan.
- Opines that gandhi's visions of a peaceful and nonviolent india and earth live on forever.
- Describes gandhi as a fascinating person who was influenced by his surroundings to act instead of being acted upon. he believed in equality, fairness for all, and nonviolence.
- Cites hart, michael h., "mohandas gandhi". the 100: a ranking of the most influential persons in the world.
- Explains khan, aisha. a historical atlas of india. new york: the rosen publishing group, 2004.
- Analyzes how gandhi's nonviolent approach for fighting was heavily influenced by the bhagavad-gita, the new testament, and leo tolstoy.
1252 wordsRead More - Mahatma Gandhi's Influence and Ideasanalytical essayMahatma Gandhi has had a lasting effect on our world today. His philosophy and ideals have been adopted by many prominent figures in society. A powerful leader, he helped two countries in their struggle for basic rights. Gandhi is an amazing example of the things that can be achieved without violence. He proved that satyagraha is a powerful path to victory. Since his time many leaders have been inspired by his example and anyone who tries to change the world for the better using peaceful means owes something to Gandhi.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that gandhi was a leader of the indian national congress and the all-indian home rule league. the salt march of 1929 was the largest and best known protest in gandhi's struggle for india.
- Describes gandhi's struggle to gain independence, but he stuck fast to his belief in the concept of satyagraha and converted many others into believers of this philosophy.
- Explains how martin luther king jr. was inspired to adopt gandhi's principle of non-violence after a sermon by mordecai johnson.
- Analyzes how nelson mandela was influenced by gandhi's non-violent strategy, which inspired anti-colonial and antiracist movements.
- Describes the m. k. gandhi institute for non-violence, an institute established by mahatma's grandson arun gandhi and his wife sunanda gandhi to promote and teach the philosophy and practice of satyagraha.
- Explains how gandhi's teachings of non-violent resistance, known as satyagraha, have had a lasting effect on the world today.
- Explains that gandhi never ruled out violence. he conceded the necessity of arms in certain situations. violence and non-violence are not mutually exclusive.
- Explains that the mahatma gandhi canadian foundation for world peace aims to share gandhi's beliefs and philosophies in a universal and cross-cultural way.
1858 wordsRead More