Language Learning Autobiography

Language Learning Autobiography I came from Johor, Malaysia. I was Chinese and my native language was Mandarin. I took a long time to learn English and from hating it to loving it. Learning English is not an easy task and I encountered some difficulties during my learning experience of English. Although I study at Kirkby International College for teacher training course now, there is still need an improvement for my English as I will become English primary teacher in the future which I will teach proper use of English to the students. I started to learn English since I was six years old. My parents sent me to a kindergarten where I learnt English and Mandarin there. The teacher taught us about the four basic skills of learning English, namely reading, writing, speaking and listening. For example, I learnt how to pronounce the 26 letters (A, B, C, Dà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦), how to read and how to write it correctly. At first, I did not interest in learning English during English lesson in class. However, the high patience and hardworking teacher used interesting ways of teaching to let me paying more attention to their lesson, do not feel boring and understand the lesson easily. For example, the teacher organized a mini game about pronunciation of 26 letters and the students were rewarded if pronounced the letters correctly. Due to the excellent hard work by the teacher, I passed my English Test with flying colours for all the three semesters. I continued my studying in primary Chinese school. My primary school opened a special English class for all students from standard one to standard six in order to improve and increase Englishs standard of the students. At the beginning, the teacher taught a few of repeated simple words and sentences such as, Can you lend me your pencil? or May I help you? The teacher was very nice and always praised us and encouraged us to pay more effort in studying English. I began to think that I was a genius at that time as I was easily mastering the language. However, when I became standard six students, I became very playful and not interested in studies including attending for English class. I always ran directly towards my room and started playing computer games such as Left 4 dead 2, and Pro Evolution Soccer after I came back from school. I became addicted to the games. Because of English class was started every afternoon which took away my time for playing computer games, I decided to stop going for English class. Thinking back, I made a wrong decision for giving up this class. If I had continued, maybe I did not need to put more effort in studying English today. My remarkable moment for learning English began when I studied Form Four in secondary school. At that time, my English teacher Mrs. Hwang was very strict. She wanted us to read English storybook every week and wrote the summary of the story and the moral values from the story. Moreover, she also made us to read all the articles in the textbook and made a presentation about it. During the presentation, she would correct our pronunciation. It was losing face if being corrected in front of other students. To avoid this, I practiced my pronunciation again and again at home and even referred to my English teacher if anything about the pronunciation or grammar I did not know. Furthermore, Mrs. Hwang also made us to read a newspaper like The Star or New Straits Times every day and asked us to jolt down the difficult words into the notebook and made five sentences about it. After that, she asked us to memorize the difficult words which would be stated in English Monthly Test. As a result of all these hard works, I achieved an excellent result for my English subject in my school examination and even As in my Malaysia Education Certificate (SPM) examination. After finishing my secondary education, I furthered my study by taking Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) course which will become primary English teacher in the future. There were several reasons that I wanted to become English teacher. If I became English teacher, I could improve my English further during the five and a half years of training in Kirkby International College. As a result, I was able to communicate with the foreign people in English when I travelled to foreign countries in the future. Besides that, I also wanted to help the students that living in rural areas to increase their Englishs standard as they were poor and unable to access to multiple resources such as reference book to improve their English. Before I was chosen to study at this college, I needed to go through the interview. In order to pass the interview, I needed to have higher proficiency in English. Although I had achieved excellent result for English subject in SPM examination, I needed to in tensify my practice on English to get ready for the interview. Apart from reading the storybook every week, I also watched English channels such as movies, dramas and documentaries. For movies, I liked to watch action and scientific movies such as Predator and Fast and Furious while for dramas, I like to watch CSI Miami and Oh my English. Drama Oh my English is the educational channel suitable for the students to improve their English. In this drama, students could learn the correct way of speaking English, grammar and vocabulary. For documentary channels, I liked to watch Discovery as this channel not only improve my English, and also provided scientific knowledge. Besides that, I also updated myself by reading the current news online. Hence, I was able to know what had happened in my country and other country and I would check the dictionary for the words that I did not understand. As a result, this improved my reading skill and learnt new words. According to my personal experience, I think there is no short cut to studying English. We need to go through all the hardships before we get sweet return. We need to practice more, learn more, read more, listen more and speak more in order to increase the proficiency of our English. These are only the ways to master English. (1050 words)

Lascelles Chin …. the Journey of a Jamaican Entrepreneur

Lascelles Chin is founder, chairman and Chief executive officer of the Lasco Group of Companies in Jamaica. The Lasco group is made up of Lasco Distributors, Lasco Foods Successors Ltd, Lasco Foods Ltd, Lasco Barbados Ltd, Lasco Financial Services Limited and Lasco Remittance Services. The range of products and services delivered by the companies is diverse. Lasco Foods Successors Ltd is responsible for the manufacturing and exporting of soy based products while Lasco Foods Ltd is responsible for the packaging of milk powders. Lasco Distributors Ltd is responsible for the local distribution of the ever expanding range of consumer and pharmaceutical products that has made Lasco a household name in Jamaica. These companies currently run by Lascelles Chin marks the present milestone on an entrepreneurial journey by Lascelles Chin that has stretched for more than forty years, Mr. Chin intends to continue this quest for another forty years and beyond. His entrepreneurial journey started in 1961. According to Mr. Chin, he started business with ?175 and was at a great disadvantage as many prominent families were dominating the commercial landscape in Jamaica at the time. He persevered, did his research and learnt as much as he could about manufacturing and distribution practices, importation and various related fields. His policy was to deal honestly with his customers, work very hard and most importantly, avoid spending more than he earned, (Observer 2009). Accordingly this helped him to achieve success. He also realized quite early in life that the only way to maintain success as a business entrepreneur was by honing his skills, hard work, determination, perseverance, clarity of vision and the ability to see obstacles as challenges, (Observer 2009). After graduating from high school in the 1950s Lascelles Chin worked as a lab technician for a short period before taking up a job as a salesman. He did well, and focused on saving portions of his earnings which he later used to start National Trading Company. This principle of not spending more than you earn or saving as much as you can from your earnings would set the stage for his development as an entrepreneur. With this business he sold peas and powdered pepper on a commission basis. He later became a distributor of Henkel products upon recommendation from a visiting representative. The business did well by targeting furniture manufacturers with the Pattex brand of adhesive. Later, during the 1970s, when people were leaving Jamaica in droves, Mr. Chin decided to stay and expand his warehouse and factory. Here Mr. Chin demonstrates the strength and resolution to move against the tide and lay foundations for the future when others were packing up and calling it quits. With time the business moved from Orange Street, downtown Kingston to East Street and then to its current location on Red Hills Road, (Gleaner 2006). He later went on operate other lines of business, Kingston Heirlooms, manufacturing and exporting furniture, Datrex Limited, computer supplies and parts, Triple A Car Rental, Zenith Insurance Brokers, Soft Sheen and Exotic Farms Limited to name a few, (Gleaner 2006). It was however the LASCO branded businesses LASCO Foods Limited and LASCO Distributors Limited operated by Mr. Chin from the 1980’s which made him and his businesses household names within Jamaica. The motivation behind his businesses†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. the unfulfilled needs identified A journey which started with a man selling peas and powered seasoning on a commission basis had now developed into a number of businesses driven by the same man fuelled with a passion to deliver the best value for money to its customers. According to the company’s website, Lascelles Chin founded LASCO in 1988; its initial operation included the importation of bulk skimmed milk powder and repackaging of sachets for distribution within the Jamaican market. Chin’s intention was to provide a source of milk protein which was affordable for all. Since then Lascelles Chin business has grown from packaging and distributing skim milk to the corporate entity it is today providing a wide range of pharmaceutical, food, household and personal care products to Jamaica the Caribbean, Latin America, North America and England, (LASCO website, 2010). Lascelles Chin apparently influenced by his daily and close interaction with the grass root people on the streets of Kingston during his earlier days as a Salesman, having seen their need for an improved nutritional intake sought to source and deliver products at prices which could be afforded by all. By doing so he has made valuable contribution to the development of the Jamaican society and its labour force with his delivery of nutrition or nutritious products within the reach of the poor and needy. His drive in this area has lead to the pioneering of a number of soy based protein products again with an emphasis on nutritious value and affordability. Procurement of resources Lascelles Chin was able to start his first business, National Trading Company with a few pounds, an accumulation of his savings from his job as a lab technician and sales person. Along the way his business grew due to his timely and astute business decisions which included ventures some of which were risky at the time. Some of those businesses have failed due to changes in the Jamaican landscape, for instance Kingston Heirlooms, his furniture business which was a good earner of valuable foreign exchange at the time suffered from changes in government policies which made conditions difficult for manufacturers. In order to deliver affordable products LASCO has gone to great lengths to source raw materials, consumer and pharmaceutical goods from cost effective sources. LASCO has formed allegiance with major international manufacturers. One of those searches led LASCO to Solae Incorporated, a subsidy of the DuPont Group. With their help LASCO was able to pioneer its current and growing range of soy protein isolate products, facilitating the delivery of highly tasty, nutritious products at an incredible low price to consumers across the Caribbean, (LASCO website, 2010). According to LASCO’s website, â€Å"the popularity of their soy based product has made LASCO the Number One customer in the world for soy protein isolate from Solae Incorporated. Additionally, the American Soybean Association has hailed the LASCO Food Drink line as the tastiest soy product in the world†. Bolstered by this success, LASCO continues its global search for the most affordable, best quality products and have branded corned beef from Argentina, mackerel from Chile, ketchup from the Eastern Caribbean, and vitamins from an outstanding US supplier, whole milk from Ireland, and Corn Flakes from Germany† (LASCO website, 2010). LASCO Distributors has also formed an important strategic alliance with Johnson & Johnson (Jamaica) Limited on April 2, 2001. As a result of that arrangement, LASCO Distributors handles the distribution of all Johnson & Johnson products while LASCO Pharmaceutical Division is esponsible for Lifescan, Contact Lens, and Pharmacy sales. (LASCO website, 2010) According to an interview conducted by Gleaner Lifestyle Editor, Barbara Ellington with Lascelles Chin in 2006 and published in May 2006, a lot of effort is placed in sourcing by the LASCO group. Approximately 50% is purchased locally, 15% within the CARICOM countries and the rest from international firms. According to Mr. Chin in that interview, part of his strategy lies in the fact that he sources well and is not greedy for huge profit margins, this strategy facilitates giving the customers value for money, considering the poorest in the society at all times. He effectively reaps the benefits of the eventual sales volume by keeping his prices one tenth, one fifth or even half of others, (Gleaner, 2006). Lascelles Chin takes pride in the LASCO team who support and execute the corporate strategy on a daily basis in their respective roles. According to the Gleaner Article, May 2006, he indicated that his team is a hard working and dedicated one which operates like a family; they are treated well and are willing to go beyond the call of duty. He believes he has some of the best workers in Jamaica. Challenges faced and overcome The challenges faced by Lascelles Chin during his entrepreneurial journey have been as varied as each of the over forty years since he started National Trading Company. He has faced numerous challenges with financing, security cost, government regulations, changing technology, and the ever changing Jamaican economic landscape to name a few. According to Mr. Chin in his interview with Barbara Ellington, â€Å"In the early days, he wanted a line of credit of ?1,000, and the banks would not give it to him. They thought he was crazy, he eventually got it from Scotia bank†. His problems with pilferage downtown forced a movement of his earlier operations from East Street to Red Hills Road. Today his operations on Red Hills Road and those at his expansive distribution plant at White Marl Central Village, due to their location in two troubled communities have created high security cost. The LASCO team in a bid to mitigate this cost at these locations takes steps to â€Å"work with the communities, establish good relationships and avoid going home late†. Faced with the high manufacturing cost of the 1990s Lascelles.Chin was forced to shut down and bear the losses associated with his furniture and data processing companies. Mr. Chin has however graciously accepted the philosophy that â€Å"failure in a business is an opportunity to learn†. In his bid to He has fought and loss battles with the government pertaining to government regulations geared towards protecting the local milk industry by its imposition of tax levies on powdered milk. LASCO imports a lot of its raw materials and finished products, this creates a demand for foreign currency to service those foreign accounts. In a bid to lessen this strenuous demand compounded by the ever depreciating Jamaican dollar LASCO has leverage its business with the inclusion of LASCO Financial services, a licensed cambio and LASCO Remittance Services a Money Gram representative in Jamaica. These two businesses along with LASCO Successors, which manufactures and exports soy-based, products helps to generate the foreign exchange needed by the LASCO Group. Financial Performance and Customer’s Perception of the business To date LASCO has been doing well. Lead by its founder’s philosophy of giving back from the profits made, the corporation has made numerous and continuous sponsorships and contributions to various areas of nation building, The National Policeman, Nurse, Teacher and Principal and Pharmacist of the Year Awards, are just a few of the many such programmes that LASCO has been associated with over the years. It contributes to various school feeding programmes, school related competitions, it makes donations to various government programmes, mothers and various charities. In return LASCO has gain customer loyalty which keeps the wheels of their business turning. The LASCO brand is currently a household name, synonymous with the provision of healthy nutritious and affordable products and services. According to its website, â€Å"LASCO is renowned for its quality beverages, cereals, canned meats and sauces, personal care items, household products and pharmaceuticals. The company has pioneered a range of products, which utilizes soy protein and delivers to the consumer a highly nutritious product at an incredible low price†. Future Outlook In the earlier operations of his business, Lascelles Chin was supported by is then wife Audrey Chin and other family members at different points along the journey. Today, his eldest daughter holds a senior position in one of the divisions. The LASCO business is a going concern and will remain that way whilst it continues to offer and deliver the kind of products and services that has led to its significant growth over the last two decades. The core business has grown from offering three products to ove r an hundred items. Its consumer and pharmaceutical lines continues to grow with the addition of a range of products each year. The LASCO brand now includes the LASURE, LASCARE and LASMED range of products. Its focus is still on the provision of â€Å"best quality for the consumer’s money†. Steps have been taken to expand their warehouse and distribution plant in White Marl. They have also invested heavily in a new information technology system. Their distribution network continues to spread across the Caribbean, Latin and Central America, The UK and Canada. Though it is dogged by constant competition from major players in the respective markets, LASCO continues to carve out a niche for itself by being the low cost, and value for money supplier of consumer and pharmaceutical products within Jamaica. Conclusion and Opinion of the entrepreneur’s journey Lascelles Chin journey has been one that strongly demonstrates the power of determination mixed with consistent effort in spite of adverse circumstances. Though he has won numerous awards and worn various civic hats including, The Order of Jamaica, The 2001 Business Leader of the Year, The 1997 Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Jamaica Institute of Management, The President of the Jamaica Exporters Association and is considered to be one of Jamaica’s leading philanthropists, he remains humble in his quest to make â€Å"Living Affordable â€Å"for the Jamaican people. He is an inspiration to all; he has in no uncertain way demonstrated that much can be gained, even with a small start. His entrepreneurial prowess were not garnered in academia, but were nurtured nonetheless by a quest to understand the business landscape and environment ensuring that he understood clearly what he was shaping and the factors that would ensure a successful execution of those ventures. He was unsuccessful in some of his ventures but was not deter from his quest to make a valiant contribution to the development of Jamaica. If I were to have taken the journey taken by Lascelles Chin, before I understood his process and his strategy for success, I probably would have stopped from the 1970’s and become a part of the massive tide of migrants leaving the island for a better opportunity elsewhere. I believe I have a bit of persistence and perseverance but probably would have been deterred from pursuing ventures geared towards improving the quality of life of the Jamaican society by the negative elements within the same society who would have pilfered by business place. The challenges presented by the lack of effort from the different governments to preserve manufacturing or keep the exchange rate stable or exercise the measures needed to curb crime and criminality would have probably led to my â€Å"locking shop† and leaving Jamaica. However, based on the lessons learnt from the journey of Lascelles Chin who started out with his savings, made prudent decisions, braved the economic times and conditions, focused on his goal of improving the quality of life of the poor and needy, through various economic, governmental and technological and social changes, I would take up the mantle of entrepreneurship, having the understanding that success can be achieved, through perseverance, determination, clarity of vision, whilst taking one step at a time, spending less than I earn and treating each failure challenge or obstacle as an opportunity to advance. References Ellington Barbara May 22, 2006, The Monday Interview: Lascelles Chin – Brand Domination at its Best. Retrieved on June 17, 2010 from http://www. jamaica- gleaner. com/gleaner/20060522/business/business1. html Ellington Barbara May 22, 2006, The Monday Interview: Lascelles Chin – Brand Domination at its Best. Retrieved on June 17, 2010 from http://www. jamaica- gleaner. com/gleaner/20060522/business/business1. html Ellington Barbara May 22, 2006, The Monday Interview: Lascelles Chin – Brand Domination at its Best. Retrieved on June 17, 2010 from http://www. jamaica- gleaner. com/gleaner/20060522/business/business1. html Ellington Barbara May 22, 2006, The Monday Interview: Lascelles Chin – Brand Domination at its Best. Retrieved on June 17, 2010 from http://www. jamaica- gleaner. com/gleaner/20060522/business/business1. html Kumar, S (June 2003), Transformation: A Journey. Retrieved on April 26, 2010 from http://www. caibinc. org/files_custom/3176_2350. df National Commercial Bank Annual Report 2009, Retrieved on May 04, 2010 from http://www. jncb. com/docs/NCB_Annual_Report_2009. pdf http://zenithbrokers. com/about_us. html https://www. jamaicaobserver. com/news/161017_Question-Time Ellington Barbara, The Monday Interview: Lascelles Chin – Brand domination at its best http://www. jamaica-gleaner. com/gleaner/20060522/business/business1. html http://www. lascojamaica. com/site/company-profile. htm

Analysis Of James Baldwin s The Blues - 2182 Words

Sonny’s Blues, a short story by famed African-American author James Baldwin, is the story of two bothers. Other famous stories of two brothers include both The Prodigal Son parable and the story of Cain and Abel, both from which Baldwin clearly draws inspiration from. Baldwin grew up with many religious teachings, as his adoptive father, David Baldwin, was a preacher. Though the relationship between father and son was not enviable, Baldwin still grew up active in his religion (James Baldwin- Biography). Baldwin, despite growing up in the Baptist church with a preacher for a father began to convert to Pentecostalism began in his early teenage years when he accompanied friends to a Pentecostal church, where, at the age of fourteen, he became ‘street preacher’ (James Baldwin- Biography). Of those years as a preacher, Baldwin recalled, â€Å"Those three years in the pulpit – I didn’t realize it then – that is what turned me into a writer, really, dealing with all that anguish and that despair and that beauty.† Many of his works prominently feature religion, and mimic the bible in language and tone (James Baldwin- About the Author). In Sonny’s Blues, and many other of Baldwin’s writings, the figure of the musician represents a move towards an anti-institutional spirituality and suggests the ways in which Baldwin was becoming, not less secular, but move aware of the need to distinguish between the structured religion of the church and the authenticity of a self- spirituality, aShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of James Baldwin s Sonny s Blues 916 Words   |  4 PagesJames Baldwin’s story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† tells the tale of two African-American brothers trying to survive in 1950s America. Both struggle with darkness in their lives, from drugs to bottling up emotions. The following sources were found Literature Research Center’s website. Each of the four sources will be evaluated for the quality of their information, as well as their usefulness on the topic of darkness in â€Å" â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†. Flibbert, Joseph. Sonny s Blues: Overview. Reference Guide to ShortRead MoreAnalysis Of Sonny s Blue By James Baldwin Essay1004 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Sonny’s Blue† by James Baldwin is a story about two brothers who grew up in poverty. One brother went on to become a teacher, while the other pursued his dreams to become a musician and finds himself in prison due to drug use. The story begins with the narrator finding out about Sonny’s arrest. It’s easy to see his shock and almost disbelief. It takes the narrator a while to write to Sonny, but eventually he does, and they regain communication with one another after over a year of silence. SonnyRead MoreAnalysis Of James Baldwin s Sonny s Blues 933 Words   |  4 Pagesstory. Blues is a genre of music that is often used to express a sad mood. The contradictory lives of the two brothers contribute to the theme of being safe and take risks. In this story, James Baldwin writes about two brothers who were raised together. As time passed, they separated from one another and lived completely different lives. â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† by James Baldwin addresses the themes of finding comfort in music, dangers of addiction and the suffering of two brothers. First, Baldwin uses theRead MoreAnalysis Of James Baldwin s Sonny s Blues 1578 Words   |  7 PagesJames Baldwin’s short story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† was a great tale of the struggles shared between two brothers in Harlem in 1957. This story is about two African American brothers who, unfortunately, grew apart as the aged. The plot shows the struggles the two brothers faced as they grew up in Harlem, and in return, the two drastically different paths they perused. James Baldwin was an African American who grew up in Harlem in the 1930s and 40s. Baldwin was the oldest of nine children, and grew upRead MoreAnalysis Of James Baldwin s Sonny s Blues Essay2104 Words   |  9 PagesSeveral dialectics are at play in James Baldwin’s short story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† including a dialectic between the narrator and his beloved brother Sonny involving their opposing responses to the sense of oppression and limitation that arises from living in Har lem. This dialectic and its resolution closely parallel Baldwin’s masterful use of Blues, Jazz, and Gospel music. We follow the narrator and his brother Sonny as they traverse the complexities of their individual and interconnected Harlem livesRead MoreAnalysis Of `` Sonny s Blue `` By James Baldwin1474 Words   |  6 Pages Music can be the lead to freedom from darkness. The story â€Å"Sonny’s Blue† by James Baldwin takes places in Harlem around the 1950’s. The story is about two brothers. One of the brothers is the narrator of the story whose name is unknown. The narrator tells the story of the struggles in Harlem but mainly the struggles of his brother with drugs, and his passion for jazz music. Through out the story the narrator avoids giving a sense of his own struggles with himself. However, in the end the readerRead MoreAnalysis Of James Baldwin s Sonny s Blues 1366 Words   |  6 Pagestheir journey to overcome their internal struggles. In the short story Sonny’s Blues, James Baldwin uses darkness and light to show struggles and, transformation as both br others teeter between the different shades of the blues, using music as a way to bring them both to redemption. Often times, when light is used in stories, readers can very easily relate the idea to happiness and following the right path. Baldwin uses light to illustrate what could be the prospect of a brighter future for SonnyRead MoreAnalysis Of James Baldwin s Sonny s Blues 995 Words   |  4 PagesJames Baldwin presents an emotional journey through Harlem in the 1950’s with his short story, â€Å"Sonny’s Blues.† From the beginning, the story is in medias res when the unnamed narrator is informed of bad news concerning his younger, troubled brother, Sonny. Throughout the story there is an ocean of emotions witnessed between these two brothers as they battle hardships from their past and present time. The setting plays an important role in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† to an extent where it is practically a characterRead MoreAnalysis Of James Baldwin s Sonny s Blues Essay1154 Words   |  5 Pagesntroduction: James Baldwin, author of Sonny s Blues, once said, I grew up with music...much more than with any other language. In a way, the music I grew up with saved my life (Session 3 Inquiry: Rudolfo Anaya and James Baldwin, 2015).   Blues becomes Sonny s drug and his addiction to it his salvation.       Even though the adults refrain from lamenting their sufferings directly to the children and telling them about the darkness, the child-narrator still intimates its marks in their facesRead MoreAnalysis Of James Baldwin s The Blues And Jazz Essay2185 Words   |  9 PagesBorn in Harlem during the mid-1920s’, author James Baldwin carved for himself a space in literary and intellectual spheres of influence ground in the assertion that â€Å"all art is a kind of confession† and that artists must be forced to â€Å"vomit the anguish up,† (Gates Jr. 390). Baldwin’s confessional vomit came from his spirit of evangelism with lyrical stylings of both the blues and jazz. Baldwin’s writings appropriate all three of these elements of African-American culture in both small, singular elements

Russi A Cold Bed Of Political Activism - 2114 Words

The year was 1905 and the setting was Russia, St. Petersburg to be exact. Russia was a hot bed of political activism with the recent uprising of many revolutionary factions clamoring for reform through their own different view points over the final years of the 19th century. There were the liberals, led by Paul Miliukov whose goal it was to establish a constitutional monarchy much like the one in place in England, the Social Democrats whose views were shaped by the writings of Karl Marx and Engels, and the Social Revolutionaries identifying with the peasantry. To the Social Democrats the key to overthrowing the Tsarists was through a revolution led by the working class. However, early on in the twentieth a rift developed in the Social†¦show more content†¦The repercussions of the massacre of Kishinev had turned the autocracy down a path of no return, Tsar Nicholas had alienated the masses and doomed the dynasty to revolution. Minister Mirski, Plehve’s successor would quickly resign in disgust over the Tsar’s unwillingness to commit to a path toward change to regain the populaces favor combined with failed expansion in the east leading to the Ruso-Japanese war in 1904. In the war Tsar Nicholas saw a golden opportunity to rally the country behind the government as it had done in the past. Despite an appeal to his subjects to fight for â€Å"faith, the Fatherland, and the Tsar† there was little enthusiasm for the war due to the conduct of the autocracy leading up to the conflict.3 Following many terrible defeats of the Russian army in the East and the resultant world wide embarrassment at Russia’s famed military being humiliated, cries for revolution