SUNDAY 9 OCTOBER, 2016 – UWI TODAY
19
FEATURE
The Lord of the Rings
is
by far the best fantasy-
f i c t i on b o o k e v e r
written with sales of
more than 100 million
copies. It is compelling
to the modern reader
because it contributes
to the satisfaction of
the desires of heart and
mind through wonder
and amazement which
the world has largely
f o r g o t t e n . Th i s i s
accomplished through
our internal struggle between friendship and betrayal,
free will and choice, good and evil, virtue and vice,
power and authority, temptation and sin, repentance
and reparation, time and eternity, grace and nature,
death and immortality, natural and supernatural,
toward achieving happiness. It reflects our story which
shows the richness and ennoblement of ordinary life
through the development of the virtues.
Ethics and the Lord of the Rings
is a weekly seminar
series, now in its 7th year. It is a one-hour session
during which the extended version of the movies is
shown for approximately 30 minutes followed by a 20
minute critical discussion on the various themes. The
movie acts as a psychological mirror which depicts
our journey in life through the character traits of the
different personalities. For example,
elves
represent
the artistic, aesthetic, and scientific; men represent
traditional, noble, and knightly;
hobbits
represent
cheerfulness, home-loving, family, friendship, all
characterised by food and drink, singing and music;
orcs represent violence, greed, mistrust, betrayal, abuse
of power, in short, the brutish side or defect of human
nature. Every central character faces ethical choices
and goes through crises with some failing miserably
at times experiencing pain, grief, doubt and despair.
It is precisely through these trials that one is able to
effectively develop virtues and lead a fulfilling life.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind
them.
The Ring represents an inordinate pursuit for
power to dominate the will of others in order to enslave
them. Possessing the Ring leads to an addiction and
attachment to wealth, pleasure, social status, validation
by others, power, and honour. We then become slaves
to such things and end up being controlled by them:
the possession possesses the possessor!
The One Ring
is a seductive and insidious moral disorder or mental
sickness that leads to unhappiness.
and the
Lord of the Rings
B y S u r e n d r a A r j o o n
Students’ feedback
“The seminars allow for a person to look at
oneself, to be able to recognise your mistakes and
imperfections and find ways to fixed these faults and
move on to become a better person.
“Attending these hourly sessions throughout
the semester was enlightening, it gave me a better
understanding of life, my goals, values and morals
allowing me to prioritse what needs to be done and
also I was able to put things into perspective.”
“It helped me deal with failures and regrets by
showingme that I was fighting a losing battle against
myself and that the only way to truly move on was to
forgive myself and to live in the present.“
“The use of the trilogy in relation to real life was
remarkable and I appreciated the visual examples
and how it applied tomy life.I learnt when you accept
your role in life, the person you are supposed to be,
you begin to live rightly; when trials and negativity
cross your path you are able to handle them without
compromising your moral alignment.”
“It was really educational and intellectually
appealing. But to be honest my motivation for
attending was purely for the sake of having a good
motivational therapy for the week.“
“…the knowledge equipped from this lecture
canput one in a better position todeal with the events
of their own personal life.I do urge everyone to attend
if they can, regardless of job, field of study or age.”
“Who would have pictured that lessons on life,
philosophy, ethics and inspirational deep thinking
can be derived from the Lord of the Rings movie?
This seminar enrichedme by encouragingme to think
about my behaviour and actions.”
Co-curricular activities are designed to develop
the key attributes of The UWI Graduate.The
seminar series is facilitated by Surendra Arjoon
PhD, Professor of Business & Professional Ethics,
Department of Management Studies. He can be
contacted at:
The Early Childhood Caravan
was launched at
the St. Augustine Campus of The UWI, School
of Education on Saturday, September 10, 2016.
This project is an initiative of the Early Childhood
Learning Community (ECLC), a group of past
and present UWI students and lecturers, who are
passionate about making a difference in the lives
of children throughout Trinidad and Tobago. The
Caravan’s mission is to support young children’s
development and learning through community
outreach activities which promote developmentally
appropriate practices. The Caravan was launched
with a workshop for early childhood teachers.
The Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and
Education, Dr Heather Cateau and the Director
of the School of Education, Dr Jennifer Yamin-
Ali, delivered opening remarks on the occasion.
Dr Sabeerah Abdul-Majied, coordinator of the
Bachelor of Education, Early Childhood Care
and Education (ECCE) Programme, chaired the
event. She welcomed 24 participants to the one
day workshop entitled
A Day of Language and
Literacy
which was facilitated by ECLC members
who volunteered their time and expertise for the
workshop.
In her address Dean Cateau praised the launch
of the Caravan and the professional development
workshop. She advised that the university
was concerned about student performance in
Mathematics and English. She also stated that
the concern was not just a university problem but
a national problem at all levels of the education
system. The dean was of the view that early
childhood educators have an important role to play
in the process of preparing students for university
success. She added that “we can andmust do better”.
She recommended that all must share a common
vision for education. Dr Cateau ended her address
by thanking the early childhood teachers, primary
school teachers and the parents who attended the
workshop.
Dr Yamin-Ali in her address expressed delight
at seeing, “the wheels on the bus go round and
round” asThe Caravanwas launched. She reiterated
that the early childhood sector is a significant part
of the education system as it laid the foundation
for children’s learning. She told participants, “Little
children need you and we need you to provide
what children need from us”. She informed the
participants that they were really fortunate to
be part of the first workshop. She thanked Dr
Abdul-Majied for her vision and looked forward
to exciting days ahead for The Caravan.
The workshop was designed to enhance
strategies for teaching language and literacy to
young learners, particularly the most vulnerable.
Participants learned about language and literacy
goals and standards. They also participated in
reading, writing and comprehension activities
for young children. Participants appreciated the
initiative and eagerly anticipate the next Caravan
event which rolls out to Trincity Mall to showcase
children’s artwork. The Caravan may be in your
backyard soon!
For further information contact
Surendra Arjoon
