Ji-young HONG (Extra work)

Dear Mark,

 

I sent this just extra as we talked after class last week.

 

What does DI mean when he says he wants TB to be personally responsible?

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Relationship of Derry Irvine and Tony Blair is master-pupil and from the extract of TB's memoirs, Derry was one of the best and brightest junior counsels at the Bar. TB said "Derry taught me how to think. In intellectual terms, I had only 'passed exams' before meeting Derry, and I hadn't a clue how to think." Tony was used to help write Derry's opinions and do the pleadings. When Tony wrote an opinion, he expected Derry looked and corrected something looks better so he did not make his work perfectly. However, Derry glanced at Tony's work and signed it. Tony was aghast. Derry said "Well, it's your best work, isn't it?" Tony was terrified. The work was not his best work. Derry thought Tony could do this better or Tony is his pupil so Derry wanted to train his pupil harshly. Derry said "I don't want your ramblings, I don't want your half-thoughts. I want your best work, work that you personally will be responsible for. Understand? Then came back to me when you've done it" After Derry made Tony work harder, he had conversation with Tony about the work by going through it, explaining the faults, questioning the arguments. From mistakes, Tony had a chance to learn how to think and be personally responsible. Before expect someone help you or correct your work, do your best and do not make excuses. As long as you did your best, it is fine if you make mistakes. Take responsibility. These are lessons from TB's memoirs.

last week's homework from Han Di

Turna Elmaci

Homework 3 

 

In the context of the extract from TB's political memoirs what is meant by the proverbial dog with a bone?

 

The proverb "dog with a bone" depicts a dog which won't give up his bone no matter which danger it has to face. The dog will defend it and nibble at it and try to remove every piece of meat. This proverb describes very clearly that stubbornness and persistence can lead to a favorable and beneficial result if applied under any circumstances and in knowledge of the consequence positive or negative.

In his political memoirs Tony Blair explains that not only his ambitions helped Tony Blair to become the historic person he is now but also the people who he has met in his past and who played a leading role in forming his character and directing his ambitions. One of these people Tony Blair mentions in his political memoirs is Derry Irvine who was his pupil master and later under him the Lord Chancellor in Blair's period being in office. Tony Blair says that he learnt many important lessons while working under Derry Irvine. The word he uses to describe Derry's attitudes facing legal issues is the proverb "the dog with a bone". Irvine's persistence and stubbornness lead to a successful completion of legal cases because Irvine didn't give up finding ways to solve the issues under any circumstances. Tony Blair says "He (Irvine) would gnaw at it, examine it, turn it over, bury it, dig it up, step back and stare at it".

Tony Blair states in his political memoirs that working under Irvine gave him important impulses how to form his attitude working as a barrister and as a politician. Moreover, that it can lead to success.

Tony Blair can look back to an impressive and successful political career being the former Prime Minister of the U.K. though he started as a barrister apprentice with an intensive work performance he still could pursue his political ambitions by participating in his local party and writing political articles.

Ji-young HONG_HW3

In the context of extract from TB's political memoirs, what is meant by the 'proverbial dog with a bone'?

 

People who are considered successful figures meet a good mentor in their lives. Tony Blair's mentor was Derry Irvine, for instance. From TB's memoirs, he said, "Faced with a legal problem, Derry was like the proverbial dog with a bone." This is from one of famous fables. The story is that there was a dog with a bone. When the dog crossed a stream he looked down and the other dog had a bigger bone than his. To get bigger one, the dog opened his mouth and he lost his own bone eventually. The lesson from this proverb is "Don't be greedy. If you are greedy, you will loss all you have." However, compare to original story, Derry was regarded as one of the best and brightest junior counsels at the Bar according to TB's memoirs because Derry was greedy not for everything just for his profession as a junior counsel. From Tony Blair's memoirs, about the legal problems, Derry would gnaw it, examine it, turn it over, bury it, dig it up, step back and stare at it. Finally he approaches totally different point of view for some legal problems. From Derry as a pupil master, Tony learned how to think and he was impressed a lot. In the context of TB's political memoirs, he said "I was scared of him, admired him and adored him; but most of all, I was grateful to him." Lesson in this context is that if you are like the proverbial dog with a bone just in your profession, you will be successful and also can be a good mentor.

 

 

Below is posted for getting your comments. Thanks for your times.

 

What does DI mean when he says he wants TB to be personally responsible?

 

   Have you ever watched TV reality program 'Apprenticeship'? It was one of popular TV show made in U.S.A. Apprenticeship can be a good opportunity to have a job and from this period, job seekers can meet a good mentor or his/her role model. For TB's case, he met DI as his pupil master. Tony said "Derry taught me how to think" in his memoirs. Tony thought his work was considered modified by Derry because Tony was a pupil and he just helped Derry's opinion writing so total responsibility is on Derry not him. This thought made Tony's work in half-completion. For final work completion, Tony needed to have a whole responsibility not hoping someone correct and modify his work. Don't expect help or free gain when you don't do your best but as long as you did your best, it's okay if you make mistakes. DI trained TB like this way. From the mistakes you may go up to the next level for completion. Do your best. That is the answer.

woori

In the context of the extract from TB’s political memoirs¸ what is meant by the proverbial dog with a bone?

 

Derry who used to be a Tony Blair’s pupil master gave a life changing influence on his apprentice.

The master impressed Tony Blair, teaching how to think and a sense of responsibility for own work which are essential elements as a lawyer. The anecdote with the master clearly shows Derry’s firm characteristics and attitudes towards work. When TB brought him the first draft, the master was very disappointed with insufficient work done and harshly criticized on his excuse for, denouncing “I don’t want your half thoughts, I want your best work that you personally will be responsible for”. To Tony Blair, these rigorous attitudes and strict principles to work made Derry look like a proverbial dog with a bone. In the memoir, he was describing Derry being faced with a legal problem: “He would gnaw at it, examine it, turn it over, bury it, dig it, step back and stare at it” Like a dog with a bone to conquer, Derry kept thinking and analyzing a problem until he completely understood the problem. Further, in order to avoid conventional analysis, he returned to the first principles for different perspectives on the problems. As a just pupil who had just passed exam, Tony Blair was impressed with Derry’s disciplinary manners on work and admired his genius. And it was enough to give the nick name “a proverbial dog” to Derry. 

Regina H Jeong (3rd)

 

In the context of extract from TB's political memoirs, what is meant by the proverbial dog with a bone?

 

Given the extract from TB's political memoirs, Blair described the encounter with his pupil master, Derry Irvine, as the one that changed his life and the time his views began to shift. From Derry, Blair learned how to think not in a manual way but in a real way. Thought that reaches from analyzing, dissecting a problem from first principles, and having deconstructed it to constructing a solution. In this manner, he learned how to drill down a matter to the answer. Other than mentioning Derry's excellence at work, Blair even compared him to the proverbial dog with a bone. 'Faced with a legal problem, Derry wouldn't stop or reflect until he had got every bit of meat there was off it, had extracted its essence and mastered it.' In order to finish the last piece of meat with a bone, a dog would exam his one first, gnaw away next, turn it over at times, even stare, lick, and finally bury it when he has finished. The dog's acts to finish off his bone could be applied as a way of access to many problems sometimes. By examining matters first, looking at them with the different angles next, turning them over at times, doing diverse tryouts when they needs, we can get clues from unexpected angles or grasp the facts about the problems in an entirely different way.

 

 

 

Sorry for its late, I will try harder to finish early for the next time.

Thanks.

 

 

Regards,

Regina

 

Guobin Li

In the context of the extract from Tony Blair's political memoirs, what is meant by the proverbial dog with a bone?

 

Derry Irvine was already a successful lawyer at the Bar when he was only thirty-six years old. He became Tony Blair's mentor and, according to the memoirs, it was him who taught Tony Blair how to think, a critical skill for legal jobs. Derry, as a counsel, was required to perform extensive and complex research into relevant facts and law; He needed to conduct a superficial analysis. In the memoirs, Tony Blair described Derry as "the proverbial dog with a bone" when facing with a legal problem. Tony Blair wrote: he would gnaw at it, examine it, turn it over, bury it, dig it up, step back and stare at it. Derry's analytical behavior was compared to that of a dog working on a bone. There is no denying how much a dog takes pleasure in chewing on a bone and a dog would not easily give up a bone before she has fully "explored" it. Tony Blair also wrote: he wouldn't stop or reflect until he got every bit of meat there was off it. He was completely uncompromising when it came to matters of the mind. It is just like how much the meat on the bone matters to a dog. With the comparison, Tony Blair wanted to show how persistent Derry was when dealing with a legal problem. It is this never-give-up attitude, perhaps, has made him one of the best and brightest counsels at the Bar. When analyzing a problem, Derry would utilize whatever way possible, be it conventional or a first principal. This in Tony Blair's eye was seen as his genius.