Descriptive Writing on Two World Leaders and One Story per Leader Essay

Mahatma Gandhi

One of the most influential leaders of the world has been Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, and he was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India. Apart from being the most important person behind India’s independence from the British rule, he is one of the most respected spiritual and political leaders of the 1900s. As a world leader who has inspired millions of people, Mahatma Gandhi is known for his concepts of Satyagraha, nonviolence, and ahimsa. He has made immense contribution to the humanitarian activities across the world and he is the pioneer of Satyagraha, a kind of nonviolent resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, which is firmly founded upon ahimsa and nonviolence. Although these concepts became most popular in India, leading to its independence, they inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. “He developed a method of direct social action based upon the principles courage, nonviolence and truth called Satyagraha. He believed that the way people behave is more important than what they achieve. Satyagraha promoted nonviolence and civil disobedience as the most appropriate methods for obtaining political and social goals.” (Mahatma Gandhi: Indian Spiritual/Political Leader and Humanitarian 1869 – 1948) Therefore, Mahatma Gandhi has inspired several million people across the world through his ideals of ahimsa, nonviolence, and Satyagraha, and he is honored by the people of India as the father of the Indian Nation. In India, he is called Mahatma which means Great Soul. When he became the leader of the Indian nationalist movement, he used the tenets of Satyagraha to lead the campaign for Indian independence from Britain and he was arrested many times by the British. According to him, it is respectable to go to jail for a just cause and he is truly a great leader of the world in the complete sense of the word.

A Story about Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi has been one of the authentic experimenter with truth and his famous autobiography The Story of My Experiments with Truth which describes various important incidents in the life of this great world leader. In one of the most interesting stories about his childhood, Mahatma Gandhi narrates how he trained himself to walk along the road of honesty.

During his childhood, Mohandas attended a local school in his region and he learned the lessons of truth and honesty, along with various subjects. He trained himself in important values of life and was a model to other students. One day, the teacher conducted a classroom examination in the class of Mohandas, in connection with the visit of an education inspector. All the students were very enthusiastic about the inspector’s visit and tried to excel before him. So, the classroom exam was a chance for them to perform well before the instructor. The teacher arrived at the class and handed over the question papers.

One of the questions in the question-paper was tough and confusing to almost all the students. The teacher was disappointed to notice that most of the students did not attempt that particular question. So, he decided to help the students when the inspector was not attending the class. He shared the answer with some of the students and permitted others to discuss it with students who got the answer.
However, young Mohandas never attempted to copy the answer from his neighbor’s papers and he gig not notice what others were doing. Seeing this, the teacher approached him and asked him to copy the answer from the neighbor. However, this could not influence the determination of Mohandas not to commit mistakes about honesty. At the end of exam, when asked by the teacher why he did not copy from others, young Mohandas told him that he preferred death to dishonesty. This story marks the growth of a great world leader.

George Washington

George Washington (1732 – 1731), the first president of the United States of America (1789–1797), has been recognized as one of the most significant world leaders to have shown the model of overcoming unfavorable conditions of life. He is generally referred to as the father of his country by Americans for his fundamental role in the formation of the United States. Born into a mildly prosperous Virginia farming family in 1732, he was not fortunate to receive more than an elementary school education. The great knack of young for mathematics, along with his quiet confidence and ambition, he caught the attention of Lord Fairfax, head of one of the most powerful families in Virginia. From that situation, he grew to become the commander in chief of the Continental army and the most important figure in the American Revolution. It is generally agreed by various historians that no one other than George Washington could have held the revolting colonies and later the struggling young Republic together. “To the Revolution’s last day Washington’s troops were ragged, starving, and their pay was months in arrears. In guiding this force during year after year of humiliating defeat to final victory, more than once paying his men out of his own pocket to keep them from going home, Washington earned the unlimited confidence of those early citizens of the United States. Perhaps most importantly, Washington’s balanced and mindful service as president persuaded the American people that their prosperity and best hope for the future lay in a union under a strong but cautious central authority.” (Biography of George Washington) Therefore, George Washington has been one of the most important world leaders that the US has ever produced and his rejection to accept a proffered crown, and his willingness to relinquish the presidency after his terms were up, established the precedents for limits on the power of national leaders. Significantly, Washington’s great achievements provided the foundations of the powerful and balanced national government of the US.

A Story about George Washington

One of the most famous and instructive stories told about George Washington has been the story of Washington chopping down the cherry. Although there is no evidence that the story was true, it establishes Washington’s honesty during his childhood.
When he was about six years old, the young Washington he got hold of a hatchet and he was extremely fond of this implement. Like other boys of his age with such a hatchet, he used to chop down everything that came his way.
Once, he was wandering about the garden, doing something or the other to amuse him. Soon, he came across a beautiful, young English cherry tree which was dearest to his father. Using the edge of his hatchet, young Washington barked the stem of the tree and it was dead.

When his father discovered what had happened to his favorite tree, he became very angry. He asked everyone in the house to know who was responsible for the death of the tree. However, no one dared to give him any answer. When George, with his little hatchet, entered the room, he saw his father in great anger.

His father enquired him in great fury, “George, do you know who has killed my beautiful little cherry tree yonder in the garden?”

Although George was trapped with this question, he answered politely, “I cannot tell a lie, father, you know I cannot tell a lie! I did cut it with my little hatchet.”

When his father got such polite and honest reply from his boy, his anger slowly died out. And he appreciated the boy for his honesty.

Works Cited

  • “Biography of George Washington.” George Washington. Indianchild.com. Sept 28, 2009. .
  • “Mahatma Gandhi: Indian Spiritual/Political Leader and Humanitarian 1869 – 1948.” World Leaders. Sept 28, 2009. .