Simulation Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Simulation Analysis - Essay Example Since Quasar is the sole participant in the marketplace they have just created for themselves a monopoly market structure. The first three rounds of the simulation discuss strategic decision during the first three years of operation. In 2003 the company needs to determine the optimum price for the product. As the CEO of the company I have a team of executive that is going to help me along in the process. My team is composed of four members in three functional areas: marketing, finance, technology, and outside marketing consultant. Keeping the lines of communication open among a team of businesspeople is essential in order to manage an operation in an efficient manner (Kotler, 2002). The decision I made was to set the price of the Neutron computer at $2,550. At this price the volume of sales was 5.3 million units and the net profit of the company is $1.29 billion. If I increase the price from the optimum price point volume decreases as well as profits. On the hand if I decrease the price from my optimum price point of $2,550 volume increases a bit but profit go down. My primary objective was to find the best mix that optimizes the profitability of the company. The second round of the simulation takes me to year 2004. The company I’m running is a monopoly player. In a monopoly the firm has control price, but it is not immune to the law of supply and demand (Varian, 2003). The demand curve is downward sloping which means at higher prices the demand of the product decreases. Two of my executive Robert (marketing vice-president) and Janet (Finance vice-president) have different perspective on how to achieve greater growth. The issue was the marketing budget and whether an increase or decrease from the 2003 $400 million budget would affect the demand for the product. Janet suggested a low figure of $100- 200 million in marketing expenses. It seemed as if she was thinking like an accountant or

Reconstruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reconstruction - Essay Example The rise was initiated by various factors that included social, economic, legal, and political. The big business era was a source of wealth and capitalization for many Americans most of who were involved in various national corporations that controlled markets (Wilson 214). Sufficient resources such as oil, coal, and iron were foundations for the building of the states after the war. Adequate iron led to the production of iron and steel that were part of inputs in the big businesses. Steel was used to make railroads and cars that were used in the transportation of various products ranging from coal, ores, and agricultural produce from a state to another (Symonds). Oil was a precious good after its discovery, which was used in homes and to power machinery in some of the industries. Coal powered factories were efficient compared to water-powered; hence, the discovery of coal-fueled the increase of steel mills in the U.S. There was a rise in the number of immigrants to Southern States that provided a foundation for investors, investors, and labor. The immigrants worked in the big businesses and agricultural sector; hence, providing cheap labor. The high population required enhanced transportation methods leading to the increase in railroad networks. The increased demand led to a change in the social life of some of the citizens due to enhanced wealth sources. The banks offered loans that were sources of investment capital. Investors in the big businesses would seek assistance from banks to set up steel mills and railroads as part of the reconstruction. Stock markets were used by trusts such as Rockefeller’s to trade shares and purchase other corporations. The Federal Government did not regulate the operations and establishment of businesses. They were free to pool and set cartels that would increase competition opportunities. However, this factor led to the growth of monopolies in the

Functions of Management Accounting in an Organisation

Functions of Management Accounting in an Organisation â€Å"One of the functions of Management Accounting is to provide information for control purposes within an organisation.† The importance of control within an organisation The ways in which management accounting information can be used for control. The factors which may influence the effectiveness of control information. Introduction In simple terms, management accounting is the amalgamation of the two important functions ‘management’ and ‘accounting’. Thus when the principles of management and accounting are married to achieve corporate objectives the process is deemed to provide tangible results. Accounting has been defined by the American Accounting Association as, â€Å"the process of identifying, measuring and communicating economic information to permit informed judgements and decisions by users of information.† On the other hand, Management according to Drucker (1974) consists of the performance of functions like planning, controlling, organising, communicating and motivating. The following paper will analyse the key functions performed by management accounting. This paper will also attempt to highlight the contribution of management accounting in achieving control in the organisation. Besides, the paper will also provide a descriptive analysis of how effective control can be implemented within an organisational context. According to Johnson and Kaplan (1987) management accounting emerged since the early nineteenth century with the emergence of managed and hierarchical enterprises. The industrial revolution and in particular the rapid growth of railways led to an even faster growth of management accounting systems. Hence according to Johnson and Kaplan (1987) management accounting systems evolved to motivate and evaluate efficiency of internal processes and not to measure the overall profit of the organisation. Information is a powerful tool for every organisation. In today’s competitive and volatile business environment, information is one of the important tools which provides organisation with a competitive edge. In an organisation, managers would require information that will help them in making decisions and controlling activities. As highlighted by Drury (1998:3), information is needed to estimate selling prices, costs, demand, competitive position and profitability of various products that are made by the organisation. Accounting information provides the managers the power to assess the credit worthiness of a potential borrower. It can be said that management accounting is that branch of accounting which is concerned with the provision of information to people within the organisation to help them make better decisions. Organisations perform tasks to achieve organisational objectives, which are derived from the mission statements and which are then broken down into long and/or short term objectives. The successful achievement of these objectives depends on effective management processes. The processes will yield desirable results only when efficient performance management and measurement systems are in place. This further highlights the importance of having a system of control and review in the organisation. Control therefore involves a comparison of actual performance with plans so that deviations from plans can be identified and corrective action can be taken (Drury, 1998: 13). Importance of Control Control is not very different from monitoring. >From a human resource management perspective, it is essential to control/monitor the performance of individuals, as it in turn has an impact on the overall organisational performance. Various benchmarks and performance indicators are decided, which vary from one organisation to other and from one industry to other, which accurately measures how well a company is doing in relation to its past performance and how well is it performing on an industry wide basis. Performance can be measured in both qualitative and quantitative terms. Quantitative measures are easier to measure and interpret, thus accounting ratios, turnover, profit levels etc, provide a sound basis of measurement for performance. Control, therefore, serves the purpose of ensuring that the gap between actual and target performance is minimised. The control process enables management to assess whether or not the objectives included in the long-term objectives are likely to be achieved or not. An effective control system would highlight potential problems and provide warning signals if the likelihood of meeting the long-term objectives was bleak. The importance of having control mechanisms can only be understood in light of explaining the consequences of lack of having one. Lack of any kind of control in the organisation would mean that individuals would be doing whatever they wish to do. There would be no clear aims and objective towards which the individual would be working. This would lead to ultimately the organisation losing a sense of direction as well as prolonging the achievement of strategic objectives and to a great extent slowing down the growth of the company. Lack of appropriate control mechanisms would mean that employees in the organisation would not be appraised accurately. The scenario where the manager has the data and statistics relating to the actual performance against the required performance would mean he would be providing a more objective appraisal and feedback and thereby giving the employee more tangible targets to work towards; comparing that to a scenario where the manager does not have any such information would only mean that the appraisal is subjective, biased and flawed. This could ultimately have an effect on the motivation and morale of the employee. Control mechanism would avoid the occurrence of any such scenario, as the benchmarks would already be set against which the employee would be measured. A control system is a communication network that monitors activities within the organisation and provides corrective action in the future. Emmanuel et.al (1990) states that four conditions must be met before any process can said to be controlled: Objectives for the process being controlled must exist. The output of the process must be measurable. In other words, a mechanism must be in place for ascertaining whether the process is attaining its objectives A predictive model of the process being controlled is required so that causes for non-attainment can be identified and proposed corrective actions evaluated. There must be capability for taking action so that deviations from objectives can be reduced. It must be noted, that for any control mechanism or system to work efficiently, it must be supported by efficient communication systems. Any activity in the firm, which will have an impact on its development and profitability, will only work when it is communicated at all levels of the organisation. Thus, control measures supported by a positive communication system are imperative for the control structure to provide beneficial results. Management Accounting and Control From management accounting perspective, budgeting is an important variable to ensure effective control. Budgeting provides managers with the tool to ascertain which costs do not conform to the original plan and enables them to operate ‘management by exception’ system. This would help the managers to identify inefficiencies which might arise from the purchase of inferior quality materials. It is important to note that it would be misleading to compare actual costs at one level of activity with budgeted costs at another level of activity. Thus it is important that the original budget must be adjusted to the actual level of activity. In addition, management accounting also provides scope to prepare performance reports which would indicate whether the scheduled production of x number units has been achieved or not. The reasons could vary from inefficiency of the manager in managing or in failing to meet the budgeted sales demand or drafting of an incorrect sales budget; whatever the cause performance report indicates how efficient the manager has been in controlling the costs by comparing actual against total. Management accounting also presents information about performance, which is done by comparing budgeted outputs and costs with actual outputs and costs. This can be achieved by preparing management audits. According to Drury (1998), management audits in that sense investigates the entire management control system and focuses on the following aspects of organisational performance: The nature and functioning of the organisation’s managerial systems and procedures. The economy and efficiency with which the organisation’s services are provided. The effectiveness of the organisation’s performance in achieving its objectives. While producing management audit, the control aspect within it would involve exploring questions on the ways of comparing objectives with the needs of the population, methods of identifying activities that are not meeting objectives, the use of investment appraisal techniques and the methods of monitoring projects against the initial appraisal. Besides management audit, performance reports also provide measures to monitor activities. Drury suggests that performance reports must not be used as a tool to blame the employees. Instead it should be used to monitor activities and identify those items which do not proceed according to plan and the report must take into account the variability in costs. The rationale is that some costs vary with changes in the level of activity; hence it is important to consider the variability. In the preceding paragraphs communication was identified as an important tool in effective control implementation. Besides communication several other factors like filtering ‘noise’ from the data is important. Inaccurate information can distort the very purpose of control. Therefore an effective control system should ensure that data and information must be relevant. From an accounting perspective it is imperative that relevant and irrelevant costs are accurately distinguished and so that the possibility of inaccurate budgets is minimised. This can only happen when resource analysis and management audits are performed on a regular basis. Moreover, the analysis must use factors which make the analysis more objective rather than subjective. Conclusion From the preceding paragraphs it can be concluded that having a control system is imperative for an organisation to meet its long terms strategic goals and objectives. Control system provides a tool for the managers not only to assess the performance of their staff but also it helps to asses their own performance in terms of identifying inefficient practices. It provides them with the opportunity to review and reassess the working methods so that unnecessary costs can be minimised, organisational performance can improve and the organisation stays with budget. Management accounting provides various options like budgets, management audits, and a performance report structure which helps the managers achieve the objective of effectively managing their function. However, control systems can provide best results only when accompanied with an equally efficient communication structure. For any system to work efficiently it is imperative that the benefits, rationale and method of the system a re communicated to all staff members at all levels. Thus in conclusion it can be said that the information provided by management accounting aides in maintaining control in the organisation and one of the core purposes of management accounting is to provide information for control and monitoring purpose in the organisation. BIBLIOGRAPHY Atrill, Peter and McLaney, Eddie, Management Accounting for Decision-Makers, (2004), FT Prentice Hall Black, Geoff, Introduction to Accounting and Finance, (2005), FT Prentice Hall Drucker, P. Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, (1974) Heinemann Drury, Colin, Management and Cost Accounting, (1998), 4th edition, Thomson Business Press. Emmanuel, C.R., Otley, D.T., and Merchant, K., (1990), Accounting by Management Control, Chapman and Hall Johnson, H.T., Kaplan, R.S., Professors, customers and value: bringing a global perspective to management accounting education, in Performance Excellence in Manufacturing and Services Organisation., American Accounting Association Garrison, Ray, Noreen, Eric, Seal, Willie, Management Accounting: European Edition (2002), McGraw Hill Higher Education Horngren, Charles, Stratton, William O., Sundem, Gary L., Introduction to Management Accounting, (2004), FT Prentice Hall.

Florida and the Future of Gay Adoption Essay -- Homosexual Children Pa

Florida and the Future of Gay Adoption The line between public and private is quickly diminishing, if there ever was a line to start. Private ideologies (social and moral/ethical attitudes) have been made public by what legislation does (not) relegate, and then protects the right to privacy for the individuals who abide by these private ideologies. The intrinsic protection of adherents to a dominant ideology forces those with deviant ideology to actively make their private concerns public in order to be granted their "right to privacy." However, even after this guarantee it is not possible for the private to leave the public sphere until the dominant ideology changes radically to incorporate these rights at the same intrinsic level of the original ideology- meaning the right to privacy has to be constantly reiterated until the societal backing makes it dominant. In the case of human and civil rights, legislation has the obligation to intercede on behalf of those disenfranchised by laws, regardless of the impact of or on s ocial attitudes. Once the issue of gay adoption entered the public sphere (i.e. when gay couples were first singled out by the state as ineligible), the only possible way to ensure that these individuals rights would be protected and that one day the rights of all homosexual individuals and couples to adopt would be guaranteed was for the issue to come before the Supreme Court. It is fortunate that the law was not overturned in a lower court, because the decision would not carry the weight of one handed down by the Supreme Court. Florida State Adoption Logo (7). Florida state law currently bans lesbians and gay men from adopting children, preferring rigorously gendered family construction, as is made p... ...al in Challenge to Florida Gay Adoption Ban." American Civil Liberties Union website. 3)Lambda Legal website, "Background on Lambda Legal's Supreme Court Case Challenging Texas's "Homosexual Conduct" Law." 4)"Anita Bryant, b.1940, Singer and Crusader." , St. Petersburg Times Online. 5)"Lawrence & Garner v. State of Texas." , SodomyLaws.org 6)ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, "Let Him Stay" 7)My Florida Website, The State of Florida's Website 8)Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange, Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange Homepage 9)Lexis Nexis, "U.S. Appeals Court Narrowly Upholds Only Blanket Gay Adoption Ban." The Associated Press State & Local Wire. 10)Human Rights Campaign website, "What's Happening in My State?" Butler, Judith. "Imitation and Gender Insubordination." Inside/Out: Lesbian Theories, Gay Theories. New York: Routledge, 1991. 13-31.

Macbeth Assessment Essay

Macbeth written in 1606 has proven to be one of Shakespeare’s most successful and popular plays. It wasn’t just the plays that were popular William Shakespeare born 1564 is the most famous play writer in the world. He was born in Stratford upon Avon. He wrote 34 plays, Macbeth being just one of them. There are many reasons why Macbeth has proven to be so popular. It is the third shortest play written by Shakespeare, it is fast moving including death, murder, deception, and betrayal. The play follows the story of a man who was desperate for power and turns to murder to get his own way. It has conserved its title as an exceptional play as it appeals to audiences both today and in Shakespeare’s time, by including factors that appeal to everyone. In Shakespeare’s time people would be intrigued by the supernatural, as they were xenophobic, they took a dislike towards the witches. They didn’t understand them even today when we know a little more about the supernatural it is still a topic people would like to know more about. The play makes you want more. You want to find out if he was a good king or if he would really murder his best friend. It is an unpredictable play you don’t know what is going to happen. Theatre going was very popular in the 1600’s because not only was it for the rich the poor could enjoy the entertainment as well. Many people enjoyed the magic of the theatre, that’s what made it such a success. The globe built in 1599 was one of the first theatres in London, it could seat over 3,000 people but sadly tragedy struck in 1613 when the great fire of London burnt down the theatre along with many other famous landmarks. It was a great loss in everyone’s eye, so a year later the globe was replaced. It cost à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1,400 to rebuild. It didn’t take long before the theatre had paid for it’s self as it was so popular. The poor people would sit in the ‘pit’ they would only have to pay 1p but if it rained they would get wet, as there was no shelter. The rich people could sit around the sides where they would be able to see everything as the seats were tiered along the sides they were sheltered from the cold. They would have had to pay around 10p for their seat. As a variety of people attended the play would have to cater for a range of people. Not a play for the rich or poor. If the king didn’t approve of they play he could stop the performances. Shakespeare’s plays were clever they contained blood guts and gore. The monarchy and the political situation at the time had much to do with why the play had proven to be so popular. King James the first was new to the throne, as Elizabeth had died. Elizabeth was a popular queen where as James the first had shown to be very disliked. They worried what king James would be like on the throne they were right to be worried King James was evil he burnt and tortured Catholics. The declining catholic population soon grew to hate him and in 1605 a plot was taken against him in hope he would die. Guy Folkes attempted to blow the house of parliament up in ‘The gun powder plot’ fortunately for the king he was unsuccessful. He was later executed. A year later when Shakespeare was writing Macbeth he had to be very careful on what he included. If James the first did not like the play and took offence to it then he could have Shakespeare killed. Shakespeare’s presented the play in good light. He displayed Duncan the king as a good king whom people loved, James would have liked this as he thought it portrayed himself but really Shakespeare was showing James t o be Macbeth. The play showed a warning if a man killed the king he would suffer a fate as bad. The main theme of the play shows a man who is led to despair by his controlling wife. He starts as a loyal soldier serving his king to the very best. Due to his service he was made Thane of Cowdor, but that was not enough for him and his power mad wife. They thought of an evil plot to kill the beloved Duncan. They arranged to kill him in his bed and make it look as if his own guards have killed him. They succeeded in their plot for greatness. Macbeth is crowned king. Duncan’s sons who would have been next to the thrown, but they fled as they thought they were suspects for the murder. Macbeth now had the taste for murder. He killed his best friend Banquo. Later he tried to kill Macduff a fellow soldier but was unsuccessful as Mac duff got away. Macbeth was mad by this and instead of trying to kill Macduff he killed his wife and children. How could a man be so cruel as he may have suffered the pain of a child being taken from his life. Macduff was on his way to England to fetch an army thousands big. Lady Macbeth went mad with guilt and killed herself. Once Macbeth heard news of the triumph against him he started to worry. He got ready for a fight he placed on his amour ready. When Macduff arrived they fought their way into Macbeth’s castle in Dunsinane. Macbeth fought till the very end until it became too much he suffered a soldier’s death. The supernatural had a large role in the play Macbeth. Macbeth included the supernatural, as the audience then were scared and shocked by it. They were scared of witches as they thought of them as bad. So when the play Macbeth was written Shakespeare included witches in the very start. This would have shocked the audience making them interested in the play from the very start. They would want to know what happened to them. Audiences now would be curious to see the supernatural and how the witches act. The witches cropped up several times in the play to keep the audience watching. The witches open the play ‘when shall we three meet again, in thunder, lightning or in the rain? When the hurly burly’s done, when the battles lost and won, that will be the set of the sun where the place upon the heath’ Macbeth is a very fast moving play, which included a lot of action. The play is short, it is so fast moving to keep the audiences attention. I think the action and length were quite important to an audience. If the play were long and lacked action the play would be unpopular and found boring. Plays had to appeal to everyone it would be important to keep them interested and as there would be peasants viewing they would have to cater for them. The plots would have to be quite straightforward so the peasants could understand. The main events in the play link with each other. The witches have an important role in the play on the heath in act 1 scene one and again in act 1 scene 3. They tell Macbeth and Banquo their future. The next important scene is Act 1 scene 5 when Duncan comes to stay with Macbeth to celebrate Macbeth becoming the Thane of Cowdor but sadly Duncan is brutally murdered in his own bed. Macbeth is forced to do the deed by his crazed wife. Then Macbeth is crowned king. The next important scene is when Macbeth gets Banquo killed and Banquo’s ghost comes to haunt him. Lady Macbeth tries to make excuses to cover his moments of madness. She tells the people not to leave, as this will offend him. ‘Dray you keep seat. The fit is momentary upon a thought. He will again be well. If much you note him you shall offend him and extend his passion feeds and regard him not. The witches then appear again in act 4 scene 1. This time the witches didn’t find Macbeth, Macbeth went to find the witches. He wanted to know more. So the witches tell Macbeth in words, which have a double meaning. This makes Macbeth thinks he is going to rule as kin g for a long time. Macbeth next tries to kill Macduff but is too late Macduff is already on his way to England to fetch an army to kill Macbeth. Then Malcolm can return as the rightful king. In rage Macbeth kills Macduff’s wife and children. Meanwhile his own wife is going mad with guilt. She thinks she has a spot of Duncan’s blood on he hand, which she can’t wash off. This time lady Macbeth has turned out to be the one with feelings instead of being callas. She had always called Macbeth a coward for showing signs of feeling ‘Are you a man?’ he often tries to prove himself. ‘What man dare, I dare’ Lady Macbeth becomes so deranged she kills herself. Then we meet the biggest scene, act 5 scene 3 at Dunsinane castle. Malcolm’s army fight there way into Macbeth’s castle to return the rightful king to the thrown. Many play writers would have included guts and gore to surprise the audience. If all plays were written about love and everything was perfect plays would become boring. Showing guts and gore with lots of action would keep the audiences interested. The technology back then wasn’t that good not compared with today, but audiences back then would be impressed by Shakespeare’s use of trap doors and fake blood. The trap doors would be used for the witches and Banquo’s ghost to appear and disappear. This would reflect the power of the witches . They may have lowered Banquo’s ghost down on a rope to make it look as if it was floating. Many of these effects are still used today while doing performances of the play. The goriest bits in the play would be the murder scenes. Especially the scene with Duncan they would have used a lot of fake blood. Macbeth’s character changes quite significantly during the play he starts off as a loyal soldier dedicated to his king. He changes after his first meeting with the witches, once he knew his destiny he would do anything to get it as soon as he could. The witches told him he would be thane of Cowdor, and then he would be crowned king. His power mad wife often challenged his position. ‘Why do you make such faces’ Macbeth showed feeling he didn’t want to kill Duncan but callas Lady Macbeth drove him to it ‘That I may pour my spirits in thine ear and chastise with the valour of my tongue’ this shows the power she had over him. Macbeth is good not evil ‘yet I do fear thy nature, it is too full o’th’milk of human kindness’ Where as Macbeth is a gentle person. Lady Macbeth calls upon the spirits to make her evil enough to commit murder. ‘Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to toe top full of direst cruelty make thick my blood. The planning of Duncan’s murder was quite disturbing Lady Macbeth proves her callas feelings. The death is like a challenge. ‘Art thou afeared to be the same in thine own act and valour as thou art in desire?’ She accuses him of breaking promises, that he isn’t strong enough to accept the challenges ‘wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, And you’re a coward in thine own esteem’ Macbeth braves himself as a man and accepts the challenge ‘I dare do all that may become a man, who dares do more is none’ Lady Macbeth shows some feeling like the feeling she may once have had for her child ‘I have given suck and know how tender tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn to you have done to this’ Her feelings soon turn evil as she says to Macbeth she would rather kill her child than break her promise. There was also many reasons why Macbeth shouldn’t kill Duncan ‘He’s here in double trust first I am his kings man and his subject, strong both against the deed then, as his host. Who should against his murder shut the door, not bear the knife myself†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢this Duncan been so clear in his great office’ Macbeth was related to king, he was Duncan’s host. Duncan was a good king if Macbeth went ahead with the murder he could loose everything. It was worse to kill a king than anyone else. It was a huge sin against god. God chose who was to be king. Lady Macbeth made most of the plans for the murder, she controlled Macbeth. She told him when and how to commit Duncan’s murder. Macbeth said the dagger showed the way to Duncan’s room. The night for Duncan’s death was perfect. Crows searched the courtyard a sign of death. An owl shrieked anther sign that evil was in the air. When Duncan had retired to his room and the guards had fell asleep Macbeth brutality stabbed Duncan in the chest with a dagger. Macbeth returned out of Duncan’s room with the evidence in his hand. He refused to re-enter the room so lady Macbeth took them back in the room and put the blood of Duncan on the guards face to make it look like they had killed Duncan. Macbeth didn’t prove to be a very good or popular king. Many people didn’t respect him. He lost many of his friends especially his supposed best friend Banquo whom he had killed as he suspected Macbeth had killed Duncan. Later at one of Macbeth banquets, he started to talk to a ghost that wasn’t even there. Lady Macbeth tried to cover it up. The second meeting with the witches as deliberate they told Macbeth words with double meanings. They told Macbeth he would be king until the wood moved. Macbeth thought he was safe, as wood couldn’t move. The witches tricked Macbeth so the audience would see the witches as evil. Macbeth wasn’t much better himself the most loyal thing he did while wearing the crown was suffer a soldiers death. He died a lonely man his wife had gone crazy and killed herself she jumped of the castles balcony. The audience views Macbeth would change at different points in the play. They would see him as a loyal soldier but then he turned evil but he still had some feelings he didn’t want to kill Duncan he was bullied by his wife. After the dirty deal was done he never returned from the evils scheming. In conclusion I think Macbeth is a very good play. It is a fast moving play. Which includes love, deception, and murder. Aspects that would appeal to all audiences. The audience would be relieved that justice was done. By including these features I feel that Macbeth has proved the test of time as one of the best plays of all time. Many theatres today still make reproductions of the play. I think Shakespeare truly has lived up to his title as a great play writer.

History of Jackie Robinson Essay

The movie 42 is a fairly new non-fiction movie describing the life history of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in the Major Baseball League (MLB) in the modern era, and his history-making signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. 42 shows how hard it was in the 1940s to be a black man or woman, but Jackie Robinson and his team executive, Branch Rickey, did the unthinkable. The film 42 takes its audience on a journey through Jackie Robinson’s life as a professional baseball player and shows all of his accomplishments, along with all of his downfalls. Jackie Robinson’s team executive from the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey, put himself and Jackie Robinson to the forefront of history. When Rickey signed Robinson he made a major decision, and broke the Major Baseball League’s â€Å"color barrier†. Not only did Branch Rickey put himself and Jackie Robinson in danger, but also other baseball players. Everyone was facing bashing racism from all sides. The film 42 shows how Jackie Robinson had to demonstrate tremendous amounts of courage and restraint. If Robinson would have reacted in anyway towards all of the racism he could of destroyed Rickey’s and his own dreams. The story presented in 42 mostly focuses on Robinson’s season with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and somewhat on his season with the Montreal Royals in 1946. His first season in 1946 with the Montreal Royals is where he battled a lot of racism from his audience. One scene from 42 stood out the most and was actually a hard scene to watch. Ben Chapmen, the manager for the Philadelphia Phillies at the time, repeatedly called Jackie Robinson a â€Å"nigger† loudly while he was up to bat. Of course Robinson had to remain calm, but it was so difficult. He then went back into the dugout and ended up smashing his bat into the walls and ground venting his anger. After Branch Rickey came to calm him down and explain that no one said what Jackie was doing was going to be easy, Jackie Robinson got up to bat once again. Robinson then proves Chapmen wrong and he ends up hitting a single, then stealing second base and continuing to third base on an error,  and then finally scoring the winning run. Ben Chapmen was left speechless. Later on, Ben Chapmen came to realize that what he did was very unacceptable, even under the circumstances. Although all the insiders knew Chapmen still believes what he did is okay, Chapmen decided to get a picture taken with Jackie Robinson shaking his hand to show the public and press that he w as â€Å"sorry† and that everything between him and Robinson was â€Å"okay†. The press believed it and so did the public, so it actually worked. Besides the incident with Ben Chapmen, Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey were still facing major racism comments and letters from the public. The public was not happy with the thought of an African American playing America’s favorite sport. The letters and comments were mostly horrible threats that Rickey and Robinson had to ignore because even the police would not do anything about it. Most of the policemen even agreed to what was being said! The beginning of Jackie Robinson’s career was tough, but Rickey believed in him, and his family. Not only was Jackie Robinson making baseball history, he was also starting to win over fans and teammates with his astounding skill and calm nature. Robinson’s wife, Rachel, was always on the side lines cheering him on from day one, even before the MLB was even brought up to him! She was his number one fan throughout his whole life and career. They were inseparable, and eventually went on to have a baby boy and named him Jackie Robinson Jr., who then became Robinson’s second biggest fan. Number 42 let his talent silence his critics as the seasons went on. Peopl e began to cheer for him instead of â€Å"booing† him and calling him mean names. Of course there were still many people who opposed the idea of having a black man in America’s favorite sport, but eventually those people had to get over themselves because time was changing, and it was not going back to the way it was before. He basically paved a path for other African American baseball players to follow as well. Many people of all ages who knew and saw Robinson looked up to him. Jackie Robinson was eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and when he retired, his number 42 was retired throughout all of baseball as well. Jackie Robinson is a baseball legend, and the movie 42 shows it all. Works Cited 42. Dir. Brian Helgeland. Perf. Brian Helgeland and Thomas Tull. Warner Bros. Pictures. 2013. Film.

Cravings And Crabbings

Cravings And Crabbings CRAVINGS and CRABBINGS Cravings - the name is intriguing in itself. It can make you want to know if their food is really something to crave for. Cravings Restaurant along Katipunan Avenue stands out because of its fa §ade made of dark-colored stone slabs that speaks of understated elegance. It is so unlike the multi-colored and well-lit appearance of the nearby fastfood chains that I usually patronize on my student's allowance.From its outside appearance alone, I found it easy to imagine how insecure I would have felt if my Mom was not with me to pay the bill. As we stepped inside, the softly-lit interior and the impressive wooden staircase, wide and curving, with wrought iron handrails, completed the classy (and expensive) ambience.After entering the restaurant that evening last week, a waiter neatly attired in a blue long-sleeved polo shirt pulled back the chair for me and handed me the menu.Seven-layer salad is an American dish that include...

Jane Addams1 essays

Jane Addams1 essays Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois on September 6, 1860,and the eighth of nine children. Her father, John Addams, was a prosperous miller and local political leader who served for sixteen years as a state senator and fought as an officer in the Civil War, he was a friend of Abraham Jane's mother dies when she was only two. Her father remarried and her new stepmother brought along two new stepbrothers to add to the already large family. With the fact of Jane's mother passing away she was especially devoted to her father, her father became her idol (Jane 1). He taught her tolerance, philanthropy, and strong work ethic (Biography 2). He encouraged her to pursue higher education but not at the cost of losing her femininity and the prospect of marriage and motherhood (Biography 2). She was born Laura Jane Addams and was named after Mrs. Laura Jane Forbes, an intelligent young woman who had taught private school in the village before she married Colonel H.C. Forbes. Soon her siblings were calling her Jenny: for most "Jane's" were "Jenny's" then, so soon after the gala concert tour of Jenny Lind, "the Swedish Nightingale." When Jenny was 2 years old she was still sleeping with her mother, who died while giving birth to her ninth child. This brought great sorrow to the town of Cedarville because Jane's mother was very well liked in the town, usually being the first to the bedside of the sick or invalid and a great comfort to all of the townspeople (Wise, 16). Although Jane's mother lost 4 children at a very young age she had five healthy ones survive. The oldest was Mary, who cared for all the children, then Martha, Webber, Alice, and Jenny the baby of the family (Jane). When their father went to Springfield for the state legislature Mary wrote to him often telling him about the children and the quickly spreading scarlet fever. In one such letter...

Alice Walker Maya Angelou

Angelou writes â€Å"She smocked the yoke into tiny crisscrossing puckers, then shirred the rest of the bodice. Her dark fingers ducked in and out of the lemony cloth as she embroidered raised daisies around the hem. Before she considered herself finished she had added a crocheted cuff on the puff sleeves, and a pointy crocheted collar. I was going to be lovely. A walking model of all the various styles of fine hand sewing and it didn’t worry me that I was only twelve. † (33) Whereas Walker also boastfully describes the attire she wears in church on Easter Sunday that was designed with care by her mother and sister. Walker writes â€Å"It is East Sunday, 1950. I am dressed in a green, scalloped hem dress (handmade by my adoring sister, Ruth) that has its own smooth satin Urbanczyk, Page 2. petticoat and tiny hot-pink roses tucked into each scallop. My shoes, new T-strap patent leather, again highly biscuit-polished. † (1) Neither girl is rich by any means but the closeness shared with their families makes up for being underprivileged and this makes them rich with love. Thus the appreciation of the clothing is strongly felt through each of these essays as it is recited by Angelou and Walker. Continuing further, the tone of each story remains synchronized as both young lady is faced with a tough situation. The life altering circumstances are not alike in nature but ultimately set a sad and rebellious tone in each of the essays. Walker, at only eight years old, loses her right eye as a result of horseplay by her brothers playing with a BB gun. This triggers Walker’s depressed state due to her appearance and also consequently affects her schooling and social life (2). The tone changes in Angelou’s essay as she is victimized by the ignorant criticism of Mr. Edward Donleavy, a white speaker, at her graduation day ceremony. The unwelcomed scrutiny transforms Angelou’s positive thoughts toward the future drastically (36-37). However, through the dark clouds each girl finds a silver lining. Both Walker and Angelou find redemption of their physiological setbacks and breakthrough as stronger, smarter, and secure woman. Furthermore, the writing styles of Angelou and Walker’s essays are very much alike in different ways. Each essay begins on a high and jolly note then transpires into the climax and concludes with each author finding herself with a stronger sense of self awareness. Walker gains her awareness through her experiences in the desert that inspires her to write poems, but her most influential experience comes about from her the words spoken by her daughter â€Å"Mommy, there’s a world in your eye. † (5) Walker continues writing â€Å"There was a world in my eye and I saw that it was possible to live it: that in fact, for all it had taught me of shame and ager and inner vision, I did love it† and closes her essay with a reference to Stevie Wonder’s song â€Å"Always† (5). Such is similar in Angelou’s self experience of shame to Urbanczyk, Page 3 edemption. During Angelou’s graduation ceremony a young man from her student body, Henry Reed, takes the podium in an effort to rejoice his graduating classes of 1940 after the preconceived notions were served by the white speaker, Mr. Edward Donleavy. Reed unites Angelou’s class by taking on the role of orchestra conductor and begins to recite the Negro National Anthem which lifts the spirit of the room. Angelou writes â€Å"The words of Patrick Henry had made such an impression on me that I had been able to tretch myself tall and trembling and say: â€Å" I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty of give me death. † While echoes of the song shrived in the air, Henry Reed bowed his head. † Angelou then closes with; â€Å"We were on top again. As always, again, we survived. † Although Angelou and Walker’s experiences weren’t quite the same, the concluding writing styles of their essays are very meaningful and leave the reader with an enlightened sense of their character. Growing up during this time requires both Angelou and Walker to wear a tough layer of skin. Both these Negro girls become achievers despite what society has to say. It is hard to imagine what it was like growing up in their time but without it the world may have never acquired writers such as Angelou and Walker. Even though it is somewhat sad to read the struggle each woman faced it is wonderful to know the outcome and fortune that each have had all through their brilliant writing ethics. Maya Angelou and Alice walker will continue on as famous writers, but furthermore legendary women.

Successional Planning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Successional Planning - Research Paper Example The organization provides services to the customer within the town of Quispamsis. The organization has more than 100 employees and has been in service for many years. It is managed by professionals who ensure continuity and expansion. Exploitation is evidences in the organization with some of the professional providing service being underpaid. Sometimes salary delay and over taxation are noticed. For improvement, the employee compensation policies should be reviewed. Individual should be compensated with respect to their education level and experience. Pension scheme should also be introduced in order to compensate people after retirement. Employees should be given medical and health insurance cover to compensate them in case of injury. Training should be held in order to make sure that the employees are conversant with the organization’s operations and strategies. The current state is good and the existing operational strategies should be maintained or improved. In future there should be skilled and motivated employees in order to increase the performance and gain more income. Human resource manager should consider hiring skilled employees and also motivate the existing employee in order to improve

Different Aspects of Starting OASOGB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Different Aspects of Starting OASOGB - Essay Example Further, in relation to marketing efforts, the virtual competitive environment does play a significant role in determining how successful Old American can actually be on the Internet website. After careful analysis of pricing, delivery policies, and marketing efforts of competition, OASOGB has determined that our current marketing strategy, using various promotional incentives, far exceeds the advertising capabilities of our competitors. Also highly beneficial to Old American is the socio-cultural environment both locally and across the whole of the United States. Research indicates that modern consumerism, such as the value placed on material goods in America, continues to escalate year after year (Boone & Kurtz, 2006). In a culture in which gift-giving and the exchange of tangible gratitudes is a common element of lifestyle, simply by the nature of the companys products the business is catering to the social demand for luxury items and gift presentation. Further, there is a growing demand in the United States for ethical and socially responsible business behaviors, with consumers and advocacy groups alike continuously applying pressure to large-scale businesses to be more ethical. As previously discussed in other business reports, Old American continuously gives back to the community through charitable activities, thus satisfying the consumer demand for ethics and delighting them because of our responsible busines s behaviors. Though the technological environment directly impacts our success, as OASOGB continues to monitor and incorporate more streamlined distribution methods to lower our delivery costs, there is not a substantial influence in connecting technology with that of Old American success. At the same time, the political environment in America is one which applauds the creation of profitable businesses, causing little to no conflict with how the company continues to

The Survival Lottery Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

The Survival Lottery - Research Paper Example It also offers another analogy that serves to counter the survival lottery. First, the assumption is that the lottery speaks about the traditional utilitarianism as there are other flavors of the same that have been considered less influential and yield different results. It is easy to put ones thumb on a scale whenever arguing concerning ethical status of acts under utilitarianism as utilitarianism takes no account of other things but the sort of things suggested. They seek to maximize pleasure, not simple hedonistic pleasure, but something that stands in for what people find desirable (Tittle 34). This includes moral sentiments, feelings and emotions. If the society finds the lottery unacceptable inherently, then there is bound to be displeasure and pain associated with its execution that could outweigh any good done in saving lives. ` This type of argument sidesteps the thrust of the thought experiment, but it aims at illustrating how acceptable it is to kill an innocent person under utilitarianism to save others. In isolating this point, the imagination could be that the survival lottery minimizes pain, maybe spearheaded by few people who are not known by the public as argued by Kuhse and Singer (67). Perhaps those selected are told they are selected for a heroic government mission so that if they do not return their families are left proud to be associated with the loss. Maybe the deaths of the selected are quick and without pain and the people are not pre-informed so as not to traumatize them. Maybe the recipients of the organs are never to be informed that someone was killed so that they do not feel guilt. This would make the public oblivious so that the only people that would be suffering from guilt would be the few who had to do the task. And maybe even this would be accomplished by sociopaths so that no one would feel the guilt at all. What then would the argument be? A utilitarian would seem to be forced to accept the

The point of making people and organizations more accountable Essay

The point of making people and organizations more accountable - Essay Example This is because there are the stakeholders who need current information on the status of their concerns. For example, in an international session that looked at accountability across all sectors involved in HIV, including community, government and UN, a reporter reported that - The movement is now fragmented. There are some new voices but it's not representative of everyone. And ever since treatment became accessible, the sense of urgency is lost. Many activists who were fighting for their lives have now gone on medication and gone back to having full time jobs (Narayanan, 2006). One strong point of making people and organizations more accountable is that people's ability to realise their rights to resources have increased (Newell &Wheeler, 2006b). Accordingly more responsive institutions enable people to gain access to resources, equipping them with legal frameworks, citizen engagements, understanding of accountability, and state-market relations. Citizens are taught a range of informal and formal strategies to demand accountability, too. Another reason in making people and organizations more accountable is to fight the perception that the organization is illegitimate. Therefore, organizations, especially those international in scope, need to increase transparency, improve accountability, and think harder about norms for global governance (Nye, 2001). By increasing visibility, criticism may be minified (Lloyd & de Las Casas, 2005). It cannot also be discounted that some organizations are speaking up on behalf of marginalized communities and have facilitated the participation of these communities in such matters as HIV/AIDS response (Code of Good Practice, 2004). There are questions then about the quality and accountability of programmes being delivered by some organizations. NGOs are said to have lacked resources, technical skills or experience, and this has implications for the quality of programming, monitoring and evaluation of these programmes (Code of Good Practice, 2004). The truth is that not everyone benefits equally from programmes so that attention has to be given to issues of intra-community accountability, adequate channels of representation, and new mechanisms for inclusion and participation (Newell & Wheeler, 2006b). This sense of community as a reason for accountability was also emphasized by Johnsson (1996). Another is that while markets have bonded people together, environmental, social, and political interdependence have also increased (Nye, 2001). There is concern that humanitarian agencies have no accepted body of professional standards to guide their work, especially when new ones are coming into the humanitarian sector. A truism is that whether experienced or newly-created, humanitarian assistance agencies could make mistakes, be misguided or sometimes misuse the trust placed in them (Borton, 1994). Moreover, any allocation of resources needs guidance (Code of Good Practice, 2004). There is also the need for donors to be more accountable to those they aim to support and those they press to reform (Newell & Wheeler, 2006b). History is replete with peoples' fight from developing countries with country borrowings with the World Bank and IMF. Indeed, rational behaviour (Olson et al, 1998) is one point of making

Animal Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Animal Rights - Essay Example Torturing a cat or setting it on the fire by the way of childish prank is one of the key examples of wrongdoing in the literature of philosophy. It is true that all breathing animals have morale rights like human beings. They breathe and live like us. Most importantly God created the animals. Therefore, it can be stated that non-human animals also have the basic rights similar to the human beings. It is true that all the non-human animals play effective role in the society. Therefore, it is the responsibility of human beings to give proper value to these non-human animals. The non-human animals also can feel their joy, pain and sorrow similar to the human beings. Therefore, it can be stated that it is the responsibility of the human beings to be kind to the non-human animals. Question 2 It will be unsocial and unethical if the human beings treat the non-human animals as the â€Å"ends in themselves†. The non-human animals have the fundamental rights to live like the human bein gs. All the non-human animals have effective value, contribution and responsibility in the ecology (Regan 13). It is necessary to have all kinds of animals in the society as it helps to maintain the ecological balance. The human beings achieve huge benefits and advantages from these non-human animals. The non-human animals have important contribution in agricultural and industrial sectors. Therefore, animals have the right to die or get injured if they harm the human beings. Similarly, it is the right of the innocent non-human animals to live without fear in the society. Human beings should not hurt or kill the non-human animals considering the law of humanity. This law of humanity does not allow the human beings to torture or kill a non human animal. The human beings are mentally strong than these non-human animals. Human beings are known as social animals. They are more intelligent than the non human animals. It is true that, the non-human animals cannot think like the human being s, but they can feel and respond to external factors in similar way. Therefore, it can be stated that, human beings should not treat the non human animals as ends in themselves as it will violate the law of nature. Cows, dogs, cats and birds are the domestic animals. They give unconditional love to human beings. Similarly it is the responsibility of human beings to take care of their lives and needs. They cannot communicate with the human beings through their voice. But it is true that they can feel things in similar way. These non-human animals are called obedient animals. They are loyal to the owners. Therefore, the attitude of human beings towards these non human animals should be changed. In terms of fundamental rights of non-human animals and moral ethics, it can be stated that killing or torturing of animals should be stopped as it can hamper the ecological balance. Question 3 According to Kant’s argument, the non-human animals have souls as they are able to move. It is an ontological distinction between the non-human animals and matters. The non-human animals are not just matters or mere machines. The animals do have souls as everything in the nature is either animate or inanimate. Moreover, the non-human animal can feel the inner aspects, such as pain, joy and sorrow. Therefore, it can be stated that the non-human animals are an animated matter lack of inner spontaneity principle. According to the ethical view of Kant, the human beings have the ethical right to injure or kill the non human animals. Moreover, he argued that the non human animals should be killed without pain and quickly. This action should not be for the sake of entertainment and sport. According to Kant, the human beings should not perform the painful experiments on these non human a

Demonic Possession and demons Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Demonic Possession and demons - Research Paper Example Definition and Characteristics of Demons and Demonic Possessions The term â€Å"demonic possession† belongs only to one of the two supposed major types of possession states, the other one being those â€Å"occurring within the context of religious experiences† (Ferracuti et al. 525-526). In fact, a possession trance is defined as â€Å"the presence of a single or episodic altered state of consciousness, in which a person’s customary identity is replaced by a new identity attributed to the influence of a spirit or deity† (525). This means that possession is just as simple as a spirit taking over the physical body and directing it. Nevertheless, there may be two major types of possession depending on nature – the pathologic type, which are known as demonic possessions and the ones often depicted in movies as the devil inhabiting bodies of people; and the religious type, which are particularly found in â€Å"ritual ceremonies† (526) and are norm ally characterized as having â€Å"a valid individual and social function† (526). Demonic possessions, due to the fact that they are necessarily pathologic, and physically and mentally damaging, are therefore a more urgent subject for discussion compared to the religious type. These possessions usually last from five minutes to two hours. (527) The possessing agent, or the evil spirit, that is believed to inhabit the physical body of the possessed victim would usually have a number of characteristics. First, they are usually identified as male and are therefore relatively more sexual, aggressive, intense and agitated (527), thus causing these manifestations of behavior in the victim. The agent is also of a different moral character from the possessed (527). In most cases, the possessing agent is believed to cause the victim to vomit, cough and spit and at the same time roar, growl and bark (527). This is perhaps one of the most remarkable characteristics of one possessed by a n evil spirit. The victim also displays â€Å"facial expressions of anger and hate† (527) and would angrily or sarcastically curse God (527). Moreover, the agent is also lucid and clear about its identity and intention as it often states its identity, curses God and expresses â€Å"disgust for the body it had possessed† (527). Lastly, there is usually a rolling of the eyes and a deepening of the voice in the victim (527). Nevertheless, most demonic possessions would usually begin with â€Å"unexplainable nausea and vomiting† and â€Å"constant difficulty in praying† (527). Nevertheless, demonic possession does not happen to everyone but to a chosen select few. What qualities then characterize these people who end up being possessed? One of these qualities is a previous diagnosis and treatment of a psychological disorder or schizophrenia (529). These people are also very much engrossed in paranormal experiences, have complex personalities, and have an impa ired sense of reality (525). Nevertheless, most of these people are believed to have two distinct characteristics from those not possessed: they have â€Å"recurrent depression episodes† and they â€Å"used to belong to ritualistic satanic groups† (528). As these people are possessed, it then follows that the best and most immediate solution is to seek a solution. The solution is usually exorcism or casting out of the demon, as described in the Catholic document Ritual

Animal Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Animal Rights - Essay Example Torturing a cat or setting it on the fire by the way of childish prank is one of the key examples of wrongdoing in the literature of philosophy. It is true that all breathing animals have morale rights like human beings. They breathe and live like us. Most importantly God created the animals. Therefore, it can be stated that non-human animals also have the basic rights similar to the human beings. It is true that all the non-human animals play effective role in the society. Therefore, it is the responsibility of human beings to give proper value to these non-human animals. The non-human animals also can feel their joy, pain and sorrow similar to the human beings. Therefore, it can be stated that it is the responsibility of the human beings to be kind to the non-human animals. Question 2 It will be unsocial and unethical if the human beings treat the non-human animals as the â€Å"ends in themselves†. The non-human animals have the fundamental rights to live like the human bein gs. All the non-human animals have effective value, contribution and responsibility in the ecology (Regan 13). It is necessary to have all kinds of animals in the society as it helps to maintain the ecological balance. The human beings achieve huge benefits and advantages from these non-human animals. The non-human animals have important contribution in agricultural and industrial sectors. Therefore, animals have the right to die or get injured if they harm the human beings. Similarly, it is the right of the innocent non-human animals to live without fear in the society. Human beings should not hurt or kill the non-human animals considering the law of humanity. This law of humanity does not allow the human beings to torture or kill a non human animal. The human beings are mentally strong than these non-human animals. Human beings are known as social animals. They are more intelligent than the non human animals. It is true that, the non-human animals cannot think like the human being s, but they can feel and respond to external factors in similar way. Therefore, it can be stated that, human beings should not treat the non human animals as ends in themselves as it will violate the law of nature. Cows, dogs, cats and birds are the domestic animals. They give unconditional love to human beings. Similarly it is the responsibility of human beings to take care of their lives and needs. They cannot communicate with the human beings through their voice. But it is true that they can feel things in similar way. These non-human animals are called obedient animals. They are loyal to the owners. Therefore, the attitude of human beings towards these non human animals should be changed. In terms of fundamental rights of non-human animals and moral ethics, it can be stated that killing or torturing of animals should be stopped as it can hamper the ecological balance. Question 3 According to Kant’s argument, the non-human animals have souls as they are able to move. It is an ontological distinction between the non-human animals and matters. The non-human animals are not just matters or mere machines. The animals do have souls as everything in the nature is either animate or inanimate. Moreover, the non-human animal can feel the inner aspects, such as pain, joy and sorrow. Therefore, it can be stated that the non-human animals are an animated matter lack of inner spontaneity principle. According to the ethical view of Kant, the human beings have the ethical right to injure or kill the non human animals. Moreover, he argued that the non human animals should be killed without pain and quickly. This action should not be for the sake of entertainment and sport. According to Kant, the human beings should not perform the painful experiments on these non human a

Role and Functions in Law Essay Example for Free

Role and Functions in Law Essay What is law? Law is a system of guidelines and rules that have been set in place to maintain order and conduct. In order to be successful in society or a business the Law plays a significant role in regulating behavior whether in school, home or work. This paper will discuss the functions and role of law in society as well as business, along with the functions and role of law in the Healthcare industry of which I’ve been a part of thru employment for the past 23 years. Functions and Role of Law in Business and Society Whether in Business or Society, the functions and role of law, serves the same purpose, to peacefully resolve disputes, maintain control over a situation, as well as to protect. In businesses, whether corporate America or a family owned business the employees consist of a diverse group of people from different backgrounds and cultures with their own cultural beliefs. With Such a diverse group of individuals there is bound to be conflict not just with the employees but management as well. In businesses there are unethical acts that take place, however, some rules are violated unknowingly, not because the individual is unethical, it is simply because they did not know what the rules were. One way to make sure the Laws are enforced, and the business is in compliance is for Management to go thru training not only to learn the law which are known as policy and procedures and to teach the law but also to be able to handle certain situations that could possibly create a lawsuit such as sexual harassment issues, inappropriate language, misuse of the company’s equipment and/or confidential information Functions and Role of Law Healthcare Being in healthcare for over twenty three years, there are many laws that exist, one that stands out is the Health Insurance Portability Act of 1996 (HIPPA). HIPPA protects patient confidentiality and their privacy which allows the provider to be cautious as to how they share as well as with whom they share patient information with. HIPPA is divided into five rules or standards: The HIPPA Privacy Rule which mandates the privacy and protection of health information, The HIPPA Security Rule mandates the security of electronic medical records, The Transactions and Code Set Rule addresses the use of codes, The HIPPA Unique Identifiers Rule identifiers are used for covered entities to promote efficiency, standardization and consistency and finally The HIPPA Enforcement Rule increase the penalties for HIPPA violation. Diagnosis, treatment, medical records and payments are some of the things that are considered private information. In order for one to be HIPPA compliant the law is broke even if the patient is a family member because at this point, they are a patient. There are penalties for breaching the HIPPA laws, the penalties range from $50,000.00 to one year in jail to $250,000.00 and 10 years in jail along with not ever being able to work in the healthcare industry again. For example, there was a young lady who handled posting patient payments whether it was check, cash or credit cards. While working, The FBI showed up and was taking pictures then seized everything that was on her desk. Come to find out she was a part of a huge identity theft ring and was stealing patient’s credit card information and ordering online as well as using their credit to create other lines of credit. She violated over 200 patients. She now is awaiting trial due to the fact the hospital pressed charges as well as the patients and they are seeking the maximum sentence. Conclusion In conclusion without any type of laws, rules, or policy and procedures in place, there would be no type of order in society as well as at work. True enough, there are those that break the law some by choice and some not but the fact remains, you break the law, you pay the price. References Bagley, C. E., Clarkson, G., Power, R. M. (2010). DEEP LINKS: DOES KNOWLEDGE OF THE LAW CHANGE MANAGERS PERCEPTIONS OF THE ROLE OF LAW AND ETHICS IN BUSINESS? Houston Law Review, 47(2), 259-295 Anderson, W. L. (2010). The HIPPA Example of How Privacy Laws Should Work. Business Journal for Entrepreneurs, 2010(4), 35. Benefield, H., Ashkanazi, G., Rozensky, R. H. (2006). Communication and records: Hippa issues when working in health care settings. Professional Psychology: Research And Practice, 37(3), 273-277. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.37.3.273

Medea By Euripides And Macbeth English Literature Essay

Medea By Euripides And Macbeth English Literature Essay Introduction Medea by Euripides and Macbeth by William Shakespeare are plays renowned for their portrayal of frightening female characters; Medea and Lady Macbeth. Such female characters are particularly controversial as they contradict the social expectations of women. Society constantly attempts to mold women into soft, gentle and compassionate beings. Due to such a stereotype whereby women are perceived as weak, Euripides Medea and Shakespeares Lady Macbeth are found to be quiet overly intriguing characters. Strong, fierce, angry and evil women were not heard of when such plays were written. Medea and Lady Macbeth are both prominent female characters of classic literature. Medea is the protagonist of the Euripides play Medea whilst Macbeths Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeares most memorable female characters. There is a myth that lingers upon mankind suggesting that females are gentle, caring, weak beings and because the depiction of Lady Macbeth and Medea are quite the contrary, it is debatable whether they are in fact credible characters. To be credible means to be believable, comprehensible and encompass human characteristics such as strengths and weaknesses. This allows the audience to empathize with the characters and create a shared sense of humanity with them. If it is argued that Lady Macbeth and Medea are possibly melodramatic characters, suggesting that they are exaggerated, two dimensional and hence commit evil purely out of malevolence then such an accusation undermines the quality of the plays. Melodramatic works may temporally thrill an audience however they offer little insight to the human condition and encounter no lasting, intellectually satisfying impact. Consequently the question asked is, are Lady Macbeth and Medea credible characters? Whether or not Lady Macbeth and Medea can be appreciated as believable by the audience is absolutely vital to the plays achievement; if they were simply seen as evil, the plays would be regarded as melodramatic and hence fail to be literature of depth and quality. However, if the audience is given an insight into the human condition and is therefore able understand the motives behind evil deeds and the ways in which such actions impact the characters; the play will succeed in being credible and effective. Moreover, the success of each work as literature depends on the key characters being fully rounded and believable. The intention of this essay is to examine the two plays in order to prove that Lady Macbeth and Medea are indeed credible characters. How are Lady Macbeth and Medea presented? The opening scenes of the Euripides Medea commence with the plays protagonist offstage. A strong sense of anticipation is developed as Nurse and Tutor discuss the dilemma whereby Jason has betrayed his loyal wife. The audience is subsequently introduced to Medeas despair; she is heard off stage bewailing her situation, If only I were dead  [1]  . The way in which Euripides employs sound without having Medea visually appear onstage, contributes to the plays elements of stagecraft whilst emphasizing Medeas heartbroken tone of voice and allowing the audience to focus on her speech. Medea gains the audiences empathy early in the play due to such a passionate initial depiction. Lady Macbeth however, is initially revealed to the audience later in Shakespeares Macbeth. She first appears onstage whilst reading her husbands letter; she is excited, anxious and thrilled at the prospect of Macbeth becoming King. Love is the fundamental basis to Lady Macbeth and Medeas disposition. They adore their husbands profoundly, and it is this sense of devotion which adds to their characters credibility. Throughout the entire play, Lady Macbeth is an utterly loyal wife. She is ambitious for Macbeth and hence on no account indicates a quest for personal glory. Lady Macbeth goes to great lengths in order to ensure Macbeths rapid succession to the throne; she is clearly his dearest partner of greatness.  [2]  In fact, it is her devotion for Macbeth which leads to her pursuit for evil. At first Lady Macbeth encourages her husband to sin; she is responsible for influencing his demeanor. Next she develops a strategy in order to murder King Duncan and prepares the murder scene for Macbeth, before taking part in the crime herself. Such actions were evidently driven by Lady Macbeths immense affection for her husband. Medea is also absolutely faithful to her husband and similarly assists him to achieve heroi c status in regards to the capture of the Golden Fleece. Despite such loyalty on Medeas behalf, Jason betrays her for a royal bed; this initial predicament causes a different side to Medeas character to be unleashed and destruction to commence. It was Jasons sense of betrayal following Medeas unquestioning love which leads to her being involved with evil; she creates a scheme to murder her husbands mistress before killing her own children. Once both women are on the pathway of evil they begin to manipulate their husbands with remarkable effectiveness. When Lady Macbeths husband hesitates to murder Duncan the king of Scotland, she gives a chillingly disturbing statement emphasizing her sense of determination and pride, she would have dashed the brains out  [1]  of her own baby rather than go back on her word. She then attempts to undermine his manhood by referring to him as a coward  [2]  in order to influence his decision. Medea manipulates her husband Jason correspondingly. She engages in ruse, pretending to sympathize with her husband in order to bring him into her confidence, First Ill send a slave to Jason, asking him to come to me; and then Ill give him a soft talk.  [3]  Medea utilizes gifts in an attempt to break the ice between Jason, Glauce and herself. Ostensibly, the gifts are intended to convince him that the children stay in Corinth; little do Jason and Glauce know that the coronet and dress ar e in fact poisoned and will cause death to whoever touches them. Evidently, both women use their manipulative ability in order to skillfully persuade their husbands. Lady Macbeth and Medea at times appears totally given over to evil. The aggression of these female characters is particularly striking as it defies prevailing social expectations of how women. Women are generally tender human beings however Lady Macbeth and Medea exemplify vindictiveness and determination; general characteristics of man. Our first impression of Medea allows us to bond with her; she is terribly devastated at Jasons betrayal and the way in which she bemoans in her home is truly credible. As time elapses our impression of Medea alters as we gradually observe layers of her malevolence shed to reveal a tormented human soul. It is universally accepted that women are compassionate and soft hearted due to their motherly nature however Medea is stunningly said to be stone and iron; determined to kill her sons despite their desperate cry for salvage. It is very difficult to comprehend how a mother could murder her children; subsequently Medea is portrayed as evil. Although she never felt a sense of guilt for her wicked actions, Medea hesitated slightly before committing infanticide, I cant do it  [1]  she cried. Medea looks to her sense of pride for strength, Are my enemies to laugh at me? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I must steel myself  [2]  , subsequently she swiftly gets over such dither and proceeds with the killings of her two sons. Witnessing Jason suffer brought Medea great satisfaction that prevailed over her own remorse at killing them, But my pains a fair price, to take away your smile  [3]  . Although the audience is thoroughly informed of Medeas brutal past, it was still very shocking and unexpect ed when she kills her children. At this particular moment in the play, the bond between Medea and the audience begins to diminish. Despite experiencing hardships and being emotionally torn, the audience cannot look past the brutality of such a scene. In the early scenes of Shakespeares Macbeth, Lady Macbeth appears to be stronger and more ruthless than her husband. The fact that she is in control of all evilness suggests that her sense of evil is inevitable. Despite the many attempts to reach evil, Lady Macbeth recognizes the need to mask her womanliness in order to find assistance for her plans. Evidence of such is how she yearns for her female essence to be to be replaced with poison, Unsex mecome to my womans breasts and take my milk for gall  [1]  she cries. This statement is an extracted portion from Lady Macbeths soliloquy whereby she calls on the dark spirits. She clearly acknowledges her femininity and the fact that she lacks the complete capacity for evil; she is unable to kill Duncan herself in spite of being exceedingly driven towards brutality. If one is truly evil there is no need to be unsexed. This particular speech also serves to highlight Lady Macbeths great level of passion and the extraordinary lengths she would go to ensure Macbeths speedy succession to King. It is understood that Lady Macbeth is familiar with religion and holds some religious conception. She realizes that she is contemplating a sin against God by wanting her femininity to be removed and consequently wants to be hidden from heaven  [2]  . This opens room to note that a cosmology which posits heaven above all also allows for hell, for guilt, for punishment. Although Lady Macbeth is aware that she will be punished for calling upon the dark spirits, she disregards such knowledge and sins. This form of negligence and ignorance indicates Lady Macbeths desperate desire. At this moment in the play, the audience scowl at her sense of hypocrisy. Why do they follow an evil pathway? Medea is human, however she is also related to the gods and worships Queen Hecate. Obviously elements of fantasy propel her story however she appears before the audience as a woman and must be understood as one. Clearly Medeas love for Jason was all consuming; she was willing to do anything and everything for her beloved. Such passion is evident from Medeas complete obedience; she abides by her husbands every word. As previously mentioned, all of the plays events proceed from the initial dilemma whereby a heartless husband betrays his obedient wife; this is why Medea results to her evil ways. She feels shamed, trampled on and unappreciated as she had supported and did great deal for him, for example she fled her home country and family to live with her lover. Medea even murdered her own brother for Jason. In addition to such, she persuades the daughters of a King to murder their father. Medeas deeds were unselfish and self sacrificing which is why Jasons betrayal drove her wild. To many it is incomprehensible for women to be driven by such an extent of ambition, love and betrayal as to call upon evil. However, Medea was harshly betrayed by the man who was her whole life  [1]  ; the audience can understand this motive for calling upon evil and desiring revenge. Jason lacked the decency to simply stop for a moment before wedding his young bride to recall all the extraordinary deeds Medea had done for him, actions she took for his benefit alone and which he could never express enough gratitude for. Such a degree of unfaithfulness evidently shreds Medea to pieces. The audience observes Medeas character evolve before their very eyes. Such is understood through the employment of soliloquies which are an essential element of stagecraft. Soliloquies are speeches made to oneself which allow the audience to hear the inner thoughts of a character. This permits the audience to be drawn into the characters mind and build a bond with the character. Soliloquies are of particular importance in Medea as they give the audience an insight into the way in which Medeas temperament evolves. It is Medeas self directed speeches which allow the audience to understand her state of mind and comprehend her thoughts as time elapses. Our first impression of Medea is that she is absolutely distraught and suicidal, If only I was dead  [1]  . This is an understandable and human response to such devastating rejection. The audience can relate to being betrayed and can hence understand why Medea later turns to evil; this adds to the credibility of her character. As time progresses her strength and passion drives her to mad; the first time Medea appears on stage she is not shaken with weeping, but cool and self-possessed.  [2]  If it were not for her soliloquies prior to her appearance such as, Oh, how I hate living! I want to end my life, leave it behind, and die  [3]  , the audience could not possibly understand or acknowledge her suicidal state of mind. Later Medea goes on to use her manipulative cleverness to avenge Jasons disloyalty with a series of murders, I have in mind so many paths of death for them  [4]  . Prior to such a statement Medea was begging Creon in order to allow her and her sons to stay the country for one more night. If it were not for the preceding soliloquy it would not be understood that Medea had manipulated Creon. The soliloquy reveals her true feelings; she will strike dead  [1]  her enemies. Medea is a descendant of the Sun god and is capable of passions of far greater intensity than mere mortals. Her only desire was to watch Jason suffer and she was willing to do absolutely anything to achieve just that. Medea is a proud woman, consequently when Jason trampled over such pride, compressing her ego and self concept, she was to avenge him, you were mistaken if you thought you could dishonor my bed and live a pleasant life and laugh at me  [2]  . Medeas fury bubbled and boiled to the severe extent whereby it began to take over her heart, mind and body. She is completely overwhelmed with anger and willing to even harm herself in order to wipe the smile off his face, my pains a fair price, to take away your smile  [3]  she says. Medea successfully devastates Jason by killing her own flesh and blood, her two sons despite the heartache it would cause her, simply to torment him. The way in which Medea gradually follows an evil pathway rather than undergoing a sudden tran sition of character makes her believable. Lady Macbeths love for Macbeth is also all consuming however not of the intensity of Medeas. She was also keen on doing everything and anything for the sake of her beloved. After Macbeth is informed of the prophecy he becomes rapt withal  [4]  and consequently his dearest partner of greatness  [1]  becomes determined to secure his position as King. Lady Macbeth begins to take control; she analyses Macbeths personality and considers him too straight forward and honest to be involved with evil, Yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full othmilk of human kindness, Tcatch the nearest way  [2]  . Lady Macbeth was immensely spellbound by the prophecy, she desired it sooner rather than later; she saw that her husband was ambitious to be king. Lady Macbeth notices that Macbeth requires her strong words to prompt him; subsequently she uses her influence to encourage him. Lady Macbeths evil desires escalate from this moment onwards. As time progresses she begins to take further control and eventually plans King Duncans murder. She employs a metaphor of hypocrisy, look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent undert  [3]  which is used in order to disguise her intentions of harming King Duncan. This particular metaphor is extremely prominent as it reveals a great deal of Lady Macbeths character. The audience begins to observe her strength of spirit and identify her opposite outlook to Macbeth. In addition Lady Macbeths willingness to be associated with evil is emphasized in this statement. The fact that Lady Macbeth becomes furious and challenges her husbands courage and honor when he has serious second thoughts about killing Duncan, indicates that she is indeed more brutal than he at this stage of the play. Lady Macbeth prepares the murder scene but was unable to kill Duncan herself claiming that the King resembled my father  [4]  as he slept. This exemplifies that she is not as ruthless as she appears and that she is rather vulnerable and compassionate. This particular statement adds to the credibility of Lady Macbeths character. It helps define that although one might carry out evil actions, certain things dear to them will expose their vulnerability. Lady Macbeth returns with bloody hands after smearing the chamberlains with blood in order to disguise herself and Macbeth of the deed. At the time the image of her bloody hands has no affect on her and she bluntly says, a little water clears us of the deed.  [1]  However in time, the memory of her bloody hands, which is a significant part of stagecraft symbolizing guilt, haunts and torments Lady Macbeths mind. As previously mentioned Lady Macbeth is aware of God and believes in heaven and hell. She acknowledges that she has sinned; consequently her guilty conscience begins to disturb her sleep. In time Lady Macbeth begins to experience the regular occurrence of sleepwalking. Whilst sleepwalking, she rubs her hands in a washing motion which modern psychology would regard as an obsessive compulsive disorder; she is unable to wash the guilt off her hands. Whilst performing the hand washing routine Lady Macbeth soliloquizes; Wash your hands; put on your nightgown; look not so paleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ whats done cannot be undone.  [2]  This further emphasizes her extent of her anguish. Soliloquies are a prominent element in regards to understanding and appreciating Lady Macbeths change of thought and attitude throughout the duration of the play. They help reveal the severe extent of her distress and disturbance. Along with soliloquies, symbolism is another form of stagecraft which is evident in the play; evidently Lady Macbeths sleepwalking is a sign of her great level of guilt. It is particularly ironic how earlier in the play Lady Macbeth calls upon darkness in order to hide her deed, Come, thick night  [1]  and how she now fears the dark; she has light by her continually  [2]  . Lady Macbeths sense of guilt and vulnerability towards the end of the play allows the audience to empathize and connect with her. In demonstrating such human qualities, her credibility was enhanced as unlike Medea, her actions did affect her conscience. The audience is able to relate to Lady Macbeths sense of guilt and therefore appreciate her credibility. Her guilty conscience a ffects her terribly, drives her to contemplate death and eventually commit suicide. The way in which Lady Macbeth gradually breaks down physically and mentally, demonstrates her human essence and hence makes her character credible and realistic to the audience. What is their involvement with evil? The audience is introduced to action from the moment the plays commence. The opening scenes of Macbeth introduce the audience to the prospect of Macbeth being king. Our first impression of Lady Macbeth is that she is a loving wife and excited and happy for him; the atmosphere is blissful. On the hand, the opening scenes of Medea introduce the audience to an atmosphere of misery. Jason has betrayed his wife for a royal bed and we first see Medea as distressed and a heartbroken woman. The audience is later informed of Medeas past; we understand that she has previously committed acts of evil including murder however such actions were driven by her love for Jason. On the other hand, the audience is not informed of Lady Macbeths past; it is presumed that she has had no prior involvement of evil. Medea has committed several murders before the play commences. She has killed her brother and whilst in her home town, Colchis, Medea used her devilish ways to manipulate the daughters of the local king and rival Pelias, into slaughtering their own father. From such details it understood that Medea is capable of committing horrifying deeds and that it was her love for Jason which ultimately suppressed her sense of evil throughout the course of their marriage. Consequently it was expected that once Jason hurt her Medea, she would revert to her violent demeanor and resort to greater brutality than that of which she had encountered out of love for him. After being rejected, Medea lays out a cunning plan pursuing a violent rampage in order to torment Jason. She manipulates Jason into trusting her and sends her sons off with a supposed gift for Jasons new bride. The gifts have been poisoned and princess Glauce endures a horrible death, The stuff was eating her flesh. Her eyes, her face, w ere one grotesque disfigurement; down from her head dripped blood mingled with flame; her flesh, attacked by the invisible fangs of poison, melted from the bare bone, like gum-drops from pine-trees bark- a ghastly sight.  [1]  When Medea gloats, Youll give me double pleasure if their death was horrible,  [2]  she is close to being considered melodramatic however we see enough of her humanity to prevent her from becoming theatrical. This statement highlights how deeply Jasons betrayal scarred his loyal wife. Although Medea fails to be struck by guilt after committing infanticide, she evidently wavers before killing her own children which illustrates her sense of humanity; she is not a cold hearted murder. Lady Macbeth only calls upon evil after she was informed of her husbands prophecy. Similarly to the way in which Medea reached out to evil out of love for Jason during their marriage, Lady Macbeth called upon evil with her husbands best interests at heart. She was ambitious for him to be King and desired to share such a royal status with him. Lady Macbeth begins her pursuit for evil by using her influence to manipulate Macbeth into killing Duncan; she ultimately becomes her husbands backbone encouraging the involvement of evil. Unlike Medea, Lady Macbeth didnt waver when sinning however her bad actions impacted on her and eventually her conscience and sense of guilt drove her to her own grave. The way in which Lady Macbeth is unable to endure guilt emphasises her weaknesses as a human being, thereby reinforcing her credibility. Conclusion In conclusion, at particular moments in the play Euripides Medea and Shakespeares Macbeth appear close to being melodramatic whereby the audience questions, Are Lady Macbeth and Medea credible characters? Eventually the audience sees the womens sense of humanity whereby it is clear that both Medea and Lady Macbeth are indeed credible. Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeares most renowned and fearsome female characters; however after deeply analysing her character, one cannot restrain himself from feeling empathy for her. It is understood that although she reaches out to evil and commits terrible acts, Lady Macbeths sense of faith, guilty conscience and feminine essence restrains her from being a killer with no conscience; she is a criminal whose actions and guilt deeply affect her. It is her sense of humanity and weakness which ultimately leads to her destruction. This disregards her as a frightening character and emphasizes her credibility. Medea is also said to be a frightening female character. Although her actions were horrifying and savage, Medeas conscience and vulnerability allows her to waver before killing her children; a truly evil character would not waver before committing evil. Medea was heartbroken, scared, bruised and battered which was her ultimate drive for destruction. Consequently, the audience also empathizes with Medea after understanding and acknowledging her sense of humanity and connects with her emotions. Thus, despite the fact that Lady Macbeth and Medeas female roles go against the ordinary depiction of women, they are by no means melodramatic evil characters. If Lady Macbeth and Medea were melodramatically evil, the audience will feel that the plays are unconvincing thereby unjustly diminishing the playwrights achievements.

The American Flag Essay -- Informative Essay

First I would like to include some information about our american flag and how it came about. In the British colonies of North America before the Revolution, each of the 13 colonies had its flag. On Jan. 2, 1776, the first flag of the United States was raised at Cambridge, Mass., by George Washington. Known as the Grand Union flag, it consisted of 13 stripes, alternate red and white, with a blue canton bearing the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew. Congress, on June 14, 1777, enacted a resolution â€Å"that the Flag of the United States be 13 stripes alternate red and white, that the Union be 13 stars white in a blue field representing a new constellation.† On Jan. 13, 1794, Vermont and Kentucky having been admitted to the Union, Congress added a stripe and a star for each state. Congress in 1818 enacted that the 13 stripes, denoting the 13 original colonies, be restored and a star added to the blue canton for each state after its admission to the Union. All of the state s and territories of the United States also have their own flags. Betsy Ross created the first flag. Betsy would often tell her children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends of the fateful day when three members of a secret committee from the Continental Congress came to call upon her. Those representatives, George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross, asked her to sew the first flag. This meeting occurred in her home some time late in May 1776. George Washington was then the head of the Continen...

The Significance of Dreams and Dreaming in A Midsummer Nights Dream b

The Significance of Dreams and Dreaming in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare In Pucks final speech of the play he says: â€Å"And this weak and idle theme No more yielding than a dream† It has been argued that Shakespeare structured the play around the notion of a 'dream.' Explore the significance of dreams and dreaming in the play, both as a theme and dramatic device. There are several definitions of a dream, although no one can really define a dream, it is what we make it. The first theory is that it is a mixture of images, accumulated from your thoughts or experiences, that happen whilst you are asleep. It could also be a fantasy you experience whilst your semi-conscious which you have no control over. It could also be simply wish fulfillment. All these definitions relate to the play as the fairy characters are fantasy, controlling the humans experiences and granting them their wish fulfillments. I think Shakespeare thought of the notion of a dream and from all these different ideas, ’dreamed’ up a story combining all of them, perhaps it was his wish fulfillment or came from a dream he once had. Puck’s ‘weak and idle theme’ is anything but, some cultures such as the Chinese believe you shouldn’t wake someone up whilst they are sleeping because their wondering soul would not have had time to reunite with their body, this relates to the play as all the characters appear to be wondering around in their sleep, not actually realizing they are asleep. The Elizabethan audience would expect all the images of magic, love and freedom from the name ‘Midsummer Nights Dream’ and would expect it to be a light hearted roma... ...king as if they were handmade using only plants. The fairies’ hair is all golden, long and full of ringlets underneath a headdress of flowers. Shakespeare managed to present ideas of dreaming brilliantly throughout the play. The lovers fell asleep in their dream, what do you dream when you fall asleep in a dream? Is dreaming reality, or reality dreaming? What does a blind person dream if they have seen nothing they wish for or want to aspire to? These questions are created from the play. This shows that Pucks final speech â€Å"and this weak and idle theme, no more yielding than a dream† is not a weak theme after all but something, if messed with can go very wrong or very right. This is illustrated by the mixing up of the love potions in Hoffman’s film, something so harmful as love can create so much sadness and pain.

Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” Essay

Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cites, is a very rich text. The characters, plot, and writing style are all complex and multifaceted. However, one of the least studied and important part of this novel is the chapter titles and even the proposed novel titles. These titles reveal and expose more about the text, like symbolism and irony that would have otherwise been missed. Dickens’ chapter and proposed novel titles are instrumental in revealing symbolism and irony in the book. Dickens’ chapter titles reveal underlying symbolism in the novel. One of most symbolic of all the chapter titles is that of Book II, chapter five: â€Å"The Jackal.† The â€Å"jackal† is the nickname given to Sydney Carton, and it holds a great symbolic meaning. The jackal is a loner, a scavenger, a low-life in the hierarchy. Yet, the jackal is an incredibly adept at what it does; it is an excellent scavenger and hunter. Carton fits the chapter title perfectly. When we first see Carton, he is in the courtroom staring idly at the ceiling. He is unattached, just as he is later unattached from the Revolution and the rift between the Manettes and the Defarges, his manner in court is said to be â€Å"so careless as to be almost insolent.† Carton is continually a man set apart, just like the lonesome jackal. Carton, it must be noted, is one of the only main characters to not have a connection with the Revolution in some way. The ‘jackal’ and chapter title are a direct double of the ‘lion’, or Mr. Stryver. Stryver, though he lacks â€Å"that faculty of extracting the essence from a heap of statements†, is a highly successful man. Dickens notes that â€Å"easy and strong custom† is what prevents the â€Å"thought of emerging from the state of the lion’s jackal.† A second chapter title that exhibits symbolism is that of Book II, chapter fifteen: â€Å"Knitting.† In a literal sense, Madam Defarge knits a registry of those  marked to be killed in the revolution. When one of the Jacques questions the registry of stitches, M. Defarge assures him that â€Å"it will always be as plain to her as the sun.† At this point in the novel, it is clear that Madame Defarge possesses an anger and fury that knows no boundary. The knitting symbolizes the Defarge’s and the entirety of the Revolution’s hatred of aristocracy. Dickens tells the reader that the â€Å"fingers of the knitting women were vicious.† Additionally, we are also told that â€Å"if the bony fingers had been still, the stomachs would have more famine-pinched.† Thus, Dickens turns a casual and seemingly harmless pastime into a sinister and menacing symbol of hatred. Dickens turns this chapter title into a recurring symbol in Book III, chapter fourteen: â€Å"The Knitting Done,† in which Darnay is waiting to die, and Madame Defarge herself is killed by Mrs. Pross, bringing an end to her knitting. A third and final symbolic chapter title is that of Book III, chapter three: â€Å"The Shadow.† The symbol presented by this chapter title is somewhat similar to the ‘knitting’ symbol. However, while ‘knitting’ represent the hatred of French aristocracy, the ‘shadow’ represents the power that Madame Defarge and the revolution wield. When, Madame Defarge visits Lucie, the shadow she casts upon her and her child is said to be â€Å"so threatening and dark† that Lucie â€Å"instinctively kneeled on the ground beside her, and held her to her breast.† For Dickens, the shadow is the fierceness and the inescapable momentum that the revolution has. Hence, Madame Defarge, in the same chapter, mocks Lucie by asking if â€Å"the trouble of one wife and mother would be much to us now?† Dickens’ chapter titles exude symbolism. Dickens’ chapter titles are also very ironic. In Book II, chapter four: â€Å"Congratulatory,† Darnay has just won his treason case. Doctor Manatte, Lucie, Lorry, and Stryver all congratulate Darnay on the successful trial. After the group disperses, Carton invites Darnay, his look-alike, for a drink at the bar. At the bar, Carton asks Darnay if Darnay thinks that Carton likes him. When Darnay is unsure, Carton tells him: â€Å"I don’t think I do.† It is ironic that the title of the chapter is â€Å"Congratulatory†, yet Carton spends a large part of the chapter expelling the reasons why he doesn’t like Darnay, revealing Dicken’s ironic humor. In Book II, chapter twelve: â€Å"The Fellow of No Delicacy,† Stryver tries to win Lucie’s hand in  marriage. This chapter is ironic because Stryver has no delicacy at all, contrary to what the chapter title might have you thinking. The chapter reveals that Stryver is arrogant and dimwitted. Stryver decides to marry to place a â€Å"magnanimous bestowal of good fortune† upon Lucie, revealing his arrogant ways. Later, Stryver, speaking to Lorry, says â€Å"the young lady at present in question is a mincing fool,† insulting Lucie. Simply put, Stryver has no delicacy at all, illuminating Dickens’ tongue in cheek humor. A third and final chapter title that exhibits irony is the Book II, chapter 14: â€Å"The Honest Tradesman.† This chapter centers on Jerry Cruncher and his activities as a self-labeled â€Å"Resurrection Man.† Obviously, the irony is between the â€Å"honest tradesman† and Jerry’s midnight excursions in which he digs up buried bodies. Dickens’ chapter titles disclose a very ironic and satirical humor. While Dickens’ chapter titles are very appealing to examine, his proposed titles for the novel are very interesting to study, as well. One such title was â€Å"Buried Alive.† This proposed title definitely carries symbolic value. Buried alive, or solitary confinement, is certainly one of the major themes in the novel. Dr. Manett spends eighteen years in solitary confinement, and Darnay spends four years imprisoned in the Bastille, too. Dickens gives a frightening account of being buried alive. As the Defarges enter the Bastille, the tumult comes to them â€Å"in a dull, subdued way,† the sky could only â€Å"by stooping low and looking up.† Perhaps Dickens’ near obsession with imprisonment could be due to the child labor he faced as he grew up, working in various factories to try to repay his father’s debt. A second proposed title was â€Å"Memory Carton.† Memory plays a fascinating and symbolic role in this novel. When Dr. Manette learns Darnay’s true name, the memory sends him into shock once again. Reflecting on his nine-day, shoemaking fit: the doctor says, â€Å"Remembrance that was the first cause of the malady. Some intense associations of a most distressing nature were vividly recalled, I think.† Later on in the novel, memory plays a big role in Carton. The memory of his love for Lucie, his promise to â€Å"give my life to keep a life you love beside you,† causes him to make the ultimate sacrifice. Dickens’ proposed novel titles reveal are very symbolic. Dickens’ chapter titles and proposed novel titles reveal many underlying parts of the novel. Both symbolism and ironic humor are concealed within his clever and witty titles. Dickens’ tongue in cheek humor might have derived from all the hardships that he faced in life, from the child labor to the divorces and family issues. Either way, he is a fascinating author, and A Tale of Two Cities is a great piece of literature. Works Consulted: Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. Edited and with an introduction and notes by Richard Maxwell. London: Penguin Classics (2003) ISBN 978-0-141-43960-0 Orwell, George. â€Å"Charles Dickens†. In A Collection of Essays. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (1946) ISBN 0-15-618600-4