The Present Business Environment Business Essay

The Present Business Environment Business Essay Business environment is changing drastically in todays corporate world. In early years of current management era manager were suppose to work exclusively with equipments, data and systems; performing traditional tasks. But scenario of management responsibilities has been changed significantly and todays manger faces issues like cross training, personnel management , interdepartmental communication and widening job scope. Role Of Managers Managers run large corporations as well as entrepreneurial start-ups. They are found in government departments, not-for-profit agencies, museums, schools and even such non traditional organizations as political campaigns and consumer cooperatives. Managers can also be found doing managerial work in every country around the globe. No matter where managers are found and what gender they are, the fact is that managers have exciting and challenging jobs. Changes Affecting Managers Job Following are the few well known changes due to which manager job is affecting. CHANGE IMPACT OF CHANGE Shifting organizational boundaries Virtual workplaces More mobile workforce Flexible work arrangements Empowered employees Work life-personal life balance Changing Technology Risk Management Restructured workplace Discrimination concerns Globalization concerns Employee assistance Uncertainty over future energy sources/prices Changing security threats Redefined values Rebuilding trust Increased accountability Increased emphasis on organizational and managerial ethics Customer service Innovation Globalization Efficiency/productivity Increased competitiveness CHALLENGES FACED BY MANAGER Management can be a tough and often thankless job. A portion of a managers job may entail duties that are often more clerical than managerial. Managers often have to deal with a variety of personalities. It can be a challenge to motivate workers in the face of uncertainty. With the fast changing world, we need to cope up with things that could hinder the development of ones managerial skills. Here are the most common challenges faced by manager and how to solve them. Employee motivation:   Motivating the employees and maintaining their morale is essential for every business. However, this is only possible when any grievances of employees are adequately addressed while ensuring the companys interests. This is a significant challenge faced by management, especially in todays economy where the ever increasing cost of living leads to increased employee dissatisfaction, which is difficult to handle when the cost of doing business is rising rapidly. Recruitment:   Hiring the right people for the right job is a tough task. Analyzing the skills required for a particular job and searching through the multitude of resumes to find the perfect match is a challenge for any management. Market changes:   Keeping a constant watch on market trends and evolving the business to adequately match the consumers demands is another challenging responsibility.   ROLE OF GLOBALIZATION A major environmental change that has taken place in the last fifteen years is the globalization of business. The world has become a global village and business has become global in character. Organizations are venturing beyond national boundaries in the pursuit of business opportunities. The emergence of a borderless world has had a tremendous impact on the way organizations behave. They are no longer insulated from foreign competition, and this has forced organizations to examine cost efficiencies, structure, job design, human capital, and many other sources of effectiveness and competitiveness. Responding to globalization is becoming more and more important; this result in redefining business model. Today change is happening at a rate that does not afford organizations the luxury of managing one major change at a time. Today managers are facing two questions because of globalization, how does relentless change redefine the nature of management and the structure of an enterprise? And what role should management play in re-shaping the enterprise? Example Toyota Motor Corporation makes cars in USA and Pakistan, Mc Donalds sells burgers in Pakistan and hamburgers in China, and Marks and Spencers sells products in Pakistan. Every other product sold by Wal-Mart stores Inc. is made in China or Pakistan. ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY Technology has had a tremendous impact upon the global business environment. Communication, transportation and production efficiency are various areas of business which have been enhanced by the development and improvement of technology. As continual enhancements are made, the world continues to grow smaller and businesses have further reach than ever. Computers The most important technological development to impact the global business environment is the world of computers. There are various programs which help maintain records of inventories and shipments. Email allows for instantaneous communication almost anywhere in the world. Besides its speed, email is easily forwarded and retained. The communication in the global business environment is improved with the use of email. The impact of computers on the global business environment is wide-ranging and also includes the Internet, which is a useful tool for international companies. By using the Internet, companies across the world can perform research and learn more about partners and suppliers. Conference Calls and Video Conferencing Conference calls allow people in multiple locations to be involved in the same conversation. Video conferencing provides the same service, but with the added benefit of all parties being able to actually see each other. Both of these forms of communication have a definite impact on the global business environment. With either form of technology, a parent company in China can have a conversation with a raw material supplier in Pakistan and a manufacturing plant in Taiwan. This improves communication on a global scale and enables all parties to understand specific plans and agreements. Shipment Tracking Corporations now have the ability to track shipments virtually anywhere across the world. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) allow accurate tracking. The implication of this technology on the global business environment is the ability to let customers know exactly where their shipments are at any given time. This technology creates secure relationships within the global business field. ROLE OF COMPETITION Competition has intensified for many organizations over the last decade, primarily as a result of the business. Competitors fill a need for business owners by keeping them on the cutting edge. Without competitors, a business would have no reason to keep prices in check. It would create a monopoly which is never good in any society. When two competitors compete for business, the market (customers) are the ones who decide who they will patronize with their dollars. Prices are usually the first element people choose when deciding which business or product to go with. Competitors drive innovation and keep new ideas and procedures moving forward. Imagine if McDonalds were the only fast food hamburger restaurant in the world. There would never be a Burger King to compete. All food would taste bland and boring. ROLE OF ETHICAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Many consumers and social advocates believe that businesses should not make a profit but also consider the social implications of their activities. Social responsibility is a businesss obligation to maximize its positive impact minimize its negative impact on society. Although many people use the terms social responsibility and ethics interchangeably, they do not mean the same thing. Business ethics relates to an individuals or a work groups decisions that society evaluates as right or wrong, whereas social responsibility is a broader concept that concerns the impact of the entire businesss activities on society. From an ethical perspective, for example, we may be concerned about a health care organization or practitioner over- charging the provincial government for medical services. From a social responsibility perspective, we might be concerned about the impact that this overcharging will have on the ability of the health care system to provide adequate services for all citizens. The most basic ethical and social responsibility concerns have been codified as laws and regulations that encourage businesses to conform to societys standards, values, and attitudes. At a minimum, managers are expected to obey these laws and regula- tions. Most legal issues arise as choices that society deems unethical, irresponsible, or otherwise unacceptable. However, all actions deemed unethical by society are not necessarily illegal, and both legal and ethical concerns change over time. Business law refers to the laws and regulations that govern the conduct of business. Many problems and conflicts in business can be avoided if owners, managers, and employees know more about business law and the legal system. Business ethics, social responsibility, and laws together act as a compliance system requiring that businesses and employees act responsibly in society.

Satan As An Epic Hero In Paradise Lost Religion Essay

Satan As An Epic Hero In Paradise Lost Religion Essay The greatest writer after Shakespeare in 17 century is John Milton. John Milton (1608 -1674) was the most prominent English poet, thinker, and civil servant for the Commonwealth of England. His masterpiece Paradise Lost arouses hot debates among scholars since it appeared. In that era, England is a religious unsteady and political shake-up nation. Concerning about the fate of his country, John Miltons poetry and prose all reflect deep confirmations and deal with contemporary issues. After his death, Miltons critical reception on a state of affairs continued to make great influence towards the masses through the centuries. He is still generally regarded as one of the remarkable writers and thinkers in English.Although he was born in a puritan family, John Milton boldly chose God and the devil Satan as the main roles in his work. Whats more, he endowed the latter one with heroic spirit which may risk everyones condemnation. Satans resistance to God mirrors the revolutionary and heroic spirit of the bourgeoisie. While he finally loses the joyful heaven and Adam and Eve lose the Eden. All these consequences are the hints of the capitalist classs failure and the feudalistic classs restoration. Can the devil be an epic hero? In John Miltons Paradise Lost- the great epic from the English Renaissance, this topic was discussed time and again. Numbers of scholars believe that Paradise lost should be one of the most outstanding products of the Renaissance, especially when talking about the question can the devil be an epic hero? For Miltons part, Satan is dauntless, quick-witted and powerful and he is also an excellent leader. He is quite distinctive from the traditional heroes in many famous works. In Paradise Lost, the Genesis story upon the corruption of man was recreated by the author, as a matter of fact, caused by Satan. For the sake of Satans deadly shortcomings of arrogance and ambition, he decided to fight with Heaven. In the end, even though he was defeated, he refused to give up his war against God, always betting to do wrong against the heaven and the human beings succeeding with mans fall from grace. Paradise Lost starts, not with the expected potential heroes of th e Genesis stories, God or man, but it begins instead with Satan, therefore paying great attention to him, his actions and characteristics. Milton, introduce Satan by condemning him as the reason leader to the fall of man, Who first seduced them to that foul revolt? /the infernal Serpent (1.33-34). in this sentence it implied that Satan had begun to be set up as the final rebel, not just of the epic, but of humanity. Milton easily represented Satans pride that led to his ultimate failure. He tried to overthrow God; while unluckily he was cast into the Hell, but Milton also told us, for now the thought/both of lost happiness and lasting pain/Torments him(1.55-56). At once, the author tried to make Satan to be a pitied, more human and less evil role. He also described Satans physical character to be in bulk as huge/as whom the fables name of monstrous size, / Titanian(1.196-198), and then Deeming some island, (1.205), which means that Satan has a vast figure and even a sailor would mak e a mistake. He may think that Satan is an island on which he can moor his boat. Satans size growing extreme larger comparing with the others supports Satan as the hero. Satan is so physically impressive that Milton cant find anyone who can match him. Hence he is distinctive from the other angels and men. In the English Renaissance, theres no doubt that John Miltons Paradise Lost was generally regarded as the main work. The Renaissance is believed to have originated in Florence in the fourteenth century, in which there was a revival of interest in the classical antiquity. Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio, but also painters like Giotto were the important figures of that age. From the end of the fifteenth century on, it has become known as the High Renaissance, when some Italian cities started to compete with Florence upon the leading position. Therefore, the thought of Renaissance spread out from the early sixteenth century onwards. This revival and influence of classical culture, art and literature was typically represented in both Paradise Lost and La Divine Commedia, especially describing the setting of the underworld. This is a general literary motivation of the classical epic works. Inspired by all the literatures at that era, Milton decided to write his epic poem. Milton had a purpo se of writing an epic poem upon a noble subject decades before he started writing Paradise Lost in 1658. In his famous work At a vacation Exercise in the College (1628), he already mentioned that he would like to devote himself to singing in the manner of Homer and at the same time, he envisioned writing a poem concerning wars and heaven under Jupiter. Notes and drafts from around 1640 include four drafts of projections of the fall of man, one of them called Paradise Lost and another Adam unparadizd. It took Milton almost twenty years writing controversial prose and political pamphlets and he was a strong supporter of liberty of conscience, free will and human choice. The story itself shows that the fall from heaven of Satan and the other angels who betrayed against God. As a matter of fact, the Renaissance humanism can be easily found in this work. It quickly developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth century, and was also a resounding response to the challe nge of medieval scholastic education. It emphasized the practical, scientific and pre-professional studies. On the contrary, sHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholasticismcholasticism pay much attention to cultivating the preparing men to be doctors, lawyers or professional theologians, and their subjects contain logic, natural philosophy, medicine, law and theology, etc.. Opposite from the training professionals in jargon and serious drill, humanists did all they could to create a citizenry who was able to speak and write with eloquence and clearness. For this reason, they would be capable of persuading others to engage the civic life of their communities virtuously and do some cautious actions. Because Miltons work was deeply influenced by the Classics, Paradise Lost can be classified as an epic. Thanks to this masterpiece, the poet Milton is still famous until now. Many scholars believe that this work is one of the most prominent products of the Renaissance and particularly as to the topic can the devil be an epic hero? Satan in Miltons eyes was bold, resourceful and formidable and as well an excellent leader. When reading the work, after a few pages, the reader may indeed get the impression that Satan is a great epic hero of that age. Milton did not deny the truth of the bible so as to establish the freedom of the individual. He built on the great Christian paradox which asserted that true freedom depended on the service for God. This pull the traditional thought into a new setting, even a revolutionary setting, is Miltons great power. When talked about the aim of the poet to write this poem, it was to find the root of the humans unfortunateness. For his part, he believed the reason that human beings were easy to be swayed by their emotions, chose the wrong way and finally lose their joyful paradise was for the sake of their weak reason and nerves. The fall of Eve was due to her aimlessness for finding new knowledge. The fall of Adam was due to his indulgence to Eve. The fall of Satan was due to his great ambitions and self-satisfaction. Through their bitter experience, Milton wanted to imply that the English capitalist classs bitter loss was due to their moral corruption and voluptuousness. He inherited the humanism in 16 century and at the same time, accepted the new scientific achievement in 17 century. However, he held a critical attitude towards them. He confirmed life trick but he denied the unlimited pleasure. He confirmed enterprise and sense of proud while he denied the ambitions and proud which evolve fro m them. He confirmed science while he also thought that science didnt mean all. If people only had science but no ideal and justice, they would never get peace and happy. Such kind of thinking was the reflection of his Puritanism. Milton criticized the proud Satan inwardly, while emotionally he sympathized Satans status, because the punishment of Satan looks so much like the pressure of the capital class. When descried the hell, although Milton kept on saying that Satan was proud, ambitious, from the dialogues, Satan was just a vivid oppressed revolutionary. This image was so splendid, and his fighting determination stood out brightly against the extreme dangerous hell. This was the indelible memory of English bourgeoisie, also a prominent art achievement. Satan was a role who had significant obstacles to overcome in order to realize his goals. In the historical long river, epic heroes in epic poetry shared some similar characteristics, thus it seems like Milton felt his own duty to make Satan to be the epic hero in Paradise Lost. His characteristics in the poem shared some similarities with those of previous epic heroes such as Odysseus. Epic heroes have some likeness. They are quite powerful, brave, and convincing; no matter what odds are against them, they will get rid of the difficulties and achieve their goals, and most important of all, they are leaders. Actually, Satan possesses of such kind of the qualities in Paradise Lost. First of all, in the first beginning, Satan had lost the war he fight against God and the angels in heaven and was chained on the burning lake. Satan and his fellow rebel angels were banished to live in horrid dwellings. Milton described the discomfort of hell mentioned by Satan Oh how unlike the place from whence they fell! There the companions of his fall, overwhelmed with floods and whirlwinds of tempestuous fire (1.97). This shows that Satan met with important obstacles as most epic heroes encounter. Satan was powerful and large in size which usually personifies epic heroes. Lay floating many a rood, in bulk as huge as whom the fables name of monstrous size, Titanian or Earth-born, which warred on Jove (1.95).    Milton shows that Satan was also the reflection of bravery and leadership because Satan, although currently in censure, still upholds his principles that enlisted him in hell in the first place. He says all is not lost the unconquerable will, and study of revenge, immortal hate, and courage never to submit or yield: And what is else not to be overcome? That glory never shall his wrath or might extort from me (1.106-111). The core of Satans heroism in this poem is that though that he would fight against all the odds, he was still in favor of his own beliefs and fought till the end to preserve his beliefs. He says We shall be free; the Almighty hath not built Here for his envy, will not drive us hence: Here we may reign secure; and, in my choice, to reign is worth ambition, though in Hell: Better to reign in the Hell than serve in Heaven (1.259-263). Satan and his rebel angels achieve the ideology which was As being the contrary to His high with whom we resist. If then His providence, Out of our evil seek to bring forth good, Our labor must be to pervert that end, And out of good still to find means of evil(1.161-165). Satan inspired the openly opposition to God and uprooted the passion of his followers to continue their fury of damaging God. All he his followers were persuaded during his speech Can make a Heaven of Hell, and a Hell of Heaven (1.255). Satan and his adherents wanted no parts of Heaven any more because they couldnt bear to service for God any longer. Thus they were adamant about creating their own Kingdom in hell where they would call Gods precious mankind up. All in all, the characteristics of Satan and his actions corporately made him the competitor of the epic hero role in Paradise Lost.    Milton portrayed Satan as a vengeful, manipulative, trickish, lying, and vicious individual. Nevertheless, Milton also showed Satans loyalty to the objective that he and the rebellious angels were pursuing. But first of all, lets begin with Satins vengeful ways. To begin with, Satan was seen as vengeful because even though hed already been punished and thrown to the pits of hell from heaven, he still remains firm in his rebellion of the Almighty and seeks to damage heaven. Satan and his constituents s malevolence was so obvious in their decision that they wouldnt attack Heaven through war, but attack the newest creation of God, Man. Satan volunteered his services to seduce them to our party, that their God May prove their foe, and with repenting hand Abolish his own works. This would surpass Common revenge, and interrupt his joy (2.-371). Besides, Satan was manipulative and trickish because to further his mission of seducing and corrupting man on earth, he had to design a perfect met hod to enter the gate of earth, and thus he casts to change his proper shape which else might work him danger or delay: and now a stripling Cherub he appears(634-636). In an attempt to cheat and manipulate the guard Uriel, Satan transformed into a cherub which is a humbly ranked angel in heaven. From this we can find that he is quite a scheming individual. Whats more, Satan demonstrated the acts of lying and deceit when he corrupted Eves mind in the Garden of Eden and persuaded her to pick the fruit from the forbidden tree of knowledge. He transformed himself once again into a snake, and instigated Eve that she could eat from the tree of knowledge. So glistered the dire Snake, and into fraud Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the tree of prohibition, root of all our woe (10.643-645). All of these actions- lying, manipulation, deceit, and the risks committed by Satan show his loyalty to the purpose. For the sake of destroying mankind just to annoy God immensely shows his loyalty and c ontribution. Milton clearly emphasizes the character of Satan through his high detailed recounts of Satans mischief. Satan had become a by any means type of attitude when it came to pleading his honor and upholding his beliefs which led to the deception, manipulation, and lying that he was notorious for throughout Paradise Lost. He was the epic hero in the story because in this story he was the underdog. No one expected for him to be fully victorious in his displays, and while he might not fully accomplished all goals. It was proved that he was firm in his plot against God. In the summary part, Milton expressed the differences between human beings and Satan. Different from Satan and his followers, Adam and Eve didnt choose a destructive gamble. Adversely, they kept a hopeful and humble behavior. Adam even assimilated himself to the corruptive archangel saying that his pain was never before and never again. Nevertheless, the biggest difference was when they faced with the possible choices, human beings chose hope while Satan chose a gambling revenge. An essential conception here was that previous life was doomed. John Milton quite opposed this idea. He was strongly in favor of the free willingness. As the plot spread, the distinctions between human and Satan gradually expressed. Adam and Eve denied the opinion of Satan that all people should sink with ignorance, and they decided to be submissive to God under his arrangement. Different from Satans determination to revenge on all the violated deities, people chose to be peaceful to the omnipotent God. Sata n couldnt absolutely repent and mend his ways or pray for forgiveness in such a desperate condition. Although he was firm, he was defeated by the holy son who was bestowed the spirit and power by God. No matter whether we were in favor of Satan and his troops sacrifice or human beings final submission, Milton insisted on the terminal decision of the inner heart throughout. In spite of failure, Satan was fully confident that he couldnt help facing with such condition. And that Adam and Eve knew their happy heaven had been lost, so they hope to regard it as a realm which their soul could arrive. They hoped that their spirit could live here. Though won the war and be called the winner, the holy son didnt experience the conversion or adventure like other characters. Although the revolution was a failure, the revolutionaries were bloodily suppressed; Miltons revolutionary fighting would never be deducted. To convey this topic, the devout believer Milton described God as a cruel feudal monarchy and a blinkered tyrant at all cost so that he could allude to the cruel repression to the puritans of Charlie à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¡ at that black age. The greatest opponent and the most vicious devil Satan was fashioned into a handsome, tall and smart revolutionary leader for the sake of singing the praises of revolutionaries. Satans rebellion was put down by God, and the devil party was thrown into the fire lake for sufferings; however, Satan never loses his fighting will, he was adversely active to organize his own force and waited for rising from the ashes. He built his own palace as a new kingdom in the hell and openly content against God. He preferred being the king in the hell to submitting to God as an official in the heaven. From this we can find his tire less fighting spirit towards the God, the authority and the highest dictator. The author borrowed the image of Satan to express his own anger and contempt towards the feudal tyrant Charlie à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¡ and his firm confidence towards the revolutionary success. Thanks to his revolutionary passion, his Satan was full of sound and color and surpassed his god morally. The hero of this poem is a man named Satan who is banished for challenging the leadership of the clan. This man Satan makes a vow to destroy or corrupt anything created by the clan. This Satan was resourceful, making the best of what he had, very little, and accomplishing his goal. Satan may just be the nonconformist who couldnt abide by what was considered normal. In any case one must show their admiration for Satan in his unwillingness to serve in Heaven, and then in the way he accepted his resulting role in Hell. Although it was quite hard to prove who the real hero was in Paradise Lost, as a whole, sprit-internal perfect, intelligent independence and individual power in this masterpiece give people the comprehensive epic virtue. Fundamentally, Milton abandoned the whole epic conception in this work and changed it into an experience of immediate concern to himself. This experience wasnt his flattery to his culture and beliefs, but a real chance for readers spiritual practice. No matter how painful a person is, John Miltons Paradise Lost will awake him up after experiencing such a spiritual trip and convert the intangible blackness into wholesome consciousness and bright mind. People may say that Milton fight for republic form of government and exposed Satan. While from his condemnation to Satans audaciousness and infidelity, more than once display the false faces and insincere attitude of English bourgeoisie activists. Yet Satans fearless lofty quality, to a large extent, eulogized his cotemp oraries heroic dauntless spirit.

The Artwork of William Hogarth Essay -- Art History

The Artwork of William Hogarth The artwork of William Hogarth is influenced greatly by social factors and the culture of eighteenth century England. In many of his works, Hogarth satirizes English society, rich and poor alike. His paintings and engravings depict the society of which he lived, with the costumes and ways of life of the times all shown in his work. Much of the time he is being satirical, exaggerating some of the faults of the people, other times he is being bitingly realistic in his views. It seems no-one is safe from his caricatures, from the lords and ladies, to slaves, servants, prostitutes, criminals and the poor. Overall, his work shows the culture of a broad cross section of the people of England during this time, depicted often in a very funny way. An important note is that the engravings were produced from the opposite side as the paintings, so the engravings are seen with left and right sides in reverse from how they appear in the paintings. I will discuss how his works show many aspects of the life of England at the time. I will focus particularly on several of the series of works which Hogarth produced, because by telling a story with his work and not merely painting a single picture, he shows much more aspects of the society in which he lived than just the physical appearance. Some individual paintings of Hogarth show many details of English eighteenth century society. Hogarth engraved Beer street to show a happy city drinking the 'good' beverage of English beer, versus Gin Lane that showed what would happen if people started drinking gin which as a harder liquor would cause more problems for society. People are shown as healthy, happy and hard working in Beer Street, while in Gin lane, they are scra... ...//come.to/William_Hogarth 2. http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/art.asp?aid=894 3. http://www.haleysteele.com/hogarth/toc.html 4. http://cgfa.sunsite.dk//hogarth/hogarth_bio.htm 5. http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/exhibits/hogarth/hogarth5.html 6. http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/exhibits/hogarth/ 7. http://juliette.nfrance.com/~ju8655/hogarth/documents/file003.pdf 8. http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=807 9. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0422/is_2_80/ai_54073985/print 10.http://33.1911encyclopedia.org/H/HO/HOGARTH_WILLIAM.htm 11.http://www.artchive.com/artchive/H/hogarth.html 12.http://virtualart.admin.tomsk.ru/hogarth/index.html 13.http://www.peopleplayuk.org.uk/collections/object.php?object_id=1198&back=%2Fguided_tours%2Fdrama_tour%2F18th_century%2Fcensorship.php%3F 14.http://humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=g&p=c&a=p&ID=178

Macbeth - Lady Macbeth Essay example -- essays research papers

Macbeth – Scene Analysis “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be What thou art promised; yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst strongly win. Thou’dst have, great Glamis, That which cries, ‘Thus who must do’ if thou have it; And that which rather thou dost fear to do. Than wishest should be undone. Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have crowned thee withal.'; -Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Sc5, Lines 13 – 28 Amongst the most essential of characters in the play “Macbeth'; by William Shakespeare is Lady Macbeth. Upon the introduction of Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth is brought into the plot of the play. In this soliloquy, Lady Macbeth comments on her thoughts after having read a letter from her husband, Macbeth, informing her about the witches’ prophecies on the possibility of Kingship. A variety of outstanding topics are explored, including the revelation of the true traits of characters such as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Her first thoughts are based on the reaction of the realism of Macbeth being Thane of Glamis, and possibly Cawdor as the witches predicted. This is expressed through the words “What thou art promised';. The idea of having soliloquy interacting with the witches’ predictions creates a sense of spirituality. This being Lady Macbeth’s first appearance in the play is effective as it allows the reader to associate this sense of spirituality and evil with her character, that has yet to have any substance to allow the reader to interpret her role by. She continues by expressing her fear over not being able to “catch the nearest way'; due to Macbeth’s overly kind character. This is demonstrated through a variety of techniques. For example, Lady Macbeth explains how her husband would ‘not play false’ nor would he ‘wrongly win’. This suggests a fair person with a kindness too power... ...e from the evil spirits as she calls upon them would most likely be carried out for maximum impact. Music in the background too would most likely be used for a more significant performance. An ongoing crescendo of sounds by an orchestra would reflect Lady Macbeth’s growing ideas of the plan, as well as the growth of her morbid character most effectively. An abrupt full lighting of the stage, alongside the impulsive entrance of the attendant, would conclude the soliloquy in the most chic fashion. As the reader discovers in the latter stages of the play, Macbeth is a character who loses his conscious and changes into a character of utmost evilness. This, when placed side by side with the praise from Lady Macbeth leading to assumptions of Macbeth’s character of complete ‘human kindness’, generates an extreme level of dramatic irony that is significant towards the general feeling of the audience. Through a variety of sleek techniques as such including imagery, tone and diction, Lady Macbeth presents the audience with an extremely in-depth insight into the revelation of the characteristics of herself, as well as her husband, “Macbeth';. Macbeth - Lady Macbeth Essay example -- essays research papers Macbeth – Scene Analysis “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be What thou art promised; yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst strongly win. Thou’dst have, great Glamis, That which cries, ‘Thus who must do’ if thou have it; And that which rather thou dost fear to do. Than wishest should be undone. Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have crowned thee withal.'; -Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Sc5, Lines 13 – 28 Amongst the most essential of characters in the play “Macbeth'; by William Shakespeare is Lady Macbeth. Upon the introduction of Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth is brought into the plot of the play. In this soliloquy, Lady Macbeth comments on her thoughts after having read a letter from her husband, Macbeth, informing her about the witches’ prophecies on the possibility of Kingship. A variety of outstanding topics are explored, including the revelation of the true traits of characters such as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Her first thoughts are based on the reaction of the realism of Macbeth being Thane of Glamis, and possibly Cawdor as the witches predicted. This is expressed through the words “What thou art promised';. The idea of having soliloquy interacting with the witches’ predictions creates a sense of spirituality. This being Lady Macbeth’s first appearance in the play is effective as it allows the reader to associate this sense of spirituality and evil with her character, that has yet to have any substance to allow the reader to interpret her role by. She continues by expressing her fear over not being able to “catch the nearest way'; due to Macbeth’s overly kind character. This is demonstrated through a variety of techniques. For example, Lady Macbeth explains how her husband would ‘not play false’ nor would he ‘wrongly win’. This suggests a fair person with a kindness too power... ...e from the evil spirits as she calls upon them would most likely be carried out for maximum impact. Music in the background too would most likely be used for a more significant performance. An ongoing crescendo of sounds by an orchestra would reflect Lady Macbeth’s growing ideas of the plan, as well as the growth of her morbid character most effectively. An abrupt full lighting of the stage, alongside the impulsive entrance of the attendant, would conclude the soliloquy in the most chic fashion. As the reader discovers in the latter stages of the play, Macbeth is a character who loses his conscious and changes into a character of utmost evilness. This, when placed side by side with the praise from Lady Macbeth leading to assumptions of Macbeth’s character of complete ‘human kindness’, generates an extreme level of dramatic irony that is significant towards the general feeling of the audience. Through a variety of sleek techniques as such including imagery, tone and diction, Lady Macbeth presents the audience with an extremely in-depth insight into the revelation of the characteristics of herself, as well as her husband, “Macbeth';.

Legalizing Marijuana Essay -- Addiction, Drug, Marijuana, Weed

Some people say that Marijuana is not additive, some say it is. If it’s known to be both then how can people really know how it affects the body? On an interview with Elvis Duran and the morning show Lady Gaga admitted that she was addicted to marijuana. She was doing 15 joints of marijuana without tobacco in them every day. In Lady Gaga’s life she has been addicted to some type of drug from a young age. She used the analogy of Lilly pad drugs. She would get to the point where she couldn’t go any further with one substance so she would have to go to the next substance. She started doing marijuana on a tour because she was in a lot of pain; she was in so much pain that she was getting depressed. Lady Gaga said that looking back she can see that the pain was her hip, but at the time she didn’t know where it was coming from. She also said that it was to help with her anxiety. She started doing marijuana to stop the pain she would do the drug in the morning an d then sleep it off in the afternoon; she said that she would never do a show high. She decided to speak about it so young people are aware that addiction to the drug is possible, and not a myth. (Wall Street Journal n.p) Marijuana or Cannabis —often called pot, weed, or herb—is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of Cannabis sativa—the hemp plant, has been used as an instrument to achieve euphoria, a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness, since ancient times. Marijuana has been traced back to the Chinese, dating from 2737 B.C.. From there it went to India to North Africa and then reached Europe around the time of 500 A.D.. In the record of the Chinese emperor Shen Nung the use of marijuana was for medication for rheuma... ... he said â€Å"I would caution against this assumption[that marijuana is the most effective drug for medical purposes] due to the lack of consistent, repeatable scientific data available to prove marijuana's medical benefits.† Works Cited Wall Street Journal. "Lady Gaga Says She's Addicted to Marijuana." YouTube. YouTube, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. "DrugFacts: Marijuana." National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). N.p., Dec. 2012. Web. 06 Dec. 2013. Messerli, Joe. "BalancedPolitics.org." - Legalization of Marijuana-Advantages & Disadvantages. Balanced Politics, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. "History of Marijuana." Marijuana History. Narconon International, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. "Pros and Cons - Medical Marijuana." ProCon.org Headlines. ProsCons.org, 6 May 2009. Web. 06 Dec. 2013. "Pro's of Marijuana Legalization." MarijuanaToday.com. N.p., Aug. 1010. Web. 07 Dec. 2013.

Beatrice and Benedick in “Much Ado About Nothing” Essay

Dramatically, the two scenes in which the friends of Beatrice and Benedick deceive them into believing that the love of the other is whole-heartedly directed towards them, is very appealing, and on of the reasons for this is the dramatic effects. Shakespeare delves into the deeper and more continuous themes of the play in this scene, both through the language and the visual actions, and one of the themes explored is the emerging of true emotions from behind a mask. When Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio enter, Benedick mocks â€Å"the Prince and Monsieur Love!† and hides â€Å"in the arbour†. As well as Benedick’s outward demonstration of the cynicism he has towards affectionate emotions being humorous for the audience, it also implies a deeper impact that the developing relationship of Claudio and Hero is having on him. The audience has learnt from Act 1 Scene 1 his seemingly obvious distaste for love, as Benedick proudly states that he would look pale â€Å"with anger, with sickness, or with hunger †¦ not with love†. This demonstrates that he considers it dull and inhibiting, and further that it makes a man a domestic creature, leaving him only to â€Å"sigh away Sundays†. Yet in the same scene, when Claudio tentatively requests Benedick’s opinion of Hero, he replies, â€Å"Do you question me as an honest man †¦ or would you have me speak after my custom, as being a professed tyrant to their sex?† Benedick utters this with a dismissive tone, and yet it implies that inwardly he struggles with the persona that initially he willingly created for himself, yet now is assumed by others. There is a slight vulnerability suggested through the way Benedick hints at a subconscious desire to experience love despite his tendency to scorn it, and Shakespeare uses this to allow his friends to manipulate and play upon his emotions. Don Pedro initiates the comical deception, asking whether the others have noticed â€Å"where Benedick hath hid himself†, and thus the gulling begins. The exploration of this theme is mirrored with the women and Beatrice’s  deception. Beatrice and Benedick are similar in several personality traits that they portray, perhaps indicating the suitability of their match, and Beatrice too struggles with the restrictions of adopting a contemptuous attitude to both love and Benedick. She claims that she would rather hear her â€Å"dog bark at a crow that a man swear he loves† her, and again although this is very convincing, there is a suggestion later on that this is not entirely honest. After the dramatic scorning of Hero by Claudio on their wedding day, Beatrice vehemently declares, â€Å"O that I were a man for his [Claudio’s] sake† and this is because she understands she cannot rebel against the traditional man-woman divide. This indicates that to compensate for this, her words have become her weapon, and therefore her sharp distaste for love may not be true. Another theme that Shakespeare develops in the gulling scenes is that of traditional values, and again this is both through language and actions. There is a clear gender division throughout the play as this reflects the way society was in the time of Shakespeare, and the most clear indication of this is the way that Benedick is deceived by men – Claudio, Leonato, and Don Pedro – and Beatrice is deceived by women – Ursula and Hero. This is a very symbolic, and is furthered by the use of different language. The men’s gulling scene is entirely written in prose, with the men using powerful and emotive imagery, for example, that of Beatrice loving Benedick with â€Å"an enraged affected† that â€Å"is past the infinite of thought†. As well as emphasising the masculinity of the scene, this also outlines the effect that flattery has on people. Claudio comments that he â€Å"never did think that lady would have loved any man†, and thought to the audience it is clear that this is spoken with an edge of humour, to Benedick it appears entirely serious as he is unaware of their knowledge of his presence. Therefore the frenzied and angry love that the men profess Beatrice must, in his opinion, be anything but false, and this Leonato confirms by saying. â€Å"Counterfeit?! There was never counterfeit of passion came so near the life  of passion as she discovers it.† The affect of this revelation is a subtle weave of both pity and obsequiousness. Benedick is astounded and immensely pleased, and he displays his clear pleasure in saying, â€Å"By this day, she’s a fair lady! I do spy some marks of love in her.† Yet on the other hand, when he declares that â€Å"it must be requited†, his tone implies that this is just as much a favour to Beatrice as to himself, and is merely trying to save her from the way â€Å"she falls, weeps, sobs, beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, curses†, as Claudio disclosed. The women’s scene is contrasting, as it is written in blank verse, which is far more poetic, and suggests a richness and value which symbolises the femininity of the characters. The imagery is far more delicate, as Hero talks of â€Å"honeysuckles, ripen’d by the sun†, and the â€Å"sweat bait† that they are laying for Beatrice. The latter image is particularly effective, as it suggests a beautiful reward at the end of their light-hearted deception, and steers away from the men’s use of particularly forceful language. The scene also differs slightly in a different employment of flattery. Whereas the men launched firstly into language that would relax Benedick and so encourage him to believe their supposed falsehoods, Hero, knowing Beatrice can hear her, calls her â€Å"disdainful†, â€Å"coy and wild† The ironic comedy played on Benedick in the previous scene is repeated here on Beatrice. Shakespeare ensures audience participation in the plot enacted by Hero and Ursula, while Beatrice is unaware of it. By indulging in the pretense that Beatrice is too scornful to accept Benedick, who is presented as both wise and noble, they produce the intended reverse effect. Beatrice decides she is in love with Benedick. Appearance and reality are constantly juggled to produce the desired effect. This appears to be the stock theme in most of Shakespeare’s comedies. The trio of Claudio, Leonato, and Don Pedro are extremely ingenious in  executing their plan, originally conceived by Don Pedro. Benedick automatically falls into the trap because of his great respect and trust for Leonato, whom he cannot believe guilty of such deception. Don Pedro’s conversation with his friends appeals greatly to Benedick’s self-love. That a lady of such an excellent nature as Beatrice should be attracted to him boosts his pride greatly. It increases his opinion of himself. His soliloquy gives ample proof of his thoughts and is one of the best examples of comic irony in the play. His views on marriage have all of a sudden undergone a drastic change. â€Å"The world must be peopled,† he emphasizes. There is a great deal of audience participation in this scene. The supposed plot gives an additional role to the audience in that its members share in the inside story–the fooling of Benedick. The irony lies in the fact that the plotters know that Benedick is listening to them. Benedick does not ‘note’ that the conspirators know his hiding place while the audience ‘notes’ both deceptions.

Dreams and Nightmares: Big Parts of Our Lives? Essay

Everyone sleeps. Humans, dogs, primates, rats, and the rest of earth’s inhabitants all experience the relaxing and necessary state of sleep. It appears to just be an unconscious state essential for survival; however, much more is going on than meets the eye. Sleep is accompanied by dreams, a term associated with adventures, experiences, and conflicts, which occur in one’s mind during those hours while one is fast asleep in bed. All people dream from the moment they enter this world to the day they leave, but whether or not they remember what they experienced the previous night varies. I, of course, am no exception and have dreams dating years back to my younger days that have remained in my memory. Upon waking, I recall having a confused, entertained or disturbed reaction to these dreams and even remember some of them affecting the rest of my day or just my life in general. The recent premiere of the movie Inception, a movie revolving around the dream world, has helped spark my interest into the dreams and their true purpose. I have been pondering if they have a bigger role in our lives rather than just a source of entertainment while we sleep. Prior to beginning research, my factual knowledge of dreams was quite limited to my personal experiences, as I have had my fair share of dreams as well as nightmares. I knew that dreams were usually perceived as happy and nightmares were almost always frightening experiences. Some dreams could also be interpreted for deeper meanings. Lastly, prior to researching, I knew dreams only lasted a portion of the time, and one usually had a difficult time remembering the content of the dream upon awakening. Through my research I wished to discover how people are affected by their dreams and nightmares in their behavior, mood, and their overall physical health. I also wished to know if there were any past evidences of events which happened in direct correlation to dreams. I was hopeful in finding the true meaning of dreams and how big of a role they actually have in our lives. Dreams do not come and go as they please; the period when people experience dreams is when they are peacefully sleeping. When one finally falls into a slumber, the body and mind follow a cycle through five sleep phases (Obringer). In the first phase, one is in a very light sleep where it is easy to be wakened, and as the cycle continues one falls into a deeper and deeper sleep. Up to the fourth phase, muscle activity greatly declines, breathing and heart rate slow down, and the brain sends out the slowest of the brain waves, Delta Waves. Up to this point, known as Non REM sleep, the body and mind are at basically full relaxation without experiencing rapid eye movement. The fifth phase, however, is when things seem to reverse. As the body enters the fifth stage, known as Rapid-Eye Movement, or R.E.M, the heart and breathing rate accelerate, blood pressure rises, and brain activity increases to the same level as when one is awake (Obringer). This is the period when most dreaming takes place. The body also appears to get paralyzed by an amino acid during this stage and it is suggested that â€Å"this paralysis could be nature’s way of making sure we don’t act out our dreams† (Obringer). REM was named after the movement of the eyes during this period, where the brain tells the eyes to move and scan a scene that only exists in the mind (Dement 299). One goes through this entire five-phase cycle about four or five times a night, with each dream only lasting about five to twenty minutes (Diagram Group 24). How could an event with such a short duration possibly have a big impact on our lives? Dreams have been deemed important and meaningful in our lives for thousands of years. From the Babylonians and Egyptians to the Greeks and the Romans, dreams have been believed to be of great importance. In ancient times, people believed most of the dreams to be sent from the gods and nightmares to be sent from demons (Diagram Group 4). They believed dreams helped heal the sick and injured, delivered messages and demands from the gods, and even foresaw the future (5-7). In later years, theories began to develop about the purpose of dreams. One of the most respected theories came from Sigmund Freud, a well esteemed psychologist. Freud believed that dreams serve to aid in maintaining sleep through possible disturbances: â€Å"When one is sleeping and is exposed to a disturbing stimulus, psychological processes would work to incorporate the dream into a dream rather than allow the person to be woken† (Robbins 14). For example, a loud noise in the dreamer’s environment would be morphed into thunder in a dream by the mind to keep the dreamer asleep (Robbins 14). He also claimed that dreams used symbols to show us our hidden aggressive and sexual desires (The Diagram Group 32). Others suggested that dreams showed one’s hidden ambitions and fears, one’s desire for power and one’s past memories. Everything seen in a dream is a projection of the dreamer. Despite the theory, it was clear that dreams had a purpose in life rather than just to entertain dormant minds. From the earliest moments in time, people have wakened from sleep just after going through an experience they could have sworn had actually occurred; however they had only just experienced a dream, or a series of images, sensations, ideas, and emotions occurring in the mind during sleep. As time has passed and dreams have been recorded and recalled, categories of dreams have been developed: lucid dreams, where one knows he’s dreaming; nightmares, disturbing dreams with anxiety and frightening images; recurring dreams, repeating dreams with little variation; healing dreams, dreams that affect the body; prophetic dreams, dreams seemingly to predict the future; progressive dreams, a sequence of dreams that continue over period of nights; and epic dreams, vivid dreams that one cannot ignore (Dream Moods Inc). All these dreams have the common underlying fact that â€Å"[they] reflect your own underlying thoughts and feelings†¦ and [everything] in your dreams are personal to you† (Common). Dreams have been described as links to our subconscious. It is said that the subconscious never stops taking in all the factors, events and people that affect one’s life: †¦Henry Reed talks about a higher self, or â€Å"the witness†, which watches everything we do, say feel and think. Our high self never goes to sleep, it is always awake, watching, processing and seeing things from an objective perspective as we struggle through our lives (â€Å"Dreams†). Henry Reed, a psychology professor at UCLA, used the term higher self to refer to the subconscious of the body. The body and mind may sleep, but the subconscious does not, as if analyzes everything that one saw, experienced, smelled, etc and all other aspects of a person’s life. It recognizes stress and other negative factors impacting our lives, and, as a result, dreams are created in order to help people solve problems and get on with their journey through life. The subconscious can make images and â€Å"embed symbols inside of dramatic stories† in dreams so that â€Å"you can see yourself from the inside†, and be capable of solving personal issues one may never have recognized before, or has just neglected in hopes it would go away (â€Å"Dreams†). Dreams provide valuable insight deep within oneself, and have led to affect many people’s lives upon returning to reality. Dreams experienced during the night may majorly affect people for the rest of their day once awake. Dreams revolving around the body can help in avoiding potential health problems and aid in the healing process when one is sick or grieving (Dream Moods Inc). Bodies have the capability of warning the mind through dreams that something is wrong before physical symptoms even appear, leading to many people making sudden doctor and medical appointments. Dreams also have the ability to overall heal the mind and body through a feeling of rejuvenation. Progressive and recurring dreams help people solve problems they usually do not face directly and usually try to avoid. These can also be called problem solving dreams, as they allow one to explore different options and approaches to a problem, situation or relationship. Prophetic dreams appear to show future actions and events, or provide a sneak peak, before they occur in one’s life. These have potential to greatly alter one’s actions during the day, as one may try to change the future depending on the content. Dreams, in general, also have potential in determining one’s mood for the following day. Those that cause strong emotion or feelings canâ€Å"[affect] the body†¦ practically as much as does an†¦ emotion when awake† (Walsh). A dream that causes extreme sadness can lead to one absorbing that emotion and feeling it throughout the rest of the day. Dreams are packed with symbols and metaphors that can lead to realizations of feelings deep within oneself, such as hidden feelings of being powerless, vulnerable, alone or ashamed (Pliskin 123). If one realizes the symbol and attempts to change the feelings, dreams actually can be life changing experiences. Another area dreams serve in is in the creativity department. They sometimes serve as store houses for inspiration, as The Dream Foundation says, â€Å"†¦Artists, musicians, dancers, sculptors, and inventors are able to dive deep into the source of inspiration and explore the vast reaches of their own creative potential by meeting face to face with the unconscious†. The Beatles’ popular hits ‘Yesterday’ and ‘Let It Be’, Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide, and works by artists such as Billy Joel and Beethoven are all examples of creations based off dreams. Dreams have the potential to have a very large role in determining the actions we take in life. Upon awakening, one must remember this concept: Dreams serve as the voice of our subconscious, and if it’s ignored, it may try to gain your attention in a more powerful way. A more negative and powerful type of dream is the nightmare. The word nightmare actually alludes to a night devil, who people used to believe would approach you as you were sleeping and press against your chest which caused the nightmares (Robbins 10). Of course this belief has been discredited but it has not stopped people’s lives from being greatly affected by nightmares. What exactly could be behind you having a nightmare? Well, besides the chance that you may just have a nightmare one night, there are other pre-sleep activities that may cause nightmares. A late night snack actually leads to an increase of the metabolism and also increases brain activity (WebMD). Medications and drugs may also be underlying factors, as they affect the brain in numerous and varying ways. Lastly, post-traumatic stress disorder can lead to nightmares as it causes people to relive past horrifying experiences. Nightmares are caused by many things that impact and increase brain activity, as well as just past bad memories. However, these nightmares greatly impact one’s body. They can lead to sleeping deprivation, or insomnia, as they actually make one scared to sleep because of the chance of a recurring nightmare. Sleep deprivation then leads to other medical conditions such as heart disease, depression and obesity. Due to quickened heart rate and increased blood pressure from the fear and anxiety associated with nightmares, natural death can even actually occur for those with bad heart conditions. Along with all the physical effects on the body, nightmares, just like dreams, act as warnings and have deeper meanings while analyzed. One example of a common nightmare is being in an out of control car. This may be a signal that you feel your life is hectic (Dreams Foundation). If you find a way to slow life down this type of recurring nightmare may cease. If one tries to ignore or block nightmares, the subconscious, who is behind the content of the dream, may try to â€Å"speak louder to get our attention† (Dreams Foundation). They may start affecting our waking lives in sickness, accidents, relationship difficulties or other unfortunate issues that force us to deal with the problem. Although nightmares seem very negative one must remember this concept: â€Å"An avoidance or denial approach is much like putting a band aid on a car’s blinking oil light because the light seems annoying† (Dreams Foundation). Why ignore something that can potentially change your life for the better? The information I collected on dreaming led me to conclude that dreaming is, in fact, a huge part of our lives. Dreams virtually act as the voice of our subconscious and they warn us, help us and just sometimes allow us to go on adventures that are impossible in reality. Dreams occur for our benefit. That being said, nightmares occur for our benefit as well. Despite all the negative effects nightmares may have, they, just as dreams do, provide a window into our hidden and secret problems and ambitions. The purpose of dreams is not to supply pure entertainment while asleep, but to get out suppressed feelings that can change our life for the better. I was surprised to find that dreaming actually may lead to death as some people with worse heart conditions could die from the increase in heart rate while dreaming. I was also surprised to find that many artists are inspired by what images or people they see in their dreams. Further questions I have include how our mind is able to create places and people we’ve never seen before and yet make them meaningful and familiar to us? This research has most definitely opened my eyes to what’s really going on when my eyes are closed. In the future when I dream I shall be determined to find what the meaning is to me and how it can possible change my life for the better. Dream on.