Alibrandi essay free essay sample

In the film Looking for Alibrandi, executive Kate Woods utilizes numerous procedures to assist you with understanding the primary character, Josie. A portion of these strategies are inner discourse and voice-over portrayal, dream arrangements and shading improvement. Every one of these strategies help watchers to have a superior comprehension of Josies character. The main procedure that Woods utilizes that is exceptionally compelling shows up in a significant piece of the film. Inner discourse is utilized with the goal that we can hear how Josie is feeling about the things she is experiencing. A case of this is in the initial scene when it is the Italian communitys â€Å"Tomato Day† and Italians get together to strip and stew tomatoes for tomato sauce. From voice-over portrayal we can hear Josies inside discourse and comprehend that Josie doesnt relate to this good old social affair by any stretch of the imagination. We hear precisely what Josie considers it: â€Å"You may think this is all eccentric and adorable, however I discover it truly humiliating. We will compose a custom exposition test on Alibrandi exposition or then again any comparative subject explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page You would think we were still in Sicilly, yet they left there 50 years prior Ive got the chance to leave! So along these lines voice-over portrayal is an astute strategy for helping watchers comprehend that Josie doesn't relate to her Italian-Australian legacy or the customs they follow, and this is especially valuable in the initial scene since it clarifies what may lie at the core of Josies difficulties and clashes to follow. The subsequent method utilized by the executive to assist us with seeing increasingly about Josie is the fantasy succession. At whatever point Woods need the watcher to comprehend that Josie is having a fantasy the film is in moderate movement and in sepia tones. A case of this is when Josie really likes John Barton, who is from a private young men school. She envisions herself remaining alongside John who is currently the Premier of Australia and that she is Mrs Alibrandi-Barton. Cameras are snapping, paper feed is flying and correspondents are needing to address her. Another case of a fantasy grouping is when Josie is observing Carly, a rich and ruined girl of a supremacist argue have, escaping the vehicle on the principal day of school. We can tell its fantasy on the grounds that out of nowhere Carly is strolling gradually and waving like a celebrity. This scene gives us that Josie is extremely envious of Carly on the grounds that she is excellent, rich and her family is companions with Johns. So in this manner, Woods has helped watchers to comprehend that Josie has a solid creative mind and how Josie feels about John Barton and Carly. At long last, Woods utilizes shading upgrade to assist us with seeing increasingly about Josie. This is the point at which the executive uses solid Sepia tonesto give us that Josie thinks what's going on is antiquated. At the earliest reference point of the initial scene watchers are given a panning shot of Josies Italian family hectically making tomato sauce. We are given the feeling this is set previously. When Josie begins talking the shading changes to full shading. From this procedure we discover that Josie doesnt view Tomato Day as a major aspect of her reality, or the universe of current Australia. So thusly Woods utilization of solid sepia tonings directly toward the start of the initial scene helped us comprehend that Josie was stressing against articulations of her Italian-Australian legacy. In the end scene it is â€Å"Tomato Day† again however the entire thing is recorded in full-shading with Josie participating in the blending and hitting the dance floor with Nona. Rather than running away to the sea shore, she welcomes her companions in. This encourages us comprehend that before the finish of the film, Josie is OK with her Italian-Australia legacy and has in this manner defeat some significant individual clashes about her personality. Taking everything into account, in the film Looking for Alibrandi, chief Kate Woods had the option to assist watchers with understanding primary character Josies suppositions and clashes through the verbal strategies of inside discourse and voice-over portrayal, and visual procedures of dream successions and solid sepia tones. The discourse permitted us to comprehend what Josie was thinking and it lets you get into the temper of the main character of the film. Dream groupings were significant on the grounds that they uncovered Josies fears and trusts later on while solid sepia shading helped us to realize that Josie felt that her family was good old.

Final-4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Last 4 - Essay Example Corresponding to this specific authentic occasion, John O’Sullivan was the chief study to coin the term â€Å"Manifest Destiny†. The terms implied that American culture was appointed to grow consistently grasping the domains all around the landmass. It was in this setting so as to legitimize the addition of Texas, democrats started utilizing the term in political discussions. Considering these memorable standards relating in the customary majority rule political arrangement of America during the 1800s, it very well may be contended that the addition had been very noteworthy in getting the point of â€Å"Manifest Destiny† dependent on the then social isolation and misbehaviors which surely debilitated the common society of Texas and all the Southwestern domains of the mainland. This allowed a chance to the United States to procure other circumscribing regions including California. Besides, this compensated the chance to compellingly incorporate Mexico inside the A merican domain, as through the extension, the United States could likewise engage with the continuous outskirt question among Texas and Mexico, which was viewed as a preservationist state and along these lines confined itself to be uninhibitedly added by a remote territory2. Mount Holy Lake, No Date. â€Å"John L. OSullivan on Manifest Destiny, 1839†. â€Å"Excerpted from The Great Nation of Futurity, The United States Democratic Review, Volume 6, Issue 23, pp. 426-430. The total article can be found really taking shape of America Series at Cornell University†.

Blog Archive Duke University Fuqua School of Business Essay Analysis, 20192020

Blog Archive Duke University Fuqua School of Business Essay Analysis, 2019â€"2020 Although Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business has not yet officially released its MBA application for 2019â€"2020, Assistant Dean of Admissions Allison Jamison recently announced some modifications it has made to the essay portion. Fortunately (in our opinion), the school has elected to maintain its distinctive “25 random things” prompt, which we love for the freedom it gives applicants to get creative and paint a well-rounded picture of themselves for the admissions committee. And the program’s community engagement essay likewise remains the same. Rather than three short-answer essay questions, however, applicants must respond to just two, though the heart of the information requested really has not changed much at all. In our full essay analysis that follows, we offer our best guidance on how to make the most of all the school’s prompts for this season.   Interested in learning how to tackle this year’s Duke Fuqua application essay? Watch the short video below before you continue reading the full analysis! Required short-answer essay questions Why is pursuing an MBA the right next step for you? (500 characters, or about 100 words)   What are your post-MBA career goals? Share with us your first-choice career plan and your alternate plan. (500 characters, or about 100 words) With these two questions, Fuqua is essentially asking for a standard, albeit very brief, personal statement, with the addition of one rather nonstandard component in the secondâ€"the suggestion of an alternative path. Candidates often feel they must be totally unequivocal in their career goals to impress the admissions committee, but in this case, Fuqua is directly instructing applicants to speculate on and articulate multiple options. The school knows that sometimes the best-laid plans do not play out as expected or may even yield unintended results, and it wants to know that you are prepared to switch gears and recommit to a different path, if necessaryâ€"and that you are fully capable of doing so. The key in answering this question is showing that your backup goal is just as connected to your skills, interests, and ambitions as your original plan and does not come “out of left field,” so to speak. For example, you would probably have a difficult time convincing the admissions committee that your short-term goal is to work in technology consulting while  your alternate goal would be to work in human resources, because these industries, for the most part, require entirely different skills and personalities. Just be mindful that both goals you present  must be plausible and achievable. As for the first question, the natural assumption is that if you have reached a point in your professional journey where you believe an MBA is necessary to move forward, you must have an understanding of why the degree is a critical part of continuing on that journey. This is simply your chance to outline your reasoning and needs for the admissions committee so it can be confident you have given this important step an appropriate amount of thought and are committed to your decision. As we have noted, these questions concern several of the core topics covered in a traditional personal statement, so we encourage you to download your  free copy of the  mbaMission Personal Statement Guide, which helps applicants write this style of essay for any school. This complimentary guide offers detailed advice on approaching and framing these subjects, along with multiple illustrative examples. Be sure to  claim your copy today. First required essay: 25 random things about yourself Instructions: Present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be only a few words, while others may be longer. Your complete list should not exceed two pages. For context: Fuqua believes different types of people, points of view, and experiences bring out the best in everyone. And above all, we place a premium on succeeding while making a positive impact on businesses, organizations, and the world.   These ways of thinking set the Duke MBA experience apart, and this concept extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration.  When a new person joins the Admissions team, we ask that person to share with everyone in the office a list of 25 Random Things About Yourself. As an Admissions team, we already know the new hires professional and academic background, so learning these 25 Random Things helps us get to know someones personality, background, special talents, and more.   In this spirit, the admissions committee also wants to get to know youâ€"beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of 25 Random Things about YOU. Be prepared to have fun creating this list for your Fuqua application! Before you start scribbling down random things, though, stop and take some time to thoroughly brainstorm. You cannot simply draft a list of “typical” accomplishmentsâ€"remember, the school is asking for a random  list, and keep in mind that your reader should learn more about you as an individual with each item presented. Make sure that every new story or tidbit of information you share gives the admissions committee a different window into your personality, into what really makes you tick and makes you  you. Most important is that you  own  all the points on your listâ€"that your final list could apply to no one but you. For example, a statement such as “I love the movie  Goodfellas  and have watched it multiple times” could easily be made by many applicantsâ€"therefore, it could not be considered truly  yours. However, if you were to instead write, “At least once a year, my friends and I get together t o watch our favorite movie,  Goodfellas, all wearing dark suits, eating fresh pasta with homemade sauce, and reciting the dialogue line-for-line,” you would present an experience that is unquestionably  yours, because fewâ€"if anyâ€"other candidates would be likely to say this exact same thing. Although Fuqua does not want you to rehash your professional and academic accomplishments in this list, and you should certainly avoid repeating facts that already appear elsewhere in your application, you can of course still touch on significant moments that occurred in these spheres. Use detail and a narrative style (keeping things brief!) to give these elements life and ensure that they are personal. For example, rather than saying that you “won a creative thinking award for implementing an innovative training solution,” you might write that you “once won an award for instructing trainees to flip their desks upside down and face what was previously the back of the roomâ€"thereby creating an exercise to introduce new hires to the concept and value of new perspectives.” Second required essay: The Fuqua community and you Instructions: Your response should be no more than two pages in length. Fuqua prides itself on cultivating a culture of engagement. Our students enjoy a wide range of student-led organizations that provide opportunities for leadership development and personal fulfillment, as well as an outlet for contributing to society. Our student-led government, clubs, centers, and events are an integral part of the student culture and are vital to providing you with a range of experiential learning and individual development experiences. Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, how do you see yourself engaging in and contributing to our community outside of the classroom? With this essay prompt, Fuqua clearly wants to see evidence that you have done your research on the school’s culture and community and developed a true and thorough understanding of it. Ideally, your essay will convince the admissions committee that you are eager to take advantage of opportunities to lead and contribute, that you have thoughtfully considered your place within the school’s community at length, and that as a result, you know the value of what you can offer and have a clear vision of how this will manifest when you are a Fuqua student. For this to be possible, you really (really!) must know the school well, because if you hypothesize incorrectly about the contribution you will makeâ€"meaning that what you propose is just not possible at the school or does not align with Fuqua’s values and cultureâ€"you will definitely not get in. The question specifically mentions “student-led government, clubs, centers, and events,” so you could start your research there to find niches and opportunities that correspond with your strengths, knowledge, and experience. But if you feel you can contribute in a different area or way altogether (while still adhering to the “outside of the classroom” element of the prompt), you can certainly take that approach instead. Read student blogs, peruse discussion boards, catch up on the past year or more of press releases from the school, spend some time on  Fuqua’s YouTube channelâ€"these are all good places to start (or better, continue!) educating yourself about what life at the s chool is really like, beyond the course work.   And for a thorough exploration of Duke Fuqua’s academic offerings, defining characteristics, crucial statistics, social life, community/environment, and other key facets of the program, consider downloading your  free copy of the  mbaMission Insider’s Guide to Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Optional essay: Tell us more If you feel there are circumstances of which the admissions committee should be aware (such as unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance), please explain them in an optional essay. Please do not upload additional essays or additional recommendations in this area of the application, and limit your response to one page. Fuqua stipulates a maximum length for its option essay of just one page. We see this, along with the other clarifying bullet points, as confirmation that the admissions committee is not interested in additional information from applicants who fear that not submitting an optional essay would somehow count against them and would like to reserve this essay exclusively for those who truly need it. So be judicious in your use of this opportunity, and submit an optional essay  only  if you truly believe that explaining a key element of your story or profile is necessary for Fuqua to have a complete and accurate understanding of you as a candidate. Consider downloading a free copy of our  mbaMission Optional Essays Guide, in which we offer detailed advice on when and how to take advantage of the optional essay (along with multiple sample essays) to help you mitigate any problem areas in your profile. The Next Stepâ€"Mastering Your Duke Fuqua Interview: Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possibleâ€"the key is informed preparation. And to help you develop this high level of preparation, we offer our  free Interview Primers  to spur you along! Download your free copy of the  Duke Fuqua  Interview Primer  today. Share ThisTweet 2019-2020 Business School Duke University (Fuqua) Essays MBA Essay Analysis

A Research On The Field Of Neuroscience - 1424 Words

Statement of Purpose Neuroscience is a fascinating area with a limitless possibility of understanding and uncovering to resolve so many unanswered questions. I have elected to pursue research in the field of neuroscience because I relish the approach of logical thinking to satisfy the curiosity of knowing things about me and the world around me. Although in recent years, a large number of breakthrough research has led open to the advancement in the diagnosis and therapeutic approaches for several neurological disorders and cancer such as glioma, there are a lot more to discover and untangle. Therefore, I decided to pursue my research in understanding such life-threatening neurological diseases. My first taste of actual research in†¦show more content†¦In addition to my Ph. D. dissertation research, parallel, I have also completed two projects during my doctoral training. One of the projects investigated the mechanism of modulation of neural-immune signaling by estrogen in reproductive aging. The study investigated the estrogen-induced effects on neuronal and immune responses in various brain areas and lymph nodes of middle-aged female rats. The data can be exploited to develop therapeutic strategies in cognitive impairment and age-associated neurodegenerative, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases predominantly prevalent in females. In another project, I have investigated the role of sex-based differences in the pathogenicity of rheumatoid arthritis in Indian men and women. Besides these projects, I actively participated in a number of other ongoing projects in my laboratory that helped me to gain co-authorship in two research papers and 17 abstracts in international conferences. I have also presented my work in a number of national and international conferences held by International Society for Noni Sciences, IMMUNOCON and Indian Academy of Neuroscience, which give me an opportunity to share my research as well as to know about the current research. In addition toShow MoreRelatedThe Human Organ That Leaves Developmental Biologists1725 Words   |  7 Pagesschemes makes neuroscience progress unsustainable with regard to ambitious goals of discovering more about the fundamentals of the brain and developing technologically advanced treatments for current financially draining disorders. One of the biggest dreads facing neuroscientists and modern day economists is that the US population is aging. Aging brings forth a tidal wave of neurodegenerative disease and the financial burden of more than $100 billion yearly (â€Å"Society for Neuroscience† 1). ClinicalRead MoreDr. Carter s Letter929 Words   |  4 PagesMarilyn Carter’s outstanding research work as a scientist in the field of neuroscience. Based on her research skills, publication records, and both her proven and ongoing contributions to the field, I am absolutely confident that Dr. Carter will continue to discover new aspects of neurodegenerative diseases and thus facilitate the discovery of new therapeutic methods, ultimately serving the national interests. Before providing further details of Dr. Carter and her research, I would like to introduceRead MoreGraduate Program At The University Of British Columbia1577 Words   |  7 PagesGraduate Program in Neuroscience Run shan (Felar) Yu Program Overview The graduate program in neuroscience offered at the University of British Columbia is a research-intensive program that trains students into knowledgeable neuroscientists. In addition to the rich research experience, this program offers a diverse selection of courses, including and not limited to, neuroanatomy, psychobiology and neuropharmacology. Students applying to this graduate program may choose to complete either a MSc orRead MoreSocial Cognition And Social Psychology1412 Words   |  6 Pagesmore biological sense of this, we find ourselves with social neuroscience. Social neuroscience is a fairly new interdisciplinary field, it is devoted to understanding and explaining how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of people are influenced by the presence of others. This growing field uses cognitive neuroscientific methods to address the questions normally asked by social psychologists. Once known as social cognition, social neuroscience was popularized and introduced in an article by John CacioppoRead MoreThe Future Of Neuroscience : From Sci Fi1559 Words   |  7 PagesThe future of neuroscience: from sci-fi to reality Billions of football fans around the world were amazed in the summer of 2014, when 29 years old Brazilian Juliano Pinto [1], who was paralyzed from waist down, was able to kick a football to ceremonially open the World Cup. Pinto made the kick while wearing a robotic exoskeleton controlled by his brain. The high-tech demonstration was orchestrated by Duke University neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis, as part of the Walk Again Project [2], to developRead MoreThe Theory Of The Mind Becomes Of Critical Importance860 Words   |  4 PagesAs neuroscience research progresses, the concept of the mind becomes of critical importance. The mind is usually considered to be a separate, nonmaterial entity compared to the physical neurons within the brain. However, the field of neuroscience is finding many connections between the physical nature of the brain and the supposed non-physical aspect of the human mind. In a sense, neuroscience seeks to understand the functioning of the mind in terms of th e physical neuronal firings of the brain.Read MoreEssay Paper for SPE 557 Latonja Newman Grand Canyon University1430 Words   |  6 Pages Disability Brain Research Essay   Latonja Newman   Grand Canyon University: SPE 557                                               Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   In reflection on  neuroscience and the medical brain research study that explains learning disabilities  I found an online article  that is very interesting,  which explains the concept of  research. Researching students with learning disability has become the fore front of how student development and maintain information. According to  research, the goal of this study  isRead MoreComparing Two Approaches to Cognitive Psychology1423 Words   |  6 Pagesapproaches which can be used within this field, however for the purposes of the essay only two will be compared; cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology. The aims of cognitive neuroscientists are often similar to those of cognitive psychologists; they are both interested in the brain and cognition, (Medin and Ross, 1996). Nevertheless, it could be argued that there are also some fundamental differences between the two approaches, especially in the research methods employed. This assignment willRead Moreh2Col orado State University/h2 h3College of Natural Sciences - Psychology/h3 Founded as an1000 Words   |  4 Pages Colorado State University has grown into one of the major research universities in the nation. It offers over 150 programs through eight college divisions and prides itself on providing its students with a world-class education. Among the most renowned educational pursuits at CSU are the diverse graduate degree programs available in the field of psychology. Graduate students can choose areas of study that emphasize clinical research, counseling within the workplace or community-based mental healthRead MoreOn Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins1675 Words   |  7 Pagesand worked in computer science, rather than neuroscience, Hawkins has a unique perspective and writes in terms that are accessible to someone from a non-neurological background or standpoint and often analogous to computer architecture, making the subject matter relatable to the interested layman. However, though he offers a plausible structure of the brain that mostly aligns with c urrent thinking, he does not take into account important recent research, omitting neurologically developments that have

Fall Equinox Beginning of Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius

Fall Equinox is a delicious descent—time to wind down, and let go.  And yet its set off by the active cardinal sign of Libra, for fresh mind scapes and clarity.  The sky always looks bluer in the Fall, and the heaviness of Summer is lifted with surprise breezes. Equinox means equal night and day.  Its said to be a good time for magic, with nature in balance—a rare moment of equal light and shadow.   Turning Point Along with Summer and Winter Solstice, and Spring Equinox, its a significant turning point in the Solar Seasonal Cycle. It falls somewhere around September 20-23rd in the Northern Hemisphere. In the year 20156, Fall Equinox is September 22nd. The equinox has many names—Cornucopia, Harvesthome, Alban Elued (Celtic) or Light of the Water, Wine Harvest, Mabon (after the Welsh God of the Harvest), and Harvest Tide—evoking the scenes of the season. A big feast is prepared, and we call round friends and family. Theres a fresh hint of chill in the air, summer is over and the days grow shorter. Winter is coming, and its time to prepare, by harvesting and putting up food. Autumn means harvest, and the season at times has been called simply harvest. The trees bust out with color, and the air feels different.  Ã‚   Albert Camus  Autumn is a second Spring, when every leaf is a flower. Fall of the Solar Year Fall and Autumn are both used for this wonderful season, with Fall being more common in America. Its marked by the Sun going into the astrological sign Libra, to be followed by Scorpio and Sagittarius. So its the start of this trio of relational signs—we grow in understanding through our social and intimate connections. The Sun is waning (in the Northern Hemisphere), but this begins the season of reaching out. The Sun into Libra motivates us to build bridges, create a balance of give and take. Its ideal for sharing your bounty with a neighbor, to make that connection, or attend community festivities. If we see Fall Equinox as a time of refining the creative intentions of Spring Equinox, we take into account the Other. Its adapting your goals, as they meet the contributions or demands of your extended social circle. Sometimes Fall brings up melancholy moods. Is it the reminder that all things diminish (die) and transform? Are we remembering and connecting to an ancient rhythm? Leitmotif What is the harvest this year? What do you sense needs to change, to sow seeds of a more bountiful, fulfilling harvest?Gathering and storing nuts.Mulling over musings that are rich enough to go with you into the dark, contemplative months.Deep study, certification, reflection.Tending to social web—breaking isolation, hosting and attending parties, sharing in groups.Refining Spring Equinox intentions—dying to aspects that are not a natural fit.Attend gatherings with people who support your visions, nourish your soul, keep your spirits lifted. Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius The months of Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius remind us were not alone. Its ideal for joining or starting a group thats willing to explore heights and depths. Libra is a time for harmonizing with the significant people in our lives—from business partners to friends weve lost touch with over the crazy-busy summer! Its time for slow food dinner parties with kindred spirits, and new friends. Scorpio draws us into the eternal mysteries, and this is when we really bare our souls. Its time for intimacy, and releasing whats pent up, so the energy re-enters the stream. A deep ahhhh happens, when the soul decompresses, and its like coming home. A month for deep insights about emotional realities, soul-level needs and how to transform our lives. Sagittarius is the time of finding that inner light and sharing it with others. Its a socially lively time, with holiday soirees. And a time for spiritual momentum—the optimistic visions spontaneously forming carry us through the winter gloom. Its ideal for expansive research, drawing from new sources, and journeys of the body and spirit.

Smarter Ways And Test Our Potential Youths Essay - 1587 Words

Smarter Ways to Test Our Potential Youths Standardized testing has been used in the United States for years while its role in education has expanded by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Standardized testing was created to promote equality within the education system; to treat and teach all student the same. The use of this test was also meant to measure the students’ progress in math and reading, as well as to determine a student promotion to the next grade; but at what cost? Preparation for standardized tests is almost twenty-four-seven, every year from third grade to eighth grade. Preparation that takes up valuable learning time in school. Preparation that is a waste to the students’ future in college and life beyond school. Standardized testing seem to demand so much from schools; not to mention its impending threat on schools to label them with bad reputations or closing them down. With such a threat breathing down the necks of the schools encouragement to cut q uality education to meet the standards to ‘survive’ is tempting. Teachers would teach primary to the favor of the test and, if given the opportunity, schools would scandalously claim and put their low-scoring students in special education programs to exempt them from taking the test. Standardized testing is damaging our biggest number one priority; which is our education, an important factor that strongly impacts the children of our future! Standardized testing takes so much from students, schools, andShow MoreRelatedEssay on Psychology: The Mozart Effect1332 Words   |  6 Pagesrevolutionary discoveries as to how the human brain functions, develops and in some instances, can be enhanced. Although these fundamental objectives are a valuable resource within our community, it is vital that they are of verity and can be replicated; if not they are redundant to the field. Unfortunately, due to its youth, psychological science does not have a strict system of checks and b alances to ensure that remittance procedures can consistently be undertaken for false claims. To this end, thisRead MoreIs Google Making Us Stupider?1563 Words   |  7 Pagesa great resource and tool for many things if used right and can actually help you learn and make you smarter. For example, having a question and quickly going to Google to find your answer before thinking about it first and coming up with the answer yourself, is not using it right and we shouldn t take advantage because in this way it may make us stupider instead of making us learn and expand our knowledge about a particular subject. In the article â€Å"Is Google Making us Stupider?† in the magazineRead MoreTechnology And Its Effect On Society Essay1239 Words   |  5 Pagesit to the palm of our hands with the iPhone and continuing to expand. My generation has grown up on technology so I can’t imagine how my life would be with out it, older people may say it has ruined the lives of youth. In my opinion it has made us smarter but the more portable it gets it makes society blind to the everyday outside activities of the world, however it has not â€Å"ruined the youth.† Technology causes defects in social skills, health issues, and a crutch to upcoming youth. Technology canRead MoreTechnology And Its Effect On Society Essay1204 Words   |  5 Pagesit to the palm of our hands with the iPhone and continuing to expand. My generation has grown up on technology so I can’t imagine how my life would be with out it, older people may say it has ruined the lives of youth. In my opinion it has made us smarter but the more portable it gets it makes society blind to the everyday outside activities of the world, however it has not â€Å"ruined the youth.† Technology causes defects in social skills, health issues, and a crutch to upcoming youth. Technology canRead MoreInterns Will Build Good Network978 Words   |  4 PagesInterns will build good network. Everyone you meet in an internship is a potential contact for your network and someone you can call upon for advice and referrals when you are job-hunting closer to graduation time. ïÆ'Ëœ You will build your resume. Any kind of experience on your resume is helpful, but career-relevant internship experience will make a better impression on employers than your serving job. 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His book assessesRead MoreThe Cultural Norms Of Women1926 Words   |  8 PagesThe importance of educating, encouraging and treating our youth as equals for engagement in political conversation and encouragement for political office is important in order to diversify our political future. The political ambition gap between women and men is complex and canno t be attributed to one specific idea but rather a culmination of the traditional family roles that women experience growing up, the masculinized ethos that’s desired for political leaders and the gendered psyche that couldRead MoreI Am After School Programs2949 Words   |  12 Pagesgraffiti in the neighborhood, misbehaving at home and in some cases, showing no respect for the law. In a recent commentary in the publication of the Harvard Research Project, stated that participation in an after-school program gets children and youth off the streets and under supervision and potentially prevents some risky behaviors. (Little et, al. 7) Now that we know that there is a problem with the children of today, it is time to find a solution. Among the programs helping juvenile delinquents

Hotel Magnificent Strategic Vision-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Hotel Magnificent Strategic Vision. Answer: Introduction Services act as a key to satisfy customers especially in the hospitality sector. Key strategic vision for any hotel is to delivery services of highest possible quality through its employees(Heskett J. L., 2010). Hotel Magnificent is aimed at providing high quality customer services through a varied type of strategic objectives. The hotel present as a chain hotel throughout world offers one of the best quality services in Australia. In order to attract its customers, its pool of services varies across lodging, restaurant, child care facilities, conferences, spa and so on and so forth. Lodging facility offered by the hotel is exclusive in itself for attracting large number of customers. Heksetts model of quality service delivery has been accommodated in order that appropriate service blueprint can easily be understood. Services are further customized in a way such that it can easily meet needs of its customers(Theoharakis, 2009). Hence, it can easily be understood that service delivery systems acts as a key to its operational strategy. The scope of this report identifies the services blue print for appropriate operational strategy such that high quality services can be rendered. The hotel implements appropriate service employee management such that it can incorporate quality measures in its chain. Such strategies allow the hotel overcome any sort of challenges faced across its chain and offer high quality of services to its customers(Evanschitzky, 2012). Operating Strategy According to Heksett operational strategy can be best developed by means of aiming at profitability and success for the business. Such profitability can easily be enhanced by means of investing into employees capabilities. Thus, human resource development is the key to attending customer satisfaction(Chi, 2009). The model depicted below reflects the importance of operations as a means or part to obtain customer satisfaction, value and loyalty. Marketing is another crucial factor that can help attract customers by showing the value that will be derived in utilization of the services of the hotel. It can be identified that Hotel Magnificent needs to attract its customers by way of marketing activities and then implement its operational strategy by appropriate training and development of human resources for attaining profitability(Essawi, 2012). The key elements in the model leads to the Service Management Trinity of Human Resources, Marketing and Operations as highlighted below. Figure 1: Heksett's Model A Service Management Trinity comprises of Operations, Marketing and Human Resources as being the key elements of service delivery that are closely related to each other. Operations, marketing and Human Resources are key sources that can help yield high levels of profitability to the hotel chain. The concept aims at reducing conflicts that are offered by the three separate disciplines of management. While operations aims at reducing costs of services that are offered to customers, marketing aims at attracting customers through various advertisements and other endeavors(Fazlzadeh, 2012). Sole aim of marketing activities is to increase profitability of the hotel. Human Resources needs to focus on operations such that customer satisfaction can be increased and attended to. These departments needs to work closely with one another for aiming at appropriate results. Figure 2: Service Management Trinity Marketing: Marketing department needs to evaluate appropriate market segments that it aims to serve. As target market analysis has been undertaken previously according to Heksetts model needs focus on strategic service vision. The Hotel will aim to service areas in Sydney, though it will attract customers from around the world(Heskett J. L., 2010). It will also research key customer needs and preferences within the segment. As in Sydney the hotel needs to offer its services at affordable rates, but with appropriate monitoring of competitive offerings and identifying principal characteristics as their quality and strategic levels. Post which the hotel has designed its services to cater to its targeted segment. Operations: The hotel has selected supplementary elements for increasing value appeals of core service of the hotel which comprises of lodging. The hotel has designed its lodging and restaurant services such that customer needs and preferences are appropriately reflected(Heskett J. L., 2008). Prices are set according that reflects competitive price levels. The hotel has also adopted communication strategy with its customers by means of social media sites for transmitting messages, promoting advantages of services rendered. Human Resource: The hotel has been able to achieve tremendous amounts of success due to its employees. It has already fixed employee performance standards for establishing of appropriate service quality levels. There are programs that rewards its employees for their loyalty as well(Hong, 2013). This establishes that marketing and human resources function in services is closely interrelated and dependent upon each other. Service Blueprint Service blueprint consists of a technique that is commonly used for service design and innovation. A service blueprint is necessarily an applied process chart for service delivery processes that reflects customers perspective(Geum, 2011). It is a tool that is utilized by the hotel for managing of service operations, service positioning and service design. A service blueprint consists of an input process and output methodology. Some elements of service blueprints are Customer Actions, Front-stage, Back-stage including visible contact employee, support processes, physical evidences, inventory and line of visibility. Description of key elements of service blueprint of the hotel are discussed below(Lee, 2015). Figure 3: Service Blueprint The two key elements of service blueprint includes; Customer Actions: These include procedures that customers take as a part for the service delivery process. Customers provide valuable inputs though this process as they come to the hotel to avail valuable services. A customer first makes a booking at the hotel and then finally arrives at the reception to avail the services at the hotel(Bitner, 2008). While checking in customer provides inputs regarding the facilities they will be requiring while staying at the hotel. Every input obtained from customer needs to be accommodated for developing services in a better manner. Such will allow meeting of specific objectives aimed at attaining of customer satisfaction, through service process improvisation. Operational efficiency needs to be also aimed through customer actions to provide voluminous outputs to large number of customers. Front-stage (Visible contact Employee Actions): These include procedures taken by contact employees as an endeavor for face-to-face service encounter(HESKETT, 2012). At the hotel staffs are continuously interacting with customers right from their entry into the hotel till such time, they leave the hotel and provide good feedback. Employees are the front end personnel, who are continuously striving to deliver key services and meet customer satisfaction levels. More the attention provided to individual customers, better the quality of services rendered. The hotel needs to obtain detailed and descriptive inputs regards to service feedback such that they can improvise on any aspect of it as food, behaviour, cleanliness, support and several other parameters on which staffs will be ranked(Larivire, 2008). The Service Delivery System Operational strategy for service delivery system needs to aim at quality services such that customer satisfaction levels can be enhanced. For any service delivery system key procedural techniques needs to be developed(Maritz, 2008). The service delivery system at the hotel needs to be integrated such that key functionality are catered to customers in an enhanced manner to increased customer satisfaction rates. Nature of the service process at each step: For conforming to enhanced quality in services at every step that interacts with customers need to be clearly understood. With rising competition and demand for exclusive range of services it becomes pertinent to evaluate the possibilities for high levels of service delivery. At each and every step beginning customer entry at the hotel, each service point needs to be adequately evaluated and catered to. Serving protocol reservations system: The hotel will first take online booking for its rooms(Fitzsimmons, 2008). It will keep 20% of its rooms for urgent booking, for customers first come and first serve basis. Reservation system will entirely be depended on online booking, where customers will be given maximum discounts. Capacity management issues: During peak seasons the hotel is likely to face capacity management issues that can lead to possible crisis. With multiple guests coming into the hotel, there might be management issues that needs to get dealt with(Yee, 2011). Hence, during such peak seasons, the hotel will employ contractual employees to deal with additional flow of customers. Service Employee Management Employee is the key to deliver high quality services at any hotel. Hence, for attaining competitive edge it becomes crucial to attract and recruit employees who can render the organisation competitive advantages(Heskett J. L., 2008). The hotel will integrate several employee engagement strategies as training and development to attain goals of the organisation. Further, recruiting and selecting appropriately trained employee who has expertise to deliver services in the hotel industry can help it gain positive feedback from customers. Employee management is the key factor that can render competitiveness in the service sector as hotel industry and create a niche for the hotel. The HR manager at the hotel will be responsible for attending to employee related issues and in managing customer complaints or grievances. Through service processes delivery systems, the organisation will aim to attend to each and every step of employee management and handling(Heskett J. L., 2010). Thus, through employee training, they will be motivated which will result in higher motivation for the employee which will in turn affect higher productivity, ultimately leading to customer satisfaction. Quality management measures Heksett model primarily aimed to drive business profitability by means of engaging in improvisation of service quality. The focus of the model was to target and attain key measures in service quality such that business overall profitability can easily be driven. The model analyses key business relationships such that high levels of profits and sales margins can easily be derived. Applying the model in the hotel business, it can be said that the hotel needs to include several business measures. Business measures includes training and empowering of employees, employee satisfaction rates and competence, service delivery systems, customer satisfaction rates, customer loyalty rates which will eventually lead to high sales and profits turnovers. The above identified measures are regarded as the key business drivers that can help attend high levels of profitability and in turn customer satisfaction. Customer attraction can also be regarded as a parameter that will be easily attained through this model. Hence, the hotel management needs to focus on developing parameters or measures for identifying and increasing these key aspects in businesses. Customer satisfaction is associated with past present and future expectation in quality. Customer satisfaction can be achieved with mediocre quality, in case they have low satisfaction expectations. Similarly customer can be dissatisfied even if overall service quality is good, this is the case when service quality is priced at high rates. This model hence focuses on strengthening of business relationships. Customer loyalty is integral for hotel business due to high costs associated with acquiring of new customers and switching costs. Customer relationship can terminate due to multitude of factors hence they needs to be evaluated and reduced substantially. As customer loyalty has direct impact on profitability, metrics determined above needs to be catered to and KPIs (Key performance Indicators) needs to be developed. Such KPI w ill have various scores according to industry standards which can be strived for to achieve and exceed them such that organisations profitability and sustainability can be maintained. Employee can deliver long-term potential impacts on customers as well as the business, hence they are considered to be long-term potential drivers of revenue. Conclusion Analysis of above service quality related aspects of hotel business reveals the importance of quality in driving profitability. While service quality cannot alone be enhanced, there are various parameters of them attached to services that are recognized. Employee management and customer feedback has been regarded as integral factors that can drive high levels of quality within the organisation. Employees acts as a crucial point of delivery of service quality that can easily impact customer satisfaction rates. Hence, identifying various elements in the service blueprint, employee empowerment and developing their competence is regarded as key factors for driving quality. Organisations hence needs to involve themselves in various employee related programs such that superior customer satisfaction can be achieved. Reference Lists Bitner, M. O. 2008. Service blueprinting: a practical technique for service innovation. California management review, 66-94. Chi, C. G. 2009. Employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and financial performance: An empirical examination. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 245-253. Essawi, M. 2012. The Value Confrontation Leadership Model. . BOOK REVIEW, 73. Evanschitzky, H. W. 2012. Perils of managing the service profit chain: The role of time lags and feedback loops. Journal of Retailing, 356-366. Fazlzadeh, A. F. 2012. A Survey on the Effect of Service Delivery System on Corporate Performance Using Service Profit Chain Model. International Journal of Business and Management, 161. Fitzsimmons, J. A. 2008. Service management: Operations, strategy, and information technology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Geum, Y. a. 2011. Designing the sustainable product-service integration: a product-service blueprint approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 1601-1614. HESKETT, J. . 2012. Models of developing design capacity: Perspective from China. LEADING THROUGH DESIGN, 225. Heskett, J. L. 2008. Putting the service-profit chain to work. Harvard business review. Heskett, J. L. 2008. The Ownership Quotient: putting the service profit chain to work for unbeatable competitive advantage. . Harvard Business Press. Heskett, J. L. 2010. The service profit chain. In Handbook of service science (pp. 19-29). Springer US. Heskett, J. L. 2010. The Value Profit Chain: Treat Employees Like Customers and Customers Like. Simon and Schuster. Hong, Y. L. 2013. Missing link in the service profit chain: A meta-analytic review of the antecedents, consequences, and moderators of service climate. Larivire, B. 2008. Linking perceptual and behavioral customer metrics to multiperiod customer profitability: A comprehensive service-profit chain application. Journal of Service Research, 3-21. Lee, C. W. 2015. Service design for intelligent parking based on theory of inventive problem solving and service blueprint. . Advanced Engineering Informatics, 295-306. Maritz, A. . 2008. Implementation of service profit chain initiatives in a franchise system. Journal of Services Marketing, 13-23. Theoharakis, V. S. 2009. The strategic role of relational capabilities in the business-to-business service profit chain. . Industrial Marketing Management, 914-924. Yee, R. W. 2011. The service-profit chain: An empirical analysis in high-contact service industries. International Journal of Production Economics, 236-245.

Are Japan, Korea, and China different or similar

4 Facts About Native American Reservations

4 Facts About Native American Reservations The term Indian reservation refers to the ancestral territory still occupied by a Native American nation. While there are approximately 565 federally recognized tribes in the U.S., there are only about 326 reservations. This means that almost one-third of all currently federally recognized tribes have lost their land bases as a result of colonization. There were well over 1,000 tribes in existence prior to the formation of the U.S., but many faced extinction due to foreign diseases or were simply not politically recognized by the U.S. Initial Formation Contrary to popular opinion, reservations are not lands given to Indians by the United States government. Quite the opposite is true; land was given to the U.S. by the tribes through treaties. What are now reservations is the land retained by the tribes after the treaty-based land cessions (not to mention other mechanisms by which the U.S. seized Indian lands without consent). Indian reservations are created in one of three ways: By treaty, by executive order of the president, or by an act of Congress. Land in Trust Based on federal Indian law, Indian reservations are lands held in trust for tribes by the federal government. This problematically means that the tribes technically do not own title to their own lands, but the trust relationship between tribes and the U.S. dictates that the U.S. has a fiduciary responsibility to administer and manage the lands and resources to the best advantage of the tribes. Historically, the U.S. has failed miserably in its management responsibilities. Federal policies have led to massive land loss and gross negligence in resource extraction on reservation lands. For example, uranium mining in the southwest has led to dramatically increased levels of cancer in the Navajo Nation and other Pueblo tribes. The mismanagement of trust lands has also resulted in the largest class-action lawsuit in U.S. history known as the Cobell case; it was settled after 15 years of litigation by the Obama Administration. Socioeconomic Realities Generations of lawmakers have recognized the failures of federal Indian policy. These policies have consistently resulted in the highest levels of poverty and other negative social indicators compared to all other American populations, including substance abuse, mortality rates, education, and others. Modern policies and laws have sought to promote independence and economic development on the reservations. One such law- the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988- recognizes the rights of Native Americans to operate casinos on their lands. While gaming has produced an overall positive economic effect in Indian country, very few have realized significant wealth as a result of casinos. Cultural Preservation Among the outcomes of disastrous federal policies is the fact that most Native Americans no longer live on reservations. Its true that reservation life is very difficult in some ways, but most Native Americans that can trace their ancestry to a particular reservation tend to think of it as home. Native Americans are place-based people; their cultures are reflective of their relationship to the land and their continuity on it, even when they have endured displacement and relocation. Reservations are centers of cultural preservation and revitalization. Even though the process of colonization has resulted in much loss of culture, much is still retained as Native Americans have adapted to modern life. Reservations are places where traditional languages are still spoken, where traditional arts and crafts are still created, where ancient dances and ceremonies are still performed, and where origin stories are still told. They are in a sense the heart of America-a connection to a time and place that reminds us how young America really is.

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Research Paper Example The reconstructive surgeries are usually procedures that usually conducted to correct defects on human body including faces. Some of the known constructive surgeries are conducted on physical birth defects including cleft lips, ear deformities, and traumatic injuries. On the other hand, the cosmetic or the aesthetic procedures are usually conducted to alter different parts of the body are direct and advised by doctors. Some of the surgeries that are conducted of the form include making the breasts larger in what is called augmentation mammoplasty or making smaller in the process called reduction mammoplasty. Nonetheless, perfect surgery usually depends on the qualification of the doctor. The Plastic Surgery Institute of Miami offers diverse plastic surgery services designed as a response to the market demands. The surgeries offered at the institution significantly improve the appearance of people who decide to go through the process. This paper presents a marketing and brand promotio n strategy for the breast surgery procedure at the institute. The procedure enables different women to have their kind of breast appearance that makes them happy. The life of women who undergo through the procedure gets better because of improved appearance and perfect breasts. Message Strategy The plastic strategy procedures provided by the institute targets women aged 18 years and above (Sharma and Raghuvir 174). The institute recognizes that great transformations are ongoing in society that has also altered the perception of people about women’s appearance and the characteristics about perfect breasts. The institute offers tailor made breast surgery procedures that fully transforms the appearance of breasts and meets the needs of women who choose to go for it. Key Consumer Insights The institute offers breast surgery procedures that achieve various goals. The procedure ensures breast augmentation and transforms smaller breasts into significantly sizable ones. The mastopexy   procedure fully lifts sagging breasts and reshapes them to stand still again. This procedure ensures that women can have the perkiness and youthful appearance of breasts. The institute also offers breast reduction procedure that reduces that size and eliminates different marks on the skin around the breast. Message Objective The message seeks to ensure that the institute can escalate the number of women visiting their facility to undergo plastic surgery procedures on their breasts. The message also seeks to position the institute in the marketplace as a leader in breast surgery services with one hundred percent desirable results. Selling Premise The institute provides breast surgery services in ways that meet the client demands and expectations. The client is assured of one hundred percent procedure that transforms their breasts without complications and at significantly reasonable costs. Big Idea The big idea about the plastic surgery procedures at the institution are being off ered by highly skilled professionals. The institute gives potential clients the opportunity to undergo initial medical checkups free of charge. Clients provide a one off payment to the institution without any hidden costs. The significance for the procedures offered at the institute is done in such a way that the feedback from clients to other potential customers escalates the number of clients. The key customer benefits of the breast surgery procedure are in relation to one hundred perce

Thesis statement is The corporate model of management should not be Essay

Thesis statement is The corporate model of management should not be used for citywide hospital agencies to address its inefficiences - Essay Example thcare sector has massively invested resources in carrying out research on the possibility of developing cure/treatment for these infections that claim lives of many in the 21st century. However, both the states and local government have equally increased medical and clinical awareness campaigns aimed at increasing and improving the quality of healthcare provided to the public. This has been made possible through enacting legislation on healthcare provision to ensure universal access to services. This has resulted into improvement in the quality of life and hence the general productivity of the industry. The management and administration of hospital agencies remains an incredibly complicated and challenging task that calls for effective balancing of all aspects in a hospital setting. Therefore, hospital overseers must balance between pressure from all aspects including internal demands (public expectations, pattern of emerging diseases and demographics changes), demands from suppliers (health care workforce, clinical knowledge and technology), as well as social demands (global research and development market, internationalisation and financial pressures). The complexity of managing hospital agencies remains a concern to researchers who have questioned the wisdom of the application of the corporate model of management in the hospital settings. Presently, many hospitals agencies citywide are relying on a corporate model of management. This model has encouraging impacts on the hospitals productivity. However, overreliance on the model presents severe consequences on the quality and sus tainability of service delivery. It is notable that the theme for adopting corporate model of management in the citywide hospital agencies arose from the need to improve productivity and quality of service delivery (Debra et al.). The need to enhance the development of citywide hospital agencies necessitated the adoption of this model. The model has presented diverse discrepancies,

Descartes First Trademark Argument Essay Example for Free

Descartes First Trademark Argument Essay Descartes argues that our idea of God is innate, meaning it is something inside us from birth, something that has always been there and will always be there. He believed that everybody has an idea of God being a supremely perfect being, and comes to the conclusion in his argument, that God himself put this idea there, he even said that our idea of God is like â€Å"the mark of the craftsman stamped on his work† – us being the work, the mark being our knowledge of God himself. For Descartes, the fact that everybody has this innate idea of a supremely perfect God is in itself, proof of his existence; and the fact that this is an a priori argument, makes this argument appealing for all rationalists, as it relies on knowledge, and not sense experience – which Descartes never trusted. The foundation for Descartes argument is the causal adequacy principle, this is the idea that something (for example, A cannot exist unless it is produced or caused by something else that contains formally or eminently everything that is found in A. Formal reality refers to the basic properties that a thing possesses. However, this alone would cause problems for Descartes argument, because God obviously does not possess all of the properties, of all of the objects on earth, take for example a stone, its properties are hard, round, rough. God is not these things. The way Descartes gets round this is by saying that something say again, a stone, can be caused by something that contains the properties eminently. To contain something eminently, means for the cause to not necessarily have the same properties as the effect, but to have a greater property. So God may not possess the qualities of a stone (say hardness) however he possesses a quality greater then this. In other words, the causal adequacy effects means the cause of something can be no less then the effect. Descartes then takes this principle, and believes he can apply it to ideas, in particular the idea of God as a maximally/supremely perfect being, the cause of this idea, must therefore must contain formally or eminently maximum perfection, so therefore the cause of the idea of God must itself be maximally perfect. Descartes then uses deductive reasoning to decide where the idea came from, he first asked, could he be the source of the idea? However concludes that he can’t be, because he himself is not supremely perfect, and therefore he can’t be the cause of a supremely perfect being. He then considers if the idea of a supremely perfect being could have come through his senses, however he decides this isn’t possible, as he knows he has never seen (heard, smelt, tasted) a supremely perfect being. He then asks if he could have imagined a supremely perfect being, again he concludes he couldn’t have, because his idea of God is too clear and distinct to have come from his imagination. He therefore deducts that the cause of the idea of a supremely perfect being, is actually an existing supremely perfect being who ‘placed’ this idea in his mind; so therefore, God exists. There are however, a number of criticisms to this argument, firstly, many philosophers have raised doubts as to whether the causal adequacy principle is actually true to real life, as there are a number of examples in everyday situations where the cause at least appears to be less then the effect, for example, a match causing a roaring bonfire, or a whisper causing an avalanche. Further examples include chaos theory – the idea that a flutter of a butterfly’s wing can cause an earthquake. If indeed causal adequacy principle isn’t true, Descartes’ whole argument is flawed, as if the cause can be less great then the effect, then Descartes indeed could have created him himself. The second criticism is David Hume’s argument, that you cannot know a cause a priori, but only by experience. He says you cannot determine the cause of something, simply by using reasoning, for example, if a window is broken, you know it must have been something big enough to produce enough force to break it by our past experiences, not by using a priori reasoning. He concludes that you have to have to have observed the cause and the effect to truly know what happened, and therefore the cause must be in existence. The third criticism questions whether we can actually have an idea of a supremely perfect being, Thomas Aquinas doubts our imaginings of God, because he is too great, and that it is impossible for us to understand some of his qualities, particularly the idea of God being infinite, as it is beyond out understanding to understand what such qualities actually mean, and therefore we don’t have a genuine idea of God. The forth criticism of Descartes’ argument is that the idea of God is incoherent, there are attributes which appear to be just plain contradictory, for example God is both immanent and transcendent. There is also doubt raised over Gods supposed omnipotence, can he make a rock so heavy that he can’t lift it? It seems either way his omnipotence will be compromised. There is also the problem of evil, if God is all good, omniscient and omnipotent, then why does he allow suffering in the world? It would therefore seem that the idea of God is unclear, and if so it is likely the cause isn’t that great, and so would make sense that the cause could in fact have been Descartes himself. Another criticism is that the idea of God is not universal, as many other religions do not have an idea of one all powerful God, and therefore the idea of God cannot be innate, as if it was, it would be inside all of us. Also, it is put that the idea of omnipotence cannot be divine, as it can be traced back to having historical routes as tribes fought over who had the greatest God, they would start with ‘our God is powerful’ until one tribes got to ‘our God is maximally powerful’ – and therefore cannot be beaten by the other tribe. Descartes would argue that the fact other religions don’t acknowledge one maximally perfect God does not mean the innate idea is not in us, it just means they have chose to ignore it, or haven’t been made aware of it. He compares it to maths, in the way that we may not have used its truths and laws (i. e. that a triangles interior angles add up to 180) however they are still truths none the less. The last criticism is the empiricists account for the idea of God, that we have experienced attributes such as power, knowledge and goodness in people around them and simply extended them to the idea of God, therefore the cause is less great then the effect, and the idea is not innate. One thing it has in it’s favor, is that it is an a priori argument, and therefore uses reasoning, something rationalist would find very appealing, it means that if the premise can be accepted that it can give 100% certainty. Overall, I feel Descartes’ argument has too many valid criticisms for it to be considered as a successful argument, and its foundation- casual adequacy principle, is itself flawed, leaving the whole argument to fail.

Autobiographical Writing on my 5th Birthday :: Papers

Autobiographical Writing My 5th birthday My 5th birthday is 1 of my earliest memories and is the first birthday I can remember I don't know why it has stuck in my memory so much but I can remember it like it was yesterday. It started very early in the morning around 5 am which is ridiculously early to be getting up and you wouldn't catch me getting up that early these days, but at the time I was used to it because my mum worked at night and my dad started work about 6 so I used to have to go round my next door neighbors house till my mum got home at about 8, the lady next door was called Maureen she was about 50 and she was quite tiny and had short gray hair. I remember her to be very kind, she had a colossal collection of video's that she let me watch every morning and she would always offer drinks, biscuits, cakes and anything you could think of really, her kitchen was the Aladdin's cave of cuisine and provisions. On the morning of my birthday my dad came in my room picked me up to carry me across to next door. I was still asleep not really knowing what was going on around me until the fearsome freeze of the early morning hit me round the head, winded me, then chopped off my fingers and toe's. My dad rushed to get me to Maureen's house as quick as he could when I got in there me and my dad sat down and had a goblet of rosy lea (tea) with Maureen before he had to dash off to work, then she whipped out a bowl of piping hot ready break which is like a kids version of porridge with a ton of sugar and a blab of milk it was lovely, I munched it down like a frog would a fly, I was still pretty drowsy so I had a snooze on the couch. When I awoke a gigantic box wrapped in lime green packaging was stood in the center of the room, I

Laurence Olivier Essay

The original classification of Shakespeare’s plays – ‘Comedies’, ‘Tragedies’, ‘Histories’ and ‘Roman plays‘ – don’t adequately describe all of Shakespeare’s plays, and scholars have come up with more names to do so. The most widely used categories are ‘Romance Plays’, ‘Problem Plays’, and Shakespeare’s ‘Tragicomedy Plays’. The plays in those categories have much in common, but there are enough differences to prevent some of them to fall into all three. The Winter’s Tale, for example is a play that does have the features of all three, however. A tragicomedy is a play that is neither a comedy nor a tragedy, although it has the features of both. Tragedies are usually focused almost exclusively on the central character, the tragic hero (although Shakespeare’s tragedies can sometimes be a double tragedy, with two tragic heroes, like Romeo and Juliet). The audience has insights into his mind and goes deeply in, as he does in Macbeth or Hamlet. Comic plays, on the other hand, remove that focus and the concerns are diversified so that the action is made up of the stories of several characters, particularly pairs of lovers. The shadows in human emotions are usually minor in the comedies: they are such things as misunderstandings, playful deceptions and so on. Plays that fall between the two stools of tragedy and comedy are sometimes referred to as ‘Problem Plays. ’ so the whole area of classification is a very difficult one. It shouldn’t be necessary to classify them but scholars need a language in which to talk about the plays. The Merchant of Venice can be seen as a tragicomedy. It has a comic structure but one of the central characters, Shylock, looks very much like a tragic character. The play has a comedy ending with the lovers pairing off but we are left with taste in the mouth of the ordeal of Shylock, destroyed by a combination of his own faults and the persecution of the lovers who enjoy that happy ending. The feeling at the end of the play is neither joy nor misery. The play has a decidedly comic structure but there is also a powerful tragic story. It can therefore be called a tragicomedy. Shakespeare’ tragicomedies usually have improbable and complex plots; characters of high social class; contrasts between villainy and virtue; love of different kinds at their centre; a hero who is saved at the last minute after a touch-and- go experience; surprises and treachery. The Winter’s Tale and Cymbeline are two plays that fit that tragicomical pattern. Shakespeare’s plays generally accepted as tragicomedy plays are: * Cymbeline * The Winter’s Tale Shakespeare’s Tragedy plays One of the main features of Renaissance art is that it was inspired by classical art and philosophy. This is evident in the work of such artists as Michelangelo who, caught up in the spirit of Humanism that was sweeping across Europe, focused on the human form. Focusing on the human form during Mediaeval times would have been impossible as it would have been a distraction from the necessary focus on God. The essence of Humanistic art was that human beings were created in God’s image so it was possible for Michelangelo even to portray God – as a beautiful and physically powerful man with realistic human features, presented as perfection – in fact, the human form at its most beautiful. Artists became anatomists, going as far as buying human bodies for dissection. The result was a new realism in the representation of human beings in art. Shakespeare is, in a way, the Michelangelo of literature. That he could, in one play, Othello, written four hundred years ago, represent what we can recognise as a modern psychopath and a modern alcoholic, in Iago and Cassio respectively, is incredible. Iago is a fully realised physochological character just as the David is a fully realized man physically. Greek drama was an important model for Renaissance drama after the flat, unrealistic morality plays of the mediaval centuries. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, defined tragedy and asserted that it was the noblest and most serious, dignified and important form of drama. Many of the plays of the Renaissance resembled those Greek tragedies. In several of Shakespeare’s plays there is a central protagonist who undergoes a harrowing experience as he is brought down from his lofty height, ending up dead. There is also a special feeling created in an observer of those Shakespearedramas, similar to the feeling described by Aristotle as the effect of tragedy on an observer. Critics thus thought of those Shakespeare plays as tragedies and that notion has remained with us to  this day, although many of those interested inShakespeare are now thinking differently about the plays. There are still teachers, though, who teach the ‘tragedies’ as though they were Aristotelian tragedies and miss a great deal of what those plays are doing. In his Poetics Aristotle outlines tragedy as follows: The protagonist is someone of high estate; a prince or a king. He is like us – perhaps a bit different in his level of nobility so that we can both identify with him and admire him as a man as well as respect him for his high estate. The protagonist has a ‘tragic flaw’ in his character which makes him contribute to his own destruction. This can take the form of an obsession. The flaw is often part of his greatness but it also causes his downfall. The flaw causes the protagonist to make mistakes and misjudgments. That in turn begins to alienate him from his supporters so that he becomes isolated. He begins to fall from his high level. He struggles to regain his position but fails and he comes crashing down. He eventually recognises his mistakes, but too late. An important aspect is the suffering he undergoes, which the audience observes and identifies with. We experience ‘pity’ and ‘terror’ as we watch what seems to us an avoidable suffering. At thend the air is cleared by the restoration of the order that existed before the events of the story and we experience what Aristotle calls ‘catharsis’ – a feeling of relief and closure. Using the term ‘tragedy’ about Shakespeare’s plays invites attempts to fit them to the Aristotelian pattern but none of them fits. Othello seems to conform to the pattern but when one thinks about it, Othello, superficially resembling a tragic hero, doesn’t even seem to be the main character in the play. It can be seen as a modern psychological drama about a psychopath who manipulates everyone around him just for fun – just because he has nothing better to do – and destroying other human beings gives him pleasure or is necessary because they get in his way. Othello may seem to have a fatal flaw – too trusting, gullible – but so do all the other characters, because Iago has deceived them all with his psychopathic charm and a deliberate effort of making himself appear trustworthy. Every misjudgment Othello makes is the hard work of Iago. Easily manipulated? Jealous? Does he have all those ‘tragic flaws’ as well? The feeling at the end is not quite Aristotle either. Perhaps it is more of a disgust for Iago than pity for Othello, who comes across as more stupid than tragic. And to make things more complicated, our feeling of pity is directed more to Desdamona. And yet some teachers miss the meaning of this play by their insistence on teaching it as an Aristotelian tragedy. Antony and Cleopatra is sometimes called a ‘double tragedy’. While Othello appears to fit the Aristotelian pattern because of the huge charisma of Othello at the beginning of the play Antony and Cleopatra cannot fit it in any shape or form. In tragedy the focus is on the mind and inner struggle of the protagonist. The emotional information comes to the audience from that source. In comedy the information comes from a variety of sources and the comic effect is produced by a display of many different points of view, coming at the audience from different angles. That is exactly what happens in Antony and Cleopatra , so we have something very different from a Greek tragedy. What we have is a miracle – a tragic feeling coming out of a comic structure. So what is Shakespearean tragedy? Perhaps there is no such thing. And yet we can identify a tragic feeling and even a cathartic effect in some of the plays. We must be very careful not to insist on fitting them to any pattern because that wouldn’t help us understand the plays. We must look elsewhere for our understanding of them. Moreover, all of Shakespeare’s plays have elements of both tragedy and comedy, sometimes very finely balanced, creating effects that Aristotle could never have dreamt of. List of Shakespeare’s Tragedy Plays * Antony and Cleopatra * King Lear * Macbeth * Othello * Romeo & Juliet * Titus Andronicus. Shakespeare’s Comedy Plays Early Greek comedy was in sharp contrast to the dignity and seriousness of tragedy. Aristophanes, the towering giant of comedy, used every kind of humour from the slapstick through sexual jokes to satire and literary parody. Unlike tragedy, the plots didn’t originate in traditional myth and legend, but were the product of the writer’s creative imagination. The main theme was political and social satire. Over the centuries comedy moved away from those themes to focus on family matters, notably a concentration on relationships and the complications of love. Such a universal theme was bound to survive and, indeed, it has travelled well, from Greece through Roman civilization and, with the Renaissance preoccupation with things classical, into Renaissance Europe, to England and the Elizabethans, and into the modern world of the twentieth and twenty first centuries, where we see Greek comedy alive and well in films and television. Shakespeare’s comedies (or rather the plays of Shakespeare that are usually categorised as comedies), just as in the case with he tragedies, do not fit into any slot. They are generally identifiable as the comedies of Shakespeare in that they are full of fun, irony and dazzling wordplay. They also abound in disguises and mistaken identities with very convoluted plots that are difficult to follow (try relating the plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to someone! ), with very contrived endings. Any attempt at describing these plays as a group can’t go beyond that superficial outline. The highly contrived endings are the clue to what these plays, all very different, are about. Take The Merchant of Venice for example – it has the love and relationship element. As usual there are two couples. One of the women is disguised as a man through most of the text – typical of Shakespearian comedy – but the other is in a very unpleasant situation – a young Jewess seduced away from her father by a shallow, rather dull young Christian. The play ends with the lovers all together, as usual, celebrating their love and the way things have turned out well for their group. That resolution has come about by completely destroying a man’s life. The Jew, Shylock is a man who has made a mistake and been forced to pay dearly for it by losing everything he values, including his religious freedom. It is almost like two plays – a comic structure with a personal tragedy imbedded in it. The ‘comedy’ is a frame to heighten the effect of the tragic elements. The Christians are selfish and shallow and cruel beyond imagination and with no conscience whatsoever. This is the use of the comic form to create something very deep and dark. Twelfth Night is similar – the humiliation of a man the in-group doesn’t like. As in The Merchant of Venice, his suffering is simply shrugged off in the highly contrived comic ending. Not one of these plays, no matter how full of life and love and laughter and joy, it may be, is without a darkness at its heart. Much Ado About Nothing , like Antony and Cleopatra (a ‘tragedy’ with a comic structure) is a miracle of creative writing. Shakespeare seamlessly joins an ancient mythological love story and a modern invented one, weaving them together into a very funny drama in which light and dark chase each other around like clouds and sunshine on a windy day, and the play threatens to fall into an abyss at any moment and emerges from that danger in a highly contrived ending once again. Like the ‘tragedies’ these plays defy categorisation. They all draw our attention to a range of human experience with all its sadness, joy, poignancy, tragedy, comedy, darkness, lightness, and its depths. Shakespeare’s Comedy Plays * All’s Well That Ends Well * The Comedy of Errors * As you Like It * Cymbeline * Love’s Labours Lost * Measure for Measure * The Merry Wives of Windsor * The Merchant of Venice * Twelfth Night * Two Gentlemen of Verona Shakespeare’s History Plays Just as Shakespeare’s ‘comedies’ have some dark themes and tragic situations while the ‘tragedies’ have some high comic moments, the Shakespeare’s ‘history’ plays contain comedy, tragedy and everything in between. All Shakespeare’s plays are dramas written for the entertainment of the public and Shakeseare’s intention in writing them was just that – to entertain. It wasn’t Shakespeare, but Shakespearian scholars, who categorised his plays into those areas of tragedy, comedy and history – as well as ‘problem‘ and ‘Roman‘. Unfortunately, our appreciation of the plays is often affected by our tendency to look at them in that limited way. Most of the plays have an historical element – the Roman plays, for example, are historical but scholars don’t refer to those Roman plays (Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus etc.) ashistory plays. The plays that we normally mean when we refer to the ‘history’ plays are the ten plays that cover English history from the twelfth to the sixteenthcenturies, and the 1399-1485 period in particular. Each play is named after, and focuses on, the reigning monarch of the period. In chronological order of setting, these are King John, Richard II, Henry IV Parts Iand II, Henry V, Henry VI Parts I, II and III, Richard III and Henry VIII, although Shakespeare didn’t write them in that order. The plays dramatise five generations of’ Medieval power struggles. For the most part they depict the Hundred Years War with France, from Henry V to Joan of Arc, and the Wars of the Roses, between York and Lancaster. We should never forget that they are works of imagination, based very loosely on historical figures. Shakespeare was a keen reader of history and was always looking for the dramatic impact of historical characters and events as he read. Today we tend to think of those historical figures in the way Shakespeare presented them. For example, we think of Richard III as an evil man, a kind of psychopath with a deformed body and a grudge against humanity. Historians can do whatever they like to set the record straight but Shakespeare’s Richard seems stuck in our culture as the real Richard III. Henry V, nee Prince Hal, is, in our minds, the perfect model of kingship after an education gained by indulgence in a misspent youth, and a perfect human being, but that is only because that’s the way Shakespeare chose to present him in the furtherance of the themes he wanted to develop and the dramatic story he wanted to tell. In fact, the popular perception of mediaval history as seen through the rulers of the period is pure Shakespeare. We have given ourselves entirely to Shakespeare’s vision. What would Bolingbroke (Henry IV) mean to us today? We would know nothing of him but because of Shakespeare’s plays he is an important, memorable and significant historical figure. The history plays are enormously appealing. Not only do they give insight into the political processes of Mediaval and Renaissance politics but they also offer a glimpse of life from the top to the very bottom of society – the royal court, the nobility, tavern life, brothels, beggars, everything. The greatest English actual and fictional hero, Henry V and the most notorious fictional bounder, Falstaff, are seen in several scenes together. Not only that, but those scenes are among the most entertaining, profound and memorable in the whole of English literature. That’s some achievement. Finally, although adding this at the end of the article and leaving it in the air, several questions are begged: what we see in the plays is not mediaval society at all, but Elizabethan and Jacobean society. Because although Shakespeare was writing ‘history’, using historical figures and events, what he was really doing was writing about the politics, entertainments and social situations of his own time. A major feature of Shakespeare’s appeal to his own generation was recognition, somethingShakespeare exploited relentlessly. List of Shakespeare’s History Plays, Henry IV Part 2,Henry V,Henry VI Part 1,Henry VI Part 2,Henry VI Part 3,Henry VIII,King John,Richard II,Richard III. 2) Tragedy; Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello. King Lear Play: Overview & Resources The King Lear play is set in the BCE period, somewhere in England, usually thought of as being what is Leicestershire today. The action in the first two acts shifts among the castles of Lear, Gloucester, and those of Lear’s two daughters, Goneril and Regan. The rest of the action takes place in the frozen countryside, mainly on a blasted heath with violent weather, symbolising the state of Lear’s mind. Date written: 1603-1606 Genre classification: King Lear is regarded as a Tragedy Main characters in King Lear: King Lear is the king of pre-Christian Britain. He has three daughters – Goneril, Regan andCordelia. The Earl of Gloucester is a senior duke in Lear’s kingdom. He has two sons, Edmund, an illegitimate son and Edgar, a legitimate son. The Earl of Kent is a fiercely loyal nobleman, sticking by Lear in spite of Lear’s atrocious treatment of him. The Fool is the court jester, developed well beyond the jesters that appear in Shakespeare’s and other writers’ earlier plays. King Lear themes: This is a play about family – a thorough exploration of family relationships, particularly filial ingratitude, where the cruelty and disregard for their father by Goneril and Regan are contrasted with those of the love and loyalty of Cordelia in spite of the ruthless treatment she has experienced at her father’s hands. There is also a deep exploration oflegitimate versus illegitimate offspring. Good versus evil is presented through the evil of the two older sisters against the saintliness of the youngest. Other themes are those of old age and authority. and attitudes to those; pain, justice, and the ever present theme in Shakespeare’s plays: appearance and reality. King Lear Plot Summary The Earl of Gloucester introduces his illegitimate son, Edmund, to the Earl of Kent at court. Lear, King of Britain, enters. Now that he is old Lear has decided to abdicate, retire, and divide his kingdom between his three daughters. Each will receive a portion of the kingdom according to how much they love him. Goneril, Duchess ofAlbany, the oldest, and Regan, Duchess of Cornwall, the second, both speak eloquently and receive their portion but Cordelia, the youngest, can say nothing. Her declaration that she loves him according to a daughter’s duty to a father enrages him and she is disowned. One of Cordelia’s suitors, the Duke of Burgundy, rejects her once she is dowerless but the King of France understands her declaration and takes her as his wife, while the Earl of Kent is banished for taking Cordelia’s part against the King. The kingdom is shared between Goneril and Regan. Lear tells them that he intends to live alternately with each of them. Meanwhile, Edmund is determined to be recognised as a rightful son of Gloucester and persuades his father that his legitimate brother, Edgar, is plotting against Gloucester’s life, using a deceitful device. Edmund warns Edgar that his life is in danger. Edgar flees and disguises himself as a beggar. Goneril becomes increasingly exasperated by the behaviour of Lear’s hundred followers, who are disturbing life at Albany’s castle. Kent has returned in disguise and gains a place as a servant to Lear, supporting the King against Goneril’s ambitious servant, Oswald. Lear eventually curses Goneril and leaves to move in with Regan. Edmund acts as a messenger between the sisters and is courted by each in turn. He persuades Cornwall that Gloucester is an enemy because, through loyalty to his King, Gloucester assists Lear and his devoted companion, the Fool, when they are turned away by Regan and told to return to Goneril’s household. Despairing of his daughters and regretting his rejection of Cordelia, Lear goes out into the wilderness during a fierce storm. He goes mad. Gloucester takes them into a hut for shelter and seeks the aid of Kent to get them away to the coast, where Cordelia has landed with a French army to fight for her father against her sisters and their husbands. Edgar, pretending to be mad, has also taken refuge in the shelter and the Fool, the mad king and the beggar are companions until Edgar finds his father wandering and in pain. Gloucester has been blinded by Regan and Cornwall for his traitorous act in helping Lear. Cornwall has been killed by a servant after blinding Gloucester but Regan continues to rule with Edmund’s help. Not recognised by his father, Edgar leads him to the coast and helps him, during the journey, to come to an acceptance of his life. Gloucester meets the mad Lear on Dover beach, near Cordelia’s camp and, with Kent’s aid, Lear is rescued and re-united with Cordelia. Gloucester, although reconciled with Edgar, dies alone. The French forces are defeated by Albany’s army led by Edmund, and Lear and Cordelia are captured. Goneril has poisoned Regan in jealous rivalry for Edmund’s attention but Edgar, disguised now as a loyal knight, challenges Edmund to a duel and wounds him mortally. Seeing no way out, Goneril kills herself. The dying Edmund confesses his crimes, but it is too late to save Cordelia from the hangman. Lear’s heart breaks as he carries the body of his beloved daughter in his arms, and Albany and Edgar are left to re-organise the kingdom. Hamlet Play: Overview & Resources for Shakespeare’s Hamlet Shakespeare sets his Hamlet play in the cold, dark isolation of Elsinor a bleak, snow-covered region of Denmark. It’s the royal court of the King of Denmark. The atmosphere is established on the cold, windy battlements of the castle. Most of the action takes place in theinterior rooms and corridors of the castle and one scene is set in a nearby cemetery. Date written: 1601 Genre classification: Hamlet is regarded as one of Shakespeare’s tragedies. Main characters in Hamlet: Hamlet, the son of the recently murdered King is the heir to the throne. Hehas had the crown stolen from him by his father’s villainous brother, Claudius whom thelate king’s widow, Gertrude – Hamlet’s mother – has married. Hamlet’s father’s ghost tellshim on the battlements that Claudius murdered him. Hamlet is continuously spied on by Polonius, the garrulous Lord Chamberlain of Denmark. His eavesdropping results in his being accidentally killed by Hamlet. Ophelia is Polonius’ daughter. Led on to a possible relationship by Hamlet, then rejected, she commits suicide by drowning. Her brother, Laertesseeks revenge by plotting with Claudius to kill Hamlet. Other characters are Hamlet’s friend, Horatio, in whom he confides, Rosencranz and Guidenstern, Hamlet’s fellow university students, who spy on Hamlet for Claudius, a troupe of strolling actors and a pair of gravediggers. See a full list of characters in Hamlet. Hamlet Themes: The play falls into the genre of the Revenge Tragedy, which was very popular in the Jacobean era with its taste for violence and intrigue. Revenge is the most obvious, and one of the main, themes of the play. Although explorations of the idea of appearance and reality are present in all Shakespeare’s plays, it’s more fully developed in Hamlet, with all it’s plotting, intrigues, deceit and hypocrisy. Other themes are the question of what a human being is; death and mortality and suicide. In common with several other Shakespeare plays, there is a clear Christian parallel. Hamlet Plot Summary Prince Hamlet’s student friend, Horatio, goes to the battlements of Denmark’s Elsinore castle late at night to meet the guards. They tell him about a ghost they have seen that resembles the late king, Hamlet. It reappears and they decide to tell the prince. Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, having become king, has now married Hamlet’s widowed mother, Gertrude. In the court, after envoys are sent to Norway, the prince is dissuaded from returning to university. Hamlet still mourns his father’s death and hearing of the ghost from Horatio he determines to see it for himself. Laertes, son of the courtier, Polonius, departs for France, warning his sister, Ophelia, against thinking too much of Hamlet’s attentions. The ghost appears to Hamlet and tells him that he was murdered by Claudius. The prince swears vengeance and his friends are sworn to secrecy as Hamlet decides to feign madness while he tests the truth of the ghost’s allegations. He rejects Ophelia, as Claudius and Polonius spy on him seeking to find a reason for his sudden strange behaviour. Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, former student friends of Hamlet, are summoned by Claudius and their arrival coincides with that of a group of travelling actors. The prince knows these players well and they rehearse together before arranging to present Hamlet’s choice of play before the king and queen, which will include scenes close to the circumstances of the old king’s death. At the performance Hamlet watches closely as Claudius is provoked into interrupting the play and storming out, resolving to send the prince away to England. Hamlet is summoned by his distressed mother and, on  the way he spares Claudius whom he sees kneeling, attempting to pray. To kill him while he is praying would send his soul to heaven rather than to the hell he deserves. Polonius hides in Gertrude’s room to listen to the conversation, but Hamlet detects movement as he upbraids his mother. He stabs the concealing tapestry and so kills the old man. The ghost reappears, warning his son not to delay revenge, nor to upset his mother. As the army of Norway’s King Fortinbras crosses Denmark to attack Poland, Hamlet is sent to England, ostensibly as an ambassador, but he discovers Claudius’s plan to have him killed. Outwitting this plot Hamlet returns alone, sending Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths in his stead. During Hamlet’s absence Ophelia goes mad as a result of her father’s death and she is drowned. Hamlet returns and meets Horatio in the graveyard. With the arrival of Ophelia’s funeral Hamlet confronts Laertes who, after attempting a revolt against Claudius, has taken his father’s place at the court. A duel is arranged between Hamlet and Laertes at which Claudius has plotted for Hamlet to die either on a poisoned rapier, or from poisoned wine. The plans go wrong and both Laertes and Hamlet are wounded, while Gertrude unwittingly drinks from the poisoned cup. Hamlet, in his death throes, kills Claudius, and Horatio is left to explain the truth to the new king, Fortinbras, who returns, victorious, from the Polish wars. Macbeth Play: Overview & Resources The main source for Shakespeare’s Macbeth play was Holinshed’s Chronicles. Holinshed in turn took the account from a Scottish history, Scotorum Historiae, written in 1527 by Hector Boece. Shakespeare, flattering James 1, referred to the king’s own books, Discovery of Witchcraft and Daemonologie, written in 1599. Some of the main ideas of Macbeth are Nature, Manhood and Light versus Dark. In Macbeth, the murder of a king by one of his subjects is seen as unnatural and the images ofthe play reflect this theme, with disruptions of nature, like storms – and events such as where the horses turn on their grooms and bite them. In Macbeth Shakespeareexplores what it is to be a man. Lady Macbeth accuses Macbeth of being unmanly because of his hesitation in killing Duncan, but Macbeth says that it’s unmanly for a man to kill his king. Shakespeare plays with that paradox. Duncan is a good king and a good man, and he is surrounded by images of light. Macbethand Lady Macbeth turn their surroundings into a picture of hell, blanketed in darkness. Those images of light and dark interact throughout the play. Traditionally, there is a curse on Macbeth. Actors and productioncrews perpetuate the superstition by avoiding using the play’s title, Macbeth, which is considered bad luck. It has to be referred to as â€Å"The Scottish Play†. Date written: 1605 Read the full Macbeth text Genre classification: Macbeth is regarded as a tragedy. Macbeth Characters: The hero, Macbeth, the Thane of Glamys and later Thane of Cawdor, murders the king, Duncan, and is elected as king in his place. Lady Macbeth, his wife, is his co-conspirator in the murder. Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalblain, themselves in danger, flee. Banquo, Macbeth’s friend, is also murdered by Macbeth. Macduff, the Thane of Fife, suspects Macbeth and his whole family is massacred. Macduff is the man who finally kills Macbeth. There are three witches, who plant the idea of murdering Duncan in Macbeth’s mind, and they lead him on to his destruction. Their queen is Hecate. Other characters are the Scottlish noblemen, Lennox and Ross, and the English general, Siward and his son, Young Siward. See a full list of Macbeth characters. Themes in Macbeth: The main themes in Macbeth are ambition and guilt. Macbeth’s ‘overweening ambition leads him to kill Duncan and from then on until the end of the play he suffers unendurable guilt. Another theme is that of appearance and reality. Of all Shakespeare’s characters, Macbeth has the most difficulty in distinguishing between what is real and what is not. Macbeth Plot Summary King Duncan’s generals, Macbeth and Banquo, encounter three strange women on a bleak Scottish moorland on their way home from quelling a rebellion. The women prophesy that Macbeth will be given the title of Thane of Cawdor and then become King of Scotland, while Banquo’s heirs shall be kings. The generals want to hear more but the weird sisters disappear. Duncan creates Macbeth Thane of Cawdor in thanks for his success in the recent battles and then proposes to make a brief visit to Macbeth’s castle. Lady Macbeth receives news from her husband of the prophecy and his new title and she vows to help him become king by any means she can. Macbeth’s return is followed almost at once by Duncan’s arrival. The Macbeths plot together and later that night, while all are sleeping and after his wife has given the guards drugged wine, Macbeth kills the King and his guards. Lady Macbeth leaves the bloody daggers beside the dead king. Macduff arrives and when the murder is discovered Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain flee, fearing for their lives, but they are nevertheless blamed for the murder. Macbeth is elected King of Scotland, but is plagued by feelings of guilt and insecurity. He arranges for Banquo and his son, Fleance to be killed, but the boy escapes the murderers. At a celebratory banquet Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo and disconcerts the courtiers with his strange manner. Lady Macbeth tries to calm him but is rejected. Macbeth seeks out the witches and learns from them that he will be safe until Birnam Wood comes to his castle, Dunsinane. They tell him that he need fear no-one born of woman, but also that the Scottish succession will come from Banquo’s son. Macbeth embarks on a reign of terror and many, including Macduff’s family are murdered, while Macduff himself has gone to join Malcolm at the court of the English king, Edward. Malcolm and Macduff decide to lead an army against Macbeth. Macbeth feels safe in his remote castle at Dunsinane until he is told that Birnam Wood is moving towards him. The situation is that Malcolm’s army is carrying branches from the forest as camouflage for their assault on the castle. Meanwhile Lady Macbeth, paralysed with guilt, walks in her sleep and gives away her secrets to a listening doctor. She kills herself as the final battle commences. Macduff challenges Macbeth who, on learning his adversary is the child of a Ceasarian birth, realises he is doomed. Macduff triumphs and brings the head of the traitor to Malcolm who declares peace and is crowned king. Othello Play: Overview & Resources The Othello play begins in Venice where there is a wealthy, well ordered, well behaved community, controlled by strong laws and established conventions.