Responsibility for the murder of King Duncan? Essay

It is hard to decide which of the two characters, Macbeth or Lady Macbeth, holds the most responsibility for the murder of King Duncan, as it is possible to think of both of them being equally to blame. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both very ambitious characters and this will be looked at in this essay as part of the analysis of their contribution to Duncan’s murder. This essay will show how Lady Macbeth continuously influences Macbeth and Macbeth follows her every instruction. My essay will discuss both characters’ involvement and it will determine which one is the most culpable for King Duncan’s death. My first point will look at how Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to continue developing the plan for King Duncan’s demise. The first time that we see Lady Macbeth playing a part in the murder, is her reaction to the content of Macbeth’s letter. Immediately after reading the letter her initial decision is that, Macbeth must become king and she shows great determination, this can be supported with: â€Å"and shalt be / What thou art promised;† Merely a short time later Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"To catch the nearest way.† By this she means that Macbeth must become king by any means necessary. Yet she is not convinced that Macbeth is capable of committing the crime himself and so she goes onto say she will: â€Å"Pour my spirits in thine ear.† In this she is expressing how she will tell Macbeth what to do, and we can be sure that she is already developing a plan in order to claim the crown, and this can be seen when she says, â€Å"To have thee crowned withal.† Lady Macbeth is also trying to give Macbeth some of her character, as she does not believe that he could commit the murder without her help. The audience can see Lady Macbeth’s language symbolising evil when she says, â€Å"blanket of the dark.† Lady Macbeth wants the blanket to be dark because light would represent God and goodness and not killing Duncan, whereas Lady Macbeth needs darkness and Satan to help her to plan the deed. The blanket represents a cloud obscuring her conscience and preventing her from realising that her intended murder is wrong. Lady Macbeth’s conscience knows that murder is wrong but wants to call upon the supernatural powers to stop her conscience. This makes her guiltier as she understands how wrong the murder is and yet still wants to continue. It is clear that Lady Macbeth has not only got Macbeth’s interests at heart and is fully aware that she would become queen if Macbeth carries out the murder of Duncan. Just before this Lady Macbeth talks of wanting Macbeth to hurry home: â€Å"Hie thee hither,† We can conclude that this means Lady Macbeth wants the assassination to be carried out as soon as possible. During this passage we can clearly see Lady Macbeth for who she really is, and this is the first time that she is introduced to the play and immediately she reveals herself as being a deceitful and malicious character. Macbeth too shows his wicked nature when he looks to the witches for advice and information, and says, â€Å"Stay, you imperfect speakers. Tell me more.† Even though Macbeth knows that the witches are evil and are related to Satan, he wants to know more about the prophecies. Macbeth also feeds lines to Banquo so that Banquo will confirm what Macbeth wants to hear, â€Å"You shall be king.† Macbeth cannot believe that the witches have prophesised that he will become king when he says, â€Å"To be king / Stands not within the prospect of belief,† However what Banquo says does not stop Macbeth’s determination later in the play. Macbeth is desperate to hear more from the witches and to know more about being king, when he says, â€Å"Speak, I charge you.† The witches then disappear, and after the departure Macbeth discovers that another prophecy is found to be true. Macbeth believes the witches and ignores Banquo’s warnings that the prophecies are rooted in evil: â€Å"What, can the devil speak true?† Banquo does not want to have faith in the witches and believes that they are dangerous. In contrast Macbeth believes that he will be king even though the prophecies are a dangerous basis for his actions. Lady Macbeth decides to ignore the danger of the witches when she calls upon supernatural powers to help her: â€Å"Take my milk for gall.† It is clear from this that Lady Macbeth wants to rid her body of anything that may potentially hold her back from committing the deed. Clearly Lady Macbeth is desperate to be able to arrange the murder, and believes that by calling upon supernatural powers it will be possible, when Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"Come, thick night, / And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,† and, â€Å"No compunctious visitings of nature / Shake my fell purpose,† The audience can see Lady Macbeth’s language becoming increasingly evil when she says, â€Å"thick night,† and â€Å"smoke of hell,† Lady Macbeth wants to have a dark night for the deed to occur, so that there is secrecy for the deed. She knows that if the night is dark then she will feel dark inside her and this will help her to perform the murderous action, this is an example of pathetic fallacy. Lady Macbeth says that the smoke is from hell and this represents the passion and desire and her evil desire to work with Satan on this sinful deed. Hell is also described as being torturous and burning, so â€Å"smoke of hell† is very evil language that Lady Macbeth uses. Then when Lady Macbeth hears of King Duncan’s arrival, she does not think of preparations for his stay but of his death: â€Å"He brings great news.† Her murderous plot can now continue, and we also see that Lady Macbeth is unwilling to let destiny take its course and wants to make her own future. This thought continues through the whole play up until the final point where the murder is committed, which can be seen when she says, â€Å"I feel now the future in the instant.† Macbeth also wants to make his own destiny and shows his first thought of murder when he says, â€Å"My thought, whose murder† This is halfway through Macbeth’s speech having just met the three witches, and Macbeth thinks of killing Duncan again when saying, â€Å"Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair.† This idea has not been put into Macbeth’s mind by anyone other than himself. Macbeth becomes very confused and disorientated in his understanding of what is right and what is wrong, shown when he says, â€Å"This supernatural soliciting / Cannot be ill cannot be good.† When saying, â€Å"This supernatural soliciting,† Shakespeare is showing that Macbeth knows that the witches have sought him. However is unsure as to whether he thinks it to be good or bad. Macbeth does not want to be associated with the witches however he also likes the idea of being king and is torn between right and wrong. Right and wrong continue to be blurred in his mind through the play up until Macbeth actually commits the murder of King Duncan. Macbeth is trying to say that what he can imagine is so horrific that it is worse than what could happen in life now, when he says, â€Å"Present fears / Are less than horrible imaginings.† Soon after the three witches have left Macbeth shows a greedy desire: â€Å"Two truths are told,† This particularly gluttonous desire continues throughout the play. Macbeth clearly knows that there would be great results for him, and his wife as a consequence of King Duncan’s demise, and this can be seen when he says, â€Å"With his surcease, success,† However, Macbeth does not think about this much longer as Banquo discourages him for thinking about the prophecies any more when saying, â€Å"Time and hour runs through the roughest day.† Yet Macbeth continues to think of the prophecies when he writes a letter to his wife. Having received the letter from Macbeth, Lady Macbeth chooses the path of persuading Macbeth to bring to an end any doubts about the murder. Firstly her main involvement, which is her consistent influence on Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is questioning Macbeth’s bravery and calling him a coward when saying, â€Å"Wouldst thou have that / Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,† She then continues to call Macbeth a coward when she goes on to say, â€Å"Live a coward in thine own esteem,† Now Lady Macbeth tries to undermine Macbeth: â€Å"What beast was it then/ That made you break this enterprise to me?† Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth that she would do anything for him and so he must also, when she says, â€Å"Had I so sworn / As you have done to this.† Lady Macbeth is using a variety of tactics to try and manipulate Macbeth to murder King Duncan, as best she can, which is eventually successful. Once Macbeth is fully coerced to the idea of committing the murder, he still has reservations. Lady Macbeth then reveals that she has schemed a plan and this is when she says, â€Å"What cannot you and I perform upon / Th’unguarded Duncan?† Showing how Lady Macbeth decides that murder is the best option as it is already planned, and that she is so keen on the idea. The whole murder is developed down to whom they shall blame it upon: â€Å"His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt / of our great quell?† Showing Lady Macbeth’s incredible determination to continue with the murder, despite Macbeth’s worries. However, once Lady Macbeth embeds the plan into Macbeth’s mind, he continues to carry out the murder, following her instructions. This can be seen when Macbeth has a hallucination of a dagger in front of him. Macbeth is very confused when he says, â€Å"A dagger of the mind, a false creation,† and also â€Å"Witchcraft celebrates / Pale Hecate’s off’rings,† His language shows that there is evil within him and it is not just coming from external sources, such as the witches. Macbeth is talking to the dagger, and revealing that it leads him to what he wants to do, to murder King Duncan, when he says, â€Å"Thou marshall’st me the way I was going,† Macbeth knows what he is going to do, when he says, â€Å"On thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood.† This is his conscience trying to crush the idea, telling him that he is going to commit a murder and that it is morally wrong. â€Å"Horror†, â€Å"fatal vision†, â€Å"bloo dy business† and â€Å"wicked dreams abuse.† The language shows that Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as being absolutely evil, and this is because these words relate to the murder of King Duncan and show that the evil has risen from within Macbeth himself. When Macbeth prepares to commit the murder he has a fear that he may be discovered and that people will realise it was him who murdered King Duncan and not the guards who are to be blamed, this is when he says, â€Å"Hear not my steps, which way they walk,† As Macbeth leaves to commit the murder his last words are, â€Å"Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell / That summons thee to heaven or to hell.† Here Macbeth is cold, determined and purposeful, and Macbeth does not show any doubt as he leaves to carry out the deed at the end of the soliloquy. This essay clearly shows which character is most responsible for the demise of Duncan. Evidently Lady Macbeth is responsible in the way that she was determined at all times and only had one momentary doubt throughout the whole play. Looking at the consequences after the murder, Lady Macbeth does go on to kill herself. This illustrates that Lady Macbeth regrets the decision that she made and that she bears the guilt of the murder. In contrast to this Macbeth committed the crime without any doubt even though he had doubted before he was coerced to continue with the murder. Having murdered once Macbeth continued to murder, seeming to have acquired a taste for it, supplying us with the evidence that Macbeth was more responsible for the murder, due to his actually carrying out the deed and continuing to murder other innocent parties without a second thought.

Sociology Investigation

The Sociological Investigation ~ These notes are taken and adapted from Macionis, John J. (2012). Sociology (14th Edition). Boston: Pearson Education Inc. There are two basic requirements for sociological investigation:Know how to apply the sociological perspective or paradigms or what C. Wright Mills termed as the â€Å"sociological imagination. †Be curious and ready to ask questions about the world around you. There are three ways to do Sociology. These three ways are considered as research orientations:A. Positivist Sociology Positivist sociology studies society by systematically observing social behaviour.Also known as scientific sociology.It includes introducing terms like independent variable, dependent variables, correlation, spurious correlation, control, replication, measurement, cause and effect, as well as operationalizing a variable1.Positivist sociology requires that researcher carefully operationalize variables and ensuring that measurement is both reliable and valid.It observes how variables are related and tries to establish cause-and-effect relationships. It sees an objective reality â€Å"out there. †Favours quantitative data (e. g. data in numbers; data from surveys).Positivist sociology is well-suited to research in a laboratory.It demands that researchers be objective2 and suspend their personal values and biases as they conduct research.There are at least FOUR limitations to scientific / positivist sociology.Positivist sociology is loosely linked to the structural-functional appr oach / paradigm / perspective.B. Critical Sociology Critical sociology uses research to bring about social change. It asks moral and political questions.It focuses on inequality.Specifying exactly what is to be measured before assigning a value to a variable (Macionis: 2012, p. 50).Personal neutrality in conducting research (Macionis: 2012, p. 50)It rejects the principle of objectivity, claiming that ALL researches are political. Critical sociology corresponds to the social-conflict approach / paradigm / perspective.C. Interpretive Sociology Interpretive sociology focuses on the meanings that people attach to their behaviour. It sees reality as constructed by people in the course of their everyday lives.It favours qualitative data (e. g. data acquired through interviews).It is well-suited to research in a natural setting.Interpretive sociology is related to the symbolic-interaction approach / paradigm / perspective. Gender and Research Gender3, involving both researcher and subjects , can affect research in five ways:Androcentricity (literally, â€Å"focus on the male†)OvergeneralisingGender blindnessDouble standardsInterference Research EthicsResearchers must consider and do the following things when conducting research:Protect the privacy of subjects / respondents.Obtain the informed consent of subjects / respondents.Indicate all sources of funding.Submit research to an institutional review board to ensure it does NOT violate ethical standards.There are global dimensions to research ethics.Before beginning research in another country, an investigator must become familiar enough with that society to understand what people there are likely to regard as a violation of privacy or a source of personal danger.Research and the Hawthorne Effect Researchers need to be aware that subjects’ or respondents’ behaviour may change simply because they are getting special attention, as one classic experiment revealed. Refer to Elton Mayo’s investig ation into worker productivity in a factory in Hawthorne, near Chicago. 3 The personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male (Macionis: 2012, p. 50).The term Hawthorne Effect is defined as a change in a subject’s behaviour caused simply by the awareness that s/he is being studied. Methods: Strategies for Doing Sociological ResearchThere are the basic FOUR methods:A. Experiment This research method allows researchers to study cause-and-effect relationships between two or more variables in a controlled setting.Researchers conduct an experiment to test a hypothesis, a statement of a possible relationship between two (or more variables).This research method collects mostly quantitative data.Example of an experiment: Philip Zimbardo’s â€Å"Stanford County Prison. †o Advantages Provides the greatest opportunity to specify cause-and-effect relationships. Replication of research is relatively / quite easy. Limitations Labo ratory settings have an artificial quality to it. Unless the lab environment is carefully controlled, results may be biased too.B. Survey and/or Interview This research method uses questionnaires or interviews to gather subjects’ / respondents’ responses to a series of questions.Surveys usually yield or produce descriptive findings, painting a picture of people’s views on some issues.This research method collects mostly qualitative data.Example of a survey: Lois Benjamin’s research on the effects of racism on African American men and women.She chose to interview subjects / respondents rather than distribute a questionnaire. o Advantages Sampling, using questionnaires, allows researchers to conduct surveys of large populations or a large number of people. Interviews provide in-depth responses. o Limitations Questionnaires must be carefully prepared so that the questions and instructions are clear and not confusing. Questionnaires may yield low response / r eturn rate from the target respondents. Interviews are expensive and time-consuming.C. Participant observation Through participant observation, researchers join with people in a social setting for an extended period of time.Researchers also play two roles, as a participant (overt role) and as an observer (covert role).This method allows researchers an â€Å"inside look† at a social setting.This research method is also called fieldwork.Since researchers are not attempting to test a specific hypothesis, their research is exploratory and descriptive.This participant observation research method collects qualitative data.Example of participant observation: William Foote Whyte’s â€Å"Street Corner Society. o Advantages It allows for the study of â€Å"natural† behaviour. Usually inexpensive. o Limitations Time-consuming. Replication of research is difficult. Researcher must balance role of participant and observer.D. Existing or Secondary sources Researchers analyse existing sources, data which had been collected by others.This research method is also called library research or archive research.By using existing or secondary sources, especially the widely available data by government agencies, researchers can save time and money.Existing sources are the basis of historical research. Example of using existing sources:E. Digby Baltzell’s award-winning study â€Å"Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia. † How could it be, Baltzell wondered, during a chance visit to Bowdein College in Maine, USA, that this small college had graduated more famous people in a single year than his own, much bigger University of Pennsylvania had graduated in its entire history? o Advantages Saves time, money and effort of data collection. Makes historical research possible. o Limitations Researcher has no control over possible biases in data. Data may only partially fit current research needs.

The concept of organizational change within management theory Research Paper

The concept of organizational change within management theory - Research Paper Example Organizational change is a paradigm for addressing the impact of new external and internal forces, changes in culture and structure within an organization (Mills, 2003). Basically, organizational change deals with the change management’s human aspect. A methodical organizational change is favorable when change necessitates all the people in an organization to gain new skills, practices, and knowledge (Poole & Van De Ven, 2004). By appropriately establishing expectations and goals, using instruments to enhance communication and information dissemination and dynamically pursuing means to avoid misunderstanding, stakeholders are more predisposed to accept a change at the onset and remain steadfast to the change despite of any difficulties accompanying it. Meanwhile, if one were to look deeply after monitoring and examining several organizational changes, an array of goals would appear to exist. These goals could be implied or formally stated, or they could be embedded in the deci sions and responses of the management (Kamoche, Cunha, & Cunha, 2002). To the outsider, the general goals can be grouped under such categories as reduced turnover, reinforced innovation, new strategies, enhanced teamwork and cooperation, strengthened motivation, etc (Kamoche et al., 2002). Organizational changes are usually intended for these several common goals. Fundamental to these more apparent goals are generally two underlying purposes: (1) changes in employees’ behaviors and attitudes, and (2) changes in the adaptation level of an organization (Kezar, 2001). The first objective of organizational change, to realize transformations in patterns of behavior, becomes evident if one identifies that the adaptation level of the organization is not strengthened except if a large number of its people behave or act differently with regard to their tasks and their relationship to each other. An organization does not function mechanically; it operates through its people, and every organization possesses distinctive approaches to decision making (Kezar, 2001). Hence, any organizational change, regardless if it will be established through a training course or a new structural plan, is fundamentally trying to encourage employees to accept and implement new behavioral patterns and rudiments for performing tasks and relating to each other. Likewise, organizations are constantly trying to adapt themselves strongly and effectively to their immediate internal and external environment. Due to the fact that organizational management has no power to totally control its environment, particularly the external one, they are persistently obliged to initiate internal changes in the organization which permit them to deal more successfully with new challenges and problems of the external environment, such as difficult social demands, technological advances, heightened competition, and new government regulation (Murray & Richardson, 2002). Organizational changes are normally la unched in ‘response’ to demands from the external environment. Nevertheless, in several instances, changes are initiated in ‘expectation’ of future demands and problems. What Provokes Organizational Change? A fundamental fact of the twenty-first century is that managers and organizations as a whole are confronted with insistent pressures of change. Organizations are ever more

External Financing Essay Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

External Financing Essay - Assignment Example Several factors such as weighted average cost of capital (WACC) and agency costs should be considered in choosing an external funding source. The weighted average cost of capital is the minimum rate that a company is supposed to earn from the existing asset base in order to satisfy the owners, creditors and other capital providers. Agency costs restrict the leverage of a firm. Taking financial risks leads to higher leverage. This also increases the agency cost of debt and leads to lower debt capacity. Leverage helps to reduce the loss in terms of firm value. Therefore debt becomes advantageous especially in firms that have few opportunities of growth or high percentage of assets in place (Trigeorgis, 1995).This report explores the advantages and disadvantages of some of the major external financing options that Acme can employ. Equity The company can raise funds through issuing shares. They can either be common or preferred shares. Owners of common stock are partial owners of the com pany. They have the right to share company profits or dividends and vote at the company’s general meetings. Dividends paid to shareholders vary depending on the profits that the company is making. They also have preemptive rights to maintain the ownership of the company when gives another stock offering. However, common stock shareholders are the last to receive dividends after all the preferred stock shareholders. Owners of preferred stock also own the company partially but do not have any voting rights. Preferred stock pays fixed dividends. Preferred stock shareholders are the first to receive dividends and incase the company goes bankrupt, they will be paid before the common stock shareholders. Stock shares are advantageous because they are a permanent source of funding for the company and share capital cannot be redeemed. The disadvantage of this external financing method is that the ownership of the company is shared with the shareholders and they might make decisions th at might negatively affect the progress of the company (Davidson, 2002). Hire purchase Acme can also get external funding through hire purchase. The organization can acquire assets without investing the full amount in buying them. This agreement allows the company to use an asset for a certain period of time before it can fully purchase them. The firm is able to acquire an asset quickly without paying the full price and after the specified period of time, the company can either return it or purchase it a reduced price. This method is advantageous since the company can pay for the equipment through manageable installments from funds generated by the equipment. The disadvantage is that the total amount of installments exceeds the original cost of the equipment (Giovanelli, 1998). Bonds The company can also get external funding through issuing of bonds. The company offers loans in the form of debt securities. This method does not require companies to give up partial ownership of the co mpany. Bonds have either fixed interest rates or floating rates. More leveraged companies obtain more funding through bonds relative to stocks. This external funding method has several advantages. Issuing bonds is a cheaper method than bank overdrafts or equities since the interest from the debt is tax-deductable while equity dividends are paid out of taxed company’s profits. This strategy also helps companies to monitor their financial stability.

The Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus in the Middle East Essay

The Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus in the Middle East - Essay Example Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) increases considerably the risk for all manifestations of atherosclerotic vascular disease, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral vascular disease(Payorala, 1987) The underlying mechanisms for accelerated atherogenesis in NIDDM are poorly understood. Although NIDDM is associated with a clustering of risk factors favoring atherogenesis (high total triglyceride and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and a high prevalence of hypertension and obesity), population-based, prospective studies have repeatedly shown that only a small proportion of the excess risk for coronary heart disease in NIDDM can be explained by the effects of NIDDM on the levels of cardiovascular risk factors(Payorala, 1987) Therefore, the excessive occurrence of coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular complications in NIDDM must be mainly caused by diabetes itself or factors related to it. Type 2 diabetes is the most prevale nt form of diabetes and is due to the combination of insulin resistance and defective secretion of insulin by pancreatic b-cells. (Grundy, Benjamin, Burke, Chait, Eckel , Howard, Mitch, Smith , & Sowers.,1999)Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality due to coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral vascular disease. Metabolic control and duration of type 2 diabetes are important predictors of coronary heart disease (ischaemic heart disease. (Kuusisto J, Mykkanen L, Pyorala K, & Laakso M.,1994) Introduction/Background to the issue: During the past 20 years, major socio-demographic changes have occurred in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (Alwan A, King H , 1992) The total population of the Region has almost doubled. The birth rate has remained high but infant and childhood mortality rates and the crude death rate have decreased. Life expectancy has improved dramatically, urbanization has occurred and per capita income has increased. The

Biblical 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Biblical 2 - Essay Example They became what we know now as the Twelve Apostles. This started with the calling of Peter and Andrew (Matthew 4:18-20). He told these two men and the ten after them that He’s going to teach them to become more than fishermen that catches fish in the sea. He taught these men how to become fishers of men inviting them to leave their families and the life that they know in order to help Jesus bring to the people the Kingdom of God. These Twelve Apostles were in parallelism with the Twelve Tribes of Israel of the Old Testament. His act of establishing the core of His Ministry showed He recognized His need of help. With them, Jesus started his Galilean Ministry, establishing the groundwork of working His way through preaching and healing people (Redford). With them, he made sure that His teachings will carry on even when He has gone from the earth. While gathering His Apostles, He was also gathering a public ministry which consisted of people who readily accepted His miracles and the doubtful who wanted to see more so they can believe in His works are the works of God and not of the Devil. Jesus loved to teach using parables, using the lessons and hidden messages to interpret and characterize the Kingdom of God and how the people should act to receive the blessing of being accepted in the Kingdom of God. One of His most famous teachings happened during the Sermon on the Mount or what is called The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-20, 38-48). The Beatitudes represented the standard of conduct of the people who would become the citizens of the Kingdom of God (Redford). It described how people should act in order to gain entry into the Kingdom and to maintain a life there. Jesus’ lessons described mainly how people should repent and act in order to cleanse themselves and be worthy of the Kingdom of God. His teachings, particularly the Beatitudes showed people that those who are

Compare Musical and Opera Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Compare Musical and Opera - Essay Example In comparing Musical and Opera, one can base the argument relating to their source, historical background, development and their evolution. However, this paper shall discuss the key features that compare Musicals from the Operas. In the present time, people fail to provide a clear distinction between the two, and instead define any form of entertainment performance with music as musicals, and some famous music singers confuse their musicals with Opera (http://www.aria-database.com/). Musical theaters currently referred, as ‘Musicals’ is a style used in theater, whereby the songs, dances, and oral dialogue integrate to narrate a story. In the contemporary world, a musical takes various forms as long as it aims at narrating a story. For that reason, musical could be a stage performance, a film/television presentation and it combines the modern and the known music styles and discourse in narrating the entire story (http://www.aria-database.com/). Opera is classified under a certain form of theater, in which a musical group and singers incorporates sheet music and â€Å"libretto† also known as the text in contemporary language to narrate a story. On the other hand, performance of musicals takes place in theatres. Presentation of musicals could be staged or televised. ... Another key difference between Musicals and operas is in terms of language used. While performing musicals, the audience understands the performance language. For instance, Musicals developed in England and America is performed in English regardless of whether the developer comes from non- English-speaking nations. Together with that, the singing, dancing, and dialogue follow the rules of the popular music, popular dance styles, and the modern dialogues. Musicals have three major characteristic; the brain, the heart and courage (Kagen, 1968). The Brain – in order to perform musicals, the developer should have required intelligence and necessary writing style. On the other hand, the heart calls for the genuine feeling while developing the story, and lastly, courage calls for one to have the ability, creativity, and boldness in presenting something. This is very different from an Opera, in that, there is comprehensive training of the singers, classical singers in this context, a nd they are required to memorize and present the song without making any translations (http://opera.stanford.edu/main.html). In addition, there are numerous well-known opera styles in different languages, for instance, the Italian Opera, the German Opera, Russian opera, French opera, and lastly English–language opera. The performance of each Opera takes a different style (http://opera.stanford.edu/main.html). Based on their production, musicals and Operas portray many differences. First, Opera upholds music as the livelihood of production, whilst musical depends on text written and the story narrated. In the modern time, the Operas are established on classical music. It relates the way one would visualize the Mozart’s classical music

Commentery Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Commentery - Thesis Example The king was then considered to be the guardian of the country and the rise of the parliament was obstructed for a very long time as a result of this theory of the Divine-Right of the king. The powers of the king and the institution of monarchy in England and other parts of Europe have been extremely pronounced and have maintained a strong hold on the public imagination. The king often worked in conjunction with religious authorities of the day so as to maintain monarchical control over the kingdom and over the minds of the people. Through the ages, the institution of monarchy sought to perpetuate itself through discourses that brought in several ideas such as the divine and the social. There have been occasions on which this dissent has translated itself into great violence. One of the greatest instances of this is the execution of the king in England in the seventeenth century by the Puritan regime. The French revolution can be considered to be the culmination of the bourgeoisie so ciety’s resistance against monarchy (New Tensions in the Western Political Tradition: Absolutism and Parliament 23-4). The French revolution then can be considered to be one of the most important moments in the history of Europe where the ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity were considered. These then influenced to a great extent the rise of democracy and the state as an institution of the modern society. The Divine Right theories that were talked of during the medieval ages were then looked upon as something that prevented the transfer of power into the hands of the common people. As explained earlier, the French Revolution led to the displacement of the ideals of monarchy. The importance of this lies in the fact that the overthrow of monarchy was accompanied by a great many changes in the social structures of that period. The complicity of the church in the control that was exercised

“Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet” by Alex Epstein Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet† by Alex Epstein Essay Part 1: Graphical Representation Part 2: Summary of argument In the article â€Å"Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet† (Epstein, 2013), Alex Epstein’s main claim was that fossil fuels should be used without restriction as they provide reliable and affordable energy that improves the lives of mankind. Aiming to convince the reader fossil fuels should be freely used, he first argued that the energy provided by fossil fuels is vital to the health and well-being of mankind. He supported this by stating that processes such as purifying water, mass production of medicine and fresh food, heating and construction are vital in allowing mankind to lead healthy lives and being able to cope in harsh climates. Epstein stressed that none of these things would exist in the modern world without the energy from fossil fuels. Next, he argued that alternatives like renewable energy are not effective. He asserts that renewable energy is unreliable, not cost effective and also unable to be mass-produced. He supported this by saying that even after years of investments from many countries only accounts for less than 0.5% of the planets energy. Finally, Epstein concluded by stating that fossil fuels are not â€Å"dirty energy†. He supported this by saying current technology can reduce waste produced in using fossil fuels to a minimum. He argued that since all processes create some waste, any process can be considered â€Å"dirty† and rejected. Epstein hence contended that mankind should focus on building better lives by reaping the benefits of using fossil fuels rather than worrying about whether processes were â€Å"dirty† or not. Part 3: Evaluation of argument Epstein’s first argument is that the energy provided by fossil fuels is vital to the health and well-being of mankind. The assumption he makes in his argument is that burning fossil fuels is the largest or sole provider of energy to mankind. This is validated by empirical data collected on a  global scale from The World Energy Outlook 2013 (International Energy Agency, 2013) which recorded that 82% of the world’s total energy supply came from fossil fuels in 2011 and will likely only fall to 75% in 2035, remaining the major source of energy for years to come. The argument uses deductive reasoning to prove that the energy provided by fossil fuels is vital to the health and well-being of mankind based on the premise that the energy powers important machines and processes that mankind needs to thrive. Epstein supports this by listing processes such as purifying water, the mass production of medicine and fresh food, heating and construction. He states that these processes provides necessities that are key in keep sickness at bay and allowing mankind to cope with the often harsh climate, leading to what he claims to be the healthiest and cleanest living environment in human history. The evidence Epstein provides shows that the affordable reliable energy from fossil fuels provides important necessities such as clean water and medicine that is vital to the health and well-being of mankind. This is congruent to Dennis Anderson’s points in â€Å"World Energy Assessment: Energy and the Challenge of Sustainability† (United Nations Development Programme, 2000, Chapter 11 p.394) where he reports that the presence of modern sources of energy can improve the standards of living for billions of people across the globe, especially those in developing countries who lack access to basic services and necessities similar to those described by Epstein due to consumption levels of energy being far lower than those in industrialized countries. This shows the state of people who lack access to modern energy and how their lives can be greatly improved if more energy was available to them. Therefore since Epstein’s argument uses deductive reasoning to prove that the energy provided by fossil fuels is vital to the health and well-being of mankind, since the premise is true, the conclusion of the argument is valid. References Anderson, D. United Nations Development Programme, United Nations. World Energy Council. (2000). World Energy Assessment: Energy and the challenge of sustainability. New York, NY: United Nations Development Programme In: Chapter 11 Energy and Economic Prosperity. (P.394-411) Retrieved from http://www.undp.org/ International Energy Agency Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2013). World energy outlook 2013. Paris: OECD/IEA. Retrieved from http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/ Epstein’s second argument is that alternative sources of energy to fossil fuels are not as effective. The argument uses inductive reasoning as Epstein focuses on 2 alternative sources of energy and attempts to convince the reader of his argument based on their observed limitations. The premises offered are that renewable energy such as solar and wind is unreliable, not cost effective and also unable to be mass-produced. He is able to support this with his claim that even after years of investments from many countries renewable energy only accounts for less than 0.5% of the planets energy. He also supports this by quoting examples of some richer countries that have been unsuccessful in making renewable energies usable on a larger scale even after spending large sums of money, resulting in rising youth unemployment rates as high as 50% in Spain and electrical prices doubling in the case of Germany. These cases and facts accurately shows the limitations of renewable energies ment ioned in his premises. This is supported by Professor Barry Brook in his in-depth critique on renewable energy â€Å"Renewable Limits† (Brook, 2009, TCASE 4 7) where he states that input for energy for solar and wind is unreliable and also shows how costly and economically unfeasible it is to make solar and wind plants reliable on a global scale. The report demonstrates this by calculating the large amounts of materials and investment needed to make each renewable energy source reliable on a global scale e.g. 1,250,000 tonnes of concrete and 335,000 tonnes of steel per day from 2010 to 2050 for wind power to be reliable. Therefore, the facts in the premises Epstein offers are true. However, he chooses to purely focus on solar and wind as alternatives to fossil fuels and not on other more promising alternative sources of energy such as hydroelectric power or nuclear. Although he mentions them in his argument, acknowledging them as able to provide more significant and reliable power compared to solar and wind, Epstein fails to go any further in depth than that. The World Energy Outlook 2012 (International Energy Agency, 2012) showed that renewable energy is likely to grow to become the second-largest energy source by 2015, with its share of global power generation rising from 20% in 2010 to 31% by 2035 mostly stemming from hydroelectric power and nuclear power. Although the report states that this depends on continued subsidies, subsidies for renewable energy are also projected to reach $240 billion per year in 2035 from $44 billion in 2010, for 31% of global power. The report suggests that given enough time renewables like hydroelectric power and nuclear could be produced on a wide enough scale to compete with fossil fuels. This shows that the other alternatives not evaluated fully by Epstein are definitely gaining traction and support around the world and are able to produce affordable and reliable energy as well, potentially on a global scale given time. Although he claims to have focused only on solar and wind as environmentalists , opponents of fossil fuels, often only champion solar and wind power over nuclear and hydroelectric power, it is a very weak reason to not go into detail about these alternatives that are clearly gaining much traction and support around the world as shown in the source. Hence, Epstein fails to consider the full scope of alternatives in his argument and seems to focus only on alternatives that have clear limitations to strengthen his argument. Since his argument uses inductive reasoning to prove that alternative sources of energy to fossil fuels are not effective, based on the premises provided not painting a complete picture of the issue at hand, and the fact that the alternatives ignored show more promise than the ones mentioned in the premises, his argument is weak and not convincing. References Brook, B (2009). Renewable Limits | Brave New Climate. Retrieved from http://bravenewclimate.com/renewable-limits/ International Energy Agency Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2012). World energy outlook 2012. Paris: OECD/IEA. Retrieved from http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/

The Road to Integrated School Systems Essay Example for Free

The Road to Integrated School Systems Essay In 1986, the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case established that there could be separate but equal facilities for blacks and whites, giving support to Jim Crow laws. The Supreme Court did not begin to reverse Plessy until the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case 58 years later, which established that segregating blacks and whites was unconstitutional and that separate could never be equal. After the period of reconstruction following the Civil War, many states in the south and other regions of the country passed laws that discriminated against African-Americans. These laws ranged from restrictions on voting to requirements that blacks and whites use separate facilities and attend separate schools. On June 7, 1892, Homer A. Plessy, a man who was one-eighth black and seven-eighths white, bought a train ticket to travel from New Orleans to Covington, Louisiana. Under Louisiana law, he was considered black and was required to ride in the colored car. Because Plessy sat in the whites only car, he was arrested and put in jail in New Orleans (Frost-Knappman). Plessy faced trial for his crime of riding in a railroad car for whites only. John A. Ferguson presided over his trial in federal district court. He was found guilty, and the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld his conviction. Plessy then appealed to the United States Supreme Court for an order forbidding Louisiana-in the person of Judge Ferguson-from carrying out his conviction (Frost-Knappman). On April 13, 1896, Plessys lawyers argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. Their argument was that Louisiana had violated Plessys 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the law (Cozzens). Attorney General Cunningham argued that the law merely made a distinction between blacks and whites and did not necessarily treat blacks as inferiors (Cozzens). On May 18, 1896, the court issued its decision, upholding the Louisiana law: A [law] which implies merely a legal distinction between the wh ite and colored racesa distinction which is founded in the color of the two races, and which must always exist so long a white men are distinguished from the other race by colorhas no tendency to destroy the legal equality of the two races (Frost-Knappman). The court also endorsed the separate but equal doctrine, ignoring the fact that blacks had almost no control over how equal black and white facilities were (Frost-Knappman). In years to come, black schools, railroad cars, and other facilities were very rarely as good as those of whites. For the next 58 years blacks continued to be discriminated against through segregation. This led to the 1954 Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education. Brown was an eight-year-old girl named Linda and was the daughter of Oliver Brown, a quiet, hard-working man who served as an assistant pastor and sexton at St. John African Methodist Epicostal Church in Topeka, Kansas (A Moment in History). Linda Brown attended a school that was more than three miles from her home. Her trip to school involved a six-block walk along the train tracks to catch a bus that took her the rest of the way (Pratt). In 1950, Oliver Brown sought to enroll his daughter at the nearby white Sumner Elementary School (Hollaway ). The superintendent, Kenneth McFarland, had always favored segregation and informed Brown that Topeka was not yet ready to make the change (Hollaway). The school board supported McFarland in his decision (Hollaway). On August 25, 1950, Lucinda Todd, secretary of the local NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), wrote to the national office in New York, saying that the school situation in Topeka had grown unbearable and that the local branch was willing to go to court to challenge the Kansas law. Local attorneys Charles Bledsoe, John Scott, and Charles Scott drew up the legal papers. However, it was not easy to find blacks willing to serve as plaintiffs in the case. Lucinda Todd was the first to volunteer. Eventually, twelve others followed. All were the parents of children who had been denied admission to white schools, and all were women except for Oliver Brown who was listed as the lead plaintiff (Pratt). The case was officially filed with the U.S. District Court for Kansas on February 28, 1951. Though sympathetic with the plaintiffs argument, the District Court unanimously refused to grant relief (Cozzens). Immediately after the lower courts ruling, the NAACP attorneys began to prepare their appeal. Similar school desegregation suits were being filed in the District of Columbia, Delaware, Virginia, and South Carolina. The central issue of the cases shifted from unequal funding to the fact that segregation was unconstitutional and a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. In December 1952, the Supreme court decided to group the five cases together and hear them simultaneously. The cases became known as Brown v. Board of Education (Cozzens). On May 17, 1954, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote for a unanimous court that separate education facilities are inherently unequal. In summing up the courts opinion Warren concluded: To separate [black children] from others of similar age solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community. In 1955, the court handed down its enforcement decree in Brown II, which said that the desegr egation of public schools should proceed with deliberate speed (Hollaway). Ironically, Linda Brown had by this time started to attend an integrated middle school. However, thousands of other children benefited from the courts decision (Pratt). Eventually this decision would be used to dispel other segregation laws and practices. For example, the separate but equal doctrine was abolished (Frost-Knappman). Today, de facto segregation still exists in some areas because of residential patterns and other factors. However, much progress has been made. Were it not for the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case, The U.S. would probably not be quite so far along in the quest for public integration of races. Works Cited Cozzens, Lisa. Brown v. Board of Education. 29 June 1998. 14 April 2002 . . Plessy v. Ferguson. 17 Sep. 1999. 18 April 2002 . Frost-Knappman, Elizabeth, Edward W. Knappman, Lisa Paddock, eds. Courtroom Drama. 1998. New England Publishing Associates, Inc. Hollaway, Kevin. The RulingBrown v. Board of Education. Civil Rights: A Status Report. 13 Dec. 1996. 14 April 2002 . A Moment in History: Brown v. Board of Education. Learning Network. 14 April 2002 . Pratt, Robert A. Segregation Overruled. National Parks. Sep./Oct. 1993.