Existentialism & Fight Club Essay

?From an existentialism point of view, there is no right or wrong choice, since one gives an action value by the virtue of choosing it. Choices can only be judged on how involved the decision maker is when making it. Judging by this standard, the narrator is justified in killing Tyler, since he fully became involved in choosing to both accept and reject Tyler’s values by that action. â€Å"Existentialism’s first move is to make every man aware of what he is and to make the full responsibility of his existence rest on him. † In my essay, I shall first discuss how shooting Tyler is crucial in allowing the narrator to achieve the first move in embracing existentialism. He acts as the catalyst for the narrator to make the first move in existentialism: being aware of what he is by acknowledging all his primal instincts and assuming responsibility for his existence. Tyler does so through his acts of escalating violence and atrocity to provoke the narrator to confront both who he is and his responsibilities, culminating finally in his own death. I shall also discuss the theme of consumerism as portrayed in the movie, and how the decision of shooting Tyler relates to the narrator’s interpretation of this theme. The narrator had been hesitant to assume full responsibility for his existence at the start of the movie. He dislikes his present circumstances- he is jaded with his current job and lacks a clear purpose, as illustrated by the quote †A single serving package, a single serving†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Once he consumes the single serving, he is done. He makes a fleeting impression in someone else’s life before he fades from their memory. He feels his existence is meaningless because he has no connections with anyone. He is not content with the present state he is in, but makes no active effort to consciously define his own existence. He shows bad faith in this respect, because he deceives himself into believing that he lacks complete freedom of involvement in making this decision. He is a coward by Sartre’s definition: â€Å"Those who hide their complete freedom from themselves out of a spirit of seriousness or by means of deterministic excuses. † He possesses the desire to redefine his existence by rebelling against the values in society, but this conflicts with his conscious mind (the ego), which restraints him from doing anything socially unacceptable. His conscious mind hides these unacceptable desires in the subconscious mind, coming up with excuses that prevent the narrator from fulfilling these desires. Eventually, the repressed energy from these unconscious desires resulted in the fracturing of the ego itself- into two conscious minds, hence resulting in the manifestation of Tyler. Tyler represents everything that the narrator subconsciously wishes to be. He is the personification of the ID itself, representing the narrator’s repressed death instincts (our innate instinct for survival), aggression instincts (instincts for violence), and the libido. Before he meets Tyler, the narrator is defines his existence though furniture he purchases and assembles from IKEA. He attempts to make himself into a being-in-itself, believing his perfect state of existence can be reached by purchasing that last piece of furniture he needs. When the narrator’s house was bombed, annihilating the means by which he defines his existence, the narrator felt as though his existence itself was erased. â€Å"Every stick of furniture in there was my life. † Tyler teaches him not to rely on material goods but to define his existence by his actions. The fight club thus became the new means through which the narrator could define himself through acts of fighting. The narrator learns to revel in violence and physical pain as a means of defining his existence and to transcend the physical limits of the body. He achieves the first step of self-awareness by satisfying his primal instincts for aggression. His first epiphany occurs when he realizes Tyler is himself. In a sense, he realized that he (as Tyler) is free and capable of inventing and creating himself as whom he chooses to be. This is an important step because he now wants to assume responsibility for his existence. His second epiphany occurs when he shoots Tyler, and thus himself. On the first level, the narrator acknowledges his death instincts by confronting his fear of pain and death. He accepts Tyler’s ideas of experiencing death so as to be fully conscious of his physical existence. When he shoots Tyler, he does so with the awareness that he is shooting himself. This is the final step he needs to take in order to be fully aware of what he is. On the second level, by rejecting Tyler’s nihilistic ideas of destroying institutions and value systems, he chooses what values to stand for and thus creates his own purpose for himself. â€Å"In choosing his ethics, Man makes himself. † He also translates the belief in these values into the actual action of shooting Tyler, thus defining his existence through actual action. On the third level, by shooting Tyler, he assumes responsibility for all of Man, not just himself. He assumes responsibility for Man because he invents what Man should be: one who does not act in an uncaring and destructive manner towards others. On the fourth level, shooting Tyler allows the narrator to be defined in a way he wishes to be defined in the eyes of the â€Å"other†. Shooting Tyler is crucial towards removing the existence of Project Mayhem. He does not want Marla to find out about Project Mayhem because he will then lose his connections with her. It is important to the narrator to have a close relationship with Marla. Firstly, she is the only surviving real human being he has a close relationship with in the movie. Secondly, Marla, playing the role of the â€Å"other†, allows him to seek out knowledge about his existence and she is the condition for his existence. By shooting Tyler, he prevents the loss of this â€Å"other† that is crucial for his existence. Important themes discussed in the movie include consumerism. To be specific, it shows how the modern consumerist society affects Man’s determination of his existence. In Sartre’s words, how a change in the â€Å"a priori limits which outline man’s fundamental situation in the universe† affects Man’s determination of his existence with respect to these limits. According to Sartre, all configurations â€Å"either appear as attempts to pass beyond them or recede from them or deny them or adapt to them†. Consumerism imposes limits on Man to work and to consume, because only if Man works can he consume, and he can consume only if he works. He is emasculated because he is unable to fulfill his natural role as a hunter-gatherer as dictated to him by biology. Man is limited or restricted in the sense he is unable to fulfill his primitive instincts. As seen in the movie, Tyler tries to pass beyond these limits by destroying symbols of consumerism, such as credit card companies, so as to â€Å"return to Ground Zero†. Since many people define their existence by numbers in their bank accounts, destroying the bank records will erase their previous existence and allow them to create their existence anew, much like how the narrator’s apartment was bombed so that he could create his new existence through Fight Club. Tyler’s ultimate goal seems to be changing the limits by which people define their existence by. He envisions the destruction of modern civilization, and a regression back to a more primitive hunter gatherer state. â€Å"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the same canyon forests around the ruins of Rock feller Centre†. In the world he envisions, the new limits by which people will define themselves with respect to are undoubtedly physical strength and prowess. On the other hand, the narrator, like so many of us today, adapts to these limits by embracing consumerism as indoctrinated into him by society through advertisements. He avidly purchases IKEA furniture and defines his existence by these material goods. In Tyler’s words, he works jobs he hates so he can buy shit he doesn’t need. He assumes that his furniture uniquely defines him as a person, from the â€Å"glass bowls with imperfections made by the simple and honest people of wherever† to â€Å"his yin-yang coffee table†, while missing the irony that IKEA is a chain-store that mass produces furniture. He is no other different from many other consumers of IKEA who believe that their furniture is unique on virtue of it being selected by them. At the end of the movie, the narrator realizes he needs to strike a balance between the two opposing configurations, one that is in the pre-consciousness state, afraid to confront his freedom, and the other that embraces existentialism and freedom to the point of reckless destruction. Shooting Tyler thus allows him to reunite his opposing configurations and strike a middle balance. Marla is an example of how a person recedes from limits that outline the human condition. She does not know what values to choose to define her existence. As a result, she adopts a nihilistic attitude and attempts to hit rock-bottom by trying to court death. Lastly, another important theme in the movie is that of mental pain. Many characters in the movie experience mental pain because they are unable to reject the â€Å"being in itself† others force upon them. Thus, they cannot achieve a true state of â€Å"being for itself† This is because we â€Å"perceive others as a condition of our own existence†, as how Sartre puts it. According to Sartre, once we realize we exist, we realize the existence of others who are free to define us according to how they view us. We are objectified in the eyes of others because others view us as a â€Å"being in itself†. We lose our freedom through their perception of us. Only we looking back and viewing others as objects can we regain our freedom. Bob is viewed as a man who has lost his masculinity. He accepts this â€Å"being in itself†, believing that he is condemned to this fixed and unchanging physical body. Thus, he suffers mental pain because he does not reject the attempts of â€Å"being in itself† others force upon him by realizing his freedom to create his own existence. The narrator similarly suffers from accepting the â€Å"being in itself† society forces upon him- as a member of society whose purpose is to work, to consume and to obey his superiors. His ideal self-image is that of a strong and ruthless primal human being. However, he dares not embrace his freedom to reject this â€Å"being for itself† and work towards the transcendent goal of his ideal self-image. Thus, his mental pain caused Tyler to manifest, who violently abuses the narrator to symbolize the mental pain the narrator is experiencing. Tyler tries to push the narrator to be fully aware of his unconscious desires, and to assume responsibility for his freedom. Only when he confronts this mental pain (Tyler’s physical abuse) can he reject â€Å"being for itself† and achieve true â€Å"being-for-itself†, the state where he is constantly and freely choosing his future. His decision to shoot Tyler was justified-because he is freely choosing to reject Tyler’s destructive ideas, and to transcend his initial transcendent goal of becoming Tyler. In conclusion, the movie has strong themes of existentialism running through it. The act of shooting Tyler was justified because it signifies the first step of existentialism for the narrator- he becomes fully aware of what he is, and assumes full responsibility of his existence. It also shows how human beings may choose to define themselves with respect to the limits of the world they exist in. Lastly, shooting Tyler allows the narrator to confront his mental pain and reach the true state of â€Å"being for itself†.

Issues of Politcs and Pubic Administration Dichotomy

Issues of Political Dichotomy and Public Administration Genyne Coleman South University Online Patricia Wright Kelly, J. , & Wanna, J. (2000). New public management and the politics of government budgeting. International Public Management Review, 1(1), 33-54. Retrieved from http://www3. imp. unisg. ch/org/idt/†¦ /IPMR_1_1_BUDGETING. pdf The article examines the New Public Management (NPM) to address government budget conflicts using the guardian-spender framework of political scientist Aaron Wildavsky’s.Wildavsky explains traditional budgetary politics as missing structure and formal procedure of financial control which resulted in the the dichotomous relationship of guardians and spenders. The guardian and spender relationship is examined under NPM that suggest they are forced to perform together rather than separate which makes for a streamline budget process. (Kelly & Wanna, 2000, â€Å"successful budgeting is portrayed as a product of ongoing guardian and spender rel ations: both roles are legitimate and necessary in resolving budget decisions.Dividing functions and responsibilities between spenders and guardians enables specialization, increases predictability and, therefore, reduces complexity in budget decision-making (p. 34)†. The article describes the current usefulness of guardian and spender as an effective evaluation tool The research used in this article encompasses different budgeting conflicts and strategies used by parliament and government.The relevance of the article to the research of dichotomy in politics and public administration is important as it examines the history of budgetary practices, conflicts, and its evolvement. The author presents an insightful and well drafted interpretation of forward thinking budgetary processes. Hildebrand, D. (2008). public administration as pragmatic, democratic,and objective. Public Administration Review, 222-229. Retrieved from http://www. academia. edu/597816/Public_administration_as_p ragmatic_democratic_

The Use of Metaphors

SanTianna Simmons ENG 1102 25 April 2013 A metaphor is where you show how two unrelated things are similar. For example by saying â€Å"Love is a roller-coaster. † A key aspect of a metaphor is use a specific transference of a word into another context. The human mind creates comparisons between different things. The best writers use metaphors. Like poetry, a metaphor will express a thousand different meanings all at once, allowing the writer to convey much more content than they could do otherwise.More than playing simple word games, the use of metaphors in your writing can elevate your stories to a place next to the greatest authors in the world. There are many kinds of metaphors: Allegory, catechesis, parables, extended metaphors, etc. An extended metaphor establishes a subject and then extends it further, as in this quote from Shakespeare â€Å"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. Brian Doyle, Author of â€Å"Joyas Valdoras†, uses the hummingbird metaphor to support his story. The story starts off by grabbing the reader’s attention with a fact. The fact is very interesting. Unless you are someone that studies animals, you would have no idea that a hummingbird’s heart is the size of a pencil, or that it beats ten times per second. After I read the first sentence, I was instantly interested to see what more the author had to say. He got the name, Joyas Valdoras, from a reference by early Spanish settlers. It means flying jewels.They called these creatures flying jewels because they had never seen anything like them before. They would fly around quickly all day, reproducing and collecting nectar. Doyle then goes on to add more facts about hummingbirds and their incredible hearts. Hummingbirds can fly up to 500 miles without stopping to rest, however they can get burned out. Whenever humming b irds get burned out, it can become fatal. Although Doyle’s allusion to hummingbirds was interesting, I don’t think he meant for his story to simply be a story about humming birds.He also goes on to talk about the blue whale, an animal having the largest heart in the world. He gives us interesting facts about that animal also, but this still does not justify why he was even writing the story, for if he had wanted his readers to be informed only about animals, he’d have put these facts in a science book instead. I think Doyle was relating the animal’s hearts with that of human hearts. He said sometimes humming birds get burned out without even knowing what they’re doing is dangerous. Humans also do the same thing.Today’s world is very fast paced. Sometimes we don’t have time to rest or do anything of that nature. We do it, without knowing how unhealthy to the body and spirit that is. He also alludes that the heart is a very strong thing . Not just our physical heart, but our emotional and spiritual heart as well. So much can happen to someone’s heart. It can go through the most joy, excitement, hurt and pain and still beat at the end of the day. I think the way Doyle transitions form talking about hummingbirds and whales to something so emotional was very effective.He makes it easy for us to relate to his story because he keeps us so involved. I felt as if he was ready the story to me instead of the other way around. Sian-Pierre Regis stated â€Å"As should be obvious by now, Doyle is doing far more than describing the hearts of various animals. In explaining about the hearts of animals, he has subtly been drawing us into this reality: â€Å"We all churn inside. † In this creation there is unimaginable beauty (â€Å"flying jewels†) and there is excruciating pain (â€Å"a brilliant music stilled†).And so finally, we are led to his masterful ending and the real point of this whole piece. If you’ve read this far, I encourage you to take a minute and quiet your heart. Let yourself feel these words. It may hurt, but it will almost certainly heal as well. In giving an overview of the hearts of creatures, Doyle ends with this: â€Å"So much held in a heart in lifetime. So much held in a heart in day, and hour, a moment. We are utterly open with no one, in the end–not mother and father, not wife or husband, not lover, not child, not friend.We open windows to each but we live alone in the house of the heart. Perhaps we must. Perhaps we could not bear to be so naked, for fear of a constantly harrowed heart. When young we think there will come one person who will savor and sustain us always; when we are older we know this is the dream of a child, that all hearts finally are bruised and scarred, scored and torn, repaired by time and will, patched by force of character, yet fragile and rickety forevermore, no matter how ferocious the defense and how many bricks you bring to the wall.You can brick up your heart as stout and tight and hard and cold and impregnable as you possibly can and down it comes in an instant, felled by a woman’s second glance, a child’s apple breath, the shatter of glass in the road, the words I have something to tell you, a cat with a broken spine dragging itself into the forest to die, the brush of your mother’s papery ancient hand in the thicket of your hair, the memory of your father’s voice early in the morning echoing from the kitchen where he is making pancakes for his children. †Ã¢â‚¬  The article â€Å"A Metaphorical Analysis of Martin Luther King Jr. s ‘I Have a Dream Speech,’† by Joe Ciesinski, to me is an aide to help understand the metaphors Dr. Martin Luther King used within his famous speech ‘I have a Dream. ’ Ciesinski cited other’s opinions about the speech which also was another great source of helping understand the speech. W ithin the article, the question â€Å"What does ‘I Have a Dream’ mean to me† was asked. To me, when someone asks me what does ‘I Have a Dream’ mean to me, I would say that it makes me feel as if the color of my skin or my sex should never be a factor of why I can’t do anything that I want to do. Anybody should be capable of saying the same.Ciesinski believes that ‘I Have a Dream’ would not only speak about problems in America, but that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr would call upon all citizens of the United States to enact change and correct the injustices that would occur throughout our nation. â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr. contrasts light and dark metaphors when he states, â€Å"this momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves, who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. †Ã¢â‚¬  (Ciesinski) The previous quote to me sums up the entire ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.It focuses on the struggles of colored people and how the nation needs to take the time out to notice that these hate crimes need to come to an end. Overall, I think Ciesinski’s metaphorical analysis is a great help to distinguish the true meaning and break down of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ’s speech. I also believe that he used good sources to help apprehend the famous speech. â€Å"It is a stark metaphor, an accusation articulated in bluntly economic terms. The Declaration of Independence implied, and later the Emancipation Proclamation promised, meaningful freedom to African Americans. But the promise was never fulfilled. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds,† King said. This part of the speech has been mostly forgotten, swamped in collective memory by the soaring rhetoric of K ing’s peroration. When initial renderings for the new Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial were first unveiled, they included a prominent place for the promissory-note metaphor, but as the project went forward the quotation was deemed â€Å"too confrontational† and dropped from the final design. What is best remembered from the Dream speech is, in fact, not original to it.The thrilling incantation, the cries of â€Å"let freedom ring,† the litany of place names (the snowcapped Rockies, the molehills of Mississippi), the lines borrowed from the biblical books of Amos and Isaiah, the quotations from spirituals and patriotic songs — none of this material was original to the speech King gave on the Mall. Most of it was recycled, an impromptu decision by King to reuse some of the best applause lines he had tested in Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama and, only weeks earlier, in Detroit. † Stated by Philip Kennicott. Short talks by Anne Carson was an ar ticle full of miniature lectures with a different meaning for each one.Some of the short articles were confusing but the others caught my attention. An article in Short Talks that was easily understood was ON WALKING BACKWARDS. ON WALKING BACKWARDS was about how as a child Carson states â€Å"My mother would forbid us to walk backwards. That is how the dead walk, she would say. † Carson goes on to say that she had no understanding where that specific superstition came from. Later to break the quote down, the dead doesn’t walk backwards but they do walk behind us with no lungs to breath or cannot call but would love for us to turn around.Superstitions are to be used and known all across the world. According to Keisha Stephen-Gittens from Outlish Magazine quotes â€Å"Since I was a child, I used to hear my grandmother telling my mother that if she came home after midnight, she better had walk in the house backwards so that spirits don’t follow her inside. Thatâ⠂¬â„¢s funny, because many of us feters would have some ‘back walking’ to do. So, I was surprised to find that almost 60% of the persons I randomly surveyed still do this today. I followed this superstition religiously until I moved out on my own, and then, ironically, I would just ook left, right and around before I entered my apartment. You’d think I would be really afraid – and in a way yes, but I was looking for bandits, not spirits. However, the way things goin’ these days, is bess we look for both yes! We’ve also been told to close doors facing the outside so that spirits don’t follow you inside. There are other superstitions about spirits and death and our older folks would tell these with a passion and intensity that would send you to bed quivering, wanting a pillow to hug up and sleeping with one eye open.If you’re alone in the house and you hear someone call your name, would you answer? I won’t. The ole folks us ed to say do not answer, ’cause it could be a spirit calling. I think this is a given. I’ve watched too many horror movies to know what the outcome of THAT could be. † Jon Eben Field states â€Å"The female body is a powerful signifier in these poems. † Short Talks invokes the last thirty years of Camille Claudel's life in an asylum (Claudel was a French sculptor who worked from 1884 to 1898 as an assistant to Auguste Rodin).After noting that Claudel broke all the sculpting stone given to her, Carson writes, â€Å"Night was when her hands grew, huger and huger until in the photograph they are like two parts of someone else loaded onto her knees. † Claudel's hands are both her own and not her own; they have grown through disuse and misuse. But the absence is discovered in the formless broken stones that are buried with these hands, now so gargantuan. In â€Å"Short Talk On Rectification,† Carson depicts the infamous relationship between Franz Kafka and Felice Bauer: â€Å"Kafka liked to have his watch an hour and a half fast. Felice kept setting it right.Nonetheless for five years they almost married. † Ultimately, it is the body of Felice that overwhelms Kafka, for as Carson writes, â€Å"When advised not to speak by the doctors in the sanatorium, he left glass sentences all over the floor. Felice, says one of them, had too much nakedness left in her. † This signals the second most pervasive theme of these poems, the devastating plenitude of too much. † Eula Biss’ The Pain Scale is about how no matter how much something is painful, no pain lasts forever. Throughout the article Biss gives examples of pain as she goes from 0 to 10 on a pain scale.She gives examples like if you are at a zero, you feel no pain therefore you could be fine. If you are at a 1, you could take some aspirin and be fine the next day. If you are at an 8 you might need some examining. If you are at a nine then, you are suf fering and it gets even worse at a level ten which is unbearable. The Pain Scale, Eula Biss claims that no pain lasts forever. Biss goes on to say that when you experience the pain regardless of how bad the pain is, once the pain goes away; you can’t feel the pain anymore. I got a feeling that the author is indifferent to pain and does not know how to feel or describe it.I felt that the author’s mind is being guided by what her father use to tell her. She does not know how to describe what she is feeling or think for herself. The author feels as if excruciating pain does not exist. She sees zero as a number that does not do the same thing as the other numbers and she uses biblical illusions concerning Jesus.. The author goes back and forth from her pain theory and analysis, to her current pain situation. She is obviously feeling some pain but she thinks the face chart does not help her know what level she is that. She lies to the doctor to not seem foolish but really s he does have great pain.The author thinks that if she admits to her great physical pain, she will seem pathetic and exaggerated. The author has apparent physical pain but also mental trauma from her father the physician. Her psychological pain I think is greater than her physical one in a couple of ways. I agree with Biss on this issue. Overall, I believe that no pain lasts forever. If a person were to ask another how something felt, they could never sit there and visualize the full effect of that pain right then and there unless you go through the same pain again at the time being.Our Secret by Susan Griffin is a hybrid of memoir, history, and journalism, and is built with these discrete strands: the Holocaust; women affected by World War II directly or indirectly in their treatment by husbands and fathers; the harsh, repressive boyhood of Heinrich Himmler, who grew up to command Nazi rocketry and became the key architect of Jewish genocide; the testimony of a man scarred by war; a nd Griffin’s own desperately unhappy family life and harsh, repressed girlhood.In between these chunks are short italic passages of just a few sentences on cell biology—for instance, how the shell around the nucleus of the cell allows only some substances to pass through—and on the development of guided missiles in Germany and, later, by many of the same scientists, in the United States, where nuclear warheads were added and the ICBM created. Researching her book in Paris, Griffin meets a woman, Helene, who survived one of Himmler’s death camps.She’d been turned in by another Jew and tracked down using a net of information—a system tracing back to Himmler’s boyhood diaries—collected on cards and sent to the Gestapo for duplication and filing, the work of countless men and women. In the article â€Å"Translating Translation: Finding the Beginning,† Alberto Alvaro Rios claims that the act is the translation by presenting t ranslation as a metaphor and how cultures are different. Rios goes on to say that how something is said, the language can be figured.In Rios’ article, he had multiple examples of how cultures are different. Some of the examples that he expressed where how a man was put in jail, forgotten about and never said anything, how his house painting went wrong when he was young, and how Rios had a misinterpretation about fighting. I agree with Rios on this issue when he stated that learning languages can be similar to looking through a set of binoculars. Overall, I believe that it is true that the simplest word can have many definitions and interpretations.For example: when Rios moved into his new home when he was younger. His mother wanted the wall to be yellow but the Mexican thought she wanted it to be lime green due to the fact that said â€Å"limon. † Another example was when the boy asked how many fights has he had. The boy meant physical fighting but Rios meant the fight he has had learning a new language. I believe that the metaphors were very effective because they helped understand the main key points Rios was trying to make.Alberto Rios states â€Å"Linguists, by using electrodes on the vocal cords, have been able to demonstrate that English has tenser vowels than, for example, Spanish. The body itself speaks a language differently, so that moving from one language to another is more than translating words. It's getting the body ready as well. It's getting the heart ready along with the mind. I've been intrigued by this information. It addresses the physicality of language in a way that perhaps surprises us.In this sense, we forget that words aren't simply what they mean – they are also physical acts. I often talk about the duality of language using the metaphor of binoculars, how by using two lenses one might see something better, closer, with more detail. The apparatus, the binoculars, are of course physically clumsy – as is th e learning of two languages, and all the signage and so on that this entails – they're clumsy, but once put to the eyes a new world in that moment opens up to us.And it's not a new world at all – it's the same world, but simply better seen, and therefore better understood. † Overall, metaphors will elevate your writing, taking something plain and transforming it into something beautiful. Poetry is full of metaphors. If you need to, use one of your rewriting cycles just to add metaphors to your story. Imagine how greater your story will be with the use of metaphors. Metaphors will free up your imagination, which will take your story in directions you may not have planned on. Enjoy the surprises that metaphors will bring to you!

Islamic Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Islamic Finance - Essay Example The paper tells that despite the upheavals and mayhem that exists between the Islamic world and the United Kingdom, as peculiar as it may seem, it is wise to say that Islamic banking and finance has found its way in the United Kingdom. Islamic finance is the basis of Islamic banking system. Laying its foundation on the rules and principles of Sharia, commonly known as the Islamic law, this offers Islamic finance its very unique and competent features. As much as Islamic Banking has its challenge and opportunity, many western bankers have sort to involve themselves in this growing business. Their guiding principles and rules state that Allah owns everything in this world and that man has only been rendered permission to use it. In the United Kingdom, London has emerged itself to be the core ad centre of Islamic banking. In the United Kingdom, a decade ago, the business was perceived to be in its infancy this being the reason as to why its extent is limited. A decade later, Islamic ban king and finance has prevailed in the United Kingdom due to its unique characteristics. One of the most distinct characteristics that have made Islamic banking and finance business to grow is the fact that Islamic banking does not offer interests, which is commonly referred to as riba in the Islamic world. The reward for money deposited as perceived is done by not charging or paying interest. As a way of curbing the loss and profits occurred, Islamic banking use the technique of sharing both the profit and loss occurred. This is commonly known as mudarabhah, which in lay man’s term means profit sharing. In cases that involve mortgage buying, the bank itself buys the mortgage from the seller then giving it to the buyer making profits thus allowing the buyer to pay the money in installments. The mortgage is registered under the buyers name from the start to avoid any suspicions. This kind of arrangement is known as Murabah. The entrepreneur feature of the Islamic banking and f inance is another characteristic that has made this type of banking to stand out. Putting its focus not only on financial expansion but on also physical expansion of economic services and production, this has made many western bankers to use the Islamic banking and finance services. Trade financing and equity financing have led the way for the Islamic banks. No wonder the growing trend of people enjoying their banking services. The United Kingdom being one of the worlds’ most sophisticated and complicated banking and financial systems, this has helped the Islamic banking and finance to prevail. The main reason as to why Islamic banking and finance has prevailed more in London than in any other cities of the world is due to the fact that London is much closer to Middle East than any other cities. In fact, London is estimated to have hosted the world’s largest Islam’s in all the cities of the world (Anwar, 1995). In the center of London, the Arab community is rank ed among the most affluent Arabs in the world. To add on to that, Arabs restaurants and hotels exists in London center to cater for the Arabs that visit the city every now and then. There has been an increasing number of doctors, engineers, and students in the United Kingdom. London emerges to be the leading market in the world for foreign currency exchange, dollar being the popular currency trade. In the recent years, the retail level banking in the United Kingdom has gone down. This is due to the introduction of the Banking Act of 1987, which allowed external banking to exist. The big four banking players dominance namely Barclays, Lloyd, NatWest and the Midland bank, the latter being the only one that has managed to secure its market share. Evolving from a small niche bank in the Middle East in the last four decades, Islamic Banking and finance have grown in to a dynamic, profitable, and resilient competitor to all major banks in the United Kingdom. By the end of 2008, Islamic ba nks are estimated to be over $850 billion and

Beam Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Beam Theory - Assignment Example Beams are often characterized by their profile, material and length. Contemporarily, beams are made of reinforced concrete, steel, cased fluid, wood or composites in a typical construction. Some of the most common beams include wide flange beam and I-beam. These are used commonly in building steel frames and bridges. Other types of beams include pipe, C-channel, angle and hollow structural section1. This paper therefore seeks to discuss the beam theory, its document design, performance and constraints involved. Statement of problem Due to the need of a comprehensive explanation of the physics of beams as well as the intense space charge an explanation of the accelerator systems requiring adequate intensity in which mutual interaction of particles in the beam cannot be neglected, this paper is important as it is aimed to give a discussion of all these elements involved in the beam theory. There is also a need to provide a wider overview of beam dynamics. The paper will put emphasis on the analytical and theoretical methods that describe the transport and acceleration of beams. There is also a need to cover aspects of experimental and numerical methods in order to bring familiarity with the basic methods used to understand the longitudinal and transverse evolution of beams. This may enable an intense foundation in designing a practical architecture. Often beams are described in the way of their support. This support restricts rotational and/ or lateral movements in order to satisfy the conditions of stability and to limit deformations to some extent of allowance. In addition, there is need to understand how a simple beam is supported by a roller in one end and a pin in the other. One may also need to understand how a cantilever beam is established. It is the interest of this paper to also explain how an overhanging beam is formed from a support of two points with one or both ends stretched beyond supports. Beams primarily support vertical loads2. Compared to thei r span in the diagrams in engineering, they have a small cross section. Document design Beams are vital class of the structural elements. The major function of constructing structures is to enable support of the space that encloses the elements such as roofs, floors and walls. Beams are often horizontal to support such elements. The behavior of any structure of a building can get complicated; however, sub structures such as horizontal elements that are associated with roofs and floors, and vertical structures identified with the walls can be identified. The horizontal elements include space frames; trusses, beams and slabs, and the vertical elements include walls, columns and lift cores3. The external bonding of reinforced strips of fiber plastic and reinforced concrete beams are broadly accepted as an effective and efficient method for upgrading and strengthening members. A growth in the exponential research has been observed due to the attention paid to the strengthening area of s tructures through reinforced strips of fiber plastic. The objective of the study is to enhance mechanical performance of the reinforced concrete. In order to prove the results of the research, the method of the finite element will be used to analyze the principal of inter-laminar, distribution of the normal stress and shear along the reinforced strips of fiber plastic and concrete4. Performance requirement The performance requirement of beams and engineering structures are more ambitious.

Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Statistics - Essay Example This has been done to ascertain where Maryland stands among all the regions of USA especially with respect to Virginia and Pennsylvania in terms of well being index and work and life quality. The findings of the statistical analysis is presented and discussed in this paper. Data on Well Being Index and Quality of Work and Life for 50 states and / or congressional district was collected and recorded in MS Office Excel spreadsheet. Descriptive Statistics for well being index and work and life quality was then obtained using MS Office Excel Data Analysis Tool. This was done to get a feel of these indexes i.e. well being index and work and life quality across all the 50 states / congressional districts of USA. The findings of this analysis are presented in Table 1, in the Appendix. It is better to examine and discuss the important statistics obtained from this analysis for each of these indexes – well being index and work and life quality. Summary statistics of well being index for all the 50 states / congressional districts is presented in Table, in the Appendix. The values for mean, median and mode are 65.47, 65.75 and 66.3 respectively. These parameters are measures of central tendency i.e. the central value around which actual well being index of different states lies. Another important statistics of well being index is standard deviation. Its value is 1.69. This is a measure of dispersion of the actual values around the mean value. Now let us examine, whether Maryland lies among all the 50 regions with respect to well being index. Well being index for Maryland is 67.1% (Table 2, in the Appendix). This means Maryland has above average well being index among all the 50 regions under consideration. It is important to examine whether the difference from the mean is significant. To do so 95% confidence interval for mean well being index was determined. This confidence interval is [64.90,

Transformed Worldviews Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Transformed Worldviews - Research Paper Example These values had been instilled in one’s persona early during one’s stage of child development and growth. It was handed down from generation to generation as documented among the Ten Commandments: â€Å"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour† (Holy Bible, New International Version, 2011). Thus, the verse stressed the importance of not telling lies and adherence to the truth. The modernist’s view is similar to one’s personal viewpoint. One actually gained knowledge of the truth from this view. In the reading entitled â€Å"Idolatry of Novelty† written by Lynn Gardner, the author emphasized that truth is actually anti-thetical with the acceptance of alleged false teaching: â€Å"'Doing truth' (or 'acting truly') is an Old Testament expression used especially when fidelity between two parties is the subject. Whether spoken or expressed in action, the truth is never to be dissociated from love." "Grace and truth" came through J esus Christ (John 1:14, 17)† (Gardner, n.d., pp. 15-16). Likewise, truth, as asserted here, reverts from the source in the Holy Bible: as emanating from Jesus Christ; and the teachings relayed, communicated, and documented through the Bible attests to the need to adhere to ethical, moral, and legal standards which conform to truth, based on facts and reality. In addition, Packer (1993) averred that truth in the Bible means â€Å"stability, reliability, firmness, trustworthiness, the quality of a person who is entirely self-consistent, sincere, realistic, undeceived. God is such a person: truth, in this sense, is his nature, and he has not got it in him to be anything else† (p. 127). Therefore, God is the perfect embodiment of truth because in His Divinity, He was noted not be have any ability to lie... Different people gain knowledge about God through diverse modes and medium. From the material from class texts and discussion, one acknowledges that people learn about God from stories, narrations and testimonies of family members and relatives; from theology or religion courses; through the scriptures, specifically through the teachings in the Holy Bible; through attendance of religious practices and obligations (masses for the Catholics); and through personal interests and intentional pursuits. Knowing about God comes from information gathered or collected from external sources or from the experiences of other people who shared the information to others. As emphasized, â€Å"â€Å"knowing† God is of necessity a more complex business than â€Å"knowing† another person, just as â€Å"knowing† my neighbor is a more complex business than â€Å"knowing† a house, or a book, or a language. The more complex the object, the more complex is the knowing of it†. The critical aspect of the knowing about God is the contention that â€Å"knowing them is more directly the result of their allowing us to know them than of our attempting to get to know them†.

Annotated Bibliography on The Obama administration's policy lifting

On The Obama administration's policy lifting the prohibition of women from serving in combat roles - Annotated Bibliography Example It further displays their immense roles calling for a redefinition of women roles in ground combats. Davis, Robert et al. "This research was sponsored by the National Institute of Justice and was conducted in the RAND Center on Quality Policing within the Safety and Justice Program of RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment." (2011). this is a research paper that was conducted by the national institute of justice at the RAND center to access the quality of decisions that are often made by the executive organs in various organizations. In view of the ban the paper reviews its suitability an applicability bearing in mind the delicate nature of women serving in ground combats. The paper shows concern on safety upon implementation of such policies. In addition, the paper undertakes a review to ascertain implementation policies that have so far been passed such as the 1990’s ban on women flying in combat and serving in war ships. Miller, Laura et al. The Extent of Restrictions on the Service of Active-Component Military Women; Rand National Defense Research Institute: Santa Monica, 2012. This is a review by the Rand Defense Research Institute. The paper investigates the harm that a restriction on women serving in combat positions affects the entire military operations. The paper argues that although restriction of women can yield better results, it can as well yield poor results since some women are more talented in ground combat more than their male counterparts. It further stresses that when women are accepted to work in a free environment they are more likely to have their military experience boosted. Skein, Rosemarie. Women in Combat: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2011. This is a handbook that outlines proposals and measures that should be put in place to ensure fair participation of women service in combat positions in the military. In this regard, the paper bases its arguments on the ban

Information paper on the XM-25 Weapon And Ammunition Essay

Information paper on the XM-25 Weapon And Ammunition - Essay Example With the increase in caliber the weight of the module grenade and ammunition also increased, so that the mass of complex weapon XM29 became excessive and it was decided to divide it into two separate systems. In general it is possible that in future, by reducing the masses the components again will be combined into one compact machine gun, grenade launcher and aiming module. In the current configuration of XM25 the grenade launcher operator must have an individual self-defense weapon – a pistol or a shortened machine gun. The main purpose of XM25 is expansion and enhancement of opportunities of infantry firing at the squad level. It is assumed that this system will complement such existing means of fire support as 40mm grenade launcher (M203 or XM320) and machine guns M249SAW. Through the use of a combined aiming system XM104, combining day and night channels, laser rangefinder, ballistic computer, compass and external interfaces, XM25 will greatly increase the efficiency of hitting compared to the existing 40mm grenade launcher. Sighting range of 25mm grenade will be up to 500 meters against point targets (window of a house, machine-gun, etc.) and up to 700 m against area targets. The main type of ammunition will be XM25 HEAB (High Explosive Air Bursting) grenade type. Programming the distance of the explosion will occur automatically according to the laser range finder just before the shot. If necessary (e.g. due to refuse of sighting system) HEAB type grenades can be impact-detonated. In addition to grenades of HEAB type XM25 can use the shots with warheads of other types, including thermobaric (air explosives), armor-piercing cumulative (armor up to 50mm), cluster for close combat (filled with arrow-shaped striking elements), non-lethal (tear gas or rubber bullets). By the present time samples of XM25 grenade launcher has already being field tested under combat conditions in Afghanistan. XM25 grenade launcher is a magazine-fed

PTLLS- Preparing to teach in the lifelong learning sector Essay

PTLLS- Preparing to teach in the lifelong learning sector - Essay Example The limiting factor with this method is that the learners will rebel to the imposed rules. This willlead tochange in behavior (Gravells, 2010; 63) and the teacher will find it hard to implement the rules. The second more liberal way allows learnersto form discussion groups and come up with their own set of rules. As Clauss- Ehlers (2006; 136) states, learners will be more likely to follow the rules, since they are the ones who created them. Conversely, these rules may be too lenient and leave out important aspects, in addition to taking up more time on the lesson plan. In the third method, the teacher comes up with the rules, shares them with the learners, and the latter make valuable contributions to the rules. This negotiation method ensures that learners feel a sense of ownership and belonging, and are, therefore, more likely to adhere to the rules (Avis, Fisher, & Thompson, 2010; 138). Personally, I would employ the third method in my classroom. I set the rules, and then we discuss with the learners and make necessary amendments.This would ensure proper class management and sufficient learner

International Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Business Management - Essay Example Governments, therefore, have to use more sophisticated means of extending assistance to the domestic industry and such assistance is required to produce results in the form of a viable industry because it is unfair to the national taxpayer or the consumer to continue to suffer if domestic industry cannot compete at least in the domestic market, if not the global markets. Although there are provisions in the WTO Safeguards Agreements which, because of their broad language, may be used by a national government to impose tariffs if the domestic industry is likely to suffer serious injury, such loopholes are likely to become more difficult to use in the future because of new consensus that is already emerging to close them. Hence, national governments have to assist domestic industry by providing direct and indirect subsidies through management assistance, export assistance, skills development, assistance with research & development as well as information gathering and dissemination. Gov ernments have to do much more then merely enacting legislation if a nation is to continue to have a viable domestic industry. This brief essay takes a look at what a national government can do in order to assist domestic industry in the era of trade liberalisation. In an era of international trade liberalisation, there is intense market competition for goods and services because manufacturers and service providers from all over the world try to sell their manufactured products and services in a national market. As a result of the global movement towards trade liberalisation, nations are required to progressively reduce their tariffs to permit market access to producers and suppliers from all over the world. Such access means that the domestic industry is required to compete with the products and services of international manufacturers and service providers on quality, price

White Privilege in American Society Essay Example for Free

White Privilege in American Society Essay Privilege is the greatest enemy of equality. This quote from a noted Austrian novelist, Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach, perhaps describes the harm of white privilege on American society. By its very definition privilege is a grace bestowed on one over another (Webster, 2006). In that sense, privilege is in and of itself an opposition to equality. In racial terms, if one group has been historically privileged over another, there will never be equality between the groups until a catastrophic new beginning can occur removing all trace of the bestowed privilege. Privilege is the greatest enemy of equality. This quote from a noted Austrian novelist, Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach, perhaps describes the harm of white privilege on American society. By its very definition privilege is a grace bestowed on one over another (Webster, 2006). In that sense, privilege is in and of itself an opposition to equality. In racial terms, if one group has been historically privileged over another, there will never be equality between the groups until a catastrophic new beginning can occur removing all trace of the bestowed privilege. White American privilege is the result of a country developing around a racially charged society featuring whites on top. Since the inception of colonial America, Whites heeded themselves as the superior race. This is seen evident through the submission and elimination of the Native Americans as well as most directly in the institution of slavery. As the nation of riches began to develop, and the American Dream came into fruition, nonwhites were left out of any chance to profit. Skip ahead to present day and we see a nation that has made drastic leaps toward social equality between races, but still struggles with remnants of the past. Simply put, white privilege is the social advantage given to whites through wealth and power that nonwhites never had the opportunity to earn. Despite all of societys strides toward racial equality, how do you equalize the advantages one group has had over another? The most obvious advantage today is that of wealth. White Americans have had greater opportunity for previous generations to accumulate and pass on wealth to todays members, whereas nonwhite Americans were historically denied the opportunity to do so. Specific cases include the subjugation of a race with Native Americans, the enslavement of race as seen with Black Americans, and the fleecing of a race as seen with Japanese Americans. However, perhaps most prevalent, but certainly not obvious is the power that White Privilege bestows to White Americans. In a society being controlled by white Americans, it is natural for that society to show a bias toward whites. This bias manifests itself through legislation, opportunities and within the very fabric of society itself. However prevalent its effects might be, White Privilege seems nonexistent to those who benefit from it (McIntosh, 1989). In modern American society, as a nation that has existed with White Privilege, it is commonplace and goes by unnoticed to white Americans. Among its subtle manifestations, but arguably the most relevant, is the fact that actions committed by a white individual are attributed to that individual and very seldom to their race, whereas, actions committed by nonwhites are usually viewed as stereotypical of their race, even if those actions are in fact atypical. It is in these subtleties that the often made argument that disenfranchised white Americans do not benefit from the effects of White Privilege is proved inaccurate. The factor of wealth only gives a reason as to why white privilege exists. The fact that all but a very small percentage of wealthy Americans are white correlates to that fact that all but a very small percentage of Americans in power are white. The bias and controlling interest exerted by this white power majority is apparent through all aspects of American government. As described in The Coming White Majority a black man recalls coming to America, he quotes, We came here as Africans, but no one called us Africans. They called us Negroes (Maharidge, 1996). White Privilege is a phenomenon that cannot directly be undone. As discussed the underlying causes of White Privilege exist in the mindset and power structure of American society. Perhaps most conceivable would be to begin by diversifying the power structure of the government. However, as has been proven many times in American government, politics are won through financial support. So for this reason, we look again to wealth and must focus on equalizing the wealth of the nation. If, through these steps, we engineer a social system that has power equally distributed among races, there still remains the perceived power created by societal mindset. Unlike tangible aspects of government office and wealth, how can we conceivable attempt to change the minds of an entire society of people (Bonilla-Silva, 2006). It can be presumed that the only way to begin to undertake this task is through education. Contrary to popular belief, race cannot be ignored. Race education will help to educate both white Americans to be aware of phenomenon such as White Privilege, and to help educate nonwhite Americans in what to expect living in a society filled with White Privilege. As discussed, White Privilege is a permeating factor of American society and its effects slowly widen the riff between white and nonwhite Americans. However, although difficult, it is possible to begin to overcome the effects granted by White Privilege. Ignoring nonrealistic way such as a mass racial equalizing of wealth and power, the first step is to educate both sides of society in race relations throughout. After all, as has been coined may times, education and understanding are the end all of strife and despair. Works Cited Webster. Websters Dictionary. 2006 McIntosh, P. White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Peace and Freedom. July 1989. Maharidge, D. The Coming White Minority. Random House Inc, 1996. Bonilla-Silva, E. Racialized Social System Approach to Racism, in Gallagher, Charles. Rethinking the Color Line: Readings in Race and Ethnicity. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

Health and Safety of Disposable Chopsticks | Experiment

Health and Safety of Disposable Chopsticks | Experiment Abstract I heard some stories about disposable chopsticks being dangerous and poisonous. And I wanted to find out myself whether it was true or not. I found out that certain types of disposable chopsticks have greater risks to be acidic and non-disposable chopsticks are much safer. My results were important because I could help raise the awareness of the risk of using disposable chopsticks. This awareness not only saves us from cancer or damage to body, but also helps make the world a greener place to live. Background Research This experiment is about Are disposable chopsticks safe to use? My hypothesis is that some disposable chopsticks may not be processed appropriately to be safe to use. I choose this project because many restaurants use disposable chopsticks and to test whether disposable chopsticks are safe or non-disposable chopsticks are safe. I really want to prove if my hypothesis is correct about various of chopsticks. For the safety of many people in the world who use disposable chopsticks, it might be better to use non-disposable chopsticks or the other way around depending on the results. The normal pH level water is 6.5 to 8.5 and below 6.5 the water is acidic, soft, and corrosive. The pH water level 8.5 and above is hard, but it can cause aesthetic problems. Chopsticks can be made of bamboo, wood, plastic, and stainless steel. Sulfur dioxide and hydrogen peroxide are used to bleach the wooden disposable chopsticks. Many people use disposable chopsticks all over the world for lunch, dinner, and sometimes breakfast. I hope my experiment will help raise the awareness of using the right kind of the chopsticks and improve the safety for many. Non-disposable chopsticks may be safer than disposable chopsticks, but it will depend on research and test data to prove. I dont want to get sick or get illness by using disposable chopsticks. So there is an importance of this experiment. Experiment Details Experiment Question What is the effect of production processes on disposable chopsticks? How does the improperly processed chopsticks affect our safety? What types of chopsticks are better to use? Experiment Hypothesis Are disposable chopsticks safe to use? My hypothesis is that some disposable chopsticks may not be processed appropriately to be safe to use. Ive heard that disposable chopsticks are put into bleach and this was brought to my concern. Experiment Variables Independent Variable The different types of chopsticks, different temperatures of water (hot and cold) and different soaking durations will be changing. Dependent Variable I am measuring the pH level of the water after soaking the chopsticks for certain duration for time. Controlled Variables The chopsticks will stay in the same glasses and the amount of water will stay the same as well. Materials and Procedures Materials Used pH Meter Disposable chopsticks- 4 kinds Stainless steel chopsticks Plastic chopsticks Hot water boiler Tap water Bottle drinking water Glasses Timer Computer Camera Scotch tape Procedures STEP 1: First, characterize the pH level of the tap water and bottle drinking water. Record the readings on paper. STEP2: Next, put hot water into glasses. Then soak four kinds of disposable chopsticks and two kinds of non-disposable chopsticks (stainless steel and plastic) into each designated cups for 30 minutes. STEP 3: Use the pH meter to measure the pH level of each designated water in the glasses. If below pH6.5, it could be acidic, soft and corrosive. STEP 4: Then repeat the above steps with additional designated period of times. STEP 5: Repeat the same procedures by using cold water in the glasses and record the results. STEP 6: In the end, we will compare the results of each design of experiments to find out whether the pH level for disposable chopsticks are different from the non-disposable chopsticks with various soaking times and water temperature. We can then conclude if it is safe to use disposable chopsticks or not. Also this will confirm if my hypothesis was correct. Challenges and Technical Issues The challenges I had during my experiment are as follows. 1. The electrode tip of the pH meter need to be in the water about 3 cm deep. Dipping too deep or too shallow will affect the readings somewhat. However, with some practices and getting familiar with the depth of the tip, it is not difficult to adjust. 2. The pH meter will take some time to stabilize the reading. Need to make sure the reading does not fluctuate for a few seconds. Then take the reading. The tip is to practice several measurements and take readings patiently. Experiment Results A. Baseline Comparison of Different Waters: 1. House tap water is on the hard side, pH level 8.30. 2. The difference of pH level between home tap water and drinking water is 1.21. 3. My experiment is using home tap water. So if using nominal pH level water or lower pH level water, the resulted pH levels would be proportionally lower. Water Type (pH) Home Tap Water 8.30 Bottled Drinking Water 7.09 Difference -1.21 B. Tested with Hot Water: 1. This experiment is more closely simulating the actual usage of the chopsticks (hot meals hot soup). 2. Both stainless steel and plastic chopsticks are very stable when soaked in hot water for an hour. So they are safe to use. 3. Plastic chopsticks are performing the best, with least changes in pH level. 4. All four kinds of the disposable chopsticks had pH levels lower by 1.53 to 2.15. Bamboo type 3 (PB)) of the chopsticks is the worst, pH level lower by 2.15. So these chopsticks could pose safety risks by using them with hot meals/ soup. 5. If the baseline water were not pH 8.30, instead of pH 7.09, then the pH levels of all four kinds of the chopsticks would be lowered to the even more dangerous acidic levels. So disposable chopsticks are relatively unsafe to use. 6. Bamboo 3 (PB) had the worst yellowish discoloration of water. Bamboo 1 (FL) and Bamoo 2 (GL) also had some yellowish discoloration. MATERIAL TYPE BASELINE 30 Min. Changes from 1 Hour Changes from (pH) (pH) Baseline (pH) (pH) Baseline (pH) Stainless Steel 8.30 8.95 0.65 8.89 0.59 Plastic 8.30 8.92 0.62 8.64 0.34 Bamboo 1 (FL) 8.30 6.45 -1.85 6.77 -1.53 Bamboo 2 (GL) 8.30 6.78 -1.52 6.47 -1.83 Wood 8.30 7.35 -0.95 6.77 -1.53 Bamboo 3 (PB) 8.30 6.09 -2.21 6.15 -2.15 C. Tested with Cold Water: Both plastic and stainless steel chopsticks were very stable within one hour, while all other 4 kinds of disposable chopsticks were starting to turn acidic in an hour. When chopsticks were soaked in water longer than 1 hr, they all turned more acidic, with disposable chopsticks worse. Soaking in water longer than 1 day, both 2 days and 4 days, the pH levels for most of the chopsticks were stabilized. Most of the changes happened within the first day. Bamboo 3 (PB) had the worst yellowish discoloration of water. Bamboo 1 (FL) and Bamboo 2 (GL) also had some yellowish discoloration. Data Analysis and Discussion It was predicted and confirmed that the disposable chopsticks would have lower pH levels, which could be acidic, than the plastic and stainless steel chopsticks after soaking in both hot and tap waters. One possible explanation for low pH readings is that some disposable chopsticks used sulfur dioxide and hydro-peroxide to bleach the chopsticks without appropriate cleaning during the production processes. In the hot water experiment, the results were more prominent, after 30 minutes to an hour we saw dramatic pH level changes on the disposable chopsticks. At the same time, both plastic and stainless steel chopsticks, the pH levels were very stable after one hour. The two worst Ph level changes were the third bamboo disposable chopsticks (-2.21 pH level, with the plastic bag wrapping) and the first bamboo disposable chopsticks (-1.85 pH level, with the Fu-Lu characters). The worst pH level reduction occurred at 30 minutes in hot water, not 1 hour. For cold water experiment, the pH level changes were at a slower rate than the hot water experiment as expected. Still the worst pH level changes with cold water are still the third bamboo chopsticks (-0.84 pH at 30 minutes -2.17 pH at 1 day) and the first bamboo disposable chopsticks (-0.71 pH -2.25 pH at 1 day). The pH level changes were stabilized after 1 day. Plastic and stainless steel chopsticks were also more stable on pH readings. The worst kind of the disposable bamboo chopsticks- type 3 (PB) also showed the worst kind of discoloration (yellowish) in both hot and cold water experiment. I further noticed both bamboo type 3 (PB) and bamboo type 1 (FL), the worst two disposable chopsticks have less density in the structure. This could confirm that if they are not cleaned well in the production processes, they could contain most unwanted chemicals (bad stuff) and easier to dissolved into hot (especially) and cold waters. My original question was that Are disposable chopsticks safe to use? My hypothesis was taken in the right direction because after figuring out both the observations of the hot and cold water experiments everything started to fit quite well. This is supporting my hypothesis that disposable chopsticks are not as safe. Moreover, if the baseline water were not pH 8.30 (tap water), instead of pH 7.09 (drinking water, difference of Ph1.21), then the pH levels of all four kinds of the disposable chopsticks after soaking in hot water would be even lower and in the more dangerous acidic levels. I will certainly recommend using either the plastic chopsticks or stainless steel chopsticks for hot meals and hot soups and avoiding using disposable chopsticks. Conclusion From my hot and cold waters experiment with both reusable and disposable chopsticks, I can conclude that its better to use the plastic or stainless steel chopsticks (reusable). The disposable chopsticks are relatively unsafe to use. We should avoid using both Type 3 (PB) and Type 1 (FL) bamboo chopsticks. Also refraining from using the disposable chopsticks will also save the bamboos, trees, forest and earth. Its not only healthy, but also environmental friendly. Recommendations This project was done with limited time and resources. The sample size of chopsticks and time interval may not be big enough, the calibration of the pH meter was not done with the sample of pH 7.01 buffer (lack of test sample sheet) and use home tap water (pH 8.30). I will recommend to future project leader to use bigger samples size of chopsticks, take more readings in shorter time interval, calibrate the pH meter with the right sample buffer and use bottle drinking water (pH 7.09, in the middle of the safe drinking water pH range) to perform the experiment. Work Cited PH Levels.Freedrinkingwater.com. 29 Sept. 2010 . Scary Disposable chopsticks. eats-time.blogspot.com. 29 Sept. 2010 . Experiment Notes: In a packet.

Globalisation Affected The Design Culture Cultural Studies Essay

Globalisation Affected The Design Culture Cultural Studies Essay It has been determined that our genetics play a huge role in what we are as people in terms of our looks and personality as well as our likes and dislikes. It has also been argued that creativity is generic and thus can determine what we individually find aesthetically pleasing. Yet do our upbringing of morals and beliefs play a role in how we view the world in terms of creativity and design? In his chapter on Taste, Clay (2009:13) states that The particular culture an individual is brought up in has inescapable influence in that persons preferences. I tend to agree as I do believe our preferences when it comes to design, stem from where and how we were brought up and in correlation to this, what we were exposed to in our upbringing. However, it seems in todays fast passed technological world where we have advances in technology that ten years ago seemed impossible, that we are losing touch of what culture and heritage are. This generation of technology allows for us to interact in what I believe to be an impersonal fashion. With services through the internet such as Facebook, Twitter and Skype we can communicate globally with the click of a button, which in terms of communication has advantages, yet we seem so detached from human interaction and all that comes with it. This is an effect of globilisation, as we are connected around the world, not only through technology such as the internet, but through the ever growing and advancement of travel networks of railways that link continents and aviation links that allow for transcontinental travel. The reality of the 21st century is that one can be in a different continent within a matter of hours and can communicate throughout the world at any point of time. In term s of creative problem solving, todays connected society has advantage as we can collectively gather and share information that can be used for solutions to global problems and therefore have a global interaction that will determine changes. It is not my argument that this is bad, as we have been allowed a freedom to travel and communicate and therefore experience the world. It is however, my concern that we have been detached from our roots in terms our cultural beliefs and heritage as cross cultural and socio-economic integrations have occurred as a result. Research that has dealt with this topic in particular speaks to how cultures have integrated and mixed and some argue that this is simply a continuation of evolution, yet I feel that as a result we could lose not only cultures that have grown through the ages but the sense of belonging or as Clay (2009;13) terms an individuals status in society. It is thus my intention to determine how globalisation has affected cultures through design changes. Literature Review Preliminary research on globalisation as a general topic has identified the cause of global change and development as a result of technology development that has allowed for the expansion of communication and travel. Cultures have been integrated in the sense that we are all connected through a similar thread that is the internet, where we can share information and discover and solve problems. As a result of this, we are better educated through the extent of knowledge that has been shared through this medium and thus have a better understanding of global issued that are being solved through design. It can be said that every aspect of our lives have been designed as we are constantly looking for ways to simplify our lives, mainly through technology. However, it is through this ever-growing advancement in technology that we have made our lives and therefore our economies and to some extent of which I intent to determine, our cultures complex and thus integrated. Jarzombek and Hwangbo (Global in a not so Global World.[sa]) base their theory on globalisation through what they see as the integration of modern and tradition and how cultural relevancy has been modernised to the extent that tradition is seemingly extinct. Examples of Eastern and Asian Architecture are used here to explain how politics and global integration can determine what is built and for what purpose a building takes on, regardless of the socio-economic situation or cultural effect that will occur. Although this article shows a bias argument, it is the issue of how cultural relevance has taken the back fall to global change in power and political battles that are of a result of globalisation that is of interest as this can determine how culture in terms of design is at risk. Therefore, it can be said that our lives are designed according to these changes as Marcus. G. H (What is Design Today.2002) asks the question What is Good Design? which can lead to an infinite array of answers that are determined by the individual. It is however my interest in Marcus take on how each aspect of design, from industrial to product design, relates to each other and forms a correlation that will affect each other as a result. Archer. B.L (Design Awareness.1974) similarly discusses creativity and how design is brought about. Elements of design from corporate strategy to consumer demand and conflicting issues in design are explained in a simplified way which break down design into a logical format from creativity and ideas to how and why designs are brought into effect and the global process that either demands or supplies influence on new design. However, it is the effect on society and heritage that is discussed in a business like format, which is of interest as Archer gives perspective on the global effect of design and why consumers are a part of the change. This leads to the idea of the consumer based society whereby we show demand for new products especially in technology and as a result we are affecting what is designed and produced and how we live our lives. Clay. R.(Beautiful Thing.2009) uses examples of art and design to correlate the relationships in all forms of creativity and therefore delves into the evolution of design and how this has effect on culture. Design in relation to our personal upbringings and where we live in todays society coincides on design decisions we make and why and how the human condition has evolved and changes with technology and global issues that are being discovered and solved through design. Cultural influences are debated through examples of clichà © designs and how these design methods have influenced design today and in what direction design is taking in modern society which will further more change culture and society which serves as the underlying issue of this research. On a similar chord, while dealing with culture of a region or geographic whereby consumers can be influenced through design, symbols and signs play a role in what is attractive or desirable in design. Culture can be described as familiarity and it is that which shows difference in culture and therefore design takes inspiration from this. Saleh M. (The use of historic symbols in contemporary planning and design*. 1998) explains that The meanings in symbols can be derived from three distinct forms of interaction: first, the ascription of economic and intellectual status to an object as a result of historical discourse; second, through use of an object when mediated by the cultural sphere; and third, when exchange values are transformed to sign values, as citisens, designers or decision makers interfere with the meaning of a landmark under cultural, economic and political relations of production and therefore introduces the realm of symbolic relation between culture and design and there fore how globally this relationship has been affected, of which the intention is to determine. Significance of Research My preliminary research has indicated that this topic is relevant in correlation to what is already known and it is the intention to further my knowledge of both cultures around the world as well as design that relates to culture and heritage. I have always been interested in travel and how other people live and moving to a new country has expanded my interest as I have learnt how people in South Africa live and how different the various cultures are. Language has also been a significant as I have learnt three languages that I would consider to be beneficial to my intended travel plans, and through language I have learnt that there is culture and heritage that is connected to a language; a topic that I could incorporate into my research paper. As it is my intention to research further into the implications of globalisation in relation to cultural changes and how this has influenced or been influential on design, I see this topic to be relevant to todays society and in relation to South African design. Research Methodology Though the current literature review, the topic of interest is placed into what is already known and it is my intention to further my research through the following questions and therefore derive a chapter outline for my proposed research paper: What is globalisation? How have cultures changed? What determined these changes? How has design changed? What has determined these changes? Does globalisation determine design change? How? Does design change determine cultural change? How?

Escape Mechanisms in The Glass Menagerie Essay -- Glass Menagerie essa

Escape Mechanisms in The Glass Menagerie In Tennessee Williams’ play, The Glass Menagerie, all four members of the Wingfield family have chosen to hide from reality. Amanda tries to relive her past through Laura, and denies anything she does not want to accept. Laura is terrified of the real world, and choses to hide behind her limp, her glass menagerie and the victrola. Tom hides from his reality by going to the movies, writing poetry, and getting drunk. Mr Wingfield hides from his reality by leaving his family and not contacting them after he has done so. Each member of the Wingfield family has their own escape mechanism which they use to hide or escape from the real world. Amanda has chosen to hide from reality by trying to relive her past. She is living in the unreality of her youthful memories and sees herself as still being as young as Laura when she says to her, ‘No, sister, no, sister – you be the lady this time and I’ll be the darkey’ (p 237). She reminisces about ‘one Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain’ (p 237) when she received seventeen gentleman callers, and then tries to relive this through Laura. She arranges for Tom to bring home some nice young man... ...1987. 85-94. Levy, Eric P. "‘Through Soundproof Glass’: The Prison of Self Consciousness in The Glass Menagerie." Modern Drama, 36. December 1993. 529-537. Rasky, Harry. Tennessee Williams: A Portrait in Laughter and Lamentation. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1986. Thompson, Judith J. Tennessee Williams’ Plays: Memory, Myth, and Symbol. New York: Peter Lang, 1989. Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. In Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, 4th ed. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995. 1519-1568.

Justice in Oedipus the King :: Oedipus Rex Essays

Justice in Oedipus the King After reading Oedipus the King, one may think that in this story, there was no justice, and nobody could avoid their fate. King Laius and Queen Jocasta, fearing the prophecy of the Delphic oracle, had the young Oedipus left on Mount Cithaeron to die, but the father dies and the son marries the mother anyway. Oedipus, seemingly a good person, also tries to avoid the second prophecy, only to fulfill the first. But even through all this, I have done some research and feel that there was justice in Oedipus, The King, and their fate wasn't completely sealed. First, the murder of King Laius. Laius seemed to die a unwarranted death, but he was not necessarily in complete innocence, for he had done some malicious things earlier in his life, such as the attempted murder of his son, Oedipus, and the kidnapping and rape of Chrysippus, a young man Laius fell in love with before Jocasta. And Oedipus wasn't as guilty under ancient Greek law as he is under our modern laws. It was every Greek's duty to harm his/her enemies, and as far as Oedipus knew, King Laius was an enemy. Queen Jocasta wasn't exactly guiltless, either. The great Queen had also tried with King Laius to kill their son, and had no respect for the prophecies of Apollo: "A prophet? Listen to me and learn some peace of mind: no skill in the world, nothing human can penetrate the future." She was also the other half of a mother-son marriage. Greek law considered the act, not the motive - meaning that even though she nor Oedipus knew they were related, they committed the crime. Finally, Oedipus's guilt. In some ways, Oedipus was the most guilty of them all. Consider his 'hubris'. He regarded himself as almost a god, assuming that since he alone had solved the sphinx's riddle, he was the one of the gods' favorites. He was very quick to judge, and judged on the most flimsy of evidence. He calls on Tiresias to tell him what he should do, and when he doesn't like what he hears, Oedipus says, "Your words are nothing - futile", and

Cultural background Essay

1. How do cultures shape minds? The cultural ancestry of a certain individual often makes an impression on the individual itself. However, if the individual is more often exposed to a certain culture that is totally different from their ancestry, there is a greater chance of adapting to the said culture in order for them to â€Å"fit-in† with the population. 2. What cultures affect middle and high school students? The Hispanic/Mexican and Asian cultures have more effect on middle and high school students since they make sure that the next generation realize the importance of having their own distinct culture regardless of their ability to adapt to the cultural conditions of the country where they reside. 3. What literacies influence student’s thinking and behavior in and out of school? Literacy in the English language is the major influence followed by literacy in cultural heritage. 4. Where is our adolescent literacy crisis rooted? It lies in the ability of the adolescent to adjust to both the family and social environment in relation to their quest for knowledge during their formative years. 5. How can teachers respond to literacy and learning challenges in their content area classrooms? The teachers can set the learning pace that would put the students, regardless of intellect or cultural background, at ease in the classrooms making them eager to learn more.

English Macbeth coursework Essay

Is the supernatural wholly responsible for the tragedy that occurs or is Macbeth fatally flawed and responsible for his own heinous crimes? It is my contention that all of the central characters have some integral part to play in the tragedy that occurs. Each have some function in the heinous crimes, and hence one individual cannot be held completely responsible for the bloodshed that occurs. William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. His father was named John Shakespeare; he was originally a glove maker before eventually becoming a politician. His mother, Mary Arden, belonged to the ranks of high society, being from a wealthy family, she subsequently inherited a great deal of money and farmland. Shakespeare was the third child born to the couple, but was the first to survive. The Shakespeare’s went on to have four children, Gilbert, Richard, Joan and Mary. Shakespeare’s family was quite wealthy, and when Shakespeare was four, his father was established as High Bailiff of Stratford. Shakespeare’s first school was Petty school and when he was seven, it is believed that he went to the local grammar school until at the age of twelve, when he left to help his father who had run into financial trouble. At the age of eighteen, Shakespeare met Anne Hathaway who was the daughter of a local farmer. She was twenty-six. They married in November 1582 and in May 1583 gave birth to their first child Susanna, she was followed two years later by twins Hamnet and Judith. Shortly after this, Shakespeare left Stratford, leaving his family behind. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, Shakespeare arrived in London and found a job in the theatre. He began to act and write a variety of plays and they were hugely popular, though many considered him to be intellectually insecure given that he was not university educated. In 1956, sadly young Hamnet died. By the age of 33, Shakespeare was making vast amounts of money and had been propelled to success, thus gaining country wide fame. He bought the second biggest house in Stratford, lots of land and a share in London’s finest theatre, ‘The Globe’. When James 1 became king he displayed a huge interest in the theatre given that he was patron of the arts. He ordered Shakespeare’s company to change their name to the ‘King’s Men’. In June 1613, Shakespeare’s play ‘Henry V111’ was put on at ‘The Globe’. During the play, a live cannon shot out a burning ball of paper, which landed on the thatched roof of the theatre. The whole building caught fire and within an hour it had burnt to the ground. After this, Shakespeare decided to retire and move back to Stratford. He was forty-nine and had written thirty-seven plays. He died on the 23rd of April 1616 at the age of fifty-two. He was buried two days later in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. ‘Macbeth’ was an old Scottish legend and according to the ‘Holinshed’s chronicles of England, Scotland and Wales’, Macbeth became king of Scotland in 1040 after having defeated an inadequate, weak and youthful leader. Shakespeare’s Duncan was much older and demanded respect from Thanes; his murders were more heinous in the dramatic interpretation. The historical Macbeth reigned as king for 17 years. James 1, formerly a ruler in Scotland, was the eighth descendant of the Banquo-Fleance line and because of this Shakespeare presented Banquo in a more honourable light than the historical Banquo actually was. James 1 was intrigued and terrified by witchcraft. In 1597, he produced a book called ‘Daemonolougie’, which acted as a guide to recognise and defeat witches. King James believed that he had encountered witches and claimed three witches had raised a storm in order to drown him on his wedding trip. He believed that his encounter was real and three women were consequently murdered after they admitted sailing in a sieve to sink the ship. However, Shakespeare presented this encounter in Act one scene three. During this century, it is estimated that between 4,500 and 8,000 women were destroyed for supposedly practising witchcraft. The king even passed a law proclaiming death to anyone who was thought to be meddling in the dark forces. Shakespeare used the idea of witchcraft, kingship and moral order to develop the play, as these themes were greatly admired by a Jacobean audience. The play is extremely dramatic in its depiction of the corruption of natural order and raw ambition. It starts with the three strange witches meeting on an empty heath. King Duncan wins a great battle and Macbeth becomes a hero. Furthermore, Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches. They predict that Macbeth will be the ‘Thane of Cawdor’ and later King. The prophetic hag’s first prophecy comes true and Macbeth does become ‘Thane of Cawdor’. Macbeth writes to Lady Macbeth telling her what the witches said. In an ambitious move the husband and wife plot to kill King Duncan. When Duncan comes to stay at Macbeth’s castle, Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to go ahead with the murder and grudgingly he does. Malcolm and Donaldblain, sons of Duncan, escape to England and Macbeth is crowned King. However, Macbeth does not trust Banquo and has him murdered, but when Macbeth has a feast, Banquo’s ghost appears. Hence, Macbeth resolves to revisit the witches and he sees strange apparitions, meanwhile, Macduff’s wife and children are murdered by order of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth then becomes insane and dies. The castle is attacked, Macbeth is killed and Malcolm is proclaimed King. One lone character cannot be solely to blame for this tragedy, all of the central characters should be apportioned some blame. Macbeth is a brave and noble soldier who fought heroically for King Duncan. One would not suspect him of pre-mediated murder. Therefore, the witches must have had the ability to corrupt, manipulate and shape his mind. Macbeth must certainly be apportioned some blame as every man is in control of his own destiny. The witches never specifically told him to kill, they merely implanted a suggestion. Macbeth obviously had ambition, which was sparked from the beginning. The witches simply helped to spark this ambition and then worked to keep it alight. He acts along with the help of Lady Macbeth. She manipulates and supports his evil deeds. Macbeth had the power to reject the witch’s suggestions and allow nature to take its course, this is evident, as he was able to control hundreds of soldiers in battle and give orders. He was not a weak and challenged man man. Macbeth was on the contrary selfish and power hungry. He let his greed influence him. â€Å"Loves for his own ends, not for you† However, one can reason that Macbeth was not always in control. He is said to be in a ‘rapt state’ and one whethers this has anything to do with the elemental forces or his over – sexual, manipulative wife. Even so, he may be possessed but he is in control of himself as the dialogue suggests, â€Å"Stay you imperfect speakers tell me more† In addition, his tone changes as he gains confidence and he becomes aggressive. This suggests that he is in control and can make up his own decisions. However, there are reflective moments when he reflects on his actions and decides against murder. â€Å"If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me/without my stir† However, this way of thinking is soon non-existent in the second act. Macbeth would be viewed as a hero if he made his own judgement and resisted the temptation. Lady Macbeth is also marginally to blame. She is introduced when she reads Macbeth’s letter. She is pushed, pressurised, manipulated and calculated the pre-meditated murder. She is powerful and dear to Macbeth and takes full advantage of this. However, we would not expect a woman to rein such power, as this would have been unlikely given the period. Without her cajoling, Macbeth may never have gone through with the first murder. She took control and handled the murders as an unsexed entity. It seems that Lady Macbeth may have been connected with the supernatural before, as she calls out to evil spirits. â€Å"unsex me here† Lady Macbeth could be considered a witch according to the standards of Shakespeare’s day. She subverts the order of the sexes and the usual family hierarchy by trying to assume more power than the head of the family, her husband. She does appear to have more power over him, as she challenges his manhood so he will commit the murder of Duncan. â€Å"And live a coward in thine own esteem† She uses sexual means to control her puppet – like husband and entrances him; thus she is like a witch. By challenging her husbands manhood, she is making him mentally impotent yet in the same way pleading for herself to become an unsexed entity, on an equal power with her husband given his impotent and fragile state, if anything Lady Macbeth is more aggressive in this strange role reversal. This is highlighted in the following quotation, â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man† She does not follow the typical role of the wife; she transforms the social order and thus becomes the pinnacle of the family and her alliance with the dark forces becomes dubious, the fact that she works with the weird sisters to influence Macbeth suggests that she is at least indirectly allied with them. Though it can be said that, Lady Macbeth retains her mortal form and temporal powers; she has simply touched on the deep-seated ambitions and greed that were already present in him. Although Lady Macbeth coserts her power and dominance over her weak, ineffectual husband, the elemental forces also corrupt the impotent Macbeth. She also encourages Macbeth to become more confident and assertive and tempt him into using his ambition for his own gains. Without this guidance and the corrupt suggestions, Macbeth would probably have never acted on his impulses and desire for power. The witches cast spells and provide apparitions and thus drive his hunger for power and dominance. The withches intentionally taunt him by making him believe that he is in control, they change their tone and act subservient towards him, â€Å"speak, demand, we’ll answer† We are also more prone to condemning them more as we learn the grotesque content of their cauldron, â€Å"pour in sow’s blood that hath eaten her nine farrow† These ingredients sound equally gruesome to Macbeth, yet this is overshadowed by the vague, riddled promises that they make, â€Å"for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth† They continually meddle in his life and one could question whether they had anything to do with the hallucinations. Most of the play is written in blank verse, which resembles the natural rhythm of spoken English. The language flows in this form, certain syllables are stressed and there is a lack of end rhyme. However, this rhythm is disturbed when the weird witches are present in the scene. The language and verse is varied, with the witches and present. The verse is much choppier and sharper. Shakespeare also used rhyming couplets, which is particularly applicable for use in the witch scenes, as riddled; rhyming couplets enhance the devious and corrupt nature of the witches. The vocabulary is archaic and typical of Elizabeth style. The language devices Shakespeare used are abundant; he uses figurative language, aural imagery, patterned sound, equivocation, biblical illusions, symbolism and personification. Act 1 Scene 1 opens with ‘thunder and lightening’. We establish that this scene could be evil as the weather suggests this. Hence Shakespeare has used pathetic fallacy to enhance atmosphere. It was believed that in superstitious times those fierce storms were omens of unrest in individual people and whole countries. The fact that the witches open the plays shows the theme of supernatural is integral to the play. Shakespeare used the weird witches to open the play to show that evil will taunt Macbeth and will influence what happens in the play. The unearthly creatures talk of the battle being, â€Å"lost and won.† This equivocation shows the witches have the power of prediction and that they have also been anticipating the fight for Macbeth’s soul. The witches actively seek to meet up with Macbeth; this portrays their meddling side to the audience. â€Å"there to meet Macbeth† The prophetic hags establish a link with the supernatural by calling their familiars. Their familiars were supposedly given to them from Satan to help with sorcery. â€Å"I come Greymalkin† The witches riddled phrases denote the confusion that will occur. Their ambiguous language addresses that things aren’t always as they seem. â€Å"fair is foul and foul is fair† This line is an analogy for the deceptive facade of Lady Macbeth. The witches ‘Exeunt’ by hovering through the air and by doing this; they are symbolically linked with the supernatural. From analysing the evidence in this scene, one can assume that the blame is directed to the witches, as they are meddling in Macbeth’s affairs and are being associated with evil. Act 1 scene 3 also opens with ‘thunder’. It shows the extreme nature of the prophetic hags. Their meeting place, the heath, is symbolic of the barren and empty nature of the witches. â€Å"blasted heath† The fact the witches meet again reinforces the idea of sisterhood and coven, â€Å"where hast thou been, sister?† One witch has been a gruesomely â€Å"killing swine.† This is a ritual killing for evil purposes. Another witch relates how a sailor’s wife denied her food, so decides to attack the sailor. It was superstition that if you denied a witch food then the witch would take steps to punish you. The dramatist uses a strong metaphor here, which creates imagery, â€Å"Aroint thee witch the rump-fed renyon cries† The witch turned herself into a rat and sailed in a sieve to corrupt the sailor’s ship. There is a symbolic suggestion in the word ‘rat’ that they are cunning and manipulative. Furthermore, the fact she turns herself into a rat indicates her lower status compared to her familiar. Therefore, her familiar is a lot more powerful than she is, as it is a cat. The witches are very civil to each other, which makes us question whether they really are intrinsically evil, â€Å"Th ‘art kind† Moreover, they speak in rhyming couplets; this increases the notion of incantation and makes their riddles more complex. The first witch produces a human thumb. This implies that she has used her magic for evil. Macbeth is announced with a symbolic drum. His future is told within a drumroll. Death. Macbeth’s opening words directly associate him with evil. â€Å"So fair and foul a day I have not seen† It is in reference to an earlier quote that the unearthly creatures spoke. This links his destiny with the witches and evil. Macbeth speaks with an important, unsure and hesitant tone and the Weird Sisters prophesise that Macbeth will be ‘Thane of Cawdor’ and ‘King hereafter’. This is what sparks ambitions. Banquo seems jealous but says Macbeth, â€Å"Seems rapt withal† He is in a trance and he may be possessed at this point, perhaps under the control of the supernatural. Banquo already recognises the witches to be unnatural and strange and is very vivid in his description of them. â€Å"So withered, and so wild in their attire, That look not like th’ inhabitants o’ th’ earth† In addition, Banquo may also be suggesting that Macbeth is greedy and expectant. â€Å"Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear your favours or your hate† Even in his rapt state, Macbeth is still coherent enough to demand to know more. Thus he is in control of himself enough to absorb the information and calculate his actions. His tone becomes more commanding and demanding, hence Macbeth is capable of making his own decisions. â€Å"Stay you imperfect speakers tell me more† Macbeth feels powerful after having been victorious in battle. Macbeth is sadly deluded that he can control the elemental forces, which have succeeded in uncovering his raw ambition. One Macbeth learns he has been made Thane of Cawdor, Banquo says, â€Å"What can the devil speak true† This suggests that evil is at work, One must recognise that the witches never suggested murdering Duncan and it is essential to balance the evidence and make appropriate decisions. We learn of the Weird Sisters connection with evil and of their provoking and meddling, yet they never tell Macbeth to do anything they merely suggest. It is clear that Macbeth is showing his true colours by the end of the scene and is in complete control of his actions. One can reason that he is in ‘rapt state’, but after we are given this impression, there is also contrary evidence provided to suggest that he is in fact in control of his actions. The tone actively changes, commanding and directing. In Act 1 Scene 5, Macbeth has sent Lady Macbeth a letter and the first thing Macbeth writes about is the witches. Shakespeare is insinuating that the supernatural has a central role within the play. Macbeth writes, â€Å"while I stood rapt in wonder of it† We once again question whether he was possessed and can be held responsible for his actions. Macbeth calls Lady Macbeth, â€Å"my dearest partner of greatness† This suggests they have a good relationship and usually work together in partnership. Macbeth is aware that he may not have enough ambition. â€Å"That thou mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee† Macbeth is leaving the decisive action up to Lady Macbeth and hence is giving her freedom of choice. â€Å"Lay it to thy heart and farewell† Lady Macbeth realises that Macbeth is, â€Å"too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness† Lady Macbeth feels responsible for what happens so is plotting and planning for him. â€Å"Yet do I fear thy nature† Lady Macbeth reveals her thoughts about witchcraft and the supernatural by calling on evil spirits. â€Å"come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts† One can assume that she has been embroiled in the supernatural before. She calls on the spirits to change her into a ruthless human being. To take away her soft feminine qualities so that she can assist her ambitious husband who lacks the evil he will need. â€Å"unsex me here† After critically examining the evidence in this scene, one can point the finger of blame towards Lady Macbeth who calls on evil spirits so she can assist her husband. She is already planning and plotting murder. One can now connect her with the supernatural and evil. In Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth starts to change his mind about the murder, â€Å"hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been, so clear in his great office† In contrast, Lady Macbeth shows optimum strength in this scene. She undermines Macbeth and challenges his manhood. â€Å"And live a coward in thine own esteem† Lady Macbeth plots and plans the murder of Duncan. All her actions are pre mediated, which implies that she is a cold heartless killer, â€Å"When Duncan is asleep whereto the rather shall his day’s hard journey soundly invite him-his two chamberlains. Will I with wine and wassail so convince, that memory, the warder of the brain, shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason a limbeck only; when in swinish sleep their drenched natures lie as in death† She is so cunning and conniving that she has thought everything through. â€Å"his spongy officers, who shall bear guilt† We are reminded of the earlier quotation, â€Å"fair is foul and foul is fair† It seems to be unfolding like a prophecy. There should be equilibrium in apportioning blame in this scene as Macbeth, though deciding against the murder, was convinced very quickly to go through with it. If he really hadn’t wanted to go through with the murder he would have put up a bit more resistance. One can reason that Lady Macbeth has a very strong influence over him and she knows how to use it to her advantage, especially in this scene as she challenges his manhood and has a carefully thought out plan. One could question whether she is inherently evil or whether Macbeth really had any other choice. In Act 2 Scene 1, Banquo is unable to sleep, as he is uncomfortable in the presence of evil thoughts. â€Å"Merciful powers, restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature gives way to in repose† Macbeth denies his involvement with the unearthly creatures. He is very careful to hide his guilt in murdering Duncan. This is the turning point for Macbeth; he is becoming more and more empowered, â€Å"I think not of them† Macbeth believes he sees a dagger in front of him. This could be a sign of his need to muster his courage, hence he intentionally visualises his evil swaying. This could also be the work of the supernatural. The word ‘dagger’ reminds us of the unnatural predictions, â€Å"That summens there to heaven or to hell† This soliloquy reveals Macbeth’s abnormal state of mind. It also reminds one of the unnatural witches who are products of hell. He believes he is becoming stronger, but ironically he is becoming weaker, as he is more and more disturbed as a result of the supernatural. One can use the evidence shown in this scene to appoint the blame to Macbeth as now he is denying any involvement with the witches and lying to his own friends as the supernatural is taking a hold of him. One could question his sanity as he sees a dagger, or one could reason that this is the supernatural meddling and taunting Macbeth. In Act 2 Scene 2, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are becoming more frail minded as they are beginning to realise what they have done in order to get what they want. Lady Macbeth jumps at the sound of an owl. This suggests that she is becoming frail minded and is extremely anxious. â€Å"Hark! Peace!† Other signs of the pair frail – mindness are that Lady Macbeth pleads with her husband not to go insane, which is ironic as this happens to her, and that Macbeth can’t wash the blood from his hands. â€Å"No, this my hand will rather the multitudnous seas incarnadine, making the green one red† He can’t literally wash the blood from his hands and also metaphorically he can’t wash away the guilt of what he has done from his blackened soul. For all Lady Macbeth’s evil words she still has some sort of conscience, as she can’t commit the murder herself. She is not as evil as she would like and maybe the evil spirits didn’t remove all of her soft gentle side. Macbeth is remorseful, but Lady Macbeth has achieved her desires. She is adamant that the dead can’t exact revenge. If anything she has been influenced and manipulated by the supernatural. â€Å"the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures. ‘Tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil† In this scene we see that Macbeth is regretting his devious actions, yet this passes very quickly. Lady Macbeth shows very little regret or remorse. One can reason that she couldn’t commit the murder herself so she can’t be all evil. Both are becoming weakened and anxious. Macbeth can’t return the daggers and is initially ashamed of himself. In Act 3 Scene 1, Macbeth has become more powerful. He has not yet converged with the witches, so we can assume that they haven’t complete power over him in this scene. Lady Macbeth and his own greed now directly influence everything he does. Macbeth has Banquo murdered, but it is his own madness that drove him to do it. He is now more in control of his destiny. â€Å"I will put that business in your bosoms whose execution takes your enemy off† He is level headed and cunningly instructs the murderers to plant themselves away from the palace. â€Å"I will advise you where to plant yourselves†¦.something from the palace† Macbeth gives the murderers reasons to kill Banquo, claiming that Banquo had held them â€Å"under fortune† This portrays his intelligence, but also emphasises his evil side. Macbeth is very clear in what he must do to secure the thrown without challenge. â€Å"We have scorched the snake but have not scorned it† This implies that there are more murders to come. Macbeth is not troubled by the murders he has committed. He is more worried that Fleance escaped. From this we can establish that he has little or no conscience. â€Å"Fool of scorpions of my mind dear wife thou know’st that Banquo and his Fleance lives† One must recognise that neither the supernatural nor Lady Macbeth had anything to do with the murders of Banquo or Fleance, yet Macbeth now uses a style not unlike the style Lady Macbeth had used on him. One could say that her influence has not left him unmarked and she still has some sort of control over him, though it is mostly his own greed that is spurring him on to commit these heinous acts. In Act 3 Scene 4, Macbeth is becoming increasingly cruel in his manner and shows no remorse in his friend’s death. â€Å"Tis better thee without than he within† He is referring to the blood on the murderer’s face. Macbeth is upset that Fleance has escaped because it jeopardises his plans and he realises that he can still feel fear. â€Å"But now I am cabined, cribbed, confined.† Shakespeare uses alliteration in this scene for dramatic effect, it emphasises that Macbeth is trapped, desperate and afraid. The use of the ‘c’ consonant is particularly effective since ‘c’ is a hard consonant. The sharp sound evoked by this letter emphasises Macbeth’s fear. He also uses rule of three for literary effect moreover, there is a great association with the number three and magic. The dramatist is once drawing us back into the supernatural and highlighting the fundamental importance of the role of the ‘prophetic hags’. â€Å"There the grown serpent lies, the worm that’s fled† This is an evocative metaphor used to describe Fleance. By calling him a serpent, Shakespeare is inferring that Macbeth sees him as devious, sneaky and sly. Macbeth sees an apparition of the deceased Banquo. We must question whether this is guilt or the supernatural meddling again. â€Å"Which of you have done this?† This is what we call an asside or soliloquy. A private moment where the character shares his thoughts with the audience. Lady Macbeth refers to Macbeth as a woman. It is ironic that Lady Macbeth feels so superior at this time, because shortly she becomes insane yet here she is perfectly sane. Macbeth reveals his evil intentions by explaining, â€Å"we are yet but young in deed† At the end of this scene Macbeth concludes that he will visit the Weird sisters (witches). His reliance on the supernatural is necessary to stifle his fear. One must recognise that he goes to the supernatural and not the other way about. Therefore, we blame Macbeth for going to the prophetic hags. Act 3 Scene 5 includes Hectate who is the supreme witch. This scene involves her scolding the witches for not involving her. This scene incriminates the witches which makes them responsible. â€Å"How did you dare to trade and traffic with Macbeth in riddles and affairs of death† Hectate also apportions some of the responsibility to Macbeth and believes the witches are wasting their time. â€Å"Loves for his own ends, not for you† The witches know Macbeth is coming to them and they will, â€Å"draw him on to his confusion† thus adding to the supernatural’s already existing evil. The inclusion of this scene means that the metaphorical finger is pointed at the ‘Weird Sisters’. However, most editors do not consider this scene to be written by Shakespeare. Therefore, this scene should not be included when considering the evidence. If it were, it would suggest that the elemental forces were to blame the whole way through the play. In Act 4 Scene 1, the witches are involved in a ritual, making a concoction for Macbeth to drink. They will be instruments of his doom. There is similar assonance present, to emphasise the riddled and confused nature of their speech and hence to magnify the idea that these are unnatural creatures. â€Å"chaudron†¦.cauldron† The way they chant together reveals their sisterhood. The prophecies they reveal are that Macbeth must be cautious of Macduff (thane of fife Nemises/avenger to Macbeth not born of a women); he will only be defeated when ‘Birnham Wood’ moves to Dunsinane and that no man born from a mothers womb can ever harm Macbeth. These predictions though extremely ambiguous, are riddled prophecies of Macbeth’s future. They only tell half-truths but they are also double meanings. Macbeth longs to feel secure. â€Å"Double double, toil and trouble† This enhances the fact that the meanings are going to be double edged. The incantation reveals the turmoil that lies ahead. Macbeth’s tone is demanding and he thinks he has the power to control the witches when he most certainly doesn’t. â€Å"I conjure you, by that which you profess† The witches recognise this and use it to their advantage by making Macbeth feel that he is in control by saying, â€Å"speak, demand, we’ll answer† They are now purposely taunting him and acting in a subservient way and their tone has changed. They lure him into a false sense of security. â€Å"say if thou’dst rather hear it from our moths or from our masters† Macbeth has become a puppet for the instruments of darkness. He has become conceited and believes he is untouchable. The prophetic hags have influenced and shaped him by implanting thoughts of grandeur into his head and extracting his ambition. He misinterprets the prophecies and still he isn’t satisfied. â€Å"Yet my heart throbs to know one thing† We condemn the witches more so because of the ingredients they put in their cauldron are foul, grotesque and inappropriate in the extreme, â€Å"Finger of birth strangled babe† Yet Macbeth decides to murder all related to Macduff. The killing of these innocents is perhaps his most evil act. It can’t be condoned, as they have nothing to do with the situation. Macbeth says, â€Å"From this moment, the very firstlings of my heart shall be, the firstlings of my hand† For this malevolent deed we blame him in this scene, as the witches never said anything about killing Macduff’s family. This is completely of his own accord. In Act 4 Scene 3, Malcolm (son of Duncan and prince of Cumberland) tests Macduff and when it is clear that they are both loyal and good, they plan what’s to be done. Macbeth has been energized by the witches and goes on a killing spree, murdering Lady Macduff and her son. â€Å"He has killed me mother† Once Malcolm and Macduff learn of the slaughter of Macduff’s family they are clear that Macbeth must be stopped immediately. They invite assistance from, â€Å"the powers of above,† Or the heavens to overthrow the tyrant. This suggests that the supernatural world can be fair as well as foul. This reminds us of the former equivocation, which is the central coda of the play. Macbeth is crazed by murder. His actions are now gratuitous, as he is hungry for murder. He was once subservient to the supernatural and now he is a transformed lunatic. He was once empowered by them and now is obsessed and insane. After analysing the evidence from this scene it is clear that Macbeth should be blamed and one must also recognise that there is evidence to show that the supernatural is not all bad. In Act 5 Scene 1, Lady Macbeth becomes completely crazed. Firstly she sleepwalks. Lady Macbeth hallucinates that she has blood on her hands, has sin on her soul. â€Å"Out damned spot, out I say†¦. Hell is murky† â€Å"will these hands ne’er be clean?† This juxtaposes what she has said previously. â€Å"A little water should cleanse me of these deeds† It is clear that her conscience troubles her and one must recognise that she is not wholly evil. In Act 5 Scene 3, Macbeth is still on a mission for power and will not go down without a fight. â€Å"I’ll fight until from my bones my flesh be hacked. Give me my armour† This image is gruesome and unwholesome and it reminds us of the witches and their evil deeds. His choice of language leads us to believe that his encounters with the weird witches had some sick satanic effect on him. His frustration is apparent and he is cruel towards the servant, but this is understandable as he is faced with the risk of battle. He also invites some sympathy when he admits, â€Å"my way of life has fallen into the sear† Yet he musters some confidence at the end and one could recognise that he brought this all on himself. In Act 5 Scene 5, we see the death of Lady Macbeth. She commits suicide, as her evil deeds were too hard to live with. One can recognise that she is not all evil, but merely weak and that she could not live with what she had done. Macbeth seems too far-gone in his evil ways to feel real fear. At the end of scene five Macbeth begins to question the moral fibre of the witches. â€Å"I pull in resolution and begin to doubt th’ equivocation of the field† Even on the stake he ponders over how he could be killed when the witches promise differently. â€Å"Whats he that was not born of a woman† He still stupidly believes in what he was told. He has been duped as Macduff was, â€Å"from his mothers womb untimely ripped† Macbeth still shouts orders and damn’s others, yet ironically, it is he that is damned. After critically studying the evidence of that scene we blame Macbeth, as he is evil right to the very end and still obsessed with the supernatural and what the witches have told him. After close critical analysis it is my view that responsibility is swayed in each scene, yet on the whole each party are equally to blame for the bloodshed. There is sufficient evidence to imply that each party had a vital function in the outcome. Macbeth was not wholly responsible for the outcomes of the play, yet he is partly to blame for murdering for his own gains. It is obvious that sometimes he is said to be in a ‘rapt’ state and one could question whether he had been possessed by the Weird witches. However, even in his ‘rapt’ state he still seems to be in control of himself. Macbeth never actually calls the three women witches, only weird sisters or prophetic hags; thus one must question whether they actually have any power or only the power of suggestion. They never actually instruct Macbeth to murder anyone, yet they alongside Lady Macbeth work to water the seed of ambition. Fate may have intended Macbeth to seize the throne; the witches may just have been instruments to support this notion and provide Macbeth with guidance. The prophetic hags tempt Macbeth into using his ambition for his own gains and they have knowledge that Lady Macbeth is a power – hungry woman who will aid Macbeth. One must assume that they too are evil as they cast spells, provide apparitions and implant notions of power and grandeur. Furthermore, the spells they cast are extreme and the ingredients are highly inappropriate, this further denounces the witches. â€Å"finger of birth strangle babe† In Jacobean times spells were thought to be powerful concoctions brewed for evil purposes. The witches encourage Macbeth to become more confident and assertive and Macbeth is linked with them from the start. He is linked through his phrasing and they talk of him before they are even introduced hence one could say that it is their primary intent to corrupt Macbeth. â€Å"There to meet with Macbeth† Macbeth allows himself be corrupted and is easily lead. His ambition was already there; the witches simply helped it grow. They cannot be held completely accountable as they only fuel and drive his ambition. Lady Macbeth must also be partly blamed for the outcome. She pushed, pressurised and coldly planned the murder of Duncan. She took control and handled the murders as unsexed entity. If not for her, Macbeth may never have murdered Duncan and if he had never murdered Duncan then he would never have got a taste for power or greed. It was only when he first murdered that his hunger escalated and he became driven by greed and ambition. Though one may assume that she is not all evil, as she could not live with herself for the crimes she had committed and became insane. Some critics insist that Macbeth was tricked, cajoled, tempted and guided by the supernatural forces and hence he is not to blame. However, it is my interpretation that the ‘Weird Sisters’ did tempt, taunt and tease him. They sparked his ambition, but that ambition already lay within Macbeth; the witches simply brought in to the surface. Had the unearthly creatures not have done this one could argue Macbeth would never have thought of killing Duncan. Yet this is only a presumption. One must clearly recognise that witches under any circumstances told Macbeth to murder. Had Lady Macbeth not tackled and challenged Macbeth’s manhood, one could argue Macbeth may never have murdered Duncan or become embroiled in future murders. Yet it is clear that though in the early stages Lady Macbeth and the supernatural influenced Macbeth, he became a murdering lunatic all of his own accord and was in control of what he was doing. He chose his destiny and killed innocents without any influence from anyone except the influence of his own greed and desire. Macbeth is insatiable, ruthless and domineering. Yet none of the guilty parties are blameless. All three caused the tragedy and only with all three present could the tragedy have been caused. All three parties are portrayed with blame, the tragedy is more satisfying. A seventeenth century audience would have believed, Macbeth was not fully responsible, because witches were prevalent within their society yet a modern day audience would blame Macbeth fully, as they would contemplate that he had no excuse. She believes that it is easier to surface some pity for Macbeth when he is not the only one to blame but part of a triangle of guilt. In my opinion, it is easier to muster sympathy for a person who is not entirely to blame for their actions; in the case of Macbeth, the tragedy is more successful if the popular seventeenth century mentality is adopted, and thereby the witches and Lady Macbeth are made partly to blame for his downfall.