Macbeth: Victim or villain? Essay

Is Macbeth an evil, ruthless villain or the hapless victim of the ambition and deceit of others? Discuss. In this essay I shall be discussing whether Macbeth is a villain or a victim. I will also be considering to what extent the witches and Lady Macbeth are at fault to the downfall of Macbeth. Throughout the play we see that the witches symbolise evil and were able to regain Macbeth’s trust. The evil sisters manage to deceive him by telling the truth. They acted as the catalyst in of the evil deeds that sped up the events in the play. I believe this as they say riddles that confused Macbeth, but they did not tell him what actions he should take in response to what they said. In this case he decided to explore with these hazardous materials of poison that the witches lay out in front of him. Their words were so tempting that he could not resist. They are the first part of the equation to Macbeth’s misery. He acted on impulse and came up with his own conclusion with the help of his sinister wife, Lady Macbeth. I believe that the witches did play a part in what happened to Macbeth; however I would not say that he was at complete fault. For example, they tricked him with the first prophecy of him being crowned ‘Thane of Cawdor’ which inevitably became true. Furthermore the witches are known as the devil’s workers; therefore we know that they had the power to make him do terrible things. When they meet the solider, Macbeth, for the first time, it did not happen by chance. The witches always knew when they were going to see Macbeth. Their first encounter was in Act 1 Scene 1, ‘There to meet Macbeth’. This shows that they knew where and when they were going to meet. The word ‘There’ emphases the place of meet. This can be argued that what they had to say was even more believable in Macbeth’s eyes. Also shown later, is when they meet the Thane for the second time in Act 4, Scene 1. They are already at the meeting place, waiting for Macbeth’s arrival. They meet him and promise to answer his questions, where he becomes obsessed over what they tell him. Similarly, this shows that they always knew what state of mind he was in. Therefore I believe that they knew the ‘correct’ words to say, which would make him believe them and rely on them which made him become dependant on them. We see this dependence increase towards the end of the play. Having said this, ultimately Macbeth had a choice whether or not to believe them and their powerful words of misery. The weird sisters tricked him with their riddles, but they did not tell him that he should kill King Duncan, to become King himself. He listened to their words and jumped to his own conclusion with the help of his ambitious wife. As his eagerness took over his mind he did not consider waiting to see what would happen without him meddling. One of Macbeth’s failings was that he was foolish in continuing to trust in the witches, which is shown when he kills the Scottish King and revisits the witches for he second time. In the play, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as an ambitious, cunning and cold-hearted woman who has greedy aspirations who will do anything within her power that will accomplish her deepest desires. She has a burning passion that is craving inside of her that needs to be acknowledged and appreciated by others around her. This resulted in her ambitious actions, thoughts and words of the horrendous murder of Duncan. I feel that she acts as the catalyst who speeds up the events leading up to the murder of the rightful King, which is the second part of the equation. She is a conspirator even if she didn’t finally commit the murder where she was a woman who had a lack of compassion. Lady Macbeth challenges her husband’s manhood several times in the play. This can be seen when she says, ‘Yet do I fear they nature, It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness, To catch the nearest way.’ She believes that he is soft and possibly weak and that he is too good natured for a man who has just come back from winning the battle. She does not see the difference between killing an opposition in the battlefield and the King, to her it is the same thing. This highlights her cold-heart and her greed of aspiration. This also shows how manipulative and dominating she was over her husband. Here she also suggested that his conscience gets in the way and that he gets nervous and worried at the first hurdle. She confronts his manhood yet again, except this time he responds to her wilt, ‘We will proceed no further in this business.’ After his wife’s best efforts to convince him into committing the murder he puts his foot down and dismisses her craving for ambition. Despite her manipulation Macbeth does not wish to kill the King as they are cousins. Furthermore, it can be seen that he wants to continue enjoying the praises that he is receiving from winning the battle. If he commits the murder he will lose all good opinions of him for the fellow noblemen. It will also stop him gaining a higher position in the hierarchy. Lady Macbeth continues to push her husband into committing the crime, ‘And live a coward in thine own act and valour’. She tells him that he is coward for not being able to kill the King. She does not understand why he would want to act as a hero when he has a chance of having the greatest power that they could only ever dream about. Having said this he is only seen as a coward in her eye as he does not do the bad deed that she wishes. Macbeth becomes restless with her doubting his masculinity, ‘Prithee, peace, I dare do all that may become a man’. Here he is telling her that he is a man and that he does have the courage of a man and he refers again back to the battle. Just because he does not want to kill the king does not make him any less of a man. Just because he is not King does not mean that he is not a man. He does not need that status to define him to be a man. Another reason as to why he did not want to kill Duncan is because he would be going against God’s wishes. When this play was written it was believed that the King was chosen by God and that it was God that made that choice and if you did not agree with the King then you were disagreeing against God. The King gained the authority of not having to justify himself to his kingdom when he made decisions. Therefore it was seen as the ultimate sin to perpetrate. She once more confronts Macbeth over his manliness as she says, ‘To love the baby that milks me: / I would, while it was smiling in my face, / Have pluck’d the brains out, had I sworn / As you have done to this.’ Here she confronts him about when he gave his word to her that he would do the terrible deed. Using powerful, emotive words she is trying to make Macbeth commit the murder. Lady Macbeth continues to try and conjole Macbeth by telling him that she would murder her very own baby if she had given her word. By using such an extreme example like this, it just shows how much she wanted to become Queen. Here it shows that she would do anything within her power to become Queen. She did not want to stop for any cause. To an extent, the implication given here is that she is more of a man that he is, which demonstrates that she is trying to belittle him, by using such an extreme example. ‘Unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe topfull, of dinest cruelty.’ This shows that in this point in the play she appears to be even more cruel and heartless than Macbeth. Her restless desire of ambition, power and status overcame her mind that she wanted all of her womanly powers to decease from her body at that very moment in time. Which comes to a shock to the audience as this would have been unusual behaviour for a woman to wish these things. This quote also shows the masculinity of her mind. She suggests that she is preparing herself to commit the murder. She is saying that her womanly features and behaviour are stopping her from performing such a violent sin that she connects with manly behaviour. He allowed himself to be pushed and controlled by his wife. He could have put a firm stop to it, but he failed. In the back of his mind he wanted to do all the things that she wished, if he did not he would not have let her walk over him. In the play, Macbeth’s character changes throughout the play. At the beginning we see that he is a loyal and kind man who has respect and dignity for King Duncan, where he is a brave warrior. However, this soon changes when he begins to interact with the witches. Temptation and ambition kick in when he starts to befriend the witches. The witches trick him with the first prophecy as it comes true without him having to do anything. From here on, it is as though he trusts the witches automatically. As the first prophecy is quite small, with him becoming the ‘Thane of Cawdor’ the prophecies that follow increase in ‘size’ where power and status also increase with each prophecy. He becomes so anxious to become King himself that he was prepared to take an unlawful path. However, he does not realise that they deceive him with more important, like him becoming King and warning that they give him about Macduff. Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth pushes Macbeth. We see that she succeeds in manipulating him into the sinful crime of killing the rightful king. She manages to overcome the objections that he has towards the murder. When he resists he continually challenges his masculinity until he proves her wrong. We see that she is eager to be Queen and that she uses all arguments within her power to persuade him to carry the murder through. It is, as though she knows his weakness and uses them to her advantage. She knew which buttons to press in order to get what she wanted. He is seen to be weaker than he should be and allows Lady Macbeth to sway his better judgement. When he went into battle he was a leader of men, however this changes when he comes out of battle. He loses that control and Lady Macbeth takes over. She manages to take control, not through sexual means but through a deeper, darker more masculine manner. She takes charge of her husband and he obeys. Having said this Macbeth is ambitious, he is more taken by the witches than Banquo. They both had their first encounter with the ‘weird sisters’ at the same time, however Banquo did not wish to take notice of them, he had the willpower to say no, whereas Macbeth fell for their words. He ultimately had a choice whether or not to believe them. Banquo did not trust their intentions, ‘The instruments of darkness tell us truths; win us with honest triffles, to betray’s, In deepest consequence’ the agents of evil, the witches, told them simple truths so that they trust them. Here Banquo explains that they grab their ‘victims’ attention by telling these simple truths so that they trust them, which unavoidably become true. Once they had their ‘victim’ wanting more they began to complicate the riddles, which in this case was Macbeth where he became confused Macbeth, which made him take actions that were unnecessary. Adding to this, it is hard to understand how he had allowed himself to be controlled by his wife. Especially as he was a leader of men, not so long ago. It shows that as ambition and loyalty come together with guilt only one will win. Also showing that it is hard to control these factors when they come together. We can see the terrible outcome that it has on him. It shows that Macbeth had a lack of control and self-control. He wanted to succeed and gain power and status as much as his wife. If he did not have that drive in him he would not have killed the king. It just shows that he wanted to do the bad deed. This can be seen when he does not dismiss the idea of killing Duncan, ‘Not cast aside so soon.’ Here it shows that he has not made up his mind about what he wants to do, but he did not exclude this idea. In his defence, this could signify that he still hopes to become king in a legitimate manner. In the play we see that it is women that take control of Macbeth. They dominate the play. It begins with the witches, and it ends with the suicide of Lady Macbeth. Women have had the upper hand throughout the play. It is as though, going into battle made Macbeth see life in a different manner. As we do not know what he was like before going into the battle we cannot be sure of how true this judgement is. Having said this I feel that, the battle did make him soft inside, and that he may have wanted a better reward and that being crowned a Thane was not enough. In the back of his mind ambition was craving and growing like a disease. He wanted to do something for himself and he found that killing Duncan was the best thing for him and his wife. As his ambition increases he becomes more brutal and less reflective and his sympathy is lost. Killing Banquo is less serious than killing the King, however it was not just Banquo who was killed, and it was also his son Fleance. As well as this the murder of Lady Macduff and her children were also arranged. He arranged to have them killed as he acted on what the witches had told him before. The witches warned him about Macduff, so he decided to have him killed. As the fellow nobleman was there, out of anger he had his family killed. Having looked at all of the arguments, I believe that Macbeth is at fault for his downfall. There are many factors in the play that contributed to his failure, however Macbeth did not take control of the situation. He allowed himself to be caught up in the commotion of the witches and his motivated wife. He let others take control and tell him what to do, which can be seen as ironic as he was a leader himself. The only difference is that he led men and women now lead him. Macbeth was always ambitious, he won the battle and he listened and acted on what the witches had said. I believe that he acted on what they told him as he let his heart do the talking. He wanted a quick result without having to wait. In the back of his mind I believe that he did know the consequence of murdering the king, nevertheless he still acted on his passion. However, at the end of the play, we see Macbeth meet his death by his rival Macduff. In conclusion I believe that he is to blame for his own downfall and the misery that he and others suffered.

Greed in Macbeth Essay

The nature of humanity always forces individuals to choose between right and wrong. Sometimes, there is conflict between personal desires and moral decisions. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare illustrates humankind as dark and immoral. He displays the negative side of human nature through three of the main characters. First of all, Banquo who appears to be noble but succumbs to his desires. Secondly, Lady Macbeth reveals ambition that leads her to destruction. Lastly, Macbeth becomes engulfed in greed that leads to horrible deeds. Thus, Shakespeare emphasizes that greed overrules human kindness in human nature. Banquo reveals avariciousness in pursuit of his desires. He reveals his first cupidity when he hears Macbeths prophecies by the weird sisters. Banquo states (AS BANQUO SAYS TO ..): My noble partner/You greet with present grace and great prediction/Of noble having and of royal hope,/That he seems rapt withalspeak then to me, who neither beg nor fear/Your favours nor your hate. (I,iii,55-62). Banquo, who appears to be a noble man, also displays his greed by wanting to receive a great prediction just like Macbeth. Banquo also reveals his overriding by committing the sin of omission. After the assassination of Duncan, Banquo talks to himself: As the weird women promised:If there come truth from them/As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine/Why, by the verties on thee made good,/May they be my oracles as well/And set me up in hope? (III,i,2-10). Banquo does not reveal the secret of the prophecies and his suspicion about Macbeth because Banquo believes that his prophecy will not come true if he exposes this secret information. Banquo did not act upon his greed, but his greediness of keeping secrets of the prophecies leads him to his death. Moreover, a promise between Macbeth and Banquo, stops Banquo from exposing their secrets. After hearing the news about their future, Macbeth says to ( ): If you shall cleave to my consent, when tis/It shall make honour for you (II,i,30-31). Since Macbeth promises to honor him, it makes it harder for Banquo to reveal the secret. There are some good qualities but also bad qualities in human nature that leads to a downfall. In addition to Banquo, Shakespeare illustrates much stronger greed in Lady Macbeth. After hearing the news about the prophecies, Lady Macbeth reveals  her imperial ambitions. The raven himself is hoarse/That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan/Under my battlement. Come, you sprits/That tend on mortal thoughts! Unsex me here,/And fill me from the crown to the toe top full/Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood (I,v,36-41). Through Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare shows the powerful figure of a female character normally recognized as kind and obedient during this time. However, Macbeth ( no underline) presents a dark image of a female character that becomes evil in her desires for the future. Furthermore, Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to act upon his desire and his fate. As she knows Macbeth does not have the will to actively pursue the throne, she manipulates him: Was the hope drunkFrom this time/Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard/To be the same in thine own act and valour/As thou esteemst the ornament of life,/And live a coward in thine own esteem,/Letting I dare not wait upon I would,/Like the poor cat I the adage? (I,vii,35-44). Not only does Lady Macbeth carry out her own role, she also goads Macbeth into action to accomplish her desire. Lady Macbeths natural humanity is displayed when she is not able to kill Duncan herself because he resembles her father. This illustrates that she is trying to suppress her human nature and allow her ambition to rule. However, even after reaching her achieved goal, she is discontent throughout the rest of the play. Lady Macbeth expresses her feelings, but not to Macbeth: Noughts had, alls spent./Where our desire is got without content:/Tis safter to be that which we destroy/Than by destruction, dwell in doubtful joy./[Macbeth enters]why do you keep alone,/Of sorriest fancies your companions making;whats done is done. (III,ii,6-14). Even with her dissatisfaction, she keeps her emotion herself in order to keep her throne. The greed in human nature is so strong that it can overtake morality. Finally, and for the most significantly, Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to act upon his greed, and abandon his morals. Shakespeare illustrates Macbeth as evil from the beginning of the play. In his first entrance, he expresses his feelings of the day by saying: So foul and fair a day I have not seen. (I,iii,39). Since Macbeth believes that good is bad and bad is good, his ambition overtakes his virtuousness. Therefore, Shakespeare illustrates that humans can exemplify both good and evil. In addition, Macbeth reveals his desire to kill King Duncan when he is left alone in his chamber. I have not  spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which oerleaps itself/And falls on the other. (I,vii,25-28). Macbeths values are shown through his speech as he expresses abhorrence for killing Duncan. Lady Macbeth convinces her husband which leads him to act upon his deed. Later, Macbeth kills Banquo because of acquisitiveness. Macbeth feels insecure because of Banquos prophecies: When first they put the name of king upon me,/And bade them speak to him; then prophet-like/They haild his father to a line of kings:/Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown,/And put a barren scepter in my gripe,/Thence to be when chd with an unlined hand,/No son of mine succeeding. (III,i,62-68). Macbeth betrays his friendship because he believes that he had committed a horrible deed not for his descendants, but for Banquos. Even though Banquo had been so kind and loyal to him, Macbeth kills him to prevent Banquos son from gaining the throne he has killed for. When once greed overrules humanity, it will continue to control and force them to make rash decisions. Throughout the play, Shakespeare presents a dark side of human nature, with greed and ambition overcoming morality. First, by exemplifying Banquos avarice in order for his heirs to inherit the throne, Shakespeare establishes immorality through omission. Secondly, Lady Macbeths ambition overtakes her, and instead of supporting her husband, she pushes him to evil. Finally, Macbeth allows his goal and desires to control his life and lead him to a betrayal of Duncan, Banquo, and his own morality. Shakespeare, William. Book by Harold Bloom. Chelsea Publishing. 2000.

American history

Grant. Discuss the objectives of each. Which plan was better for the Union and why?Before a comparison can be made of the policies of Andrew Johnson (President of the United States 1865-1869) and Ulysses S. Grant (President of the United States 1869-1877), the whole theory of Reconstruction has to be understood. The Civil War or sometimes referred to as the War Between the States happened between 1861 through 1865. It was the result of a long time brewing issue of slavery in the Southern States. Abolitionists of slavery and advocates of every human’s right to personal freedom were a strong political voice within the northern part of the Union while most of the southern states accepted slavery as a personal right. The North was more of an industrial area with many of its citizens being of a more conservative religious nature. The North did have a firm agricultural aspect as well but these farms where family owned with hired labor to work them. Indentured servants from the original colonial days no longer existed but within the fertile crop lands of the southern states, plantations of great size were prospering in the growth of cotton and sugar cane. With slave labor, the owners of these plantations amassed great wealth in comparison to their farmer counterparts in the north. Under pressure from these political groups, the federal government began to make efforts towards emancipation of the slaves and in protest, most of the southern states ceded to form a separate country of the Confederate States of America. A rift had formed within the country and war began. After four years of a long and bloody dispute, the war finally ended in 1865 with the surrender of the Confederates. The Confederate government was abolished and the whole country formed once again as the United States of America under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Reconstruction began under Lincoln but due to his assignation, he did not live to follow his reconstruction plans. Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s vice president during Lincoln’s second term, automatically became the new president after Lincoln’s death. Mr. Johnson attempted to continue on with Lincoln’s policies concerning reconstruction. Lincoln had attempted to practice that though the southern states should be placed under military rule, it would be eventually be to return those states to their own governmental rule. If one tenth of the state population were willing to swear to an oath of loyalty to the Union, then that state was more likely to be removed from military government rule. In natural reaction, the once rebellious southern states objected to the state of being dictated to by the federal government in how their state should be run. The whole process was met with constant strife and disgruntlement from every side of politics. No satisfactory medium ground could be found. Most of the blame for this conflict was laid at the feet of Andrew Johnson, who as President was held the most responsible. This and other factors led to Andrew Johnson’s impeachment, including Johnson’s placement of Lorenzo Thomas as Secretary of the Department of War after having removed Edwin M. Stanton. This was all done without the approval or consent of the Senate. Johnson was charged with a high misdemeanor and his privileges of Office were removed as President. Ulysses S. Grant, a powerful figure in politics due to his favorable war credentials, had maintained a neutral attitude about Johnson’s Reconstruction policies during Johnson’s term. He was quoted as being in favor of Johnson’s policies as a continuance of Lincoln’s Reconstruction ideas. After his election as President, Grant took a stronger outlook on the Reconstruction issues. He absolved all military personnel of any charges of misconduct while in place as military government officials within the southern states. He gave them amnesty against any prosecution of acts while acting in capacity of military government. Grant took a dim view on the protests of the southern states’ complaints of military occupation and unfair treatment by the officials of that military occupation. The object was to form a one solid union once again at any price and to quell any possible uprising within the occupied states. While harsh and often unfair, Grant’s stern practices did succeed in ceasing any other attempts of the southern states to cede and order and unity was once again in place. Question Two: What impact did the frontier have on American behavior, attitudes, and institutions? Is the â€Å"frontier thesis† of Fredrick Jackson Turner still viable on today’s historians? With the opening of the western frontier, a whole new range of prospects was brought to the economy of the United States as well of the people who before populated the eastern part of the country and newly arrived immigrants seeking a better life in a different place. The gradual move west happened over a long period of time as the unexplored wilderness contained many dangers and unknown possibilities, both good and bad. It was a long slow process that happened over the first and middle part of the 19th century but by the last decade had arrived; most of it had been settled and civilized. Great new prospects had been introduced into America’s economy. The raw wealth in the forms of gold, silver or other mineral mining, oil, lumber and livestock ranching as well as other agricultural crops, gave the United States almost an unlimited source of products, increasing the country’s independence to provide for itself without so much dependency on foreign sources. The West had known such a boon of prosperity and economic growth that when the turn of the century arrived, there was an over abundance of these products and far less a demand for them than in the days when the West’s contributions to the country had been more in demand. Towns that had grown up overnight had faded away and new modernization of trains and freight shipping had eliminated many key jobs that so many people had known such as the end of the stage coach line and also the Pony Express. The East continued to prosper and develop new conveniences such as the telephone, the telegraph, electricity, automobiles, and the whole country was swept up in a whirlwind of inventive revolution. The Great Unknown just no longer existed as the whole vastness of the country was united by modern technology and sweeping change. It became the age of the machine and the end of the horse and buggy day. Fredrick Jackson Turner’s â€Å"frontier thesis† has broadened the whole concept that the generalized progression of people to move into unknown territory and settle it, leads to advances in all aspects of living from the industries of business to the growth and decline of economy. Foresight is better than hindsight could be said but it is only in hindsight that such historians as Fredrick Jackson Turner can project forecasts for today’s politicians. It could perhaps stop a forward movement such as that period went from prosperity to the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Fredrick J. Turner’s thesis also expounded on the value of deepening and strengthening relationships with neighboring and foreign nations as a broadened frontier. Question Three: Discuss the political, social and economic significance of the year 1876 in American History. This year brought a time of great strife for the United States. It had only been a little over a decade since the end of the Civil War and that poor economic growth in the southern part of the nation had ever lasting effects on the country as a whole. People were still moving west and many of the south were moving north to the cities in hopes of finding work and decent living conditions. This caused an overcrowding in these cities, affecting the normal citizenry as well as the newcomers, both American and still arriving immigrants. It was the end term of Ulysses S. Grant’s terms as President. The year was economically depressed which caused homelessness and unemployment for many Americans. These aspects were in direct contradiction of the people in the less populated western areas who knew a far better income and life. The year also suffered from a series of disasters from former years that has caused a great financial strain on the nation’s economy such as the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871 that had virtually left thousands homeless. There had been earthquakes and floods. Relief agencies were set up to bring relief to many of the indigent of those times but not all the money donated to at least thirty charities found its way to the intended purpose. There was rampant political misconduct. The year of 1876 is also known as the year of the tramp. Men who traveled from place to place working odd jobs or just simply squatting in places in groups causing disgruntlement and fear among the established citizens. The tramps were the by-products of the increasing number of homeless people. It became an even stronger distinction of class from the poor to the rich. More people were in poverty in comparison to the numbers who either wealthy or had a sufficient income to live a decent life. Homelessness breeds hopelessness and crime. Hobos were tramps that rode the railroads from place to place. The introduction of the railroad into American transportation was only increased by its use during the Civil War by transporting soldiers and equipment from place to place. Many of the hobos were ex-soldiers who had only gained a poorer way of life by fighting for their country instead of reaping rewards for their service by having a more evenly distributed prosperity. Such social and economic variances can only lead to a more volatile type of politics. During Grant’s term, the Democrat party had remained extremely weakened by the Civil War where the controlling party had remained Republican for a number of years. By 1876, the Democratic Party had finally begun to return to some power but there remained the strife that most of America’s politicians were Republican and more conservative and class aware. The rich grew richer and the poor grew poorer. Question Four: Compare the role of the political machines and the social reformers in dealing with the new urban environment of the late 19th Century. Which group was more successful and why? As it has been stated so many times, the 19th Century was a time of phenomenal change that far surpassed its preceding centuries. In those short one hundred years, there happened such a mass of innovative invention, mass population movement and radical social change than had ever been seen before. Accepted standards were challenged, religious statues questioned and political change that must incur with these actions. The questions of race, gender and creed became predominately evident in the American population that was more far spread than ever before and the country had amassed great growth in its size. Military force became a predominant figure in American politics since its said effective use after the Civil War. The federal government used its military forces as police basically after that period. Along with governing and maintaining the southern states during the years of the Reconstruction period, the American government now employed its Army to keep peace and jurisdiction among the remaining bands of Native American tribes in the west. Federal marshals held precedence over the local town and state marshals so the once wild frontier became more lawful and peaceful. At the end of Grant’s term in 1877, Rutherford Hayes became the President of the United States. He was also Republican and the highest seat in the country would remain in the control of the Republican Party until the election of Grover Cleveland in 1885. He was a Democrat and was set to bring about radical political change. He became the President of the common man but he also made strong enemies among certain powerful politicians in the Republican controlled Senate. Cleveland discovered a large monetary amount in the national treasury that had its basis in former Civil War tariffs and was termed as â€Å"pork barrel legislation†. He lowered the tariffs and vetoed laws that would have kept the tariffs and other such practices in force. He earned a high popularity among the agricultural groups and the less wealthy average American man on his income. His one term as President greatly aided the common man but his opponents in the political arena caused his loss to Benjamin Harrison in 1889. He re-ran in the following term and was re-elected President in 1893. His popularity was strong among the people of the spreading urban society of the United States. The time of the separation of Church and State had arrived. Women’s Suffrage had arisen on the horizon and would create a huge reform in American life and politics. The female citizens of the country had begun to demand their rights as individuals, especially the right to vote. What had been predominately a man’s world would soon be toppled over as American women brought their weight to bear upon every aspect of daily life. Along with Women’s Suffrage, came the feminine viewpoint of social reform to include religion more into politics and also led towards the prohibition of liquor. Perhaps a bit more predominant within the larger cities, the Suffrage movement caused more change within the expanded realm of the American population living. The political machines had a more direct bearing on the urban environment that the social reformers simply because the politics had a stronger foothold among the male population and it would take time for the new social reform to take effect. Question Five: Discuss the differences between the Populists and the Progressives as third parties in American politics. Include an analysis of their party platform, candidates and supporters. Both the Populist and La Follette Progressive parties were right wing. They were short lived political parties that did not survive the transitional growth of American politics. When George Washington was elected as President of the United States, there were no party affiliations. At the beginning, there was the Federalist Party and the Whig party and Anti-Federalist Party. The Federalist Party survived longer than either other party but within time several parties by other names would come into formation and as well disappear because their party platforms were too narrow and one sided to survive. The Populist Party would eventually move into becoming the Democratic Party with the election of Andrew Jackson as President. It began as the Democratic Republican Party, which because of its basic populist mandate, eventually became what we know today as the Democratic Party. The original Populist Party maintained too much of a radical, one-sided view. It had come down to an issue between the agricultural groups and the unionists. Due to falling land prices, crop prices, and heavy taxes, the western farmers felt themselves unrepresented in government. The unionists meanwhile were better organized and compact groups that differed greatly from the farming community. It was industrial against agricultural. Each newly formed party had its own interest in mind and chose candidates in accordance with those interests. There was no common benefit among the population as whole within these right wing parties. The Populist Party leaned closer to the farmers and sought to have a candidate elected that would represent them in Washington and relieve their growing pile of grievances. It connected eventually with the Greenback party but eventually took the form of the Democratic Party under the presidency of Andrew Jackson. The La Follette Progressive Party differed in its industrial pursuit as the Populist was agricultural. The Labor party turned to nominating candidates that would further their cause. The unionists cared little about the declining income plight of the farmers and by its very organized nature; the Labor party was eventually absorbed into what is now the Republican Party. Since each political party must differ in order to achieve a decent balance in politics, it is to the best advantage of election process to have two such agendas. There has been within the course of American history the emergence of third parties, even in today’s society with the Independent ticket. Though history has proved that very seldom is a candidate of a third party ever been elected to actually hold a political office. Works Cited/Reference Page: 1.   Andrew Johnson, A Study In Courage by Lloyd Paul Striker, Macmillan, 1929 2. Ulysses S. Grant: Politician by William B. Hesseltine, Dodd, Mead, 1935 3. Halford Mackinder and the ‘Geographical Pivot of History’: A Centennial Retrospective, Journal article by Klaus Dodds, James D. Sidaway; the Geographical Journal, Vol. 174, 2004 4. Down and Out, on the Road, the Homeless In American History by Kevin L. Kusmer, Oxford University Press, 2002 5.Political Mischief: Smear, Sabotage, and Reform In U.S. Elections by Bruce L. Felknor; Praeger Publications, 1992 American History American History American History American History American History American history Grant. Discuss the objectives of each. Which plan was better for the Union and why?Before a comparison can be made of the policies of Andrew Johnson (President of the United States 1865-1869) and Ulysses S. Grant (President of the United States 1869-1877), the whole theory of Reconstruction has to be understood. The Civil War or sometimes referred to as the War Between the States happened between 1861 through 1865. It was the result of a long time brewing issue of slavery in the Southern States. Abolitionists of slavery and advocates of every human’s right to personal freedom were a strong political voice within the northern part of the Union while most of the southern states accepted slavery as a personal right. The North was more of an industrial area with many of its citizens being of a more conservative religious nature. The North did have a firm agricultural aspect as well but these farms where family owned with hired labor to work them. Indentured servants from the original colonial days no longer existed but within the fertile crop lands of the southern states, plantations of great size were prospering in the growth of cotton and sugar cane. With slave labor, the owners of these plantations amassed great wealth in comparison to their farmer counterparts in the north. Under pressure from these political groups, the federal government began to make efforts towards emancipation of the slaves and in protest, most of the southern states ceded to form a separate country of the Confederate States of America. A rift had formed within the country and war began. After four years of a long and bloody dispute, the war finally ended in 1865 with the surrender of the Confederates. The Confederate government was abolished and the whole country formed once again as the United States of America under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Reconstruction began under Lincoln but due to his assignation, he did not live to follow his reconstruction plans. Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s vice president during Lincoln’s second term, automatically became the new president after Lincoln’s death. Mr. Johnson attempted to continue on with Lincoln’s policies concerning reconstruction. Lincoln had attempted to practice that though the southern states should be placed under military rule, it would be eventually be to return those states to their own governmental rule. If one tenth of the state population were willing to swear to an oath of loyalty to the Union, then that state was more likely to be removed from military government rule. In natural reaction, the once rebellious southern states objected to the state of being dictated to by the federal government in how their state should be run. The whole process was met with constant strife and disgruntlement from every side of politics. No satisfactory medium ground could be found. Most of the blame for this conflict was laid at the feet of Andrew Johnson, who as President was held the most responsible. This and other factors led to Andrew Johnson’s impeachment, including Johnson’s placement of Lorenzo Thomas as Secretary of the Department of War after having removed Edwin M. Stanton. This was all done without the approval or consent of the Senate. Johnson was charged with a high misdemeanor and his privileges of Office were removed as President. Ulysses S. Grant, a powerful figure in politics due to his favorable war credentials, had maintained a neutral attitude about Johnson’s Reconstruction policies during Johnson’s term. He was quoted as being in favor of Johnson’s policies as a continuance of Lincoln’s Reconstruction ideas. After his election as President, Grant took a stronger outlook on the Reconstruction issues. He absolved all military personnel of any charges of misconduct while in place as military government officials within the southern states. He gave them amnesty against any prosecution of acts while acting in capacity of military government. Grant took a dim view on the protests of the southern states’ complaints of military occupation and unfair treatment by the officials of that military occupation. The object was to form a one solid union once again at any price and to quell any possible uprising within the occupied states. While harsh and often unfair, Grant’s stern practices did succeed in ceasing any other attempts of the southern states to cede and order and unity was once again in place. Question Two: What impact did the frontier have on American behavior, attitudes, and institutions? Is the â€Å"frontier thesis† of Fredrick Jackson Turner still viable on today’s historians? With the opening of the western frontier, a whole new range of prospects was brought to the economy of the United States as well of the people who before populated the eastern part of the country and newly arrived immigrants seeking a better life in a different place. The gradual move west happened over a long period of time as the unexplored wilderness contained many dangers and unknown possibilities, both good and bad. It was a long slow process that happened over the first and middle part of the 19th century but by the last decade had arrived; most of it had been settled and civilized. Great new prospects had been introduced into America’s economy. The raw wealth in the forms of gold, silver or other mineral mining, oil, lumber and livestock ranching as well as other agricultural crops, gave the United States almost an unlimited source of products, increasing the country’s independence to provide for itself without so much dependency on foreign sources. The West had known such a boon of prosperity and economic growth that when the turn of the century arrived, there was an over abundance of these products and far less a demand for them than in the days when the West’s contributions to the country had been more in demand. Towns that had grown up overnight had faded away and new modernization of trains and freight shipping had eliminated many key jobs that so many people had known such as the end of the stage coach line and also the Pony Express. The East continued to prosper and develop new conveniences such as the telephone, the telegraph, electricity, automobiles, and the whole country was swept up in a whirlwind of inventive revolution. The Great Unknown just no longer existed as the whole vastness of the country was united by modern technology and sweeping change. It became the age of the machine and the end of the horse and buggy day. Fredrick Jackson Turner’s â€Å"frontier thesis† has broadened the whole concept that the generalized progression of people to move into unknown territory and settle it, leads to advances in all aspects of living from the industries of business to the growth and decline of economy. Foresight is better than hindsight could be said but it is only in hindsight that such historians as Fredrick Jackson Turner can project forecasts for today’s politicians. It could perhaps stop a forward movement such as that period went from prosperity to the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Fredrick J. Turner’s thesis also expounded on the value of deepening and strengthening relationships with neighboring and foreign nations as a broadened frontier. Question Three: Discuss the political, social and economic significance of the year 1876 in American History. This year brought a time of great strife for the United States. It had only been a little over a decade since the end of the Civil War and that poor economic growth in the southern part of the nation had ever lasting effects on the country as a whole. People were still moving west and many of the south were moving north to the cities in hopes of finding work and decent living conditions. This caused an overcrowding in these cities, affecting the normal citizenry as well as the newcomers, both American and still arriving immigrants. It was the end term of Ulysses S. Grant’s terms as President. The year was economically depressed which caused homelessness and unemployment for many Americans. These aspects were in direct contradiction of the people in the less populated western areas who knew a far better income and life. The year also suffered from a series of disasters from former years that has caused a great financial strain on the nation’s economy such as the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871 that had virtually left thousands homeless. There had been earthquakes and floods. Relief agencies were set up to bring relief to many of the indigent of those times but not all the money donated to at least thirty charities found its way to the intended purpose. There was rampant political misconduct. The year of 1876 is also known as the year of the tramp. Men who traveled from place to place working odd jobs or just simply squatting in places in groups causing disgruntlement and fear among the established citizens. The tramps were the by-products of the increasing number of homeless people. It became an even stronger distinction of class from the poor to the rich. More people were in poverty in comparison to the numbers who either wealthy or had a sufficient income to live a decent life. Homelessness breeds hopelessness and crime. Hobos were tramps that rode the railroads from place to place. The introduction of the railroad into American transportation was only increased by its use during the Civil War by transporting soldiers and equipment from place to place. Many of the hobos were ex-soldiers who had only gained a poorer way of life by fighting for their country instead of reaping rewards for their service by having a more evenly distributed prosperity. Such social and economic variances can only lead to a more volatile type of politics. During Grant’s term, the Democrat party had remained extremely weakened by the Civil War where the controlling party had remained Republican for a number of years. By 1876, the Democratic Party had finally begun to return to some power but there remained the strife that most of America’s politicians were Republican and more conservative and class aware. The rich grew richer and the poor grew poorer. Question Four: Compare the role of the political machines and the social reformers in dealing with the new urban environment of the late 19th Century. Which group was more successful and why? As it has been stated so many times, the 19th Century was a time of phenomenal change that far surpassed its preceding centuries. In those short one hundred years, there happened such a mass of innovative invention, mass population movement and radical social change than had ever been seen before. Accepted standards were challenged, religious statues questioned and political change that must incur with these actions. The questions of race, gender and creed became predominately evident in the American population that was more far spread than ever before and the country had amassed great growth in its size. Military force became a predominant figure in American politics since its said effective use after the Civil War. The federal government used its military forces as police basically after that period. Along with governing and maintaining the southern states during the years of the Reconstruction period, the American government now employed its Army to keep peace and jurisdiction among the remaining bands of Native American tribes in the west. Federal marshals held precedence over the local town and state marshals so the once wild frontier became more lawful and peaceful. At the end of Grant’s term in 1877, Rutherford Hayes became the President of the United States. He was also Republican and the highest seat in the country would remain in the control of the Republican Party until the election of Grover Cleveland in 1885. He was a Democrat and was set to bring about radical political change. He became the President of the common man but he also made strong enemies among certain powerful politicians in the Republican controlled Senate. Cleveland discovered a large monetary amount in the national treasury that had its basis in former Civil War tariffs and was termed as â€Å"pork barrel legislation†. He lowered the tariffs and vetoed laws that would have kept the tariffs and other such practices in force. He earned a high popularity among the agricultural groups and the less wealthy average American man on his income. His one term as President greatly aided the common man but his opponents in the political arena caused his loss to Benjamin Harrison in 1889. He re-ran in the following term and was re-elected President in 1893. His popularity was strong among the people of the spreading urban society of the United States. The time of the separation of Church and State had arrived. Women’s Suffrage had arisen on the horizon and would create a huge reform in American life and politics. The female citizens of the country had begun to demand their rights as individuals, especially the right to vote. What had been predominately a man’s world would soon be toppled over as American women brought their weight to bear upon every aspect of daily life. Along with Women’s Suffrage, came the feminine viewpoint of social reform to include religion more into politics and also led towards the prohibition of liquor. Perhaps a bit more predominant within the larger cities, the Suffrage movement caused more change within the expanded realm of the American population living. The political machines had a more direct bearing on the urban environment that the social reformers simply because the politics had a stronger foothold among the male population and it would take time for the new social reform to take effect. Question Five: Discuss the differences between the Populists and the Progressives as third parties in American politics. Include an analysis of their party platform, candidates and supporters. Both the Populist and La Follette Progressive parties were right wing. They were short lived political parties that did not survive the transitional growth of American politics. When George Washington was elected as President of the United States, there were no party affiliations. At the beginning, there was the Federalist Party and the Whig party and Anti-Federalist Party. The Federalist Party survived longer than either other party but within time several parties by other names would come into formation and as well disappear because their party platforms were too narrow and one sided to survive. The Populist Party would eventually move into becoming the Democratic Party with the election of Andrew Jackson as President. It began as the Democratic Republican Party, which because of its basic populist mandate, eventually became what we know today as the Democratic Party. The original Populist Party maintained too much of a radical, one-sided view. It had come down to an issue between the agricultural groups and the unionists. Due to falling land prices, crop prices, and heavy taxes, the western farmers felt themselves unrepresented in government. The unionists meanwhile were better organized and compact groups that differed greatly from the farming community. It was industrial against agricultural. Each newly formed party had its own interest in mind and chose candidates in accordance with those interests. There was no common benefit among the population as whole within these right wing parties. The Populist Party leaned closer to the farmers and sought to have a candidate elected that would represent them in Washington and relieve their growing pile of grievances. It connected eventually with the Greenback party but eventually took the form of the Democratic Party under the presidency of Andrew Jackson. The La Follette Progressive Party differed in its industrial pursuit as the Populist was agricultural. The Labor party turned to nominating candidates that would further their cause. The unionists cared little about the declining income plight of the farmers and by its very organized nature; the Labor party was eventually absorbed into what is now the Republican Party. Since each political party must differ in order to achieve a decent balance in politics, it is to the best advantage of election process to have two such agendas. There has been within the course of American history the emergence of third parties, even in today’s society with the Independent ticket. Though history has proved that very seldom is a candidate of a third party ever been elected to actually hold a political office. Works Cited/Reference Page: 1.   Andrew Johnson, A Study In Courage by Lloyd Paul Striker, Macmillan, 1929 2. Ulysses S. Grant: Politician by William B. Hesseltine, Dodd, Mead, 1935 3. Halford Mackinder and the ‘Geographical Pivot of History’: A Centennial Retrospective, Journal article by Klaus Dodds, James D. Sidaway; the Geographical Journal, Vol. 174, 2004 4. Down and Out, on the Road, the Homeless In American History by Kevin L. Kusmer, Oxford University Press, 2002 5.Political Mischief: Smear, Sabotage, and Reform In U.S. Elections by Bruce L. Felknor; Praeger Publications, 1992 American History American History American History American history American History American History American history

Republic of Angola - Prospects and Opportunities Essay

Republic of Angola - Prospects and Opportunities - Essay Example epublic of Angola started to work its way towards becoming a regional player in Africa after the war was through the collaboration with some of the developed countries that include the United States. There was the formation of the U.S-Angola Chamber of commerce that made attempts to sponsor a wide array of the companies in Angola as well as a number of the international companies. Partnership with the United States by Angola has created particular forms of opportunities that arise as a result of international cooperation, the presence of private investment and the increase of trade between the two countries and many others (Renato 2006, par. 1-10). Since the end of the war, Angola has been able to reflect a lot of social, political and economic progress over a period of five years. For instance, there has been an ambitious program that has been created in relation to the provision of rehabilitation services following the massive destruction that took place in the country following the war period. It is related to the development and improvement of the social infrastructure, the provision of a steady economic growth, the stabilization of political institutions as well as the improvement of the security conditions (Roque 2014, par. 1-8). There are therefore a lot of prospects and opportunities presented to the Republic of Angola in its efforts to become among the leading regional players in Africa. Being the second largest producer of oil in the Sub Saharan Africa, after Nigeria, the country has been able to experience a boom in oil production between the years 2002 and 2008 since the production of oil state at several fields in deep water. The Republic of Angola has taken a great step towards ensuring that it maintains its rate of production and export by being a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Companies (OPEC) (Birmingham 2006, p. 92). Oil production and export in Angola is another major prospect and opportunity that is likely to place the

Quality Outcomes Framework (measuring client outcomes in disability Research Paper

Quality Outcomes Framework (measuring client outcomes in disability and out of home care services) - Research Paper Example On the other hand, children with a disability/disabilities are those children who suffer an impairment in their health, communication, movement or learning, which adversely impact their social engagement and education (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012). Identification of National Standard of Quality Outcomes Model Out of Home Care Program for Children and Young People Ideally, the Best Outcomes Model was conceived to specify the best possible results for the Out of Home Care program for children and young people. While it is preferable and is even possible at the institutional level, as of this writing the Best Outcomes for Out of Home Care has not yet officially been specified for the national level. Efforts, however, are underway for the determination of the National Standards for Out of Home Care, which is in its consultation stage under the auspices of the Australian Government Department of Social Services. The aim of the National Standards for Out of Home Care is to  "drive improvements in the quality of care so that children and young people in care have the same opportunities as other children and young people to reach their potential in all the key areas of well-being.† These key areas of well-being referred to for children, young people and the disabled include health, safety, culture and community, spirituality, emotional development, learning and achieving (Australian Government DSS, 20 Aug 2013). The National Standards aims to identify the key factors in the delivery of care that directly impact upon the positive outcomes of quality of care for children and young people. Presently, there are 13 standards which comprise the National Standards for out-of-home care, and measures have been identified by which outputs could be gauged against these standards. The hope is that measurable standards will be defined and set at the best practice level, to ensure that all legal jurisdictions in Australia are aimed at driving improvements consis tent with each other. These factors that may form the bases for standard setting include (Australian Government DSS, 20 Aug 2013): Stability of placements and relationships Regular health and well-being checks Transition planning that involves children and young people (i.e. into during and existing care) Appropriate carer assessment, screening, training and support By setting the standards and defining the best practices, the goal of defining the desired outcome for children in care, in a manner that is identifiable, measurable and therefore capable of objective assessment, becomes possible. These desired outcomes for children in care, herein identified according to their respective areas of well-being earlier specified, include: Health, both physical and mental Attain and maintain good health Develop effective coping style Safety A stable environment that is free from physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse Develop social connections Learning and achieving Achievement of developme ntal milestones Participation and achievement in education Emotional development Stability in behaviour Positive and supportive relationships Culture and community Cultural identity and ethnic pride Participation in community Spirituality Positive sense of identity Connection to family

Dissertation Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Dissertation Topic - Essay Example However, even with a large amount of research being directed at nursing homes’ quality of care, there is still scant research on the impacts of leadership style and organizational structure of nursing homes. This paper aims to propose two different research proposals in the areas mentioned above. Leadership has a tremendous impact on any organization being considered since organizational direction is settled by the senior management. The case of healthcare organizations is not very different. A number of different areas have been researched for quality of care in nursing homes but organizational leadership has not been investigated in detail (Pearson, Hocking, Mott, & Riggs, 1993). In this respect, the leadership style being practiced at the nursing home is of the paramount importance since it affects the patient’s well being and recovery directly. It is expected that the leadership style of the Director of Nursing as well as the leadership style of Director of Social Services have a large impact on the psycho-social well being of nursing home residents. Research in this area can provide valuable information that can be implemented in a number of different healthcare settings in order to improve the overall well being and recovery of nursing home residents. A change in the leadership style essentially points to large changes in organizational direction such as being more accommodating to patients and their families. Analogous to the research area proposed above, the organizational structure of any healthcare establishment is also of importance in determining the quality of care available to nursing home residents (Grabowski, Aschbrenner, Rome, & Bartels, 2010). Even with a large amount of research being pursued in relation to quality of care at nursing homes, there has been scant research in terms of the organizational structure and the underlying processes at nursing homes (Park, 2009) (Faulkner & Laschinger, 2008).

Analysis of the Position of Female Entrepreneurs in the Middle East Essay

Analysis of the Position of Female Entrepreneurs in the Middle East - Essay Example In the West, most women compete on equal footing with men. This is because there are laws that are enshrined in the legal codes of most nations in North America and Europe that guarantee the rights of women. It must however, be pointed out that women were also oppressed in the West until the process of emancipation was initiated gradually in the early 21st Century (Stevenson, 2010). Also, the world order has sought to initiate changes and equalities in gender matters since the formation of the United Nations in 1945. However, this appears to be moving at a gradualist pace rather than in a revolutionary patter. In the Middle East though, Nazir and Tomppert identify that there is systematic discrimination that is entrenched and inherent in law, criminal justice, economy, heath care and education that keep women oppressed and limited in what they do (2005). It is identified that the communities in the MENA region maintain a strict patriarchal status (Moghadam, 2007). This is a system wh ereby a woman is seen as weak and as such, the society deems it a necessity for men to protect women from what they perceive to be against the honor of women. Typically, a girl is under the protection of her father. When she becomes a woman, she evolves to the care and protection of her husband. When she raises her children and they grow old, the male children have the duty of protecting their elderly mothers. As such, the progression of women is overshadowed by the fact that they have a unique and different role from men. Although this is often seen by most people in the Middle East and North Africa to be in the best interest of women, it stands in the way of gender equality and promotion of the interests of women and their ability to exercise their free will. Currently, globalization is forcing people in all parts of the world to make changes and harness equality and similar patterns in all aspects of life (Moghadam, 2007). This means that there is the need for women to be given e qual rights and fairness. The king of Saudi Arabia, who by default requires to exercise the highest levels of Islamic purity [his title is the Custodian of the Two Holiest Sites of Islam: Mecca and Medina] has acknowledged that the kingdom's approach to issues like women's right need to change since the world around them is changing gradually (Ramady, 2010). However, for changes to occur meaningfully, there is the need for the financial emancipation of women in the Middle East (Keddie, 2007). This will require a degree of guaranteeing the rights of women to get an earning capacity (Keddie, 2007). Female entrepreneurship is therefore an important and crucial element that needs to be attained through the financial emancipation of women. This is one of the most important ways through which the women of the Middle East and North Africa can catch up with their male counterparts and hasten the move towards the emancipation and equality of women that has been proposed through the current r eforms in Arab and Islamic nations. Based on this background, this research will examine important elements and aspects of female entrepreneurship in the Middle East. This will attempt to diagnose the status quo of female entrepreneurship in the Middle East and figure out the important aspects and elements that has led to these trends. The paper will also examine critical solutions to the issues that would be raised in the study. In attaining these

English for Specific Purposes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

English for Specific Purposes - Essay Example The first studies on special languages were in fact those on register, which developed in a Firthian environment. Following strictly in Halliday's footsteps (Halliday, 1978), British linguists identified special registers on the basis of lexical aspects, which they considered sufficient in themselves to distinguish them from common language. For example, the presence of a lexical item such as tablespoonful was enough to presume that the register was that of recipes or prescriptions (Halliday, McIntosh & Strevens, 1964; Strevens, 1977). However, as recent approaches to special languages have pointed out, differences do not apply to the lexical level only, but also concern morph syntactic choices and textual and pragmatic organization (Swales, 1990; Gotti, 1991; Bhatia, 1993). The social context (and therefore the aim) of each of the subdivisions of ESP exerts a strong influence on the linguistic strategies which are to be adopted. Therefore situational and functional requirements dire ct linguistic choices such as lexical density, the complexity and the length of clause structure, the degree of formality and the management of information, to name but a few. The most important d... cate a set of professional skills and to perform English and are learning the language in order to communicate a set of professional skills and to perform particular job-related functions. An ESP program is therefore built on an assessment of purposes and needs and the functions for which English is required. ESP concentrates more on language in context than on teaching grammar and language structures. It covers subjects varying from accounting or computer science to tourism and business management. The ESP focal point is that English is not taught as a subject separated from the students' real world (or wishes); instead, it is integrated into a subject matter area important to the learners. However, ESL and ESP diverge not only in the nature of the learner, but also in the aim of instruction. In fact, as a general rule, while in ESL all four language skills; listening, reading, speaking, and writing, are stressed equally, in ESP it is a needs analysis that determines which language skills are most needed by the students, and the syllabus is designed accordingly. An ESP program, might, for example, emphasize the development of reading skills in students who are preparing for graduate work in business administration; or it might promote the development of spoken skills in students who are studying English in order to become tourist guides. As a matter of fact, ESP combines subject matter and English language teaching. Such a combination is highly motivating because students are able to apply what they learn in their English classes to their main field of study, whether it be accounting, business management, economics, computer science or tourism. Being able to use the vocabulary and structures that they learn in a meaningful context reinforces what is taught and

An exploration of notions of 'order' present in Bernard Tschumi's Dissertation

An exploration of notions of 'order' present in Bernard Tschumi's deconstructive architecture of the late 70's - Dissertation Example From the mid-1970s, small pockets of resistance began to form as architects in advanced, post-industrial cultures began to adopt a system of defamiliarization from the established norms. The new mediated world reflected and reinforced dismantled reality. Architecture incorporated such dismantling and fragmentation, through â€Å"celebrating the culture of differences, by accelerating and intensifying the loss of certainty, of centre, of history†4. Deconstruction as a style of architecture has become increasingly influential among architects, educators, policy makers, and developers of prestige projects. Numerous recent projects are based on the deconstructive style. Besides visual fashion, this type of architecture is conceived around form, function and aesthetics. The main characteristics of deconstructive architecture are a â€Å"lack of human-scale details, jagged and convoluted figures, disjointed masses and planes, glittering glass and polished metal surfaces†5. De constructive architecture is rooted in a branch of philosophy whose chief proponent was the late French philosopher Jacques Derrida. To create order in an architectural composition, form, space and other principles play an important part. Order does not refer only to geometric regularity, but to a â€Å"condition in which each part of a whole is properly disposed with reference to other parts and to its purpose†6, towards producing a harmonious arrangement. A natural diversity and complexity is present in the program requirements for buildings. The forms and spaces of any building should acknowledge the hierarchy that is fundamental to the functions they facilitate, the users they serve,... The importance of a theoretical framework in architecture, for increasing the aesthetic and functional value of the built environment has been underscored. Bernard Tschumi’s work which introduces the urban setting into the Parc de la Villette has a distinctive characteristic emphasizing contemporary deconstructive trends. A theoretical framework elucidates the reasons why some buildings affect human beings in specific ways. Nikos Salingros, a colleague and adversary of Tschumi who promotes traditional aesthetics in architecture, also supports this view . He adds that one of the essential requirements of architectural theory is to integrate and organise scattered and seemingly unrelated observations of the ways in which human beings interact with built form. Another significant element of theory is to formalize those observations into an easily applicable framework usable for design. Architecture’s recent embarking on a formulation of its theoretical basis has been long overdue. Until now architecture has been based on personal notions and fashion, rather than on theoretical support.

Organizational Communication and Culture Research Paper

Organizational Communication and Culture - Research Paper Example During this meeting, the manager presented a revamp plan that involved a higher focus on online advertising and less focus on traditional modes of advertising. Each member of the key staff was assigned with specific tasks by the manager. The session did not have any scope for discussion or providing suggestions as the manager did not encourage it. Shortly, the manager sent out an email communication to the rest of the department informing them about the new changes and revamp plans. However, the email communication did not mention anything about employee’s questions or suggestions either. Instead, the specific tasks for each team, along with the desirable goals as well as deadlines, were assigned to them. In such a situation, the decision has left me and the rest of the employees confused and frustrated as to why the changes were made. Lack of communication between upper management and the employees during a change is a common phenomenon in most organizations (Frahm & Brown, 2007). The problem in this case occurs because there was no employee involvement in the decision making process which, in turn, results in employees feeling confused and unvalued. In this case, employees were not encouraged to get involved in the company as well as the marketing department’s strategic decisions; instead, they were assigned with tasks without the opportunity of discussion or consultation. The specific communication problem mentioned above can be attributed to the work culture of many Asian companies. According to Hofstede, countries such as Japan and China are particularly high in power distance, which means that subordinates in organizations that are managed by leaders from those countries are not encouraged to question the decision of their authorities for fear of negative consequences or conflicts (Samovar, Porter, & McDaniel, 2009). As it is evident from the

Utilitarianism - Act and Rule Essay Example for Free

Utilitarianism Act and Rule Essay

Quota Printing Essay Example for Free

Quota Printing Essay The best things in life are free. However, anything that is provided without any controls attached should impose a certain degree of responsibility. This will ensure that the overall efficiency of the right can be maximized by all individuals concerned. In the case of the free printing abuse in the library, the best possible resolution is to implement an individualized imposition of responsible printing instead of simply making the facility available without limitations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One possible solution for the problem is to implement a quota for printing per student. Each enrolled individual will have to register first in the database in which they will have to input their complete name and student number. Afterwards, the library can impose a printing system which will allow each student to avail the first 50 to 100 pages (depending on the decision of the library) of printing free for the entire semester. The next pages thereafter shall be charged a definite amount of at least about five cents per page as noted in the article. This way, the students will have the responsibility to only use their free pages of printing in an efficient way which will help them become responsible. Moreover, five cents worth of printing page is still reasonable for any student’s budget allowance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For the concern of having to wait long queue of printing, the library can install one more printing machine in the library. Because of the great savings in resources (paper, electricity, ink) and the possible accumulation of budget coming from the 5c/page beyond quota charges, is it possible to purchase another equipment to make printing faster for all the students who want to request for a printing job. Of course, the same implementation ruling should be provided to the second printer which will be connected in the single student user database for the number of printed page monitoring.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is always an exciting experience to acquire something without any charges. But sometimes, it is inevitable to encounter inconsiderate individuals who would only want to abuse something that is free. In order to resolve this problem, it is always necessary to impose a definite restriction in free services to help each user become responsible. A simple limitation rule can greatly help a free system effective.

Development Of Emotional Resilience

Development Of Emotional Resilience What is emotional resilience and how does this develop? What might the consequences be for someone who has this process disturbed? Emotional resilience is not a unitary concept of the self but integral to the multi-faceted, wider process of psychological resilience; retaining homeostatic mental security in an eternally shifting, socially constructed world. Resilience develops through experiential maturation; a dynamic process of adaptation and resistance in the endeavour to maintain social identity within specific hereditary and adaptive cultures. This response proposes that emotion is the core of an embodied individual resilience within relational contexts; therefore to seek conceptual understanding, consideration must be made of biological, behavioural and phenomenological influences on the psychological state. Empirical evidence proposes that the templates of emotional resilience are formed from the first day of a new life (even in uteri) and develop within the attachments of familial and systemic structures, experiencing both positive and adverse environmental factors. This brief insight will offer the reade r some understanding of the specific concept of emotion in our Western world. It will lead to focus on the crucial factor of human attachments as they model individual psychological development, and it will become clear that emotional resilience is part of a development synthesis (Cairns 1979) assimilated into psychological, social and cognitive theories that accumulatively demonstrate the emotional range of culture. When this synthesis is disturbed or traumatised, the concepts of fear or anxiety are experienced and begin an organic protective conditioning that if continual, can become manifested as negative psychological conditions and maladaptive behaviour. In seeking therapeutic efficacy, emotions might therefore be explored in relation to individual needs. The complexity of the social-mind-body assimilation presents a fascinating challenge for reparative treatment; research leading to a modernity of thought and beginning pro-active application of preventative measures through va rying social programmes. What are emotions? From early philosophical consideration to date, emotion has been viewed as an interference with rationality; an echo of pre-sapient expression. Darwin (1872)  [1]  introduced the concept of emotion in The expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals as he defined specific emotions finding expression through facial movement and overt behaviour. William James (1884)  [2]  extended this perspective in an article in Mind as he proposed this as a result of a prior, emotional neural signal; the feeling of physiological change Is the emotion. James Lange (1890)  [3]  developed this hypothesis further defining the first systemic theory of emotion, proposing three stages of emotional elicitation and physiological response: a presented emotional stimulus arousal in the autonomic nervous system physiological feedback leading to experience of an emotion In adverse extremity, we might acknowledge this as the basis of the fight or flight stress response, however this concept was extended by the Cannon-Bard Theory (1929)  [4]  as it specifically identified the hypothalamus of the brain to be the organ that activated physiological changes. Whereas the James-Lang Theory argued that human experience of emotion depended on preceding bodily changes, the Cannon-Bard Theory claimed that emotional experiences and bodily changes are independent. Early thought therefore understood resilience to be embedded in neurological physiological states. These proposals held historical behavioural cognitive validity, however there was no clarity of how an emotional situation actually activated the thalamus, i.e. how did the cognitive system detect that a stimulus was threatening or innocuous? The question remained: do individuals experience emotion based on their bodily perception, or are there specific emotional neural patterns which respond to envi ronmental events that result in physiological and visceral expressions? Perhaps the fulcrum of research was Schachter (1922 -1977)  [5]  as he proposed that only a general stage of visceral arousal was necessary for the experience of emotion and the individual would present the experience in the language of cognition, i.e. thought, past experiences, environmental references. Historical witness gave rise to Schachters James theories taken in accordance; as visceral arousal being essential for emotional experience but the manifestation of the emotion dependent on the cognitive, perceptual evaluations of external environment. To connect our animal nature with the world in which it is embeddedemotions respond immediately to the truth of things. They are the most alert form of attention. Disgust turns away from decay, fear warns of danger, desire recognizes beauty and pity responds to need. Hillman (1972) The psycho-biological and social perspectives are therefore implicit to the concept of emotional resilience within experiential processes. Drever (1964) stated that emotion is a complex state of the organism, involving bodily changes of widespread character in breathing, pulse, gland secretion etc. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and on the mental side, a state of excitement or perturbation, marked by a strong feeling, and usually an impulse towards a definite form of behaviour. Intrinsically connected the neurological and physiological systems create behavioural responses, evoking feelings and thoughts subsequently manifesting as learned behaviour and leaving a residue of experience. Drevers analysis alludes to trans-theoretical components which could initially be assumed to be in contextual concordance; cognitive, physiological, experiential, expressive and behavioural. These assumptions are integral to the research of Schachter Singer (1962) and their cognitive labelling theory  [6]  ; two f actors proposed as essential for emotional experience: high physiological arousal (neuro-psychological) emotional interpretation or label of the arousal, e.g. fear, pleasure, anger, (expressed through culturally shaped language). Critique could hold these assumptions as simplistic when considering Craske Craigs (1984) study of performing pianists, which typically found a lack of concordance of components during adverse situations. Whilst stress measurements of an individual component correlated significantly, trans-component measurements reflected little concordance, amplifying the complexity of emotion and its development of resilience. Why therefore can an individual appear to be very anxious or angry when one component of emotion is considered, but not when a different one is assessed? If the components were in correlation with each other, a singular measurement would only be necessary to understand an individuals emotional state. This observed lack of correlation supports consideration of integrative theoretical perspectives, as individuals have unique systemic foundations and neurological processing modalities. If as so far theoretically proposed, the origin of an emotion is an inherently organic and genetically pre-determined reaction to a stimulus; if the stimulus is adverse, how long can negative psychological impact be sustained without harm? Concepts of emotions and resilience are therefore embedded in a dynamic and interactive process of environmental interaction and socialisation, leading to a phenomenological consideration of experience. Phenomenological consideration reveals a diversity of emotional states identified at an experiential level. Mauss (1872 -1950)  [7]  and Mead (1901 -1978)  [8]  proposed individual minds to be penetrated by social and cultural practices; internal representations creating a dynamic view of the self. As we consider the socio-biological/cognitive proposals, it seems emotions are an individuals indicator of their human state in society and crucial to the defence of the self; therefore what of psychoanalytical thought? Freud purported emotions as a biological function, manifested as neuroses originating inner desires ; Jung (1875-1961)  [9]  proposed an archetypal self care system; for Adler (1870-1937)  [10]  self defence was socially based in the drive for success; existentialists such as Heidegger (1972)  [11]  and Kierkegaard (1960)  [12]  propose emotions as exposure of the threat of non-being; Ekman  [13]   Davidson  [14]  (1994) the evolutionary forc e that enables us to adapt to our life tasks and Hillman (1972),  [15]  emotions as symbols representative of the holistic pattern of the soul (Freshwater Robertson 2002). Is an individuals consciousness and internal world therefore systemically distorted to avoid anxiety? Within the psychodynamic realm, it seems individuals are not rational truth-seekers, attempting to accurately interpret the world, but defensive beings who distort reality in the avoidance of psychological pain. Within the interactive subtleties of the individual and social environment, two areas of thought occur in consideration of disturbed emotional resilience; the relationship with sustained, negative environmental forces and the impact of sudden trauma. Emotional resilience One of the most profound sources of anxiety is evoked through fear of a loss of identity or fragmentation and loss of self. The self evolves from birth as emotions develop from pre-verbal experiences, many of which are paralleled with another human being; the mother or primary care giver. Through the development of emotional resilience the crucial impact of attachments as familial and social interactions are internalised, not only to form emotional templates, but also the raw material of the self. Resilience of the self evolves if relations are stable; if not individuals will struggle to create a secure internal version of reality that enables assimilation with the external world. In healthy psychological development, everything depends upon a gradual humanisation and integration of the archetypal opposite inherent of the self as the infant and young child wrestles with tolerable experiences of frustration (hate) in context of a good-enough (not perfect) primary relationship.in as much as the traumatised child has intolerable experiences in the object world, the negative side of the self does not personalise, remaining archaic.the internal world becomes menaced. Kalsched (1996) Integral to the narrative of attachments, and the phenomenological experience fundamental to emotional resilience, Rothbart Ahadi (1994) proposed the element of genetic temperament. Encompassing differences in reactivity and self-regulation within a conjoint physiological and psychological concept, they identified the behavioural scales of surgency/extraversion (high intensity, pleasure v. impulsiveness and shyness); negative/affectivity (discomfort, fear v. satiability comfort) effortful control (inhibitory control, attentional focussing v. perceptual sensitivity). The first two dimensions of infant temperament; fearfulness and irritability correlate with childhood and adult dimensions of negative affectivity or neuroticism and reflect a parallel proposal to Eysencks (1916 -1997)  [16]  theory of arousal systems and the correlation with extraversion and introversion. Rutter Quinton (1984) found that children with heightened negative temperament and low malleability were like ly to elicit irritability and hostility from their parents; the formation of a negative attachment cycle. Rutter (1990) further suggested that this reflected a pattern in which the childrens attributes make them a focus for discord[increasing] the probability that exposure will set in motion a train of adverse reactions that will prolong the risk. Such cyclical behaviour leads us to note the socially constructed self formed through familial scripts and systemic legacies of beliefs and interaction; therefore as personality traits are considered, a set of variable responses may be interpreted as internalised habitual behaviour, thoughts, values, needs and goals. In the search of self, inner reflection arouses further emotions that might lead to additional adaptations, both negative and positive. Satinoff (1982) summarises; an organism behaviour at a particular time depends on the state of its nervous system, the stimuli in its immediate environment, its past individual history and the evolutionary history of its species. This analysis can be applied to the development of attachment as Bowlby (1969)  [17]  noted that adaptive function of proximity maintenance in the protection of human young, and simply identifying humans as social species therefore suggests the evolutionary functions of systems serve to keep individuals physically and emotionally close to others. If formulated on secure systemic attachments, there will be resilience of self; if conversely formulated on dysfunctional, avoidant or anxious attachments, emotional resilience is jeopardised. Social scripts and dogmas of early life, such as men dont cry can become exemplars of inappropriate relational paradigms which lead to conflict of an instinctual demand of attachment behaviour being socially accepted. When internalised distorted scripts remain active in the unconscious, they might severely restrict an adult ability to express emotion. The parody revealed is that through the formations within a psycho-social and behavioural paradigm, individuals who evolve within a negative or abusive environment, despite the continual experience of pain and anxiety, often continue to seek such relations and environments perpetuating the projective cycle of negativity with exposure to the risk of psychopathological development. Freshwater Robertson (2002) highlight the specific pathogenic personality of the parent(s) and the specific pathogenic atmosphere in which the child grew up that account for mal-developments, fixations and unsolvable inner conflicts characterising the adult personality; the correlation reflecting the breakdown in emotional resilience. Manifestation might then be seen in conditions such as social disorders, substance or alcohol abuse, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, and in the extreme psychosis. What of the impact of sudden trauma? We are aware of the physiological response of the autonomic nervous system, however the psychological impact is not easily assessed as this is dependent on the formulated emotional resilience of an individual. Jung (1929) stated that certain complexes arise from painful or distressing experiences of an emotional nature leave lasting psychic woundsoften [crushing] valuable qualities in an individual. All these produce unconscious complexes of personal nature..others come from quite a different source.the collective unconscious.  [18]  The historical Western script in relation to psychological pain has been to ignore it; to get on with life. There has to be an element of stoicism to return to functional life; however the psyche is powerful in demanding remembrance of pain as poignantly recorded in the recent memorial to the liberation of Auschwitz 65 years later: So I was hiding out in the heap of dead bodies because in the last week when the crematoria didnt function at all, the bodies were just building up higher and higher. So there I was at night time, in the daytime I was roaming around in the camp, and this is where I actually survived. Bart Stern  [19]   Social scripts are changing but some denial still exists in corners of Western culture. Theorists have suggested that in the desire to block psychological pain, or to control or avoid emotional responses in accordance to this legacy of the collective unconscious, an emotional numbing becomes an automatic process; evoking symptoms of disinterest, detachment or denial. Avoidance of emotional material is thought to be a central factor in negative outcomes such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The emotional processing model proposed by Foa Kozak (1986) and the relational construct theory of human learning (Kelly 1905 -1967 )  [20]  give some insight to the effect and symptoms of PTSD. The theories account for the generalisation of trauma cues within learned behaviour, of memories of trauma and experiential and external, emotionally associated responses. Avoidance of emotion can lead to paradoxical increases in emotional experience; suppression of thoughts leading to target- related anxiety, i.e. situational factors. The crucial note of Jungian theory is that traumatic emotional experiences can remain in the psyche by becoming autonomous and adopting characteristics of their own, which can then dominate or even possess the conscious ego (Roemer Borkovec 1994). Following trauma, concealment of emotions has also been associated with diminished memory for information and cognitive ability interfering with an individuals ability to engage adaptively with the environment. Therapeutic efficacy in the maintenance of emotional resilience The complicity of factors relating to the disturbance of emotional resilience continues as a focal height of research. Salters et al (2002) highlighted areas of theoretical empirical evidence gaining credence in the link between and emotionally avoidant perception, social interaction and, in the area of therapeutic efficacy, the experience of clinical anxiety. Plagued by definitional and methodological challenges, the study of emotional resilience holds complex phenomena; however cross-theoretical approaches now contribute to holistic understanding. Craske Zucker (2002) proposed models for psycho-social interventions as they highlight several of the specific factors discussed that affect emotional resilience; anxiety, familial transmission, temperament, life stresses and co-morbidity. Their research focussed on buffer factors of emotional resilience through concepts such as hardiness and social support. Seligman (2000) had emphasised the importance of optimism as Rutter (1995) outl ined five categories of protective factors: reduction of adverse experiences, reduction of negative chain reactions, promotion of self esteem and self efficacy; the opening of positive opportunities and the positive cognitive processing of negative experiences. Davidson (2000) clarified these as a broad constellation of processes that serve to amplify, attenuate or maintain the strength of emotional reactions. It is identified that anxiety disorders are most likely to develop during critical developmental stages, dependent on the resilience of the emotional templates; (Blehar 1995) transitions such as adolescence and mid-life could therefore be crucial times for the support of a proactive-developmental-ecological approach (Winett et al 1989). Conclusion The area of research into emotional resilience is self perpetuating and too vast to address comprehensively in this short response. It is therefore hoped that some insight is offered to the complexity of emotions as structured phenomena, and resilience as the dynamic component of this. It has reflected a trans-theoretical combination of psychotherapeutic thought, and presented the evolution of human emotional resilience to be a synthesising process that demands positive adaptation to lifes adversity. Crucial to the maintenance of healthy emotional resilience within social interaction is the exposure to, internalisation of, and management of positive and negative stimuli. Emotions are not merely feeling states but internal states that when disturbed, the distinction between the collective and individual unconscious becomes obscured creating internal distress and continues to reflect what Jung described in1912 as the problem of our time. The Gestalt perspective exemplifies the struggle to address this problem and maintain a healthy emotional resilience as it presents the human psyche and body to be an organic function and ultimate experiential unit (Perls 1969).  [21]   I do my thing you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations And you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you and I am I And if by chance we find each other, its beautiful. If not, it cannot be helped. Gestalt Prayer [3209]

Cystic Fibrosis and Gene Therapy Essay -- Science Genetics Biology Pap

Cystic Fibrosis and Gene Therapy The average life span of a person with Cystic Fibrosis is 25-30 years of age. Although the more traditional treatments of this disease are adequate, is there something else that could be even better? Gene therapy is fast becoming one of the more studied aspects of genetics today. Let's take a look at some details of Cystic Fibrosis and gene therapy. Technical Aspects Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common fatal genetic disease in the United States today. CF is an autosomal recessive disease that occurs approximately one out of 3,300 live births (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 1998). Autosomal means that the gene for CF is not carried on the sex chromosomes and males and females are both afflicted by this disease. Recessive inheritance is when both parents "carry" the abnormal gene in their DNA but they themselves do not show evidence of the disease. The mother and father have one normal gene and one abnormal gene and don't show signs of disease because the normal gene dominates the abnormal gene. To have CF, a child must inherit two abnormal genes, one from each parent. Remember that chromosomes are made up of DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is made up of genes, and genes are made up of building blocks called base pairs. The specific gene responsible for CF was identified in 1989 on human chromosome 7 (Pseudomonas Genome Project, 1998). A mutatio n, or change in the genetic material, resulting in a substitution or loss of one of the base pairs causes the CF gene to be abnormal (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 1995). CF does not affect all people the same way. The basic problem for all patients however is an abnormality in glands, which produce mucus or sweat. The mucus produced by people... ...ctsabo.htm">http://www.cff.org/factsabo.htm Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, "Gene Therapy". Obtained from the WWW 10/31/98: http://www.cff.org/genether.htm Genentech Incorporated, "Gene Therapy-An Overview". Obtained from the WWW 10/31/98: http://www.gene.com/AE/AB/IWT/Gene_Therapy_Overview.html McClean, Phillip. "Variation in Chromosome Structure". Obtained from the WWW 10/15/98: http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/mcclean/plsc431/chromstruct/chrmo2.htm Pseudomonas Genome Project, "Cystic Fibrosis". Obtained from the WWW 10/31/98: http://www.pseudomonas.com/cystic_fibrosis.html Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, "An Introduction to Cystic Fibrosis for Patients and Families" in Respiratory Diseases and Disorders Sourcebook". Health Reference Series, V. 6, 1995. Sect. 5.1, p. 240. WWWebster Dictionary. Obtained from the WWW 11/2/98: http://www.m-w.com/