An Analysis of Moral in Who Moved My Cheese

Who Moved My Cheese? By Spencer Johnson, M. D. A Review and Essay By David Cox, Instructional Technology Facilitator Tioga Junior High School and Tioga High School At a time when Rapides Parish schools are once again facing huge financial deficits with resultant changes at almost every level, teachers must deal with mostly unwanted changes. Being a twenty-six year classroom veteran, I have had to change as well in many ways. In my internal search for ways to deal with change, I have recently read a book which has given me some new ways to think about change. I hope that this review might lead you to this book and help you to see how changes, even when first seen as negative and hurtful, are not necessarily a bad thing. Dr. Spencer Johnson has written a book which gives me some real ways to think about and deal with change. This small book, Who Moved My Cheese, is a fast and easy read but one which can enlighten even a cynical person to some ways to adapt to the inevitable changes of life in its many shifting forms and challenges. Like Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, the story is told as a story within a story of several old friends at a high school reunion told by one of the friends. The story centers around four characters who live in a Maze and the changes with which they must wrangle. The characters are two mice, Sniff and Scurry, and two so-called Littlepeople (creatures the size of mice but who look and act like people today) named Hem and Haw. The plot is pretty simple. The four characters find a large cache of cheese and can live their lives without much variation: get up, go to the cheese, eat, go home, and start over the next day. This works out okay until one day the cheese is gone. Then the characters must deal with the new situation. The mice, taken aback at first, are first to take action since they are creatures of almost entirely instinct: they set out looking for more cheese. On the other hand, Hem and Haw, creatures of reason and emotion, go through a series of reactions from shock to anger to knee-jerking and then to divergence. Hem stays at the now empty cheese station, sulking, complaining, thinking negatively and making even himself more miserable while Haw overcomes his fears and sets out to find new cheese. Filled with metaphor as direct as John Bunyan’s book Pilgrim’s Progress, this book then shows Haw rethinking, adjusting, and moving on with his life. He sets out to find his â€Å"New Cheese,† overcoming his fears and his sense of having been cheated. Along his journey, Haw writes messages of his inner discoveries on the Maze wall, hoping Hem will follow and read the â€Å"writing on the wall† and be comforted by Haw’s inner revelations. His revelations are never dramatic but always true and appropriate for his situation—and ours by extension. The outcome of the book for Haw is doubtful due to Haw’s many fears and doubts about himself on his journey. But by the end, the reader sees Haw succeed in ways that surprise both Haw and the reader. But what about Hem? Does he too succeed? That is where the story-within-a-story ends. And this is where this plot analysis ends. Who Moved My Cheese? begins with an introduction, sets up the story-within-a-story, tells the story of the Mice and LittleMen, and then ends with an analysis of parts of the story by the fictional high school reunion friends who tell parts of their life stories to one another since their graduation. Now, as in Chaucer’s day, this is effective although some critics and some readers want to fend for themselves intellectually—and that’s okay. Now, the reader of this article may ask, what does this have to do with Rapides Parish, teachers, and our mutual situations, and why is this review in a technology newsletter? Simply put, we are all constantly in a stew of change, having to deal with umpteen million rapid-fire often confusing and disheartening failures in the classroom. Technology may be used to enhance a teacher’s already good lessons just as the ideas in Who Moved My Cheese? can make dealing with changes in our lives a little easier with more direction. The story depicts the Littlepeople attacking the same problem with the same tools and failing each time. However, with just a little divergent thinking, Haw is able to break through from his old methods into new techniques and achieve his ultimate goal. Each teacher can find his or her own â€Å"New Cheese† in the classroom using technology tools in the same way and more fully reach the ultimate goal of educating young people. Students grow, have fun and learn at the same time, and meet challenges in ways that please and surprise them as well as their teachers, all the while successfully achieving benchmarks like Haw succeeds at finding his New Cheese. In conclusion, Rapides Parish schools are in for some changes; it is true. But with the use of technology to assist us, we can still accomplish our one unchanging goal. Technology instructors and facilitators can guide us through all of the myriad twists and turns of software and hardware, giving us methods, information, advice, and even pre-written lessons which use technology in every subject area and at every grade level. The school district Web site at http://www. rapides. k12. la. us/region6tltc/tltc. htm shows a lot of what can be easily obtained by every teacher who wants to successfully adjust to the changes coming, and then both teachers and students can benefit.

Descartes Views on God Essay

From reading some of his works, one might assume that Rene Descartes does not believe in the existence of a heavenly being, a God that presides over humans and gives us faith. I do not believe this to be the case. I believe that Descartes is simply trying to destroy all of the uncertainties that have come about do to inadequate explanations of such a supreme being. For Rene Descartes and all of the other believers in the world, the existence of God provides a convenient answer to unexplained questions, while never providing answers to the questions about God himself. This is evidenced a great deal in the circular argument made by Descartes in the Meditations on First Philosophy. What follows is a brief account of the third and fifth meditations, which provide Descartes’ response to the masked question, â€Å"What is God? † Can one perceive or confirm the existence of an idea that is external to him, an idea such as God? In order to determine the answer we must start by understanding the ways in which we can conclude an objects’ existence. Descartes explains three ways in which a person might come to such a conclusion ?the first, through nature; the second, through feeling a value that is independent of the will of the object; and the third, the objective reality of an idea, or the cause and effect profile. Descartes drills us with the idea that an object will have an effect when it stems from a legitimate cause, or an initial idea that precedes with equal or superior properties in one’s intellect. In other words, the mind generates thoughts and ideas about a physical form, and develops a reality for this form, through previous schema and beliefs. â€Å"And although an idea may give rise to another idea, this regress cannot, nevertheless, be infinite; we must in the end reach a first idea, the cause of which is, as it were, the archetype in which all the reality that is found objectively in these ideas is contained formally. † The only problem with Descartes’ argument is when the existence of God arises as a notion, for there is no sustenance or idea for the notion of God to originate from. Is it possible, then, to create the idea of a finite being from an infinite existence, outside of the physical and mental, in a state all of it’s own? Descartes quickly answers that the response would be that a finite being cannot completely, if at all, comprehend the ideas that would cause God to exist, and therefore the basis for doubt is lost in an intangible proof. Additionally, the mere fact that he believes that there is a God provides yet another piece of proof towards His existence. This must be true, according to Descartes, with the provision that the idea and belief must have been placed in his consciousness by an outside factor. The final factor that convinces Descartes that there is a God is the fact of his own existence, along with the fact that he, himself, is not a God. This belief stems from the theory that if a man is independent from all other existence and ideas about forms and matter, then he has the ability to become infinite. Descartes says that if he himself were the â€Å"author of his own being† and independent of all existence, then he would attain a Godly level of existence. Ultimately, it is his own dependence on another being that proves to him that there is a God. Many people are bred into religion, or borne into a set of ideas about a particular infinite being. The interesting problem with most types of faith in this manner is that the scripture that has been deemed to come from your god is also the proof that God exists. This is the type of circular definition that Descartes is trying to avoid at all costs. Basically, it’s like using a word in it’s own definition, or ? the definition of an apple is an apple. ‘ The argument begins to get a little bit ambiguous when he begins discussing the uncertainty of his beliefs. He is, as he claims, as certain of the idea of the sun, the moon, the earth, even his own rational thought, as he is certain of God’s existence.

The Beveridge Approach versus The Workfare Approach Essay

The Beveridge Approach versus The Workfare Approach - Essay Example Nevertheless, it is cautioned that matters are not that straightforward. Often left-wingers favour practices that disable institutional support that may affect their broader ideology and there are right-wingers who may favour it as it positively affects their broader policies. This is only a particular instance. (An Introduction to Social Policy, Undated). In November, 1942, Sir William Beveridge presented his report entitled "Social Insurance and Allied Services" to His Majesty the King. In it he mentioned that there were three guiding principles that he had used to formulate his policy of public social service. These are as follows. Sir Beveridge asserted that any experiences gleaned in the past must be used to build opportunities to the future. Such experience should not be restricted on the basis of any sectional interests vested in its gathering. He personally remarked of this - "A revolutionary moment in the world's history is a time for revolutions, not for patching." (The Beveridge Report, 1942) The second principle cautioned that the organisation of social insurance should be treated as only a part of overall social progress. This was so because social insurance aimed at negating all want in the British people. Sir Beveridge cautioned that 'want' was only one aspect of the reconstruction that was then necessary to put the British Empire back on its feet after the war. The other four were - disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness. Then third principle was that social security w3as to be achieved by co-operation between state and individual. The state would offer security for service and contribution. It would organise security but not stifle incentive, opportunity and responsibility. It would establish a national minimum but it would leave room and encourage voluntary action by an individual to procure more than that minimum for himself and his family. (The Beveridge Report, 1942)New Labour's Welfare Policy When the 'New Labour' Party came to power in Britain in May, 1997, it did so with a considerably changed economic manifesto from its previous stint which immediately preceded its re-election. Under Tony Blair, the new labour economic policy was strongly oriented towards the supply side and the welfare state was intended to exist on the basis of steady employment provided by the pull of demand. All these changed policies were meant to

Problem Solving Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Problem Solving - Essay Example One that is tightly optimised for an initial set of conditions might be more efficient whilst those conditions prevail but fail totally should conditions change. And in today's business world, conditions change daily." The original meaning of Ashby's Law dealt with people attempting to keep a system stable. The controller of the system is better able to control it the more options he has. Variety of action controls variety of input (Wyrdology). According to Bellinger, Castro, and Mills (2009, pg. 1), "According to Russell Ackoff, a systems theorist and professor of organizational change, the content of the human mind can be classified into five categories: Data: symbols; Information: data that are processed to be useful; provides answers to "who", "what", "where", and "when" questions; Knowledge: application of data and information; answers "how" questions; Understanding: appreciation of "why"; Wisdom: evaluated understanding." Ackoff indicates that the first four categories relate to the past; they deal with what has been or what is known. Only the fifth category, wisdom, deals with the future because it incorporates vision and design. With wisdom, people can create the future rather than just grasp the present and past. But achieving wisdom isn't easy; people must move successively through the other categories." "There are many approaches to problem solving, depending on the nature of the problem and the people involved in the problem. The more traditional, rational approach is typically used and involves, eg, clarifying description of the problem, analyzing causes, identifying alternatives, assessing each alternative, choosing one, implementing it, and evaluating whether the problem was solved or not" (Free Management Library, 2009, pg. 1). The Work of Wiig and the KRI Kristen Wiig is an actress. She has appeared in the following: Despicable Me, Late Night, WhipIt!, Extract, All Good Things, Saturday Night Live, The Flight of the Conchords, Love is a Weapon of Choice, Adventureland, Ghost Town, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Semi-Pro, Pretty Bird, Walk Hard, 30 Rock, Bill, The Brothers Solomon, Knocked Up, Unaccompanied Minors, Home Purchasing Club, The Enigma with a Stigma, The Drew Carey Show, Untitled Aisha Tyler Project, I'm with Her, June, Life Death and Mini Golf, The Joe Schmo Show, and Melvin Goes to Dinner (IMDB, 2009). "The KRI Library addresses the need for a structured mechanism for key risk indicators and sets the stage for peer-group benchmarking. KRIs are widely viewed as having great potential-as a practical tool for tracking risk and losses, for measuring performance, for conducting process improvement exercises, for calculating capital (especially qualitative adjustments to capital estimates), and particularly for sounding an early warning of changes to an organization's risk profile" (RMAHQ, 2009, pg. 1). KRI services fall into a broad range of services, including the following services:

Descriptive writing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Descriptive writing - Assignment Example I won’t pack up the porch furniture today, because I want to hold on to this late remnant of the warm days just a little longer. The squirrel is sitting there by the pond, grooming herself. She turns and bounces towards for her store of hazelnuts. Every year I try to beat her to it, but every year she strips the tree before I even realize it is time to gather the harvest. She moves like a sine-wave, swift and light on her feet, chattering as she goes. Every hour of daylight means another layer of provisions in the dark earth. Soon she will sleep. I wonder if the squirrel dreams of summer in her hibernation haven? A solitary bee settles on the hedge before me. Just one. When I was a child there were lots of bees, and the hedge reverberated with their buzzing. Now there is only one and he drops lazily onto a tired-looking rose blossom. He lumbers on, somewhat clumsy, and carrying too much weight, in search of the last remaining blooms. Making the most of the time, he is, like me, grateful for the sun’s cheerful company. It is very still in the garden now. Where have all the bees gone? The rhythmic crash of the farmer’s mowing machine in the distance reminds me that the bees, too, have to adjust to modern lifestyle changes. Solitary bees, like self-employed couriers in the city, must learn to occupy their time alone, zooming from place to place, picking up and dropping off, guided by the logic of supply and demand. A cloud creeps over a quarter of the sky. The landscape before me now is cast in two shades: full color and muted shadows. Perhaps I should fetch my jacket. A pink petal drops from the fading rose. Fingers of cloud reach out for the sun, and now half of the sky is gray. The back door creaks behind me, as a light wind rises in the West. Now the sun has gone and the temperature has dropped. My old summer chairs need a coat of paint, and the table has a shaky leg. I make a mental note to have a look at

Lesson plan on critique Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Lesson plan on critique - Assignment Example Moreover, the activities listed in the lesson plan maximize the engagement of the students and assess the mastery of objectives by the students â€Å"Students are provided this time to begin reading the text and prepare questions†. Variety of activities that are in the lesson plan are all addressed to different styles of learning as well as providing enough time for the instructions â€Å"Students will watch this short five-minute extract from a documentary†. The lesson plan provides a clear evidence of insufficient, minimum information to the students and planning that is poor. To start with, the lesson plan lacks activities that are appropriate to reach the objectives concerning the lessons actual content. The lesson plan also has failed to provide enough time for learning to give more time for instruction versus the student’s independent learning and practice. There are insufficient ways of student’s assessment of the mastery of the objectives, and there are no questions listed that the teacher can use to elicit the attention and test the understanding of the students. The references and the sources of information’s are not listed adequately. The students assessment should be immediate and not done come the following day as outlined in the lesson

International business Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

International business - Personal Statement Example I believe that through the course I can gain sufficient knowledge to be able to handle such issues and other related problems associated with international business. My previous educational background has also motivated me to apply for this course. I am currently a BA student in this institution, which is relevant to my course because it entails business issues. So far, I have learned a lot about business administration and management, and I would like to widen this knowledge further to the international level. My choice to apply for the course in this school is because as a student here I have known the institution to be an excellent place. The culture of the school and its diversity are great opportunities to reckon, and they blend with my philosophy. The school values development of leaders and creation of knowledge in business issues, and that is exactly what I believe in. Business rocks the world; this institution creates knowledge in business; and I choose to be here. I am hoping to get a positive feedback from you soon. Thank you for your

Motivation and Management - Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Motivation and Management - Report - Essay Example The underlying question that motivation asks is why do people do what they do? In addition, motivation is concerned with the reason people opt to take a particular course of action, over because whilst suffering difficulties and problems throughout Bruno (2002). Motivation has four common characteristics. One of them is that every person is unique and their motivations needs are different. Second characteristic is that motivation is intentional it is under the control of employee and it becomes an influential factor in their performance. The other characteristic is that motivation has two major dimensions named as active and engaged. The last characteristic is that motivation predicts the employee’s behavior. A motivated employee will work hard as they will feel fulfilled to do so. The employee will also be compelled to produce quality work with high performance rate. When an employee is de-motivated, low output and poor quality work is observed. The main aim for CBC is to provide high quality work as well as profit maximization. It then calls for self managing personnel who will work hard to achieve the set goals. For that to be realized, motivation issue must be addressed. There are three possible ways of increasing motivation. Extrinsic motivation, that is, motivation that can be enhanced through tangible rewards such as salary, promotion and conditions of work, intrinsic motivation that is related to psychological rewards including a sense of challenge or performance. In addition, motivation is increased by developing passion from work Bruno (2002). This simply provides means of collaboration, fairness, recognition, growth, and connectedness with leaders. Maslows hierarchy of needs argues there are five categories individuals undergo. Therefore, must the management to build in higher aspects of the hierarchy such as performance, advancement; recognition and responsibility to enable employees achieve the

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Essay Example for Free

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Essay Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 at Mvezo, in tiny village near the Mbashe River in the district of Umtata. In Xhosa Rolihanda means ‘’pulling the branch of a tree’’ but also ‘’troublemaker’’ which describes Mandela quite accurately. Nelson Mandela was born into the Thembu tribe, he was a member of the royal household but was not trained to be a ruler one day, only groomed to be of help to the rulers. Nelson was a name given by Mandela’s English teacher, in that time the British had control and a more English form of education came forth. Mandela had a happy childhood but unfortunately his father died when Mandela was only nine years old.Nelson Mandela studied at Clarkebury. Later on Mandela was send to Wesleyan College in Fort Beaufort in somewhat poor sleeping and eating circumstances. Nelson got a sense of freedom from his tribe and began searching inside himself as a person not just a tribe member or a Xhosa but as an African, but as the famous Xhosa poet Mqhay spoke at the collage and inspired Nelson to put being a Xhosa first and a African second. He later attended University Collage of Fort Hare were he got knowledge of law, English and politics. This is where the seed was planted of Nelson’s tree of wisdom. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is one of the greatest souls to ever walk the earth, his fight for freedom and equality will be remembered for centuries more to come. He is an icon of greatness and everything we should inspire to be. Mandela is known worldwide for his extraordinary sacrifice he made in his struggle for justice and equality in South-Africa. If you think of South-Africa without Nelson Mandela darkness comes to mind, where would we be if it wasn’t for this man? I think it’s a question many South-Africans would rather not answer, were just grateful that he was here. Nelson Mandela’s fight against apartheid is probably the definitive moment of South-African history, the moment that were all finally after years and years equal. That is the reason why I believe Mandela is essential to  South-African history. In Nelson Mandela autobiography ‘’A long walk to freedom’’ he categorized his life into different chapters. In these chapters we see Mandela growing, learning and creating his point of view. Mandela saw the wrong in South- Africa and he knew it had to be justified. During Rivonia trail Nelson Mandela said â€Å"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.† (Mandela, 1995:215) Mandela’s different chapters give us an idea of the story of how this wonderful man came to be. Mandela gives you a visual picture of his life in ‘’A long walk to freedom’’. We see Mandela as a little boy running around playing with the other boys, participating in stick fights and being as free as one could be, this may be when Mandela fell in love with freedom. In many occasions Mandela says that he inherited various traits of character from his father ‘’ My father was a tall, dark-skinned man with a straight and stately posture, which I like to think I inherited’’ ‘’My father possessed a proud rebelliousness, a stubborn sense of fairness, that I recognize in myself’’ we see that Mandela and his Father had a fair amount of character traits in common, and his father played a big role in the fundament in Mandela’s character. Mandela also said ‘’although my mother was the centre of my existence, I defined myself through my father’’. (Mandela, 1995:26) Mandela didn’t know it at the time but his whole world was about change. His mother informed him that he wasnâ⠂¬â„¢t going to stay with them anymore Nelson didn’t ask where he was going or why. When he reached the place that was going to be his new home he was amazed but still felt bewildered. Nelson said ‘’It felt like a sapling pulled root and branch from the earth and flung into the centre of a stream whose strong current I could not resist’’(Mandela, 1995:26) He was also taken by the factor of wealth ‘’In that instant, I saw that life might hold more for me than being a champion stick-fighter’’(Mandela, 1995:26) Nelson Mandela’s new home in Mqhekezweni brought many opportunities, Nelson’s mother knew he would achieve much more, al Nelson Mandela’s father ever wanted for Nelson was a great education so in a way his wishes were granted. At the age of sixteen the regent decided  that it was time for Mandela to embrace manhood meaning circumcision. Circumcision was a ritual of transformation from boy into man. The regent said that Mandela was not destined to work in the mine , he said Nelson would be a counsellor to Sabata, for n Nelson to be a counsellor he needed higher education so he was send to Clarkebury after he finished in some struggling, he was send to Wesleyan College in Fort Beaufort. After that 21 year Nelson Mandela was send to The University College of Fort Hare. Nelson said for him and other young black children it was like ‘’Oxford and Cambridge, Harvard and Yale, all rolled into one’’. (Mandela, 1995:40) Nelson Mandela learned both inside and out classrooms. He competed in soccer and cross-country running. Nelson Mandela met Oliver Tambo on the soccer field. Mandela said ‘’it was easy to see that he was destined for great things’’. (Mandela, 1995:41) Mandela’s dream at this moment was to get a degree and to earn money so that he could restore the wealth his mother lost when his father died he wanted to give them all the things they couldn’t afford. Nelson Mandela was nominated to stand for Student Representative Council but not all the students were allowed to vote so Nelson and the five others decided to resign from the council. The next day they voted again with all the students present but still only twenty five could vote so the same people were appointed. They held a meeting and the five suggested that they accept office, tough nothing had changed for Mandela. Here you can see Mandela’s love for democracy shine trough. Mandela resigned for the second time and he the only one out of the six that did. He was called in by the head of university DR. Kerr, he gave Mandela a choice stay and be on the Student Representative Council or leave. Mandela chose to leave because he couldn’t let his fellow student down and he had to do the right thing. Nelson Mandela returned home were the regent was very angry with Mandela. The regent also announced that his two sons will be married. This took Mandela by surprise. He and his brother fled to Johannesburg. As they arrived at Johannesburg they went to the mines seeking work but were turned down because they knew that they ran away from home. Nelson got a job as articled law clerk at Witkin, Nelson went about life as normal went to parties met some brilliant people and learned every day. The regent came to Mandela, he wanted to know what his plans were he supported Mandela and had  no intension to take him back but for his brother there was other intentions he was to come home immediately return which he refused. Six months later the regent died and Mandela was overwhelmed by guilt. Mandela began working with Guar and Walter Sisulu. In the end of 1942 Nelson Mandela got his B.A degree and he was very proud. Gaur his employer also reminded him education wasn’t everything education alone wasn’t going to give them freedom. It was Guar that took Mandela to the ANC meetings. Nelson also participated in bus boycott with Guar. In 1943 the firm articled Nelson Mandela. Later on Mandela attended the University of Witwatersrand to get his LLB degree in law. The university had mostly white people and in the law faculty Nelson was the only black person, most of the people weren’t very to Nelson which made him feel uncomfortable. Nelson Mandela and the other members of the ANC had enough of the negative racist benefits of being black. They wanted to form a youth league and after visiting head of ANC Dr. Xuma provisional committee of the Youth League was formed, under the leadership of William Nkomo. Nelson says ’’the primary purpose of the Youth League was to give direction to the ANC in its quest for political freedom.’’(Mandela, 1995:65) During this Mandela was still studying part time. Nelson met his first wife Evelyn Mase at Walter’s house. They didn’t know each other very long before they got married. In 1946 70,000 African miners along the Reef went on strike for a higher salary, a union was created for the miners. The miners decided to march but this was very violently repulsed by police. After the strike, fifty-two men were arrested and prosecuted, first for incitement then for sedition. In 1947 Nelson was elected executive committee of the Transvaal ANC. In 1948 only white people were allowed to vote. Dr. Xuma was removed as head and replaced by James Moroka, he was more committed in winning freedom. Mandela said We had now guided the ANC to a more radical and revolutionary path. Mandela sadly failed his last year at Witwatersrand 3 times and was denied his degree. Mandela continued with protests and speeches and the government continued with arrests in masses. In 1952 Mandela was elected regional president of the ANC. On 30 July 1952, Mandela was arrested under the Suppression of Communism Act and went on trial with the 21 accused, among them Moroka, Sisulu and Dadoo, in Johannesburg. Found guilty of statutory  communism, their sentence of nine months hard labour was suspended for two years. The ANC was split into two, the militant faction split to form a new organisation the PAC in 1961. The following year police killed 61 peaceful black protesters. The ANC and PAC was then banned. Mandela was forced to disguise himself to avoid detection. Mandela knew it was time for more drastic action. In 1961 Nelson Mandela became co-founder and leader of ‘’ Umkhonto we Sizwe’’, ‘’Spear of the Nation† a military branch of the ANC. Nelson later said ‘’It would be wrong and unrealistic for African leaders to continue preaching peace and nonviolence at a time when the government met our peaceful demands with force. It was only when all else had failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle.† Mandela launched a plan to sabotage the government. South-Africa at this stage was declared a republic and free from British control. Mandela illegally went oversees to gain support in Ethiopia and advice from Oliver Tambo in London. On 5 December after Mandela returned he was arrested and sentence to 5 years in prison for leaving the country and for being in control of the 1961 workers’ strike. This sentence would in time proven to be the least of Mandela’s problems. The government raided a military hide out in Rivonia where evidence was found against Nelson and other ANC members. They were charge with sabotage, treason and violent conspiracy alongside their associates. They had a trail that lasted 8 months, the trail attracted international attention. Nelson Mandela and 7 other members were sentenced to life in jail. Mandela spent his first 18 of 27 years in jail on an island prison just a few kilometres from Cape Town called Robben Island. He was treated badly because of the colour of his skin. Oliver Tambo began a free Nelson Mandela campaign which got the attention that they needed to free Mandela. The government made Mandela a deal release for political compromises, but he rejected them. In 1982 Nelson was moved to less secure prison, Pollsmoor Prison. The following year F. W. de Klerk was elected president and he lifted the ban against the ANC and in 1990 he ordered Nelson Mandela’s release. In 1993 Nelson and de Klerk were handed the Nobel prize. In 1994 Nelson Mandela was elected president of South-Africa. F.W de Klerk was his first deputy. Nelson went on to make South-Africa a great nation, everyone equal whether your black, white, Indian or coloured It’s hard to imagine a  South- Africa without Nelson Mandela. His importance was seen in the moment we lost him. In his book ‘’Conversations with myself’’ Barrack Obama wrote the foreword saying’’ Like many people around the world, I came to know of Nelson Mandela from a distance, when he was imprisoned on Robben Island. To so many of us, he was more than just a man he was a symbol of the struggle for justice, equality, and dignity in South Africa and around the globe. His sacrifice was so great that it called upon people everywhere to do what they could on behalf of human progress’’ The Guardian said ‘’Mandela was a transformational figure; to say he was a historical figure would not give him his full due. Some people move through history as being the first this or that – just another figure in a lineage of persons. To be a transformer is to plan, to have the vision to chart the course, the skills to execute. To be transformational is to have the courage of ones convictions, to sacrifice, to risk life and limb, to lay it all on the line. Historical figures will reference Nelson Mandela.’’ Nelson Mandela has such a great impact on South-Africa that I don’t know if I would be here if it wasn’t for him, none of us can say we would. If Mandel a didn’t do what he did we would have ended up in a war between white and black and many lives would be lost. Mandela saves millions and set millions free. Sadly Mandela died on 5 December 2013 of a recurring lung infection, although Mandela never was a smoker. South-Africa came to a standstill we had lost our hero in flesh but he will never be forgotten. Bronnelys: Jackson, J. 2013. Nelson Mandela changed the course of history for South-Africa and the US. The Guardian, 5 Dec. http://www.thegaurdian.com/commetisfree/2013/dec/05/nelson -mandela-changed-history-south-africa-us Date of access: 15 March. Lewis, S. 2013. Why was Mandela important. BBC newsround, 6 Dec http://www.bbc.com/newsround/25263229 Mandela N.R. 1995.A long walk to freedom. Little, Brown and Company. Boston New York London Mandela N.R foreword by Obama B. 2010. Conversations with myself. Little, Brown and Company.Boston New York London

Illustrate the theme of isolation in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Essay Example for Free

Illustrate the theme of isolation in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Essay In the novel Of Mice and Men which was set in the 1930s I believe that John Steinbeck Illustrated loneliness and solitude in many places. The seclusion in those times was due to mainly discrimination and injustice. The life of a customary worker would be very difficult, therefore people worked for others on their farms. The wages were not proportional to the amount of labour and in addition the accommodation was barely habitable, this was unjust. The two focal characters George and Lennie have a sturdy bond and companionship. The other characters in the story are missing a true acquaintance and are envious of the two men. They have never before seen two men unite together like that before. All the other characters in the book are all abandoned and dejected apart from Slim. George and Lennie were wedged together through thick and thin, through good and bad and they knew they needed each other. This was revealed as George Said Guys like us that live on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. This meaning that if not for each other they would be like the others on the ranch, discontented and lonesome. The others on the ranch had recognised this, as their fellow workers said Funny how you an him string together. This had highlighted the unusualness of the situation and the migrant lifestyle of the 1930s. While the whole ranch suffers from loneliness there are a few individual cases that are emphasised throughout the whole book. There are three main people in the book who suffer, Crooks, Candy and Curleys Wife. They all suffer injustice in the form of prejudice and discrimination. Candy was thought of as an outcast as he has no longer got the physical ability due to his age; and his physical disability does not help his cause. Candy had one true friend nevertheless, his dog. Once the dog was killed by Carlson, Candy was forced to seek friendship in another form. He knew that he was going to be given his marching orders shortly, as he said theyll call me purty soon. While he was in the bunk house one day, he over heard George and Lennie talk about their lifelong dream. Candy decided to help George and Lennie accomplish their dreams. Candy had presented to facilitate in the form of money and manual labour. This was a move of desperation but worked as the two men accepted Candys offer. Candy basically tried to buy friendship, this does not always produce true friends. Crooks a black man who faced isolation from the racist community. Crooks is not allowed to socially interact with others around him because of his colour which is similar to Lennies situation as Lennie was unable to interact with people due to his mental condition. Crooks is restricted from doing customary things along side the white. He recognises how he has been treated and acts towards the white people who have affronted him how he himself is being treated. Crooks is also an envious man. He is extremely resentful of George and Lennies tight friendship as Crooks says to Lennie while in the barn together well, spose, jus spose he dont come back. Whatll you do then? this was asked because Crooks did not have any friends and did not know how it would feel to lose them unexpectedly. Knowing that Lennie was mentally ill, Crooks decided to torture him because he wanted to ease some anger because he was discarded and unwanted by the others. Crooks is so lonely and striving for a good life he will do anything to live peacefully.

Causes of Unemployment in the 1980s

Causes of Unemployment in the 1980s Why did mass unemployment return to Britain during the 1980s  and 1990s? What were the implications for the unemployed? Introduction Margaret Thatcher came to power following the infamous ‘winter of discontent’ in 1978-9. Once in power the Tory Government’s debates were largely concerned with a free market economy versus the welfare state. Margaret Thatcher was influenced by the thought of the American Charles Murray (1984) who believed that current welfare provision was untenable, it undermined the work ethic and encouraged a culture of dependency. This idea was soon taken on board by the government who had already introduced measures that would roll back the welfare state and control spending. They did this by introducing marketing concepts and business strategies into policy making. They also began an intense process of privatization because it was thought that public ownership of companies, and the public sector in general undermined market forces. Giddens (2001) says that: †¦the momentum of Thatcherism in economic matters was maintained by the privatising of public companies†¦..(this)..is held to reintroduce healthy economic competition in place of unwieldy and ineffective public bureaucracies, reduce public expenditure and end political interference in managerial decisions (Giddens, 2001:434). This paper will look the post-war welfare state and the high employment levels of the 1950s and ‘60s. It will then look at the rising unemployment of the 1970s and the Conservative Government’s introduction of market principles, their roll-back of the welfare state, and the increased privatization of the public sector. Finally it will consider why mass unemployment returned to Britain during the 1980s and 1990s. The paper will also look at how changes in the benefits system as well as changes in employment law affected those at the lower end of society. Post-War Welfare Reform From the 1930s onwards governments were heavily influenced by what is known as Keynesian economics, that is an economic system based on the thought of the economist John Milton Keynes. Keynes held that the surplus that arose in times of plenty would support leaner economic times so that everyone in society benefited. Post-War welfare reform was basically a war on poverty and was based on a vision of full employment and a social contract between the Government and the members of society each of whom had equal responsibility for their welfare. The system grew out of the thinking of the economist John Milton Keynes. This was known as universal welfare provision and it meant that the state was involved at all levels of people’s lieves (Moore, 2002)..National Insurance was introduced in 1908 and was intended to give aid during periods of unemployment and to provide medical treatment in return for contributions that were deducted from people’s wages. Further Acts were introduced in 1945 and 1946. Beveridge argued that they gave insufficient cover and were not available to enough people so he extended them for more claimants and more conditions. The new amendments meant that National Insurance covered as many people and conditions as possible it was meant to be fully comprehensive and base d on flat rate contributions, i.e. everyone paid the same. In 1948 the Government introduced National Assistance.. National Assistance was seen as a benefit of being a UK citizen. When this was introduced Beveridge believed that payments under this scheme would be small and also that the demand for them would decrease as the health of the nation (with the instigation of the National Health Service in 1948) increased. National Assistance was based on the needs and means of individual claimants and was thus a means tested benefit (Moore, 2002). The post-war government also introduced a system of benefits for couples with children in the Family Allowances Act of 1945, this later (1975) became known as Child Benefit which replaced family allowance and tax benefits for families with children. It was payable to all families for each child. One of the problems faced by Government after the introduction of the Health Service was that it was completely free and as people received better treatment and their health improved they required more and better health treatments. This was contrary to what government had envisioned and was proving increasingly more expensive. By the 1950s the Government were forced to introduce some charges for dentistry, spectacles and prescriptions to ease the burden this placed on the tax system (Marsh et al, 2000).. Employment at this time was relatively high but the demands on the system had been a lot higher than the government had anticipated, and tax revenues were not sufficient to continue meeting the full cost. The Welfare state and the economic thinking behind it were seen as being able to reconcile the needs of economic growth with the needs and aspirations of the working population. Under this system it was argued that economic activity could be managed by government borrowing and spend ing based on rises and dips in economic development which could be ironed out to ensure continuous high employment and economic growth. Problems with Welfarism As Britain rebuilt its economy after the war this seemed credible, there was lots of employment. Employment was at such a high peak that there were more jobs to go round than there were people to do them and in 1948 the Government introduced the Immigration Act to encourage people from the commonwealth to come to Britain and work. In Post-War Britain the major political parties were in general agreement over the use of Keynesian economics this agreement involved: A commitment to full employment and an extensive welfare programme; the existence of a mixed economy, with a significant role for the public sector; and the use of Keynesian Demand-management techniques to steer the economy†¦the experiences of war had been critical in cementing the collectivist consensus-it was thought that government had the capacity to realise wider social objectives on which most agreed (Hayes, 1994:58). During the 1950s and the early 1960s employment was high and in 1959 the then Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was telling the country that they had never had it so good. Between 1948 and 1966 the unemployment rate was estimated at 2% of the population.[1] This did not last and by the mid 1960s concerns about the future of full employment were aired. Harold Wilson and the Labour Governments came to power in 1964 and unemployment began to rise, by the end of their office in 1970 unemployment had reached half a million. Labour and Conservative governments struggled to control rising rates of unemployment during the 1970s which were now pushing the million mark. The post-war welfare state claimed to be based upon the idea of universal provision. That is to say that everyone in a certain category would receive a given benefit rather than having to prove their entitlement by means testing. In reality even in the early days of the welfare state few provisions were truly universal because mo st of them were means tested (Moore et al, 2002). Post-War politicians believed at the time that they could eradicate poverty. Poverty, it is argued, stems from the idea that modern society produces people who are victims, the unemployed, the disabled, and those who suffer from long term illness. The duty of the state is to look after such people (Giddens, 2001). Many commentators however are of the opinion that the welfare state failed to deliver its promises. Alcock (1994) has argued that while the post-war welfare state may not have been successful it had attempted to bring about equality in society. He maintains that the Conservative Government that was in power from 1979-1997 arguably actively pursued policies that created greater inequalities. New Right Thinking and the Thatcher Government In Thatcher’s Government discourse revolved around the notion that the introduction of market mechanisms would result in a more equitable system benefiting all. There was a firm belief that market principles should be applied in all areas of policy making. Thus Geoffrey Howe stated that government policy was: †¦built on the emerging analysis of previous decades by taking markets as the key tool for disengaging the state from its political over-strength. Markets to determine the value of labour. Markets to determine prices and investment. Markets to allocate resources. Markets to offer incentives and rewards†¦markets to build prosperity.[2] Conservative and New Right thinking does not subscribe to the victims approach but believes that each individual is largely responsible for their own welfare. This approach is not really new, it dates back to the Elizabethan Poor Laws and especially to the reforms of that law in the 1830s. it argues that state services are not efficient and that welfare should be provided through the market, the family and charity. Thatcher’s Government believed in encouraging people to think for themselves. Given their views on markets the Government wanted to extend the scope of private enterprise in the economy and to introduce market principles into the public sector. Thatcher’s Government saw the health service as a drain on resources. Since its inception it had lurched from one catastrophe to another (Moore, 2002). In the 1980s the Government decided it might be more efficient if the Health Services were run according to business principles. They split it into two-purchasers and p roviders. Local authorities had a duty to find out local health needs and to purchase those from local hospitals and community health services. This was considered the best way of allocating Government resources because free markets were considered to be self organising and should therefore increase productivity and improve care while at the same time being cost efficient. Benefits Under the Conservatives The Government took a radical approach to benefit because they believed that the system had become wasteful and bureaucratic and actually discouraged people from working. Their aims were to cut back the bureaucracy, spend less on social security and target the most needy. This meant that under the Conservatives the eligibility criteria for social security and family credit was raised The 1980 Act tightened existing legislation and most earnings related supplementary benefits were abolished. 1986 Social Security Act introduced Income Support, intended for those with no entitlement to unemployment benefit, later partly replaced with jobseekers allowance, family credit and the social fund. This replaced the allowances which were given to help with bills or purchasing household necessities. The social fund was distributed at the discretion of DHSS staff. It was made as a loan which had to be repaid. The Government also changed the pensions scheme and introduced pensions that were paid at different rates according to what a person had earned SERPs. Child Benefit which was introduced by Labour in 1977 was frozen in the mid 80s to save money. Housing Benefit was also reduced and means tested. Under the Conservatives the wages of those at the lower end of the labour market began to fall at such a rate that eventually some people were earning less than they would have received had they been on benefits. This state of affairs had begun when Edward Heath was in power, and under him the Government introduced benefits such as the Family Credit system to subsidise wages (Deakin, 1994). Essentially family credit subsidized employers because it allowed them to pay lower and lower rates for the same job. This kind of policy making was reminiscent of the Poor Law where the poor were required to work for the poor relief that they received. This led to a distinction between the deserving and undeserving poor. In present day New Right thinking the undeserving poor are those on the dole who appear not to be actively seeking work, and young single mothers. The drop in pay was exacerbated under the Thatcher which eradicated the 1946 Fair Wages Resolution and Wages Councils that were desig ned to wipe out low pay (Hayes, 1994). As Gennard and Judge(2002) have noted, during the years of the Thatcher Government the bargaining power of employers was increased and it became less likely that any settlement would favour the interests of employees over that of an employer (by 1991 strikes had fallen to 369)[3]. Leat (2001) argues that during that time there was a reduction in legal protection for employees, less restriction on the freedom of employers, a reduction in trade union power, and thereby the interests of employees. The state under the Conservatives was operating to protect the interests of those who owned businesses, and as Marx argued these interests were protected in favour of the interests of the working class. The Conservative Government was on the side of the entrepreneurs and property owners and demonstrated their allegiance to the moneyed classes through tax incentives. For high earners income tax was reduced from 83% to 40%, corporation tax was reduced by 17% from 52 to 35% and the threshold on capital gains tax was raised. The effect of this was an increase in the balance of payments deficit and huge increases in the material inequalities in society (Hayes, 1994). This view is supported by Alcock (1994) who argues that the Conservative policies which lowered taxes and int roduced changes into social care and the benefits system resulted in greater unemployment, a rise in the number of homeless people, and a general growth in social inequality. Unemployment The world bank and the international monetary fund were seen as forward looking institutions in the 1950s. They had no input into government policy and they had no control over a country’s economic policies (George, S. 1999). By the late nineteen seventies Keynesian economic policies were no longer working largely due to the abolition of capital controls. Rising unemployment and inflation were matched by a corresponding drop in the market (Stigliz 2002). An unfettered market and increasing privatisation results in trade and market monopolies that disadvantage the consumer. Unemployment and social suffering are the result if there are not adequate safety nets. When economic downswings or depressions occur In 1976 there was an International Monetary fund crisis which meant that monetary restrictions had been imposed on the state and Britain’s welfare state was seen as problematic. During the nineteen eighties twenty nine percent of all tax relief was obtained by one percent of the population. A single person who earned half the national average saw their taxes go up by seven percent. Those earning ten times the average salary received tax reductions of twenty nine percent (George, 1999). The Conservatives launched a huge programme of privatisation. As a result of government efforts to privatise, between 1987 and 1994 the number of people employed in the public sector went from seven million to five million most of those jobs that were illiminated were unionised jobs. Between 1971 and 1981 the number of people in blue collar occupations went from 62% to 56% for men and 43 to 36% for women. Also in 1981 there were 700,000 fewer men in manufacturing work than there had been ten years previously (Giddens, 2001).Between 1985 and 1986 unemployment reached a peak and in both years it was estimated that 11.8% of the population were out of work (Sweeney and Macmahon, 1 998). The figures began to fall by the end of the 80s and in 1990 had dropped to 5.8% (ibid). They peaked again to 10.8% in January 1992 some of this is attributable to the increasing privatization under John Major, particularly when British Rail was privatized and sold off. It needs to be acknowledged that these statistics are not always reliable they are seasonally adjusted to take account of changes in the labour market. In some areas there was a tendency for people to be involved in informal paid work However, Pahl (1984) found that the unemployed in the Isle of Sheppey were no more likely to do this than those in formal employment. Between 1979 and 1987 the Government changed the way in which unemployment figures were calculated no fewer than 19 times. Most of which were intended to remove people from the unemployment register. The Conservatives introduced what became known as the New Vocationalism whereby youth training schemes and work placement opportunities were introduced. These were usually low level jobs or jobs that had no future but appeared to lower the unemployment figures, at least for a time. In 1988 young people under the age of 18 were no longer eligible for benefit which resulted in 90,000 being taken off the register. Nickell (2003) contends that since 1979 increased unemployment coupled with a rise in benefit payments and earnings that are index linked to prices rather than wages, resulted in a massive increase in the number of people in the UK who are living in relative poverty.[4] Between 1983 and 1990 when the two studies were undertaken the number of people living in poverty rose from 7.5 million to 11 million and those living in severe poverty (lacking more than 7 essential items eg. Heat, new clothes) from 2.6 to 3.5 million (Mack and Lansley, 1992). Hills (1998) work found that between 1979 and 1995 average incomes increased by 40% for the richest tenth of the population while the poorest tenth, after housing costs had a drop of 8%/. Hills also found that more than 80% of those who earned less than half the national average were non-pensioners. The New Right and New Labour In 1997 the Conservative Government was voted out. New Labour came into power and its New Deal promised a hand up not a hand out. The introduction of market forces by the Conservatives had the effect of excluding some people from mainstream society and led to the setting up by the present Government of the Social Exclusion Unit in 1997. The New Deal was designed to get people off welfare and back into work, often, regardless of their circumstances. The present Government have continued to build on the policies introduced by the Conservatives and it is here that theorists maintain there is a new consensus. Means testing has not only continued but increased Job seekers allowance is dependent on a person actively seeking work and Job Centres now have the powers to stop a person’s benefits if they are not seen to be pro-active in finding a job. Conclusion During the late 1990s there has been a further shift in employment. Marx saw the spread of factories and the concentration of the working class within those factories, in the second half of the twentieth century, however, he had not envisaged vast changes in the occupational structures of western society. While the proportion of manual workers has declined from 75% of the workforce to well below 50% there has also been a corresponding 25% growth in the number of non-manual and service workers. Since the advent of New Labour we have also witnessed a large increase in the number of private sector service jobs (Holborn and Langley, 2002).[5]There has also been a rise in the number of professionals in the workforce, during the 1990s this rose to 10% of the whole workforce, a number of these are married women who may have returned to their profession after a period away (Abbott and Wallace, 1997). Reeves argues that what Thatcher wanted to do was to alter social attitudes towards work and welfare and in this she succeeded (Reeves, 2004).[6] Bibliography Abbott, P and Wallace, C (1997) An Introduction to Sociology, Feminist Perspectives Routledge, London. Alcock, P. 1994 â€Å"Back to the Future: Victorian Values for the 21st Century† in Murray, C. 1994 Underclass: The Crisis Deepens London, IEA Alderson, P. 2000. Young Childrens Rights exploring beliefs, principles and practice. London, Jessica Kinglsey Ambrose, P. 2004. â€Å"Force, Fraud,or Good Will†Poverty (118 Summer) 2004 http://www.childpoverty.org.uk Beveridge, William (1944). Full Employment in a Free Society. London: Allen and Unwin Bilton et al. 1996. 3rd ed. Introducing Sociology. London, Macmillan. Blyton, P. and Turnbull, P. 1994. The Dynamics of Employee Relations. Basingstoke, Macmillan Breaking the Cycle http://www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk Butler, A. 1993 â€Å"The end of post war consensus† Political Quarterly Vol 64 No. 4 pp 435-446 Deakin, N. 1994 The Politics of Welfare Hemel Hempstead, Harvester Wheatsheaf Evans,m E. 2004 Thather and Thatcherism London Routledge Gennard and Judge, 2002 3rd ed. Employee Relations London, CIPD Giddens, 2001. 4th ed. Sociology. Cambridge, Polity Press Giddens, A. et al 1994. The Polity Reader in Social Theory. Cambridge, Polity Press. Hall, S. and Gleben, B. eds. Formations of Modernity. Cambridge, Polity Press in association with the Open University Press. Haralambos,M. Holborn, M. and Heald, R.2000. 5th ed. Sociology: Themes and Perspectives. London, Harper Collins. Hayes, M 2004 The New Right in Britain: An Introduction to Theory and Practice London, Pluto Press Held,G.ed.1993. Prospects for Democracy. Cambridge, Polity Press. Hills, J.1998 Income and Wealth: the latest evidence. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation Leat, M. 2001 Exploring Employee Relations. Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann Marsh, Keating and Eyre et al 2000 2nd ed. Sociology: Making Sense of Society Essex, Pearson Education Moore, S. Scourfield, P. Sinclair, S. Burch, S. and Wendon, B. 3rd ed. 2002 Social Welfare Alive Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes. Olssen, M. 2000 â€Å"Ethical liberalism, education and the New Right† Journal of Educational Policy Vol 15No. 5 2000 pps 481-508 Perrons, D. 2004. Globalisation and Social Change: People and Places in a Divided World. London, Taylor and Francis. Reeves, New Statesman Sept 27, 2004 v133 i4707 p42(4) reporting on the Labour Conference Sears, M 2001 â€Å"Welfare with or without the state: British Pluralists, American Progressives, and the Conditions of Social Justice† The European Legacy Vol 6 No. 2 pp. 201-213 2001 Walsh, I ed. 2000 Sociology: Making Sense of Society. Edinburgh, Prentice Hall. 1 Footnotes [1] Haralambos and Holborn 2000 [2] Geoffrey Howe The Guardian 1989 quoted in Hayes 1994:63 [3] Gennard and Judge ibid. [4] http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp0579.pdf Nickell, S. RES conference paper April 2003 [5] Figures adapted from p.8 2002 [6] Reeves New Statesman 27/9/04

Cycle of Life Explained in A Vision :: Vision Essays

Cycle of Life Explained in A Vision      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Butler Yeats' accomplishments as a writer are varied. From his in depth and philosophical poetry to his alarming and enlightening A Vision, his work has been widely read by English scholars and religious philosophers. Although A Vision is extremely hard to understand completely, Yeats' overall concept is easy to fathom. What happens where Christianity leaves off? What is the cycle of life, and where does time begin and end? These are all questions that mankind has continually asked since the beginning of recorded time. The "how" and "why" of life and death has intrigued mankind for thousands of years. Always wanting to know more has been the motivating force in the lives of many great philosophers and thinkers since Plato and Aristotle. Yeats, like his predecessors, tries to answer these questions in A Vision. Through the use of the gyres and the notion that time and the elements of time are forever, Yeats successfully conveys his beliefs on t he principles and details of life and death in relation to the ultimate whole of the universe. The cycle of life is explained in excruciating detail, making total comprehension tedious. However, a close look at Yeats and some of his other writings enables the reader to better understand exactly what Yeats tries to say in A Vision.    Simplifying A Vision is no easy task. Yeats himself was a complex man with intricate and different ideas on the existence of man. He was born in Sandymount in 1865 while he was raised in London, Dublin and Sligo. In 1884 Yeats studied painting in Dublin for three years before moving to England to pursue a literary career. He married George Hyde Lees in 1917 after having been in love with the Irish patriot Maude Gonne for over thirteen years. "After her marriage to another Irish political leader, Yeats finally admitted defeat in love and turned his full attention to his work" (English Literature, 641). During this time, Yeats was involved in the Irish National Movement which sought to free Ireland from England's rule. Before his involvement in politics, Yeats founded the Irish Literary Society in 1892. In addition, he founded the Irish National Theatre Society where he wrote several plays based on Irish legends.

Ferm Life Cycle Essays -- essays research papers

Ferm Life Cycle Introduction:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This essay will discuss the fern life cycle as taught in biology lab. The essay will cover the basic process which we used to grow a fern. I will discuss the methods and the results of the lab exercise. Finally, I will discuss the evidence of the methods and results that were obtained . Methods and Results:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To begin our experiment we obtained a petri dish from our lab instructor which contained fern spores and the food they needed to survive. We then look at the spores through the micro scope. It was to soon to see anything but little green dots. We then put our petri dishes under a light until next week.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When we came in next week we observed our fern spores through the dissecting microscope. We looked to see if we could find anything germinating. We quickly noticed something that appeared like an air bubble squirting out something green. This was our fern spore which was germinating. Next, we removed a few of the germinating spores from the petri dish and put them under a compound microscope scope. We found the spore wall and observed how the developing gametophyte had broken through the wall, as instructed by our lab manuals. One could also identify the chloroplasts with in the cell. We then put up our dishes for another week.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third week of our fern lab we identified the difference between male and female gametophyt...

Discuss How Sherriff Presents Human Weakness

Discuss how Sherriff presents human weakness and frailty in Journeys End Journeys End was written with the intention of â€Å"letting the war speak†. The lives of the officers on the front line during 1917 are examined. A key theme that is explored throughout the play is the reactions of the mind and body, under the stress of the war. Each character represents the weakness of the human being in an individual way, but the character on which frailty is mainly focussed is Stanhope. Stanhope is the topic of many conversations within the dugout and the first conversation we see, Stanhope is mentioned.The conversation is between Osborne, the second in command, and the commanding officer of the company being relieved. The commander inquires as to whether Stanhope is â€Å"drinking like a fish†, this indicates towards the audience for the first time, that Stanhope is an alcoholic and is seen to turn to alcohol to cope with the war. Osborne jumps to the defence of Stanhope, expl aining that Stanhope is â€Å"the best company commander†. Despite Stanhope’s coping mechanism of alcohol, he still has respect shown to him by his men.This is shown throughout, yet more so in the final moments of the play when the troops are rallied by Stanhope for the raid. Stanhope is shown to reject reminders of life before the war, and if his family waiting for him back home is mentioned it will not be tolerated. He shows that he does not want to be reminded when Raleigh arrives at the dugout and Stanhope becomes agitated. The conversations between the men and Stanhope are riddled with â€Å"silence† and on stage this would show the tension between the characters build up.We see how the war has also made Stanhope paranoid, and Stanhope’s irritation and paranoia become clear when he is insistent on looking through Raleigh’s letters home, to see if he has put anything derogatory about Stanhope. He is afraid that the truth about him being an alco holic will reach home, and as Sherriff has told us, Stanhope has a fiancee waiting back home, and Stanhope does not want her view of him as this leader of the men to be damaged, especially by Raleigh writing home â€Å"and tell her I reek of whisky all day†.Stanhope’s human qualities are not shown often throughout the play, yet when Sherriff introduces his fiancee who is waiting him back in England; it adds a tender heartedness to the character. Stanhope also seems to distract his self from the war by being obsessed with cleanliness and hygiene. This is also related to the war and shows the characters drive and determination to make it through the war. Stanhope is described in the stage directions as having â€Å"well brushed† hair and is shown to have â€Å"care for† his uniform.Further in the play, the audience witnesses the death of Osborne who is seen as the caring figure within the dugout. After this, Stanhope uses anger along side the alcohol as a c oping mechanism. It is shown how Stanhope appears to have lost everything, because of Osborne’s death. He has also lost Hibbert after using his authoritative powers over him and forced him to â€Å"get out† and â€Å"go to bed†. When Raleigh tries to talk to Stanhope about how he copes, Stanhope tells him to â€Å"get out† and so loses him as well. This scene shows the beginning of the downfall of Stanhope and bodes the ending of the play with the death of his soldiers.In the play Stanhope admits to his need for alcohol to cope with the war, stating that if he was not â€Å"doped with whisky† he could â€Å"go mad with fright†. Possibly showing why he showed sympathy towards Hibbert when he was breaking down, and that if Stanhope can survive the war he could possibly change. Overall Stanhope is presented as a man with is weaknesses yet has the courage (although this could be because of the doping effects of alcohol) to push on throughout his stay in the dugout and the war. He is regarded as a hero in the eyes of his men.Sherriff shows us Stanhope as an officer with a great experience of the war, yet this is juxtaposed with the fresh new recruit who is â€Å"straight from school†, Raleigh. The young soldier is idealistic and has arrived at the front lines with little knowledge of the reality of it all, but is in search of the intangibles, honour and glory. Sherriff shows this to the audience by having Raleigh describe the war like a game at school, using words such as â€Å"cricket† and â€Å"rugger†, which show the youth, innocence and naivety of Raleigh.When the reality becomes clear, Raleigh’s attitude towards the war changes dramatically. The death of Raleigh at the end of the play sums up his characteristics in the best possible way, his innocence is shown until his final moments when he compares the wound in his back to be â€Å"just the same† as getting â€Å"kicked† in a game of â€Å"rugger†. His death signifies much more than the passing of one soldier, added with Raleigh passing, the candle flame extinguishing, shows the death of society in 1917 and of innocence, showing how nothing could return to the way it was in the years previous to the war.After the raid which occurs near the end of the play, Raleigh’s view on the war has changed after he witnesses the first deaths of people he knew. He questions as to how Stanhope can stay drinking â€Å"champagne† whilst Osborne’s body is â€Å"lying-out there†. Again this shows the audience just how naive Raleigh is, as he has never experienced the loss of someone close to him and the effect that the war has on people. Despite Raleigh’s innocence and weakness, he is determined to fight until the end, showing that his character (although naive) has strength.In his final scene, Raleigh is told he has â€Å"got a Blighty one†, yet Raleigh believes he â€Å" cant go home† showing how although it is the end, Raleigh has matured and has become a true soldier, willing to stay and fight on even in the face of adversity. Raleigh has finally achieved his goal of obtaining the intangibles, honour and glory, but the question the audience would be asking is, was his death worth gaining these? The relationship that is built up between Raleigh and Stanhope is examined from the beginning of the play, especially from the view of Raleigh worshipping Stanhope as a hero, â€Å"he’d just got his MC and been made a captain.He looked splendid†. Near the end of the play, Stanhope changes his mood from not liking the fact that Raleigh is a member of his company, to a gentler approach, â€Å"he bathes the boys face†. This shows the audience the relationships which were formed by men during the war, even if this specific event does have feminine connotations. These relationships were a necessity to combat human frailty and weakness. Osborne is conferred in two contrasting ways.In his physical appearance he is â€Å"hard as nails† and is seen as second in command of the company, but at the same time Sherriff also presents Osborne as an â€Å"uncle† to the men, due to his nature of being gentle. Stanhope seems to have a large dependency upon Osborne and this is shown when Stanhope calls him â€Å"dear old uncle†, the use of dear here shows how much Stanhope needs him. Osborne is a humble and intelligent man. This is expressed when Osborne quotes a line from Alice in Wonderland (which is the book he is reading) â€Å"how doth the little crocodile†¦with gently smiling jaws†.The audience is given a depth to Osborne’s character, and the â€Å"kid’s book† shows us his form of escapism from the war. The choice of book that is included could be seen as significant, as the characters in Alice in Wonderland are so mad, this could be used to represent the madness of th e war and how little sense it made to many people. Osborne, in some ways, has more to deal with than the rest of the officers in the dugout, and thus this shows his strength, as he must cope with the problems of the other officers, as they look up to him as â€Å"uncle†, he is an outlet for the men and allows them to show their weakness.Trotters coping mechanism is similar to that of Stanhope’s, in the way that he results to consuming a substance. It is clear that Trotter copes by eating, as he â€Å"has put on weight during the war†. Trotter also draws â€Å"a hundred and forty-four little circles on a bit o’ paper† which represent the one hundred and forty four hours which the officers must stay posted at the dugout and surrounding trench. Trotter is seen to maintain the company’s morale, as his (attempts to the) use of humour to keep spirits up, â€Å"cheer up skipper†.Trotter is shown to be rather emotionless, yet this view change s later on in the play when Stanhope states that Trotter is â€Å"always the same† his reply is â€Å"little you know† showing that Trotter isn’t coping with the war as well as the other officers thought. Trotter is also used in a way, to highlight the culture of intangibles that had swept the younger generations of this times society, as he is honoured to gain the post of second in command of the company after Osborne’s death, showing how many men joined up to escape from their lives back home and go in search of honour and glory on the battlefield.Hibbert is presented as a man whom the war has had a great psychological effect upon. In his first appearance within the play he complains about his â€Å"neuralgia†. The audience that would be viewing this play in 1928 would most likely show sympathy towards Stanhope, as he had to put up with this type of officer, yet a contemporary audience, with a greater understanding of the psychological effects th e war had upon certain people, such as â€Å"shell Shock† or PTS (post traumatic stress disorder) would most likely show sympathy towards Hibbert.Hibbert does not wish to join the other men before the big attack, â€Å"you want me to go up now? † causing him to judge others by his own set standards. Stating that Raleigh is â€Å"too keen† because he was in the trenches with the other soldiers. Hibbert is rude to his commanding officer, Stanhope, as he does not follow his orders, and from a military perspective this would not be tolerated and Hibbert would have been eligible for court martial. Mason, in the play, is the character who is not of officer rank. He is a servant to the officers within the dugout.At the beginning of the war (1914) officers were all form public schools, but as numbers started to diminish by 1917, officers were allowed to be from public or private schools. Masons distractions from the war are rather trivial, such as a tin of â€Å"aprico ts†. The inclusion of a lower class character shows how the war affected everyone, as class did not change the dangers that the soldiers faced. Out of being a servant little is seen of Mason, showing how although in the worst of circumstances, every day things such as cooking had to carry on. Critical Reviews of Journeys EndMany groups could comment upon the play and respond in different ways towards it. A Marxist would state that Sherriff does not achieve his aim, as the play only presents the middle classes who did not have to fight. And thus it does not show the horrific conditions in which many ordinary soldiers had to endure in the trenches. It does not show the fear felt by the men on the front line because the play is set in a (relatively) safe dug out, in which the officers have a servant and in comparison to the ordinary foot soldiers, are well looked after.The military may have taken a dislike to the play, due to its anti war nature and how Sherriff seems to be quest ioning the authority of high command and why the soldiers follow orders without a second thought. A lack of sympathy would have been shown by the military for the characters who suffered psychological illnesses. Sherriff did not intend the play to be anti war, yet was presented this way by the plays producer, who was known for having an anti war view. Sheriff’s aim was to let the war speak and expose the truths of it.A feminist may say that there are no female characters within the play, and that the only females that are mentioned are objectified and will always be waiting for their husbands when they return from the war. They would say the lack of females could mean that the play could not show the coping strategies of humans, and that it does not fully represent their weaknesses. Sherriff claimed that the play was intended to â€Å"let the war speak†, yet the lack of female characters within the play means that it can not show the effect the war had on women.

Psychological Pricing

MKT 521 *Psychological Pricing S*trategy {draw:frame} Reference Pricing. – Any business can leverage on reference pricing by positioning their product in the market place along with high value or luxury items to make consumers perceive that its product fits into the same category. However, if consumers feel that the product does not belong in that category the pricing and positioning strategy will not work and be it counterproductive for the product and the company. Two common forms of psychological pricing are odd pricing, and prestige pricing. Odd Pricing. – In a study conducted by Schindler & Kibarian in 1996 they tested odd pricing using three versions of a direct mail catalog for women's clothing. â€Å"The catalogs were identical except for the prices which ended with 00, 99 or 88. The version with prices ending in 99 generated 8% more sales volume and had more purchasers than the 00-ending version. The 88-ending catalog produced a similar sales volume and number of purchasers to the 00-ending version†. In this example we can clearly see how the consumer perception of better value directly impacted sales, even though there was an alternative that ended in 88 which will actually be lower in value was not identified by consumers. Luxury *Prestige Pricing*. – {draw:frame} Higher prices usually denote higher quality. Luxury brands are a perfect fit of this strategy. Another example of companies that use prestige pricing in the car industry are Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Rolls Royce. Psychological pricing is a good strategy to use when the company is certain that it will be the best-fit for the product, otherwise it can be counterproductive. References Kotler Philip, Armstrong Gary. Principles of Marketing Thirteen Edition. Prentice hall

Film Techniques against the Theme of “Change” Essay

How are we made aware of the filmmaker’s attitude towards change? Refer to three specific episodes from the film. (excl. concl. stages)In Pleasantville, the filmmaker, Gary Ross, conveys his attitude towards change through the characters of David and Jennifer who are transported into the 1950s sitcom â€Å"Pleasantville†. He doesn’t necessarily demonstrate change to bear a positive result; rather, he addresses that change is essential to the development of society and self and that it is important to understand and accept change. Ross contrasts the ignorance and mindlessness of the unchanged people of Pleasantville with the hunger for knowledge that the changed (or coloured) people possess, communicating to the viewer that change and knowledge go hand in hand. Ross also portrays and somewhat satirises an unchanged society’s people to be ruled by their own mindlessness, and in their epiphany, translates to the viewer that change can come from within or from outside one’s self but is different for everyone. Dark overtones are used to parallel the Pleasantville to a society under fascist rule. However, in the end, change will always affect everyone and this new understanding will help to overcome the changes encountered in the future that may seek to detriment the society. The three scenes which will be discussed in relation to the filmmaker’s attitude towards change are the breakfast scene, the classroom scene, and the rain scene. The breakfast scene is the scene where Betty is piling food on other food and topping it off with maple syrup for Mary-Sue’s breakfast. The audience is overwhelmed at the ridiculous amount of food that is being placed on her plate, which is shown by extreme close-up and cuts of the shots of every time another food item is slapped onto the plate, and is accompanied by an upbeat music. The audience knows that the person under the guise of Mary-Sue is Jennifer, stereotypical of an American teenage girl, so she is naturally concerned about her weight and watches the food she eats. The scene is ironic because such a big breakfast is the exact type of meal she would be trying to avoid. The scene is also hyperbolic as even in the 1950s, it would be considered  ridiculous to eat such a variety of foods for just one morning meal. The ‘jumpy’ non-diegetic music timed with the quick shots of food being placed on the plate, and the jump-cuts showing the reactions of a horrified Jennifer when seeing all this food, assist create situational humour. The reason that all these techniques have been used to create humour is to present a sitcom-style situation. In doing this, Gary Ross satirises the mindlessness of the unchanged people and this becomes important as the storyline progresses. The breakfast scene is also a place which symbolically informs the audience of the current circumstances of Pleasantville. Betty is piling food which would normally be considered tasteful by the audience once in a while and individually: pancakes, salami, bacon and eggs. This is what could be represented in the saying: â€Å"Too much of a good thing is never good.† The incongruous mix of foods is intentionally used by the filmmaker to make the audience feel uncomfortable. It is symbolically stating that there are too many good things in Pleasantville. There is also a sense that this is the situation everyday, meaning there is no change. This can be inferred from the ease and comfort with which Betty is placing the food on Mary-Sue’s plate. It is as if she has been doing this her whole life. The final food item is the syrup being slowly poured onto all the other foods, which is shown for a longer amount of time than the other foods and with the music becoming slower, almost as if poison. This symbolises the ‘sickly sweet’ mannerism which has consumed the people of Pleasantville. Ross is effectively trying to convey the bitterness of a sickly sweet society who has never seen anything other than the norm and has never experienced any change. This suggestion can be furthered in the discussion of the film’s â€Å"black-and-white technique†. The black-and-white technique is not just important in the distinguishing of changed people from unchanged people. It was conventionally used in Noir films to represent the dark overtones of the society. It is used as a motif in Pleasantville for the majority of the beginning of Jennifer and David’s adventure (until things start to change, that is). This is especially significant with all the subtle implications  and allusions to a Nazi-style dictatorship. For example, the burning of books is reminiscent of that in 1936 when the German government burnt all books which would oppose its rule, in fear that the society it governed would think of rebelling. Big Bob is the obvious ruler, as he is almost always seen with a low shot, making him look big and powerful to the audience. Bob’s situation is similar, burning books to stop changes occurring. Books are seen as works of art which are derived from the imagination of thinking people. Bob’s censorship practices extend to the prohibition of Mr Johnson from using colours to paint (that is, from using the full extent of his imagination) in his Code of Conduct. In this way, he is much like the German government in the 30s. However, he wants to continue his rule without any violent opposition; only ‘pleasantness’. There is irony however, as there is vandalism and disruption when the Milk Bar is broken into and sabotaged because of his encouragement, which is the exact opposite of ‘pleasant’. The fact that people submitted to this way of life (where everything is sickly sweet) without opposition before (before changes were introduced) shows that they were not ruled by Bob, but really by the restrictions they placed on themselves. Bob is only used to embody the fears and restrictions and ignorance that the Pleasantville society possesses. The filmmaker is trying to convey through these situations and allusions that those who resist change are irrational and are ruled by their own ignorance. The classroom scene when the students are learning about the geography of Pleasantville encapsulates the nature of the whole Pleasantville society. The students are used to learning the same thing everyday (since they already know the answers to the questions). The mise en scene of the students’ positions is incongruous. They are high school students but have their backs straight and behaving as if they are in kindergarten. They seem very comfortable, though, but when Jennifer confronts the teacher with the question â€Å"What’s outside of Pleasantville?† they are shocked. A panning shot from the point of view of Jennifer shows the reaction of the class, and the silence adds to the tension. After the teacher assures the students that there is nothing outside of Pleasantville, and that the roads begin where  they end, a sigh of relief ripples uniformly throughout the class. This reaction illustrates how fearful the students are of change and questioning the norm, since it is unknown and unfamiliar. The fact that the students have no appetite for knowledge is related to their inexperience of change. Thus, Ross is effectually demonstrating that change and knowledge go hand in hand. Later, in the Milk Bar, when everyone is questioning David about the fire, the same students show a thirst for knowledge. The way they keep pressing David to tell them about places outside Pleasantville is contrasted to the classroom scene. Again, the technique of silence is employed, but this time in a freer atmosphere with curiosity instead of fear and with non-diegetic music which depicts a ‘cheeky’ mood. It depicts the way David is about to break the rules by allowing people to know information that he thinks they shouldn’t because it will â€Å"throw their whole universe out of whack.† In this way, Ross illustrates to the audience that change is about development rather than the results produced (whether positive or negative). The classroom scene creates an interesting contrast to the classroom scene in ‘the real world’. At school, students are assured their futures are crystal clear: both predictable and wonderful. In the real world, David and Jennifer were being constantly reminded of the negative things in the future by the teachers: â€Å"Employment will go down thirty percent in the next five years†¦Greenhouse emissions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This gave a very bleak outlook of the future, and the zooming and simultaneous cutting of shots of different classrooms added to the feeling of impending doom. In Pleasantville however, everyone’s futures are predictably wonderful. The characters, without having developed an understanding of change, are at a loss when they find themselves feeling emotions and thinking for themselves. For instance, when Mr Johnson’s artworks are exposed, people become enraged and frightened and consequently violence occurs. This symbolises how these unchanged and undeveloped people don’t know what to do when circumstances change. Ross is trying to show the audience that it is important to develop and understand change, because it will help in the handling of future problems. The rain scene is the scene where, after the emergence of the storm, it suddenly starts raining and very important events are taking place. One of these events involve the time when David and Margaret are kissing at Lover’s Lane. When rain suddenly starts pouring, David placates everyone’s fears by going out into the rain and holds his arms up to the sky, as if embracing the weather. The scene is a cinematic homage to the film Shawshank Redemption, depicting the part after Andy Dufresne has escaped from the prison and is now a free man. It is definitely a turning point in the film Pleasantville and is seen as a revelation. The allusion is symbolic because, just like Andy Dufresne, the kids at Lover’s Lane have escaped the grey walls that once held their thoughts and are now free to think and feel emotions. The next morning they all wake up coloured (except for David). Ross here is suggesting that change sets people free, and resistance to change is resistance to thought and passion. This assertion is further developed near the end of the movie in the courtroom scene. Gary Ross assumes the voice of David to speak to the audience. Here, the technique of monologue/speech is cleverly used: â€Å"It’s all inside you†¦And you can’t stop something that’s inside of you!† Ross is saying that these people restricted themselves from thinking and feeling emotions but they have always had the potential to be different, feel passionately and think independently. He directly states that change comes from within; Jennifer and David were merely triggering the changes to happen. Ross also implies that change is different for everyone. The aftermath of the storm shows David is still in monochrome. The shot of his reflection in the lake up to him contrasts to the coloured environment. The reflection is symbolic in that it shows David’s silent desperation while searching deep within himself to find a change. Jennifer experiences a similar problem. The dialogue between her and David is important. â€Å"I’ve had like ten times as much sex as these girls and I’m still [in black and white].† David’s reply is that maybe it is not about sex. The audience later finds that Jennifer finally changes colour when she starts reading books and puts on her glasses. The symbolism of the glasses is that her perception of the world changes and hence she changes. A panning shot around her room shows the new  colour, and finally a photograph of her alter ego, Mary-Sue, is in colour, meaning she has changed. David’s physical and individual transformation is completed when he finally starts standing up for what’s right and takes actions against what’s wrong. When he punched Whitey, he took action to fight for Betty, and the audience witnessed the first drop of blood in the whole film, showing David’s furious passion. Soft music depicting a ‘revelation’ accompanies this shot, demonstrating that he has found what he was seeking: change in himself. The over-the-shoulder shot of his back and the mirror is reminiscent of the lake scene and symbolic: not only has he found himself; but he has left his other self behind him. Ross here asserts that people change for different reasons and that change inevitably affects everyone so they can have a better understanding of themselves and the world around them. In conclusion, the filmmaker Gary Ross conveys his attitude towards change through David and Jennifer and the effect of their presence on the town. He stresses that change is essential to understanding the world, but most of all, understanding and accepting ourselves. Ross uses various allusions to show the control the citizens of Pleasantville were once under, and then to show that they have broken free, and that in the end, everyone is inevitably affected by change. He employs satire to compel the audience to have a negative view of those who are resistant to change, and to take a liking to the characters who embrace change. Ross asserts that everyone must change in order to live their lives to the fullest extent. â€Å"Pleasantville† (1998) directed by Gary Ross

Cappies Reviews For Up The Down Staircase

A young, ambitious teacher nurtures the hope of changing the lives of high schoolers by awakening their love in classic literature; however, her innocence causes her to underestimate the rowdiness of her students. Laguna Hill’s production of Up the Down Staircase is a heartwarming play that shows the growing bond between a teacher and her students. This play was made into a film in 1967. Sylvia Barrett is a caring young lady who becomes a teacher in a big city in the hopes of becoming â€Å"friends† with her students.Eventually, she decides to leave the school because she thinks she isn’t making of school. With her head bowed, and her hands quietly laid behind her back, Sylvia shuffles into her homeroom, gazing out at the daunting space as if it were filled with poisonous snakes. It is from this weak, almost pathetic child that Sylvia grows alongside her unruly students. As they, the â€Å"mob† turn from curious agitation to open hostility towards their op pressive English overlord, so too does Sylvia's innocent nature become calloused with anger and frustration.It is in the wake of Alice Blake's (Megan Crayne Beall) accident, the young girl, who's love struck mind still had time to do the homework Ms. Sylvia assigned her, that the entire class comes together. The student's desks, at first turned away from not only the audience, but also Sylvia, slowly turned to face her, symbolizing not only acceptance, but also a powerful unity created not by discipline or fear, but by love and respect. Sylvia's cold-hearted nature melts away and is replaced by confidence and compassion.No longer does she stay rooted to the front of the class, allowing anger and resentment to grow within her, but she moves about, concern for the future of her students written on every expression, and detailed in all her staging. Laguna Hills' â€Å"Up the Down Staircase† is a captivating story of one woman's compassion triumphing over the ignorance of society . With high energy and phenomenal stage chemistry, the entire cast puts on a show to remember.

Analysis of Hamlet’s First Soliloquy

Scene 2 reveals for the first time Hamlets intimate, innermost thoughts to the audience. Hamlet has just been denied his request to study in Wittenberg, and is in a state of distress due to his fathers death, his mothers hasty marriage to his uncle Claudius, and his own inability to do anything in both occurrences. Through the use of figurative language such as allusions and comparisons, Shakespeare presents Hamlet in an emotional state of grief, bitterness, and disgust. This soliloquy lets the audience know explicitly how Hamlet is struggling with his mind. Hamlet wishes that his physical flesh could cease to exist : O that this too too solid flesh would melt,/Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! (133-135), and that God has not fixd His canon against self-slaughter (136). Because Hamlet considers life as weary, stale and pointless (137), suicide is a desirable alternative to him, but he will not go down that path because it is forbidden by religion. Hamlet compares life to a wild, unweeded garden (139) to dramatize his state of depression, and Shakespeare also employs this metaphor to symbolize the rotten things that are occurring in Denmark. They are things rank and gross in nature (140) that undoubtedly have a grave effect on Hamlet, such as King Claudiuss newfound authority over the country, and his marriage to Queen Gertrude, his sister in law. Hamlet’s struggle is also depicted through the slow beat, which matches his sorrow and lack of interest in the world. One of Hamlets passionate concerns throughout this soliloquy is that King Claudius is no match against the dead king, and Shakespeare alludes to Greek mythology to form comparisons between the two kings. For example, Hamlet uses the analogy â€Å"So excellent a king, that was to this/Hyperion to a satyr† (11-12) to express his view that his father is far superior to his uncle. In Greek mythology, Hyperion is the Titan God of light, whereas a satyr is half man and half goat creature associated with drinking, dancing, and lust. This analogy thus depicts Hamlet’s disgust over King Claudius asserting the position meant for a revered figure such as his father. Not only that, Hamlet describes his father as so loving towards his wife that he kept the â€Å"winds of heaven† from blowing too roughly on her face (145-146). This hyperbole serves to emphasize the King’s caring and loving attitude towards his wife, and at the same time, maintains the idea of him possessing God-like characterisics. Through the use of these devices, Shakespeare enables the audience to see that Hamlet has deep affections for his father, and is understandably grief stricken at his loss. The Queen’s lack of mourning for her husband’s death, and her haste in marrying King Claudius is another source of Hamlet’s loathing. Shakespeare again alludes to a Greek mythological character, princess Niobe, who could not stop crying over the death of her children , and was turned into a stone waterfall. This shows how unfaithful Queen Gertrude is as opposed to Niobe, who was turned eternally into a crying stone. Hamlet claims that she moved on within a month, and that even a beast â€Å"would have mourn’d longer†. The repetition of the words â€Å"a month† places emphasis on the speediness of the marriage : â€Å"By what it fed on: and yet, within a month A little month Than I to Hercules: within a month† (149-157). His sentences are not well constructed, and are often interjected, depicting his extreme, emotional state: â€Å"Like Niobe, all tears;- why she, even she, O God! † (1. 2. 153-154). Hamlet is betrayed by the queen’s quick recovery not only that, is disgusted at her â€Å"wicked speed† in which she jumps to â€Å"incestuous sheets†. He is so angered over the whole affair and this is depicted in the bitter and hateful tone of his speech; even the Queen’s tears are â€Å"unrighteous† and the whole marriage is an â€Å"incestuous† affair. When he exclaims â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman! † Shakespeare depicts Hamlet as a misogynist, who views women as easily manipulated and weak. Hamlet concludes that the marriage between his mother and uncle â€Å"cannot come to no good† (162), which implies that it will have an ill effect on Denmark. The soliloquy ends with him saying â€Å"But break my heart,- for I must hold my tongue† (164), which arouses some feelings of pity from the audience because Hamlet must suffer in silence. This soliloquy belays the reasons for Hamlets deep melancholy, confusion, and state of depression that persists throughout the play. The use of allusions, metaphors, and comparisons greatly heightens Hamlet’s state of grief, as well as the extent of his disgust towards the recent events that have deeply affected him. Shakespeare’s use of figurative languange and his style of writing in this soliloquy is therefore effective in creating an emotional scene of Hamlet venting out his despair for the first time.