Discussing Honour in Henry IV Essay Example for Free

Discussing Honour in Henry IV Essay There are differing concepts of honour throughout the play of Henry IV shown by different characters. There are two characters that depict extremes on each end of the scale, Hotspur (Henry Percy) and Falstaff. This essay will demonstrate the different types of opinions towards what honour is from each character and also give a comparison with examples for each. Hostpur, or Henry Percy, is the son of Northumberland and is a very fiery character with a short temperament and who is quick to jump to conclusions. His idea of honour lies purely on the battlefield and he believes that the only possible way honour can be measured is with the amount of battles won and opponents conquered. He certainly believes himself to be more honourable than any man and this may explain two things. Firstly it will explain his confidence about his fighting and military knowledge as well as his concept that his idea is always the right one. Secondly it may also explain his rudeness, brashness and sometimes complete disrespect when addressing others, especially those in royalty. He gives a good speech when talking to Worcester and Northumberland about his honour and how he has claimed it. By heaven, methinks it were an easy leap To pluck bright honour from the pale faced moon, Or dive into the bottom of the deep, Where fathomline could never touch the ground, And pluck up drowned honour by the locks, So that he doth redeem her thence might wear, Without corrival, all her dignities. (209-15, I, iii) This is a great speech that clearly shows two things. Firstly it shows his disrespect when addressing others and his arrogance that comes with it. More importantly it shows that he believes honour can only be earned by doing an act of some kind of bravery. He gives an example of such a deed in the lines To pluck bright honour from a pale faced moon and also dive into the bottom of the deep. He is stating that in situations where there is a problem or where conditions are hard it takes an exceptional kind of man to go into these situations, conquer them and come out with respect and honour. The action of coming from such a situation with honour is depicted in the line pluck up drowned honour by the locks, so that he doth redeem her thence might wear. He is giving an analogy for two things; first the kind of situation at which bravery and courage is required and secondly the kind of person that will go into that situation and come out earning respect and honour. As he refers to these conditions as being battles he is clearly showing that only a man that can use the sword with skill is worthy of being honourable. Another quote from Hotspur underlines the fact that he feels honour can only be taken from situations where there is danger and risk. Send danger from the east unto the west, So honour cross it from the north to south, And let them grapple! O, the blood more stirs To rouse a lion than to start a hare! (203-6, I, iii) This shows once again the conflict between two sides, this time denoted by positions on the compass, meeting and he feels there is more honour to be won with a great battle than a smaller one. Hence why he states the blood more stirs to rouse a lion than to start a hare! This again shows exactly how Hotspur feels about honour and the way in which it can be won. Another person who can be compared to being like Hotspur in this way is Douglas. He, just before the battle in the rebel camp, goes to the allies camp and gives them a call for battle as such by defying them in a ploy to start the confrontation. Finally, when Hotspur has fought Prince Hal and is dying, he states that he is more mortified and distraught about losing the titles and honour to his slayer than he is about dying in the physical sense. I better brook the loss of brittle life Than those proud titles thou hast won of me. They wound my thoughts worse than they sword my flesh. (78-80, V, vi) This shows that Hotspur has little respect for Hal as he is more hurt by losing the titles and honour he has won to someone of his nature than dying in itself. Hotspur is so self-contained in the idea of honour that he truly feels great pain in losing a battle to Hal, who he considers not to be as worthy as himself. This shows that although Hotspur has a very hard and manly idea of honour, it is not for attraction and he actually believes in what he says and fights for. He can almost be pitied for being so brave as his courage could sometimes be foolhardy. However, it would be interesting to ask Hotspur himself that why, as he considered himself so honourable, he chose to oppose the king, because that in itself is a crime against the country in treason and those that commit treason are punishable by the worst penalties and could be deemed as the people with the lowest amount of honour and most amount of shame. In a complete contrast, Falstaff, a drunken lout and thief, is on the other end of the range. He shows complete distaste and is dishonourable in his ways. He condemns the word of honour in his soliloquy at the end of Act V scene i. To summarise his speech he states that honour cannot heal a wound, nor pay back for a dismembered limb and is simply a word that carries no weight for the living nor the dead. He therefore disassociates himself from the concept and seems to do so with some pride and belief. This small but quite hard-hitting speech can account for his ways throughout his life. He lies continually, exaggerates stories to boast to his friends and is even caught out in his ways when Hal tricks him after he has robbed some people. All these acts and his way of life does not compare to perhaps his lowest and dirtiest manipulation of the situation when he acclaims responsibility for slaying Hotspur. Before this incident, when Hal and Hotspur are fighting, Douglas comes in and fights Falstaff. He falls down and pretends to play dead, which is a despicable piece of behaviour in itself that shows nothing but cowardice and lack of self-esteem and morale as well as a lack of honour. This leaves Douglas to go elsewhere and the Prince (Hal) and Hotspur to fight. Once Hostpur has died Hal goes off to find the King and show him what he has finally done, Falstaff arises and when the King returns he claims to have battled Hotspur after the Prince had gone and it was he himself who had killed the man. This is the height of ignorance and dishonour. It shows what a coward and scheming kind of person Falstaff really is and does a huge injustice to Prince Hal. It shows he is also a liar. His statement to the king reads:

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Joining A Currency Union Economics Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Joining A Currency Union Economics Essay Currency Union are a group of countries that share a single currency. There is a misconception that currency unions are a product of the 20th century globalization, but it is not true. They have existed since the times of Roman, but still they havent been adopted as a global financial system. The reason being despite it having many advantages it has few disadvantages as well. I will discuss these advantages and the disadvantages in the first part of my essay. While in the second part I will show some light on the current heated debate about UK joining the Euro Zone. Transaction cost:- The most essential advantage connected with changing to a single currency was the removal of the need to change currency . Savings are very large because of the elimination of the transaction cost connected to the exchanging currency, the taxes for countries that have most of the exports to the European counties only. The significant decrease in the cost of exports will be most useful for small scale business to achieve economies of scale. By switching to the euro, members of the EMU were expected to save as much as $30 billion a year (The Euro, the European, pp. 154), :- Daniel Portone. Investment:- As there is low transaction cost there is large amount of investment because companies now this is one of the most important decreases in the cross border investment. This has lead to large cross border investment like in France the foreign direct investment has increased from 12% to 18%. The disappearance of the cost of transaction and the introduction of the common currency makes the money market deeper and integrated. The major financial institutes are being listed in the Euro, which in turn attracts potential investors to gain confidence in different EU financial markets . The market combination provides various links to dilute the risk in the EMU. If we assume that the French and German bond and equity markets are fully integrated, it will facilitate the adjustment to asymmetric shocks (see Figure 1). When France is hit by a negative shock, companies there make losses and that drives down stock prices of these companies.- Jean Monnet.which bring the profit to germen investors ,thus the boom in germany brings profit to French . A very similar mechanism also works through the fully integrated bond market, Jean Monnet Exchange rate stability (Common Currency):- Common currency generates a platform to judge the price relationship, make price difference more noticeable and helps to equalise it across borders.- Jean Monnet .Along with the removal of the need to change currency, there is also problem with the volatility of the exchange rates also. When the rate fluctuates it also affects the profitability of the company and increasing the risk which in turn decreases the net investment into the country. Thus to stabilise the situation it is useful for a company to enter in a currency union. .. having the same currency can boost trade by a factor of three. Canada again provides the example : inspire of close proximity to the US and similarities in culture , Canadian provinces trade twelve to twenty times more amongst themselves than with the US states The common currency provides the member nation to compare the prices efficiently . The poor regions would never become richer simply by devaluing its cur rency repeatedly. On the contrary the associated high inflation would introduce economic distortion and reduce its average real income, :- Professor Alec Chrystal Free movement of workers :- Free mobility area of the labour helps the countries to prevent from an asymmetric shock which is the result of inflation in one country A and a recession in country B . If there is mobility of labour ie they can move freely this will lead to release the inflation in A and increasing employment of the people in B. For example, workers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand account for 10 percent of the employment in Singapore. Emigration has been as much as 2 percent of the labor force of the sending countries- (http://www.adb.org/Documents/ERD/Working_Papers/WP012.pdf ) The prevention of competitive devaluations and speculation:- The Monetary unions protect the member countries damaging effect of competitive devaluation of the currency which may lead to steeling the business of the other . But is any country which try to do this with the monetary unions has an adverse effect of high inflation. Other advantages of joining the currency union are as follows. The country gets an access to larger markets and thus increasing the overall income of the country. It also reduces the effect of shocks from exterior instability to an individual country. Joining the currency union is very important for those countries which lack internal control . This allows free movement of goods and sevices without any obstacles. This also keeps peace between the nation as they now that they are all interdependent on each other . the one of the most important advantage is it it will increase the tourism in the countries as there is easy movement and no currency changes . Disadvantages of currency union Loss of sovereignty: This means that country adopting the Common currency has to give up the Monetary policies to the body who is controlling the union . like in the case of European union all the 12 countries had to give up their monetary rights to the European central bank with decides the monetary policies for all the nation . Its most biggest disadvantages come during the crisis when the situation are different in all the different countries and cannot be handled in the same way. Like in a case of sudden increase in the unemployment the governments income will decrease as taxes are not paid so the government will have to increase the taxes which will lead to further disaster decrease in the interest rates during the crisis will help some but will adversely affect the other . So it is very difficult to be in an currency union . In the United States, Texas could not avoid a recession in the wake of the 1986 oil price fall, whereas demand for Sterling changed in the light of the ne w oil price, adjusting the exchange rate downwards.- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/single_currency/25081.stm Cost of adopting the new currency: The adopting of new currency will have a very huge cost to the economy. These are like Such changes include educating customers, changing labels, and training staff, changing computer software and adjusting tills.- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/single_currency/25081.stm Lower inflation and reduced transactions costs of trade provide gains, while the inability to respond to idiosyncratic asymmetric shocks generate losses.:- Andrew K. Rose1 New negative cross-border spillovers of fiscal policy:- a national fiscal expansion raises the demand for savings, ceteris paribus pushing up the long-run interest rate and discouraging investment. In an integrated capital market strengthened by monetary unification, this effect will spread to other countries, imposing a negative externality. A monetary union may also generate new negative spillovers. An increase in domestic government purchases, in affecting the demand for domestic products, raises local inflation, thereby pushing up average euro-area inflation and forcing the ECB to contract monetary policy for the entire area. Further, a national fiscal expansion may cause an appreciation of the euro, thereby undermining the external competitive position of all union members.- (http://www.voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/4305) The other disadvantages of the Monetary unions are as follows, the one of the biggest disadvantage is the difference in languages with in turn leads to the decrease in the mobility of labour Language in Europe is a huge barrier to labour force mobility. This may lead to pockets of deeply depressed areas in which people cannot find work (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/single_currency/25081.stm.). The countries in the currency union also lose the ability to cope with the external shocks. It have to leave it on itself so be rectified with in todays time is very difficult. Should Britain join euro Britain is one of the biggest financial hub in the world, which is also the worlds largest hub for currency trading . Britain does the maximum currency trading . Britain from the beginning has been independent and has been flourishing . But it was a real shock to the Britain when EMU was formed and the biggest threat . After reading the list of journals , it is very difficult to say whether or not Britain should join the Euro or not . There are many arguments and thoughts over it and would like to bring them forward to you . I would first like to bring forward all the positive aspects of the Britain joining the euro with the real facts about it . There has been a significant decrease in foreign direct investment in Britain after the formation of the EMU . Britains share of the foreign direct investment coming into Europe has fallen by a half (see Table 3). In 2001 the Netherlands received more of this investment than Britain.:- Richard Layard, Willem Buiter, Christopher Huhne, Will Hutton, London as mentioned is a important financial hub, but the pound has little to do with it. Where most of the trading is done mostly in dollars in most of the transaction , but the euro outranked the pound ,where euro was involved in 41% and pound in just 24 % of the transactions (as seen in the table 1). The other thing is that this financial centre employ about 1,50,000 people creating  £10- £15billion annual invisible exports . If the UK exercises its opt-out, long-term damage would be inflicted on the City, which will ultimately lose its pre-eminence to Frankfurt or even Paris, in part because trading in the Euro will be focused within its area of operation:- Brian Burkitt The continues increase in the instability will decrease the attractiveness of Britain has as a destination of capital flow. The stock of euro-denominated corporate bonds nearly tripled between 1998 and 2001, to 1.2 trillion Euros. This clearly shows the euro-zone has reconstructed its business which has increased the annual cross border foreign direct investment by 4 fold. Britain almost has its 50% of its trade with the EMU, which is shown in table 2, so it would be better for the UK to join the euro and thus reduce its cost of import and exports .During November 2002 the Chief Executive of Ford UK specifically stated that euro/sterling exchange rates were damaging the profits of the company:- http://www.fpma.scot.nhs.uk/euro_pros_cons.pdf The British consumers will be now able to compare prices all over Europe . This will end the phenomenon of rip-off Britain that allowed coca-cola to charge double here what it charges in Spain, or Ford to charge 43% more for a focus than in Denmark. :- Christopher Huhne . From long time the MNCs new that Britain is the Treasure Island and the consumer are willing to pay high price. Britain chance to exploit the Asia and the America is by joining the bigger currency thats the Euro

The Minimum Wage Should Be Increased Essay -- Minimum Wage Essays

Congress enacted the federal minimum wage in 1938, during the Great Depression. Congress had two goals; keeping workers away from poverty and boosting consumer spending for economic recovery. Today, there is a debate, whether we should increase the minimum wage again. Increasing the minimum wage is useful for several reasons. First, the current minimum wage has failed to keep up with inflation. Second, a higher income level reduces employee turnover and increases efficiency and ultimately, raising the minimum wage does not reduce employment. Even with high unemployment rates, the minimum wage is useful for the economy. Today "the federal minimum wage" is $7.25 per hour since July 24, 2009. It has failed to keep up with inflation. The real value of the minimum wage rose steadily from 1938 until its value reached a peak in 1968. Thereafter, it suffered severe erosion as Congress failed to adjust for the inflation over time. The minimum wage of $1.60 an hour in 1968 would be $10.47 today when adjusted for inflation. This means that the purchasing power of the minimum wage has decreased significantly over time. The current minimum wage is no longer enough to protect workers out of poverty. A person who earns the minimum wage and works full-time (40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year) only earns about $12,000 in a year. This is almost $7,000 below the poverty line for a family of three ($19,090) according to the federal poverty guidelines. As a result, the gap between poor and high-income families is continuously increasing, and taxpayers have to pay more for public assistance such as food stamps and Medicaid. I ncreasing the minimum wage can increase the annual income of low-income families and reduce the public assistance expenditures by g... ...litical Science, London, UK. Minimum Wages and Employment: A Case Study of the Fast-Food Industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania; David Card and Alan B. Krueger, The American Economic Review, Vol. 84, No. 4 (Sep., 1994), pp. 772-793 The Effect of the Minimum Wage on the Fast-Food Industry; Lawrence F. Katz and Alan B. Krueger, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 46, No. 1 (Oct., 1992), pp. 6-21 Minimum Wage Effects Across State Borders: Estimates Using Contiguous Counties; Arindrajit Dube, T. William Lester, and Michael Reich, Review of Economics and Statistics (2010) 92:4, 945-964 Do Minimum Wages Really Reduce Teen Employment?; ALLEGRETTO, S. A., DUBE, A. And REICH, M. (2011), Accounting for Heterogeneity and Selectivity in State Panel Data. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 50: 205–240. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-232X.2011.00634.x

Film Essay - Cultural Turmoil in Francis Ford Coppola’s Movie, Apocalyp

Cultural Turmoil in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now The era of the 1960’s was one of change, just like so many of the enduring songs say. With words like revolution and freedom being used to promote movements that changed our society forever. The most important being the Civil Rights movement, and arguably the most influential: the sexual revolution. While great new ideas and beliefs were starting to take root, morals and social constructs that had been established were endangered of being lost in the mix. The moral code that had endured for so long was suddenly overlooked, or overpowered by a generation that was not interesting in listening to the older, conventional generations. The pressure to find new ways of thinking made it hard to know what was right and what was wrong, to know which beliefs to hold on to and which ones to replace. Francis Ford Coppola’s â€Å"Apocalypse Now† reflects the cultural turmoil that developed in the 1960’s. Coppola uses the knowledge of a person who lived in that time to magnify musical, cultural icon, Coppola uses Willard to show the content of the film surpasses the content of the meaning. Captain Kilgore is the tyrannical irresponsible leader, and Lance is the youth who is a victim of his time. Coppola’s portrayal of the Vietnam War could be considered amplified by his artistic imagination. What sets the Vietnam War apart from previous war--the World Wars-- is that this was the first war that was televised. For the first time in history true to life visuals were broadcast into the homes of American civilians as the war was happening. The perspective of war changed forever. When Coppola set out to recreate the events in Vietnam in 1979, he did it with this knowledge th... ...lings, funneled through the immature emotional matrix of soldiers. This is more than just a movie, it's an exploration of the cultural ramifications that came during the 1960’s, in part because of the Vietnam War. Works Cited Brantlinger, Patrick. â€Å"Heart of Darkness: Anti-Imperialism, Racism, or Impressionism?†: Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. Boston: Bedford, 1996. Conrad, Joseph. â€Å"Heart of Darkness† Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. Boston: Bedford, 1996. Coppola, Francis Ford. â€Å"Apocalypse Now†. Omni Zoetrope Studios, 1979. Grieff, Louis K. â€Å"Soldier, Sailor, Surfer, Chef†: Conrad’s Ethics and the Margins of Apocalypse Now. Lit-Film-Quarterly. 20.3(1992): 188-98. Miller, J. Hillis. â€Å"Heart of Darkness Revisited.†: Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. Boston: Bedford, 1996.

Thw Winter Holiday Homework

EICHER SCHOOL HOLIDAY HOMEWORK CLASS – VIII ENGLISH Q1Read the newspaper article and answer the questions that follow: Ban is the correct move 10 Feb 2009, Vikram Sinha The move by the central government to finally introduce an amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving, has materialized. It also ensures that there are no loopholes left in the law by including hands-free sets in the ban . Doubtless, there will be those who claim that such devices are safe since they free both hands for driving. It is a false claim. There is an assumption that it is the physical hindrance caused by conversing on the phone while driving that is the main safety hazard. Rather, the issue is the mental distraction of the driver. The US is pushing all its states to implement a similar ban. For evidence, it cites several studies, such as one by the university of Utah, which prove that using hands-free devices is as dangerous as speaking on cell phone without them. Another study cited by the report establishes why this so. It states that conversing with a fellow passenger is not dangerous and many instead lead to greater safety. The reason for this is simple enough . a co-passenger is likely to keep an eye on the road, adjust or stop danger. A person at the other end of a phone connection cannot do this. The conservation will remain unchanged, demanding the driver’s attention and lessening his focus on the road at the moment when he might need it the most. The introduction of such a specific law in India is long overdue. And now that one is finally being introduced, the Ministry of Road Transport and highways is taking the correct step by being thorough. [ source: TOI 10 Feb,2009] 2. 1 ‘It is a false claim’ ( para 1). What is the false claim? The claim that A. the amendment is finally being introduced B. co-drivers can help a driver avoid accidents C. all cell phones can create distractions for drivers D. hand- free phones can be safely used when driving 2. 2. What is the usual assumption of people? A. Conversing on a cellphone causes maximum accidents. B. Using a phone while driving does not cause any difficulty C. Mental distractions are more harmful than physical distractions. D. These bans should only be implemented in US. and 2. 3 According to the passage, in what way is the driver talking to a co-passenger less risky as compared to talking on phone? A. Talking to a co-passenger increases the concentration of the driver. B. Talking to a co-passenger keeps a driver awake in long drives. C. Co- passengers will stop the conversation and warn the driver of danger. D. Co-passengers can answer the phone calls 2. 4 ‘The US is pushing all its states to implement a similar ban’ Here ‘similar ban’ refers to A. Use of cell phones while driving B. Talking to co- passengers while driving C. Use of both cell-phones and hands- free devices while driving D. None of the above 2. 5. Choose the word from the passage that means the same as â€Å" strictly not allowed† A. rohibited B. implemented C. hindrance D. loopholes Q2 Prepare a book review on the class library / school library book you have read based on the following points: 1) Name of the book 2) About the author 3) Judgement 4) Summary G. SC Bio Q1. State the importance of water. Q2. Why is the frequency of irrigation higher in summer? Q3. What is irrigati on? Describe two methods of irrigation which conserve water. Q4. Write a paragraph in your own words on each of the following a) Preparation of soil. b) Sowing Q5. Why weeds should be removed before they produce flowers and seeds? Q6. Why is weeding necessary? Chem Q1. State the different ways to stop fire. Q2. Why a gas burner does has holes surrounding it (on outside)? Q3. Cooking utensils acquire the coating of a black powdery substance if kept on yellow flame of the burner. Why? Q4. Draw a well labeled diagram to show the different regions of flame. Phy Q1. What is the purpose of L. H. C? (Large Hadron Collider) Q2. How are charges developed here? Q3. Write two areas where problems are coming LHC? Q4. What discovery it will make once it becomes successful? Q5. Write a short note on LHC. [READ CHAPTER NATURAL PHENOMENA TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT] S. ST ? Collect information on Durban ,South Africa Earth Summit held this year. ? The information has to be pasted in the class note books. ? Students will be graded on the work submitted. S. kt Do pg . 77 to 81 in Assignment. Hindi (Do page num 117 and 135 from assignment) MATHS 1. Express the following as the product of two factors:- i) 18Ãâ€"2 + 24x + 8 ii) 25t2 + 10t + 1 iii) 9u2 – 6u + 1 2. Evaluate (48Ãâ€"2 + 30x + 3) ? 16x + 3) 3. Divide :- i) a6 + 2a3b3 – 3b6 by a3 – b3 ii) 4Ãâ€"4 + 1 by 2Ãâ€"2 + 2x + 1 4. Check whether x -2 is a factor of x3 – 8 5. A certain sum of simple interest becomes double in 20 years. In how many years will it become four times? 6. If the C. P of 8 articles is equal to S. P of 6 articles, find the gain %. 7. What sum of money will amount to 45582. 25 at 6[pic] p. a in 2 years, interest being compounded annually? 8. A cubical container is 15 cm long. The volume of container is 5. 4 cm3. Find the area of its end. 9. Due to rainfall, a square terrace of length 9m is filled with water up to a height of 6 cm. How many litres of water has accumulated on the terrace? 10. Find the value of x, if i) 2x = (6)2 – (4)2 ii) 6x = (23)2 – (17)2 11. If the area of rectangular field is 21 x2 – 7x and one of its sides is 7 x,what is its other side ? 12. Find the greatest no. of seven digits which is perfect square. What is the square root of this number? 13. A decimal fraction is multiplied by itself. If the product is 251953. 8025, find the fraction. 14. Find the volume of a cube whose total surface is 486 cm2 ? 15. Multiply – 3x2y by (7x3y – 5xy2). Verify the product by taking x = -2, y = -1.

Essay Comparing the Plays “Trifles”

â€Å"A Doll’s Trifles† A essay comparing the plays â€Å"Trifles† and â€Å"Dollhouse. † Joshua Long English 102 Amy Lannon March 21, 2012 Our society’s gender roles are constantly evolving and changing, all in the name of â€Å"progressive thinking†, though not all for the good. With a new â€Å"social norm† appearing every few years or so, it comes as a surprise that it has been a relatively short time since women have broken through their defined roles to be seen on the same level as men on a social basis.Many of history’s pages are written from a patriarchal perspective, opening the way for the female protagonists and complimentary characters in Susan Glaspell’s â€Å"Trifles† and Henrik Ibsen’s â€Å"A Doll’s House† to make us rethink those gender roles through the events that occur during the plays and through their own complexity, providing interesting points of comparison and contrast between the plays and challenging audiences to think about gender roles in a new way. Both these plays are centered around married couples and are told from the perspectives of their respective female characters.In â€Å"Trifles,† we are introduced to Mrs. Wright and her fellow cast of characters a day after the murder of Mrs Wright’s husband. The play takes place after the fact, and much of the script is built around a conversation between Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters (women from the same rural town as the Wrights) about whether or not Mrs. Wright really committed the murder. The reader believes the entire time that she did, but is compelled to continue to find out why. â€Å"Trifles† is about a woman who murders her husband and two other women who lash out against their gender roles by withholding evidence from their husbands.Much shorter in length and lighter in tone than â€Å"A Doll’s House, with â€Å"Trifles† Susan Glaspell gets her point acro ss quickly, while Idsen takes his time in grinding his message home. In â€Å"A Doll's House† the critical aspects of the play are also divulged before the curtain is lifted. It is discovered that Nora, a woman who seems at ease with her gender role, has circumvented her husband’s will and has been paying off a debt behind his back for years, doing so as she resorted to having forged her father’s signature to help her get said loan.We further learn that she has no problem lying to her husband about this to preserve the peace in their marriage, Nora would rather Torvald continue to think of her as a â€Å"spendthrift† than as a woman in debt, causing the reader to feel uneasy with the assumption that she is your average housewife character. A particularly interesting comparison exists between these two women protagonists in that both of them are compared to birds. Torvald calls Nora his â€Å"lark† (Ibsen 1259), and Mrs. Hale openly says Mrs.Wright â€Å"was kind of a bird herself†(Glaspell 1054). While these seem to be innocent metaphors on the surface, darker tones soon overtake them as the plays progress—birds can be trapped in cages in the same way that women might be considered to be trapped into their gender roles, where their duties are not to themselves but to their husbands and children(Helium 3). We do discover this theme in â€Å"Trifles,† when a literal canary is found strangled and its dead body sewed in the pocket of a quilt—strangled by Mr. Wright and sewed away by Mrs.Wright, the same way Mrs. Wright’s spirit and free nature was discarded in order to serve her gender-assigned duties. Indeed, we actually see in her character a desire to serve those duties, a desire for children and to be a good wife through the descriptions we receive from Mrs. Hale, but these desires are denied by the cold, wintry spirit of one Mr. Wright. Mrs. Hale says as much to the County Attorney, Mr. Hen derson, when she says how she didn't think a â€Å"place’d be any more cheerful for John Wright’s being in it† (1051).And for the woman once known as Minnie Foster, it was that same man who eroded her until she no longer was one of the town girls as she had been thirty years before, no longer a woman who sang in the choir, her happy, hopeful spirit, gone. Her final comfort in that otherwise drained and dreary home was that little singing canary that she had bought a year before the events of â€Å"Trifles,† and whose death sets her off to finally murder her own husband by tying a rope around his neck killing him much in the way he killed the bird and her own spirit. This is a perfect example of something as wondrous as marriage gone horribly wrong.While Mrs. Wright lashes out against her perceived cage, her gender role, by killing Mr. Wright, Nora’s character ultimately decides to trip the latch, to fly free from the bars. Nora’s complex per sonality proves to be difficult to predict to the very end, when she decides to shirk her duties to her husband and children to focus on herself, to serve her own needs for individuality, a decision that was not entirely popular with readers and audiences alike. Indeed, Nora quite easily refuses to be the â€Å"doll† in Torvald’s house, and abandons her loving, though misguided husband, and her children.She feels driven to do this once she realizes that she and Torvald had never exchanged a serious word in their relationship, despite their discussion days earlier about Krogstad or about matters of money. But as Marvin Rosenberg writes in â€Å"Ibsen’s Nora,† it is the â€Å"humanizing faults that make her so exciting;† such as how she â€Å"munches on macaroons forbidden by Torvald,† and â€Å"when he discovers the sweets, she lies: her friend brought them,† or how, in response to her husband’s inquiry about the scratches on th e mailbox, she â€Å"absolves herself †¦ by blaming the scratches on her †¦ children! (Helium 2) But no matter the challenges they issue to usual gender roles, Nora’s actions are not crimes, not for the most part, although it is a crime that she forged her father’s name on the loan papers from Mr. Krogstad; however, it is unjust that is at the very heart of the challenges issued to Nora in â€Å"A Doll's House† that an otherwise harmless woman is forced to break what tradition would assert to be true and step out of â€Å"her boundaries† by doing so.However, it is not only Minnie Foster’s and Nora’s crimes that challenge such gender dynamics, but the actions and circumstances of their supporting casts as well. One example being that in at least one of the relationships in â€Å"A Doll House,† there is a complete reversal of typical gender assignments: it is exampled when Kristine Linde takes Mr. Krogstad’s job. Krist ine, a woman who proves herself capable of solving her own problems by herself—without any man’s aid—during the events events that unfold.Not only does she replace him at the bank where Torvald, Nora’s husband, is to serve as manager, but also later renews the relationship between the two of them from ten years prior and offers to work while he stays at home—at least during the outset of their relationship—because his taking the job back â€Å"benefits† no one (Ibsen1292). It was also she who fixed her family’s problems years before by taking it on herself to abandon her original relationship with Krogstad and marry a richer man, though she loved him not. Krogstad himself steps out of gender role when he accepts these ircumstances to fall upon himself—he does not care that he is, for the moment, not to be the breadwinner of the family: he cares only that he and Ms. Linde are at last reunited. Just as Ms. Linde and Krogst ad provide complimentary characters to go alongside Nora in challenging gender roles, the duo of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters in â€Å"Trifles† perform the same task for Mrs. Wright (Helium 2). Together, these two women go about the home of the crime scene and discuss the case while gathering trinkets for the incarcerated Mrs.Wright—ignoring some judgmental comments from both the County Attorney and the Sheriff during the process—and as the duet go through the home collecting various â€Å"Trifles,† they begin realizing odd things: like how the quilt is knotted strangely or how difficult it is to imagine there being a bird cage in the home. Eventually, it is they, and not the Country Attorney and Sheriff, who discover the strangled canary and put together the pieces of evidence confirming Mrs. Wright’s criminal acts.What is more, they agree to hide the evidence away, even though Mrs. Peters is the sheriff’s wife. So not only do the women in â⠂¬Å"Trifles† solve the murder, but also protect one of their own in a way that influences the audience to think they do the right thing, even though that thing is protecting an admittedly sympathetic murderer. It is the actions of these secondary characters, women solving murders or women taking over the male duties of a family, that enable â€Å"Trifles† and â€Å"A Doll's House† to challenge gender roles.If it was only Minnie Foster and Nora that had set out to challenge the conventions, then neither play would be heralded so much for their feminist themes. It is because there are multiple characters in each play that convince the reader and the audience that what is being presented to them is realistic to life that these themes begin to be clear. The conclusion of Mrs. Wright’s criminal trial is never shown, so we don’t know if she was released from jail because of the lack of evidence against her—for all we know Mrs.Peters relented and ev entually tells the story of the dead canary to her husband the Sheriff. Nora’s destination after she departs Torvald’s home is also left in the dark, and we have no way of knowing if she finds what she is looking for. Because the readers begin to hope that these imaginary characters encounter success, their thinking may change; they may ponder in a new way about women’s rights and gender conventions and how the duties in marriage should not be assigned due to the apabilities of one sex or the other, but shared between husband and wife. This is certainly the most socially and politically correct way of thinking, though there are some schools of thought that believe, while both sexes are equal to one another in their humanity, each sex possess unique strengths and weaknesses and that therefore, gender roles, while they can be taken to an extreme, do have a positive place in society.This way of thinking suggests that the true beauty of gender interaction lies in th e differences between them, not in the lifeless â€Å"sameness† (not to be confused with equality) that is so naively sought after, and that the the abolishment of the positive dynamics that have existed between sexes simply because they’re â€Å"traditional†, and because this destruction falls under the very shaky moniker of â€Å"forward thinking,† will cause great harm.The audience of these plays however, begins to see the power of human relationships when these women try to solve their problems, without the help of men, on stage. And that is exactly how Glaspell and Ibsen wrote them to be seen—not as women, but as people. Those are the far-reaching effects that occur when we allow what we read, and see, to influence our thinking, and ultimately they are why â€Å"Trifles† and â€Å"A Doll's House† have become so renowned as plays that challenge gender

Water The Epic Struggle For Wealth, Power And Civilization

Water: the Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power and Civilization â€Å"Water has always been man’s most indispensable natural resource† (Solomon 3). Despite its substantial nature, water has frequently been misallocated, mismanaged, misused and undervalued by a great number of societies in the civilized world. In accordance with Solomon, the civilization has reached a global crisis point in terms of both quality of water and its quantity. Both in water-poor and water-rich communities, people are now directly positioned in water scarcity age. Although, the book â€Å"Water: the Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power and Civilization† ensures a timely warning for modern societies that all would receive benefit from a less careless water treatment, but the author argues that â€Å"while the risk of water war in this most thirsty and politically combustible of regions is high, it is not inevitable. The existential threat posed by water scarcity is so palpable that it generates opposing cooperative instincts for mutual survival as well† (Solomon 412), but it is hard to agree with the position of the author on this question, as it is well-known fact that the Middle East area is an extremely conflict war zone, where water may become one of the apples of discord and initiate a new war. Solomon’s overall and comprehensive thesis is that, during the entire history, in the countries, where water resources have been increased and became most manageable, potable and navigable, the societies have normally beenShow MoreRelatedAncient Greek And Romes Impact On Western Literature1642 Words   |  7 Pagesimpact greek and roman culture had on western civilization The ancient Greeks and Romans were two of the greatest civilizations of the ancient world. The two civilizations thrived in their ancient environments which eventually led to a large amount of wealth within these two cultures. 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Profile of Elizabeth Smarts Kidnapper, Brian David Mitchell

Brian David Mitchell is a self-proclaimed angel from heaven who said he was sent to Earth to serve the destitute and correct the Mormon Church by restoring its fundamental values. He is also the man who, along with his wife, Wanda Barzee, was convicted of kidnapping 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart from her Salt Lake City, Utah, bedroom in 2002, holding her captive for nine months and repeatedly raping her. Mitchells Childhood Brian Mitchell was born Oct. 18, 1953, in Salt Lake City, the third of six children born at home to Mormon parents Irene and Shirl Mitchell. Irene, a schoolteacher, and Shirl, a social worker, were vegetarians who raised their children on a diet of whole wheat bread and steamed vegetables. The family was described by neighbors as odd but decent. Brian seemed to be a normal child and was involved in Cub Scouts and Little League. Irene was a caring mother, but Shirl had a questionable perspective on healthy child-rearing. When Brian was 8, Shirl attempted to teach him about sex by showing him sexually explicit pictures in a medical journal. Other sexually oriented books were brought into the home and left within reach of the latchkey kid. Shirl once attempted to teach his son a life lesson by dropping off the 12-year-old in an unfamiliar area of town and instructing him to find his way home. As Brian got older, he became more argumentative with his parents and retreated into a world of isolation. Around age 16, Brian was found guilty of exposing himself to a child and was sent to a juvenile delinquents hall. The stigma of his crime alienated Brian from his peers. Arguments between Brian and his mother were constant. The decision was made to send Brian to live with his grandmother. Soon after the move, Brian dropped out of school and began using drugs and alcohol. First Marriage Brian left Utah at 19 and married 16-year-old Karen Minor after she discovered she was pregnant. They had two children in the two years they stayed together. When their stormy relationship ended, Mitchell gained custody of the children because of Karens alleged infidelities and drug abuse. Karen remarried and regained custody, but Mitchell temporarily took the children to New Hampshire to prevent them from returning to their mother. Second Marriage In 1980, Mitchells life changed after his brother returned from a religious mission and the two talked. Brian discontinued his drug and alcohol use and became active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). By 1981, he was married to his second wife, Debbie Mitchell, who had three daughters from a previous marriage. In addition to Debbies three children and Brians two, the Mitchells had two more children soon after their wedding. The marriage soon showed signs of strain. Mitchells two children were sent to foster homes. Debbie claimed that Mitchell turned from gentle to controlling and abusive, dictating what she could wear and eat and trying to frighten her. His interest in Satan disturbed her, although Mitchell claimed he was learning about his enemy. Mitchell filed for divorce in 1984, claiming that Debbie was violent and cruel to his children and was turning them against him. A year after their separation, Debbie called authorities to report her fear that Mitchell had sexually abused their 3-year-old son. A caseworker for the Division of Child and Family Services couldnt link Mitchell to sexual abuse but recommended that his future visits with the boy be supervised. Within the year, Debbies daughter accused Mitchell of sexually abusing her for four years. Debbie reported the abuse to LDS leaders  but was advised to drop it. Third Marriage On the day that Mitchell and Debbie divorced, Mitchell married Wanda Barzee, a 40-year-old divorcee with six children whom she had left with her ex-husband when she moved out. Barzees family accepted Mitchell, although they found him to be strange. Some of Barzees children moved in with them but found the home to be increasingly odd and dangerous because of Mitchells eccentric behavior. Outsiders viewed the couple as normal, hard-working Mormons. Mitchell worked as a die cutter and was active with the church, but close family and friends were aware of his tendency toward rage, often unleashed on Barzee. He was becoming increasingly extreme in his religious views and his interaction with fellow LDS members. His portrayal of Satan during temple rituals had become too extreme; he was asked by the elders to tone it down. One night the Mitchells woke one of Barzees sons and told him they had just spoken to angels. The home soon changed so drastically that Barzees children, unable to take the constant proselytizing, moved away. By the 1990s, Mitchell had changed his name to Emmanuel, discontinued his association with the church, and presented himself as a prophet of God whose beliefs were etched by his prophetic visions. When the couple returned to Salt Lake City, Mitchell had taken on a Jesus-like look with a long beard and white robe. Barzee, now calling herself God Adorneth, stayed by his side like a doting disciple, and the two were fixtures along downtown streets. Relatives of the couple had little to do with them, and old friends who happened upon them were treated as strangers. Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images Elizabeth Smart Kidnapped Early on June 5, 2002,  Mitchell  kidnapped 14-year-old Elizabeth from her bedroom. Her 9-year-old sister Mary Katherine witnessed the abduction.  Smarts family went on television and worked with the Laura Recovery Center, gathering 2,000 search volunteers to find Elizabeth but were unable to locate her. A few months later, Elizabeths sister  identified Mitchells voice as that of the kidnapper, Emmanuel, who had done odd jobs for the Smart family, but the police didnt find the lead to be valid. The Smart family hired a sketch artist to draw his face and released it on Larry King Live and other media resources. Mitchell, Barzee, and Elizabeth were eventually found nine months after the kidnapping when a couple who recognized Mitchell from an airing of  America’s Most Wanted  spotted him walking with two women down a street in Sandy, Utah. After several trials,  Mitchells insanity defense fell apart on Dec. 11, 2010. Elizabeth testified that she was repeatedly raped and forced to watch sexual films and consume alcohol during her confinement. The jury found Mitchell guilty of kidnapping with the intention of engaging her in ​sexual activity and sentenced him to life in prison in Arizona. Barzee also was convicted in the kidnapping and was released in September 2018.