Saturday, August 31, 2019

His fiend-Like Queen” is Malcolm’s View of Lady Macbeth at the End of the Play Essay

Act 1 Scene 5 is the first scene where you see Lady Macbeth. In this scene we are told a lot about Lady Macbeth’s character and her relationship with husband, Macbeth. The scene opens with Lady Macbeth reading a letter from Macbeth, which brings our attention to two main points. Firstly, Lady Macbeth is literate, which was very unusual at the time and tells us that she may be a well-educated character. Secondly, it shows us that she is very close to her husband; it wasn’t a common thing to write to your wife from the battlefield because many generals didn’t have the time, but Macbeth has made the time to do this. The content of the letter also shows us a lot; Macbeth tells his wife everything that happened to him in his encounter of the witches, which shows us that he is able to trust his wife. In the letter Macbeth tells his wife that the witches said, ‘Hail King that shalt be!’ When Lady Macbeth reads this her thoughts, just like Macbeth’s, jump straight to murder: ‘that which rather thou dost fear to do/Than wishest should be done.’ Lady Macbeth is determined that Macbeth shall be king and never actually mentions what she will gain from this, ‘Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be/What thou art promised.’ Lady Macbeth appears to know her husband well, ‘†¦yet do I fear thy nature, /It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness.’ This also tells us a lot about Lady Macbeth herself; even after Macbeth has been on the battlefield killing hundreds, most people would see the fact that he could come home and be kind as a great thing, but Lady Macbeth sees this as his weakness. This is thinking very much like the witches ‘foul is fair, and fair is foul.’ Lady Macbeth’s character has many attributes, which may be associated with evil and which is, in turn, part of the witches’ characters. The first of these is the fact that Lady Macbeth is very manipulative: ‘That I may pour my spirits in thine ear.’ She speaks of ‘the Raven’ which is a bird associated with death. When she hears that Duncan will be coming to the castle she immediately thinks that this is the perfect opportunity to kill him, she refers to ‘the fatal entrance of Duncan.’ She calls to the spirits for help: ‘Come you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here†¦. make thick my blood, / Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse†¦. Come to my woman’s breast/And take my milk for gall,’ In this speech she is asking the spirits to take her womanly tendencies away from her so that she is able to kill Duncan without feeling remorse and without those feminine feelings or attributes that may weaken her. In Shakespeare’s time witches were linked with the devil and gave away their femininity when they linked themselves to him, therefore when Lady Macbeth willingly asks for her feminine characteristics to be taken from her own body, she links herself to the supernatural, and therefore the witches. The speech also tells us that Lady Macbeth doesn’t believe that she is normally able to kill someone; she thinks that this is the only way she will be able to do it and is trying to convince herself that she is evil throughout the scene. What is said in this speech is very similar to the one Macbeth makes, when he asks himself to not think about the treason and murder he is committing. This makes another link between Macbeth and his wife when Lady Macbeth says: ‘Come thick night/And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell’. This line shows us a lot, first that it reflects Macbeth’s, ‘Let not light see my black and deep desires’. The fact that she speaks of night links her to the witches, since night is the witches’ element. This line also links her subtly to the main dark themes of the play. Lady Macbeth has a very strong character and is very controlling, which was a characteristic uncommon at the time: ‘†¦and you shall put/This night’s great business into my dispatch.’ She is taking everything into her own hands and seeing all the opportunities she has at that moment, but is failing to see further than that, to the consequences that may come about from her actions. In this scene Lady Macbeth does come across as having an evil nature. She is manipulative and is able to think about killing someone without much second thought, as well as able to link herself to the supernatural and destroy her feminine body in search of a greater power. In scene 6 Duncan arrives at Macbeth’s castle in Inverness. In this scene the first thing the reader realises once you have read it is the dramatic irony in it; Duncan says ‘ The air / Nimbly and Sweetly recommends itself/Unto our gentle senses’ and is talking about how nice the castle is when he is in fact very unsafe at Macbeth’s castle. This scene is also a very good example of Lady Macbeth’s deceiving abilities; she is ‘sweet-talking’ Duncan and being kind, ‘All our service, /In every point twice done then doubled’ and ‘To make their audit at your Highness’ pleasure’: she is being the perfect hostess. She is almost over doing the acting in the way she is flattering him so much, ‘Still to return your own’. Lady Macbeth is very two faced and hypocritical in this scene ‘We rest your Hermits.’ She is taking up Duncan’s reference to prayer, ‘How you shall bid God ‘ild us for your pains’, and this is hypocritical because of the prayers that she made to the ‘spirits/That tend on mortal thoughts’ about taking away her womanly aspects. Scene 7 opens with Macbeth contemplating the plan to murder Duncan. He comes up with three strong reasons why he shouldn’t kill him: ‘First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, /Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,’ but there is still a present desire to be King. Lady Macbeth then comes into the scene and does not like what Macbeth is saying. She starts by putting him ‘on the back foot’ by answering his questions with more questions: ‘Macbeth: How now? What news? Lady Macbeth: He has almost supped. Why have you left the chamber? Macbeth: Hath he asked for me? Lady Macbeth: Know you not he has?’ This is where Macbeth tries to take charge and tells lady Macbeth ‘[They] will proceed no further in this business’ and he tells her that he is happy, ‘I have bought/ Golden opinions from all sorts of people’. She doesn’t take this into account and starts attacking. She starts by emotionally black mailing him, questioning his love for her, ‘Such I account thy love’, asking that, if he says that he wishes to be King and then take it back, how can she trust that he really does love her when he says it. She then attacks his ego, suggesting he is a coward even after he has come back from killing thousands of people on the battlefield: ‘Wouldst thou have that/Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, /And live a coward in thine own esteem.’ She compares him to the cat, which would never go for the fish, ‘Like the poor cat I’thage?’ She is asking him a rhetorical question, putting the thought into his head that he has the desire but not the guts to seize his dreams. She then attacks his manhood: ‘What beast was’t then? That made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And to be more then what you were, you would be so much more the man.’ Then to prove her point further, and show us the length she is forcing herself mentally to convince herself she is truly evil, she presents this horrible image: ‘How tender’tis to love the babe that milks me-I would while it was smiling in my face Have plucked my nipple from it’s boneless gums, and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done.’ After this Lady Macbeth manages to sway Macbeth back to the murder with her certainty: ‘Macbeth: If we should fail? Lady Macbeth: We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we’ll not fail.’ She is almost mocking him with the ‘we fail?’ making him feel small with the suggestion of it. Then she asserts her control over him again with ‘And we’ll not fail.’ She then shows us how she is a practical by explaining her plan to Macbeth; ‘His spongy officers, who shall bar the guilt / Of our great quell?’ This speech really convinces Macbeth to go through with the murder and proves once again that, at this point, Lady Macbeth really does have control over Macbeth. This scene shows that Lady Macbeth has many evil traits; she is manipulative and controlling. She is also a very practical woman with her plan. Act 2 Scene 2 opens up with a short soliloquy from Lady Macbeth and the content of this soliloquy is quite contradictory; whereas in Act 1 where Lady Macbeth comes across as very confident, here she says ‘What hath quenched them hath given me fire’ suggesting that maybe she isn’t a naturally confident person and is trying to be. She comes across as being nervous and jumpy, ‘Hark! Peace! It was the owl that shrieked.’ She lacks confidence in her husband: ‘Th’ attempt and not the deed Confounds us.’ Just from hearing Macbeth say, ‘Who’s there? What ho!’ she jumps to the conclusion they have failed in plan. Next we see a whole new side to Lady Macbeth ‘Had he not resembled My father as he slept, I had done’t.’ This is proof that maybe Lady Macbeth has a heart and is not the cold heartless person she tries to make herself out to be. This is also an example of her stupidity; she doesn’t make the connection between what she says and what she does. Lady Macbeth isn’t a very understanding woman, another sign that she isn’t very clever: when Macbeth comes in he is traumatized by what he has just done, instead of Lady Macbeth being caring and understanding she gets angry at him, ‘Why did you bring these daggers from the place? They must lie there. Go carry them, and smear / The sleepy grooms with blood.’ When Macbeth looks at his bloody hands and says, ‘This is a sorry sight.’ Lady Macbeth replies with ‘A foolish thought, to say a sorry sight.’ That is also a sign of her practicality she is trying to get Macbeth to not dwell on his thoughts. Then there is also another sign of nervousness between them both with the short exchanges when they first meet: ‘Macbeth: When? Lady Macbeth: Now. Macbeth: As I descended? Lady Macbeth: Ay.’ Lady Macbeth isn’t very understanding at all of what her husband is going through and tells him, ‘Consider it not so deeply.’ In act 2 scene 3 we see examples of Lady Macbeth’s practicality and ability to act. The scene opens with Macduff and Lennox entering, wishing to see the King and then finding him dead. Lady Macbeth enters and we see how her acting abilities are still strong, with her pretending she has no idea what has happened ‘What’s the business,’ and it comes across that she genuinely doesn’t seem to have an idea about what is going on. There is the irony of Macduff calling her, ‘O gentle lady,’ when earlier we are given these horrible images by her, ‘And dashed the brains out’. She then manages to keep up the charade by coming across as horrified by the death of the King, ‘Woe, alas! / What, in our house?’ Macbeth then enters and starts to give these flowery speeches: ‘The wine of life is drawn,’ and ‘his gashed stabs looked like a breach in nature’: when these are compared to the initial reaction of Macduff, ‘O horror, horror, horror!’ they appear to be prepared. Lady Macbeth can see this and sees how this is getting her husband into deeper trouble and she faints, drawing the attention away from her husband, another example of Lady Macbeth’s practicality and affection for her husband, she wishes to protect him. It is also possible that the vivid descriptions her husband has given, ‘His silver skin laced with his golden blood’, has really shown to her what they have done and the shock of this may have caused her to faint. It may have also been due to shock in the change of her husband, before this he was a wreck at the thought of what he had done: ‘I am afraid to think what I have done.’ now he is able to lie with apparent ease, talking about the man he murdered so highly, and the guards he murdered while they were still sleeping. She scared at what her husband has become. By the end of act 2 we have seen cracks in Lady Macbeth’s visage, she is not as strong as she believes she is and she lacks the imagination to see this. In Act 3 Macbeth is now King and Lady Macbeth is the queen. The scene opens with Banquo’s soliloquy, then the full royal court entering and Lady Macbeth greets Banquo with great gusto, ‘ If he had been forgotten, / It had been as a gap in our great feast’. After there has been much chatter between Macbeth and Banquo, Banquo leaves and Macbeth dismisses everyone including his ‘Dearest love’: before he was always with her and needed her opinion on decision and she was very much in control. Is this a suggestion that Macbeth doesn’t feel he needs her guidance now or is he trying to be the man Lady Macbeth tried to suggest he wasn’t? She must being feeling rather insignificant now and most probably hurt that after what they had just done that he could dismiss her like that. Act 3 scene 2 opens with Lady Macbeth asking permission to see her husband, ‘Say to the King, I would attend his leisure / For a few words.’ This is very strange because before Lady Macbeth would never have had to ask to see her husband. Does this mean she has lost the power she had over her husband and isn’t in control like she use to be? We then see that Lady Macbeth isn’t the evil person she made herself out to be; we see she is hurting from what has happened: †Tis safer to be that which we destroy, / Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.’ Macbeth then enters and Lady Macbeth forgets about her worries and starts trying to comfort Macbeth, ‘what’s done is done.’ But she isn’t taking her own advice, she is, ‘without content’. Macbeth then talks about his torment and uses this vivid imagery, ‘O full of scorpions is my mind,’ Macbeth then drops hints that something is going to happen, ‘there shall be done / A deed of dreadful note.’ In this same speech Macbeths also uses the imagery of creatures associated with evil and death: ‘The shard-borne beetle’ so we can assume he is talking about the plan to kill Banquo. Lady Macbeth is properly feeling very confused at this point, before Macbeth included her in all the discussions and now she has no idea what he is talking about, ‘What’s to be done?’ So by the end of this scene we have truly seen the soft and ‘feminine’ side to Lady Macbeth: we have also seen the first signs of her coming collapse. We have seen examples of her love for Macbeth by casting aside her own worries to try to look after him. The first key point about Act 3 scene 4 is the notable change in Lady Macbeth’s behaviour. In Act 1 she was very welcoming and talkative with her guests coming across as being a strong character but is this scene she has lost this strong visage, she has to be prompted to welcome her guests, ‘Our hostess keeps her state, but in best time / We will require her welcome.’ After this though we are able to see some of Lady Macbeth’s old characteristics, when Macbeth is distracted with talking to the Murderers, Lady Macbeth notes that he is away too long and reminds him he is holding a dinner, ‘You do not give the cheer,’ an example of her practicality. Soon after Macbeth he rejoins the dinner he mental state deteriorates, when he sees Banquo’s ghost. Lady Macbeth steps in here with her practicality and tries to bring her husband back while passing off his madness as having some sort of fit: ‘My lord is often thus, / And hath been from his youth’ She is finally able to bring him back by attacking his ego again by repeating the line, ‘Are you a man?’ She is then fairly harsh to Macbeth mocking what he said earlier in the play, ‘This is the air-drawn dagger which you said / Led you to Duncan.’ We see her lack of imagination, ‘You look but on a stool.’ She is still unable to understand why Macbeth is suffering. Lady Macbeth is then able to bring Macbeth back to reality, where he starts acting normal but then mentions Banquo again, this sets Macbeth off again as the ghost reappears and he goes mad. Lady Macbeth steps in once again with her practicality and gets rid of the court so she can attend to her husband and before he is able to say to much about the murders, ‘Stand not upon the order of your going. / But go at once.’ When the rest of the court has left, Lady Macbeth changes: her answers become short. At some point she must have realised what Macbeth had been seeing, changing how she was. Is her quietness a response to what Macbeth has become? She believed that this would only take one murder, and now Macbeth has murdered four times. She must be feeling scared, before she was very much in charge and now Macbeth is fully in control and not asking her opinions. There is already the idea of another murder in his head: ‘Strange things I have in head, That will to hand; / Which must be acted ere they may be scanned.’ By the end of this act you can see Lady Macbeth is scared and she has lost the control she had over her husband. She isn’t the strong character she was in Acts 1 and 2 only her practicality is left. Act 5 scene 1 is when Lady Macbeth has finally gone mad. Shakespeare gives little indication of time in the play, but from what we can gather a fair amount of time has passed, and over this time we can tell that he mental state has deteriorated. The scene starts off by telling us that Lady Macbeth has been sleeping walking and going through the routine of writing a letter, then reading it. I believe this refers to the letter she received from Macbeth about the witches; the letter which started the whole affair off. I think that subconsciously she is wishing for everything to go back to that moment so none of this ever happened. She enters sleep walking carrying a candle and the gentlewoman says that Lady Macbeth has, ‘light by her / continually, ’tis her command.’ This is ironic because earlier in the play Lady Macbeth says, ‘pall thee in thy dunnest smoke of hell.’ So after wishing not to see the light she can’t bare to be without it. There is then more irony in this scene, ‘Out damned spot, out I say!’ she is unable to wash the blood from her hands and to Macbeth earlier she says: ‘A little water will clear us of this deed.’ She almost repeats Macbeth’s, ‘Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hands?’: with ‘the smell of the blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.’ We can see now that she always did understand what her husband was saying, but on a subconscious level: she lacked the imagination to understand when conscious. Earlier in ‘Macbeth’ Lady Macbeth asked: ‘Come thick night / and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,’ and now she says, ‘Hell is Murky.’ It appears that she is now in her own hell and it is terrifying. Throughout the scene there is more imagery of blood, we have Lady Macbeth mocking Macbeth about being upset about killing Duncan, now she is saying: ‘Who would have thought the man has so much blood in him.’ At first she acted as if she was fine and didn’t have a conscience, we now see that everything had built up and has been affecting her: ‘The Thane of Fife had a wife; where is she now? What, will these hands ne’er be clean?’ She is even suffering for the murders she had nothing to do with. After reading ‘Macbeth’ and carefully analysing Lady Macbeth’s actions throughout I think we are able to feel some pity for Lady Macbeth. I think she can be blamed partly for the Tragedy of ‘Macbeth’ because she did push her husband to commit the murder, but we do not fully see what her motivation for this was. My view is that she was mainly doing what she thought her husband deserved because it is obvious through the play that she is deeply in love with Macbeth. Also taking into consideration the time the play is set was it not Macbeth’s place to stick with what he originally felt and tell her that they would not murder the King? I think pity grows towards her as the play goes on; as the reader you can see a change in her character, which quite clearly shows us that she never intended for Macbeth to become the’evil tyrant’ he did become. Another reason for her to be pitied is that you can see she is in pain and suffering but she ignores this to try and comfort her husband who is more open about his suffering. This drives Lady Macbeth crazy in the end, and the idea that she died because of her love for her husband is tragic. This is why I think Malcolm’s view of lady Macbeth, ‘His fiend-Like Queen’ is unfair towards her and that it was Macbeth’s place to have put a stop to the murder which eventually led to both of their deaths.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Distribution Of Childhood Obesity Health And Social Care Essay

Childhood fleshiness is distributed disproportionately in different parts. Socio-economic position, racial groups, ( lobstein et.al. , 2006 ) being more common in lower expectary and morbidity are common in lower. Socio-economic group in developed states like U.K ( Wilkison.R & A ; Marmot R ) sing these several factors. Sociological theoretical accounts strives to explicate wellness inequalities in society which contributes to childhood fleshiness. The 2nd back study ( exworthy 2003 ) identified inequalities in wellness and the ( Acheson 1988a ) concluded that socio-economic inequalities and this explore a manner with single life manners, socio-economic position ( Dahlgreen societal determiners & A ; whitehead 1991 ) with several theoretical account which explains the wellness inequalities includes- Individual behavior- life style & A ; civilization. In this single behaviour the nutrient wonts of the kids plays an of import function in kids from lower-income groups are more vulnerable to fleshiness due to high Calorie, high-fats in cheaper nutrients and limited physical activity ( Kumanjika 2008 ) . In Westernization or modern societal tendencies noshing, drinks, fast nutrients in eating houses and restricted physical activity by parents contributes for prevalence of childhood fleshiness in higher income groups ( ) . In support for this account about physical activity degree or sedentary activity degrees by kids have declined in U.K activity & A ; inaction acts as spheres to stand for the prevalence of fleshiness ( Gortmaker et. , Al ) This single behaviour is chosen to avoid unhealthy nutrient wonts, inaction in kids and to follow healthy wonts to get the better of ill-health. This single behaviour theoretical account provides account on life manner or civilization of the parentschildren and this avoids focal point social factors for childhood fleshiness. Mostly it is individualistic and alteration in behaviour should non itself wellness inequalities for adequate to explicate childhood fleshiness. Other societal factors are to be considered which contributes for another model- The materialist Structuralist: This theoretical account focuses on societal factors and poorness as the chief factors for sick wellness associating to child goon fleshiness aa‚ ¬ † In U.K kids from low socio economic groups have somewhat higher odds than kids from higher income groups ( Stamatkis et. Al. , 2005 ) .Statically grounds shows that kids from lower income groups histories for ( 31 % ) to the kid goon fleshiness ( Wardle et al.,2006 ) . This account supports poorness, as the chief cause for sick wellness in kids of the lower societal groups. The morbidity rates are stable from 19th century in low socio economic categories and even started out of the blue increasing from last old ages of twentieth century ( Mackenbach.P.J 2006 ) . The authorities stated no being of poorness in Britain as consumer lasting ownership is even high in low income groups ( Goodman et. al. , 1997 ) .This statement failed by Breadline Britain Surveys which evidenced 20 % families are below poorness line ( Gordon 1997 ) . This account contributes information to authorities to concentrate on low societal categories to better the life criterions to get the better of sick wellness in kids. This account is supported by: Marmot reexamine report- The societal gradient of wellness inequality groundss if lower socio economic position the poorer is the wellness with inter related factors like- unemployment, lodging etc. , ( Marmot Review Report 2010 ) . This account specifies that deficiency of resources, low rewards, poorness are responsible for sick wellness in kids and these factors are out of control by the person and to better rewards, resources to the working category accent on political relations i.e. , authorities is made which adopts a exemplary Neo-Materialist theoretical account and this theoretical account stress on societal, political, economic factors which affects the wellness and these are out of control of single and includes results from organisations like schools, fast nutrient ironss etc. , ( White.K 2010 ) . This laid to an attack by authorities in supplying low fat bites repasts in schools. This mercenary theoretical account account is important to explicate about the capitalist state like U.K. The authorities is with increasing inequalities in wellness and income degrees ( Mackenbach P.J. 2006 ) . This indicates that policy devising by the authorities should look after the wages axes of the on the job category. This account is supported by the fact that U.K poorness is reversed to 1930s from 1980s ( Gordon 1997 ) . And widened income degrees in U.K from 1980s ( Wilkinson R.G ) . This mercenary theoretical account has been expanded to life class attack model- as the childhood fleshiness is underlying hazard factor for chronic diseases like cardiac diseases, diabetes mellitus, hyper tenseness etc. , ( Gortmaker.S.L et al. , 1993 ) supported by childhood fleshiness uninterrupted to adult and is affected by socio economic fortunes ( Viner M.R, Cole.T 2005 ) . The mercenary theoretical account account indicates that single wellness or behaviour is strongly influenced by factors beyond the persons control and this adopts a socio economic theoretical account ( Acheson 1998a ) deficiency resources in the society like unemployment, higher monetary values, low rewards, deficiency of houses etc. , are the societal determiners which contributes to ill wellness ( Wang 2004 ) . This provides account on relationship between single and their surrounding surveies suggests that societal fortunes play an of import function in single behaviour. Children from low socio economic position are more vulnerable to fleshiness due to faulty, cheaper nutrient high Calorie diet and limited physical activity ( ) . This deficiency of resources by parents of low income category obstructs kids signifier healthy diet, physical activity and this support that the ailment wellness, fleshiness is influenced by societal fortunes instead than single. The material resources i s supported by: Marmot Review Report- The one-year estimated cost of wellness inequalities is between A?36 billion to A?40 billion and is with societal justness for get the better ofing wellness inequalities ( Marmot Review Report 2010 ) . This supports that justness in material resources to take down income category overcomes wellness inequalities in farther coevals of kids. The socio economic theoretical account explores in sing psychosocial factors for kid goon fleshiness which is supported by kids with corpulent female parents, lower cognitive stimulation, lower income degrees are with increased hazard for fleshiness. This psychological factors focus on low self-pride, kids with unhealthy behaviour. Social procedures that are involved in childhood fleshiness are concluded by explicating hypothesis aa‚ ¬ † Relative poorness effects on kids child goon fleshiness, Living criterions, household influence on childhood fleshiness, comparing of position by kids in society.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

The Effects of Cryotherapy in Relieving Post-arthroscopy Pain Essay

The Effects of Cryotherapy in Relieving Post-arthroscopy Pain - Essay Example This paper outlines that the study delved deeper into a 59 individuals got involved. The procedure was to administer Cryotherapy whereby, 33 persons were given while 26 used as a control group. Moreover, 10 minutes was the timespan made utility of in three separate counts, and the large number of the control group came from the weakness of the experiment. The application of the ice packing became key for application after recovering from the effects of anesthesia. The strength of the design was witnessed in the success of the objectives laid down. Using ice within a plastic bag enhanced the action of the Cryotherapy, and lessened levels of pain felt. Statistically, the levels reduced from 5-2 after the Cryotherapy process. The control group, on the other hand, recorded a decrease from 4-3. It proved the use of Cryotherapy in combination with ice to be an approach that is simple, tenable and less costly in achieving post arthroscopy pain. Right from educational level to service domain , the procedure needs embracing and regarded as a standard treatment protocol.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 15

Letter - Essay Example Every year, some of these roots die. To maintain the richness and fertility of the soil, organic matter is added to the soil. The procedure commonly adopted to maintain the Air Station prairie is burning a portion of the prairie every two to three years. This procedures helps control the renewal of the native plants by protecting the prairie’s plants below the surface to form a good structure. This process allows the dead layer of soil that accumulates at the surface to be removed so that the soil can reach a certain temperature that is good for the germination of the seeds. Also, fire helps maintain an optimal number of plants in the prairie so that it does not become as dense as a forest. It is important to save the Air station Prairie because it contains plentiful of native plants. Native grasses and Forbes dominate this prairie such as cattails, sunflowers, blazing star and yellow coneflower. I strongly suggest that we maintain it because it has tremendous populations of the native species. In addition to that, the prairies are a great educational resources for scientists and for students and it should be well

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Regulating Prostitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Regulating Prostitution - Essay Example Stakeholders in Prostitution Prostitution in simple terms involves the sale of sex by an individual for commercial purposes (Bovard para 8). Prostitutes mainly depend on the sale of sex for their daily provisions. Their clients on the other hand provide the sex workers with cash as they pay for the services that they enjoy in the process. Yet another stakeholder in the prostitution circle is the prostitutes’ family members and the families of their clients. The government comes in the scene mainly as a regulator in the event that the activity is legal. Arguments against the Regulation of Prostitution Although prostitution has been legalized in some countries such as Netherlands, England and Scotland, there have been problems in creating new laws and keeping up with the regulations that pertain to its operations (Tigtog para 2). The laws or measures have proved to be a challenge to both the government and the individuals engaged in the activity. Following the inability of the g overnments to regulate the act properly, questions have been raised as to whether it should be regulated (Munro and Giusta 15). Many quarters have argued for the legalization and regulation of prostitution based on the premise that the trade is more like other professions and deserves a fair share of respect, respect and dignity. Its regulation therefore would ensure that prostitutes and all stakeholders in the industry somehow benefit, the government included through taxes. However, this argument goes beyond moral argument as professed by various religious beliefs. Most faiths believe that prostitution in any sense is immoral and therefore should neither be legalized or regulated. Also, in as much as prostitution is legal in some countries, there are still those who work under the table so that they do not lose money through taxation (Munro and Giusta 20). Therefore, it is certain that legalizing and regulating prostitution will not bring as much economic benefits as many may think . Yet another argument for the regulation of prostitution is with respect to health. It is argued by some quarters that when regulated, the chances of reducing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS will be reduced. However, this may never be the case since in many jurisdictions cases of sexually transmitted diseases have continued to rise in spite of regulation. Furthermore, the idea that there will be a health clinic that would ensure that the safety and optimal health of legal prostitutes is protected or maintained may not be achievable and reliable (Munro and Giusta 24). It takes about six months for STDs to show on upon screening an infected person. Beyond doubt, very few prostitutes, if any, will lie low for six months after every screening before serving another client to make quick money. The main aim of prostitution is to make more money and if the government regulates its operations then the amount of money made by each prostitute would reduce as the pr ostitutes will have to pay taxes. With reduced earnings, the prostitutes will therefore engage themselves in other illegal activities such as drug abuse and violence hence increasing the rate of crime in a given country or community. Furthermore, the idea that diseases may not be spread if prostitution is regulated is not assured. In case prostitution was to be legalized and regulated, there would be a greater demand for prostitutes

Monday, August 26, 2019

History 9UT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History 9UT - Essay Example However, this role did not last long. Their new roles were quickly snatched away from them once the war ended in 1945. The men who went to fight the war and survived were given back their old jobs and the women sent home packing. The social revolution was, therefore, rendered temporary since the women were subjected to their former roles as housewives as the men took up their jobs. During the social revolution period that took place in 1942, women were still subjected to discrimination at their places of work. The men at the work place never fully accepted them as their equals at the work place, and thus subjected them to different forms of discrimination such as sabotaging their jobs. Even after the social revolution, women continue to face discrimination in their roles in society. Though they may be able to gain form employment, back at home they are expected to perform their housewife duties as expected. This practice is still common to this date, and it is for such reasons that clarify why the document does not conflict reality in any way. Military; before the executive order given by President Roosevelt in 1941, recruitment into the American defense forces was exclusive to the white community. The white community was given preference in recruitment and promotion in the military, an opportunity which equally deserving and qualified African Americans were denied. It is for such reason that the protest march was organized by the African American community, to air their grievances on the same. Lynching; African Americans were not granted justice through the judicial systems in place before events in 1942. They were subjected to acts of lynching mostly by the white community whenever they committed an offence. Others were simply lynched because of their skin color if they were spotted in purely white neighborhoods. Such barbaric acts of injustices were part of Randolph’s argument for supporting the march. They demanded proper

Sunday, August 25, 2019

An advantage and a disadvantage of a large, public company because of Assignment

An advantage and a disadvantage of a large, public company because of its corporate form of ownership - Assignment Example For instance, a key benefit that can be seen is with regards to the fact that the initial public offering in stock price of Twitter has progressively risen since its first offering (Wilhelm, 2014). This of course stands in stark contrast to what was predicted and the way in which a similar platform, Facebook, behave. However, tangential to this, a noted drawback that the authors of several articles have noted has to do with the fact that Twitter has the difficulty of living up to an unrealistic expectation. As individuals have seen the rapid growth and advance in stock price, more and more investors have come to see this as a lucrative investment through which they can make something of a sudden gain upon their initial investments. However, the fact of the matter is that Twitter is an established tech company and seeks to provide a level of resilient growth without being seen as an investment instrument. In this very manner, the negative drawback of the growth that Twitter is facing is ultimately the result of its success. Wilhelm,  A. (2014, January 13).  IPO Underwriter Goldman Sachs Boosts Its Twitter Target 41% To $65 | TechCrunch. Retrieved  February  3, 2014, from

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Annoted Bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Annoted Bibliography - Essay Example Napoleon asserts his leadership after the animals capture the farm from its former cruel owner, Mr. Jones. However, the satire of this novel is centered upon the pigs’ tyranny over the other animals. The novel is the basis of the famous idiom â€Å"all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others†. The novel was inspired by George’s experiences of communist behavior in Russia during the Spanish Civil War; it is a tale of the communist revolution in Russia. The novel addresses not only the corruption in leadership, but also the ignorance of the people; it exemplifies corruption and wickedness as the vice in rebellion, and not the actual deed of rebellion. This novel is dubbed the best analogy of political satire in the mid twentieth century as it exemplifies the gullibility of subjects and the dictatorship of leaders in contrast to the ideal society where all people are equal. Steadman, R. (1996) George Orwell: Animal Farm (50th Anniversary edition). USA : Signet Classics This variation of the original Animal Farm was done by Ralph Steadman to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the literary work. In the rendition, Steadman introduces some of Orwell’s proposed inclusion in the novel. ... Steadman exemplifies Orwell’s satirical outlook on the rebellion in animal farm which is a symbol of the rebellion against corruption and tyranny all around the world. This edition includes Orwell’s additions during a press interview, which were ignored in the previous edition. Moreover, Steadman analyses Orwell’s explicit fable of a browbeaten and overworked society and their pursuance of justice and equality. The author shows that such a paradise is feasible in the mind, but actual fulfillment is deterred by greed and corruption. The text illustrates the rise and gory fall of revolutionary animals and appreciates the abolitionism in most, if not all, societies by poking fun at the leaders and oppressors while at the same time drawing attention to the idealism they create but do not endorse. Secondary Sources Lake, P. (2010). The  Animal Farm  of the 21st Century. Arkansas: Arkansas Tech University. In March 2010, Paul Lake gave a lecture on George Orwellâ⠂¬â„¢s novels at the Arkansas Tech University and cited Animal Farm as Orwell’s book as the greatest allegory of the society. Lake associated the novel to the modern society as tyranny and corruption are witnessed on a daily basis. Lake, who is the author of Cry Wolf, drew attention to Orwell’s depiction of the down trodden members of society whose desire for a better future is unwavering. Lake exemplifies the twenty first century society as a modern animal farm where although the down trodden continue to suffer and be overworked for the benefit of a few; they still consider the leadership as upright and effective. He spoke of the ideal twenty first society as one which upholds all individual’s rights to expression and freedom from oppressive or slave driven rule. His talk seeks to educate on

Construction Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Construction Law - Essay Example The ECS contract is parallel to ECC in detail and complications of contractual demands; however, the names of the parties to the contract and timescales for completion are changed to meet the deadlines under the ECC contract (GMH Planning, 2012). Clause 11.2(17) lays down the criteria for a subcontractor. Firstly, someone involved in construction or installation of part of the work which indicates that a contractor can’t sublet an entire project to another individual or organization. Secondly, it can be someone who provides a service necessary to provide the works, this shows that services of others can be utilized and no limitation is placed on only subletting a part of the project. The third category describes individuals and organizations that would not be considered as sub-contractors. They enter into a contract regarding the provision of plant and material which they partly or completely designed for a specific project. The imperative point to remember is that the burden of responsibility of the contactor towards the employer is not shifted to a subcontractor (Eggleston, 2006). ... NEC3 provides that the construction or installation of part of the work can be sublet to a sub-contractor and offers two options. The first option if NEC3 Engineering and Construction Subcontract (ECS) with slight changes in the timescales and names of the parties involved in the project. Clause 62.3 makes changes in the time period for submission of and response to quotations and clause 51 makes change in the time period of payment. The payment period in Secondary Option Y (UK) 2 of ECS is similar to ECC type of the similar secondary option ensuing in same payment time limits. Main contractors can amend these periods by using the provisions of Subcontract Data Part One (Patterson, 2007). The second option under NEC3 is the Engineering and Construction Short Subcontract (ECSS) used for projects which don’t involve complex management techniques, consist of uncomplicated work and entail low risks. It prohibits delegating design responsibility to the subcontractor, simplifies wor k by adhering to Works information but it doesn’t simplify processes concerning compensation events. It is obligatory for the subcontractor to report compensation events within seven days of becoming knowledgeable of such an event and will have similar liabilities as a Contractor does under the ECC in case of failure to give notification. However, ECSS does not include deemed acceptance procedure for not replying unlike ECS. Therefore, we can conclude that the burden of compensation event procedures lies with the Subcontractor under ECSS. In this instance, the subcontractor did not adhere to the precise requirements provided in the Works Information concerning installation of a complimentary

Friday, August 23, 2019

5 cold war Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

5 cold war - Assignment Example The disintegration of the communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union was the most unexpected and rapid major economic and social transformation that occurred in the 20th century. Although the demise of communism in Eastern Europe was largely peaceful, it had extremely destabilizing repercussions in the Soviet Union. This was due to the fact that communism was founded on two defining economic features which were characterized by a centralized command economy in which prices as well as output targets were administratively fixed. It is worth noting that the key premise behind communism was that the cause of human suffering was capitalism and its subsequent lack of the distribution of wealth. The heaviest price that was paid by the relatively disorganized manner in which communism ended was the financial/ monetary costs that the European countries had to face, and the subsequent debt the states would have to the West for the economic assistance offered to help in the building of market economies in the East. There was an unexpected high cost to reunification and reconstruction in the East which consequently caused tension which spilled over the country’s borders. Additionally, there was a quick growth in the number of Eastern European immigrants which in turn spurred powerful racists and rightist political movements which ultimately culminated in anti-immigrant riots. Unfortunately, as a result, there was a great increase in unemployment caused by the chaos on the currency markets in Europe and the fragmenting of the European monetary system. There was a lingering recession characterized by unemployment and hyperinflation where people’s savings were exhausted. Unfortunately, European governments were preoccupied with striving to lower their budget deficits as well as the national inflation and had little room to deal with the issue of unemployment or any other social issues that arose from the collapse of communism. Therefore, due to the mentioned

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Science and technology Essay Example for Free

Science and technology Essay Science and technology is a vital part of our societys world and how we function. Unless you happen to live out in the middle of the Sahara Desert and have sworn off all aspects of technology and science, then you are most likely exposed constantly to science in your daily life. While it is a big part of our world, there is a constant uneasy relationship between human beings and science. It is a common axiom that people dont trust what they dont understand. That is exactly what drives and causes this unsteady relationship people have with science. People never want to put full faith and confidence into the untouchable, comprehendible, or viewable. Trust is what really brings people to wonder about science and subconsciously fear it. Because we cannot reconcile some things science and technology give us, our immediate reaction is to set ourselves away or fear it. It is human nature to want to question and have some form of apprehension toward the thing we cannot fully reconcile. We see this is all forms of science and technology in our society. From the physical features of science such as technology and medicine to even scientific theories and cerebral and abstract parts of science, all forms in some way can make people uneasy. It makes you wonder however, why someone would fear something that is always attempting to be beneficial. Research and discoveries are usually made solely to help the individual and or society as a whole. So what are we as people so unnerved about? From even the most mundane actions and events in our lives to our moral beliefs and views, we see in every aspect of science the questioning and doubt by people. I had possibly the worst eye sight as a child. I basically could embody the clichà © phrase, blind as a bat. To make the situation worse for myself, I hated wearing glasses. I was unable to wear contacts due to some technical mumbo jumbo, so my parents decided to sign me up for Laser Eye Surgery. I had the procedure and can see quite fine to this day. You are probably sitting their wondering what exactly this heartwarming story of my now ability to see has anything at all to do with my thesis. We always can find risks in any type of procedure like the one I had. While the benefits are great, there is always the small chance that something could go terribly wrong. The doctors did in fact explain all the High tech procedures and steps they were taking during the operation, but did I really have a clue?  Walking into that surgery I was scared out of my mind, but why should I be? This is a proven technology that fixes your eyes and keeps you from wearing glasses. It isnt however done by the majority because the risk that science is wrong is too great. Is it better to wear glasses than to take even the slightest risk with my sight? These were all factors that I was feeling, but in fact I wasnt alone because everyone thinks like this with situations like this. Science cant be 100% on most things but that is what we as people require. Any person would find themselves feeling unsure about a foreign subject or in my case a medical surgery. That is why we have this problem with science. The idea of trust is there in the subconscious. It is sitting there in the back of our minds poking our conscience with a long finger saying, is this ok? Should I go through and get involved with this? I dont know if I should be doing this. While things like medical surgeries and such are obviously going to be a frightening part of science to most people what about other abstract parts of science. Unease becomes a major issue to people when they are unable to reconcile science ideals with their own moral and or spiritual beliefs. The discussion of Creationism versus Evolution has been a heated and raging debate in American culture for years. Creationism derived from the Book of Genesis denies all forms of science that says we as humans evolved over time to what we are today. Creationists insist that the universe and the earth were created in six days. Another common discussion in which Creationists reject is the major theory like the Big Bang theory. This argument is a perfect example of a moral/ mental discomfort with science. We looked before at the ways in which science can make us uneasy with physical interactions like medicines and surgeries, but what about the mental aspect of it? When science tests and challenges the morals and beliefs of others it makes the relationship very awkward. In this case we see evolution is the science. It doesnt fit the religious beliefs we know most Christians for example are taught. Even if your rational mind says science is factual, your faith and emotions are strong determiners of your beliefs. There in lies the uncomfortable pull and push relationship morally with people. I think we personally are uncomfortable with science because you avoid having to make a choice between the two. We know intellectually that science is proven, yet  some peoples hearts need to believe and have faith in a superior being. We need a way to make both work together, but that is hard. We like cafeteria religion, where we pick the parts that fit our world, but we know that probably isnt right. Whatever we chose and whichever side we take it still is a known controversy in our culture that is constantly questioned. In our class reading of Never Let Me Go we see a similar moral dilemma with science and human relationships involving Stem Cell research. The science and moral aspects will always be at t ug of war in our minds. This uneasiness of science we all come to recognize. So while some of you may not have gotten lasic eye surgery like me. Or maybe some of you listening dont have any type of faith based religion and find no controversy in science and faith. I am not asking you to totally connect with my examples and be able to relate to them. But like I said, everyone is exposed to science and technology everyday. You all know what its like to question aspects of science whether a distinct example or not. Trust is what plays the role in this controversy. So do we still believe the axiom People dont trust what they dont understand? To me it relates more to People in fact dont trust what they cannot have full resolve for.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Port Of Durban From An Economics Perspective Economics Essay

The Port Of Durban From An Economics Perspective Economics Essay 3.1 Introduction This chapter will examine the Port of Durban from an economics perspective and will seek to expand on the general theory presented in the literature review and apply it specifically to the Port of Durban. This chapter will also serve as a foundation for the proceeding chapter which will analyse the various CBA options and data for Durban. The ports significance and impact will be examined in the context of the South African and local economy through its income and employment generating effect. Though the quantity of cargo moving through a port is important, of more interest is the type of cargo that a port focuses on. 3.2 The South African Port Sector Before examining the Port of Durban in isolation, it would be prudent to briefly discuss the South African Port scenario in a broader sense. In South Africa, ports are considered national assets and are managed by the government run recently by SAPO. South Africa is a major sea-trading nation comprising of approximately 8 trading ports, namely, Durban, Richards Bay, East London, Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay, Cape Town, Saldanha and the under construction Coega. South Africa has evolved into a major sea-trading nation over the last four or so decades and in 2002 handled 3.6% of world sea trade by volume. In terms of ton miles or real activity, this figure increases to 6% of global trade, placing the country within the top 12 globally and resulting in a global maritime activity share that is more than 20 fold its global GDP share. Sea trade constitutes more than 90 percent of trade in South Africa and ports play a critical social and economic role both nationally and regionally. The majo rity of the port activity is concentrated on the east coast of South Africa. A stark illustration of this fact is that Durban and Richards Bay together make up 76% of sea trade in the country. Traffic growth in the 1990s was derived from two primary regional points and sources, namely Durban from a general cargo perspective and Richards bay from a raw materials perspective. Richards Bay, which deals primarily in bulk goods, such as coal, ore and steel, has seen its annual tonnage increase from 55 million tons in 1989 to in excess of 90 million in 2000. Viewing perceived value in terms of tonnage is a flawed approach since in terms of economic linkages and value-adding, handling a ton of coal is not the same as handling a ton of refined goods. The figure below illustrates the breakdown of sea trade activity by port in South Africa. It can be seen clearly that Durban and Richards Bay are giants in comparison to the other ports. (Chasomeris, 2003 and Jones, 2002) Fig 17: Total Traffic Volume in South Africa Source: Department of Transport, 1998 and Jones, 2001 The South African Ports sector experienced significant capital intensive investment in the 1970s and 1980s, which was biased towards the bulk shipping sector. However, world trends have seen a migration towards containerisation and unitisation and South Africa is no exception, with the country utilising containers for the first time in1977. Up until 1990, the available capacity could cater for national traffic levels of approximately 1 million TEUs level. The lack of adequate container capacity, combined with growing demand, brought with it a multitude of problems. On the demand side, South Africa became a democracy and re-entered the globalised world, resulting in a noticeable rise in seaborne container volumes, due to liner carriers returning to the South African trades and increased trade liberalisation. The upsurge in volumes produces inevitable negative consequences of delays and vessel queues. By 2000 the combined amount of annual TEUs handled in South African ports was 1.8 mil lion and this was encompassed using with the same basic container quays that had been constructed in 1977. There was some limited capital investment in strategic areas in the 1990s, such as cargo extensions to bulk and neo-bulk facilities in Richards Bay. The new millennia brought with its bolder and more ambitious port investment initiatives. A new industrial hub status port in the Eastern Cape, which was earlier envisioned but never actioned upon, was now being constructed. Secondly, the Durban general cargo infrastructure has received significant upgrades and extensions such as extensions to landside facilities as well, deepening and extending cargo handling superstructure and infrastructure as well as deepening and widening the harbour entrance. Because of the age and mismatch of the cargo handling infrastructure, productivity has lagged that of international levels, resulting in congestion that is a constant feature of local ports. There were also supply side issues to deal wit h such as liner route becoming more specific and centred around hub status ports. As such, hub status ports have to provide capacity that exceeds national demand, making attainment of hub port status difficult in capacity constricted scenarios. This is compounded by the reluctance of ship-owners to migrate shorter routes such as Port Elizabeth in South Africa. South African ports relative competitive stance with their southern hemisphere counterparts can be gauged from the table below. Looking at both indicators, South African ports emerge as clear leaders on both the African and Southern Hemisphere front. Richards Bay is ranked first on the table in terms of total traffic, as it has a large amount of coal and other bulk cargoes passing through its doors. Durban, although ranked 3rd overall, is ranked 1st in the container category it is clear that Durban is the leading multi-purpose port in South Africa and the Southern Hemisphere. (Jones, 2003; Jones, 1997; Department of Transport, 1998 and Lawrence, 2000) Figure 18: African and Southern Hemisphere Port Traffic Port Total Port Traffic (m tons) Rank Container Traffic (TEUs 000s) Rank Richards Bay 91.5 1 5 15 Newcastle 73.9 2 9 14 Durban 49.7 3 1291 2 Santos 43.1 4 945 4 Sydney 24.6 5 999 3 Melbourne 22.3 6 1322 1 Casablanca 19.8 7 311 9 Abidjan 14.6 8 434 7 Auckland 13.3 9 561 6 Cape Town 11.8 10 395 8 Lagos 9.1 11 1782 11 Mombasa 8.9 12 219 10 Buenos Aires 7.8 13 716 5 Dakar 7.2 14 149 13 Port Louis 4.7 15 161 12 Source: ISL, Bremen, 2001, Jones 2003 (Selected ports, 2000) 3.3 History of the Port of Durban The port is situated on the east coast of South Africa at coordinates 31o 02E in longitudinal and at 290 52S in latitudinal terms. Trading activities in the port of Durban can be traced back since 1824, with the port quickly gaining a favoured status among seafarers amd traders due to it being a natural harbour. Interest in Durban Bay grew tremedously in the early years of its operations, with imports doubling between 1849 and 1850. This, coupled with larger vessels, resulted in a much needed expansion to the harbour entrance. Over a century later, Durban has 63 berths and 6 repair berths, which can be broadly seperated into five main segments of the port. The first segments has two piers and has a multipurpose function thats handles general, parcel and unitised cargo. The second segment of the port is located by Salisbury Island and Island View. A third segment is the Maydon Wharf area, which contains private terminals as well as terminals controlled by Transnet. The Point terminal area and the Bayhead area are the fourth segment and fifth segment respectively. Below is a picture of the port of Durban that illustrates the five segments discussed. Figure 19: The Current Layout of Durban Port Source: Google Earth, 2010 3.4 Economic Significance of the Port of Durban As, can be seen in figure 17 above, the logistical strength of the national shipping infrastructure, rests primarily in KZN. The port of Durban, like all other public ports in South Africa, is an example of a port under national jurisdiction, its official name being the National Ports Authority (NPA), thereby allowing centralised planning. Durban is a port of choice because of its infrastructure in place enabling it to be a full service general cargo and container port . In addition to this, durban is well serviced by an adequete rail and road infrastructure, which links it to the economic hub of South Africa, Gauteng. In addition to this, the KZN region is a large economic region in itself and is second only to Gauteng in South Africa. Figure 21 below, illustrates a snapshot of the South African port sector for 2009. In terms of total cargo tonnes handled, Durban has 20% of the market and is dwarfed by Richards which has more than double Durbans tonnage handled, at more than 40%. Ri chards Bay, which was constructed in the 1970s, has had an enormous impact on Durbans port planning and functions. The primary reason for its existence was to serve as high-mass export point for raw materials such as coal. Richards Bay also diversified its goods base to include, at a lower cost, goods types that were traditionally the domain of Durban such as neo-bulk cargo like steel, alloys and forest type products. At the time of Richards Bay construction, Cape-sized bulk vessels were too large to enter Durban. (Jones, 2003 and Stats SA, 2010) Figure 21: Port Cargo and Vessel Statistics in South African Ports RICHARDS BAY DURBAN CAPE TOWN SALDANHA BAY TOTAL SA PORTS Durban as a % of Total TOTAL CARGO HANDLED: 77,631,154 37,419,282 3,058,601 56,475,625 182,735,369 20% GENERAL CARGO VESSELS: 247 705 220 373 1,648 43% BULK VESSELS: 1257 930 320 921 3,603 26% CONTAINER VESSELS: 42 1883 897 784 4,233 44% TANKERS: 184 646 159 344 1,542 42% VESSEL TOTAL: 1874 4848 2440 3489 15,879 31% TOTAL TEUS HANDLED: 6,273 2,395,175 1,382,052 NA 4,334,612 55% Source: NPA, 2009 (Note table has been edited) Looking again at figure 21 above, it can be observed that even though Durban lags other ports in gross tonnage of cargo, it still has by far the most number of vessels docking. One of the major reasons for this was the emerging dominance of Richards Bay, which forced Durban to concentrate on lower-volume bulk, break-bulk and liquid-bulk. This enabled great diversity within the port in terms of cargo type as well vessel type and quantity. Additionally, vessels that carry break bulk are traditionally far smaller than that of traditional bulk, thus explaining why more vessel docking are in Durban than Richards Bay for the same amount of cargo ceterus paribus. With reference to the figures above, it can be observed that Durban has 43% of total general cargo vessels, 42% of total tankers and 44% of total container vessels. The most important figure, in relation to Durban, is that of TEUs handled since this is where its dominance and significance come to the fore. Durban has the ideal stru cture to handle containers and since Richards Bay has inadequate structure for containers, Durbans dominance in containers was from the outset. Jones (2003) show that a growing international trend of shipping lines with regards to containers is to organise trade and activities around so called hub ports which meet and cross at sub-regional transhipment nodes. This arrangement is biased for the existence of a single hub type port on the eastern shores of the Southern region of Africa. Since, Durban is the countrys major container port, is well frequented by major shipping lines, has terminal and hub status, it is quite reasonable for it to remain South Africas primary container port. The other alternatives on the eastern sea board are not really competitors when it comes to containers. Richards Bay is primarily a bulk port and does not have the adequate infrastructure to extend its activities beyond this scope. Maputo has large deviation costs from traditional shipping lines as well as limited depth and capacity. Port Elizabeth has weak land side links to Gauteng as well as having limited local demand to justify a major port there. (Suykens, 1984; Jones, 2001 and Jones, 2003) Even though Durban lags Richards Bay in terms of pure tonnage, this in itself is a poor yardstick of economic impact and significance since no account is taken of cargo value or employment propensities of infrastructure required. Generally, in terms of economic and employment impacts, general cargo provides the most followed by dry-bulk cargo and lastly liquid-bulk. Bearing this in mind, comparing two ports only on the basis of tonnage is frivolous and more specifically in Durbans case it can be seen that from a ports perspective, it handles higher valued cargo than Richards Bay. This is especially evident when one considers one job is created per 47000 tonnes of cargo handled at Richards Bay, whereas in Durban, one job is created per 7500 tonnes of cargo handled. Figure 22 below further illustrates the economic richness and opportunity that containers present. Additionally, in 2004 an average container vessel spent R2.94 million per port call, far exceeding the R1.8 million for a br eakbulk cargo vessel as well as exceeding the R1.3 million for a bunker vessel. (Suykens, 1984; Jones, 2001, Tempi, 2006 and Jones, 2003) Figure 22: Port of Fremantles Economic impact by Cargo Type Cargo Type Output ($m) Value Added ($m) Household Income ($m) Employment (no.) Direct Effects Containers 177 121 73 1331 Other General Cargo 45 30 18 340 Liquid Bulk 35 20 8 158 Dry Bulk 83 44 25 459 Other 1 1 0 7 Total 341 215 124 2294 Direct + Indirect Effects Containers 382 240 125 3195 Other General Cargo 96 59 31 800 Liquid Bulk 67 38 17 441 Dry Bulk 181 100 50 1339 Other 2 1 1 19 Total 728 440 223 5792 Source: Bureau of Economic Transport Economics Australia, 2000 As is the case with South African ports, the port of Freemantle in Australia, shown in figure 22 above, derives the most economic prosperity from containers from both a direct and indirect perspective. Even though containers account for only 13% of activity in the port, they contribute 55% to economic activity. Consequently, containers have the greatest employment generating effects, followed by dry bulk and the liquid bulk. Though dynamics differ from port to port in terms of infrastructure, administration, socioeconomics and geography, a broad consensus can be reached from the figure above encompassing a kind of rule of thumb approach. As such, containers offer the most economic opportunity for a port and since Durban already focuses on this area, it would be prudent to continue with this trend. Thus, it is quite evident that both the present and future comparative advantage of Durban port rests in the realm of containerised cargoes due to reason shown above. Also, since the port i s so aptly designed for and dependant on containerised cargo, the removal of this great economic magnifying source would be particularly devastating on the Durban region as a whole. (Jones, 2001 and Jones, 2003) Looking at figure 23 below, it can be seen that the Durban port has seen an extraordinary increase in containers, with annualised growth of between 8% and 10% for the last decade.  As was shown above, containers form an integral cog in the Durban port machine from an economics and social perspective since they provide a source of trade, income and employment. Container growth has been driven by a range of factors such as rising volumes of world trade and reduced trading barriers, the migration of cargo to containers from other handling systems, South Africas improved economic performance and rising per capita incomes.  The facets examined below are containers landed, shipped and empty and as the diagram shows, all three categories have increased from 2002-2007. The growth between 2002 and 2007 is nothing short of spectacular, but this growth has not come without costs and constraints. However, needing containers and providing adequate space for them are two entirely different thi ngs and this will be explored below. Also, we have seen that general cargo is the richest form of cargo and has the largest employment benefits. South Africa needs extended general cargo capabilities and in this respect, Durbans needs are similar to national needs. It is thus clear that Durban needs the container industry for continued survival and prosperity, but whether the container industry needs Durban as much remains to be seen. (Jones, 2003) Figure 23: Total TEUs Landed, Shipped Transhipped Source: NPA, marketing graphs, 2008 Durbans greatest strengths, namely its ideal location, good economic linkage and strong infrastructure, have also evolved to be its Achilles heel, since its popularity especially for containerized cargo, has seen demand surge amidst mostly fixed infrastructure. With the growth of sea trade demand, the real problems of Durban are the lack of adequate marine infrastructure, but its role as port with terminal capacity, and the managerial capacity and willingness to operate the present container terminal at acceptable performance levels. A supply side response by the authorities to these demand pressures has been slow and limited. The growth of containerised cargo volumes has put the ports container terminal under sustained pressure since the mid-1990s, and at times has overwhelmed available capacity. The consequences of which have been frequent queues of container vessels, unduly high berth occupancy rates, and delays to container vessels and their cargoes. The port area is inundated wi th industrial and commercial development, making space an expensive premium, above all for neo-bulk space intensive cargoes like steel and forest products. It is therefore no surprise to see certain of these cargoes migrating to Richards Bay, where space is at less of a premium. The Durban-Gauteng rail line possesses substantial spare capacity, but operating problems associated with the availability of Transnet have reduced the reliability of rail. This problem is particularly serious for certain bulk terminals that are reliant on rail since for bulk commodities rail is the cheapest and most efficient form of transport. Previously, Durbans major economic disadvantage was its inability to host Panamax size-threshold ships due to its lack of depth. However, after recent capital investments, the entrance width has been increased from 110m at its narrowest to 220m and the depth in the outer channel from 12m to approximately 19m. However, this is far from adequate and as can be seen in I rcha (2006) which states that hub status type ports must have the following in order to remain relevant: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Container-stacking densities of 2000-4000 TEUs per hectare; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sustained ship-to-shore gantry crane productivity of 50 moves per hour; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Three day dwell times; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 30-minute truck turnaround times; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ On-dock rail service; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Water depths by the berth of 15 metres and more. Currently, Durban subscribes to one of these parameters, and if it wishes to become efficient and remain productive and relevant, authorities should try to subscribe to all of them. Doing so would require significant capital investments such as infrastructure expansions. (Lawrence, 2000; ISL, 2001; Fairplay, 2003, Ircha, 2006, Transnet, 2010 and Jones, 2003) 3.5 Multiplier Model The theory of the Keynesian multiplier was covered quite extensively in the literature review. Figure 22 above touched on the multiplier process for the port of Freemantle, but the concept will now be explored and applied in far more detail. The economic impact of port activities on the local economy can be subdivided into three broad areas. The first area is that of directly port-related or port generated activities, that would cease to exist if the port were to close. The second area is that of indirectly port-related activities and pertains to backwardly-linked services and infrastructure. The third and final broad category is termed induced effects, and is in fact the multiplier effect from other inputs. It arises as those employed in the previous two categories, re-spend their money in the local economy, thereby increasing the original economic impact. Jones (1998) conducted a study so as to ascertain the Port of Durbans economic impact on the local economy. Figure 24 below is t aken from that same study and as can be observed, 24 000 direct port related jobs from approximately 360 businesses are created through first round inputs. Of the 24 000 jobs, approximately 8500 are from Transnet, which is an indication of the significant role that the institution plays in the local region. The 24 000 figure translate into a wage bill of approximately R950 million rand in 1994 wage level. Assuming an inflation rate of 10% per annum, this figure would equate to approximately R4 Billion in 2010 terms! Coupled to this, many port activities were in fact excluded from the above calculation such as insurance, financial services, medical services and legal services. (Jones, 2003) Another reason why the employment figure is conservative is that it fails to account for the induced or multiplier effect. As shown in the literature review, the economic or employment effect is extended far beyond the initial spending impetus whereby the final round of total expenditure normally far exceed the initial input. The multiplier varies from region to region depending on the average marginal propensity to consume, taxes, and how much money is kept within the local region. Jones assumes that since the majority of port employees are in fact low to middle income earners, which is not an outrageous assumption. Bearing this in mind, an average tax rate of 20%, MPC of 0.85 and a retention rate of 0.85 is used to formulate the multiplier value. The data is substituted into the multiplier equation from the literature review and yields a multiplier value of 2.4. The port of Seattle conducted an economic impact analysis and depending on which assumptions they used, the multiplier ra nged from 2.9 to 4.4. The port of Lake Charles Harbour also conducted an economic impact study and used a multiplier of 2.6 and the port of Hastings derived a multiplier of 1.58. Thus, the figure use by Jones is in no way over the top when one looks at other port economic impact papers and it even falls on the lower end of the spectrum. The box below illustrates the calculations that were used to obtain the multiplier. At 1994 prices total income generated by the port is approximately R2.3 billion. Once again, if we assume a 10% increase per annum, in 2010 price terms, this would equate to R9.6 Billion! (Jones, 2003; Meyrick Associates, 2007 and Martin Associates, 2007) Figure 24: Multiplier for Durban (1994 prices) ÃŽÂ ± = 1 1 -c [(1-t) r] Substituting the various values = 1 1 -0.85[(1-0.2)0.85] =2.4 Calculating Equilibrium income for wages only: Yo = ÃŽÂ ±A Yo= 950 X 2.4 = R2.3 Billion Calculating Equilibrium income for all expenditures: Yo= (950+500) X 2.4 = R3.5 Billion Source: Jones, 2003 Even with the multiplier effect, the regional economic impact of the port is under estimated since wages and salaries are not the only costs in a port. Industries which provide inputs and services to port establishments are excluded. In the same paper, Jones attempts to calculate these very costs and some of the examples include paper, ropes, cranes, hooks and property costs. Jones does this by working out that on average 48% of total costs are non wage costs and based on this assumption, a 1994 figure of R500 million is generated from port related expenditure which is not linked to wages. This amount extrapolated to regional labour elasticitys, induces a labour figure of approximately 7000 jobs. The refineries around the port employ around 1800 people and the Island View area about 500 as well. Thus, as Jones rightly says, the port and port related activities generate around 40000 jobs in the local economy, a figure which eThekwini online concurs with. Looking at the box above, it c an be calculated that the total economic impact of the port is R3.5 Billion in 1994 prices. In 2010 monetary terms, this equates to roughly R14.62 Billion. Additionally, eThekwini online states that the port and related industries contributes over 20% of Durbans GDP and approximately 1.5% of national GDP! Thus, it is quite evident that the port and its related clusters are integral to the Durban community in terms of employment and social stability. (Jones, 2003 and www.thekwenionline.org.za, 2010) Figure: 25 Durban Port Employment and Output (all data at 1994 levels) Industry/Sector Number Employment Wage bill (R mill) Portnet 1 5400 240 Portnet dredging 1 112 6 Spoornet 1 3217 115 Terminal operators 11 2213 90 Liquid bulk terminals 3 275 16 CF agents 138 3600 135 Ships agents 37 1350 65 Ship chandlers 17 400 ns Container depots 3 366 13 Container parks 7 260 ns Container logistics 3 140 6 Shipowners operators 5 11002 ns Ship repairers builders 5 9603 34 Stevedores 24 1650 45 Cargo equipment suppliers 2 200 ns Road haulers >75 15001 ns Bunker services 2 110 5 Offshore services 3 80 3 Tallying services 5 1204 ns Security 3 3001 ns Marine contractors 2 114 5 Customs Excise 1 300 ns Other State 3 1001 ns TOTAL >360 23867 ~R950 Source: Jones, 2003 3.6 Constraints to Expansion As shown in Figure 18 above, Durban is the largest general cargo port in Africa and the second largest in the southern hemisphere, and Durban being a port city will benefit from any growth in international trade volumes especially of the general cargo type. Although Durbans port infrastructure is extensive, at present it suffers from critical capacity limitations. The port currently provides 63 berths that can be used for cargo related activities as well as repair facilities for a further 8-9 vessels. These capacity constraints are encountered in respect of the ports marine infrastructure, cargo-working facilities and its overall articulation with landside cargo distribution systems. The constraints are indicated in the figure below, which illustrates the situation for Durban in 2004/5, considering that the teu amount was 2,395,175 teus for 2009, it becomes clear how grave the capacity situation is. Considering how grave the capacity situation is, it is indeed surprising that only sh ort term capital investments have been undertaken over the last two decades. Towards the end of the previous century, there were some capital extensions such as gantries, larger container areas and straddle carriers. In 2002, more gantries were added as well as 20 straddle carriers. The second part of the 2002 project was the relocation and specialisation of areas within the port, namely pier 1. All these short term improvements will result in the port having a present day capacity of 2.5 million TEUs. Already in 2005 the container terminal were operating at 90% capacity and now 5 years hence, with TEUs handled being 2.4 million in 2009 or 96% capacity, there is a pressing need for Durban to increase and improve its container handling operations. (NPA, 2009 and Muller, 2004) Figure 26: Port of Durban Capacity Constraint Terminals Current traffic M ton Theoretical capacity M ton Spare Capacity Percentage used Bulk Liquids 23,800,000   Unlimited Unlimited Motor vehicles units 171,365 220,000 48,635 77.89 Coal 1,800,000 2,500,000 700,000 72 City 2,400,000 5,200,000 2,800,000 46.15 Containers 1,724,218 1,900,000 175,782 90.75 Break bulk 4,200,000 6,300,000.00 2,100,000 66.67 Total excl vehicles 33,924,218.00 16,120,000.00 5,824,417.00 Source: NPA, 2006 Though this paper views the port from

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

The Pearl by John Steinbeck This is a small village where Kino and his family as well as relatives live in. The people living in this village have similar houses as Kinos house. The reader can tell that the people living in this village are also very poor and therefore are probably uneducated. Furthermore, this village serves as a contrast to the town that the rich people live in. Since the people are poor and uneducated, the rich people will be able to take advantage of them easily. The setting contributes to the theme of the social class since it demonstrated the inequality between the rich and the poor. Since Kino is very poor, so when he discovers the pearl, people should feel happy for him, right? It is not this case in this novel. People want to steal the pearl even though they are already very rich. Thus, this setting clearly helps to demonstrate the tendency of human beings to be greedy and cruel even to those who have already suffered for a long period of time. Gray stone mountain: A mountain north of La Paz where Kino and his family run to in order to escape from the trackers. The mountain is very high, and there is a spring and a shallow cave on the top where Kinos family hide in. Since all animals seek to go to the high place when they are hunted or pursued, the mountain gives the readers a sense of what it is like when hunting and being hunted. The setting itself also creates a suspenseful and tense mood when the novel is at its climax. 6. Plot outline (brief): Kino, Juana, and their baby Coyotito live in a humble brush house by the sea in the village of La Paz. On one morning, a scorpion stings Coyotito. Kino and Juana then rush him to the doctor in the town nearby. When they arrive at the front of the doctors house, they are rejected by the doctors servant because they cannot afford the medication fee. Kino then decides to dive into the ocean and look for pearls so he can pay the doctor money. Later, Kino finds the largest pearl that has ever existed on Earth. After hearing about Kinos discovery, the doctor comes to Kinos house and cures Coyotito toward the evening. Before going to bed, Kino hides the pearl under his sleeping mat. Later in the night, he is awakened by an intruder looking for the pearl inside his house. A violent struggle follows, and Kino is injured during the fight. The next morning, Kino and Juana goes to town to sell the pearl. After realizing that the pearl dealers are trying to cheat on him, Kino decides to sell the pearl in the capital instead. In the middle of that night, a group of men attacks Kino again in an attempt to steal the pearl. During the fight, Kino accidently kills one of the men. Kino and Juana then decide to flee. After they find out that Kinos canoe is destroyed and their house is burnt, Kinos family hides in Juan Tomass house until night comes. At night, Kino, Juana, and Coyotito leave for the capital. They rest after a long journey and are about to continue again when Kino finds out that three trackers are following them. Kino decides that they must go up the gray stone mountain and attempts to mislead the trackers by creating false trails. After they find a cave at the top of the mountain, Kinos family decide to hide inside of it and wait for a chance to escape. Slowly, the trackers make their way to the top of the mountain. The trackers are preparing to sleep when Kino decides that he must attack them before the moon rises so he will not be seen. A s Kino prepares to attack, Coyotito lets out a gentle scream, waking the trackers. Then, one of trackers fires his rifle at the cave Juana and Coyotito are in. The moment he fired, however, Kino attacks and quickly kills all of the trackers. Later, Kino finds out Coyotito has been shot. The next day, Kino and Juana travel back to their town. They walk to the ocean as the townspeople watch in silent enthrallment. At the shore, Kino takes out the great pearl and tosses it back into the ocean with all his might. 7. Major themes of the work: Wealth brings trouble and causes the loss of innocence Kino transforms from a happy, contented man to a greedy savage criminal after he finds the pearl Wealth causes ambition and greed, which destroy mankinds innocence Greed transforms the pearl from a symbol of good luck and hope to a symbol of destruction Kinos greediness leads him to act violently toward Juana and eventually to his sons death People become jealous and want to obtain Kinos newfound pearl in both legal and illegal ways The greed and jealousy of all the people destroy the peace and happiness that Kino has known Steinbeck points out that human beings have a tendency to be jealous of other people. Most people are envious of the wealth of others, and many will try to take a portion of that wealth by using any method. Therefore, it is very important for us to not to be too greedy and ambitious. The roles of fate (destiny) and luck Forces beyond human control (like fate and destiny) can completely change an individuals life either for the better or the worse at any moment Kino and Juanas lives are changed when the scorpion (symbol of wicked fate) bites Coyotito Their lives then change again when Kino discovers the pearl (symbol of beneficial fate) Even though Steinbeck points out that fate and other forces do play a role in shaping human life, he also suggests that it is not fate, but human emotions and desires in the forms of jealousy and greed that ultimately leads to the novels devastating tragic ending. Cruelty of Humanity and the Social Classes The doctor cruelly refuses to treat Coyotito since Kino does not have money The pearl buyers try to cheat on the ignorant Kino so that they can make more money The trackers and other unknown invaders are willing to kill Kino in order to become wealthy The poverty and lack of education prevents the lower-class from enjoying the benefits of the higher-class The upper-class members take advantage of the lower-class because they are more educated In showing how the pearl affects other people, Steinbeck points out that most people have a cruel nature. We might do harm to others in order to achieve our own personal goals. Furthermore, Steinbeck also points out that there is an inequality between the higher-class and the lower-class, since the better educated higher-class will always take advantage of the uneducated lower-class. 8. Symbols in the book: The Pearl The pearl constantly appears throughout the novel. When the pearl is first discovered in Chapter 2, it represents possibility, good luck, and a symbol of divine assistance. Kinos discovery of the pearl fills him with hope for a better-quality life. It seems to be an event that serves as a relief to the disaster of the scorpion bite. Once the town learns about the pearl (Chapters 3-6), however, the pearl begins to make everyone to become greedy. The pearl becomes less symbolic of all the good things that it represents and now symbolizes greed, ambition, desires, and cruelty. Juana and Juan Tomas also begin to see the pearl as a dangerous threat. Kino begins to dedicate all his efforts and possessions to protecting the pearl toward the end of the novel. The pearl therefore comes to symbolize the destructive nature of greediness. The scorpion The scorpion that stings Coyotito in Chapter 1 represents evil and the annihilation of innocence and purity. Even though the scorpion only appears once in the novel, the process of the destruction of innocence that it represents occurs constantly throughout the plot. For instance, Kinos innocence is destroyed by his ambition and greed, and the colonists destroyed native peoples beliefs and traditional ways of life. Kinos canoe Kinos canoe represents his pride, a means of making a living, and his connection to his cultural tradition. The canoe appears twice throughout the story. The first time is when Kino uses it to find the pearl. Kinos races culture is deeply spiritual, so it is important that Kino uses his canoe to discover the pearl, which is granted by a heavenly power that has nothing to do with human behaviors or actions. The second time it appears is when Kino attempts to escape by using the canoe. However, he finds it already destroyed. This is very important because Kinos ownership of the pearl leads directly to the destruction of his canoe, and this is an event that symbolizes how Kinos greediness and ambition have destroyed his traditional way of life. 9. Other significant imagery: The stars still shone and the day had drawn only a pale wash of light in the lower time, and the early pigs were already beginning their ceaseless turning of twigs and bits of wood to see whether anything to eat had been overlooked. Outside the brush house in the tuna clump, a covey of little birds chattered and flurried with their wings. ~ Chapter 1, page 5 Steinbeck portrays the natural world as a kingdom that reflects the human world. This imagery mirrors the natures peaceful innocence the same innocence that Kino has at the beginning of the novel. However, hiding inside that innocence is the tendency to be greedy. The pigs in this quote are greedy in a sense that they are trying to find anything that they can possibly find to eat. The gray oysters with ruffles like skirts on the shells, the barnacle-crusted oysters with little bits of weed clinging to the skirts and small crabs climbing over them. An accident could happen to these oysters, a grain of sand could lie in the folds of muscle and irritate the flesh until in self-protection the flesh coated the grain with a layer of smooth cement. But once started, the flesh continued to coat the foreign body until it fell free in some tidal flurry or until the oyster was destroyed. Swarms of fish lived near the bed to live near the oysters thrown back by the searching men and to nibble at the shining inner shells. ~ Chapter 6, page 85 The descriptions of the sea emphasize the fact that life is a struggle for existence in which only the strongest will be able to survive. The fish can only eat what the men left behind. So if the food is not enough for them, they will die. This struggle can be seen in the conflicts between natives of Kinos race against the oppressive colonists. Also, this quote suggests that oysters must die in order for a pearl to form. Again, Steinbeck points out that every time something is gained, another thing is lost. Kino, with his newfound pearl, has lost his innocence. Beside this tiny stream, wherever enough earth collected for root-hold, colonies of plants grew, wild grape and little palms, maidenhair fern, hibiscus, and tall pampas grass with feathery rods raised above the spike leaves. And in the pool lived frogs and waterskaters, and waterworms crawled on the bottom of the pool. Everything that loved water came to these few shallow places. The cats took their prey there, and strewed feathers and lapped water through their bloody teeth. The little pools were places of life because of the water, and places of killing because of the water, too. ~ Chapter 6, page 85 This imagery suggests that there are two sides to almost everything. The pool is a place of birth for plants and other animals. However, it is also a place of death since predators look for prey here. Steinbeck also applies this principle to the pearl as well. Kino is able to afford the doctor and have his son cured because of the pearl. However, his son ultimately died because of the pearl, too. 10. Significance of title of work: The title of the novel is very symbolic and represents the themes of the story. The way the pearl is described throughout the novel reflects the changes that Kino, the main protagonist, goes through. At first, the pearl is a simple and gorgeous object of nature. Once it becomes intertwined with ideas of material value, greed, and desire, however, it becomes dangerous and destructive. The pearl is an item of natural splendor and goodness that draws out the wickedness innate in men. 11. Authors techniques that are important to this work: One of the special techniques that Steinbeck used in this novel is the way he makes all the characters to seem very realistic. In order to develop the characters that he was creating, John Steinbeck studied the culture, traditions, and the thinking of ancient races like those depicted in the novel. As a result, the novel and its characters are very realistic and believable to the readers. For example: Beware of that kind of tree there, he said, pointing. Do not touch it, for if you do and then touch your eyes, it will blind you. And beware of the tree that bleeds. See, that one over there. For if you break it the red blood will flow from it, and it is evil luck.' ~ Chapter 6, page 76 In this quote, we can clearly learn what Kinos cultures traditions are and what the people of his race think and believe in. One thing we can tell just by looking from this example is that Kinos race thinks that if a tree bleeds, then it is bad luck. This shows us that they are superstitious and might believe in some kind of religion.

Monday, August 19, 2019

A Critique of Colette Dowling?s excerpt of The Cinderella Complex: Wo

The â€Å"battle of the sexes† that rages on today is just as strong as it has always been. Although an ever-increasing number of opinions are being heard and made known, many people are still ignorant and hold on to traditional views that can sometimes be damaging. Even though there has been much progress in the ways of communication and understanding, much is still needed to be done and improved upon. Colette Dowling is a well-respected author on women’s psychological issues who uses her personal experiences and insights to enlighten women about themselves. In Dowling’s excerpt of The Cinderella Complex: Women’s Hidden Fear of Independence, she provides a clearly written and rational explanation on the psychological issues of dependency women exhibit, but lacks in supporting evidence and examples. One night she is lying miserable in bed, sick. She then becomes conscious of the fact that she is not despondent because she feels ill, but because there is no one there to comfort her. She realizes now that this is the way it has always been, she has known no other way. Throughout her childhood she was raised with the notion that someday somehow she would be whisked away by her prince charming and live happily ever after. She did not know what it was like to be truly independent. Nor was she raised to be comfortable with it. Boys were trained to be self-sufficient early on while her parents and society taught her that she did not need to be self-reliant; that she only needed to hold on until her â€Å"savior† came. This person (or so she thought) appeared after she had been raising her children alone for the previous four years. As their relationship grew, they reasoned that it would be good if they moved in together. Soon after moving in together, she found herself sinking into the same routines that she had in her marriage. Slowly but surely she fell into the groove of being a â€Å"good house wife† and stopped feeling the need to pursue her career. She found this surprisingly easy and natural. To take the place of her writing she began doing household chores and started cooking again. Within no time she had gained weight and was starting to feel the inadequacies that go along with not having to support one self. She started to doubt her effectiveness as a writer and ability for self-sufficiency. Her loss of ambition also created an unwanted hardship on the relationship b... ... of the stress that accompanies self-sufficiency. Many women in the modern world simply do not have a father figure around. Without the man being the savior, the girls do not have that crutch to lean on and therefore come to not expect any help in the future. These are the truly independent women of today. They have no choice; either rise up and take care of themselves or fade away. Throughout all of these concerns, one thing is evident and cannot be disputed. Humans are truly creatures of environment and circumstance. What may apply to one may be totally foreign and irrelevant to another. One cannot possibly make a blanket statement and without even researching it, expect it to apply to everyone. This is what Dowling attempts to do. All that she has the authority to speak about is her own personal experiences. She cannot possibly fathom all of the intricacies of human life and expect her personal views to be universal, nor can anyone else. No, she should not have had her book published by Ms. Magazine. Although her experiences may be valid for some, they would not necessarily be beneficial for those who were not brought up as she was. How can one expect to know the mind of all?

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Divine Comedy and the Human Experience :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays

The Divine Comedy: The Depth of Human Experience Religious, structured, and orderly. Although this book is religious through and through, it is also very earthly. You seem to never leave the earth. In fact, there seems to be no difference between earth and the heavenly sphere. It is a solid world, no distinction between mind and matter, everything is touchable. The physical expresses the spiritual, the spirit of God is physical and pervades the physical universe--it's all one place. There is no heaven and hell, it is just all here. For this reason, this book answers all of those questions you had as a kid in Sunday school and nobody could give you a satisfying answer, for instance, where do people go when they die, what does hell look like, what does heaven look like, what is purgatory, and how does one get from purgatory to heaven. Sunday school teachers should just read Dante to the kids--it is the end-all encyclopedia of heaven, hell, and purgatory. The symbolism of the beginning is nice, that he is in a forest being chased by various animals. I can imagine that each of the animals represents some kind of vice and that the part in the woods symbolizes the sinful, confused life full of temptations. It was interesting that Virgil was his guide. I was expecting a more religious character, for instance, Moses--but it later turned out that he was sitting in hell himself! That was an eye-opener. It makes you realize the difference between the old and the new testaments. Even Noah was in hell.(!) But at least they weren't very deep in hell. "All hope abandon ye who enter here." I liked how Hell is an interactive place for Dante. He isn't afraid to "touch the merchandise." Then seizing on his hinder scalp, I cried: "Name thee, or not a hair shall tarry here." He is human, he takes part and overreacts. And he keeps fainting. It's not a Universal Studios ride through hell, but you can actually grab ahold of the props, talk to old friends and acquaintences, and the guide will patiently wait for you when you faint. Another aspect of hell that surprised me was that the devil was standing on a frozen lake. This isn't the picture of Larson's Far Side hell scenes, nor is the devil the cool, rebellious bad boy of Milton's Paradise Lost.