Superstition In Shakespeares The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Essay

Superstition In Shakespeares The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Superstition has been around almost since people first inhabited the earth. For this reason, it has played a main role in many classical pieces of literature. One of Shakespeare’s tragedies, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, is full of superstition and the supernatural. It contained so much superstition in order to foreshadow key events in the plot, to further develop characters, and to thrill and relate to the Elizabethan audience for whom the play was written. Foreshadowing was perhaps the main reason superstition was used in Julius Caesar. The supernatural provided hints to the reader about many important events to come. The most important event that was foreshadowed, without a doubt, was the death of Caesar himself by the hands of Brutus and the conspirators on the ides of March. When the soothsayer cries out â€Å"Beware the ides of march†(312; act1,sc2) he is truly laying the groundwork for the rest of the events leading up to Caesar’s assassination. Although Julius dismisses the soothsay with a simple â€Å"he is a dreamer, let us leave him. Pass.† (313; act1, sc2) the reader realizes that this date will prove important in the near future. To the audience, the prophecies are dramatic irony-when Caesar is warned about the ides of March, we already know what is going to happen to him. (Farrow) That one simple dialogue sets the stage for the rest of the plot to advance swiftly. One of the reasons why this warning may have gone unheeded is because most sooth-sayers were not well respected, though many turned out to be right. â€Å"Since they lack any formal office or shop, and they predict forthcomings without fee, one can see quite easily why citizens would distrust their predictions†(Julius) One of the most graphic examples of Caesar’s death being foreshadowed was most definitely Calpurnia’s dream the night before Caesar is scheduled to go to the Senate. Caesar says â€Å"...she dreamt tonight she saw my statue, which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts, did run pure blood, and many lusty Romans came smiling and did bath their hands in it...†(341; act2, sc2). This very gruesome image is meant to hint at Caesar’s death. However, when Decius arrives at Caesar’s home, he tries to convince Caesar that he has misinterpre... ...sar is catarchic astrology, which determines whether a particular action or decision is suitable to a particular moment. Catarchic astrology is consulted quite often, especially when Caesar is choosing whether to go to the Senate House or not. It truly must have shocked the people of that era when Caesar went to the Capitol against all warnings, because â€Å"Elizabethans generally believed that prophecies were to be taken seriously, and certainly that no prudent statesman could run the risk of ignoring them† (Ribner 58). The people of the Elizabethan era were very proper, and to see someone, even if only a character in a play, break one of the laws of nature in which they so firmly believed, was quite astounding. Truly, Shakespeare wonderfully used superstition and the supernatural to create a masterful literary work. As Ribner said â€Å" We find Shakespeare approaching the matter of history with a surer hand, and out of it creating tragedy of a singular power† (Ribner 58). He accomplished his ultimate goal of using superstition to foreshadow important plot events, to delve deeper into character’s personalities, and to create excitement among the audiences of the Elizabethan era.

In what ways where the lives of people living at home affected by World War One? Essay

World War one began in 1914 when Great Britain declared war on Germany, this war was different to all previous wars for several reasons; it was the first war, which involved so many nations, and also where people at home were affected very greatly indeed. The war affected everyone, not just the soldiers, for the first civilians were killed or injured by German Zeppelins, which were able to fly over to Britain and actually drop bombs on the country. Propaganda was used greatly to influence the way that British people thought about the enemy and it was this key factor, which kept the British people against the Germans. Despite all the negative aspects and outcomes of the war, governments knew that to stand a chance of winning the war they had to invest more money into improving technology and the war was responsible for many technological and medical advances, these advances include the mass-production of the wireless and the discovery of penicillin. As a result of the conflict and the majority of men going off to fight, the role of women improved dramatically, from being the typical housewife and being subject and expected of a very domestic lifestyle, they found that during the war they had to take over the men’s roles, which involved them going out to work in factories and producing munitions. Throughout this essay I am going to look at various areas, as to how and what extent the people on the home front were affected by the war. Section A is very useful as it delivers various sources, secondary and primary and tells in detail the initial impact of the war 1914/1915. Source A1 clearly tells us that WW1 was the first war to affect Britain at home and this is very valid, the source also tells us about the severe increase in political control, the government passing the Defence Of the Realm Act (DORA) in August 1914 which increased the government’s control over the population, to get the most out of the people for the war effort. There was systematic and indeed, deliberate propaganda to influence people to help in the war effort by broadcasting (in cases) mindless nationalism, and this propaganda utilized children a lot to appeal to the people and showed that the Germans soldiers were not doing their job and they enjoyed killing, this infuriated the public and so almost everyone was up for war against Germany. Along with these large scale impacts were minor and social impacts including the cancellation of Bank Holidays and Bonfire Night. This source is secondary evidence, from a British History textbook; it will be well researched and contains factual information rather than speculation based on opinion. Source A2 is a very famous recruiting poster, which was issued in 1914, so therefore it is a primary source, and its purpose was to provoke a response – join the army. The key signifier/central image of the poster is an image of Lord Kitchener and in bold letters at the top of the page it says â€Å"BRITONS†, this is to display loyalty, nationalism and indeed, patriotism. The content of the source is stern and commanding, which instructs the British people to â€Å"do their duty†. At this time it was voluntary, rather than compulsory to join the army, whereas later the government made it compulsory to sign up. Source A2 (ii) delivers a blunt message towards men who didn’t want to participate in the war effort by going off to fight in the trenches. It blatantly displays a man being questioned by his children, and uses the children to appeal to the conscience of British men to make them feel cowardly and disloyal. The government used this type of psychological propaganda to influence people’s thoughts and minds and this created a large impact on their lives. This source is linked to A3 in terms of content, source A3 is a statement which puts psychological pressure on men from parents, peers and in fact, everyone. It states that the consequences would be more severe if they were to stay at home. It shows the effect of propaganda and its enormous impact on people’s lives. Source A4 is a photograph taken outside Southwark Town Hall, December 1915. It is linked to propaganda, and indeed, could be a form of propaganda in itself – as it is a photograph, it could also be set up, everyone seems happy, optimistic and enthusiastic, and this could create pressure on the men from a social aspect despite the fact that all the enthusiasm could only be superficial. The different hats in the photograph represent different social background – the flat hats represent working class and the bowling hats represent middle class, the photo shows definite unity between the classes, they are all merged together and creates an idea of confederacy within society itself. However this could again be superficiality. This section clearly shows that support for the war is very great; the section barely mentions opposition, which is demonstrated in source A6. This shows clearly that there is opposition to the war, although this opposition is a great minority. The source tells of one group of opposition, the â€Å"Women’s International League†. As time went on, this group increased in size. Most were upper class and middle class. They provided peaceful demonstrations by publishing pamphlets and leaflets, and held meetings to try to persuade other women to support them. This is secondary evidence, which has been compiled for a history textbook, so it has obviously been researched very thoroughly and is, therefore, going to be very reliable. Section A shows the initial impacts of the war and shows that the degree of impact was very great especially in the short term and shows that support for the war is very great, however it also tells us that as the war dragged on more and more people began to oppose the war. The section shows a great amount of psychological pressure that was put on the soldiers and the tightening of control over the country that the government had, and how its use of propaganda was able to win over and effectively indoctrinate the minds of the populace. Section B is very revealing, and it displays key and significant impacts towards Britain featuring propaganda, which influenced the way people felt towards the Germans. This section is very important in terms of the impact of the war on people, for example, food rationing and the great medical and technological exaltations. Source B1 (i) clearly shows that coal mining was very important, the government set up a railway committee, which controlled and organised all the country’s railways – coal was needed to run the trains and to effectively run the war, therefore, the government ensured that coal miners did not go out to fight the war and they were told that mining coal was as important as fighting. Source B1 (ii) blatantly demonstrates the effect the U-boat activity had on British citizens – the fact that there was an increase in U-boat activity meant that British supply ships were sunk very often, thus there were great food shortages, which led to food rationing. The people at home had to be fed and the soldiers fighting abroad had to be fed too, this left the government in a bit of a predicament. Food rationing began in 1917 so people had just about enough to eat, this food rationing was brought about by the government to allow them to control the amount of food eaten by the people at home so that if vessels containing food were sunk then it would not have a very great impact on British people at home. The government controlled the price of food such as bread and potatoes. Due to this food rationing, national health was generally not as good. B1 (iii) is clear and shows how the war led to great medical and technological advances. As doctors and surgeons had to treat thousands of injured men, they had to try out new ideas and techniques; penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming, which solved the problem of infection of deep wounds. Due to the war, technicians developed planes to fly faster, further and higher, and were also equipped with weaponry to fight. By the time the war was over, aircraft were the epitome of the times technology and hundreds of young men were able to fly planes. Chemicals were used greatly during the war for creating poison gas and high explosives; these techniques were then used in peacetime for medicine, photography and various other useful establishments. Corporations such as Marconi prospered after the war because of during the conflict they had to produce thousands of wirelesses for the forces and after the war there was great demand for the devices. The war led many medical and technological advances, which is quite ironic considering the nature of the conflict, and these advances were positive, i.e. cures for illnesses and new ways to store blood. A very great impact on peacetime Britain and a long-term impact in terms of medicine and most areas. The source is an extract from â€Å"Modern World History† textbook; therefore it is reliable, as it has been researched thoroughly, although it only shows positive aspects of the war. Source B2is an extract from â€Å"Modern World History†, a textbook that has been researched thoroughly and is reliable. The source clearly demonstrates the impact of propaganda and how it influenced the minds of the British people and portrayed a negative view of the Germans. Many people believed this government propaganda, and as a result Germans living in Britain faced discrimination. Impact was very great in business sectors and many shopkeepers refused to sell German products, the same ideas were present in cafes and restaurants, and the fact that The Royal Family changed their name from a German name to an English name shows how profound and great the impact of anti-German hysteria was. Nationalistic mobs attacked and ransacked shops owned by Germans in some of the major cities in Britain; only a few of the rioters were arrested and those that did were very lightly punished, this shows that the authorities turned a blind eye towards this extreme right wing nationalism. Germans living in Britain were taken away and put into camps until the war was over, for their safety, apparently. The second part of B2 is a photograph that clearly shows anti-German feelings. It shows a mass of people attacking a German shop and this photograph alone shows that the government’s propaganda has worked. Source B3 is secondary evidence written by Robert Roberts, he tells us about better conditions for children as a result of war. He states that by late 1916 children looked better fed, this could be ensued by the fact that there were numerous technological and medical advances during the war. However food shortages were very real and it seems quite hard to comprehend how slum children were becoming better nourished – this could be down to the rationing, giving them a chance to actually have more than they normally have. The source is questionable towards its reliability; the source is secondary, published in 1971. Source B4 (ii) is a political source and shows that the Labour Party benefited in 1916 when Lloyd George formed his war cabinet – they stressed at the same time that labour had no responsibility for the pre-war diplomacy that had led them to the war. Labour prospered because of the war. The same cannot be said for the Liberal Party – many principles of liberalism had to be abandoned such as free trade and voluntary military service. And the public image was damaged by the split between Lloyd George and his followers and the followers of Asquith, which resulted from Lloyd George’s appointment as Prime Minister. The source is secondary evidence derived from the book â€Å"A History Of Wales† 1993 – the source is retrospective, although may not be perfectly accurate and correct. Overall section B is very revealing as it shows the impact the war had on health and medicine – the discovery of penicillin was a significant aspect which solved many problems, the government’s increase in control, such as propaganda and food rationing which influenced the way British people thought and acted. There were many political changes, such as the appointment of Lloyd George as Prime Minister and there was many technological advances i.e. the advancement of aircraft. Section C is helpful because it shows the changing roles of women and work and reveals the impact of the war on women in the short term and long term. Source C1 shows the importance of women on the home front; prior to the war women had been campaigning to get the vote. When the war began, they stopped their protests. Women were needed to support the men and keep their spirits up – they handed out white feathers to the men to encourage them to go out and fight. As most men were in France, fighting in trenches, businesses found themselves short of a solid workforce, so the women took over the jobs, which had been left behind by the men. Some women took over their husband’s jobs, such as grave digging and blacksmiths, whilst others took over jobs directly linked to the war, such as ambulance driving and nursing – many even worked at the front, although far more went to work in banks, offices, and especially, factories where they produced munitions to aid the soldiers and ensure that the troops had a constant supply of weaponry and ammunition. In many cases, women did jobs that had never been done by a women before 1914, this increased women’s confidence and independence significantly. Source C2 is very important in terms of its contents, it states that women played a decisive role in the war effort, the women have been greatly affected by the war, as they are doing jobs which they had never done before the war started. People were also unsure of the future role of women after the war. The source is part of a speech made by Herbert Asquith in the House of Commons in 1917, when he was Prime Minister; in this speech he is clearly saying that women deserve the vote, whereas before the war he had been against women gaining the vote, a great reversal of opinion. Because the Prime Minister had changed his opinion, women received the vote in 1918; it was the war that was a crucial turning point for women to finally gain political equality. Source C3 shows social changes in the lives of women. The attitudes and behaviour of women changed significantly, this change was in towns and cities mostly. These changes were inflicted by an increase in confidence and independence; they began to go out to the theatre and they were affected by fashions. There was a great change from the fundamental lifestyle they’d previously been following. The source is from a report in the Daily Mail – primary evidence. It can be linked with source C8 that clearly shows that women faced many social and sexual changes as a result of World War One. There was a kind of revolution in the lifestyles of women, they began smoking in public and going to pubs with other female friends. They also began to buy their own drinks, which had been uncommon before the war. Source C8 is very reliable as it has been thoroughly researched and published by Louise Black – a very renowned historian. Source C4 is a selection of extracts from various history textbooks and, therefore, is likely to be quite reliable. David Evans tells us that women underwent many social changes and traditional areas of work for women changed. There were also changes in what was expected of women – whereas before the war it was often considered unbecoming for a woman to work, during the war it was considered unpatriotic for them not to. Sarah Davies states that the war was a key point in women gaining independence, which is a valid interpretation and women broke through the barriers, which had confined them to their homes. Dudley Woodget clearly points out that one of the most revolutionary changes of the war was the participation of women in the war effort – upper class women took part in the war effort and did their patriotic duty. These sources are all quite accurate and offer valid interpretations that are reliable. Source C5 is a poster issued by the government during the war, however no date is given. The source is clearly propaganda trying to encourage women to take part in the war effort, and make munitions. The woman is the central image on the poster and she is wearing a uniform, which indicates she is important, in the background there is a soldier waving approval, this shows that women would gain respect and it would entice them to take part. Source C7 is clear in its intentions that explain and perhaps even exaggerates the â€Å"revolution†. The war revolutionized the industrial position of women – they had to take part in the war effort. The source also shows that men’s attitudes towards women’s abilities changed dramatically, and people were made aware of the intelligence and abilities of women. Overall, section C is very informative and displays clearly how the attitudes of women and indeed, towards women changed. There were great changes socially and politically. The war gave women the opportunity to use their abilities and be noticed by society, and obtain equality as citizens. In Britain they obtained the vote in 1918 for women over 30, this was however still not equal with men, who were able to vote at 21. Section D provides a lot of information on the deeper, more profound effects of the war, such as women gaining the vote and the economic impacts of the war. Source D1 (ii) is primary evidence and is a report from the â€Å"Daily Sketch† (December 1917) it is a report about women over 30 gaining the vote, so, therefore, benefiting. This source shows that political and public opinion had changed dramatically. Hypothetically, before the war women would not have gained the vote. The majority, which proved â€Å"surprisingly big†, shows this immense change in opinion. Source D2 shows the long term, deeper, more profound impacts of the war; the death of nearly 750,000 British service men. Most of these deaths were young men aged between 18 and 25. These deaths were tragedies for their families. The long-term effects included children growing up without fathers and widows growing old without husbands. The men who died or were severely injured and left disabled could have grown up to become talented professionals e.g. doctors and mechanics. This generation of men is often referred to as the â€Å"lost generation†, which shows how deep the impact really was. Source D4 shows the economic impact, a general change in the outlook of the economy. Domestic servants were hard to come by – their number had halved during the war. D5 shows the psychological impact of the war on the next generation. It clearly tells of how the dead would never return and the entire nation, and indeed most of the world would have to live with that. It highlights the feelings of those left behind and how they were affected. The source is remembered by Vera Brittain, who worked as a VAD in France, the source is useful because it shows the feelings of those who stayed behind and lost people they knew. Source D7 is very useful. It shows, how in the latter stages of the war, people began to realise the actual amount of casualties and the horrifying conditions the soldiers faced. The disillusionment of patriotism and romantic hero-worship of the early years and given way to the reality. The source is from the Scottish Record Office and is a trustworthy and accurate description of the latter stages of the war. Source D8 shows how newspapers responded to the end of the war – patriotism is shown and the front page is composed entirely of pictures. Flags are present, showing nationalism. This is primary evidence – November 12, 1918. Overall section D is very useful as it shows the long-term effects and indeed, the psychological effects and lasting impact that the war had on those who lost people they knew and on the next generation. It is clear to see that the war had a great impact on the lives of the people at home. This impact was spread across several areas. Some of these effects were on women – they gained independence and were the closest they had ever been to political equality with men, as they gained the right to vote. The lives of the British people on the home front were affected greatly by the food rationing and the use of propaganda influenced the way the people acted and thought towards German people, Germans living in Britain became the victims of discrimination and their establishments (such as shops and houses) were ransacked. To say the least, the greatest impact of the war was the loss of thousands of men and this impact not only affected the people on the frontline and the home front but it would effect countless generations afterwards.

Construction of femininity Essay

The very titles of both plays, Gertrude, The Cry and Ophelia Thinks Harder offer the grounds for the presumption that the central theme is related to a woman. Furthermore, in the light of postmodernism one may presuppose to read the revisionary approach on the woman’s question. Now when Gertrude and Ophelia have become the archetypes, their reading in the postmodernist works gives the possibility to understand the principles of the latest tendencies of the literature. The play expresses the modern understanding of Hamlet by throwing the light upon the subjects that were left enigmatic by Shakespeare. Reading the archetypes in the modern adaptations allow a better understanding of postmodernism. The study’s focus is the representations of Shakespearean Hamlet women in the modern plays. Despite a series of transgressive forms of language in both literary pieces (in particular in Barker’s), the plain-spoken parody on the original play, the focus on the problem and the atmosphere of femininity appear close to original Shakespeare. The atmosphere around femininity in both plays seem more authentic to the heroes of original Hamlet that for example in the representations of 19th [1] century when the femininity was a cult and the femininity of Ophelia was the idyllic example. Is it the genius of Shakespeare to create a play that seems to have constantly the necessity to be unveiled? Is it the work of poststructuralist philosophers that influenced the postmodern authors to re-understand the women in Shakespeare’s literature? Has the urgency of rethinking of the female role through rethinking the femininity finally found its proper reflection in the fiction? Of course, Gertrude and Ophelia represent different and sometimes quite the opposite female types. Gertrude is in her maturity while Ophelia is in her puberty. This difference gives the opportunity to study the whole picture of femininity on different levels. To make the picture complete, both authors introduce new feminine characters. In order not to eclipse Gertrude, Barker omits Ophelia in his adaptation; however he introduces Isola, Claudius mother and Ragusa, somewhere at Ophelia’s place. As for Betts, there are Maid and Virgin Mary; however the plot is formed in a way that to the end of the play there are more female characters than male. Gertrude and Ophelia characters symbolize the eternal problems that women are facing. Different as they are, they always converge. And the study of both of them is necessary for this course of effort to bring the answers to the questions raised above. The philosophical debates over essentialism and femininity, the problems of gender, the rethinking of its ontological construction, the post-structuralism and the deconstruction have been largely introduced in the course of the 20th century [2]. Although, they have some differences in approach, commonly they agree that the femininity is to be socially constructed. It is rather clear that both postmodern writings of Barker and Betts could possibly not disregard these approaches when writing on women. Moreover they are industriously participating in the debates. For example, the plot Ophelia Thinks Harder is explicitly under-wound on gender construction. Barker is focusing more on the relation of femininity and the power. Bett’s claim on Queen: â€Å"We have to work at being women†¦ † (Queen,3,17) highlights the coercive nature of femininity and can recall one the Beauvoir’s famous claim that one is not born, but rather becomes a woman[3]. Femininity construction in the conventional understanding is regarded as the â€Å"the art that [all the heterosexual women] must master†(Queen, Scene 3, p. 16). It is quite natural that all the compulsory is to be criticized in the western democratic society. However the femininity is compelled so slight and subtle that one can possibly not be aware of it. But the outcome of this compelled femininity can be more dangerous to the point that one can believe and can touch all the levels of human being. This is what this study will attempt to highlight in this work. It is sad to mark that this is the prevailing philosophy as for gender problems finds its supporters mainly in the homosexual ranges. [4] With all my respect for the diversity, in some cases it is like Barker’s Hamlet who â€Å"will write the Book of Love whilst having never oh not ever loved† (Hamlet, Scene 13, p. 55). While the heterosexual women suffer of so many not less urgent problems of no solution. What is the role for example of the philosophy on gender, treating the problems of femininity in the issue of domestic violence. A 1992 Council of Europe study on domestic violence against women found that one in four women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes, 400 hundred women die because of their partner’s violence every year [5]. Generally speaking, the contemporary philosophical orientation is hardly finding something constructive to propose at least for heterosexual women leaving the contradiction unresolved. Efrat Tseelon criticizes the modern authors regarding the woman’s question in â€Å"The Masque of Femininity†: â€Å"My claim is that this tradition covers very different theoretical explanations. It ranges from mythological and theological descriptions which define the essence of a woman as dissimulation, to psychoanalytic accounts and contemporary social theory which define the essence of femininity as an inessential social construction†[6]. Majority of the postmodern writers and philosophers, who are focusing on femininity, give the answers principally on the deconstruction of gender. Some tendencies for internationalized feminism take into consideration the women of the third world situations as highly appreciable [7]. However, similar problems in the western society do not have the sufficient treat. Even if theories exist, they are too difficult to adopt in real life for the heterosexual majority of women as it is proved in Ophelia Thinks Harder. In this context literary works treating questions concerning women again become more important. They are indispensable in understanding femininity in modern terms. Inasmuch as studying them contributes to the working on the consciousness. And it is due to the quality of the literature independent of the conventional construction or philosophical trends and largely contributing into both, to intersect the theory and the real life. Whereas Howard Barker’s intentions are rather cryptic, Jean Betts provides the both in her work: her work is full of incomparable imagination, she provides the historical and philosophical data from Aristotle to Queen Elizabeth and the outline of Christian thought over femininity and she evokes for the representations of women in all the dimensions. Of course such approach helps her preliminarily to put some light on the original character of Shakespearean Ophelia by the introduction of the thought on femininity in the period when Shakespeare created Ophelia, the post-Elizabethan period, the beginning of the 17th century. This information in the guise of fiction makes apparent the true reason of Shakespearean Ophelia’s collapse. Women were regarded as physiologically â€Å"failed men† – as a product of incomplete development caused by insufficient generative heat in the womb. They were seen as the effeminate man, the aberrations of effeminacy. Woman’s sexuality was thought of almost a separate organism within the woman, with a will – womb[8]. Calling back to these perversions in the postmodernist frame allows the reader to question the hegemonic cultural discourse of nowadays. Whereas Betts is trying in her own words to help to â€Å"dismantle some of the foundations of this deeply buried prejudice against women†, (Writer’s Notes, Ophelia Thinks Harder), Barker is focusing more on the sexuality of the femininity as the power and the tragic outcome of the excess of the femininity and feminine sexuality. He questions the verity of the sexual feminine liberation and if it really liberates the woman. Undoubtedly a certain sexual feminine liberation has become a part of the conventional construction of femininity. However, there is no seamless category of conventional femininity, no for femininity as there is no seamless category for the woman. â€Å"The very subject of women is no longer understood in stable or abiding terms†[9]. The best possible definition for the conventional femininity gives Betts’s Gertrude: â€Å"†¦ display her wares†¦ you’ll dazzle them all†¦ a fantastical cosmetic and corset fitting process; e. g. Eyebrow plucking, leg waxing, arm oiling, nails, garish face mask, fierce corsetry, grossly padded bra, chastity belt, etc†¦ You will delight, but not over-excite. †¦ a pure sweet, submissive little virgin†¦ † The conventional femininity is double-faced. Having Chaste Mary as an ideal, the feminine best culmination is â€Å"to play the cards right†. What Ragusa has actually performed. †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ marriage is the greatest moment in a woman’s life to be a bride the day of all days†¦ † (Ragusa, Scene 15, p. 63). Trying her best to construct the feminine self, she married Hamlet and inherited the throne after his death. Ophelia’s Mother suggests: â€Å"women are treacherous, sly, scheming, deceitful†¦ †. Even making children in the conventional understanding of the femininity is corresponded to please or manipulate man: â€Å"They want kids, do it. They don’t – well come to me and I’ll help you when the time comes. â€Å"; â€Å"A woman with a son is powerful. † (Queen, Scene 3, p. 17; 19) However, in the original version Gertrude had nothing but sufferance and the collapse of her life because of her son, who did not accept her mode of life. The response is paradoxically given by the same all feminine Betts Gertrude: â€Å"-and we are inconsiderate enough not to give a shit what driveling adolescents like you think. † (Queen, Scene 7, p. 54). Of course, Barker’s power of Gertrude is certainly far from her bearing a son. Unmasking the masquerade Insomuch as the woman’s question is to be read the titles of both plays, the unthought-of before or rethought (thinks harder) and a sore utterance of the extreme feelings (the cry) are manifesting. Shakespearean women thus have a chance to cry out their repressed truths. It is absolutely normal when taking in consideration the historic-cultural context of the role of gender in the Shakespearean period that women like Gertrude and Ophelia, were shown and identified by their relation to men. It is of the great achievements of Shakespeare to draw the remarried widow as the tragic hero when â€Å"for playwrights of the early modern period, a remarrying widow was a subject for comedy†[10]. Today, in the light of deconstruction, what was identified as the feminine can turn to be masculine and vice-versa theoretically [11]. Practically, the process of choosing the gender is not without the desperate torments. The femininity as the obstruction to the knowledge in Betts version and the extreme feminine sexuality of as the pseudo pluck of the apple of forbidden knowledge in Barkers are the central themes in the plays. Betts’ Ophelia hence thinks harder than the original Shakespearean one. What does this possibility to think or to rethink presents for the female? Shakespearean Ophelia’s life was predicated by what men around her thought. Her father and brother decided how she should behave herself. Hamlet’s refusal of her was fatal. Betts offers Ophelia the choice to think herself for her life, what will it turn to? As for Gertrude, will her cry hush the desperate attempts of Hamlet to de-sexualize her? Is the cry the horror and sexual pleasure of her femininity or does it stand over female and masculine categories? Modern Shakespeare suggests that Gertrude’s flagrancy, her over sexualized femininity cost the life of another feminine innocent Ophelia [12]. Indeed desire and death go traditionally together as proved above, but what is the place of the femininity in desire? Even if it is true, why should the feminine sexual desire be identified with femininity? And why should the masculine desire excuse itself by femininity? In Betts rewriting, Ophelia is in the same cultural context, the oppressed woman, the same â€Å"mad fool† (Queen, 7, 52) boyfriend Hamlet. It should therefore come as no surprise, that her desperate attempts of thinking meet the terrible attacks from all the members of the society. To condemn these attempts on failure, they take an argument that thinking is not feminine, accusing Ophelia of not being feminine. Throughout the play Betts is proving that the imposed conventional femininity is an instrument to prevent the woman to think. She focuses in particular on why thinking for a woman is so dangerous in the conventional understanding. The power stands for the explanation and certainly not a â€Å"psychotic clown† who sets the rules. The power serves as the relationship between individuals. The one who possesses the knowledge possesses the power. Isn’t after overcoming the conventional femininity and get educated that: â€Å"we dress up to learn, to write, to get published†¦ be lawyers, doctors, lead armies, run countries†¦ † (R&G, Scene 8) that the gender war is foreseen to happen: â€Å"I see strife; I see gender war; I see the initial X†(First Woman 4, 26). At first glance, Barker’s Gertrude possesses the power. She is evidently more delighted with her sexual power than the political one that she posses with her statute of the queen. From her comes out the cry, the extreme point of ever possible desire and pleasure and of horror. The extreme desire is always conventionally associated with sin as well as with feminine. This is evident in the story of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. The first sin has become sexualized with Eve’s violation of God’s specific instruction [13] The Cry is like the reproduction of the first sentiment that the new sinful world lived: the desire and the horror. Gertrude possesses this cry. Is the extreme femininity the way to posses the cry or does it come out of the brain that has no binary category? â€Å"MY BRAIN IS WHERE DESIRE IS† (Hamlet 5, 28) Where is the place of the intellect in the conventional construction of the femininity? Knowledge and desire go together. As mentioned above was it not for the desire of knowledge that the first sin occurred? Therefore, knowledge is interpreted as unnatural to female. As the epigraph to Ophelia Thinks Harder proposes: â€Å"Laborious learning or painful pondering, even if woman should greatly succeed in it, destroy the merits that are proper to her sex† (Kant). In the course of all these tormenting moments of thinking, Betts’ Ophelia is read as what is in the psychoanalytic terms called bisexual: not feminine, not masculine. At least she is resisting to become feminine. Before getting down on why she is refusing the conventional femininity, one should clearly make the difference between the biological sex and the socially constructed femininity or masculinity. Freud claims that the child is born bisexual and femininity or masculinity is constructed [14]. Following the psychological steps related to his parents the child develops his/her masculinity/femininity. Then as it is developing it is influenced by the socio cultural frames. Together with the theory of deconstruction they would consider us to read Ophelia bisexual. Indeed she claims that she does not want to be the man, nor the woman (Scene 3, 17). However her bisexuality is also determined by the social frames. She does not want not to be the man, nor the woman because she does not want to be seen like conventional feminine or masculine. The conventional understanding of the femininity does not correspond to her individuality. Hence, she is refusing the conventional notion of being feminine: â€Å"Behavior as instinctive as a cat’s with a bird†¦ † (Hamlet, Scene 1, p. 3); â€Å"†¦ viper†¦ like Eve would arouse in him evil and lust (Hamlet, Scene 4, p. 29) or â€Å"The lady doth protest too much†(III,ii,225) She is refusing to be tough and try to corrupt the man she is not. She is refusing to be tough to be overwhelmed with her sexuality as something shameful. â€Å" Hormones, cycles of blood, reproductive turmoil-you are flushed with your female destiny-you are adulated, euphoric-yes-you are clearly in love†¦ † (Hamlet, Scene 1, p. 3). If choosing gender in the natural way is as impossible as it was in the original version and if we know that the femininity is rooted in the social construction is it left to the society to decide if she becomes a normal woman [feminine]? Is there a solution to stand out the opinion of the society? On one hand Barker’s Gertrude is independent from the society’s opinion, on the other she is strongly dependent on others, as she needs to astonish. The conflict in Ophelia Thinks Harder lies in Ophelia’s resistance to the psychic subordination of the conventional. Being female, according to the social conventions her body must be superior to her mind, while the masculinity would be gifted with mind and femininity with body. Ophelia is forced to be separated from her mind and to delight and be delighted by her feminine body. She is not abnormal or exceptional. â€Å"The thousands of us† (Scene 8, p. 66) had to disguise as men to be disjoined from their minds. Judith Butler is decisive upon Beauvoir proposal that the female body ought to be the situation and the instrumentality of the woman’s freedom, not a defining and limiting essence [15]. She writes: â€Å"In the philosophical tradition that begins with Plato and continues through Descartes, Husserl, and Sartre, the ontological distinction between soul (consciousness, mind) and body invariably supports relations of political and psychic subordination and hierarchy†. While Betts uncovers the diverse and dissimilar states of female’s self-construction, Barker is focusing on the exploration of the body. Helen Cixous is speaking about the writing of the female body [16]. Quite in a similar way, Barker is studying the possibility of â€Å"learning to approach their [women’s] own forbidden bodies†. Indeed one can mark the parallel even in the titles with The Laughter of Medusa and Gertrude The Cry. Barker’s Gertrude claim â€Å"I’ve made an instrument out of my body† (Scene 14, p. 62). Gertrude explores and perceives the knowledge through the possibilities of her body. Of course Barker has not invented that Gertrude is exploring her sexuality. Shakespearean theme is also read in Betts: â€Å"it may come as a shock, little boy, but quite a lot a lot of people over 30 fondle each other. Oh yes; Claudius and I†¦ HAVE SEX. † (Queen, Scene 7, p. 54).

Cannabis and Health Canada

Cannabis has been a part of human existence for thousand of years. People used cannabis as a necessity of life. People depended on cannabis to live longer than they depended on money. Today In Canada, cannabis was scheduled In the same class as heroine in Canada. Health Canada has a program for medical cannabis patients but that is not enough because growing cannabis is illegal and people cannot use it as a medicine if they cannot pay a hefty fee for license and doctors. The doctors would prescribe the patients any pharmaceutical drugs before cannabis.They forgot (or uneducated) that cannabis was humans' main medicine and pharmaceutical drug as only a man-made substitution. Decentralized cannabis Is an advantage for black market drug trafficking, fraud and opportunities for pharmaceutical company to take advantage of dying patients to pocket millions of dollars on prescription drugs. This has to be changed. Teenagers and young adults should be taught differently about cannabis in Can ada. They should be told the truth of how cannabis was mandatory for the Canadians before the refer madness and how cannabis was once considered as a medicine In human history, rather than a scheduled drug.They should be Informed that cannabis should be one of their medication and they should eave the freedom of choosing to use cannabis correctly and safely. Oh Cannabis! Was created in 2014 as an educational exhibit for students from 16- 21 . The target audiences are young people who would like to learn the medical benefits of marijuana in an educational way. They are interested on the reasons Justine Trusted spoke about cannabis to elementary students and wondered if what the government taught them about cannabis Is updated and correct Oh Cannabis! Ivies updated data and Information on cannabis use, pros and cons, true/false Information of cannabis, where in Canada that has the most grow pop raid and the history of anabas in Canada. Alcohol and cigarette is the two most dangerous d rugs that have been regulated for people who are over 19 years of age. The government should do the same thing for the safety of teenagers (teenager 5 has been using cannabis before cigarette or alcohol) and to bring back what was once a mandatory plant In human history Display type is Babes Nine Regular.It's strong for regular typeface and therefore gives better contrasts to the headers. Headers are strong and need to be legible. Babes Nine has both of those characteristics and with a right contrasting colors, it loud make a good header for the header for the color palette of Oh Cannabis!. Body type Is Thinners Regular. It Is a nice, tall typeface that Is Interesting to read. It Is a sans serif font that has very Interesting numbers, With the black and white choice of contrast, the font stands out nicely.With a nice leading, the font gives itself a dramatic and clean look. It is good for body type because of its high legibility. It makes a different choice of font since it is not t he regular Helvetica or Myriad Pro. Oh Cannabis! Is an interesting, dramatic and adventurous brand for young people ho are In high school or college. Red and yellow are hormonally with green color like red and yellow but white also works as well on red and green. For IMPS 16, yellow was not 100% Y therefore, would be acceptable to use with white. Oh Cannabis! Incidental match the shade of Restrain colors; the colors are well known in the cannabis culture. The colors work out perfectly for the brand and would be easily recognized for the topic it holds. As an exhibit for cannabis in Canada, cannabis leave is the number one imagery that would be used throughout the brand. The symbol of the medicinal cross represents he medicinal purposes and properties of cannabis. When thinking about using marijuana, the method that is used a lot other than rolling papers is smoking through water pipes, also known as bongs.It is more visible and not being mistaken as a cigarette. It is also suitable for the age group and would catch attention of the main target audiences. This exhibit is related a lot to Canadians; therefore the map of Canada is the best option that could represent where the information for this exhibit came from. Cannabis leaf is presented in every single one of the brand imagery as the entire topic is about cannabis. The first identification signage is located on Don Mills Road, the main road that would lead to the entrance of Ontario Science Center.The banner will contain the name of the exhibit, images, date and venue where the exhibit is held. The banners would be printed on hemp fabric with vinyl coating to withstand the weather (avoiding paint to fade under the sun and rain). The pole is 100% hemp wood and the strings to tie those banners will be made of hemp fiber. After the exhibit, the whole pole would be taken down and recycle. As an CEO-friendly exhibit, most everything that is presented is made out of hemp and is recyclable. The main identification signage will be positioned at the main entrance.It is 10 feet tall and can be seen from far away, The title, word mark and date of the exhibit is painted on cutout hemp panels and put on top of the main signage as it would be seen from miles away, The door frame would be made out of hemp wood panels to keep the organic look and texture. To create an adventurous feel, the doorway is decorated with hemp paper cutout of cannabis leaves, to imitate the entrance of the cannabis Jungle. The map of the exhibit site is located at the main entrance of the Ontario Science Center. The map would be printed on hemp paper and laminated to a hemp wood panel with vinyl top coating.It would show the map of the 6th level, where the exhibit would be held. The services that would present in the map are: washroom, payphone, emergency exit (stairs that will lead to the lower level), elevators, escalators, food service, automated electronic defibrillator and designated pot smoking area of the floor. It w ould be used to give directions to visitors and to provide correct emergency services. To make the theme even better than any other exhibit and to promote the use of cannabis, a rule of only cannabis smoking/ use loud be present for the patio of this floor.An offset of Ontario Science Center will be Oh Cannabis! Landmark is in the shape of a large water pipe (also known as a bong). It would be made of solid hemp wood, painted red and with the exhibit brand mark painted white. The landmark is painted red as an intention so everyone could to see it from a great distance. Red is the most noticeable color on the map therefore people would remember to look for a enormous red bong. Using the same water pipe image as the brand imagery to make sure to people they know what they are looking or, the band mark is built through out the exhibition.The brand mark and imagery is painted white on the red bong. The landmark is located left of at the 6th level main entrance (where the main escalator and elevator exit is). People need to see the landmark on the left to avoid turning right and wandering the right side of the floor. From the landmark, there is a hallway going to the right and it will take visitors to the main exhibit site. Directional signage will lead visitors to the correct services they are looking for. Directional signage is made with hemp wood panels on a hemp wood pole. The writings and arrow would be painted on the panels and nailed onto the pole.The brand mark of the exhibition is on the top panel of the signage to make sure that the direction is belongs to the location of the exhibit. The panels would direct visitors to services such as washroom, restaurant, smoking area and emergency service. The directional sign would be placed at the exit and entrance of the exhibit. It is helpful for finding locations for emergencies and other services quickly when the visitors are on the exhibition site. On the door of the bathrooms, there are cannabis image to prese nt that the visitors are in the closest washroom of Oh Cannabis!.The exhibit display contains the main information of the exhibit; cannabis in Canada. Exhibit display is designed and printed on hemp paper then laminated to a hemp wood panel. It would be placed in the middle of the exhibit, where everyone can gather to take a look at the information and graphics on the topic of cannabis in Canada. The display panel included information on history of cannabis, the definition and the myths were told. It also includes the pros and cons of cannabis use and how many young people are voting for the legalization of cannabis.The display panel used the same color palette as the brand mark to create the unity for the brand. The information on the panel is selected from different sources of news and researches. Kronor is a lifestyle and health magazine focusing on cannabis culture in Canada and world-wide. It brings updated cannabis news, people's life with cannabis, medical benefits of marijua na and current status of legalization of marijuana in Canada and the world. KRONOR – is pronounced like â€Å"chronic† that is another street name for cannabis. Ironically, cannabis is used to treat a lot of chronic conditions like cancer, reps, anorexia and so many more.As a medical cannabis magazine, it is important that the target audiences understand the meaning behind the name of the brand. The name KRONOR would appeals to medical cannabis users at any age and gender. Cannabis Culture and 420 Magazine. Even they are the magazines that focus mainly on the recreational use of cannabis, they are more established and sponsored by the biggest corporations of the industry. However, Kronor would focus on the information of cannabis in Canada and would attract Canadians worldwide. Kronor also is used to promote the cannabis industry in Canada.The target audiences for the magazine are anyone who use or have interest in cannabis as a medicine. They are in the age group of 2 5-35. They have mid income of annually. They are health conscious and they know the health benefits of cannabis. They want to see the change in cannabis legalization. Images should reflect the dramatic debates over the legalization of marijuana. Background image represents the feature article of the issue. NAMEPLATES Placement of the nameplate is optional according to the cover image. However, the ideal position for the nameplate is centered at the top of the cover image.It also affects the determination of the color of the nameplate. A nameplate contains the issue number and the issue dates. It locates under the logo for easier eye-flow. BANNERS Banner contains the bar code, magazine website and price of the issue. Banner is placed on the left bottom corner of the magazine. IMAGES Images must reflect a healthy, positive and earthy tone of voice. Background should contain images of cannabis and/or the current events that related to the feature article. Images should be adjusted to c ontrast with the feature article title and the nameplate.

Developing Conceptual Frameworks Are a Time Wasting Activity Essay

Developing Conceptual Frameworks Are a Time Wasting Activity - Essay Example The financial accounting theory functions on the basis of conceptual framework, explains the observed accounting practices and predicts the unobserved practices. The theoretical framework of accounting evolved significantly in the 20th century following the market crash in 1929 and recent financial crisis. The major accounting theories, developed in 20th century are Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH), fundamental analysis model, CAPM, positive accounting theory and critical perspective model. These theories were criticised by SATTA (Statement of Accounting Theory & Theory Acceptance) giving the reasons why these theories could not gain general acceptance. The main points of criticism were real world complexity, varying requirements of user groups, and failed interpretation of security price behaviour through EMH, costs of adopting accounting standards more than the benefits and limited capacity of users in assimilation and analysis of accounting information. Further, to understand the implications of conceptual framework example of the joint project of IASB and FASB for the convergence of their respective conceptual frameworks is discussed. ...Conceptual Framework A conceptual framework explains the key factors, variables or constructs and their presumed interrelationships either in a narrative form or graphic form (Miles & Huberman, 1999, p.18). It is primarily a model or conception of what is meant to be studied i.e. the system of assumptions, concept, beliefs, expectations and theories. Its function is to help assess the goals, develop relevant and realistic research questions, select apt methods and identify the validity threats to the conclusion. The conceptual framework also helps in justifying the research. It is like a tentative theory which may or may not be complete. In order to construct a conceptual framework of a study the sources which can be used are: experiential knowledge, existing research and theory, exploratory research and thought experiment s (Maxwell, 2005, p.33-37). The experiential knowledge is the most important and neglected source for conceptual framework and bringing it in the research is treated as bias whereas Peshkin (1988) has strongly argued that the researchers should seek subjectivity in a systematic manner rather than in retrospective manner when the data collection and analysis is complete (Peshkin, 1988, p.17). A belief is a subjective condition of knowledge. For example in order to know a proposition ‘P’, one has to believe ‘P’ (Hospers, 1997, p.40).

The dark side of uhckleberry finn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The dark side of uhckleberry finn - Essay Example The dark side of the story and of Huckleberry Finn himself is the central dilemma for Finn regarding what he should do with the escaped slave and his friend, Jim. Slavery and the ownership of one man by another was an accepted fact in the times and Huckleberry Finn is actually troubled by the concept that he is aiding and abetting an escaped slave (Bennett, 1974). His conscious is bothering him since civil duties and civic responsibilities ask him to return his friend to the master so he can be punished for his behavior while loyalty asks him to continue to help his buddy get to eventual freedom. Huck discusses this dilemma and debates it with himself when he says: â€Å"I tried to make out to myself that I warn’t to blame, because I didn’t run Jim off from his rightful owner; but it warn’t no use, conscience up and say, every time: ‘But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could a paddled ashore and told somebody (Wikisource, 2006).† F urther on in the passage Huck says: Conscience says to me: ‘What had poor Miss Watson done to you, that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word? What did that poor old woman do to you, that you could treat her so mean? I got to feeling so mean and so miserable I most wished I was dead (Wikisource, 2006).† Huck is placed in the same dilemma again when he learns that Jim wants to steal his wife and children as well. Of course we can certainly appreciate the motives of Jim since he wishes to have his family with him and be free from the bondage of slavery but again Huckleberry Finn asks himself if he is doing the right thing by taking another man’s property (Bennett, 1974). While Finn is not above petty theft, he draws the line when it comes to real valuable property i.e. slaves, inheritance and entertainment money which belong to someone else. Essentially, it had

Photosynthesis Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Photosynthesis - Lab Report Example Leaf discs used in this experiment have chloroplasts and contain the green coloring matter, chlorophyll; therefore photosynthesis takes place in the given leaves under favorable conditions. In this experiment, effects of different colors of light on the rate of photosynthesis will be investigated. The experiment will determine the effects of blue and green light on the rate of photosynthesis in leaf discs of English ivy (Hedera Helix). Energy levels recorded in different colors (wavelengths) of light and absorption of light by a leaf are correlated to the rate of photosynthesis. Blue light has been identified to have a higher absorbance by pigments of photosynthesis in plants and it also has a higher energy wavelength compared to green light. Therefore, leaf disks of English ivy placed in blue light will be expected to have a higher rate of photosynthesis compared to leaf disks of English ivy placed in green light. In the first experiment, we measured the rate of photosynthesis under blue and green lights. For each sample, the rate of photosynthesis was monitored to demonstrate that each color had an effect on the rate with which the discs of English ivy will photosynthesize. Discs under the green light photosynthesized faster than leaf discs under the blue light in this first experiment. Results obtained were believed not to be correct since photosynthesis is supposed to be faster under the blue light. A possible explanation for these results could be that the foils that were used to cover the beakers could have reflected some light therefore making leaf discs under green light to photosynthesize faster compared to those under blue light. A second experiment was conducted since data obtained from the first experiment was not accurate according to hypothesis. Only two beakers were used, one for green light and the other for blue light. The beakers were covered by green and blue circular filters.