Who or What Is Responsible for the Downfall of Macbeth Free Essays

â€Å"Who or what is responsible for the downfall of Macbeth† â€Å"For brave Macbeth–well he deserves that name– Disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valour’s minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave; Which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,Till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps,And fix’d his head upon our battlements. † – Act 1 scene II â€Å"The tragedy of Macbeth† is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays about a man who murders his king and continues to commit other acts of villainy to secure his position of power. The broad spectrum for the downfall of Macbeth would include the three witches, Lady Macbeth and who else but Macbeth himself. We will write a custom essay sample on Who or What Is Responsible for the Downfall of Macbeth or any similar topic only for you Order Now For it is his own ambitious nature, insecurity and fear that drives him into creating his own ruination. Our first impression of the character Macbeth is through the words of others, the wounded sergeant who praises him for his valor. This is followed by Duncan’s words of praise as he refers to him as â€Å"O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman! †. However these heroic accolades do not seem to last long as our perception of his character is tainted after his meeting with the witches. Macbeth is shown to be entranced by the prophecies made by the witches and moves through a dreamlike state and seems to be â€Å"possessed† or in a trance (whether it being literal or simply an act of his own doubts this is debatable). Some may see Macbeth simply as a puppet being controlled by supernatural forces as he is twice described to be â€Å"rapt† and be quick to blame his downfall on a twisted turn of fate, or inedibility. Though the witches are held responsible for the initial inception of the idea, judging that Macbeth is one of sound mind and body, he should be strong willed enough to be able to resist temptations. In fact his inability to do so, is further echoed in our hearts by the comparison between his and Banquo’s reaction. After the second prophecy becomes true, Macbeth’s first thoughts turn to murder. He demonstrates his terror at having these thoughts and â€Å"horrible imaginings† enter his mind, with his heart â€Å"knocking at his ribs†. From this e can gather that Macbeth would have originally possessed the ambitious murderous nature that proceeds to take over, giving the readers a glimpse at his â€Å"darker side†. His earlier thoughts of betrayal can also be seen from his reaction to Duncan naming Malcom his successor. â€Å"Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires: / The eye wink at the hand! yet let that be, /† M acbeth is disappointed in Duncan’s choice and once again thinks about murder to gain kingship, a clear example of how his ambition begins to brew within him. Though Macbeth is ultimately responsible for his own tragedy, Shakespeare paints the roles of women in the play as evil, manipulative and ambitious, even going far enough to push past traditional female virtues to create characters that enrich the plot. Exploring the relationship between gender, masculinity and power, bringing in ideals of bravery, power, violence and force of will. A correlation between manhood and displays of violence and cruelty is also heavily implied by the characters. Throughout the play Lady Macbeth is seen as a frighteningly manipulative woman, as she constantly emasculates her husband. Knowing of his desperation to prove his manliness, she calls him a coward and insults his manliness, Macbeth falls a dumb victim to this manipulation. Many argue that since Shakespeare’s treatment of women is misogynistic, the women of this play must be held responsible as it is heavily implied that women are the cause for the bloody action of this play, however this is not the case. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are the heart of the play, as it is only through their ambitious nature which drives the bloody motion in the play forward. However later on in the play, Macbeth is shown to act more willfully, shown by his improvisations on the morning of Duncan’s murder, his decision to murder Banquo and Fleance, his decision to kill Macduff’s wife and child and even acts indifferently to the news of his wife’s death. He begins to gradually isolate himself from his wife, clearly indicating how he has cut all ties with Lady Macbeth as his lust for kingship takes over and consumes him, once again acting upon his own free will. Though a man of unspeakable evil, Macbeth differs from the traditional Shakespearean villain as he is unable to completely conquer his feelings of guilt and self doubt, enabling a much more complex emotional turmoil, displaying the dramatic collapse from what he was to what he became. Throughout the play, Shakespeare brings out the ambivalent personality of Macbeth (this being particularly obvious in the early stages after certain encounters with women) as blind ambition obliterates his earlier attributes as he comes out as a tyrant. His ambitious nature has clearly lead to ill effects upon himself, as he becomes tempted with these ideals and becomes a tyrant. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s dialogue and actions showcase his overwhelming guilt (appearing in physical forms of apparitions and hallucinations). Demonstrating that Macbeth is fully aware of his wrongdoings and understands that his actions are corrupt. Despite the guilt that is driving him insane, Macbeth makes no effort in stopping his wrongdoings. â€Å"All causes shall give way:/ I am in blood Stepp’d in so far that, /should I wade no more, /Returning were as tedious as go o’er†/. Bringing out his underlying characteristics within his personality, allowing to readers to understand that his subsequent acts of murder are motivated by his fear and insecurity over loosing his kingship and of the discovery of his crimes. Macbeth demonstrates that he has a conscious and knows his thoughts are immoral and evil, â€Å"My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, / Shakes so my single state of man that function / Is smother’d in surmise; and nothing is / But what is not†. In spite of all of these , Macbeth makes no attempt to repent or reverse his situation and is therefore responsible for his own tragedy. In conclusion, Macbeth himself is responsible for his own downfall for several reasons. Though the witches’ predictions are responsible for initiating his downward spiral, Macbeth was the one who first thought about killing Duncan. Lady Macbeth’s ruthless ambition and manipulative nature influenced his thoughts, however it was Macbeth that allowed his wife to gain so much control over him, allowing her influence and putting power into her hands (though eventually cutting all ties with her and acting out of his own evilness). His ruthless ambition drives him to violence, his insecurities about his masculinity allows him to be manipulated and his lack of courage stops him from trying to reverse or resist his own tragedy. That is why, Macbeth must be solely responsible for his downfall. â€Å"Out, out, brief candle! / Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,/That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, / And then is heard no more. / It is a tale /Told by an idiot, / full of sound and fury,? Signifying nothing. /† – Act V, scene V How to cite Who or What Is Responsible for the Downfall of Macbeth, Essay examples

The Use of Pink and Purple to Market to Girls free essay sample

Why Pink? In a survey, the correlation of pink with femininity by both male and female respondents was over 76% (Koller 404). What about the color Purple? Purple is a color associated with feminism because of such works as The Color Purple (1982) and the Woman’s Suffrage movement. Because of these color associations with the female gender, toy manufactures have created and boxed their products in all shades of pink and purple. One can see this marketing trend at their local Toys R Us store. By contrasting several toys for various age groups, we will see that pink and purple predominate in the marketing of our young female children. When discussing the toys chosen for comparison, the following age groups are used: Early Elementary (5- to 7-year-olds), Tween (8- to 11-year-olds), and Early Teen (12- to 14-year-olds). For comparison purposes, I randomly picked four toys per age group from my local Toys R Us. We will write a custom essay sample on The Use of Pink and Purple to Market to Girls or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The toys chosen for the Early Elementary group are the Friends Olivia’s House by LEGO, the Totally Me! Make Your Own Greeting Cards by Toys R Us, the Strawberry Shortcake Berry Best Collection Doll Set by Hasbro, and the Dream Dazzlers Dress Up Trunk by Toys R Us. The Friends House, with its hues of pink and purple, targets females with its five cartoon girls having fun together on the box. The Make Your Own’s box has a picture of a real girl showing off her greeting cards amid a background of pink and purple. The Strawberry Shortcake box is the odd ball of the group with its bright yellow box, but the background behind the clear view of the five female dolls is still a bright pink. The Dream Dazzlers box has a picture of six young girls all dressed up in the box’s contents and is the typical pink and purple we have come to expect. The toys chosen for the Tween group are the Tapeffiti 30-Piece Caddy by Fashion Angels, the Blingles Bling Studio by Moose Toys, the Project Runway Fashion Design Sketch Portfolio by Fashion Angels, and the Happy Handle Stamp Set by Melissa Doug. With its use of various shades of pink and purple, the Tapeffiti is a prime choice for girls. The Bling Studio itself is a purple and pink toy contained within a purple, pink, and black box showing the sparkly beads Tweens love. The Sketch Portfolio targets girls with its picture of four young, fashionable females sketched on the cover of black trimmed with blue and a pink stencil. The Stamp Set, while not specifically targeting girls, does have designs that would cause it to lean towards femininity—a smiley face, a flower, a paw print, a heart, a butterfly, and lips. The toys chosen for the Early Teen group are the 24-inch Love Bike by Toys R Us, the Monster High: Ghoul Spirit for Nintendo DS by THQ, the RipStik Caster Board by Razor, and the Justin Bieber ‘Justin’s World’ Comforter Sham Set by Sandra Home Fashion. The Love Bike contains contrasting colors of black and white with pops of neon purple and pink that makes it gender-specific. The Monster High game has an image of three girls on the cover that contains a large pink coffin that screams girls, girls, girls buy me! The RipStik Caster Board comes in five different colors (red, pink, blue, sliver, and black) that make this gender-neutral. The Comforter Sham Set is various shades of pink and purple trimmed in white and a large life-like picture of Justin Bieber on it specifically meant for the thousands of girls that long to be his girlfriend. Most of our toys were gender-specific towards girls and used predominately pink and purple for the toy and/or the toy’s packaging. Two of our toys are gender-neutral—the RipStik Castor Board and the Happy Handle Stamp as they use those bold and darker colors typically associated with boy toys (Auster and Mansbach 377). Two of our toys predominately used colors other than pink or purple to market their products—the Strawberry Shortcake (yellow) and the Sketch Portfolio (black and light blue). One can see that a trip down any isle of girl toys at our local Toys R Us will bombard us in an easily recognized wall of pink and purple that is a shrine for girls and a repellant for boys (Seiter 236).

The Status of Native Culture and Identity In Contemporary Society Depicted In Thomas King’s Borders free essay sample

Thomas King’s Borders, is a first person narrative designed to represent the continuing loss of identity experienced by the native population in contemporary North America. Borders tells the story of a native family living on a reservation located close to the Albertan-Montanan boarder in Western Canada. The protagonist of Borders is the unnamed mother of the family, who by refusing to properly state her nationality, is not allowed to cross the border with her young son. When asked to state her nationality by the border authorities, the mother answers â€Å"Blackfoot. † This confuses the border guards, who are expecting the general answer of â€Å"American† or â€Å"Canadian. † The mother refuses to generalize her ethnicity as distinctly American or Canadian, which results in the family’s inability to cross the border line. King draws on the use of satire in Borders to comically address the lack of identity attributed to natives in contemporary society. We will write a custom essay sample on The Status of Native Culture and Identity In Contemporary Society Depicted In Thomas King’s Borders or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This essay will critically examine King’s work to showcase the function of figurative cultural borders in modern day society, as well as the concerning issue of native identity in the text. The mother’s proud refusal to equate her racial background with citizenship, Laetita’s attitude toward her cultural identity as a Blackfoot in the text, and the treatment of the narrator and his mother by the border authorities: all illustrate the cultural and political position of King’s text. King showcases the loss of native’s unique cultural identity to the pressures of assimilation, while also providing a political commentary on the treatment of native peoples and native culture in contemporary North America. As the protagonist of the text, the mother’s racial pride and stubbornness comes to the forefront in terms of thematic elements harboured in King’s work. The mother’s conservative attitude creates a significant tension in the introduction of the text. The narrator’s older sister named Laetita is moving across the border to Utah’s capital, Salt Lake City. Laetita is enamoured with the prospects of moving away from her family, while her Mother is noticeably unimpressed with the idea of her daughter living so far away from home. â€Å"â€Å"This is really lousy coffee. † â€Å"You’re just angry because I want to see the world. † â€Å"It’s the water. From here down, they got lousy water†Ã¢â‚¬  (King, 355). This passage showcases the mother’s negative views of America by King’s use of the word â€Å"lousy. † â€Å"Lousy,† is used to describe the coffee the mother and Laetita purchased on the American side of the border. â€Å"From here down† refers to the mother’s opinion of American water being inferior to Canadian water. The mother’s negative attitude towards the American water is indicative of her connection to the simplistic nature of native culture. While Laetita is attracted to the luxuriousness lifestyle of a big city, the Mother clearly advocates a more basic, ruralized setting reflective of native culture. The mother is clearly content with having simple necessities in her life, such as fresh tasting water, opposed to the more glamorous lifestyle Laetita that attracts her daughter. Laetita eventually moves to Salt Lake City and sends her family mail asking them to come visit her. An attempted trip to visit Laetita is thwarted by the mother’s inability to declare her official citizen at the border. â€Å"â€Å"Citizenship? † â€Å"â€Å"Blackfoot,† my mother repeated. â€Å"Canadian? † â€Å"Blackfoot. † It would have been easier if my mother had just said â€Å"Canadian† and been done with it, but I could see she wasn’t going to do that† (King, 357). The confrontation between the Mother and the border guards indicates a duality assiocated with the text’s title â€Å"Borders. † For King, there are two distinct interpretations of the meaning of border in the story. One is the obvious physical border separating the territory between Canada and the U. S. ; while the other is a metaphorical border indicating a difference between an individual’s citizenship and racial identity. The mother will not conform to identifying herself as Canadian or American, because she is content and proud of her ethnical identity as Blackfoot. The mother dismisses the concept of the physical border between the two countries. This is reflective in the opening lines of the story, where the narrator refers to the border between the U. S. and Canada to be nothing more than a â€Å"line† (King, 355). The mother feels no inclination to justify her ethnicity to the government. She is proud of her identity as a Blackfoot, and she feels as if she should be able to cross the imaginary border line as a Blackfoot, not as Canadian or American. The mother represents traditional native culture, and the loss of native identity in contemporary society. Contrastingly, her daughter Laetita is representative of a significant decline in native culture throughout North America. Laetita’s attitude towards her Blackfoot heritage changes dramatically throughout the text. Laetita is not content with her life on the reserve; she decides to make a change in her surroundings and crosses the border into America. â€Å"It was kind of exciting†¦listening to Laetita read all about how Salt Lake City was one of the best places in the entire world. â€Å"That Salt Lake place sounds too good to be true,† my mother told her. â€Å"It has everything. † â€Å"We got everything right here. † â€Å"It’s boring here†Ã¢â‚¬  (King, 358). The conflict in this passage between Laetita and her mother is indicative of the declining influence of native culture on younger generations. Laetita represents this decline, her pursuit of a new life in America shows her willingness to conform, something her mother intensely denies. The decline of native self-identity in the text is also evident in the last moments between Laetita and her mother, before Laetita leaves for Salt Lake City. â€Å"â€Å"You can still see the mountain from here,† my mother told Laetita in Blackfoot. â€Å"Lots of mountains in Salt Lake,† Laetita told her in English† (King, 356). Laetita speaks English while her mother speaks Blackfoot. This contrast accurately portrays the decline of native identity in the text. Laetita is leaving her ancestral home, and therefore discards her native dialect in favour of English, the only major language of the United States. The themes of King’s Borders provide insight to the declining status of native self-identity, as well as the submersion of native culture in contemporary society. It is critical to recognize King’s position as a Cherokee native in relation to the themes of his narrative. The significance of Borders resides in King’s political commentary on the way in which Native Americans are identified and treated in today’s society. â€Å"â€Å"I know,† said the woman, â€Å"and I’d be proud of being Blackfoot if I were Blackfoot. But you have to be American or Canadian†Ã¢â‚¬  (King, 359). The Canadian border guard is portrayed by King as being more friendly and compassionate then the American guards. She shows compassion towards the mother for her stubbornness, and also clearly respects the mother for her racial pride. This showcases the contrast in how Native Americans are viewed in Canada as opposed to America. In comparison, the American guards ignorantly addressed the situation, failing to recognize the Mother’s cultural integrity. The mother is incorrectly addressed as â€Å"Blackfeet† (357). This portrays the American image of â€Å"natives† to be negative. Instead of recognizing the Mother as a proud member of the Blackfoot community, the guard generalizes and pluralizes her identity. Government bureaucracy still reigns supreme, as the Canadian guard cannot let the mother pass the boarder without properly stating her citizenship. â€Å"You have to be American or Canadian. † The mother is finally granted passage to America as a Blackfoot, but only after much controversy and hardship. While her delay at the border was unnecessary, her strong claim to her native identity allows her to travel on her own terms as a proud Blackfoot native. King’s narrative is important to Canadian literature because it showcases the declining status of native identity in North America. Native culture is an integral part of Canadian history, and as a educated reader of this narrative, it is crucial to recognize the negative aspects of native treatment in contemporary society. Works Cited

Police Brutality in New York City misc essays

Police Brutality in New York City misc essays Civil rights advocates in the city note, however, that there has been a cost to the new strategy, revealed by steady citizen complaints against more aggressive NYPD officers during the past several years and continuing impunity for many officers who commit human rights violations despite the recent reorganization of both the civilian review board and the police department's internal affairs bureau. In August 1997, after the alleged torture of Haitian immigrant Abner Louima by police officers made national headlines and outraged city residents, the anti-crime record of the mayor and police department was tarnished. In uncharacteristic fashion, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Police Commissioner Howard Safir condemned the officers implicated in the incident as well as those who reportedly did nothing to stop it or report it. In the city's Civilian Complaint Review Board's (CCRB) semiannual report for the first half of 1997, African-Americans and Latinos filed 78 percent of complaints again st the police. The police force is 68 percent white. During the independent CCRB's first three-and-a-half years, only 1 percent of all cases disposed of led to the disciplining of a police officer, and out of 18,336 complaints, there have been just one dismissal of an officer stemming from a CCRB-substantiated case. If the studies by civil rights groups and the Mollen Commission are any indication, officers who commit abuses are not being dealt with adequately. In that incident, after protesters allegedly threw items at mounted police officers attempting to clear the park, police reacted by beating anyone nearby with their nightsticks, including uninvolved restaurant patrons and business owners. In the end, administrative charges were presented in seventeen cases, with officers disciplined in thirteen of them. Officers primarily from the 30th, 9th, 46th, 75th and 73rd precincts were caught selling drugs and beating suspects. Concluded Cawley, "They [re...

Residual Income as a measure of managerial performance. Include Essay

Residual Income as a measure of managerial performance. Include examples of usage today and advantages and disadvantages - Essay Example In business, residual income represents a specific financial amount derived from an equation which subtracts invested capital from total, pre-tax profitability (Accaglobal.com, 1999). Where the traditional return on investment (ROI) template, which calculates a percentage by dividing the average operating assets from net operating income, residual income is represented in actual dollars through its calculation. Professionals argue that residual income (RI) may not necessarily reflect the total performance of a managerial professional, hence there is the debate as to whether compensation directly linked to RI totals is a fair measure of reward for performance. This paper examines the contemporary usage of residual income as a performance measure. There are several viable calculations to determine residual income (RI), with the most common being operating income minus the required return on investment in dollars (Marshall, McManus & Viele, 2006). A second method is subtracting required income from actual income, representing a final financial (not percentage) total, indicating either a negative or positive residual income (Economist, 1996). For instance, if the actual income of the firm is $100,000 and required income (often calculated from ROI) is $50,000, the firm has experienced a residual income increase of $50,000, which may indicate that the company executive leadership has made positive strides in boosting profitability. When ROI is used in the equation to determine residual income, positive RI occurs when actual ROI is greater than the minimum required ROI. These calculations may sound very simplistic and relatively straightforward, however, calculating residual income is not always a fair measure of total executive performance, especially when a particular company has experienced years of negative residual income. For instance, assume that a firm maintained a negative residual income for

Pros and Cons of Situational Leadership Theory Essay

Pros and Cons of Situational Leadership Theory - Essay Example The strengths of situational leadership theory are its current use in many organizations, practicality, and prescriptive approach. Situational leadership theory is appealing to many leadership/management practitioners because it is seen as common sense for leaders to be flexible and adaptable to different situational variables, especially the conditions and characteristics of their subordinates and workplaces (Schedlitzki & Edwards, 2014, p.53). In addition, this theory is practical because it can be easily explained and understood, it is intuitive, and it can be applied across diverse settings (Northouse, 2013, p.105). Moreover, this theory is also prescriptive, where it is clear on what leaders and subordinates should do and should not do (Northouse, 2013, p.105). Its guidelines are valuable in guiding situational leadership. Besides strengths, situational leadership theory has its weaknesses, namely its over-simplified description of the relationship between leader behaviors and situational variables and lack of empirical research that can support assumptions and propositions. Scholars criticize the vagueness of the relationship between leader behaviors and situational variables, specifically the lack of explanation of variations for each leadership behavior category and how they can impact situational factors (Northouse, 2013, p.107; Schedlitzki & Edwards, 2014, p.54). Furthermore, this theory lacks empirical support for its assumptions and prescriptions. There is lack of empirical testing on the theoretical basis of the theory and how it can affect performance variables and outcomes (Northouse, 2013, p.107; Schedlitzki & Edwards, 2014, p.54). Situational leadership theory is a practical, simple, and prescriptive theory that appeals to practitioners and trainers alike. However, it lacks further explanation of the

Why poverty was re-discovered in Britain in the late 1950s and early Essay

Why poverty was re-discovered in Britain in the late 1950s and early 1960 - Essay Example Britain’s share of world trade fell from 13.9% to 10.8% during this time. Taxation increased from 32% of GDP to 43% of GDP. Economic planning had failed and this failure precluded major social planning despite the fact that some social reforms such as the launch of comprehensive education, reorganization of public transport, development in health and local government. Abel-Smith and Townsend are credited with the "rediscovery of poverty" in the 1960’s: noticed that certain categories such as, families with children on low incomes and retired couples often lived in difficult circumstances. The definition of poverty adopted by Abel-Smith and Peter Townsend in their 1965 study, was the concept of â€Å"The Poor and the Poorest†. They concluded that "poverty was entirely a relative concept," and defined households to be in, or at the margins of, poverty if their income was less than "140 percent of the then current National Assistance scale plus rent". In 1960, 17.9% of households lived below this relative poverty standard. An unknown, but significantly smaller, share of the population had incomes below the "physical efficiency" or "human needs" poverty lines. (Ian Gazeley, Poverty in Britain 1900-1965) There was a strong case for saying that socially deprived families are frequently found in confined geographical areas identifiable by certain physical and social characteristics. Examples of these characteristics: geographical location, "twilight zones" near a city’s business area; areas populated by immigrants; overcrowded and poor amenities, Victorian housing stock; areas with a high percentage of unskilled and semi-skilled workers; higher than average proportions of families on State benefits; higher than normal percentage of large families; large number of fatherless families; areas with little play space and recreational facilities; areas with poorer health; high percentage of child deprivation and delinquency.