Examine the role of the witches in Macbeth Essay

King James I succeeded Queen Elizabeth I on the throne of England in 1603. He was a member of the Stuart dynasty and was already the King of Scotland. This meant he united the two kingdoms, ending incessant warring between the two nations. James hoped to end the period of religious turmoil that had engulfed England for the previous century. The people in 17th Century England were very superstitious and witchcraft was the object of fevered fascination. In 1604 a law was passed that said anyone convicted of witchcraft should be executed. King James I was as fascinated by witches as his subjects, and in 1590 he personally interrogated a group of witches who had plotted to kill him. Misogyny and a strong belief that morality was being upheld fuelled society’s hatred of witches. World Order was an important factor of seventeenth century life. World Order was a system in which God was at the top of the chain, followed by the King or Queen, then humans, birds, animals and fish. They believed that the King had been directly chosen by God and therefore did not have to answer to parliament. The human section of the Order was split into subdivisions of classes. It was believed that each person was born into their social status and ambition to rise above their position was considered unacceptable and was punishable by political means or by fate. The audience would immediately realise that once Macbeth had murdered the King, he would have to die, as he had disturbed God’s natural order. The first scene of Macbeth prepares the audience for the entrance of the witches with the use of pathetic fallacy. This is used to dramatic effect, with thunder, lightning and rain applied to create a feeling of chaos. The scene being set in a desolate place reinforces this idea, with the setting making it seem like the events that will unfold will be of an ominous nature. The words the witches use support the idea of chaos and disturbance. The word ‘hurly-burly’ is used to show the turmoil at the time, with the area being ravaged by battle. Another phrase used to show disturbance is ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’. This phrase makes the audience wonder how anything fair can possibly be foul, thus creating confusion. There are many indicators that the ‘three weird sisters’ are witches. These include the use of the number three, the familiars and the language of the sisters. The number three is a number often believed to be magical, and throughout the play Shakespeare frequently uses this number throughout the play. All three of the sisters have familiars, demons who take the form of creatures to aid witches with their evil craft. This is shown when the witches say ‘I come Graymalkin’, ‘Paddock calls’ and ‘Anon’. Some of the sisters say things that can be interpreted as being related to witchcraft, including ‘that will be ere the set of sun’. This relates to witchcraft, as traditionally it was believed that witches performed magic at sunset. In Act I Scene 1, the Captain tells the story of Macbeth being a brave and noble man who is valiant and trustworthy. He gives an account of a battle that has just taken place and tells the king of Macbeth’s role in it. As the man telling the story holds the rank of Captain, trust is established between him and the audience. The use of words such as ‘carved’, ‘unseamed’ and ‘steel’ have connotations of murder and butchery, showing Macbeth’s bloodthirstiness in battle. The Captain also uses the phrase ‘or memorise another Golgotha’. This compares Macbeth’s fighting as being as bloody and savage as the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This is a huge comparison, as Christ is a holy figure. I think that this shows Macbeth fights with such passion it could be almost a religion. A semantic field of ‘warfare and battle’ supports this scene, with lexis including ‘choke’; ‘rebel’; ‘galloglasses’; ‘smoked’; ‘over-charged’; ‘bloody’; ‘execution’; ‘carved’; ‘battlements’; ‘cannons’ and ‘wounds’. I think the words ‘choke’ and ‘over-charged’ are strong words, as they both show the zeal and ferocity Macbeth fought with. There is a large contrast between the way the witches and the Captain portray Macbeth. This creates an ambivalent presentation of Macbeth, allowing the audience to interpret Macbeth’s character in different ways. As a result of this, Macbeth’s entrance to the play is delayed until the third scene to allow the witches and the Captain to speak. The contradictory ideas about Macbeth that are spoken create tension, as the audience waits to see the true nature of Macbeth. A witch speaks before Macbeth’s arrival in Act I Scene 3, the line ‘A drum, a drum, Macbeth doth come’. This line has a strong aural quality, and the rhyming of ‘drum’ and ‘come’ creates a sound like a heartbeat, or a drum signifying war. This creates uncertainty in the audience’s mind, and prepares them for an ominous scene. Throughout the first scene of the play the witches are presented to the audience as puzzling creatures, possibly closer akin to Satan than humans. Their characters seem uncertain and their strange speech patterns are an enigma. They speak many contradictions including ‘when the battle’s lost and won’ and ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’. These contradictions could possibly be affiliated to world order, and the 17th Century audience may interpret the witches’ speech as a disturbance of that. The second appearance of the witches gives an insight into the power of the witches. The first witch tells the others about a woman who insulted her and how she would take her revenge upon the woman’s husband. The woman’s husband was the captain of a ship and the witch says ‘in a sieve I’ll thither sail’ and ‘I’ll do, I’ll do, and I’ll do’. One of the skills witches were credited with was the ability to sail in sieves and the use of this and the way in which ‘I’ll do’ is repeated three times, suggests some form of incantation will be used upon the sailor. The other witches offer to ‘give a wind’, allowing her to create a storm at the ship’s location. This shows that while the witches cannot directly control people, they do have control over the environment and they can use this to change the circumstances of people. What the witches plan to do with the captain is very alike what happens to Macbeth in the future. â€Å"Sleep shall neither night nor day† is similar to Macbeth after murdering Duncan, where he is plagued by nightmares and cannot sleep. This links Macbeth to the witches and shows his evil nature. When Macbeth meets the witches he is greeted with the witches saying ‘hail to thee, Thane of Glamis’, ‘hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor’ and ‘All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter’. The three lines indicate the three states of being: past, present and future. ‘Glamis’ shows the past tense, as Macbeth has been Thane of Glamis for a significant amount of time and he is aware of his position. ‘Cawdor’ represents the present, as unbeknown to him, Duncan has just stripped the previous Thane of Cawdor of his title, and will issue it to Macbeth. The final greeting is a prophecy, and it tells Macbeth that he will become King of England. The close repetition of the phrase gives the parallelism a strong rhythmic value, creating a sound that is similar to a spell or incantation. This reminds the audience that the prophecy has come from the mouths of evil, and so cannot be pure. After hearing these prophecies Macbeth responds by physically jolting. Banquo saying ‘why do you start and seem to fear’ shows this. There are three possible explanations for him jumping. Either Macbeth jumps in fear of the witches, jumps because he knows Duncan must die, or because the idea of murdering the king was already in his mind. In my opinion the reason Shakespeare put Banquo’s line into the play was to make the audience wonder if Macbeth had already thought about killing Duncan and claiming the throne. After the prophecies are given, Macbeth also orders the witches to tell him more. Imperative verbs are used to show his commands. These include ‘stay’ and ‘speak’. These show Macbeth wants to know more and show his military commanding background. It appears that he is used to having his orders carried out. Ross – a herald of King Duncan – then gives the news that Macbeth is Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth responds by saying ‘The Thane of Cawdor lives. Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?’ This is part of a set of ‘clothes’ images throughout the play. This series of images supports the theme of the play, assuming a false identity and assuming someone else place. Clothing is used because Macbeth appears to be hiding his true nature behind the valiant robes of kingship. The set of images is effective because clothing can suggest concealment and disguise. After being assured of his position as Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth edges into a soliloquy. This is a dramatic technique and shows a character’s innermost thoughts. The phrase ‘if ill, why hath it given me earnest of success?’ is spoken by Macbeth, and shows how he cannot understand how the prophecies can possibly be evil when they have given him success. This shows he fully believes the witches and so means he will be likely to commit the murder of the king. A series of images from the stage is in this soliloquy with words such as ‘prologues’; ‘act’ and ‘imperial theme’. Another one of William Shakespeare’s plays, ‘As You Like It’ has a similar theme and a character in it says ‘All the world’s a stage and the characters merely players. They have their exits and their entrances.’ This displays world order, and it can be seen that each person has a part to play and must not step out of his or her role. By killing Duncan, Macbeth will step out of his role and cause chaos. I also think this can be related to Macbeth, as the witches have carefully orchestrated his life and have great control over his destiny. This is very much alike to the lines or acts in a play, while his exit will be his fate. At the end of the soliloquy there is also another clothes image, when Banquo says ‘look how our partner’s rapt’. This is a pun, as Macbeth is ‘spellbound’ but also metaphorically ‘wrapped’ in the clothes of another man – the king. The language of Macbeth’s letter to his wife shows that he has chosen to believe the witches prophesies. The letter opens with the phrase ‘They met me in the day of success’. This shows that all the experiences he had that day were successful, the battle and the encounter with the witches. The phrase ‘they have more in them than mortal knowledge’ shows that he fully believes they have magical powers, and that he trusts they will be beneficial to his cause. He says he ‘burned in desire to question them further’, showing the audience his desperate need to know more information. The phrase ‘fate and metaphysical aid doth seem’ is used by Lady Macbeth in her response to Macbeth’s letter. This phrase is significant as it shows her readiness to ally herself with evil and the magic of the witches. It also shows that she believes fate has placed the supernatural witches in their paths and they would be wrong to side against them. Lady Macbeth has a large soliloquy in Act I Scene 5. A soliloquy is where an actor turns to the audience and speaks directly to them, as if the character were daydreaming. The actor speaks the truth – as their character perceives it to be – to the audience. This technique is used to great dramatic effect by Shakespeare. In her soliloquy her deadly intent is revealed. The words ‘I feel now the future in the instant’ spoken by Lady Macbeth are very significant. They show that she believes their future will be decided by their actions regarding the king. I think that at this point she knows what must be done for her husband to become King. Lady Macbeth graphically indicates her decision to bring about the death of King Duncan by saying ‘O never shall sun that morrow see’. This shows that when the king goes to sleep, he shall never see daylight again: his fate is inevitable. ‘Sun’ is used as an image because the sun is a symbolic representation of monarchy. Also, in world order, kings where the highest placed creature, just as the sun is the most important thing in the sky. When Macbeth rejoins his wife, they speak of their plans to kill Duncan. She advises Macbeth to ‘look like th’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t’. This means she wants Macbeth to look honest and friendly on the outside, yet on the inside, be as venomous as a vicious serpent and murder the king. The audience at the time would make a link between this and the Gunpowder Plot. The medals awarded during the plot to commemorate James’ escape featured a flower intertwined with a snake. As this had only recently happened in Shakespeare’s time, the audience would immediately recognise the connection. In Act I Scene 6, Duncan visits Macbeth’s castle. At the scene’s start, Duncan remarks upon how agreeable the castle is, with phrases such as ‘hath a pleasant seat’ and ‘recommends itself’ displaying his thoughts. This is ironic, as the castle looks like ‘th’innocent flower’ but is really ‘the serpent under’t’, as the king finds out. Lady Macbeth uses many euphemisms for murder in her soliloquy. Examples of these are ‘provided for’, ‘great business’ and ‘dispatch’. The use of euphemism shows that she does not want to explicitly state her murderous intentions clearly. A reason for this could be that she is afraid of being overheard and accused of treason. However, I think the main reason is that if she clearly said ‘murder’ the situation would seem more ‘real’ and she would see the extent of the crime. I believe she is still unsure herself about the gravity of the situation. The euphemisms all have double meanings, and these could be seen as a type of test for Macbeth to see how he would react to the suggestions. ‘Provided for’ could mean to be fed or to be killed. The ‘great business’ could be seen to be the feasting or the murder that would mean greatness for the Macbeths. The word ‘dispatch’ could mean welcom ing the guest, or the murder. In Act I Scene 7 Macbeth has a soliloquy that shows his indecisive state of mind. There are many words which show doubt, including ‘if’ and ‘but’, displaying how he is considering his actions and is not fully committed to the cause. This is supported by the language of thought, including ‘but how’, ‘if’ and ‘could’. Macbeth shows he is aware of just how immoral the murder would be, with the lines ‘he’s here in double trust: first, as I am his kinsman and his subject†¦ then as his host’. Here Macbeth lists his reasons why he should not kill Duncan, as he is his subject, his host and is even related to him. Through the soliloquy Macbeth shows that he understands there will be consequences for murder. ‘Might be the be-all and the end-all – here’ is a line spoken that shows the murder will not be the end of his troubled time; it will be the beginning of an even more distressing s tate. He recognises that consequences will occur to whoever carries out the action and shows it through the phrase ‘bloody instructions which being taught, return to plague th’inventor’. Macbeth also says to himself that Duncan has been a good king and that ‘his virtues will plead like angels’. At the end of the soliloquy an extended metaphor of horsemanship develops. This includes words such as ‘spur’; ‘prick’; ‘vaulting’; ‘o’erleaps’ and ‘falls’. This is prefigures Macbeth’s life, as his ‘vaulting ambition’ is all he has to ‘spur him on’, and it will eventually reach too high (the position of king) and ‘o’erleap’. He will then ‘fall’ and will receive the consequences of his actions. The image of horsemanship was used to remind the audience of Macbeth’s strict militaristic background. Macbeth’s soliloquy shows a huge difference in character between himself and his wife. While his wife immediately resolves that they must kill the king, Macbeth thinks about the consequences. This shows Macbeth does have a conscience and I think this causes the audience to feel sympathetic to his plight. Macbeth has a second soliloquy in Act II Scene 1. Here his intensified fragile state of mind is shown to the audience. Macbeth sees an apparition of a floating dagger, shown through the phrase ‘is this a dagger which I see before me’. This shows that his mind is so focused upon the murder of Duncan, it is seeing weapons everywhere he turns. Phrases such as ‘a dagger of the mind†¦ proceeding from the heat-oppressà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½d brain’, show the mental strain Macbeth is under. A semantic field of the ‘supernatural’ underpins this soliloquy, with words including: ‘witchcraft’; ‘Hecate’; ‘murder’; ‘sentinel’; ‘wolf’; ‘stealthy’; ‘ghost’ and ‘fear’. I think that ‘Hecate’ is a particularly powerful word to use as Hecate was traditionally thought to be the goddess of witchcraft. At the beginning of the soliloquy Macbeth is using euphemisms for murder, like ‘the bloody business’. However, towards the end of the soliloquy, the language has developed and now includes words like ‘murder’ and ‘horror’. This shows that Macbeth has now fully made his decision and accepts what he must do. The soliloquy ends with a rhyming couplet, reminiscent of the witches. By using the language of the witches on Macbeth, Shakespeare has identified Macbeth closely with them. This creates the impression that the soliloquy ends with him making his own spell that will mean the death of Duncan. The two soliloquies depict the way in which the witches have effected Macbeth. They have given him advice and he has taken it in the way that he believed was correct. The witches have only influenced him, they have not directly told him what to do. I think Shakespeare has used these soliloquies to give the audience an insight into the mind of a murderer. As this was a 17th Century production, psychology and other studies into the mind had not been begun. This would mean the audience would be enthralled by what would have been revolutionary viewing. Act II Scene 4 takes place outside of Macbeth’s castle and is a conversation between Ross – a thane – and an old man. Though this scene takes place after the murder of Duncan, the two characters discussing the night do not yet know anything about his death. It is important that the man speaking is old, as this means he has lived for a long time among the feuding Scottish warlords. This creates an impression of knowledge, and that the old man would have seen many unusual things. Pathetic fallacy is used, with the phrase ‘dark night strangles the travelling lamp’ signifying an eclipse. I think an eclipse has been used for the night’s weather, as it is highly unusual and would have been considered to be supernatural. This would have given the night an eerie atmosphere. The old man begins the scene by saying ‘this sore night hath trifled former knowings’. This shows that while the man is very old, he cannot remember a night as strange as this. A bank of images relating to the stage is found, including ‘act’ and ‘stage’. These relate to the previous stage images, found in Act I Scene 3. The images link to world order and the way in which everybody has a part to play that they cannot change. By murdering Duncan, Macbeth has stepped out of his role and his upset the balance of world order. ‘A falcon tow’ring in her pride of place was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed’. The falcon is top of the food chain, and this is metaphorical for a lesser animal (Macbeth) killing something that belongs at the top of world order (Duncan). The horses have turned cannibalistic and are eating each other: ‘turned wild in nature, broke their stalls†¦ they eat each other’. This shows just how disturbed the order of the world is, yet it is also metaphorical for Macbeth killing his own kind. The use of language such as ‘entomb’, ‘strange’ and ‘unnatural’ show the precarious state the world is now in, with Duncan dead. Act IV Scene 1 begins with the three witches casting a spell in preparation for their meeting with Macbeth. Pathetic fallacy is once again used, with thunder giving the audience the impression the spell will be destructive. The chant shows many of the prejudices of the time. The witches put many parts of creatures that were considered inferior to the majority into the cauldron. These inferior creatures are: ‘frog’; ‘bat’; ‘dog’; ‘adder’; ‘blind-worm’; ‘lizard’ and ‘howlet’. All of the animals mentioned are creatures of the night, and so were considered very rudimentary forms of life. After more chanting, the witches begin to put in parts of other items associated with death. The mythical ‘dragon’, the predatory ‘wolf’, the evil ‘witches’ mummy’ and the poisonous ‘hemlock’ are all placed into the pot. This adds to the feeling of death and evil. Society’s prejudices come to the forefront of the chant with body parts of non-Christians being added to the pot: ‘liver of blaspheming Jew’, ‘nose of Turk’ and ‘Tartar’s lips’. As Jews, Turks and Tartars were not Christian, the audience would have feared them as they were foreign and their cultures were unknown to them. There is a semantic field of ‘poison’ in the incantation, and the lexis included are: ‘poisoned’; ‘entrails’; ‘toad’; ‘sweltered’; ‘venom’; ‘sleeping’; ‘boil’ and ‘bubble’. These were all added by Shakespeare to make the witches’ concoction appear to be very deadly. Towards the end of the spell, the finger of a ‘birth-strangled babe, ditch delivered by a drab’. A ‘drab’ was a prostitute and the child would have been killed at birth, as an illegitimate child would bring shame upon the family. As it was strangled at birth, the child is unblessed and so would never enter Heaven. This is ‘familiar magic’ and works through association. This could prefigure Macbeth’s murder of Macduff’s children. The magic number three is also used, when the witches say ‘thrice’ towards the start of the spell. The rhymes and rhythm of the words help to reinforce the idea of a deadly spell. The spell has a heavy aural quality, and this meant the audience could feel a part of the play. Rhyming couplets are used throughout the spell, helping to make it seem like a chant. An example of a rhyming couplet is ‘Ditch delivered by a drab, make the gruel thick and slab’. This phrase also has many labials in it, helping to create a sense of evil and decay. Shakespeare also employs onomatopoeia in Macbeth. This helps to reinforce the tension and make an aural sound of a spell. Examples of onomatopoeia are ‘double’, ‘trouble’ and ‘bubble’. There is a language link between this and Act I Scene 2 where the captain describes Macbeth as having ‘doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe’. This helps to tie Macbeth to the witches. I think that Macbeth returns to the witches because he wants to know his future. He has been tortured by the spirit of Banquo whom he has had killed and he fears for his sanity. Macbeth goes to the witches to seek assurances that he will not be dethroned in the future. I think he is looking for a future, as his guilt seems to tell him he will not have a pleasant one. The fact that he comes to the witches for reassurance shows that he has chosen to fully believe them and he trusts them. By consulting them, he is trying to change his own fate. This could further upset the order of the world. Macbeth greets the witches in the following way: ‘How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags! What is’t you do?’ ‘Black’ and ‘secret’ connote concealment and this links to the clothes images that run throughout the play. The use of the phrase ‘midnight hags’ shows that Macbeth understands the power of the witches and that they have just created a spell. Midnight is the witching hour, and this can be cross referenced to Act I Scene 1 where the witches say ‘that will be ere the set of sun’. A witch responds by saying ‘a deed without a name’. This is in keeping with the earlier euphemisms for murder. When Macbeth speaks to the witches he instantly commands them by saying ‘I conjure you’. This is a play on words, as the witches have the ability to conjure things and because he is commanding them. Imperative verbs are once again used, showing that he is used to having his orders carried out. Examples of imperatives are ‘answer’ and ‘speak’. Macbeth is prepared to take the world to the edge of destruction to get the answers he seeks. ‘Castles topple’ and ‘pyramids do slope their heads to their foundations’ shows he does not care about the destruction he causes in his quest. He ends by saying ‘even till destruction sicken’. I believe this would be said with finality, showing how deeply he will pursue his aims. A semantic field of ‘chaos’ underpins this whole section, with words like: ‘winds’; ‘yeasty waves’; ‘confound’; ‘swallow’; ‘lodged’; ‘blown down’; ‘topple’; ‘slope’; ‘tumble’ and ‘destruction’. Semantics are used here to show just how much Macbeth has already disturbed world order by murdering Duncan. The witches create three apparitions that give Macbeth a prophecy each. The first apparition is of an ‘armed head’ and it tells Macbeth:’Beware Macduff, Beware the Thane of Fife’. Macbeth’s immediate response is ‘thou has harped my fear alright’, meaning he has confirmed what he thought. Towards the end of the scene, he says he will act on his first impulse and do what his first instincts say: ‘The very firstlings of my heart shall be, the firstlings of my hand’. After hearing Macduff has fled Scotland, Macbeth turns into a blind rage and orders his men to ‘give to th’edge o’th’sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line’. The second apparition is of a ‘bloody child’ and tells Macbeth: ‘Laugh to scorn the power of men, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth’. This greatly pleases Macbeth and gives him more security. Although he is reassured, he still makes an oath that he will kill Macduff. I think he does this for extra reassurance in light of the first apparition. The bloody child prefigures the decision Macbeth will make to kill Macduff’s children. The third apparition is of a ‘child crowned, with a tree in his hand’. The child tells Macbeth: ‘Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him’. Macbeth responds by saying no one can make the trees move at their will. This shows that he dismisses the prophecy and does not take into consideration the possibilities of how this could occur. Macbeth’s confidence has improved greatly after hearing these prophecies and he confidently asks the third apparition ‘shall Banquo’s issue ever reign in this kingdom?’ By asking the question, Macbeth shows he is still intrigued by the original prophecy of the witches which said Banquo’s descendants will be monarchs. The witches then tell him ‘seek to know no more’. This annoys Macbeth and he childishly says ‘deny me this, and an eternal curse fall on you’, showing his arrogance. After he does this, the witches summon another apparition, this time eight kings with Banquo following behind. Macbeth realises the answer to his question about Banquo’s heirs when he says: ‘Now I see ’tis true, for the blood-boltered Banquo smiles upon me, and points at them for his’. Macbeth’s reactions to all the prophecies show his precarious state of mind. Throughout Act IV Scene 1 he lapses into bravado, attempting to show he is confident when in actual fact he is very nervous and afraid. Two examples of bravado used are ‘call ’em, let me see ’em’ and ‘had I three ears, I’d hear thee’. Although he is nervous and fearful of his future, Macbeth still feels superior to the witches. This is shown through phrases such as ‘tell me’ and ‘filthy hags’. Macbeth misses the significance of the third prophecy, where the obvious interpretation of the trees being camouflage is overlooked. This shows that he is no longer thinking like a soldier, and rather a desperate man. The apparition showing Banquo’s heirs is believed to have political significance. The eight king bears a glass (mirror) and it is thought that it would have been pointed at King James I, watched the play. As it was facing James, the audience would have seen the kings face while the line, ‘some I see, that two-fold balls and treble sceptres carry’ was spoken. These represent the two orbs James I carried at his two coronations in Scotland and England, as well as the three kingdoms he now ruled: Scotland, England and Ireland. I think this was put into the play to try and support James. When he came to power, he promised better things for both Catholics and Protestants. However, he seemed not to fulfill these promises in the way that the people wanted and the Gunpowder Plot challenged his rule. I think that Shakespeare put this section in Macbeth to try and show James had a legitimate claim to the throne as he was descended from ancient royalty. In the scene, Macbeth’s assistant is called Seyton. This could possibly be pronounced ‘Satan’, adding to the impression of Macbeth’s growing evil. I think the use of an assistant called Seyton makes it sound as though Macbeth now has his own familiar, the Devil himself. Towards the end of the scene, the doctor tells Macbeth that Lady Macbeth is suffering from a mental ailment. Macbeth’s immediate response is to order the doctor to ‘cure her of that’. The next few lines of the play detail Macbeth asking if the doctor cannot cure ‘a mind diseased’. However, I believe the audience would see the question as Macbeth asking for help himself, as the anxiety and sorrow he describes is what he himself is suffering from. The question is reinforced by a semantic field of ‘cleaning’, with words such as: ‘minister’; ‘pluck’; ‘raze’; ‘antidote’ and ‘cleanse’. I think this shows just how badly Macbeth wants his mental state to be cured. When the doctor says patients must cure themselves, he responds by angrily saying ‘throw physic to the dogs’. This shows his precarious mental state. Act V Scene 8 details the battle between Macbeth and Macduff outside Dunsinane Castle. The scene begins with Macbeth saying he wants to become the great soldier that he once was, and will not commit suicide. The line ‘why should I play the Roman fool and fie on mine own sword?’ shows this. Macbeth tells Macduff that he has avoided him for the entirety of the battle, but his ‘soul is too much charged with blood’. This means he has seen so much death he no longer cares about who he faces. As he is facing Macduff, Macbeth boasts that no naturally born man can kill him. This makes Macduff reveal his own Caesarean birth. Hearing this, Macbeth almost physically collapses. The mental stress and the fake promise of glory from the witches suddenly leave Macbeth, and he is free to sadly muse about his shortcomings. ‘And be these juggling fiends no more believed That palter with us in a double sense, That keep the word of promise to our ear And break it to our hope.’ This section shows how Macbeth now views the witches and their prophecies. The first line shows how he no longer believes the witches. The use of the phrase ‘juggling fiends’ represents his view that the witches have been ‘juggling’ with fate, emotion and people’s lives. ‘That palter with us in a double sense’ means Macbeth now accepts that the witches’ prophecies could have been interpreted in different ways and he made the wrong choices. ‘That keep the word of promise to our ear’ shows how they misled him by speaking of future greatness, but then ‘break it to our hope’. Despite realising that Macduff will kill him, Macbeth decides to die fighting, in an attempt to reclaim some of his lost honour. Another reason for his decision to die fighting is the fact that he cannot bear the thought of being subservient to Malcolm after being in a position of power all his life.

College Essay Essay

The Ohio State University has been a college of my choice for multiple reasons. I always wanted to attend a college that would benefit me in a positive way. Before my visit to Ohio State I was undecided on what college I wanted to attend. However, after my visit to OSU’s campus I knew that Ohio State was the place for me. Ohio State is one of the few institutions that are committed to diversity and the overall success of its students. The rigorous curriculum, study abroad opportunities and student organizations offered will not only groom me as a scholar but a person as well. While OSU is one of the largest universities, the freshman programs discussed during my visit have assured me that I would not be a number, but a member of the OSU community. I would like to be in a positive environment where the level of expectation and measurement for success is paramount. From my research, OSU has a world class reputation in research and academics. As a prospective Finance major at the Fisher College of Business, I will plan to learn and operate in the values that reflect Max Fisher and the College of Business. With OSU being one of the top 20 colleges I felt there’s no other college that could fit me better. I feel The Ohio State University fits me best. I also can not forget the wonderful chant I was taught on the visit, when I say â€Å"O-H† you say â€Å"I-O.†

Development of the American Experiences

Current society of America dates back to past development experiences. The American nationalities comprise of distinct tribes, states and ethnic groups who survived from diverse political, cultural and social backgrounds. New societies, culture and people mainly originate from migration in search for new opportunities and lives. American society in the United States traces back their origin to more than one migration experiences. Such emigrational experiences labeled America as nation of immigrations.Change is inevitable, development experiences have been influenced by changes in the society where immigrants sought for new destinations. Change occurred due to impact of immigrant culture to the natives. The change results from pursuit of freedom and acceptance in the American society. The article seeks to evaluate the development experiences in the American Society by discussing thinker Jr. Martin Luther King commentary on â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† The paper presents a new interpretation of American history by focusing on Jr.Martin Luther King, political thought as a commentary on principles and problems of free government. In addition, some respects on modification of the principles as advanced in the declaration of independence and embodied in the constitution are discussed in this paper. The pursuit of Negro towards freedom and justice is discussed based on Jr. Martin Luther King answers to criticisms of his activities. Martin Luther King, Jr. , â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† While Jr. Martin Luther King was confined in the Birmingham city jail, he came across statement calling his activities â€Å"unwise and untimely.† He sought to answer criticisms of his work and ideas since the men who criticized him were of genuine good will with sincere criticisms. He served as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization that was established in every southern state with Atlanta, Georgia being headquarter. The organization had several affiliates who shared staff, educational and financial resources. The affiliates in Birmingham called the organization to engage in a nonviolent direct action program if such sharing deemed necessary. These lead to Jr. Martin Luther King confined in Birmingham city jail because of injustices.The rise of injustices compelled Jr. Luther to fight for freedom beyond his home town by responding to the Macedonian call for aid. He was aware of the interrelationship of all communities and states, this lead to his concern about the injustices in Birmingham which threatened justice all over the state (Luther 1). The Negroes faced multifaceted problems from political, social and economic injustices. They faced segregation, racial discrimination, brutality, bloodshed and poverty. Such problems gave rise to freedom fighters in pursuit to achieve social freedom and justices.The Negro leaders were caught in an unavoidable network of mutuality which was tied to a single element of destiny. Importantly, what affects one directly affects all indirectly. He explored the demonstrations which took place in Birmingham, the city’s power structure of white left the Negro community with no alternative but to use demonstration to raise the issues which they faced. The nonviolent campaign comprised four basic steps namely: collection of the facts to determine existence of injustices, negotiation, self purification and direct action. All these steps were followed by black in Birmingham with aim of gaining justice.Racial injustices were dominant in the community; Birmingham was tremendously segregated city in the United States with brutal experiences. They experienced unjust treatment in the courts, high proportion of unsolved bombings of their homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other cities. The Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the white leaders of the city who consistently refused to engage in negotiation and understanding (Luther 1). After several failures of negotiations, Negro leaders got opportunity to talk with leaders of Birmingham's economic community.Certain promises were made during negotiation, which saw merchants removed stores which were racialism sign. Such promises led to suspension of demonstration by Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and other leaders of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. Negroes become victims of broken promises where injustices were briefly removed, returned and others remained. Shadow of disappointment remained upon the Negro leadership who sought for direct action with aim of presenting their cases to local and national community. Self purification was used, nonviolent workshops were introduced.Direct action was scheduled for the Easter season since it was main shopping period of the year. The by-product of direct action was a strong economic-withdrawal which brought pressure on merchants for a change to occur. Direct action plan was postponed until mayoral election wa s over and later till the run off with aim of demonstrations not to cloud the issue at hand. The defeat of Commissioner of Public Safety, Eugene â€Å"Bull† Connor resulted to more postponement of direct actions. The call of negotiation was indeed a purpose of direct action.Nonviolent direct action was used to create crisis and foster tension because community consistently refused to negotiate. The force was used to confront and dramatized the issue which could no longer be ignored. Luther is strongly opposed to violent tension, but he asserts that there is a constructive nonviolent tension which is effective for growth. It was very necessary to create a tension in the mind of individuals to enable them rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the free realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal.This suggests that the kind of tension is created in society to help individuals rise from dark depths of prejudice and racism to the greater heights of understanding and sense of belonging. The purpose of direct action was to create the crisis situation which opened door for negotiation (Luther 2). Despite Mr. Boutwell being a gentleman than Mr. Connor, they are both segregationists, who were interested in maintenance of status. One is forced to understand the Negro leadership legitimate and unavoidable impatience of breaking laws. Luther urged people to obey Supreme Court's decision of 1954 which outlawed segregation in the public schools.However, one can ask why to break some laws while obeying others? Luther suggested that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. One has a legal and moral responsibility to obey just laws and to disobey unjust law. Just law is a man made code that mutually respects the moral law and God natural law while an unjust law is a coded unharmonious moral rule. Just law uplifts personality while unjust law degrades personality. Segregation is unjust since it distorts the soul and damages the personality. Segregat or feels superior while the segregated are viewed as inferiors.Segregation is politically, economically, sociologically and morally wrong and sinful. Throughout the nation of Alabama, all sorts of segregation were used not to vote despite being majority in the population. Another form of segregation was that citizens were denied a privilege to have peaceful assembly and protest. Luther asserts that one who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly and willingly to accept the penalty (Luther 4). From Luther’s point of view, Negro's great stumbling block towards achievement of freedom is not white citizens but the white moderates.The white moderates are highly devoted to order rather than to justice. They preferred a negative peace with absence of tension to a positive peace with presence of justice. In addition, they agreed on Negro’s pursuit for justice and freedom but not methods of direct action. They blocked social progress and revolution. Federal courts affi rms that it is very wrong to advocate an individual to cease from efforts that enable one to gain basic constitutional rights because the pursuit may precipitate violence. Society must be involved in protecting the robbed and punishing the robber.It was hoped that the white moderates would reject the myth of timing concern in relation to struggle for freedom (Luther 5). It is apparent that Luther stood in middle of two opposing forces in the Negro community. One force was complacency, made up oppressed and drained Negroes who have adjusted to segregation. The other force comprised few middle-class Negroes who had academic and economic security. The forces were characterized by bitterness and hatred. Despite such forces, the Negro church way of nonviolence became an integral part of the struggle for freedom.The yearning for freedom eventually manifested itself among American Negroes which gave birth to freedom. With the conjunction of Africans, Asian, South Americans and the Caribbea n, the United States Negro moved to great urgency towards racial justice (Luther 6). However, some of white individuals from South grasped the meaning of social revolution and they committed themselves towards it. Despite their low quantity, their high quality outweighed quantity. Some such as Ralph McGill, Lillian Smith, Harry Golden, James McBride Dabbs and Ann Braden have languished in jails for their pursuit of Negro social freedom (Luther 7).Conclusion From the evidence presented in the paper, it is concluded that developments of American experiences dates back to pursuit of political, social and economic freedom. Despite confinement of Jr. Martin Luther King in Birmingham jail, he answered all criticisms of his activities. Injustices such as segregation, brutality and racism compelled Luther to fight for freedom. Nonviolence demonstration which comprised of negotiation, self purification and direct action were used to raise issues of injustices.Direct action involved tension w hich helped society to wake up from racism to great heights of brotherhood. Laws are divided into two, just law which lifts up personality and unjust law which degrades personality. were segregated not to vote and privilege of peaceful assembly and protests were denied. The stumbling block of Negroes achievement of freedom was influenced by white moderates. Luther eventually won through the help of Negro church for struggle despite standing in the middle of Negro community opposition forces. Some whit individuals embraced social revolution though they languished in jails.Civil rights are not gained without determined legal and nonviolent pressure. It is known that through painful experience that freedom is not voluntarily given by the oppressor but it must be demanded by oppressed as the statement â€Å"Justice too long delayed is justice denied.† suggests. Time is neutral variable which can either be used destructively or constructively.

THE RHETORICAL SITUATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

THE RHETORICAL SITUATION - Essay Example ance with the author of the piece under consideration, the main reason why students fail at learning English is associated with their teachers’ inability to get their knowledge of the language across because of their incompetence as well as outmoded approach to teaching English. At the same time, the author claims the situation is improving, even though the changes take place randomly and do not promise immediate results. Throughout the article, the author uses Aristotelian type of argument. First, he makes an argument that many counties fail at teaching English and then uses a range of examples, mostly statistical data, to persuade the audience and confirm the position. Therefore, the major technique to reach the audience, which is used by the author, is the appeal to reasoning. In particular, it is inductive reasoning that is utilized: the author starts with an example of the specific case and then passes on to broad

The IAT Demonstration Tests Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The IAT Demonstration Tests - Essay Example However, it is hard to know if this actually measures what it says it measures, as the responses were so quick and I made a few mistakes because I got confused about which button corresponded to which category. It was interesting to complete the tests, however, and I am definitely pleased with my results.  The Understanding Prejudice links were surprising in a way because it completely categorized every type of prejudice, and it is sometimes hard to remember that there are so many different types in the world. When I think of prejudice my mind automatically goes to racism and homophobia, but the links about genocide, anti-semitism, and stigmatization were definitely interesting. Some of the links about sexism were troubling particularly because this seems to be a type of â€Å"hidden† discrimination, as women are generally considered to be equal, but when we really think about it and use the information in the links, this turns out not to be true. It is interesting to see ho w often homophobia and related prejudice is linked to religion, but this type of attitude is also a type of prejudice (grouping all religious people together) in itself. Overall, there is a lot of value although I would have liked to have more information about the treatment of disabled people, people with mental illness and those from other â€Å"sexualities† that were not often mentioned.

Use of Derivatives in Risk Management Research Paper

Use of Derivatives in Risk Management - Research Paper Example The global economic environment and the financial market have evolved drastically over the past decade. With the advent of information technology at a rapid pace, the financial markets of the world are now closely integrated. Due to this phenomenon of the world being a global village, a turbulence originated in a far distant financial market can have eventual consequences all across the globe. With the revolution in the communication technology, the access to information is instantaneous and thus the subsequent market reactions. It is of prime importance to understand the concept that how does financial risk arises in order to safeguard’s one asset from deteriorating while being exposed to such risks. For any organization or a company, the financial risk arises by entering into a financial transaction such as sales, purchase, investing into securities and bonds, sanctioning of loan and advances, mergers and acquisition transactions, debt financing etc. Financial risk is directly co-related to the prevailing financial prices in the markets, as the fluctuation in these prices causes an increase in the cost to the companies, reduction in the revenues and thus adverse impact on the profitability of the company. These underlying financial prices can be anything ranging from the market interest rates, exchange rates and commodity prices. Other aspects which yield financial risk in the transactions are dealing in derivatives and internal failures of the process and people of any organization. The financial r isk management process mainly copes with the uncertainties resulting from the financial market. The first and foremost step in this process is to identify the current exposure of the company and devise strategies accordingly keeping into consideration the priorities of the company. It depends upon the proactive decision making and the decisiveness of the company on how to cope with the current exposure of the company. In general, companies do realize that avoiding all risk is not possible in order to operate and thus they end up accepting a considerable amount of risk. Risk management is considered to be an ongoing process as the strategies needs to be updated and refined keeping into consideration the market norms and requirements. These changes are primarily brought about by the changes in the expectation about the market rates, business norms and practices and the international financial scenario. The most common strategy practiced by the companies all across the global financial market is to curtail their exposure to risk through the use of derivatives. Risk Management Process Risk management process is a continuous and iterative process which requires analysis of both internal and external risk factors. The

Managing Patient Safety Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Patient Safety Report - Research Paper Example This risked the life of a patient, and a subsequent cardiac event killed him as a result (Sullivan and Ferriter, 2008). The aim of this report is to examine this event in detail and determine what could have been changed to prevent this happen, and to decrease the likelihood of a similar event happening in the future. Patient Safety Advances in knowledge and technology have created a system of healthcare that is highly successful, and able to effectively treat a wide range of conditions. However, these factors have also led to the growth of the complexity of the healthcare system. This is an aspect of considerable concern, and the development of complexity brings considerable risk, and the potential of harm occurring to patients as the result of human or system factors (National Patient Safety Agency, 2004). There are many arguments for why the current systems of care are ineffective at preventing harm to patients, but one of these is that it has a strong reliance of systems and appr oaches that are outdated and based on previous techniques that are no longer relevant (Carayon, 2007). Whatever the driving factors, it has become clear that the safety of patients in healthcare is something that needs to be addressed, and preventable incidences of harm need to be minimised. There has been an increased interest and focus on health safety throughout the world, as well as in the scientific literature. Estimates suggest that approximately ten percent of all patients admitted into NHS hospitals experience at least one incident where patient safety is compromised. Furthermore, it would be possible to prevent a large number of these incidents (National Patient Safety Agency, 2004). Medical errors are a significant problem in the healthcare industry, and a 1999 report identified that up to 98,000 people die every year in hospitals as the result of medical errors that were preventable (Kohn et al., 1999). This report has become well known, and way one of the driving factors for the focus on patient safety. The interest in the area has generated many specific terms that are used to describe what is occurring within institutions, and the desire to prevent such incidents. Two prominent terms are patient safety and adverse events. The concept of patient safety is the prevention of any harm or adverse events occurring to the patient. In literature, the term is used prevalently, but defined rarely. For example, the 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine which spurred the focus on patient safety uses the term extensively throughout the paper, but the authors do not define what the phrase actually means (Kohn et al., 1999). It can be reasonably assumed that health safety is not explicitly defined, both because the term appears to have an intuitive definition and because this makes determining the exact meaning of the term difficult. However, understanding patient safety is a crucial aspect of effectively discussing or implementing this. Therefore, to approa ch this, we will first consider what an adverse event is, then examine how this definition can be used to help define patient safety. The National Patient Safety Agency defines an adverse event as â€Å"Any unintended or unexpected incident that could have or did lead to harm for one or more patients receiving NHS-funded healthcare†. This definition is also taken to apply to the terms patient safety incident and

Personal insight of the film "Sullivan's Travels" Statement

Insight of the film "Sullivan's Travels" - Personal Statement Example Sturges prefers planting the camera in front of the characters or actors; or have the camera follow actors when walking, and simply observing what is witty. The film does not shy in acknowledging the Great Depression. Sullivan’s discussion, the first one, with the studio leaders through the entire film, I see a genuine conflict between his wishes to present the suffering around him and also their wish in distracting audiences via the making of escapist pictures . It is only in the end does he, Sullivan, notice that perhaps the heads at the studio may be having the right idea. The movie changes humor style and tone each a few minutes. The movie shows some paradox tone, the movie has humor and gravity existing side-by-side, the tragicomic picture or view whose objective is comedy but it premise is a serious in nature ; the movie aims at both making people laugh and think. I am in a dilemma of comfortable classifying Sullivans Travels into either the â€Å"comedy-not tragedy† or "comedy-ha-ha† modes of humor. Sullivan’s Travels is more of Sullivan’s film, and the movie is presenting exactly what the character has set out to discover. Moreover, the movie avails an integration of comedy, inspiration, and pathos that jointly reinforce and also paradoxically demean the filmmakers’ argument. The movie has various exquisite scene of gags, for example the chase scene where a trailer after Sullivan in the dirt roads and fields, the varied expressions found on the portrait at the house’s window, and a number of characters falling into the pool. The presence of verbal humor emanates in most of the encounters with the Girl’s sarcastic comments that are dry, and Sullivan’s associates. The movie Sullivan’s Travels is also ironic; Sturges criticizes the motivations and methods of the Popular Front, but at the same time, he perpetuates to give social critique of the manner and style of the Popular Front. Sturges was able to

H Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

H - Assignment Example This includes: It is important to ensure that you stay away from carbon monoxide dense areas, for instance near factories that emit toxic gases, near vehicle exhaust pipes and other cigarette smokers. It is crucial to consider staying safe as this reduces your chances of getting back to smoking and helps you reduce continuous intoxication. Avoiding these areas will help in ensuring that the lung cleaning process is successful. It is important to eat healthy foods and also consider taking lots of fruits especially pineapples. Pineapple is a fruit that contains an essential component known as Bromelin which helps in cleaning the lungs and further for enhancing free supply of oxygen. After consuming the pineapples, you will take in deeper breaths thus boost the elastic limits of your lungs. It is important to weigh up the eating patterns and make adjustments on the diet when needed. There are a lot of healthy foods to eat in the present day and live healthy as much as foods that improve the performance of the lungs are essential. There are spices and herbal medicines that play a major role in cleansing the lungs which include rosemary, avocados, thyme, cayenne, horseradish and ginger. These are food complements that can be served or prepared with other food. On the other hand, it is also advisable to seek medical advice or guidance from a qualified nutritionist on what to eat in order to successfully cleanse the lungs. Engaging in workout programs has never been so helpful than it is in cleansing the lungs. Long term smokers are always advised to begin with less strenuous exercises or small amounts of work outs that multiplies as time goes by. This is because, during the exercises, it is possible to note the increase in Phlegm and mucus in the lungs. This will be enhanced especially by coughing. This is the greatest part of exercise programs as the lungs biologically try to remove the toxic substances. Over and above, it is advisable to ensure

Meaning of Life and Success Essay Example for Free

Meaning of Life and Success Essay Success is a person or thing that desired aims and achieves or attains fame or any form of accomplishment which will always make them proud or happy at the end of either the day, month or year. The word success was originated in the mid-16th century from a Latin word successus and a verb succedere meaning come close after. When I hear of the word success there are two things that come in mind, hard work and determination. Hard work is one of the main and most important building blocks in my success foundation. Working hard is one of the best and most accurate ways to think about being successful. Success cannot be earned unless you strive and work hard for it, because it is a word that comes with work and if work is not done then the meaning of the word can’t be accomplished. Like Einstein said â€Å"If A is a success in life then A equals x plus y plus z. work is x; y is play and z is keeping your mouth shut† for instance to me as an athlete working hard and in playing hard rather than running my mouth are the best way of being successful in game point stands in my career. Determination is a very critical and important aspect when it comes to success. To be determined to achieve any goals or aims is a very important choice of being successful. Bertrand 2 Determination can to be physically, spiritually and emotionally which all combines with hard work and if you combine both hard work and determination together you will always get a good result of success. Being successful in life can be one of the precious and happiest moments in life that can last for a long time if and only if you do what is expected of you to keep the success going on. Success can be advantageous in many ways; Accomplishing a goal, moving on to a new goal, brings happiness and fulfillment, set new and personal records, inspire, motivate and give you strengths to aim high and set bigger goals. But it’s not always everybody that’s successful that is happy or satisfied with their success. The isn’t that much difference being successful than being a failure, like the good old quote that say â€Å"the difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength not a lack of knowledge, but rather the a lack in will† this quote is very simple and well understood and the quote’s point is clearly pointed out, which state the main difference between a successful person and others which is the will to be the successful person that they are. To be successful person there should be some sought of guidelines to help you achieve or attain success. Thinking about success also brings about the thought or idea of failure â€Å"In order to success your desire for success should be greater rather than your fear of failure†. An important and inspiring quote as this from one of the favorite, idol and inspiring actor in the movie industry and in the society should and is been considered by a lot of fans to be very important in achieving success rather than having the fear of failure because his path of success has given or got him to where he is at the moment.

Muckrakers in US Politics and Journalism

Muckrakers in US Politics and Journalism Janet Hopkins By definition Muckrakers was the name given to US journalists and other writers who exposed corruption in politics and business in the early 20th century. The term was first used by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. Typically these journalists Muckrakers attacked established institutions, businesses, and leaders. In modern day it would be called investigative journalism. It is said that muckrakers and their intrepid reporting style had opened the eyes of many readers to the unknown harsh side of industrial capitalism. (Perry, 2004) Muckrakers were to some named heroes. (It may be a clichà ©, but it was all too true for journalists at the turn of the century. The print revolution enabled publications to increase their subscriptions dramatically. What appeared in print was now more powerful than ever. Writing to Congress in hopes of correcting abuses was slow and often produced zero results. Publishing a series of articles had a much more immediate impact. Collectively called MUCKRAKERS, a brave cadre of reporters exposed injustices so grave they made the blood of the average American run cold.) (unknown, 2008-2016) Muckrakers effected business and politics in ways no one could have imagined. They wrote stories and investigated to blow the top off what some would call scandals and secrets. They called out people and businesses for fraud and corruption. (The first to strike was Lincoln Steffens. In 1902, he published an article in MCCLURES magazine called TWEED DAYS IN ST. LOUIS. Steffens exposed how city officials worked in league with big business to maintain power while corrupting the public treasury. ) (unknown, 2008-2016) After the publication from Lincoln Steffens more and more journalists published articles and even a book to follow. Soon public outcry demanded reform of city government and gave strength to the progressive ideas of a city commission or city manager system. (unknown, 2008-2016) There is one Muckraker that stands out from the others due to the stir he made with his publication THE JUNGLE. Upton Sinclair, an avowed socialist who hoped to illustrate the horrible effects of capitalism on the workers in the Chicago meatpacking industry. (unknown, 2008-2016) (The book detailed workers sacrificing their fingers and nails by working with acid, losing limbs, catching diseases, and toiling long hours in cold, cramped conditions. He hoped the public outcry would be so fierce that reforms would soon follow.) (unknown, 2008-2016) (Sinclair also uncovered the contents of the products being sold to the general public. Spoiled meat was covered with chemicals to hide the smell. Skin, hair, stomach, ears, and nose were ground up and packaged as head cheese. Rats climbed over warehouse meat, leaving piles of excrement behind. Sinclair said that he aimed for Americas heart and instead hit its stomach. Even President Roosevelt, who coined the derisive term muckraker, was propel led to act. Within months, Congress passed the PURE FOOD AND DRUG ACT and the MEAT INSPECTION ACT to curb these sickening abuses.) (unknown, 2008-2016) As you can imagine this affected businesses, politics, and citizens in a negative way. By the time the muckrakers were through, no one could doubt the reality of corruption between business and government was a historical fact. Not a single person could doubt the terrible consequences of this system for human lives in a time of untrammeled corporate greed. (Oppenheimer, 2017) The Muckrakers goal was to uncover such things as bribery, political corruption, fraud, and anything wrong with the government. Things the people of these cities should be aware of or know about that are kept secret by our leader or people in a seat of power. Muckrakers targeted many turn-of-the-century injustices brought on by the large increase of immigrants, the rapid growth of the cities, unregulated big business and the influence of political machines, as well as many other social problems. (Click, 2003-2017) The muckrakers exposed corruption in business, including unfair trusts, insurance fraud and dangers of patent medicines, were exposed. Muckrakers also criticized abuses of power in politics and government. (Click, 2003-2017) In most cases, muckraking articles took on a very serious nature. Magazine editors would often go to great lengths to check the facts as they were reported in their publications. Some muckrakers even lived in the slums they wrote about or worked in the factories they investigated. The factual nature of the muckrakers articles leant credibility to the message the authors were sending to the American readers. (Click, 2003-2017) Muckrakers are still around today you really just dont here that term too much. In the progressive era muckrakers exposed so much and did what they could to inform the people of America. We still see that today on news channels, in papers, even on social media such as Facebook. Just this past election things were exposed like scandals, and fake votes or votes being changed. We see and hear it all around us. That is why these people weather called muckrakers or just investigative journalists are sometimes named heroes. People of America need to know the truth about stuff. We need to know the corrupt horrids of our society so we can be cautious. If it wasnt for them we would all be blind to things around us. References Click, L. (2003-2017). The Muckrakers of the Progressive Era: Definition and Influence. Retrieved from study.com: http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-muckrakers-of-the-progressive-era-definition-and-influence.html Oppenheimer, M. (2017). The Rise and Fall of the Muckrakers. Retrieved from New Politics: http://newpol.org/content/rise-and-fall-muckrakers Perry, E. L. (2004). Exposes and excess: Muckraking in america, 1900/2000. Retrieved from proquest: https://search.proquest.com/docview/205353999?accountid=10435 unknown. (2008-2016). muckrakers. Retrieved from us history: http://www.ushistory.org/us/42b.asp

the color purple Essay -- essays research papers

There are many racial components in this novel that are easy to point out. These take place in the American South and also in Africa. It starts with the way that all the black men and women are treated at the start of the book. The main character’s real father was a successful store owner who was black. This man was hanged for a reason that is known only as him being a successful black man. All the characters that we are introduced to in this book by Celie are exploited by the fact that they are black. Sophia is beat up and jailed for her refusal to want to work for a white women. Of course she stood up for herself and the white element tried to tell her where her place was. There is also an intra racial theme that starts at the beginning of the book that is hard to actually believe. But to me it would make sense after awhile, because if the people tell you something over and over you would start to believe and accept it. This is shown by the acceptance of what happen to Soph ia by her peers. Albert shows this with his denial that Celie could do anything well because she is a black, poor, ugly woman. If there was not any self disapproval among these people than that Albert’s black comment would not be prevalent. All the black characters in the book with the exception of Shug are poor and have a bad educational back round. It does not describe these characters as stupid just not well educated. This is inflicted by people selling them on how it is wrong to educate a black person. The feminism components are more main stream than the racial issues. The women at the start of the story are expected to cook, clean, and lay down when told to. They are beaten when they do not obey their husband or man. The men act as if Women are there to serve the man. Celie is forced to have sex with her step father and her husband because she is not strong enough to say no to Albert or her step father. â€Å"He just climb on top of me and do his business† says Celie. As if the women are there just to open her legs and let the man do what he wants to do. The real first theme of feminism is the act of Nettie to not give in and let Mr.__ have his way with her. In this act it showed him that he was not going to be able to take from a woman. That is a change because he had always gotten what he wanted because Celie was just too scared to stand up to him. As the story moves along Sophia is... ...making pants for women. A great deal of this novel looks at Africa and the narrative changes. I believe that this change was important to show that there was a parallel of the components, the fact that the tribes were exploited as well as the people in the American south. The village was trampled by the white man because they believe that they were superior and the Africans had no right to stay where they were. The novel was a very good depiction of what life was like for the African American men and women for this time. I believe that years of the treatment conditioned the peoples to act as they did out of habit. All it takes is one idea or one stand to change and that is what happens for each character in the book. I believe that Walker did a great job in capturing the time and I agree with her view on racism and feminism. I would love to believe that none of this could have happened but I know that this sort of social action was the just the spark that women and African Americans needed to start to level the playing field. There were so many brave people that are not fictional that went through the same things that should be applauded for trying in the first place. by j. katz

Societal Lessons in Julius Caesar :: miscellaneous

Societal Lessons in Julius Caesar Many authors try to convey different lessons that we, as individuals or a society can learn from their writings. William Shakespeare, in his play Julius Caesar, has definitely accomplished this goal. With the many lessons included in this story, society can learn from the mistakes of others made previously. It could be said that the actions of society are learned by the actions of our predecessors. In this incredible play, the major messages or societal lessons include mob mentality, respect, and wealth and power are the roots of all evil. Shakespeare realized that people behave differently in mobs. One individual can sway the opinions of everyone present by convincing just one person in the group. This is called mob mentality. In Act III, Scene II, Brutus speaks to the masses and explains why Caesar had to be slain for the good of Rome. Then, Brutus leaves and Antony speaks to the citizens. A far better judge of human nature than Brutus, Antony cleverly manages to turn the crowd against the conspirators by telling them of Caesar's good works and his concern for the people. Another hideous act of the mob was the killing of Cinna the poet. They realize that he is the wrong Cinna, but they are so enraged, they slay him anyway. Although revenge is a major concept in this play, respect is another important theme. After Brutus kills himself, Antony says "This was the noblest Roman of them all: all the conspirators save only he did what they did in envy of great Caesar; he only in a general honest thought and common good to all, made one of them." This quote means that Antony regarded Brutus as an honorable man, despite the fact that he killed Caesar. Antony also understood that Brutus killed Caesar for the good of Rome and not because of jealousy or hatred. Octavious then comments ".with all respect and rites of burial. Within my tent his bones to-night shall lie, most like a soldier, order'd honourably." The men wish for his body to lie in their tent for the night, and then they will give him proper burial rites. One last lesson in this tragedy is wealth and powers are the roots of all evil. This statement applies mainly to Caesar himself, but can also be stretched to custom fit the conspirators. Caesar is a high and mighty man who appeals to all the common people of Rome, but Brutus and his men feel that his power has become too great.

Jeanette Wintersons View on Life Essay -- Winterson Writing Essays

Jeanette Winterson's View on Life A writer's style should be distinctive. Indeed, if it isn't distinctive, then it isn't a style. A creative person is someone who imagines what other people cannot. Their value to us lies in expanding our own possibilities. Walls fall. We break out. Art releases what was lost. Jeanette Winterson Sometimes it seems that our lives have been watered down. That somehow we have been cheated of the true meaning of what is before us. Especially here in America, millions of people live comfortable lifestyles: they have money, they have place, they have success. But still many of us are bored and unhappy. We wake up every morning, go to work, go to school, and come home without feeling a thing. We are de facto disenchanted and nobody really knows why. Our imagination dies long before our bodies die. Jeanette Winterson is a writer whose work seems to be aimed at changing this for herself and, if we will listen to her, perhaps for us as well. Winterson reveals both the beauty and the horror with which we are confronted on a daily basis. She shows us new universes within our own, and parallel universes outside our own. Her writing teaches us to read between the lines of our everyday lives. Even when this is not an obvious message delivered through the content of her stories, we find it within her language. Her words reveal and unfold layers of unrealized meaning on every page, until the reader is gently lowered back into his or her own world with a new fascination and awe for what already existed. Winterson's writing rejects our conventional perception of life. She reveals the shallow fulfillment inherent in traditional values, expands our notion of time and reality, and gives us new insig... ...he is sick of our houses with ceilings and no floors and wants us to build houses instead with floors and no ceilings, houses that deny limits and embrace sheltered truths that help us deny the limits. She sees the power and beauty in both imagination and reality, and she finds no need to distinguish between the two, as both exist co-dependently, like structural elements of a house with no ceiling. In short, Jeanette Winterson wants to release, through her own art, the love for life that has been lost. She writes for our very lives and hers. Works Cited Kakutani, Michiko. "A Journey Through Time, Space, and Imagination." New York Times 27 Apr. 1990: C33. Winterson, Jeanette. Art & Lies. London: Cape, 1994. The Passion. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1998. The World and Other Places. New York: Vintage, 2000. Written On The Body. London: Cape, 1992.

Beowulf: Movie or Poem? Essay

Before watching the Beowulf movie, I had the opportunity to read the poem along with ghthe class. I thought the movie was going to be a slight different from the epic poem, but that it was still going to stick to the message that the poem had given us. As we started to watch the movie, I noticed that I as completely wrong because the movie is almost completely different from the epic poem. The movie kept very few elements from the original epic poem. In the poem, Grendel attacks Heorot because he is a descendent of Cain that has been exiled into darkness. The movie let us know that Grendel was the son of Hrothgar, the king. Grendel could not attack or go against God himself, so he took it against God’s followers. In the movie, Grendel attacked Heorot because he cannot stand music and singing. Noise really bothered his head and ears. In both the movie and poem, Beowulf fights Grendel without any kind of weapons or armor because Grendel isn’t using any of that either. Beowulf wants it to be a fair fight. Beowulf tears Grendel’s arm off and hangs it up; I think to symbolize the victory. Another major difference to me, is that in the poem, Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother as soon as possible, while in the movie somehow Beowulf is seduced by her. Beowulf never kills Grendel’s mother. I think the movie producers took a really big leap in this part, it went completely different from the epic poem. Grendel’s mother is also described as a lizard-type of creature that was unappealing and unattractive. Completely opposite to the epic poem, Grendel’s mother was provocative and seductive in the movie, maybe this is the reason why Beowulf gives in to her. As a result of this matter, Beowulf becomes the father of a dragon. The epic poem never mentions about Beowulf becoming a father, he was always loyal and faithful to his wife. Finally in the poem, Beowulf returns to his homeland, where he became old  and became king. Beowulf had to fight the dragon along with his knights working as a team, but instead, the knights had given up and weren’t helping him at all. Wiglaf is the only person who reaches out and helps him fight the dragon. This signifies that the Anglo-Saxon Era was coming to an end. Despite all of this, Beowulf never gives up, he fights to the end. In the movie, Beowulf never returns to his homeland, instead he becomes king of the Danes as a result of Hrothgar’s suicide. Beowulf ends up killing the dragon in both versions, but in the movie, Beowulf seemed to have lost the heroic, fearless, and courageous values. Beowulf just seemed like he had given up. Maybe it was culpability about all his lies that had finally got to him. I enjoyed reading the poem much better than watching the movie. I think the movie- producers shouldn’t have taken so much out of the original poem. They made Beowulf seem like a completely different person. The original Beowulf poem portrayed many of the Anglo-Saxon values, while in the movie, it just seemed like they didn’t portray any of them at all. I wanted to see Beowulf just like they portrayed him in the poem. I wanted to see Beowulf being an honorable and heroic figure that never gave up on it’s people.

Art work

Sherlock Homes and I are at the local coffee shop discussing the recent case of the kidnapping of Nancy Philips and how this event is ever so tragic. At this moment Sherlock Is approached by a woman. The woman looks younger, in her late twenties I would say, she had light brown silky hair & she was tall and a very fit woman at that. She had beautiful big green sad eyes and a big black overcoat on with a slouched posture. The young woman had her hair drooped over the side and pinned back out of her face.She stood over us for quite some time, then pursued into tears, Sherlock then went to the next table got a chair and offered her to sit down and explain the problem. The woman then said is a low voice, â€Å"My name is Georgia Nicole Philips, I am 31 and my daughter has been kidnapped† I could almost see Sherlock brain working when then he knew she was talking about poor old Nancy Philips which to to be her daughter. â€Å"You are indeed the mother of Nancy Philips? † sai d Sherlock in a questioning tone. Indeed I am, and I am so happy I found you here today, I have eared many wonderful things about you and your success In solving cases. I really hope you can help me figure out this ample mystery and hopefully find my daughter† At this moment Georgia reached in her handbag and whipped her eyes with a handkerchief then quickly stored It away as If she was embarrassed. â€Å"l see you have taken the metro here, you have recently been smoking you also have degrees In law? † â€Å"How did you know! She replied I observed the metro ticket sticking out the side of your left coat pocket that looks airily new; I also noticed your yellow stained fingers/fingernails & you have several key chains from the School of Law which most likely means you practiced law.

Compare and Contrast Plato and Decsartes Essay

Descartes and Plato are two of the most influential thinkers within philosophy. The allegory of the cave and systematic doubt are also two of the most famous concepts within philosophy. Plato at the time of writing the cave allegory was trying to resist the growing influence of the Sophist philosophers who prioritised semantics and rhetoric over truth.1 Descartes by introducing radical scepticism to philosophy was challenging traditional scholastic philosophy which had dominated the philosophy for many centuries. While both pieces of writing are separated by different ages of time and space, they share many similarities as well as fundamental differences. This essay will attempt to compare and contrast these two bodies of work by firstly explaining what is Descartes’ systematic doubt and Plato’s Allegory of the cave before finally examining the similarities and differences between them in the final paragraph of analysis. Descartes in his first meditation introduces the concept of Radical doubt which similarly places suspicion on the senses and the appearance of things. This involves stripping away all one’s beliefs and preconceived notions in order to find the foundational bedrock of knowledge in which all sciences could then grow. Descartes begins his first meditation by casting doubt on all his beliefs, if a belief can be even slightly doubted it must be discarded. He wants to ‘reject as absolutely false anything in which I could imagine the least amount of doubt3’ this is called radical scepticism where all beliefs must be challenged. Through this experiment Descartes conceded that the physical senses are not to be trusted as they have deceived him before, this is known as sensory deception and this revelation forces him to doubt any beliefs about the external world and knowledge that is gathered by the five senses. His examination also reveals that dreams states can be difficult to  distinguish between waking life, this has happened before where he thought he was in bed but wasn’t. Henceforth one cannot truly know if they are awake observing reality or asleep enjoying a dream, this is known as the dream hypothesis. Descartes also uncovers the evil demon hypothesis whereby all external reality observed may be just an illusion that is perpetrated by an evil demon seeking to deceive him, also there is the problem that all previous memories about oneself could simply just be imagination and not grounded in any reality. The system of radical doubt leads Descartes into murky territory where he cannot believe in the existence of anything at all. This thankfully is changed when he discovers the cogito’ I think therefore I am’, his starting point which saves him from uncertainty, allowing him to prove that he exists. In Plato’s allegory of the cave, there are prisoners who are locked up within the depths of a cave. All day long, they are situated in front of a wall and behind them is a fire which reflects shadows on the wall. Unbeknownst to the prisoners, there are puppeteers who use the firelight to reflect shadows of their puppets upon the wall while making noises ‘the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows’. The prisoners are unaware of this illusion and mistakenly believe these shadows are real images. One day, a prisoner is released from his chains and allowed to walk freely about the cave. Although it is confusing for him to see the puppets and fire, he is forced to accept this clearer version of reality and eventually ascents through the cave, spending a day and night under the sun and the stars. As he becomes familiar with the world above, he realises the sun is the giver of light, how it casts shadows and how his prior life in the cave was an entire illusion. This newfound enlightenment Plato remarks will prevent him from ever returning to the life in cave, nor will his old inmates believe him if he tried to free him, instead ‘they would put him to death5’ This intellectual awakening will cause the inmate to grasp the idea of good, the eternal form which will urge him to act ‘rationally in public or private life6’. Ultimately Plato suggests the inmate should return to his old friends and seek to help them. The cave analogy is concerned with the human condition and its’ lack of enlightenment, for Plato the prisoners represent ordinary citizens who hold false beliefs (shadows), reality is dictated to them by their senses (appearance of things) allowing them to be easily manipulated. Ignorance is then symbolised by darkness and the  intellect and reason is symbolised by the light. The journey of the inmate from darkness to light is a metaphor for education which allows one to progress from the ignorance in the depths of the cave to the intellectual plains of the enlightened one in the outside world. The outer world symbolises true knowledge, the realisation of eternal forms while the cave again illustrates the world of appearance and false beliefs, Woozley writes ‘most men without knowing it live in this shadow world’9 The cave analogy and Descartes systematic doubt have much in common. Both are concerned with the illusory nature of the senses and external reality, for Plato people place too much emphasis on the senses, on the appearance of things as illustrated in by the shadows on the wall, this leads them to hold false beliefs and to be easily misled, only by entering the realm of thought can people free themselves by gaining knowledge and becoming enlightened. Descartes through the systematic doubt also maintains that external reality cannot be truly known; the sensory deception and evil demon hypothesis cast doubt on the authenticity of the outside world. Indeed the evil demon hypothesis is an almost identical scenario to that of the prisoners whose sensory per ception is distorted by the shadow wielding puppeteers. Only through the mind or intellect can an individual overcome the illusory nature of the senses, it allows the prisoner to access the outside world to gain enlightenment and help his fellow inmates while for Descartes the mind by way of the cogito is the one thing that cannot be doubted which through it allows him prove the existence of the outside world in his later meditations. The cave is an analogy which illustrates how people can possess false consciousness and how through reason and knowledge one can overcome this while systematic doubt is an instruction on how to discard false beliefs, the ascent through the cave into the intellectual world is the finishing point for Plato while the cogito for Descartes is a starting point for further investigation. The two authors also differ on the type of philosophy employed in their argument. Plato insists that after the ascent , the prisoner will experience the idea of the good ‘ the lord of light in the visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual’10 the good then is the highest point of knowledge and represents Plato’s philosophy of perfect types or forms known as idealism, Descartes through highlighting the sensory, dream and demon hypothesis  illustrates how the external world cannot be relied upon as a basis for true knowledge, but the cogito is a start ing point, the attempt to find secure beliefs that allow a foundation for further knowledge to be rested upon is known as Foundationalism which is credited to Descartes. In conclusion, both Descartes and Plato in their attempts to challenge the prevailing doctrine of their respective times introduced two of the most influential concepts in the world of Philosophy. Descartes through his examination of systematic doubt uncovers the limitations of the physical senses in acquiring knowledge and introduces further challenges to understanding external reality with the dream, memory and evil demon hypothesis. Only through the mind alone can one grasp the nature of reality starting with the cogito. Likewise Plato is concerned with the appearance of things, how the senses can deceive us and humanity like the inmates in the cave can live in a state of ignorance or darkness if they don’t use the power of the mind to acquire knowledge and reason. Only through using the intellect can humanity gather true knowledge and escape the darkness in the cave. For both the intellect is the only means for gathering true knowledge, the senses are illusory. Descartes s ystematic doubt and cogito provide the foundational starting point for the sciences while the cave allegory offers advocates a way of life for humanity to feign the world of ignorance and seek true knowledge so that those who acquire it will return to the cave and help their fellow man. Works Cited: Annas, Julias. An Introduction to Plato’s’ Republic. New York: Oxford University Press Cottingham, John. Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013 Cottingham, John. Ed. Ray Monk. Descartes’ Philosophy of Mind. London: Phoenix Publishers, 1997 Plato. The Allegory of the cave. Week 5 Handout Woozley, Anthony. Plato’s Republic: A philosophical commentary. London: MacMillan Publishers, 1989

How Does Media Coverage of Barack Obama Differ in the US and the UK Essay

The purpose of this paper is the discuss political media coverage of US President Barack Obama.   The discussion will focus on differences in media coverage in the US and the UK and will assess which media group provide more critical coverage of Barack Obama.   The first section examines US coverage, it’s drivers, and results. The second section examines UK coverage, it’s drivers, relationship to and influence from US media and it’s results.   The final section analyzes the level and method of critical coverage and concludes that both US and UK media are equally critical in coverage of Barack Obama, but by different method and for different purposes. US Coverage In the US, political media coverage is driven and influenced by the elite party leaders of both Democrats and Republicans.   What is unique in the 2008 presidential campaigns, elections, and now presidential administration coverage is that both parties have similar agendas which range from right to center meaning generally conservative in position. This conservative right wing agenda has virtually eliminated left or liberal positions from US media coverage.   Even when reputable opinion polls show strong support of liberal issues such as nationalized health care, the US media fails to reflect those opinions in their coverage.   The result is that the American public may be pictured as more conservative than it really is. Generally the Democratic party is associated with left wing and liberal ideals while the Republican party is associated with right wing and conservative ideals.   That being the case, US media coverage should have indicated and been characterized by stronger support for John McCain, the Republican nominee, during the 2008 election cycle.   That, however, was not the case. US political coverage of Barack Obama has not been all positive.   During the 2008 campaigns there was an equal amount of negative and positive coverage.   What was unique in this election cycle was the amount of coverage focused on Barack Obama.   Barack Obama received greater focus both in the US and international media coverage. This saturation affect neutralized the effect of either positive or negative coverage.   The saturation effect changed the primary campaign question from should John McCain or Barack Obama become president, to assuming that Barack Obama is going to become the next US president, is that good or bad.   Even in the days following the election, inauguration, and opening days of the Obama administration the focus and question still remains the same, is Obama and his policies good or bad.   UK Coverage One critical difference between US and UK media that has driven the level of coverage of Obama, particularly during the campaign, is political advertising is banned in the UK whereas it a staple of political media coverage in the US.   In the US the advertising industry is deeply involved in, and in a driving force in political media coverage, however in the UK the newspaper industry, by legal design, is more involved and influential in political media coverage. The newspaper industry in the UK is drastically different from outlets in other parts of Europe and the US.   While television and radio are the first lines of information, UK newspapers are more influential in coverage due to massive nationalized circulation, and strong and varied political affiliations which drive the content and level of political coverage.   Newspapers are, therefore, the core of political information and opinion, and other media outlets base their coverage on what appears in newspapers first. The 2008 US presidential election received a high level of coverage in UK media outlets.   UK journalists have been focused on Barack Obama’s platform of change as much as US media has and have presented him in a positive light as an agent of change.   The positive UK media coverage of Obama’s change platform has led UK media to focus on and build David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader, as the UK counterpart to Barack Obama. This is problematic for the Labor Party and Prime Minister Gordon Brown who had been all but written off by media late in 2008.   UK newspapers are likened to US talk radio.   The general tone and tenor of attack propaganda that is displayed in US talk radio can be read in UK newspapers.   UK press is opinionated and expressive in the way that talk radio hosts are in the US.   This is especially important since, according to Nicholas Jones, more than 66% of readers of UK newspapers, through websites,   are outside of the UK and overwhelmingly in the US. UK newspapers will begin to focus on coverage that appeals to American and other outside readers. Who is More Critical The US media is clearly more critical than UK media.   UK media is at least as critical as US media given its driving influence in UK media coverage of American politics, the 2008 US presidential elections, and the opening days of the Obama administration.   What is important in assessing the differences in US and UK coverage of Barack Obama is the goal and purpose of coverage.   The US media seeks to define US public opinion through it’s presentation of public opinion. The UK media seeks to meet a growing demand of an international niche market of American readership which has been defined as conservative and right wing by it’s own media sources.   UK media also seeks to further it’s own political agenda by drawing comparisons to Obama by supporting and presenting UK leaders as either agents of change or by ignoring them in the way that US media virtually ignored Obama’s rivals. Conclusion The US media has presented public opinion as conservative and right leaning.   However political coverage and focus on Barack Obama was never consistent with this public opinion image.   With equal amounts of negative and positive coverage, Barack Obama alone was the focus of most media coverage in the US and abroad.   US media failed to focus on the differences in two candidates and engaged in debate over whether the one candidate was essentially good or bad. American readership is a fast growing segment of UK media circulation and drives the type and style of political coverage in UK media outlets.   As a result, UK media followed suit of US media in focusing on Barack Obama in terms of the pros and cons of Obama instead of focusing on alternatives that the rival candidate presented to Obama’s platform of change even to the extent of seeking a comparable change agent in the UK political environment to build as the UK equivalent to the US agent for change.    References Jones, N. US-style attack advertising is on its way to the UK via Britain’s highly-politicised press. Nicholas Jones archive and blog. Retrieved March 30, 2009, from http://www.nicholasjones.org.uk/index. php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71& Itemid=4 Kumar, D. A New Era?: The 2008 US Elections, Public Opinion, and the Mass Media. Fifth-Estate-Online. Retrieved March 30, 2009, from http://www.fifth-estate-online.co.uk/c omment/commentkumar.html