Crime Data Comparison Essay

This week in class we were asked to choose two metropolitan areas with different data and write a paper comparing the occurrence of the offense in the selected areas. We were asked to identify the number of occurrences reported to the police for each area, and address the following questions which area had more reported incidents? What were the rates of the crime for each area? Did the rates change over time in either area? What factors might explain the differences in the rates? The information will be presented as it appears above. New York and New Jersey are two metropolitan areas that have had a lot of crime both high profile media grabbing attention and low profile everyday crime occurrences. Therefore these two metro areas can provide for very good demographical crime data as well as have a good base to study from due to the high crime rates in both areas. As such this paper will be comparing forcible rape crime data from both areas to see what is happening in this particular field. So with looking at the FBI.gov web site and looking for info on these two areas and the categories forcible rape it is very clear that this is a very big crime in both areas in new jersey the total for 2011 is 1,006 rape case which the year before in 2010 was at 981 cases which is a 2.5 % increase in this crime. In New York where this crime is a lot higher in totals 2,752 which is 1.6 % less than in 2010’s 2,797 cases. With this data we can see a few things happening here for one we can see that New York has a drop in rap e cases in one year and that New Jersey has increased in this crime, and this could be due to a number of reasons. We know that the two states are almost one in the same and that many people who work in New York live in New Jersey which could mean that these cases could involve residents from both areas and so both would have possibly been reported to. We could speculate that New Jersey has a less severe punishment than New York for rape crime and so the criminals would go to that area to commit the crime due to a less harsh punishment if caught. Another factor on this could be to release times of prisoners within the state that may go to metro areas and commit crimes; this could be a very real factor to consider due to the likely hood of violent criminals repeating their crimes. At any rate not just one factor is the most likely reason as to why we see a drop in New York and an increase in New Jersey. The probability that it has to do with most of if not all stated factors is very real, especially since rape is not a crime that can be predicted nor really deter able unfortunately. And with both metro areas having such high populations it is also possible that many cases were never reported, which is why New York and New Jersey both estimate a total as well as keep records for the actual total. In New York they had an estimate of 2,972 rape case that’s almost three hundred unreported rapes that may have happened. So with knowing that the actual rape cases reported versus the estimated total one could see that even though the statistics are going down and it may look like the crime rate in an area is going down you would still need to see the estimated totals and compare to see what could be unreported and unknown. With the info we have and the estimates on it as well it is clear that although I may appear that New York is getting a handle on its rape crime it may not be as well off as it appears and although New Jersey has had an increase in rape cases it also has lowered its estimate which could be a good sign or bad and unfortunately that is the way crime an statistics go ever changing and adapting. References Uniform Crime Report. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/tables/table-4

The Productivity of Canada

Canada†s productivity is not in really good shape now. Among its G-7 partners (Britain, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and the U. S. ) , it has the lowest rate of growth in economic productivity over the past 25 years while it ranked second in productivity only to the U. S. two decades ago. What was the problem? Why was the situation getting worse and worse? While the problem seems to be getting more serious as the new millennium approaches, Jean Chretien, the Prime Minister, and Paul Martin, the Finance Minster, have played down the productivity issue, saying there is no clear-cut evidence that it is a significant problem. In fact, the high income tax rate compared to the U. S. causes lower salary for those highly skilled workers, which leads to their departure for better pay and more opportunities in the U. S. Also, the Canadian federal government spends too much money on themselves such as building political empires and providing services that duplicate those delivered by other provincial or municipal governments. Besides, Canada has a poor performance particularly in areas related to technology and communication industries. We certainly need a lot more to be done to improve productivity from various sources. Before we can come up with effective solutions for this controversial issue, we need to know how does productivity affect our economy and the standard of living in our country. Productivity measures the capacity of the economy to increase its output while costs are controlled. As economic efficiency increases, the overall wealth produced by the economy also goes up. It also determines the purchasing power that Canadians have. The greater productivity, the greater the potential for economic growth. With the decrease in productivity, our standard of living may go down as well. Canadians† living standard grew by an average of 3. 1 percent a year from 1961 to 1980. Since then, growth has averaged only 1. 1 percent annually. The major reason for this shutdown can be criticized on slower productivity growth. Lower labour productivity has explained 96% on average of the Canada-U. S. standard of living gap over the last decade. The atrophy of Canada†s productivity causes damages to the country†s living standard. Stronger productivity growth is essential for higher living standards in a country. One possible solution is tax cut, particularly on income tax. High tax rates hurt Canada in many different ways. Most of the Canadian companies cannot afford to hire an American executive to come north because the U. S. wage rates are significantly higher and the tax rate is different. If they do so, they should expect to pay an American executive the double salary compare to the outgoing Canadian executive earned. In that case, it would be too expensive. Although larger companies can probably afford it, while some smaller companies can†t afford to bring in talent that they need to expand their business. Moreover, the growing tax gap makes the situation even worse. This is also one of the reasons why Canada†s poor economy performance during recent years. Also, the Canadian dollar is weaker than the U. S. dollar, therefore income tax rate turns out to be around 50% for top earners compared to Canada with about 35% in the U. S. The other problem with over taxation is, when governments have too much of our money by collecting tax, which is in the case of Canada, the federal government spend too much on themselves, on building political empires and providing services that duplicate those delivered by other provincial or municipal governments. If taxpayers have this money left over to spend, they will probably either spend it or invest which will have a positive impact on our economy. But one exceptional case is high-tech industries in Montreal. Tax credits those companies, which allure them to invest more money. Eventually, the government provides up to $15,000 for new jobs in tax credits for each employee†s annual salary in future ten years. Those subsidies convinced Illinois-based Motorola to locate a new software center in Montreal. However, the critics argued that the government is buying jobs by using other taxpayer†s money and causing higher taxes for others. But in general, higher tax rate in Canada is a non-questionable fact. Another improvement that should be made is to put more money on education and provide a stable and attractive working environment for highly trained graduates. The loss of these highly trained graduates, estimated in the thousands annually to the U. S. The more opportunities, higher salaries and lower taxes are the main reason to draw their attention. Besides, there are not enough well trained and highly educated people to teach at universities and specialized schools, skilled Canadians who leave because of better pay and more job opportunities elsewhere. Besides, numbers of Canadians are willing to study in the U. S every year. In 1997, 23,000 of them enrolled in American colleges and universities. But there were only 18,000 Canadians enrolled in U. S. universities about 10 years ago. This number has been increased over the past decade and it certainly is going to increase if we don†t do anything about it. Another thing is, the American companies spend large amounts of money on re-training and development on executives. The average company spent about $10 million on both internal and external executive development in 1998. Especially when technology is becoming more and more involving business, the ability to get up to date information and knowledge is the key to success. In a recent survey that is done by Business Week, the best in management education, ranked according to this survey. U. S. has 17 universities in the top 20 for non-degree study. Although this was not an official ranking, it still shows that the U. S has most of the top business schools in the world, such as Harvard, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. That†s also why many students around the world, not just Canadians, like to go to those universities, because they can have a better education and a brighter future. Technology is crucial for productivity too, since Canada has done a poor job in technology and to support those technological talents. Just like Anand Bahl and Kim Cameron, they decided to be part of high-tech talent to the U. S and they sold their privately owned software company, Zoomit Corp. of Toronto, to Microsoft. Anand Bahl and Kim Cameron actually didn†t look for a buyer; somewhat Microsoft approached them as they found their company has potential in market. Anand Bahl and Kim Cameron created a software program, which from the e-mail system called the â€Å"meta-directory† which allows companies to integrate and manage a variety of related computer files, images and applications from different suppliers. They couldn†t get any finance help in Canada and not many people could understand the technology and expected their company to get beaten by a bigger player and wiped out. In fact, their product works and even Microsoft hire them along with 11 of 30 Zoomit†s employees to work on integrating meta-directory software into Windows 2000. They were very happy to be accepted from the world†s largest and most powerful firm because they had such a struggle to try to prove their product. They criticized the attitude that they encountered in Canada which Canadian companies assumed the product wasn†t good enough and they forced to focus on the U. S. which right now about 90% of their sales revenue come from large American companies. The comment that they gave was Canada has world class programming talent, but they have to have a chance and somehow recognize by others, and talent is one of the few things Canada will have left if we let this situation gets worse. In the case of Ford Canada, they have increased the wages for the workers because they are doing great business. But some economists worry that the raise of wages will lead to an increase in the unit price of cars and trucks, which is unlikely the case. In fact, the increase in Ford†s hourly labour cost will certainly lag behind the ongoing growth of productivity. Productivity in auto assembly grew 80% between 1991 and the first quarter of 1999, almost 10 times as fast as the total economy. In general, productivity in car industry has been increased 20% since 1991 . The amazing thing is that auto assembly average productivity even exceeds the level in the U. S. According to the bible of automotive productivity studies, it takes about 25 hours of labour to assemble a vehicle in Canada, which is 10% less than in the U. S. Moreover, this superb productivity performance produced 34,000 new jobs in the industry since 1992. The key for their success is they put huge investment in fixed capital that have been made by the auto assemblers and their parts suppliers. They are investing more than $4 billion on new equipment every year. As a result so far, new equipment with new technology makes greater productivity and better quality. From what has been mentioned above, the fact that Canada†s productivity needs to be improved, and the government should put more effort on it. Canada must solve the productivity problem through massive tax cuts and increase budgets on both education and technology development or continue to lose talents to the U. S. while we†ll have poorer productivity and competition in the market.

Balanced Scorecard IKEA Essay

About the company IKEA is a Swedish company registered in the Netherlands that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, appliances and home accessories. As of January 2008, the company is the world’s largest furniture retailer. Founded in Sweden in 1943 by 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad, who was listed as one of the world’s richest people in 2013, the company’s name is an acronym that consists of the initials of, Ingvar Kamprad, Elmtaryd (the farm where he grew up), and Agunnaryd (his hometown in Smà ¥land, south Sweden). The company is known for its modern architectural designs for various types of appliances and furniture, and its interior design work is often associated with eco-friendly simplicity. In addition, the firm is known for its attention to cost control, operational details, and continuous product development, corporate attributes that allowed IKEA to lower its prices by an average of two to three percent over the decade to 2010 during a period of global expansion. IKEA is about much more than just products. It is about offering inspiration, home furnishing knowledge, new products and solutions people can relate to. Always at low prices. IKEA home furnishing gives people access to affordable solutions that solve their needs and improve everyday life at home. Simply put, IKEA home furnishing makes it possible to turn dreams into reality and create homes to love living in. A culture of hearts The IKEA culture is hard to describe but easy to embrace. It’s a culture of enthusiasm, togetherness and willpower, born from our roots in southern Sweden and inspired by the IKEA founder, Ingvar Kamprad. The IKEA culture humbly unites us in our work to create a better everyday life for the many people. It’s not an easy task – and maybe that’s why we and all other IKEA co-workers are so dedicated and so stubborn. We all share the same conviction that many, not few, shall be able to create the home they want  and dream of. And when you put your heart into your work, it’s then you really can make a difference. Over 150,000 people are involved in the creation of a better everyday life for the many people. Business plans †Maintaining a strong IKEA and expansion ideas are great motivators to work hard. But there is no culture is one of the most crucial substitute for the feeling of actually contributing to something bigger. factors behind the continued success of the IKEA Concept† Ingvar Kamprad IKEA founder The IKEA values Values cannot be invented – they can only emerge from one place: the heart. IKEA values are very much a product of our origin. Hard work, tough challenges, common sense, Swedish roots and limited resources have formed IKEA values. To keep the IKEA Concept successful, we work to keep our values close to our heart. The IKEA values convey the essence of the entire IKEA culture. Over the years we’ve learned that acting according to IKEA values not only brings us together – no matter what age, race or part of the world we live in – it helps us do business successfully. The IKEA product range Developing IKEA products can take place almost anywhere around the world – on a factory floor in Asia or on the drawing board in Älmhult, Sweden. And everybody involved works together to create a product range that is simple, easy to live with and affordable. Good design should be available for the many, not the few. That’s why all IKEA designers design every IKEA product starting with a functional need and a price. Then they use their creativity and knowledge and use low-cost raw materials and manufacturing processes to create functional products. Then large volumes are purchased to push prices down even further. Most IKEA products are also designed to be transported in flat packs and  assembled at the customer’s home. This also lowers the price by minimizing transportation and storage costs. By doing all this, the IKEA Concept uses design to make sure that IKEA products can be bought and enjoyed by as many people as possible. IKEA designers constantly seek new ways to improve people’s lives – without emptying their wallets. But how can good design and function be combined with good quality, all at a low price? It starts with focusing on what’s important. Will an expensive finish on the back of a shelf or under a table-top improve the function? Of course not. So IKEA designers do not do it, because a product is of no use to the many people if it is not affordable. Low prices with meaning Low prices are only valuable if they offer good function, quality and design. IKEA product development teams constantly ask themselves – does this product contribute to a better everyday life? Does it have a good, sustainable design? Is the function and quality suited for everyday life? And most crucial – is the price low enough to make this product accessible to many, not just the few? Touch. Try. Explore. Dream! The IKEA store is our meeting place. It is where the IKEA product range comes to life. Visitors can compare styles and prices and get inspired by realistic room settings. They are welcome to sit, lie down, open and close drawers and cabinets, and pretend to cook, sleep or watch TV. The IKEA store is designed to meet many people looking for something for their homes. It’s also a place where you actually can go from inspiration to involvement by getting inspiration from solutions in the store, searching, finding and choosing the products needed, picking them up, buying them, bringing them home, putting them together and enjoying them the same day. All the IKEA products in the store are supported by price and product information that makes it easy for visitors to serve themselves. Customer involvement contributes to low prices. An invitation for the whole year With hundreds of pages of ideas, inspiration, solutions and products, the IKEA catalogue shows how the IKEA product range contributes to a better  everyday life. It is filled with solutions that answer people’s dreams and needs, it is also complemented with digital content that gives users a richer experience and provides more in-depth home furnishing knowledge. Still, it shows only part of what is offered in IKEA stores. Improve and develop the IKEA Concept The IKEA Concept is a living concept. We develop and improve it together with IKEA retailers and other contributors. Together we work to stay in the forefront of global trends and changes in retailing. We listen to the needs based on real-life shop floor experience to get better insight into what the many people need in order to improve their life at home. All this helps us to ensure that the IKEA Concept remains successful in an ever-changing world. We constantly monitor how the IKEA Concept is implemented in every market to ensure it is creating the maximum impact. Monitoring helps us to understand the different challenges facing IKEA. This could range from market conditions to cultural factors affecting shopping behavior. Through monitoring we can find ways to improve the IKEA Concept and how it meets the many people. IKEA retailers share their experiences, knowledge, innovation and ideas. This helps the IKEA Concept to be a living and dynamic concept that continuously develops and expands. The key is working together. Online know-how, Publications, Training programmes We offer an online resource for IKEA know-how that includes solutions, news, training programmes, publications and much more. We provide manuals and guidelines for all parts of the business and specific know-how areas. We also publish a magazine for IKEA retailers filled with tips, tools and proven solutions from all over the IKEA world. We offer a range of training programmes for many aspects of the business. Market research We conduct regular market research and provide IKEA retailers with reports and tools that help them improve their business. For example, we measure how well IKEA retailers have positioned the IKEA Brand in each market and how satisfied customers are with their latest store visit. We also conduct  research that helps find ways to improve the IKEA product range, the IKEA catalogue and the IKEA website. And we gather and analyze insight into macro-economic factors and the competitive situation. The IKEA Concept Center We believe in learning by doing. We operate the IKEA Concept Center in Delft, the Netherlands, where shopping, learning, testing and supporting all come together. The idea is to give IKEA retailers the chance to learn about the IKEA Concept and its recent updates and benefit from all the competence of specialists in a hands-on environment. For most visitors, the main attraction of the IKEA Concept Center is the IKEA store. Like all IKEA stores in the world it offers inspiring solutions, low prices, tasty food and shopping that is fun and enjoyable. The IKEA Concept Center is also home to specialists who, in co-operation with the IKEA retailers, find and identify good ideas and solutions. New solutions are developed, documented and analyzed from a conceptual viewpoint. We provide systematic transfer of IKEA know-how. And communicate proven solutions to all IKEA retailers, so that each and every one can benefit from these in their business. Together, we work to keep the IKEA Concept successful. We offer more than 50 different training programmes and workshops to IKEA managers and specialists at the IKEA College. In addition, many training programmes are offered locally or as elearning programs. Every year thousands of students are educated on how to use proven systems, methods and solutions to maximize the possibilities of the IKEA Concept. Testing Just as all IKEA products are tested to ensure quality and to find ways to improve, we are always interested in improving the living IKEA Concept. We test lots of new and innovative ideas at the IKEA Concept Center. These could be ideas suggested by IKEA retailers or ones that we come up with ourselves. When we find solutions that work well we make the part of the IKEA Concept and document and describe them so that all IKEA retailers benefit. 2013 was exciting for IKEA retailing In a tough climate IKEA retailing continued to grow and expand. Retail sales ended at EUR 29.2 billion for the full year. The business climate in Europe continued to be challenging for IKEA retailers, while we see improvements in North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. As many developed economies strive to balance economics and social well being, we see that uncertainties will continue to dictate the business climate for some time. This affects people’s lives and living conditions and therefore we believe that the IKEA Concept is more needed than ever. The IKEA Concept gives everyone the possibility to improve their life at home IKEA products are becoming more accessible. This is about offering a wide range of good home furnishing products at low prices. It is about providing more and better services. And it is about creating a positive shopping experience in IKEA stores and online. Nine new IKEA stores opened, two of which are in new markets: Lithuania and Qatar. The re are also continued You do your part. We do our part. Together we, save money. improvements in sustainability efforts in various aspects of the IKEA Concept. One example is that by 2016, all the lighting sold at IKEA stores will be LED. The IKEA product range aims to help the many people live a more sustainable life at home, with solutions to help save energy, water and reduce waste. Most things remain to be done The first IKEA business was founded in 1943 and the IKEA Brand celebrated 70 years during 2013. Today more than 150,000 co-workers are working through-out the IKEA world. We saw more than 770 million visits to the IKEA stores and 1.2 billion visits to IKEA websites in the past year. Still we are just at the beginning. IKEA retailing is small in most markets and does not exist in others. People’s needs for good home furnishing products at low prices are bigger than ever and the IKEA Concept will continue to contribute  to a better life at home for the many people. A July 2013 media report speculated that IKEA is the world’s largest consumer of wood after a finding that the company uses 1% of the Earth’s wood supply. As of January 2014, IKEA owns and operates 349 stores in 43 countries. The Balanced Scorecard Value proposition IKEA’s value proposition is operational excellence because all IKEA designers design every IKEA product starting with a functional need and a price. Then they use their creativity and knowledge and use low-cost raw materials and manufacturing processes to create functional products. Then large volumes are purchased to push prices down even further. Mission Statement IKEA’s mission is to create a better everyday life for the many people, by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. It’s about creating homes to love. Critical success factors Financial -grow and expand -increase sales -enhance customer value -improve cost structure Customer -brand positioning -low cost product solutions -real life experience stores -rich content catalogs Internal Business Processes -minimizing storage and transportation costs -quality testing -product development -market research reports Learning and Growth -culture of hearts – e-learning programmes, training programmes and workshops -sharing experience, ideas, innovations, knowledge and know-how -market research reports -IKEA college

Collateral mortgage obligations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 16250 words

Collateral mortgage obligations - Essay Example This descriptive research aimed at studying the numerous valuation methodologies of prepayment speeds with Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (CMO) tranches in order to analyze the importance of these valuation methods in dealing with the complexities of the current economic scenes. The chief objective of the study mainly scrutinized the relevance of these CMOs to the current economic situations. Collateralized Mortgage Obligations have been referred to as claims that arise from cash flows from large pools of home mortgages. The CMOs are designed such that principals and interests once received from mortgage holders are distributed to the tranches. As debt derivatives, they provide retail and institutional investors the possibility of higher yields with a Standard & Poor ratings AA or AAA ratings. CMO present interest rate risk, as well as prepayment risk that make it very sensitive. The 2007 financial bubble was one of the reasons that led to the decline in CMOs due to their inabil ity to prevent the above mentioned risks. Therefore, the study set out to establish a standardized valuation model for CMO retail custodian platforms using historical data from FNMA, collection of empirical data from direct observation and unstructured questionnaires from the FINRA firms. From the investigation of the two major forms of valuation, namely ‘Fixed-rate mortgage’ and ‘adjustable –rate credit valuation’ methodologies, it was possible to actually determine a standard valuation of a five-tranche CMO that can be applied to the pricing model. This proposed quantitative descriptive research study discusses the various valuation methodologies of prepayment speeds with Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (CMO) tranches and analyzes the way the prevalent valuation methods are useful in current complex economic scenarios. The objective of this study is primarily to examine the applicability of various methods of valuation for pricing the CMOs so as to determine their

The aim of this assignment is to critically review and compare two Essay

The aim of this assignment is to critically review and compare two academic papers that present different perspectives on cultural geographies of nature - Essay Example For instance, it comprises of the earth’s geology and weather, energy and matter and other natural concepts in the world. In most cases, nature is taken to mean, the wilderness or natural environment. In this case, it comprises of beaches, forests animals, rocks and generally, the many things that have remained unchanged though human activities. These things also do not change despite the increased dynamism in human activities from one part of the world to another. It is important to note that human interactions and various manufactured objects are not usually considered as part of nature. These activities can only be grouped as part of nature if only they are qualified, for instance, human nature. This paper makes a comparison of how cultural geographies of nature have been explored by two research articles that have been made by people concerned about cultural management of geographical aspects. The paper examines the concepts of Spatialization of nature, according to how these two journals have explored its application. Additionally, it also makes a comparison of how relationships between nature and culture have been done in the two journals, as well as how time has also been explored. Spatialization of nature comprises of the effective combinations of various scientific and visual techniques having spatial metaphors in representing data, which cannot be described as being spatial according to nature. Some of the most familiar spatial ideas like direction and distance, arrangement and scale among others make up some of the experiences that people have in their daily lives. Bhatti & Church (2004), in their research article, explain that these ideas are used in many instances to develop two and three-dimensional representations of various complex digital information (38). Castree is also of the view that so far, no subject testing has been conducted in the process of determining the effectiveness of these methods for the

Labor's New Internationalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Labor's New Internationalism - Essay Example They were subjected to increased pressure to deregulate and open their economies. Eventually, this resulted in the deregulation of their financial systems, and they became the key victims of today's global economic disaster. The consequent financial instability has resulted in slow economic growth. This further translates into increased unemployment rates, lower wages and greater overall insecurity of the nation. The correlated, general upward price movement of goods and services in the economy has made it difficult for consumers to even buy the products that they produce. The WTO has not been held accountable for the disruptive rules and regulations that they imposed and it has also avoided responsibility for the negative impact it has had on the workers and environment. The system has destabilized the national and local efforts to legislate and normalize the conditions. They WTO have exploited the deeply rooted social values that they live by. During the cold war, labor unions played a mainly geopolitical role defined by anticommunism. Strong Unions were essential tools for the development of democracy. By the end of the cold war, all labor unions lost that international political significance and were now considered to be an obstacle to business interests.

Wealth distribution. Wealth tax and estate planning Essay

Wealth distribution. Wealth tax and estate planning - Essay Example Riches are accumulated at a rate faster than the affluent can normally spend yet it is being held and proportioned among themselves while the gap between wealthy and the needy visibly widens.In a study of disposable weekly income by the ONS, the richest 10% of have at least 658 per week (after deductions), compared with the poorest 10%. T Twenty-three percent of the nation's total riches is owned the by richest 1% group. Intangible wealth is left to the hands of its owner to amass and enjoy during his lifetime free from any liens and encumbrance. With the current budget crisis, tax imposition and structure on intangible wealth would surely correct the scenario and for the country to appropriately create solutions that is beneficial to each citizen. Instead of finding ways and means to increase the tax percentage remittances of the working class, channeling the deficit to the excess of the affluent could entirely minimize the growing responsibility of its weary ordinary taxpayers.Weal th according to Frank "is an abundance of items of economic value or the possession of such items" which could either be money, personal property or real property. Other countries would identify wealth as the possession of crops and livestock. Historical data would portray wealth as an accumulation of non-necessities. In the Middle East, wealth denotes ownership of arable lands. Smith saw wealth as "the combination of materials, labour, land and technology in such ways as to capture profit. Across the ages from tribal society to modern age several means to moderate wealth distribution and its acquisition and use was relatively studied. Some tribes along the Pacific Rim kept wealth evenly distributed by means f giveaways to the poorer members of the society. The tradition of philanthropy exists in modern civilized society. Such traditions according to Cook "are recognized as responsible wealth". Government policies can gear towards the redistribution of wealth to the rich and poor respectively. In disaster relief operations, wealth is transferred to those who are victims of natural disasters and calamities. Social security benefits transfers wealth earned to the older individuals. Wars transfers wealth to other sectors of the society and in reparations wealth is transferred to other countries. Public education allows the wealthy to send children of needy families to school. Certain government campaigns support the hungry in third world countries. Yet, people from the upper social strata despise having to contribute to these programs and continue to evade them. The act of wealth distribution itself cannot achieve 100% efficiency due to the maintenance of structures to collect and redistribute it. Arguments as to its accumulation and redistribution often create conflicts within the system. However if a certain society implements wealth distribution by means of persuasion valued on the different capital and the production of wealth, the rich once in a while can be mandated to give away at least a small part of their extra assets to the poor. In turn, according to the Keynesian theory, this redistribution and expenditures have a multiplier effect that stimulates the economy and creates wealth again back to the wealthy capitalists. In France, residents declare their annual worldwide assets and their value for which assets exceeding 732,000 a graduated tax is payable annually. Married couples and minor children file one common return. Non-residents who own assets or bank deposits including shares of stock in France or French companies are also liable under the wealth tax law. As a significant source of revenue this law was implemented in 1989 and declared taxable assets which include: real estate; furniture; jewelry; cars and other vehicles; horses; shares and bonds; endowments and redeemable value of life insurance. Assets that are held in trust for beneficiaries under the French law are not recognized. French authorities regard a trust as

Edgar Allan Poe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Edgar Allan Poe - Essay Example However his solitude would have been the inspiration for him to come up with classics of global class. This assumption was made from the fact that he was orphaned in the age of two and was deprived of the love and care of his parents at times he deserved it the most. Moreover the destiny of sorrow and suffering had followed him thoroughly all along his life. Being brought up as an orphan, the solitude didn’t leave him even in his adulthood. His wife Virginia Clemm, whom he married in 1936, left this world leaving him alone not so long after their marriage (Liukkonen P ,2008). The first collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s works was published in 1840. The collection tilted Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, had in it one of his work of high fame, The Fall of the House of Usher. This narrated the sorrow of one of his friend and conveyed the author’s compassion towards his friend. The next one in the row was ‘In Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym (1838)’ which was one of his longest works. This masterpiece was again a tragic story but contained mesmerizing innovations dealing with the tribes in the Antarctic Circle. The next year Allan Poe brought out ‘The Conchologists First Boo’k which proved to be a historic best seller. The linguistic skill of the artist was impeccably confirmed in this piece of art, as this work was really a retrieval of a work by Thomas Wyatt which proved to be a market failure. The Raven, which preached love was published in 1845 and brought national fame for the writer. Interestingly, this poem also spoke of sentimental feelings as the main theme was on a lost love. Probably, the tragedies that happened in his life and the cruel destiny that kept snatching the loved ones from the author’s life would have inspired this beauteous work (Liukkonen P ,2008). The factor that inspired me in the artistic works of Edgar Allan Poe is the positive energy he has

Corporate Level Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Corporate Level Strategy - Essay Example However, for a department like Police, a portfolio approach will be relatively better suited. Both the approaches towards corporate strategy requires a very well thought out approach towards viewing organization amid the competition it faces in the market place. It is however, important to understand that not all firms and organizations are established for competitive purposes as public sector organizations have to actually fulfill certain responsibilities without any commercial consideration. Organizations like Police Department therefore don’t focus on maximizing the profits as most commercial organizations do however, to work efficiently and effectively, it is important that such organizations also maintain a strategic outlook. Portfolio approach to corporate strategy may focus on achieving financial synergy while allowing business units to operate independently however, it is also important for allowing business units to operate on their own. The challenge for management however is to ensure that all the business units operate according to overall corporate strategy of the firm and overall execution of strategy remains well intact. Portfolio approach for a department like Police will be a relatively better approach because Police department, as a whole, works in different units. Not all units are assigned the same roles and responsibilities however, a close integration of all the departments is considered as necessary. However, various departments also need to ensure that they operate on their own to fulfill their strategic role while at the same time maintaining required synergy. Core competencies approach is relatively strong approach however this may not be suitable for a department like Police. Core Competencies approach requires that organization generate and maintain its core competencies across the whole organization. Each department and business unit therefore is required to ensure that organizational

Paris Peace Conference 1919 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Paris Peace Conference 1919 - Term Paper Example The mission to restore peace was proclaimed by President Wilson. All the documents present the authors’ quest for peace. This is portrayed with carefully chosen words that are used and the effect that these words have on the delegates that attended the conference. The Paris Peace Conference recorded an attendance of 27 countries with high-ranking representatives and aids who devised a Peace Treaty. The central power leaders who attended the conference included Prime Minister David Lloyd George of Great Britain, George Clemenceau of France, Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando, and President Woodrow Wilson of the United States. During the Peace Conference, two themes were highly critical. The first theme was that each victorious ally from Europe had betrayed the diplomacy of the then president Wilson. Therefore, in so doing, they had deprived the post war international order of its moral justification1. The second theme was the Carthaginian settlement in which all the winning nations had virtually dismantled the country of Germany of all its economic and military power. Therefore, the main theme was that of restoring peace to the war torn nations while the secondary themes were of diplomacy and the Carthaginian settlement. These three themes each stand for itself and the three cannot be united as one theme. Key points of the speeches by the presidents of the four nations are evident. The then President of the United States, President Wilson, promised Poland free and secure access to the Baltic Sea. Wilson balanced antithetical considerations with his self-determination and patience2. France attended the conference with the aim of acquiring backup and security from the Germans. Therefore, the only way of achieving their goal was to ensure the Americans and the British take over. However, this was only possible if the two countries could give Germany such a punch that Germany could never rise again3. The Peace Conference Treaty which was

New Religions Essay Example for Free

New Religions Essay Present essay studies how new religions are born in the context of social, cultural and intellectual relations between people. The analysis addresses the origins of three Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam to trace their origins, historical and social needs that drove their development and intrinsic ties with their predecessors. The thesis is defended that the birth of religions should not be regarded as merely divine providence, intellectual development, but should be understood through the prism of socio-political developments in a given society. The origins of Christianity Christianity was not born as fully autonomous religion, but in contrast was under a great influence of Judaism (Brown, 963). This influence relates to the same canonical religious texts, including Old Testament, monotheism etc. Hence, Christianity was born simultaneously as a follower and opponent to Judaism. There is no denying the importance of the fact that social roots of Christianity should be traced in Jewish revolutionary movement against Judaist aristocracy, living in wealth and oppressing lower classes and Roman dominance, which was particularly aggressive. In its intellectual roots Early Christianity focused on critique of material goods, which is reflected in its celebration of soul, love and salvation. Such ideology was particularly successful amongst ordinary people, who saw Christianity as the source of their liberation (Bruce, 235). However, notwithstanding these social roots, Christian religion was for a long time persecuted in Judea and Roman empire in general. It did not function as state religion until AD 325 when the First Council of Nicaea took place and Constantine the Great made his historical decision. Until that time Christianity functioned within different sects, which focused on often contradictory interpretations of Bible, Greek philosophy, Gnosticism, Judaism etc (Grant, 45). Therefore, establishing Christianity as a full-fledged religion required its ascendance in the role of state religion and codification of its canonical legacy. The task was realized by St. Paul, who transformed the earlier premises of Christianity and made them affordable to interpretation by state power. Various Christian Councils later codified Christian texts and interpreted them to create unified traditions. Other interpretations of Christianity were persecuted by official Christianity, which marked the final stage in its transformation into full-fledged religion. Judaism The historical roots of Judaism should be traced back in the social need of Judea state to legitimize and develop its national autonomy in the ancient world (Shaye and Cohen, 36-39). The proof of the latter thought may be found in Tanakh (Old Testament), a canonical text of Judean tradition. Old Testament presents a Jewish nation (Childern of Israel) in their direct relationship with God, who proclaimed them the chosen nation. The latter shows that Judaism was central for Judea in positioning itself as the most progressive state in the Middle Eastern region. The historical origins of Judaism should also be traced in the need of regulating social relations in Judean society. This is the most evident in commandments or Law of Moses, which includes 613 laws, regulating various spheres of life in society. Hence, there is no denying the importance of the fact that Judaism was a very important ethical, legislative and moral tool in ancient Jewish society. Its main principles were later included in Talmud, which became the prototype of religious legislative system in general. Notwithstanding the fact that Judaism was the first monotheistic religion it was influenced by some ancient religions such as Zoroastrianism, from which Judaism borrowed certain cult practices, monotheistic ideas and philosophical mindset (Shaye and Cohen, 295). The ties of Judaism are also evident with Christianity and Islam, which form the group of common Abrahamic religions. Islam Islam has its historical roots both in Judaism and Christianity. As it is widely known, Islam uses Christian tradition of preaching Jesus; however, unlike Christianity in Muslim tradition, Jesus is regarded as a mortal person (Esposito, 23). Muhammad, the final prophet of God is regarded as a great reformer, who restored the original monotheistic tradition of Moses, Jesus and Abraham, which arguably was distorted in Christianity and Judaism. Therefore, it may be said that Islam is based on permanent reference to Judaism and Christianity, as the sources of its own development. The birth of Islam was also fostered by the ethical, intellectual and moral needs of Arab societies. Quran may be compared to Torah in this respect, because it served as the main tool for regulating social relations in Muslim societies. Its main commandments were included in Shariat law, which reflects Muslim tradition of correspondence between law and religious norms. Moreover, it should be noted that Islam was born and developed in the period of the rapid ascendance of Arab civilization as the center of power and development in Asia (Esposito, 68). Arab conquests and interrelations with the West were premised on the construction of the national and religious identity, which was found in Islam. Islam served as the tool for contrasting Muslim world with Western and allowed unifying various Muslim nations in the single task of promoting the cause of Mohammad. To sum it up, we have discussed major historical, social, cultural and ethical causes, which influenced the birth of three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The analysis shows that their birth and development should be understood as the complex process, affected not only by intellectual development, but deeper social and political processes, including revolutionary movement, the inception of new nationalist states, the relations between different civilizations etc. Bibliography Brown R. E. 1994. The Death of the Messiah: From Gethsemane to the Grave. New York: Doubleday, Anchor Bible Reference Library. Bruce F. F. , 1988. The Canon of Scripture. Intervarsity Press. Esposito, John. 2003. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford University Press Grant, M. 1977. Jesus: An Historians Review of the Gospels. New York: Scribners. Shaye, J. D. and Cohen. 1999. The Beginnings of Jewishness: Boundaries, Varieties, Uncertainties, Berkeley: University of California Press.

Indian Independence Speech Essay Example for Free

Indian Independence Speech Essay As you know all of us have gathered here to celebrate 67th independence day of our nation. This day, after the hosting national flag, we usually make mistake by remembering the heroic deeds of only few freedom fighters. But freedom fighting was collective effort. Without cooperation, sacrifice and involvement of all Indians it was impossible to get the freedom. So people of India were the real national heroes behind the success. We should express our sincere gratitude to all those who participated in the freedom struggle. This can only be done by defending our freedom like our ancestral property which cannot be valued. How to defend? Single person cannot defend it; again group effort is essential it is nothing but unity. How to form this unity? We should always remember that only patriotism can form unity irrespective of religion, language, caste, customs and traditions. So having patriotism only can save the freedom of our nation. To keep faith in secularism No compromise must be with patriotism, Punish the forces that support terrorism Else one bad day we will loose our freedom. I would like to express my views about the dark side of Present India. How should I say ‘My INDIA is great’? In this republic from schools to parliament, Elections are held at every moment, Children’s are taught fighting for the seat, How should I say ‘My India is great’? Even after golden jubilee of unconstraint, Many citizens are unable to fill their gut, Rich become richer and rests are indigent, How should I say ‘My India is great’? People are emotionally divided by communalist, Border in the north and south has water dispute, Leaders are selfish and have no solving interest, How should I say ‘My India is great’? Capable civilians are facing unemployment, Socially unfits have led the political movements, Voters are under tense of serious terror threat, How should I say ‘My India is great’? All are seeking benefits without effort, Bribery has become the style of management, Whole country pushed into a big corruption pit, How should I say ‘My India is great’? I pray to the divine creator with sentiment, Please give birth to sincere nationalist, Who should drive my nation towards overall development, So that I should say ‘My India is great’ Apart from these Our India is great country because Indians are generous, broad minded, kind hearted and united. No doubt we quarrel among ourselves for various reasons but we stay united in front enemies and in times of danger. I have got few facts which are in support of above statements. During Kargil war our Govt couldn’t spend even a single paisa from the budget but people gave every kind support for it. During Tsunami in Chennai, Flood in Bihar and Orissa, draught in the country, earthquake in Gujarat and Maharashtra and similar other natural disasters people stood united and helped each other, extended all kind of cooperation to start a new life. So I Say that My India is great and Indians are the greatest. â€Å"I am proud to be an Indian† India is a great country with many religions. It has rich natural resources and lengthy frontier with vast region. North has The Himalayas and south with the Hindu ocean, Bay of Bengal in the east and the west has the sea Arabian. It’s being administered with language wise partition. All are leading peaceful life with national integration. Enemy’s conspiracy is impossible with the unity of the nation. Festivals are celebrated here with memorable function.People help each other in time of affliction. So my India is great also I am proud to be an Indian.

War in ‘Refugee Blues’ and ‘Disabled’

War in ‘Refugee Blues’ and ‘Disabled’ Title: Explore How Writers Treat the Subject of Wastefulness Of War in the Two Texts You Have Studied. It is ostensible that both texts, ‘Refuge Blues’ and ‘Disabled’, have been influenced by the writers’ own personal experiences as they both accurately replicate the true brutality behind wars. ‘Refugee Blues’ by W. H. Auden is a poem about the harsh realities of war; including themes such as: loss, suffering, and change. ‘Disabled’ by Wilfred Owen is similar in this manner and it also echoes the same message Auden is trying to convey; the wastefulness of war. The title of the poem ‘Refugee Blues’ tells us a lot of what it is about as the poem’s sense of musicality is conspicuous in the title. The definition of the word ‘refugee’ is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. The use of the word ‘refugee’ implies that the poem is about a person or a group of people attempting to escape their country, Nazi Germany, bu t cannot, due to the fact that they do not own passports; leaving them homeless. The word ‘blues’ is a reference towards the sub-genre of jazz; a refrain is placed at the end of each stanza in the poem, customary for a blues song, in order to echo a melancholy tone. ‘Disabled’ exploits the impact of war on those who live through it by analysing the present life of an injured soldier to his past accomplishments. Auden and Owen explore the theme of loss in order to portray the wastefulness of war through the use of: repetition, imagery and emphasis. In ‘Refugee Blues’, Auden uses repetition at the end of the first stanza, when it says,’ We cannot go there now, my dear, we cannot go there’, repetition makes it more poignant as it emphasises the problem that they cannot escape their own country as they lack passports which is later revealed in the second stanza when it states, ‘Old passports can’t do that, my dear, old passports can’t do that’, leaving them homeless. ‘Disabled’ contains vivid imagery which exaggerates the theme of loss such as, ‘he will never feel again how slim girls’ waists are†¦all of them touch him like some queer disease’, and, ‘he noticed how the women’s eyes passed from him to the strong men that were whole’, making the ex-soldier socially isolated. An example of emphasis and exaggeration is in ‘Refugee Blues’ when, in the eleventh stanza, it states, ‘Dreamed I saw a building with a thousand floors†¦not one of them was ours, my dear, not one of them was ours’, a hyperbole is used to highlight their situation, homelessness, creating sympathy for the reader. Owen alternates between using vulnerable language such as, ‘his back will never brace’, when he refers to the present in order to show that he is now weak and defenceless. The juxtaposition of remembrance and the masculine language when he refers to the past such as, ‘he’d look a god in kilts’, abruptly makes the reader realise that he is lost and can never be the man he once was. All of these examples coincide together in the way that they all scrutinize the subject: wastefulness of war. The theme of suffering is evident throughout the two poems in the way that the ‘disabled’ ex-soldier is struggling to live in the present and come to grips with his fate. This is palpable in the first stanza when the, ‘Voices of boys ran saddening like a hymn, voices of play and pleasures after day’. He is dressed formally in a ‘ghastly suit of grey’ which is cut at the waist, showing that he has lost his legs; he listens to the voices of young children which disheartens him, reminding him of something he can never have again. In ‘Refugee Blues’ suffering is indisputable as the whole poem is about presumably a male Jew and his partner being homeless; suffering, desperately trying to find a place to emigrate, but unfortunately cannot as ‘Old passports can’t do that’, this relates, previously, to the refugees being lost. The last stanza of ‘Refugee Blues’ conveys that, ‘Ten thousand soldiers marc hed to and fro: looking for you and me, my dear, looking for you and me’, once again repetition has been used in order to accentuate that there is a whole army looking for just two people. Furthermore, the repetition could also reference towards the nature of the blues rhythm; repetition. The final stanza of ‘Disabled’ states, ‘he will spend a few sick years in institutes’, implying that he will spend a few ‘sick’, crippled, years attending institutes before he passes away, perhaps. Furthermore, in the last stanza, it claims, ‘how cold and late it is! Why don’t they come and put him to bed? Why don’t they come?’ This is a prime example of double entendre as it references towards the nurses not coming ‘and put[ting] him into bed’, and it refers to death not coming soon enough to take his life as he cannot handle the excruciating suffering anymore. All of the evidence provided, proves that suffering is a common theme among ‘Refugee Blues’ and ‘Disabled’. In addition, the message of change has been thoroughly examined in ‘Disabled’ and ‘Refugee Blues’. The rhyming pattern in ‘Disabled’ is an ‘A, B, A, C, B, C’, for example in the first stanza the words ‘dark’, ‘park’, ‘grey’, ‘day’, ‘hymn’ and ‘him’ all rhyme, however, the rhyming pattern in the last stanza becomes more irregular. This is done to prove how the ex-soldier’s life used to be perfect and regular but has now changed and become irregular. This is in contrast to ‘Refugee Blues’, which contains a regular ‘A, A, B’ rhyming pattern. In ‘Refugee Blues’ the status of Jews were lowered as animals were being treated more humane than the Jewish people when it states, ‘Saw a door opened and a cat let in’, and nature is being proved to be free, unlike the Jews in, ‘Saw the fish swimming as if they were free†¦walked through a wood, saw the birds in the trees; they had no politicians and sang at their ease’, this exaggerates how all this freedom is tantalisingly close and that they are trapped by laws and oppressed by Hitler’s commands; this explains the change in their country. At the beginning of the poem ‘Disabled’ the man is portrayed to have had an active and successful interaction with women. He was an attractive young man, exuberant and enjoyed the ladies’ attention. Later on, he was left sexually incompetent and can no longer receive pleasures from the things that he once was comforted with. In the final stanza, the last lines places emphasis on the fact that the man he once was, winning football matches, being proud of a blood smear, is now replaced by a crippled, hopeless shell who pleads desperately and helplessly for someone to come, ‘and put him into bed’; death. The evidence provided proves that Auden and Ow en have exploited the theme of change. The idea in the poem ‘Refugee Blues’ shows how futile intellect is, especially in the face of the mass extermination of Jews during the second world war: this idea has evidently been put across. Likewise, the idea of ‘Disabled’ is to show the true colours behind war and the ineffectiveness of it: Owen has unmistakably advocated this concept. Like each other, ‘Refugee Blues’ and ‘Disabled’ are both dark and chilling poems. They distress the reader in order to present the true meaning behind war. It is interesting, then, to conclude that Auden and Owen have eloquently portrayed the harsh realities of war through themes such as: loss, suffering and change. Various language techniques have also been used such as: rhyming to create an impact; juxtapositions in order to contrast and analyse; and vivid imagery to generate an effect for the reader.

The Sociology of Scientific Knowledge Essay examples -- Sociology Essay

Sociology of Scientific Knowledge is a relatively new addition to sociology, emerging only several decades ago in the late 1970’s, and focuses on the theories and methods of science. It is seen as a notable success within the fields of sociology and sociology of science. In its infancy, SSK was primarily a British academic endeavor. These days, it is studied and practiced all over the world, with heavy influences in Germany, Scandinavia, Israel, the Netherlands, France, Australia, and North America. David Hess tells us that in science, a black box is any device for which the input and output are specified but the internal mechanisms are not. â€Å"Sometimes the study of this content is described as ‘opening a black box’† (Whitley 1972). Advocates of SSK have criticized the Institutional Sociology of Science of leaving a black box of content unopened, and examining only the exogenous, institutional aspects of science and technology. Traditionally, studying the content of science from a sociological perspective had been very controversial. Hess tells us that one way to characterize this study of the content of science and technology is with constructivism. He succinctly boils down the term and designates it as any approach which attempts to trace the incidences which shape the content of science and technology. However Hess also notes that â€Å"one can analyze the social factors that influence the content of scientific knowledge or technological design and yet also conclude that the constraints of observations or efficacy (the real world) play an equal or greater shaping role in what eventually becomes the consensus.† To understand this idea further, we can look at the term â€Å"social constructivism.† In simple terms, these are studies which ... ..., symmetry and impartiality. Collins argues that by studying scientific controversies one can determine how scientific knowledge is created, disseminated, and validated. There are three main components of the EPOR: Interpretive flexibility where the results of scientific experiments can be interpreted in different ways. Closure mechanisms where debates in science are not closed strictly on the basis of evidence, as this evidence is contested, rather microsociological factors close debates. And the third component implies that microsociological factors can, in principle, be linked to macrosociological factors. Works Cited Collins, H.M. 1981 Introduction: Stages in the Empirical Programme of Relativism, Social Studies of Science pp. 3-10 Sismondo, S. 2004 An Introduction to Science and Technology Studies Hess, D. 1997 Science Studies: An Advanced Introduction The Sociology of Scientific Knowledge Essay examples -- Sociology Essay Sociology of Scientific Knowledge is a relatively new addition to sociology, emerging only several decades ago in the late 1970’s, and focuses on the theories and methods of science. It is seen as a notable success within the fields of sociology and sociology of science. In its infancy, SSK was primarily a British academic endeavor. These days, it is studied and practiced all over the world, with heavy influences in Germany, Scandinavia, Israel, the Netherlands, France, Australia, and North America. David Hess tells us that in science, a black box is any device for which the input and output are specified but the internal mechanisms are not. â€Å"Sometimes the study of this content is described as ‘opening a black box’† (Whitley 1972). Advocates of SSK have criticized the Institutional Sociology of Science of leaving a black box of content unopened, and examining only the exogenous, institutional aspects of science and technology. Traditionally, studying the content of science from a sociological perspective had been very controversial. Hess tells us that one way to characterize this study of the content of science and technology is with constructivism. He succinctly boils down the term and designates it as any approach which attempts to trace the incidences which shape the content of science and technology. However Hess also notes that â€Å"one can analyze the social factors that influence the content of scientific knowledge or technological design and yet also conclude that the constraints of observations or efficacy (the real world) play an equal or greater shaping role in what eventually becomes the consensus.† To understand this idea further, we can look at the term â€Å"social constructivism.† In simple terms, these are studies which ... ..., symmetry and impartiality. Collins argues that by studying scientific controversies one can determine how scientific knowledge is created, disseminated, and validated. There are three main components of the EPOR: Interpretive flexibility where the results of scientific experiments can be interpreted in different ways. Closure mechanisms where debates in science are not closed strictly on the basis of evidence, as this evidence is contested, rather microsociological factors close debates. And the third component implies that microsociological factors can, in principle, be linked to macrosociological factors. Works Cited Collins, H.M. 1981 Introduction: Stages in the Empirical Programme of Relativism, Social Studies of Science pp. 3-10 Sismondo, S. 2004 An Introduction to Science and Technology Studies Hess, D. 1997 Science Studies: An Advanced Introduction

Does a Violent Media create a Violent Society? Essay -- social issues

Does a Violent Media create a Violent Society? This issue is one of constant debate, with no real solution. There are many things society as a whole and individuals can do to appease or inflame the issue, however each argument has a counter argument and a counter argument will exist for that and so on. Because it is an issue of such heated debate with no answer or possibility of an answer should we just leave the issue be and choose not to address it further? Or should we make the issue widely known so society is more aware of the role the media can play. Or perhaps we should leave it to the media to publicise that. After all the media does have a strong influence. Take the late 1980's film Terminator, one of the highest grossing films of the 80's. This means millions of people worldwide have been to see it at the movies, and then most probably, rented it out on video. Have these millions of people gone out and killed their arch enemies? I think not. However the file Terminator may have inspired, planted the idea, or conceptualised the seed of an idea in someone's mind. And one or, possibly more murders can be associated with the movie Terminator, a certain method of killing perhaps mimicked in a psychos' rage. Yet isn't it more than likely that the ONLY aspect of the murder affected by Terminator and such films may have been just the technique used. I believe it is more than likely the killer/murderer/stalker would have performed his duties anyway. I s... Does a Violent Media create a Violent Society? Essay -- social issues Does a Violent Media create a Violent Society? This issue is one of constant debate, with no real solution. There are many things society as a whole and individuals can do to appease or inflame the issue, however each argument has a counter argument and a counter argument will exist for that and so on. Because it is an issue of such heated debate with no answer or possibility of an answer should we just leave the issue be and choose not to address it further? Or should we make the issue widely known so society is more aware of the role the media can play. Or perhaps we should leave it to the media to publicise that. After all the media does have a strong influence. Take the late 1980's film Terminator, one of the highest grossing films of the 80's. This means millions of people worldwide have been to see it at the movies, and then most probably, rented it out on video. Have these millions of people gone out and killed their arch enemies? I think not. However the file Terminator may have inspired, planted the idea, or conceptualised the seed of an idea in someone's mind. And one or, possibly more murders can be associated with the movie Terminator, a certain method of killing perhaps mimicked in a psychos' rage. Yet isn't it more than likely that the ONLY aspect of the murder affected by Terminator and such films may have been just the technique used. I believe it is more than likely the killer/murderer/stalker would have performed his duties anyway. I s...

Equal Opportunity Classes :: College Education Essays

Equal Opportunity Classes There are many different ways that a college classroom can operate. The articles that will be included in this essay will show different ways classes are operated in the past, present and the future. The three essays which are explained in this essay are, "Mother Tongue," by Amy Tan; "The Ethics of Requiring Students to Write About their Personal Lives," by Susan Swartzlander, Diana Pace, and Virginia Lee Stamler; and "A Note from the Future," by Kathy Camper. These essays speak about what the author believes in. The essay's written about in this paper show that, in a "technology-rich, Twenty-first century college writing course" the professor should be unbiased toward his/her students and all students should have an equal opportunity in their college writing classes. In the essay, "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club, writes about growing up with a mother who speaks "broken" English. Her parents both emigrated from China and the males in her family had passed away due to a brain tumor, leaving only herself and her mother. Tan, as a child would act like her mother when speaking with important people. Even as an adult she still occasionally speaks for her mother. While she grew up with "broken" English, Amy grasped the English language differently than most English-speaking Americans, and in her article, Tan speaks about her belief that her family life caused, in part, her to do worse in English than her other subjects. Tan believes that this is so because English is not as exact as mathematics and science. As she got older, Tan began to write stories, and when asked why there are not as many other Asian-American authors in the United States, she wonders if it is because of schoolteachers. In this essay, Tan states "...Perhaps they also have teachers who are steering them away from writing and into math and science, which is what happened to me." (Tan par 15) In this statement Tan shows her belief that her teachers discouraged her from enhancing her English skills. Later, despite the factors against her, Amy Tan became a famous writer. In the article, "The Ethics of Requiring Students to Write About their Personal Lives," by Professor Susan Swartzlander and Doctors Diana Pace and Virginia Lee Stamler from Grand Valley State University, the authors write about how students feel when forced to write about their personal background.

Absolutism under Louis XIV

Louis XIV lived from 1638- 1715 and became the king of France in 1654. At the time he became king, France was financially ruined, politically corrupt, and divided between warring nobles and private armies and under the threat of riots from the people, especially in Paris. Louis XIV was an absolute monarch. Absolutism is the system of rule that allows one or more rulers to maintain absolute power over everything in the land. There is no higher power and even the Parliament could not overrule Louis’ decisions.As absolute monarch, Louis XIV set about reforming the state politically, economically and culturally. Louis XIV’s absolute monarchy had three components: †¢ Centralization- this meant that the monarchy was the center of everything. All decisions from the monarchy were undisputable and final. All counties and villages were expected to follow this rule to create a united state and a centralized leadership. †¢ Economic reforms- â€Å"Under the guidance of Je an-Baptiste Colbert (1619-83) a â€Å"modern† system of accountancy and yearly state budgeting was introduced.Colbert also supervised systematic attacks on corruption, removing, punishing, or paying off office holders. He also introduced tax reforms – ending exemptions, tax-farming, and military collection of taxes – and state support for industry, science, trade, and the arts. As regards the operations of the state, Colbert raised government income to the point when it could pay for quite massive expenses. Government subsidizing and directing of industry and manufacture increased productivity, raised wages, and brought France into the trade wars with the English and the Dutch.Colbert, like many French officials, repeatedly remarked that the inhabitants must pay the tax not only because it would raise additional funds, but also because paying the levy was ‘the obedience which is due His Majesty. † †¢ â€Å"Theater of Monarchy†-this is the public representation of royal power and glory. Under the theory of absolutism, sovereignty is grounded in God, not the people. The glory of the monarch is, as it were, the earthly point at which is expressed both the glory of the state – as a social whole ordered around and dependent upon the monarch – and the glory of God from whom the monarch derives power and role.It was therefore important to show, through royal events and presentations, the state as personified by the king. Louis XIV distinguished between â€Å"nature as it ought to be†, as ordained by God, and â€Å"nature as it is†, disrupted by human activity. As the new, distant and mysterious God no longer intervened directly in the natural order, it fell to the monarch to uphold â€Å"nature as it ought to be† and prevent it disintegrating into disorder. One of his reforms began with the acquisition of the providence of Roussillonnais in 1659, which was inhabited by a specific ethnic g roup known as the Catalans.Louis XIV understood that there can be no shared political allegiance without shared cultural values. Thus a government, if it is to exercise its political authority in an area, must first make the region culturally homogeneous with the ruling nation. Louis XIV undertook to replace the Catalan ethnic identity with the French one, mandating the foods, clothing, legal system, language, educational institutions, and religious traditions that should be used in the province. The Catalans did not agree with Louis and made it clear with smuggling, legal battles and even open rebellion.They wished to maintain their own culture and laws and did not want to accept the monarchy as their ruler. Like all peasants, they were reluctant to pay taxes to the monarchy and many turned to smuggling as an alternative. By the 1680’s, however, Louis XIV and his government were successful in achieving their goal of political assimilation. The Roussillonais had accepted Fran ce as their political rules but continued to conduct their legal, commercial, judicial, and religious business in the Catalan language, continued to dress as Catalans, to give their children Catalan names, and to celebrate traditional feasts.They were quite firmly French in a political sense, and equally firmly Catalan in their culture. A trend that began in the 17th century was for the ruler to govern from one location versus the many homes and palaces of the past. Louis XIV was one such ruler, moving from the royal palace of the Louvre in Paris to a permanent home in Versailles. It was from this location that he ruled France for his entire reign. Louis XIV was also known as the â€Å"sun king† due to his use of the symbol as his personal emblem.As the highest star, now accepted by science as the centre of the universe, the sun was an obvious choice to symbolize absolutism’s claim to constitute the political centre of earthly life. The sun was both terrifying and awe inspiring, dazzling through its brightness, yet also warming and beneficent, and without its presence all life would whither away. One of the ways a monarch distanced himself from his subjects was to show his magnificence and largesse. This came in the form of elaborate operas, lavish banquets and court music.It was not uncommon to have fountains with slowing wine, roast oxen, coins minted for the occasion and bread handed out to the masses. This was to show the generosity and benevolence of the ruler and assure the people that their trust in the monarchy was well placed. It also served to reiterate the idea that the monarch was the center of everything and should be respected as such. Not everything regarding absolutism was beneficial, especially for the peasants of the land.The taxes imposed by Louis XIV and his government went far to provide funds for the monarchy and various military skirmishes, but The accumulative effect of these taxes was well observed by the royal commission ers sent to investigate the collection of taxes in the Orleanais and Le Maine in 1687 who observed that: there are hardly any peasants that own property†¦there are only small farmers who own nothing. The proprietors must furnish them with cattle, advance them money on which to live, pay their tallies and take in payment the peasant’s entire portion of the harvest. Even this is sometimes insufficient to cover his debts.Thus the small farmers earn nothing; they leave the land as destitute as they came to it. What cash was left they said went into paying taxes so that there was almost no money left for individuals; from this comes the decline of commerce. As a result, riots and rebellions by the peasants were common. Tax collectors met with violence or even death in some instances. It was not until Louis XIV’s General Controller of Finance†, Jean-Baptise Colbert changed the way things were done regarding the taxes. Colbert's everyday management of the taxes was intelligently conceived precisely to reduce the difficulties experienced earlier.Much effort went into collecting existing taxes as equitably as possible, into preventing the accumulation of arrears (those of the final years of the war being formally cancelled), and into making the most unpopular forms of coercion a last resort. 94 Although the revenue from indirect taxes was greatly increased this was achieved without creating new levies. The significance of this policy was emphasized when financial pressure was increased after the renewal of war in 1672, with the new duties of 1675, the marque d'etain and the papier timbre, setting off the last major rebellions of the ancient regime.Under Louis XIV’s absolute rule, France enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous era. Colbert reformed the taxes and they dwindled down to custom duties, a tax on salt and a tax on land. He also encouraged trade and commerce by the merchants and inventors of the land and sought to decrease the Frenchà ¢â‚¬â„¢s dependence on foreign goods. These acts stopped the internal civil wars until almost a hundred years later. During Colbert's ministry the position of the laborers was doubly affected, by more stringent tax assessment and by a sequence of good harvests which resulted in low grain prices.Since these trends favored the mass of poor peasants, there was little prospect of uniting communities in revolt behind an unpopular minority of the rich, whose difficulties were in any case only relative. It was not until Napoleon that France had internal discord again. Other areas of improvement were the legal reforms Louis XIV implemented. The major legal code instituted at this time was the basis of the Napoleon Code which in turn is the basis for the modern French legal codes.The War of Spanish Succession began when the King of Spain, Charles II, bequeathed all his possessions to Philip duc D’anjou, who was the grandson of Louis XIV. This made Philip the king of Spain. Aside from the fact that others wanted to claim the throne for themselves, the crowning of Philip assured Louis XIV of a Spanish alliance in his quest to expand. Other countries joined the side of the Holy Roman Empire, who wanted to stop France from expanding any further. Philip and Spain sided with Louis XIV and France. The war was fought both in Europe and in North America, where it was known as the â€Å"Queen Anne’s War.† The war lasted for over a decade and as a result, Philip was removed from the line of succession for the throne of France. This made the opposition happy since a union of France and Spain was now impossible. In the end, Louis XIV’s numerous wars and extravagant palaces and chateaux effectively bankrupted the State (though it must also be said that France was able to recover in a matter of years), forcing him to levy higher taxes on the peasants and incurring large State debts from various financiers as the nobility and clergy had exemption from payin g these taxes and contributing to public funds.Yet, it must be emphasized that it was the State and not the country which was impoverished. Before his death in 1715, Louis XIV determined that his five year old grandson, Louis XIII would succeed him to the throne. He is alleged to have told the child â€Å"Do not follow the bad example which I have set you; I have often undertaken war too lightly and have sustained it for vanity. Do not imitate me, but be a peaceful prince, and may you apply yourself principally to the alleviation of the burdens of your subjects†.Although Louis XIV did make some mistakes during his reign, he had many victories as well. His display of absolute monarchy set an example for many of the European princes, who followed his examples of art, food and political systems. Absolutism fell out of favor among the monarchy not long after Louis XIV died but the gains that he made provided a stable base for France to prosper in the future. Louis XIV had been ma rried twice and fathered both legitimate and illegitimate children, none of whom followed in his footsteps of absolutel rule.Works Cited Briggs, Robin. Communities of Belief: Cultural and Social Tension in Early Modern France. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995. Parker, David. â€Å"French ‘Absolutism'. † History Review (1997): 14+. Stewart, David. Assimilation and Acculturation in Seventeenth-Century Europe: Roussillon and France, 1659-1715. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997. Wilson, Peter H. Absolutism in Central Europe. London: Routledge, 2000.

Benjamin Franklin Analysis

On Choosing a Mistress â€Å"On Choosing a Mistress† is a letter written by Benjamin Franklin to advise one of his close friends about choosing a mistress. In his 1745 letter, Franklin conveys that marriage is the only remedy for lustful inclinations, but if the friend is determined to stray outside marriage,  Franklin  advices, â€Å"you should prefer old Women to young ones. † Franklin  offers some basic, clean advice: they are more knowledgeable, they are more discreet, they cannot get pregnant, and then he gets down to more lascivious details.This letter was written by Benjamin Franklin long before he became president of the United States of America, Benjamin at the time was in the midst of his life. This document is unique because it was not intended for the public. The document suggests that Franklin still carried a sense of consciousness and morality, unlike what his critics say. The letter shows that Franklin was undoubtedly a really intelligent person wit h a sharp way of thinking. Franklin puts every prospect into effect in this letter; this explains why he was successful in life.The significance of this document comes in the fact that it is a personal letter rather than a document published for the public. This is extremely important in analyzing Benjamin Franklin’s personality accurately. Documents that are made for the public usually are written based upon what is accepted by the society, they tend to not include anything that may affect the writers’ reputation. It is clear that the society at the time in which the letter was written is different from today’s society in many ways. American society at the time was much more conservative than it is today.Sexual relationships outside of marriage were considered to be immoral and were shunned by the society. Franklin is wary about not having a person to make the mistake of being found of having an illegal relation or begetting an illegitimate child. The former po int may a result of his own experience with his legitimate son William. . In his 6th and 7th point, Franklin puts into effect the guilt of ruining a virgin girl’s life. He furthermore makes it clear that marriage is the most proper way to fulfill sexual desires. This explains that Franklin still has emphasis for morals and ethics.The conclusions about Franklin’s person put forward from this letter could in fact be used to foreshadow the decisions he made in his future, and how he calculated each decision by carefully studying all the negatives and positives. Supporters of Benjamin Franklin regard this letter in contrary with his critics. Supporters may argue that Franklin understood that not everyone was in the right situation to get married. They also argue that the point put out by this was only to be used as a last resort. Benjamin’s critics rather carry a conflicting opinion.These documents have used as means to demoralize Benjamin Franklin by his enemies. T hey claim that Benjamin was in fact a whoremonger. Regardless of who’s view is more accurate, this letter still demonstrates Franklin’s extraordinary intelligence in critical thinking and decision making. Three Fables Franklin was never content with mere learned argument and syllogism in his campaigns in the press. In 1770, he had written and published three fables teaching the foolishness of punitive measures against the American colonies.These three fables portrayed Franklin’s stunning use of literature for propaganda purposes. These fables also resembled the oppressive measures taken by Britain through the numerous acts which were seen as a heavy burden by the colonists. Franklin portrays the colonies as the cows, the cat, and the lion, while portraying Britain as the farmer, the eagle, and the mastiff. Consequently in all three fables, the weak overcomes the strong, but only as a result of extreme oppression by the strong. These fables may be have been perce ived as an indirect threat to the British in colonial America.The fables were published during a time in which there was increasing tension between the colonists and the British. Franklin at the time was appointed as an agent of several colonies to the crown. His job was to convince the king and the parliament to change their policies towards the American colonies. These fables further ascertain Franklin’s enormous talent in literature. Writing such precise and explanatory stories in just a few sentences require a great author, Franklin has proven himself likewise.Franklin attempted to use these fables as political propaganda, as well as to draw support towards the American cause. By getting the English lords and decision makers to view it, Benjamin franklin wanted to make it clear that treating the American colonies as cash cows would certainly backfire. This document draws its significant mainly due to the foreshadowing of the American Revolution. Not many people would prob ably have taken this writing seriously when it was first published, but some years later and with the beginning of the American Revolution, people would truly start to admire these fables.The British decision makers in which the fables were inscribed probably have showed little interest, that is clearly shown by the fact they continued to ignore the demands of the American colonies. Perhaps the nature of these fables prompted the British decision makers to further ignore the demands because they saw these fables as a challenge, and they wanted to show that they could face such challenges. Franklins has done an excellent job in summoning his literary skills for the American cause. The writing of the â€Å"Three Fables† was a symbolic warning to the English administration.Although the fables sounded threatening, the English parliament still didn’t react seriously to the American demands. Benjamin’s writing was an early foreshadowing of the American Revolution. He has shown that he is indeed a true American patriot. Rules by which A Great empire May Be Reduced to a Small One After failing to secure support in England, Franklin resorted to political satire in order to express the colonies grievances. In the 1770s, even after helping to defeat the Stamp Act and (later) the Townsend Acts, Franklin grew frustrated with the British leaders' ignorance of America and condescending attitude toward the colonies.Franklin at the time was still an ambassador of several American colonies to Britain. He wrote more essays denouncing British policies towards America. â€Å"Rules  By  Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One† was one of the most known of these essays. The essay was clearly deprecated by the British. Franklin argued that the settlers and their ancestors were the ones who have built and expanded the colonies. Benjamin Franklin has shown that he was a true patriot through this essay. Franklin’s essay was most likely r eceived by widespread discontent by both the public and the authorities in England.The fact that the writing threatened that British colonies may start breaking away has caused many British nationalists to condemn and refuse Franklins ideas. Even some of the lords who held some sympathy for the American cause pulled out their support after this essay was published. The King has probably received this with even wider discontent. It did not only make a direct threat to the kings’ authority, but the points within were more of an order than that of a request. That may have further prompted the British authorities to ignore the requests.Franklin also argued that the colonists and their ancestors are the ones who worked hard to bring the colonies to what they were at the time. Most colonials would have agreed with Franklins reasoning. Many of the American born colonists did not see any real connection with Britain. This shows the deepening division that was occurring between the Am erican colonies and Britain at the time. Although the writing shows that Benjamin franklin would have preferred to prevent violent escalation between Britain and the American colonies, it was clear he put the interest of the American colonies first.Benjamin franklin has pointed out some great points in the document â€Å"Rules  By  Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One†. His ideas which threatened that British colonies may did not sound appealing to people of Britain. This piece of writing also showed the widening rift between Britain and the American colonies. It was also made clear that Franklin put the interest of the American colonies as a priority. Although he sounded strict in some of his points, He has shown that he indeed does have what it takes to be a great leader.

Elements of Poetry: Order for Mask Essay

Speaker: The Speaker is woman portraying three different roles (SISTER, DAUGHTER and LOVER) Audience: The maker of the masks is the audience. Content: The poem is all about a woman who is playing three roles. She shapes her behavior, action and personality in accordance to the needs of the men in her life. In our opinion this degrades the status of the woman as it reduces her whole being to mere instruments that satisfies and pleases men’s needs and wants. Furthermore, this conclusion is compensated by the other fact that poem is trying to imply. It also shows that the woman, through her ability to make the men in her life see and believe what she wants them to, in other words she can manipulate what she wants the men in her life to believe what she is through that â€Å"mask†. Theme: We believe that the main idea of the story is about women in the society. It’s about what women do to satisfy the needs of the people around them. Shape and Form: The poem is a free verse. It does not follow a pattern. Mood or Tone: In each role she partakes it has a different mood. When she played the role of a sister she felt anger that is why she doesn’t want to be like him. When she was playing the role of a daughter her mood is calm or somewhat pure to match the things that her father wants her to be – pure, innocent and chaste, leading him to believe that she is the perfect daughter. Lastly when she is portraying the role of a lover her mood is a mixture of hatred and love, passion and disgust because her lover had raised his hand on her that left a mark so that’s where the hatred and disgust comes from yet she is still in love and pure of passion with that man because she still wants to be beautiful and presentable in his presence. Imagery: The poet wants us to imagine the roles that women play in our everyday life and what they to satisfy our needs and wants. Diction: The poet chose to express the woman identity by describing her when she wears the masks in the presence of each man in her life. Figurative Language: Allusion

Discuss the staging of Act 1 Scene 4 and Act 5 Scene 3 Essay

Macbeth was written in 1606 for the current King James I. 1606 was in the Jacobean period, a time when people believed in the Divine Right of Kings. This is the belief that Kings were chosen by God. They also believed that the worst possible crime was to kill a King and this would result in being dammed to hell. They also believed in the â€Å"Great Chain of Being†, the importance of beings from highest to lowest. At the top was God and below him were the different positions held by Angels. Below Angels, the King was positioned above all other human beings. Because of this the King was given the title â€Å"God’s Deputy On Earth. During the Jacobean period there was also a strong belief in witchcraft; this being present in the play greatly intrigued the audience. Act 1 scene 4 and act 5 scene 3 both show examples of Kingship. The Kingship shown in these two scenes are very different. In order to understand these differences we must focus on the way in which the scenes are staged and the audience’s opinions generated by the script. Duncan is a very well respected and admired King. The people of Scotland admire and bow down to him, as they believe he is a good ruler. Duncan praises and rewards those who do well to him. He congratulates Macbeth in winning the battle against Norway and promotes him to Thane of Cawdor. Its ironic how Duncan’s two most trusted companions betray him. Macbeth had gained the title Thane of Cawdor off the previous traitor that turned against Duncan and fought for Norway. Duncan truly believes in loyalty and trust. This implies that Duncan is an extremely confident man. When he walks into a room, he knows people are watching him and this does not bother him. Macbeth rules very differently to Duncan. After killing Duncan, Macbeth begins to fear that this could easily happen to him. Macbeth does not praise those who do well, but punishes those who do bad or even nothing. If he feels they may be a threat to him he will immediately take action and eliminate them. Macbeth has no loyal friends, simply scared servants that do what they are commanded, fearing for their lives. The first scene shows Duncan as King surrounded by his loyal company, whereas the second scene shows Macbeth as King without the company of anyone except his servants which are treated with very little respect. In both of these acts the Kings are displayed in the same room of the castle. In act 1 scene 1, Duncan is informed about the death of Thane of Cawdor who is found to be a traitor and sentenced to death. The atmosphere presented is shameful but Duncan knows that the decision he made was right. In act 5 scene 3 Macbeth hears that the English army is heading for the castle. He also finds out the unstable condition of his wife. He jokes to the doctor and asks what the condition of the country is. The doctor replies very honestly saying that he would want to be as far away from Dunsinane as possible. In this scene Macbeth realizes that he will never be the King that Duncan was, he can see that the honor he receives is merely from the mouth and not from the heart. To show the different views from each scene I would present them similar to each other, as this would allow the audience to compare and make a connection between the scenes more clearly. In act 1 scene 4 I would arrange the characters in order to show their status. I would place Duncan in center stage and make sure that he is the main focus. In order to enhance this idea his position on stage must be raised above others. I would have his loyal accompanists by his side. By doing this it would create the sense that Duncan is a man of high status and respected and honored as a King. To create a connection between the two scenes I would place Macbeth in the same position as Duncan in act 5 scene 3. Duncan’s reaction to the betrayal and sentenced execution to the once loyal Thane of Cawdor should be very calm. He could also show a slight sadness by shedding a tear, this would show the audience that Duncan is shocked and upset by the acts of mistrust. Macbeth is faced with a similar situation in which could endanger his position as King, I would make him react violently and irritated. To create an obvious link between the tow scenes I would use a large throne as a distinctive prop. This throne would be grand and covered in red velvet. In act 1 scene 4 I would have Duncan using this throne in a proper manner, sitting up straight and proudly, where as I would have Macbeth slouching with one leg on an armrest. By using this prop it would display their differences in Kingship. In act 1 scene 4 Macbeth displays his loyalty towards Duncan by crying out â€Å"O worthiest cousin!† as Macbeth and Banquo approach. As he says this line I would make him have his arms wide open reaching out towards Macbeth. In line 31 Duncan says â€Å"†¦let me infold thee and hold thee to my heart.† On this line I would make Macbeth kneel down and kiss Duncans ring. Rings were worn by Kings as symbols of their positions. Kissing this ring would show Macbeth’s respect towards Duncan. In part 3 of act 5, line 11, a servant informs Macbeth about the English army’s approach towards the castle. Macbeth is worried, he shows great disrespect towards the servant by addressing to him with â€Å"thou cream-fac’d loon†. Whilst Macbeth says this line I would make him use violence towards the servant, hitting or shaking him. This would show an evil and uncaring King that is simply using his status to place himself above everyone else. Towards the end of this scene a doctor talks to Macbeth about the condition of his wife. Macbeth looks down to the doctor even though the doctor knows more about his wife than he does. Macbeth often reassures himself by referring back to the witches’ prophecies, while he does this I would have him pacing back and forth. The witches never told Macbeth what to do; they simply predicted the future and left it in the hands of Macbeth. This raises the idea that Macbeth might not have been King if he did not kill Duncan, or he could have become King at a later date from the natural death of Duncan. Dressing both of the Kings in each scene differently can compare their differences in personality. I would dress Duncan in a large pure white robe to show his clear conscience. I would also adorn him with gold jewelry to display his high status. Macbeth would be dressed very differently; I would have him in more common clothing in the colour black. This black would show the evil hidden within him. This evil side is suggested when Lady Macbeth describes Macbeth as looking like â€Å"the innocent† yet being â€Å"the serpent under†. By using different lighting I would be able to display what the Kings are feeling in each scene. In act 1 scene 4 I would use an orange light, this would create a feeling of warmth, as Duncan is kind, caring and in great company. In act 5 scene 3 I would have a blue light, this will give the scene a cold, empty and negative feel. All of these stage techniques would enable the audience to compare and contrast the two scenes of Kingship. If these were not used it would make the story harder to understand, hidden within Shakespeare’s script. In both of these scenes the Kings received high amounts of respect whether it was truly from the heart or falsely from the mouth. Macbeth was seen to be simply an â€Å"unfit† King by those who knew him closely as apposed to a â€Å"bad† King. This is because in the Jacobean period, whomever becomes King, has been elected by God, God being the top of the â€Å"Great Chain of Beings†. Back then God’s opinion meant everything, and could fix peoples opinion on a bad King.