Thursday, December 26, 2019

How Hiphop Has Changed the Youth in Society - 2070 Words

Arnob Basit Dissertation Has Hip-hop changed the youth in todays society? Throughout the past 30 years, there has been much speculation about how negative hip-hop music truly is, and how it actually affects the youth. The hip-hop music of recent years has been the foundation of many controversial issues and has been illustrated negatively by the media countless times. Issues such as gun and knife crime which has escalated heavily within younger age groups in the last 15 years, especially in the USA and UK and also drug abuse, the use of marijuana being used openly within the younger generations. Hip-hop has been accused of influencing the youth to become more misogynistic towards women by constantly having explicit content, such as†¦show more content†¦This procedure is known as rapping or Emceeing. From hip-hop spawned the sub-genre ‘Rap’ in the early 1980s. More and more artists became interested in the new form of music out of New York. In 1981, Rap gained a lot of exposure through popular shows such as 20/20 and Saturday night liv e. The 1990s saw even more change in the hip-hop industry. Early in the decade, artists fought for permission to sell their albums since most authorities deemed them ‘obscene’ due to the explicit content within the music. A lot which expressed sexual references towards women and talked about the use of drugs. Hip-hop music also spoke strongly about politics and poverty, artists such as Tupac and Public Enemy spoke about such issues. In the 1990s the tension that had been gathering between the west coast ‘Gangsta’ and the East coast artists has exploded and resulted in the shooting deaths of Christopher Wallace and Tupac Shakur. In the present day Hip-Hop is one of the largest and fastest growing sources of capital and has a great influence on its fans. The roles that Hip-Hop and Hip-Hop artist play in America require responsibility, however, many of the performers and labels take none. By using television and other various sorts of visual media Hip-Hop portrays less than positive stereotypes and all but influences the youth to accept these stereotypes as normalShow MoreRelatedNegative Effects of Hip-Hop2186 Words   |  9 Pagescurrent generation of youth is engrossed in hip-hop culture, tending to idolize the artist behind the songs. Since the 1970s, hip-hop has influenced American culture tremendously. In the past, hip-hop held a central focus around inequality, empowerment and overcoming hardships. Today, hip-hop talks more about sex, money, a male dominant social standing, and drugs. Hip-hop, from then to now, has drifted to the darker side of the social spectrum. The majority of today’s youth w ere subconsciously thrustRead MoreThe Real Harajuku1943 Words   |  8 PagesJapanese young people started hanging out at the Harajuku district. These trendsetting youth go there with their unexplainable fashion sense (Bartlett). The Harajuku fashion is just really so different because anything can be possible (Craft 26) and it is all about â€Å"creativity, theatricality, style, confidence, looking cute, and mixing and matching† (Knight). This was all made possible due to the fact that the youth still stayed at their parents’ home and their fathers provided them with the money theyRead MoreRap : The Flow Of A Disputed Artform3070 Words   |  13 Pageslike how jazz and blues were first highly controversial but undeniably very American musical styles, rap has become a definitive musical voice and creative outlet for a large group of people. In the last few decades, rap music in America has dramatically captured and changed the pop culture and media of youth. Much abo ut rap is misunderstood because of lack of knowledge of the social context to some listeners and so it is often deemed obscene due to explicit language and content. Rap music has doneRead MoreAlternative Learning Systems9735 Words   |  39 Pagesfor critical education in prison. They aimed to use their teaching efforts to reach out to marginalized students and develop students’ sociological imaginations to assist them through the challenges of confinement and reentry. The authors’ analysis has implications for both prison education and higher education more broadly. They conclude that the success of prison education is dependent on establishing democratic classrooms that can enable students to see themselves as something more than inmates

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Essay on Compare Contrast a Raisin in the Sun - 1026 Words

Frontina Taylor English Comp II Jaime Barrett Compare and Contrast A Raisin In The Sun Essay In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, and 1961 movie written by Lorraine Hansberry and presented by Columbia pictures, one of the most important themes is the American Dream. Many of the characters have hopes and dreams. They all strive towards their goals throughout. However, many of the characters have different dreams that clash with each other. Problems seem to arise when different people’s dreams conflict with one another. Another theme is racism. Racism was rampant during the 1950’s and this often hindered African American dreams. What is the American dream? In the play, A Raisin in the Sun,†¦show more content†¦This caused tension among the family for there was constant arguing and bicke- ring. This situation is far to common in families today, particularly is there is money involved and everyone has their own dreams as to what to do with it. At the end of the play Walter looses $6,500 dollars therefore hindering his and B enetha’s dream. Lena held onto her dream by moving the family to the new house. Another theme and issue that arrives from the play A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, is racism. During the 1950’s blacks and whites were segregated. The house the Younger’s purchased was in the Clybourne Park neighborhood, an all white neighborhood. When Lena told the family they were moving to Clybourne Park they stood with amazement. â€Å"Mama, there ain’t no colored people in Clybourne Park† (p.734). The family heard of other colored families’ houses being set on fire in this neighborhood, they were concerned that the same thing would happen to them. In the film A Raisin In The Sun in 1961, written by Lorraine Hansberry and presented by Columbia Pictures, there are several adaptations that were added and deleted. One adaptation that was added was the different settings. In the play (Hansberry), the setting primarily takes place in the Younger’s living room. The film presents different settings such as Walter’s and Ruth’s bedroom, Benetha’s and Mama’s bedroom, the bar, Walter at work, and the new house.Show MoreRelatedCompare And Contrast A Raisin In The Sun And Lena Younger1072 Words   |  5 Pagesdifferent than the ones of a white male, however both will be equally proud of their achievements when one reaches their outcome. The American Dream can be portrayed as being able to succeed at what you want, and while both Lena Younger, Mama, in A Raisin in the Sun and Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, both had similar dreams of achieving love, Lena Younger achieves her dream by providing for her family, Gatsby’s approach on reaching his dream of through improving his wealth did not succeed. Lena YoungerRead MoreA Raisin in the Sun Compare/Contrast Play/Film Essay702 Words   |  3 PagesLorraine Hansberry’s play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun,† was a radically new representation of black life, resolutely authentic, fiercely unsentimental, and unflinching in its vision of what happens to people whose dreams are constantly deferred. I compared Act One, Scene 2, in the play and the film. The setting in the play is on a Saturday morning, and house cleaning is in process at the Youngers. In the film, the setting is the same as play, with lighting and costumes. The plot in the play is whenRead MoreCompare/Contrast Willy Loman (Death of a Salesman) and Walter Lee Younger (a Raisin in the Sun)2823 Words   |  12 Pagesare none. Characters Walter Lee Younger and Willy Loman are prime examples of this, both pinning their hopes on unattainable dreams to hide the feelings of failure. The theme of illusion versus reality is present in both Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman through the portrayal of main characters Walter and Willy in their struggles for happiness and prosperity. Although the two characters have similar dreams, Walter, a dynamic character, breaks through theRead MoreA Raisin In The Sun Character Analysis902 Words   |  4 PagesGordon: Segregat ion vs. Southern Pride Lorraine Hansberry’s â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† touches on many issues African Americans faced in the early to mid-twentieth century. One can analyze Hansberry’s â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† from many angles, and come away with different meanings. While Michelle Gordon focuses more on segregation and housing discrimination that plagued African Americans on Chicago’s Southside in Hansberry’s â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, William Murray emphasizes on Southern Pride and heritage. ThisRead MoreComparing The Death Of A Salesman And A Raisin The Sun1710 Words   |  7 Pagesthan enough to support your family is something that has always been tremendously significant in the American culture. The Death of a Salesman and A Raisin the Sun are two tales about this struggle. Both stories are about two American families that portray the common way of life around the 1940’s and the struggles that come with it. A Raisin in the Sun is about a bla ck family living in Chicago, and Death of a Salesman is about a white family living in New York. Both families seem to have many problemsRead MoreLorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun1527 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† is about the Younger Family who live in a small apartment in Chicago. The family is torn apart as every member has different dreams and goals, yet Mama and her daughter-in-law Ruth desperately attempt to hold the family all together. In both the movie and the play, the family’s dreams remain the same. Mama wants her family to get along and she wants to purchase a house. Her son, Walter, wants the life insurance money from his father to invest in a liquor store to achieve hisRead MoreAnalysis Of A Raisin In The Sun1185 Words   |  5 PagesArianna Williams-Smart English 1B Professor Quinn Final Essay The epigraph to A Raisin in the Sun is Langston Hughes poem called A Dream Deferred which was written as an example of life in harlem. The lines are a introduction to the white societys actions to take away equal opportunity from black citizens. Hughes main point is that there could be consequences when peoples frustrations build up or accumulate to the point where they have to either surrender their dreams or allow strenuousRead MoreThe Great Gatsby And Harlem By Langston Hughes1089 Words   |  5 Pagesstruggles of the poor, a woman whose voice is full of money. These phrases contrast with the poor world of the couple George and Myrtle Wilson. While Daisy is soaking in money, George and Myrtle basically live in a dust bowl. Figurative language is also used in â€Å"Harlem† when Hughes attempts to give an idea of what a deferred dream would resemble itself as. He compared a postponed dream to a raisin drying up in the sun and he also gives a strong image with our sen ses when he describes how it stinksRead MoreCompare And Contrast The Ways In Which The American Dream Is Presented Through Walter Younger In Lorraine Hansberry1711 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Compare and contrast the ways in which the American Dream is presented through Walter Younger in Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘ A Raisin in the Sun’ and Willy Lehman in Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of the Salesman’ The American Dream is something many Americans desire. The desire to the mind – set or belief that anyone can be successful if they worked hard for what they’ve been yearning. It is considered to be a ‘perfect life’; it can be full of money, contentedness or even love. There are many divergent opinionsRead MoreAn Analysis of Langston Hughes Poem Harlem1520 Words   |  6 Pagesalluding to the dreams of Black Americans because the title Harlem represents a community in New York City that is heavily populated with Black folks. His use of similes is very effective when he compares the dream to a raisin (a simile is prefaced by like) Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Another use of alliteration is found in that line with does and dry (Hughes). The use of simile appears again with Or fester like a sore (a dream linked to a sore); And they run? (this is

Monday, December 9, 2019

Business Economics The Gross Domestic Product

Question: Describe about the Business Economics for The Gross Domestic Product. Answer: 1: GDP or the Gross Domestic Product is the total dollar value of the final goods and services produced within the economy. GDP is one of the primary indicators that are used to measure the growth of the economy and the economic wellbeing. Measuring the GDP of an economy is a complicated process, as it gets difficult to sum up correctly all the goods and services sold in the economy. GDP has been considered as one of the tool for measuring the economic growth since the period of Great Depression, when the government of the economy intended to boost up the industrial production. Economic growth refers to the rate at which the GDP grows. However, growth and development are two different concepts. An economy is said to experience growth when the number of transactions and the value increases. The GDP of the economy is a measure that is adequate to measure the growth of the industries in an economy that produces complete goods and products. As per the concept of GDP, every growth taking place in the economy is a good growth. GDP includes the negative externalities in the calculation even though it is harmful for the society. GDP cannot be considered as an appropriate macroeconomic indicator since GDP does not consider the sustainability of future GDP. The value of the non-monetized activities is also not added in the GDP of the economy. The value of the more or less productive economic activity cannot be differentiated using GDP of the economy. In the scenario, where the business makes loss due to natural calamity, the GDP fails to take into consideration the l oss of the goods and the services. Rather in such a condition, the income generated from the raw material extraction will be included in the GDP. Furthermore, the GDP is silent about the income inequality, unemployment, civil rights, environmental qualities or the other factors that accounts to the measuring of the wellbeing of the economy or the standard of living of the people. However, in a number of economies such as South Korea or Uganda, the GDP is a macroeconomic indicator as it carries a lot of information. 2: As per the U.N. data, Greece is one of the most high-profile struggling economies all very the globe that has faced a recession period of 63 consecutive months from the third quarter of 2008 to the second quarter of 2014. During the recession period, the youth employment rate was below 50% and the gross government debt had increased more than 160% of the total GDP. The root cause that resulted in the recession of Greece was the debt. The debt that occurred was not from the government side but rather from the private household and corporation of Greece (Auerbach and Gorodnichenko 2012). Greece had a high rate of inflation and interest rate that caused the average borrowing cost to increase by 20%. There was a significant deterioration in the trade situation of Greece due to the debt-financed imports. During the recession, the non-performing bank loans increased from 4.7% in 2008 to 34% in 2014, which was a percent of total loans in the economy ('The Bank Of Greece' Bankofgreece.gr, 2016). The business had cut down the spending on the domestic goods and services while the private sector struggled hard to clear the debts. The recession period had significantly affected the economy of Greece that made the economic condition pathetic. The selling of goods and the services becomes difficult as the purchasing power of the individuals in the economy falls drastically (Katz 2014). The investment is at stake as the stock prices reduces that affects the industrial production. The recession period in Greece was accompanied by increased unemployment. The individuals were thus unable to meet both ends and many goods and services were not within their reach. As the recession persisted for a long toe, there was creation of depression within the economy of Greece. In the stock market, negative trends were observed along with rapid unemployment (Giuliano and Spilimbergo 2014). The increase in the national debt infers that less money is available to the government that can be spent on the economic development. 3: Free trade can be termed as an economic practice, where the countries are able to trade with each other without the intervention of the government. Free trade provides many benefits to the developing nations, as there is no involvement of tariffs, obligations or limitations in the trade. South Africa is one of the developing countries with a low level of economic resources and low standard of living. The strategic free trade agreements help South Africa to increase their economic condition up to a great extent. The free trade helps the economy of South Africa to increase the amount or the availability of the economic resources. The economic resources include land, labour and capital. Free trade help the economy to achieve the adequate resources requires to produce the goods and services in order to meet the demand of the market. Free trade ensures South Africa to enhance the quality of the life of the people as the country is able to import the goods that are not produced in the home country. This helps the economies of South Africa to ensure constant flow of goods from the neighbouring countries. The free trade supports the economy to achieve better foreign relations. Nevertheless, as the developing nations face international threat, the free trade reduces the threat by establishing healthy relation. In addition to this, the free trade helps South Africa to improve the efficiency level in the production. The process of free trade can effectively fill up the gap in the production process in the country. Thus, practicing free trade with other nation will help South Africa to increase their economic condition, as the revenue earned is also higher. In free trade, the export generates higher profit since there are no tariffs included. The economy experiences higher employment rate because of increased economic a ctivities. Thus, the economy of the country is automatically boosted. South Africa is further able to access the new markets and sell the products in the foreign markets. An inflow of the foreign capital accelerated the activities in the banking system tht increases the investment and the consumer lending. References Auerbach, A.J. and Gorodnichenko, Y., 2012. Fiscal multipliers in recession and expansion. InFiscal Policy after the Financial crisis(pp. 63-98). University of Chicago press. Giuliano, P. and Spilimbergo, A., 2014. Growing up in a Recession.The Review of Economic Studies,81(2), pp.787-817. Katz, L., 2014. Long-term unemployment in the Great Recession.Members-only Library. 'The Bank Of Greece' (Bankofgreece.gr, 2016) https://www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/en/Bank/default.aspx accessed 20 October 2016

Monday, December 2, 2019

The Iroquois And The U.S Constitution Essays - Iroquois,

The Iroquois And The U.S Constitution Nothing is so fundamental yet so important to the freedoms we enjoy as Americans as the United States Constitution, which guarantees our right to do and say as we please so long as it does no harm. The Iroquois Federation preamble describes the purpose of the government set up by the government in their statements the emphasis is placed on perfect peace for the welfare of the people. Their focus was fighting for, the liberty of the people. Among the Indian nations whose ancient seats were within the limits of our republic, the Iroquois have long continued to occupy the most conspicuous position. The Iroquois flourished in independence, and capable of self protection, long after the new England and Virginia races had surrendered their jurisdictions, and fallen into the condition of dependent. Nations they now stand forth upon the canvas of Indian history prominent alike for the wisdom of their civil institutions of the league. Only the Iroquois had a system that seemed to meet most of the demands espoused by the many parties to the debates the Iroquois certainly have a considered the influence on the drafty of our own constitution, and we present day Americans owe them a very large debt. At the time of the founding of Iroquois League of nation, we have only the early stories, which was passed down from generation until such time as a written language existed. We only have stories that were passed down form generation to generation until such time as there was a written language and interprets available to record that early history. Early explores and colonist found the Iroquois well establish as they had been for many generations with a democratic government, with a form at religion that acknowledged a creator in heaven; with a strong sense of family which was used on, and controlled by their women. In 1744 an Iroquois leader, Canassatege, had an idea. In presenting the idea to his assembly, he realized that no one was listening to what he had to say. He suggested that they should form an umbrella group that consisted of thirteen colonies. The thirteen colonies were derived from the thirteen cousins of the Iroquois people. He mentioned each colony could keep his authority and the thirteen colonies could speak to each with one voice. Many years later the United States family developed this idea the constitution. The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land. it was written by the continental congress. Every citizen and non-citizens right are guaranteed by the constitution. The constitution can be changed and these changes are called Amendments. The first ten are called the Bill of Rights. There are twenty-six changes to the constitution. By comparing the Iroquois federation to the federalist and anti-federalist positions one will see that there are many similarities as well as the difference among the three. The similarities between the Iroquois an the federalist allows me to believe that the Iroquois were the ones responsible for the shaping this great nation, America. The Adoption of the Constitution Washington was unanimously chosen president and a secretary was appointed. A few days' later rules of procedure were adopted. It was determined that each state should have one vote in the convention. As was the case in the Virginians, who had arrived in advance of most of the delegations met frequently in informal caucus and drafted series of resolutions, largely the work of Madison, which was presented to the convention on by Governor Randolph. The Virginian plan, resolutions are called, provided for a division of the central government into three departments, legislative, executive and judicial. The Virginian plan may be called the large state plan. it proposed exchanges in the structure and character of the federal government so sweeping that they could scarcely be regarded merely as a serious of amendments of the articles of confederation. Professor Max Farrand, (the editor of the records of the federal convention) has compiled from the writings of the members of the convention. Prior to its meeting, a list of what they regarded as the defects of the Articles of Confederation. His opinion was based on a detailed knowledge of the proceedings of the convention is that

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Characteristics of Aquatic Life

Characteristics of Aquatic Life There are thousands of species of marine life, from tiny zooplankton to enormous whales. Each is adapted to its specific habitat. Throughout the oceans, marine organisms must deal with several problem we avoid on land: Regulating salt intakeObtaining oxygenAdapting to water pressureDealing with wind, waves, and changing temperaturesGetting enough light There are many ways marine life survive in this environment that is so different from ours. Salt Regulation Fish can drink salt water, and eliminate the salt through their gills. Seabirds also drink salt water, and the excess salt is eliminated via the nasal, or â€Å"salt glands† into the nasal cavity, and then is shaken, or sneezed out by the bird. Whales don’t drink salt water, instead, they get the water they need from the organisms they eat. Oxygen Fish and other organisms that live underwater can take their oxygen from the water, either through their gills or their skin. Marine mammals need to come to the water surface to breathe, which is why the deep-diving whales have blowholes on top of their heads, so they can surface to breathe while keeping most of their body underwater. Whales can stay underwater without breathing for an hour or more because they make very efficient use of their lungs, exchanging up to 90% of their lung volume with each breath, and also store unusually high amounts of oxygen in their blood and muscles when diving. Temperature Many ocean animals are cold-blooded (ectothermic) and their internal body temperature is the same as their surrounding environment. Marine mammals, however, have special considerations because they are warm-blooded (endothermic), meaning they need to keep their internal body temperature constant no matter the water temperature. Marine mammals have an insulating layer of blubber (made up of fat and connective tissue) under their skin. This blubber layer allows them to keep their internal body temperature about the same as ours, even in the cold ocean. The bowhead whale, an arctic species, has a blubber layer that is 2-feet-thick. Water Pressure In the oceans, water pressure increases 15 pounds per square inch for every 33 feet of water. While some ocean animals do not change water depths very often, far-ranging animals such as whales, sea turtles, and seals sometimes travel from shallow waters to great depths several times in a single day. How can they do it? The sperm whale is thought to be able to dive more than 1 1/2 miles below the ocean surface. One adaptation is that lungs and rib cages collapse when diving to deep depths. The leatherback sea turtle can dive to over 3,000 feet. Its collapsible lungs and flexible shell help it stand the high water pressure. Wind and Waves Animals in the intertidal zone do not have to deal with high water pressure  but need to withstand the high pressure of wind and waves. Many marine invertebrates and plants in this habitat have the ability to cling onto rocks or other substrates so they are not washed away  and have hard shells for protection. While large pelagic species like whales and sharks may not be impacted by rough seas, their prey can be moved around. For example, right whales prey on copepods, which can get spread to different areas during a time of high wind and waves. Light Organisms that need light, such as tropical coral reefs and their associated algae, are found in shallow, clear waters that can be easily penetrated by sunlight. Since underwater visibility and light levels can change, whales do not rely on sight to find their food. Instead, they locate prey using echolocation and their hearing. In the depths of the ocean abyss, some fish have lost their eyes or pigmentation because they are just not necessary. Other organisms are bioluminescent, using light-giving bacteria or their own light-producing organs to attract prey or mates.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Best Abigail Williams Analysis - The Crucible

Best Abigail Williams Analysis - The Crucible SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Abigail Williams is the pebble that gets the avalanche of the Salem witch trials started. It is Abigail who first says Tituba has been using supernatural powers to corrupt her and Betty, and it is Abigail who jumps on the (metaphorical) accusation train after Tituba has been coerced into confessing her involvement and naming co-conspirators. In this guide, we’ll go over Abigail’s entire sphere of influence, from her role as the lead accuser in the witch trials to the relationship between Abigail and John Proctor, and discuss what drives Abigail to act as she does throughout the course of the play. Feature image credit: Samantha Lindsay, 2016/All rights reserved. Character Introduction: Who Is Abigail Williams? Abigail is deftly characterized throughout the play through Miller’s stage directions, what other characters say about her, and through Abigail’s own actions and dialogue. The first thing we learn about Abigail (courtesy of Miller's introductory character description) is that she is young and gorgeous: â€Å"Abigail Williams, seventeen†¦a strikingly beautiful girl† (Act 1, p. 8). More important than her physical description and age, however, are Abigail's relationships with the other characters in the play. Relationships Abigail has important - and often contentious - relationships with the other characters, many of which directly shape the action of the play. John and Elizabeth Proctor Abigail is the former servant of John and Elizabeth Proctor. Over the course of the first two acts, it is revealed that Abigail used to work for the Proctors but had an affair with John; she was kicked out when Elizabeth confronted John with her suspicions and he confessed. By the time the play begins, Abigail still loves John, but the feeling that does not appear to be mutual, as John won’t continue the affair with her. The relationship between Abigail and John Proctor changes even further over the course of the play; by Act 3, Abigail no longer cares about John as much and makes no move to halt his arrest and hanging for witchcraft. Abigail and Elizabeth have a mutual dislike, although the feeling is much stronger on Abigail's side than Elizabeth's (since Abigail eventually ends up accusing Elizabeth of being a witch): â€Å"It's a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman!† (Act 1, p. ) Not only does Abigail think Elizabeth is bitter, lying, cold, and sniveling, but Abigail refers to Elizabeth as â€Å"it.† The only other time this happens in the play is during another expression of extreme emotion, when John Proctor calls Abigail a whore (â€Å"It is a whore!† Act 3, p. 102) before the entire Salem court. The Parris Family Abigail is also Reverend Parris's niece (and so Betty Parris's cousin); she lives with the Parris family because her parents were killed by local American Indian tribe. We mainly see Abigail's interactions with her family in Act 1, when Betty is lying unresponsive on the bed and Parris is freaking out about what people are going to say and how it's going to affect how he's perceived in the town. It's unclear whether Abigail actually cares about Betty, or if she is just worried that if Betty doesn't wake up she’ll get in even bigger trouble. â€Å"ABIGAIL, smashes [Betty] across the face: Shut it! Now shut it!† (Act 1, p. 18) Hitting someone is not exactly loving by today’s standards, but tough love was not unknown in Puritan times, so you could argue it either way - maybe Abigail's just trying to stop Betty from being hysterical. Abigail's resentment of her uncle, by contrast, is quite clear. Miller uses explicit stage directions to Abigail likeâ€Å"in terror†, â€Å"with an edge of resentment† and â€Å"With ill-concealed resentment at him† (Act 1, p. ) when she's addressing Parris to illustrate the precarious position Abigail is in. Because Abigail is an orphan in a society that does not value women, she is forced to depend on her uncle's kindness and avoid upsetting him or risk being thrown out to live on her own without any means to do so. Whether or not Abigail also thinks her uncle is petty and self-important is open to interpretation, depending on how the performers deliver certain lines (or how the reader interprets them). Take the following exchange, for instance: â€Å"[PARRIS:] Abigail, do you understand that I have many enemies? ABIGAIL: I have heard of it, uncle. PARRIS: There is a faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulpit. Do you understand that? ABIGAIL: I think so, sir.† (Act 1, p. 10) Either she’s meekly agreeing with him†¦or she’s subtly mocking him because she’s heard him go on and on about how he is persecuted so many times. I tend to believe the latter explanation, especially given how often Abigail’s lines contain dual meanings, but an argument could be made for either case. Abigail has a somewhat mixed relationship with the third member of the Parris household, Tituba. Abigail seems to believe in Tituba's powers to the extent that she gets Tituba to make a potion to kill Goody Proctor (presumably so Abigail can marry John). When it starts to seem like this information might come out, however, Abigail preemptively accuses Tituba of bewitching her and Betty in order to save herself. The Other Girls Finally, Abigail appears to be friends (or friendly) with Mercy Lewis and Mary Warren. Mercy and Abigail seem to have a sort of partners-in-crime type of friendship - Abigail likes Mercy well enough to warn her by telling her what Parris has told Abigail he knows about the woods (although this could be perhaps because Abigail’s afraid of what Mercy might say if they don’t confer). On the other hand, Abigail appears to have nothing but disdain for Mary Warren, and is perfectly fine with bullying her: â€Å"ABIGAIL, starting for Mary: I say shut it, Mary Warren!† (Act 1, p. 19) Along with Ruth Putnam and Betty Parris, Abigail, Mercy, and Mary were in the woods with Tituba; along with Susanna Walcott, the girls form the core of the group of â€Å"afflicted† girls who accuse others of witchcraft during the trials. By Act 3, Abigail no longer fears anybody because of how much she has risen in status and how much authority she has gained. She even faces off against Danforth (the man with nominally the most power in the play as Deputy Governor of Massachusetts) and gets him to back down from questioning her. Fearless/Less Fear, used under CC BY 2.0 Other Character Traits Abigail is an accomplishedand convincing liar - she lies easily, without any compunction or care for the truth, and can keep the lies going. From her very introduction, Miller tells the reader of the play that Abigail has â€Å"an endless capacity for dissembling† (p. 8), and she spends the rest of her time onstage living up to this description. This characteristic is demonstrated in the first act of The Crucible when Abigail lies about what exactly happened in the woods: â€Å"Uncle, we did dance; let you tell them I confessed it – and I’ll be whipped if I must be. But they’re speakin’ of witchcraft. Betty’s not witched† (Act 1, p. 9). As each of her lies is revealed to be such, she comes up with a new lie that she still gets people to believe, even though she was clearly just lying and there’s no reason why she wouldn’t still be lying. â€Å"But we never conjured spirits† (Act 1, p. 10) [...] "PARRIS, to Abigail: Then you were conjuring spirits last night. ABIGAIL, whispering: Not I, sir - Tituba and Ruth.† (Act 1, p. 15) [...] â€Å"She sends her spirit on me in church† (Act 1, p. 41) Within the space of one act, Abigail changes her story from â€Å"we were just dancing† to â€Å"Tituba sent her spirit on me and bewitched us† - and everyone buys it. Part of Abigail's success in convincing others of her lies stems from her ability to get herself to believe the lies. This occurs in Act 3 in the Salem court - Abigail manages to convince herself that she's being afflicted to the point where she goes into a fit that has real physical side-effects (her hands are icy to the touch). A large part of Abigail’s believability, though, comes from societal preconceptions – it’s unthinkable that such a lowly person (young orphaned girl) would dare lie to someone important (her uncle who’s taken her in, the Deputy Governor of the Province, and so on). World's Biggest Liar, used under CC BY 2.0 Probably not the accolade Reverend Parris would want hanging from his door. In addition to being an accomplished liar, Abigail is also extremely single-minded. When she wants something, she goes for it; if one method doesn’t work, she’s happy to go with Plan B. A good example of this is Abigail's pursuit of John Proctor. Because Abigail wants John Proctor for herself, she gets Tituba to make her a potion to kill Goody Proctor. When that doesn’t work, she pleads with John to take her back; when that doesn't work she accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft and manages to get her arrested. By the time this backfires (John Proctor is also accused of witchcraft), Abigail’s too deep in it to say anything, even if she wanted to – protesting his arrest would draw suspicion back onto her. Last but not least, Abigail is opportunistic. She seizes the chance to divert blame from herself and Betty by accusing Tituba of making them do bad things (Act 1). Once Abigail has gained power as an â€Å"afflicted child†, she seizes the chance to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft and get her out of the picture that way (Act 2). Furthermore, when Elizabeth falters under Danforth's questioning and doesn’t admit Abigail was dismissed because Abigail slept with John Proctor, Abigail seizes upon that too and strengthens her position by screaming and going into a fit before Hale can explain further about what he means by â€Å"This girl has always struck me as false!† (Act 3, p. 106). And when neighboring towns like Andover overthrow their witch trials and it looks like being someone who accused others of witchcraft might not be so safe anymore, Abigail grabs Parris’s savings and leaves town (discussed in Act 4). When Does Abigail Appear in The Crucible? Abigail only appears onstage in Acts 1 and 3, although she is talked about by other characters in the other two acts. In Act 1, she enters very near the beginning (right after Tituba has been shooed off by Parris) and stays onstage through the end of the act; in Act 3, she and the other girls are summoned to the court towards the last third of the act to explain and deny Mary Warren’s accusations, remaining onstage through the end of the act. What Does Abigail Williams Do in The Crucible? Below, I have an act-by-act breakdown of all of Abigail's actions over the course of the play. Act 1 At the beginning of Act 1, Abigail is chastised by her uncle for possibly getting Betty sick with the dancing they did in the woods. Abigail tries to defend herself, saying that Betty was just startled when Reverend Parris â€Å"leaped out of the bush so suddenly† and that’s why Betty fainted. Parris refuses to believe Abigail is telling the whole truth and wants to make sure they weren’t up to even worse things than dancing, like conjuring spirits (!). He also wants to know if Abigail’s reputation is still pure, which Abigail gets all snippy about (understandably - who'd want to talk to her uncle about her purity?). When it becomes clear that spirits were conjured during the "dancing" in the woods, Abigail says that it wasn’t her doing the conjuring, just Tituba and Ruth Putnam. Once the adults leave, Abigail confers with Mercy and Mary Warren about what to do. Abigail briefly manages to rouse Betty, who tries to throw herself out of the window, yells that â€Å"Abigail drank a potion to kill Goody Proctor,† and then sinks back into an unresponsive state again. Abigail threatens everyone with violence if she says something about the potion. When Abigail finds herself alone with John Proctor, she approaches him to see if she can get him to resume their affair, but he turns her down. Abigail is not happy about this and says it’s his wife making him do it, which makes Proctor threaten to whip her (although to be fair, this is his default for dealing with women who upset him). Hale arrives and begins to question Abigail about her actions in the woods. When pressed, Abigail blames Tituba, who is then fetched to explain herself. Before Tituba can say anything, Abigail preemptively strikes by saying that it was Tituba who did all the bad things like conjuring and creating potions, knowing that because Tituba is one of the few people in Salem below Abigail on the social ladder, the other Salem residents will find this easy to believe. After Tituba confesses, Abigail says that she, too, wants to confess her sins and come clean with God. She and Betty go into an orgy of crying out names of townspeople as witches as the curtain falls â€Å"On their ecstatic cries† (Act 1, p. 46). Act 2 We learn via Cheever that Abigail has charged Elizabeth Proctor as a witch (Act 2, p. 69). It turns out that while at dinner at the Parris house, Abigail fell to the floor, writhing in pain, and a needle was pulled out of her by Parris; Abigail then â€Å"testify it were your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it in† (Act 3, p. 71). It also turns out that Abigail was sitting right next to Mary in court as Mary made the poppet and stuck a needle in it for safekeeping, which could have given Abigail the idea to throw the fit at dinner and accuse Elizabeth, but the hysterical Cheever, Herrick, and even Hale don’t seem to think that this is reason enough not to arrest Elizabeth. sister poppet, used under CC BY 2.0 Act 3 Abigail is brought into the courtroom (along with the other afflicted girls) by Danforth for questioning. She denies that she has lied about the supernatural torments she’s been through, affirming that Mary is lying and that â€Å"Goody Proctor always kept poppets† (Act 3, p. 96), and appears insulted when Danforth asks her if she’s sure she didn’t just imagine it all. In the midst of dressing down Danforth for doubting her, Abigail suddenly seems to go into a trance or some other altered state. During this fit, she looks at Mary Warren (with the implication being that Mary is the one causing this) – the other girls follow Abigail's lead and do the same. When Abigail looks up to heaven and asks for strength, however, she is assaulted, yelled at, and accused of being a harlot by John Proctor. Danforth asks Abigail to deny (or confirm) that she had sex with John Proctor when asked by Danforth, but Abigail refuses (â€Å"If I must answer that, I will leave and I will not come back again!† Act 3, p. 103). Abigail leads the girls into another fit after Elizabeth Proctor exits the courtroom, this one explicitly targeting Mary Warren as the source: â€Å"But God made my face; you cannot want to tear my face. Envy is a deadly sin, Mary.† Act 3, p. 106. She and the other girls descend into full-blown hysteria, mimicking Mary Warren's every action and word until Mary caves under the pressure and accuses John Proctor of being the Devil's man. Act 4 "Echoes Down the Corridor" What happened to Abigail? We learn via Reverend Parris that shehas vanished, possibly via ship, and taken all his savings. â€Å"My daughter tells me how she heard [Abigail and Mercy Lewis] speaking of ships last week, and tonight I discover my- my strongbox is broke into.† (Act 4, p. 7) In â€Å"Echoes Down the Corridor† (the epilogue immediately following Act 4), Miller informs us that â€Å"[t]he legend has it that Abigail turned up later as a prostitute in Boston† (p. 135). Abigail Williams Character Analysis Abigail is the most complex female character in The Crucible. Unlike Rebecca Nurse (the wise, saintly old woman), Elizabeth Proctor (the frigid and betrayed wife), Mary Warren (the girl who just wants to feel important and fit in with the cool kids), or Tituba (the slave who was forced into saving herself by accusing others of witchcraft), Abigail's character cannot be neatly labeled as just one thing. Instead, there is a complex interaction of different motivations that lead Abigail to act as she does during the events of the play. Abigail Motivation #1: Sociopathy/Actively Trying to be Evil An easy, surface explanation of Abigail’s character is to label her as a calculating sociopath, andthere is some evidence that supports this claim. In Act 1, Abigail does seize upon the opportunity to divert blame from herself to first Tituba and Ruth (p. 15), then just Tituba (p. 40), then to women with questionable reputations like Sarah Good, Goody Osburn, and Bridget Bishop (p. 45). She doesn't care at all about the fates of the women being blamed - she's just accusing them to further her own ends. In Act 3, Miller describes Abigail as staring Mary Warren down â€Å"remorselessly† (p. 97); furthermore, Abigail seems to deliberately focus on Mary Warren as the cause of both of her fits: â€Å"ABIGAIL, looking about in the air, clasping her arms about her as though cold: I- I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. Her eyes fall on Mary Warren.† (Act 3, p. 101) [...] â€Å"ABIGAIL, to the ceiling, in a genuine conversation with the â€Å"bird,† as though trying to talk it out of attacking her: But God made my face; you cannot want to tear my face. Envy is a deadly sin, Mary. MARY WARREN, on her feet with a spring, and horrified, pleading: Abby! ABIGAIL, unperturbed, continuing to the â€Å"bird†: Oh, Mary, this is a black art to change your shape. No, I cannot, I cannot stop my mouth; it’s God’s work I do.† (Act 3, p. 107) Finally, in Act 4, we learn Abigail has stolen her uncle’s money and run away. When viewed through the lens of â€Å"calculating person who does not feel emotion,† the reasons for Abigail’s actions become very simple: she acts as she does because she has no empathy for others and cares only for herself. Here's just a smattering of other arguments that could be made to support this conclusion or thesis: Abigail sleeps with John Proctor because she wants to, not caring about his marriage. When she’s kicked out of the Proctor house and sent back to her uncle’s, she’s upset, not because she loves John, but because of the loss of her good reputation. She’s only concerned with Betty’s illness because it means Abigail will get into trouble, and the reason Abigail doesn’t immediately say that Betty’s suffering from witchcraft is because Abigail doesn’t realize that’s the best tack to take until later. She wants to kill Goody Proctor and marry John not because she cares about him, but because it will increase her social status (and also gain her access to intimate relations with Proctor’s â€Å"unexpressed, hidden force† (p. 20)). She accuses other people of witchcraft because it benefits her by helping her get out of trouble for dancing and conjuring in the woods; it also makes her seem more powerful (especially if those people â€Å"confess† and so corroborate her accusations). She purposefully throws a fit to discredit Mary and pressure Mary into recanting her statement to protect herself. When she's at risk of losing her power and authority because of events in Andover, Abigail steals her poor uncle’s money (even though he had housed and fed her after her parents were killed) and runs off, eventually becoming a prostitute. EVIL, used under CC BY 2.0 Abigail Motivation #2: Pragmatism Maybe you can tell by how hyperbolic my language got at the end there, but I don’t think that writing off Abigail an emotionless, manipulative person and ignoring any other facet of her character is a particularly useful or insightful way to analyze her character. In addition to being motivated by opportunism (taking advantage of the situation to get an outcome that’s best for her, no matter what the cost for others), Abigail also seems to be motivated by a desire to avoid getting into trouble with authority (which means she needs to keep her reputation clean). Unlike with Mary Warren, however, Abigail’s wish to avoid trouble is not coupled with a desire to please. She wants to avoid trouble not because she wants to make everyone happy, but because that is the safest thing to do. And in contrast to John Proctor, who struggles through the play with how he’s compromised his sense of himself by committing adultery, Abigail doesn’t seem to care as much about the principle of having a good reputation – she’s more concerned with the practicality of how being considered â€Å"soiled† might negatively affect her. Evidence for this can be found at the beginning of Abigail’s charge to Mercy, Mary, and Betty: â€Å"Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters. And that is all† (Act 1, p. 19). In Puritan Salem, dancing and conjuring dead people are NOT activities that are good for your reputation, particularly if you’re in a precarious social position to begin with (orphaned, young, girl, fired servant). Being found guilty of these acts, however, will merit far less punishment than being found guilty of adultery and of trying to kill the wife of the man you committed adultery with. It could be argued that part of Abigail's desire to avoid trouble at all costs stems from her traumatic past. When The Crucible begins, Abigail is an orphan living with her uncle and cousin, but her parents didn't just die of cholera or some other natural cause. Abigail explicitly states â€Å"I saw Indians smash my dear parents’ heads on the pillow next to mine† (Act 1, p. 19) - an upsetting experience that would inculcate a desire to avoid trouble in anyone. Perhaps because of this previous upheaval, Abigail doesn’t seem to quite trust that her uncle will love her and let her stay there, no matter what: â€Å"[ABIGAIL:] With ill-concealed resentment at him: Do you begrudge my bed, uncle? PARRIS: No - no.† (Act 1, p. ) Whether or not Abigail's fears of being kicked out of the Parris’s house are justified, they’re still a motivating factor - she wants to avoid getting into trouble so that she doesn't lose her only home. As Act 1 continues, Abigail continues to try to defray blame and to play down the â€Å"dancing in the woods.† The way Miller sets up the dialogue, however, Abigail only changes her story in response to pressure from other characters – for the most part, she is reacting, not going on the offensive. For example, take a look at this series of exchanges between Hale, Parris, and Abigail: â€Å"[HALE] He turns to Abigail, his eyes narrowing. Abigail, what sort of dancing were you doing with her in the forest? ABIGAIL: Why- common dancing is all. PARRIS: I think I ought to say that I- I saw a kettle in the grass where they were dancing. ABIGAIL: That were only soup. [†¦] PARRIS, fearfully: I- do believe there were some movement- in the soup. ABIGAIL: That jumped in, we never put it in! HALE, quickly: What jumped in? ABIGAIL: Why, a very little frog jumped- [†¦] HALE, grasping Abigail: Abigail, it may be your cousin is dying. Did you call the Devil last night? ABIGAIL: I never called him! Tituba, Tituba ...† (Act 1, p. 39-40) Step by step, Abigail adds more information as she is pressed to explain herself by Hale and Parris. The clinching moment for me (and the reason I don’t think Abigail is so much calculating as she is trying to avoid trouble) is this next exchange Abigail has with Reverend Hale: â€Å"HALE: How did she call him? ABIGAIL: I know not- she spoke Barbados. HALE: Did you feel any strangeness when she called him? A sudden cold wind, perhaps? A trembling below the ground? ABIGAIL: I didn’t see no Devil! Shaking Betty: Betty, wake up. Betty! Betty! HALE: You cannot evade me, Abigail. Did your cousin drink any of the brew in that kettle? ABIGAIL: She never drank it! HALE: Did you drink it? ABIGAIL: No, sir! HALE: Did Tituba ask you to drink it? ABIGAIL: She tried, but I refused. HALE: Why are you concealing? Have you sold yourself to Lucifer? ABIGAIL: I never sold myself! I’m a good girl! I’m a proper girl!† (Act 1, p. 40) Abigail does not immediately seize upon the suggestion of witchcraft that Hale so blatantly puts out with his leading question (â€Å"Did you feel any strangeness when she called him? A sudden cold wind, perhaps? A trembling below the ground?†); instead, she denies any knowledge of the Devil and witchcraft (â€Å"I didn’t see no Devil!†). If she really were entirely calculating and opportunistic, there’s no way she would have passed up on an opportunity to push the blame onto some external force here, when she’s under pressure. Abigail's breaking point happens when Tituba is brought into the room – the only way out for Abigail to maintain her status as a good and proper girl and to avoid getting into even more trouble is to strike first; there is no other option that ends well for her in this scenario. Distress, used under CC BY 2.0 A similar argument could be made for why Abigail acts the way she does in the courtroom in Act 3, although now she’s changed from being on the defensive (saying she never did anything wrong) to being on the offensive (accusing Mary of lying, threatening Danforth when he doubts her). Abigail has gained an enormous amount of power and authority since her introduction in Act 1, which means that she no longer has to worry as much about her reputation - anything negative that's said about her she can lie about, and her word will be believed (as it is with Mary Warren). Abigail does, however, still try to avoid answering the question of whether or not she committed adultery with John Proctor: â€Å"If I must answer that, I will leave and I will not come back again!† (Act 3, p. 103) This could be seen as more courtroom dramatics on Abigail’s part, and yes, if it’s revealed she slept with John Proctor, her whole faà §ade of being an innocent victim does come tumbling down. But this could also be her still trying to walk the fine line of avoiding getting into trouble and avoiding telling lies, particularly because this subject is one that she cares about. The other exception to Abigail's â€Å"offense is the best defense† stance is at the end of Act 3, when she doesn’t do anything to counter Mary Warren’s accusations against John Proctor. From a pragmatic point of view, this still makes sense, because the safest thing to do is to back up Mary’s accusations by praising God; if Mary’s shown to be a liar and pretending to be afflicted, then the whole house of cards will come tumbling down and Abigail will be in a huge amount of trouble that she won’t be able to talk her way out of. Motivation #3: Teenage Love The final piece of Abigail’s character puzzle is her relationship with John Proctor. I'll begin the discussion of this motivator through a common discussion question asked about Abigail in The Crucible: Common Discussion Question: In 1692, the historical Abigail Williams was years old, and John Proctor was 60. How did Miller’s deviation from the â€Å"historical model† affect the play? What other changes do you think Arthur Miller made between Abigail from The Crucible and the historical Abigail? Answer: Changing the ages made the relationship Miller saw between Abigail Williams and John Proctor a whole lot less creepy for John Proctor...although honestly, it’s still pretty creepy. He was 18 years older and her employer? She wasn’t even 18? And he constantly threatens to whip women of a lower social status if they displease him? That's still uncomfortable and upsetting. In â€Å"Why I Wrote the Crucible: An Artist’s Answer to Politics† (The New Yorker, October 1996), Miller writes that he was certain of the relationship between Abigail and John Proctor: â€Å"By this time, I was sure, John Proctor had bedded Abigail, who had to be dismissed most likely to appease Elizabeth." Arthur Miller also throws in at the end of The Crucible (in â€Å"Echoes Down The Corridor†) the rumor that Abigail eventually becomes a prostitute in Boston, 20 years down the line. As far as I’ve been able to discover from researching it, there’s zero truth to this – Abigail most likely died in the 1690s, since nothing is ever heard about her again. Thus, Miller very much shaped Abigail's character from an -year-old servant girl into a sexually predatory woman and used that to drive conflict in the play. Abigail starts off the play very much still in love with John Proctor: â€Å"You are no wintry man. I know you, John. I know you. She is weeping. I cannot sleep for dreamin’; I cannot dream but I wake and walk about the house as though I’d find you comin’ through some door. She clutches him desperately.† (Act 1, p. 22) John, however, spurns her love, because of his conscience and guilt: â€Å"Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby.† (Act 1, p. 22) Abigail thinks to win him back and get revenge on his wife at the same time by accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft (Act 2)†¦or at least, so Proctor seems to think. Proctor tells Danforth his interpretation of Abigail’s actions and intent, attributing her actions first to lust, then to vengeance: â€Å"God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance, and you must see it† (Act 3, p. 102) Abigail's real motivation for getting Elizabeth Proctor out of the way, however, is somewhat opaque. Because we never really get to see inside Abigail’s head again in the play (she never talks in private to anyone onstage after Act 1), we don’t actually know if Proctor's interpretations are correct. Abigail could be accusing Elizabeth because she’s convinced herself Elizabeth is a witch, she could be accusing Elizabeth because she loves John and wants to be with him (rather than because she hates Elizabeth or because she just wants him for his body), or she could be accusing Elizabeth because she sees marrying John as a way to empower herself and gains status in the restrictive, misogynist society of Salem. Whatever the reason(s) behind it, Abigail’s plan to get Elizabeth out of the way and win John back backfires. John calls Abigail a whore in court, Abigail’s forced to deny this to keep her good standing with the court, and while Abigail doesn’t retaliate by calling John a witch (perhaps because she still has some â€Å"soft feelings† for him), she doesn’t make a move to stop his arrest when Mary Warren accuses him. Common Discussion Question: Compare and contrast Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams. To answer this question, you can discuss how the two women’s relationships with John change over time, their actions to protect (or not protect) John, and their feelings about John and themselves (do they really care about John, or are they just trying to cement their social positions?). Use the information in the above analysis about Abigail to bolster your comparison. Portraits of two women, used under CC BY 2.0 How Does Abigail Williams Change Over Time? Over the course ofThe Crucible, Abigail goes from having basically no power to having the most power of anyone in Salem. She starts out one step higher than Tituba: an orphaned, teenaged, girl who has been fired from her job and is being given a bad reputation around town by her former employer, basically living on her uncle’s charity. By Act 3, Abigail is the head of the â€Å"afflicted children,† powerful enough that she can threaten Danforth, the Deputy Governor of the Province, and get away with it: "ABIGAIL: I have been hurt, Mr. Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin’ out! I have been near to murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil’s people- and this is my reward? To be mistrusted, denied, questioned like a- DANFORTH, weakening: Child, I do not mistrust you- ABIGAIL, in an open threat: Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits? Beware of it!† (Act 3, p. 100) Abigail talks back to Danforth in court, and rather than yelling at her, he weakens in his own conviction. She then follows this up with a not-so-veiled threat that underscores her power - if he crosses Abigail, maybe he'll find himself accused of witchcraft. Even though in Act 4 Parris reveals to Danforth that Abigail is a runaway thief, that is not enough to diminish her power – those who she accused of being witches are still set to hang. Abigail also changes from having a questionable reputation to unimpeachable reputation and then back to having a tarnished reputation over the course of the play. In Act 1, Parris tells Abigail that her former employer, Elizabeth Proctor, â€Å"comes so rarely to church this year for she will not sit so close to something soiled† (Act 1, p. ), meaning that Abigail is soiled, or unclean – not a good reputation to have when you’re already in a precarious social position like Abigail is. By the time Act 2 rolls around, Abigail's reputation has soared to such heights that she's treated like Moses (a Biblical prophet). As Elizabeth Proctor states: â€Å"[Mary Warren] speak of Abigail, and I thought she were a saint, to hear her. Abigail brings the other girls into the court, and where she walks the crowd will part like the sea for Israel" (Act 2, p. 50). In Act 3, Abigail’s reputation is strong enough that John Proctor’s accusations of her being a whore (since she slept with a married man) aren’t automatically believed, even though ordinarily the word of an upright male citizen like John Proctor would certainly be taken over that of a teenage orphan girl. In Act 4 it’s revealed that Abigail has run away and stolen money from her uncle (and so her reputation takes a hit in her absence), but since she is no longer in Salem, it doesn’t really matter for her. Abigail’s goals seem to change over the course of the play. In Act 1, it’s clear that she is still very much attracted to John Proctor and wants to be with him: she nervously laughs the first time he speaks to her (very much a teenager in the midst of an infatuation), and is physically affected by his presence: "Since Proctor’s entrance, Abigail has stood as though on tiptoe, absorbing his presence, wide-eyed" (Act 1, p. 20). Part of her desire to marry John Proctor may be to improve her social standing, but at this point in the play, Abigail still seems to care about John Proctor and want to be with HIM, not just some random guy (although, of course, Miller’s told us that she has an â€Å"endless capacity for dissembling,† so who knows if we can trust her). In Act 2, Abigail still seems to want to be with John Proctor, since she’s accused Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft. As I mentioned in the "motivations" section, it’s harder to tell what Abigail's reasons for this are because it’s other people talking about her actions, rather than firsthand knowledge. Proctor and his wife seem pretty sure that Abigail’s motives are to replace Elizabeth Proctor: â€Å"[ELIZABETH:] She thinks to take my place, John. PROCTOR: She cannot think it! He knows it is true.† (Act 2, p. 58) So it's unclear whether her motives are out of lust and love for John, wanting to improve her social standing, or wanting to get revenge on Elizabeth for sullying her name, but Abigail’s intentions to get rid of Elizabeth, at least, are clear. By Act 3, however, Abigail cares more about holding onto the power she already has than about John Proctor. We know this because when Mary Warren accuses John Proctor of being â€Å"the Devil’s man,† Abigail makes no move to deny it. Instead, she and the rest of girls echo Parris’s â€Å"Praise God!† (p. 0). So do you think Abigail really loves John? Why or why not? Whatevidence from the play can you find to support your argument? Finally, the extent to which Abigail is affected by the hysteria seems to change during the course of the play. Part of the reason for this is that after the first act, the audience is no longer privy to Abigail’s thought processes (since she no longer is talking in confidence to friends or Proctor, but instead is taking very public actions and making public statements in the courthouse). In the first act, it seems pretty clear that Abigail is faking her â€Å"fit†: she tells multiple people that they were dancing in the woods and conjuring Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters’ spirits she shuts down any discussion of her drinking a potion to kill Goody Proctor she is matter of fact about it, mainly frightened not because they were meddling with the supernatural, but because she’s afraid she’ll be punished if word gets out For contrast, compare Abigail in this instance to Mary Warren, who seems genuinely freaked out: â€Å"MARY WARREN, with hysterical fright: What’s got her? Abigail stares in fright at Betty. Abby, she’s going to die! It’s a sin to conjure, and we-† (Act 1, p. 19). By Act 3, however, it’s no longer clear exactly how much Abigail is faking the fright and fits. The argument can certainly be made that she and the other girls are trying to intimidate Mary Warren into retracting her statements about them lying. Abigail does, however, appear to show at least some physical manifestation of her distress (which is harder to fake): â€Å"HATHORNE, touching Abigail’s hand: She is cold, Your Honor, touch her!† Of course, you might argue that Hathorne is feeling what he expected to feel, or that Abigail has such control over her body that she is able to cause her temperature to drop because of psychosomatic processes. Equally possible, though, is that she, like Mary, has been caught up in the hysteria and to some extent believes that she is being attacked by supernatural forces, and so it’s an unconscious link between mind and body causing her to have cold hands. In the fourth Act, we learn Abigail has stolen all of Parris’s savings and run away with Mercy Lewis, which does imply that she’s reverted to form and that this whole being-attacked-by-witches thing was just a hoax. We don’t really have enough information about Abigail's thinking, however, to say for sure if she never believed in witches, or if there was a brief period during which she, too, got caught up in the witch hunt hysteria. Salem Witch Dungeon Museum (May 17,2009), used under CC BY 2.0 Abigail Williams Quotes from The Crucible To wrap up this character analysis, we have three Abigail quotes, explained and analyzed. The first quote illustrates the importance of reputation in Puritan Salem: â€Å"My name is good in the village! I will not have it said my name is soiled! Goody Proctor is a gossiping liar!† (Act 1, p. 12) Abigail is extremely upset that this gossip is going around town and that her uncle knows about it, so she hurries to defend her name with much exclamation, calling Goody Proctor a liar to offset the damage. The irony of Abigail, consummate liar, calling someone else a liar repeats throughout the play, including in the next quote: â€Å"ABIGAIL, with a slight note of indignation: It is a lie, sir.† (Act 3, p. 95) In this case, the irony of Abigail accusing someone else of lying is enhanced by the stage directions: not only is Abigail calling Mary a liar, but she’s doing so in a tone that implies Abigail is offended Mary would ever think to say such a thing about her. In reality, of course, it’s Abigail who is the shameless liar. The "shameless" descriptor ties in well to the final quote: â€Å"ABIGAIL, stepping up to Danforth: What look do you give me? Danforth cannot speak. I’ll not have such looks! She turns and starts for the door.† (Act 3, p. 103) By this point in the play, Abigail has gained enough authority that she feels empowered to tell the Deputy Governor of the Province, to his face, that she won’t put up with him giving her suspicious looks. This is a big change from her previous position in Salem society, where she was dependent on the charity of her uncle, Reverend Parris (especially after she was fired by Elizabeth Proctor). What’s Next? Need to get a better understanding of the other characters in the play? Read our complete guide to and analysis of all the characters in The Crucible. Confused about the actions Abigail takes in the context of The Crucible? We’ve got plot summaries for the acts she appears in. How does Abigail's character fit into the greater themes of The Crucible? Delve into the themes of The Crucible with this article. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 23

Management - Essay Example After that I would be working on my mathematical and financial skills. This would take another one hour. Gradually I would be increasing my practice session to four to five hours in a week. I wish to build a strong communication and an analytical capacity so I will put in around 2 to 3 hours working on my vocabulary and math skills. I will also have to spend time on reading about the daily finance news to keep myself abreast of the latest information on financial matters. I will put in a minimum of 1 hour reading about the information from the daily newspapers and business magazines. In short I plan to put in five hours per week while preparing for my interview in a relevant sector. 1. As I wish to rise in my career I will have to develop my speaking and communicating abilities. I wish to reach a senior level in three years so I will be emphasizing on speech, vocabulary and the right usage of words. As I am married my non career life would compose of my family, my parents, my spouse and my children. I am a family oriented man and as such family values a lot to me. But I also realized that there are certain places where I lack in terms of family values and its requirements. I have been married for two years and have a single son. I wish to have more children in future. I also have elderly parents who are sick and need help. My mother is on wheel chair and needs to be accompanied by someone. I value them a lot other than my career so I would like to increase my time I spend with them. My parents love vacations so would like to take them on short trips. This would help me to bind with them more and also improve my interactions with them. My mother likes to read so I would have to develop the skill to read to her the books she likes. For this would have to develop my reading skills so as to sound interesting to my mother. My wife is not to be neglected here. So I would need to make

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Nihilism And Its Consequences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nihilism And Its Consequences - Essay Example Nihilism entails the absence of consideration for consequences, where people have no inner guide and promote only their self-interests. By openly showing love for a married woman. Spunk demonstrates a missing conscience. He tells Joe that â€Å"Lena was his† (Hurston). The alcoholic woman in â€Å"Tall Tales† also dismisses the effects of her decisions. She sees herself slowly attracted to a stranger, just because of her creative imagination that feeds her inner emptiness. The â€Å"watch† in the story symbolizes reality because it reminds people of the time and organizing their life. She does not know how to organize her life, however, because she cannot understand the meaning of her existence. When she allows Lenny to take her watch, she surrenders to the pseudo-reality that Lenny wants to bring her to. Lenny tells her: â€Å"You don't need [your watch]. You don't have to know what time it is† (Braverman). She then empowers him to organize her life for h er, which happens eventually. Furthermore, nihilistic people only value their self-interests. Spunk takes Lena and parades their affair to others. He says to Joe: â€Å"Call her and see if shell come. A woman knows her boss she answers when he calls† (Hurston). This means that for Spunk, he is the boss of himself and others. The woman of â€Å"Tall Tales† also focuses on her inner fantasies than her own future and the future of her daughter. When she sees â€Å"China blue† in the sky, it is an image of peace and hope. These images of peace and hope are superficial, however, because she intends to escape her reality to find them. She feels unhappy with her failures and she covets a new life, where responsibilities no longer exist.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Loan and International Best Practices Essay Example for Free

Loan and International Best Practices Essay A Non-performing asset (NPA) is defined as a credit facility in respect of which the interest and/or installment of principal has remained ‘past due’ for a specified period of time. Identification[edit] NPA is a classification used by financial institutions that refer to loans that are in jeopardy of default. Once the borrower has failed to make interest or principle payments for 90 days the loan is considered to be a non-performing asset. Non-performing assets are problematic for financial institutions since they depend on interest payments for income. Troublesome pressure from the economy can lead to a sharp increase in non-performing loans and often results in massive write-downs. With a view to moving towards international best practices and to ensure greater transparency, it had been decided to adopt the ‘90 days’ overdue’ norm for identification of NPA, from the year ending March 31, 2004. Accordingly, with effect from March 31, 2004, a non-performing asset (NPA) is a loan or an advance where; Interest and/or installment of principal remain overdue for a period of more than 90 days in respect of a term loan, The account remains ‘out of order’ for a period of more than 90 days, in respect of an Overdraft/Cash Credit (OD/CC). The bill remains overdue for a period of more than 90 days in the case of bills purchased and discounted, Interest and/or installment of principal remains overdue for two harvest seasons but for a period not exceeding two half years in the case of an advance granted for agricultural purposes, and Any amount to be received remains overdue for a period of more than 90 days in respect of other accounts. Non submission of Stock Statements for 3 Continuous Quarters in case of Cash Credit Facility. No active transactions in the account (Cash Credit/Over Draft/EPC/PCFC) for more than 90 days. Classification[edit] Banks are required to classify non-performing assets further into the following three categories based on the period for which the asset has remained non-performing and the realisability of the dues: Sub-standard assets: a sub standard asset is one which has been classified as NPA for a period not exceeding 12 months. Doubtful Assets: a doubtful asset is one which has remained NPA for a period exceeding 12 months. Loss assets: where loss has been identified by the bank, internal or external auditor or central bank inspectors but the amount has not been written off, wholly or partly. Sub-standard asset is the asset in which bank have to maintain 15% of its reserves. All those assets which are considered as non-performing for period of more than 12 months are called as Doubtful Assets. All those assets which cannot be recovered are called as Loss Assets.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Commerce, Politics and the City in A Room of Ones Own and Mrs. Dallowa

Commerce, Politics and the City in A Room of One's Own and Mrs. Dalloway      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "...At this moment, as so often happens in London, there was a complete lull and suspension of traffic. Nothing came down the street; nobody passed. A single leaf detached itself from the plane tree at the end of the street, and in that pause and suspension fell. Somehow it was like a signal falling, a signal pointing to a force in things which one had overlooked ... Now it was bringing from one side of the street to the other diagonally a girl in patent leather boots and then a young man in a maroon overcoat; it was also bringing a taxi-cab; and it brought all three together at a point directly beneath my window; where the taxi stopped; and the girl and the young man stopped; and they got into the taxi; and the cab glided off as if it were swept on by the current elsewhere." (A Room of One's Own 100)    "Virginia Woolf" - the version of her that narrates the "events" of A Room of One's Own - observes the above urban scene from her window. In a pattern that she had perfected in Mrs. Dalloway four years earlier, the rhythms of urban existence are closely articulated with those of the natural world - and that rhythmic coordination in turn serves as a kind of authorization of that urban existence, a guarantee of the transcendent meaning of the evidently constructed human world. Thus the quietly definitive dropping of a leaf from its branch not only seems a sort of rhythmic blueprint for the ballet-like convergence of "girl," "man" and "taxi-cab", but also in fact the mystical cause of that convergence, a "signal" "bringing" this ... ...fied royal, the skywriting of an advertiser's airplane) are analogues of the narration's own confident focalizing sweep - now airborne, now moving down city streets, now fanning out across parks, always able to join disparate characters in a cohesive narrative line. But they are uneasy analogues, for they are patently the product not of some transcendent or natural meaning but of powerful modern interests: the nation, entertainment, commerce. Clarissa's intimations of timeless spiritual connectivity, and the narration's own performance of that connectivity, move in the grooves set down by these very modern institutions.       Works cited:    Virginia Woolf. Mrs. Dalloway. London: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1925.    ____________. A Room of One's Own. London: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1929.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

GA AEMT Drug Cards Essay

ACTION: Reverses Hypoxia, Increases arterial oxygen, Increases hemoglobin saturation, Increases tissue oxygenation Indications: Hypoxia or anticipated hypoxia, or in any medical or trauma patient to improve respiratory efficiency. Contraindications: There are no contraindications to oxygen therapy. Dose: Route: Oral DOSAGE: Adult: 1-6 LPM via NC; 10-15 LPM via NRB; 15 LPM via BVM Pediatric: 1-6 LPM via NC; 10-15 LPM via NRB; 15 LPM via BVM Common side effects: Dry or bloody nose, skin irritation from the nasal cannula or face mask Precautions/major interactions: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and very prolonged administration of high concentrations in the newborn. Drug: Oral Glucose Generic Glutose, Insta-Glucose Class of medication: Monosaccharide Carbohydrate ACTION: After absorption from GI tract, glucose is distributed in the tissues and provides a prompt increase in circulating blood sugar Onset: 10 min Indications: Patients with altered mental status and known history of diabetes mellitus Contraindications: Unconsciousness; known diabetic who has not taken insulin for days; patient who is unable to swallow Dose: Route: Oral DOSAGE/ROUTE:Adult: One tube or packet; repeat based on BGL Pediatric: One tube or packet; repeat based on BGL – minimum age 3 yrs Common side effects: Nausea, may be aspirated by the patient without a gag reflex Precautions/major interactions Assure patient has control of swallowing and airway. Drug: Glucagon Generic: GlucaGen Class of medication: Hormone, antihypoglycemic ACTION: Glucagon is a protein secreted by pancreatic cells that causes a breakdown of stored glycogen into glucose and inhibits the synthesis of glycogen from glucose. Indications: Hypoglycemia without IV access. Contraindications: Hypersensitivity to glucagon or protein compounds. Dose: Route: Intramuscular Adult:1-2mg IM, repeat in 15 minutes if BGL

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Human Anatomy Essay

1.Dependent Variable: plasma levels of glucose, ketones, insulin, and glucagon 2.Independent Variable: food and beverage intake 3.Controlled Variables: physical activity, caffeine and alcohol intake, gender, age, BMI 4.Why were physical activity and caffeine and alcohol intake the controlled variables? 5.What type of assay was used to measure plasma glucose and ketone levels? 6.What type of assay was used to measure plasma insulin and glucagon levels? 1.When was plasma glucose concentration highest? If values are similar for several time points (within a few points of each other), then give range of times when plasma glucose concentration was highest. 2.When was plasma glucose concentration lowest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma glucose concentration was lowest. 3.When was plasma ketone concentration highest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma ketone concentration was highest. 4.When was plasma ketone concentration lowest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma ketone concentration was lowest. 1.When was plasma insulin concentration highest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma insulin concentration was highest. 2.When was plasma insulin concentration lowest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma insulin concentration was lowest. 3.When was plasma glucagon concentration highest? If values are similar for  several time points, then give range of times when plasma glucagon concentration was highest. 4.When was plasma glucagon concentration lowest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma glucagon concentration was lowest. 5.When was plasma insulin/glucagon concentration highest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma insulin/glucagon concentration was highest. 6.When was plasma insulin/glucagon concentration lowest? If values are similar for several time points, then give range of times when plasma insulin/glucagon concentration was lowest. Discussion 1.Explain how insulin changed plasma glucose concentration over the course of the experiment. 2.Explain how glucagon changed plasma glucose concentration over the course of the experiment. 3.Explain what caused the change in plasma ketone concentration over the course of the experiment. 4.Explain how negative feedback caused the changes in plasma insulin concentration observed during the experiment. 5.Explain how negative feedback caused the changes in plasma glucagon concentration observed during the experiment. 6.The insulin/glucagon ratio changed over the course of the experiment indicating changes in glucose storage and changes in ability to increase blood glucose concentration via glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis. State  when glucose storage capability was highest and why. 7.State when glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis were highest and why. 8.Explain how a high blood ketone level helps the body conserve blood glucose. It means that you body is capable of burning a significant amount of fat and you can dispel it in your urine.Most people rely on glucose in the blood for energy. Insulin is a hormone that takes up glucose into cells where it can be burned or stored for later use. 9.Restate your predictions that were correct and give the data from your experiment that supports them. Restate your predictions that were not correct and correct them, giving the data from your experiment that supports the correction. Application 1.During exercise, epinephrine and norepinephrine are released from the adrenal medulla. Epinephrine and norepinephrine have the same effect on plasma glucose levels as glucagon. Explain how epinephrine and norepinephrine affect plasma glucose and why this is important during exercise. 2.The symptoms of diabetes mellitus include high plasma glucose levels and ketoacidosis (blood pH decreases due to increasing levels of ketones). Explain how diabetes causes these symptoms.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

How To Write a Business and Personal Letter in Spanish

How To Write a Business and Personal Letter in Spanish Whether youre writing a letter to a Spanish-speaking friend or preparing a formal business letter, the greetings and salutations in this lesson can help give your letters credibility. Greetings to Use in Writing a Letter In English, it is common to begin both personal letters and business correspondence with Dear ___. In Spanish, however, there is more variation depending on how formal you want to be. In personal correspondence, the equivalent of dear is querido or querida (the past participle of querer), depending on the sex of the person. Querido is used for a male recipient, querida for a female; plural forms queridos and queridas can also be used. In Spanish, it is the rule to follow the greeting with a colon rather than the comma used in English. Use of a comma is seen as an Anglicism. Querido Roberto: (Dear Roberto,)Querida Ana: (Dear Ana,)Queridos Juan y Lisa: (Dear Juan and Lisa,) Note that in Spanish the masculine form, queridos, is used if the recipients include people of both sexes. However, querido is too casual for business correspondence, especially when you arent a friend of the recipient. Use estimado or estimada instead. The word literally means esteemed, but it is understood the same way as dear would be in English: Estimado Sr. Rodrà ­guez: (Dear Mr. Rodrà ­guez,)Estimada Sra. Cruz: (Dear Mrs./Ms. Cruz,)Estimada Srta. Gonzlez: (Dear Miss Gonzlez,) Spanish doesnt have a true equivalent of the English courtesy title Ms. (and in Spanish, the distinction between seà ±ora and seà ±orita, traditionally translated as Mrs. and Miss, respectively, can be one of age rather than marital status). It normally is fine to use the courtesy title of Sra. (the abbreviation for seà ±ora) if you dont know whether a female recipient of the letter is married. Good advice is to  use Sra. unless you know the woman prefers Srta. If you dont know the name of the person youre writing to, you can use the following formats: Muy seà ±or mà ­o: (Dear sir,)Estimado seà ±or: (Dear sir,)Muy seà ±ora mà ­a: (Dear madam,)Estimada seà ±ora: (Dear madam,)Muy seà ±ores mà ­os: (Dear sirs, dear sirs/madams,)Estimados seà ±ores: (Dear sirs, dear sirs/madams,) The Spanish equivalent of to whom it may concern is a quien corresponda (literally, to the one responsible). Closings to Use in Writing a Letter In English, it is common to end a letter with Sincerely. Again, Spanish offers a greater variety. Although the following closings for personal letters may sound overly affectionate to English speakers, they are quite commonly used: Un abrazo (literally, a hug)Un fuerte abrazo (literally, a strong hug)Carià ±osos saludos (roughly, kind regards)Afectuosamente (affectionately) The following are common with close friends or family members, although there are many others that can be used: Besos y abrazos (literally, kisses and hugs)Besos (literally, kisses)Con todo mi carià ±o (with all my caring)Con todo mi afecto (with all my affection) In business correspondence, the most common ending, used in much the same way as sincerely in English, is atentamente. That can also be expanded to le saluda atentamente or les saluda atentamente, depending on whether youre writing to one or more persons, respectively. A more casual ending that can be used in business letters is Cordialmente. Longer salutations include saludos cordiales and se despide cordialmente. Although this language may sound flowery to English speakers, it is not unusual in Spanish. If you are expecting a response from a business correspondent, you can close with esperando su respuesta. As is common in English, the salutation is typically followed by a comma. If youre adding a postscript (posdata in Spanish), you can use P.D. as the equivalent of P.S. Sample Personal Letter Querida Angelina: ¡Mil gracias por el regalo! Es totalmente perfecto.  ¡Fue una gran sorpresa!Eres una buena amiga. Espero que nos veamos pronto.Muchos abrazos,Julia Translation: Dear Angelina,Thanks a lot for the gift! Its totally perfect. It was quite a surprise!Youre a great friend. I hope we see each other soon.Lots of hugs,Julia Sample Business Letter Estimado Sr. Fernndez:Gracias por la propuesta que usted y sus colegas me presentaron. Creo que es posible que los productos de su compaà ±Ãƒ ­a sean à ºtiles para minimizar nuestros costos de produccià ³n. Vamos a estudiar la propuesta meticulosamente.Espero poder darle una respuesta en un plazo de dos semanas.Atentamente,Catarina Là ³pez Translation Dear Mr. Fernndez,Thank you for the proposal that you and your colleagues presented to me. I believe it is possible that your companys products could be useful for reducing our production costs. We are going to study the proposal thoroughly.I hope I can give you a response within two weeks.Sincerely,Catarina Là ³pez

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Odyssey Quotes Explained

The Odyssey Quotes Explained The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer, tells the tale of war hero Odysseus and his long journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Odysseus is known for his wit, craft, and cunning, traits he uses to escape danger and eventually return to Ithaca. The quotes that follow contain some of the most important examples of Odysseus cunning, as well as the importance of other key characters and the significance of poetry and storytelling throughout the text. â€Å"Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turnsdriven time and again off course, once he had plunderedthe hallowed heights of Troy.Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds,many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea,fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home.But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove  - the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all,the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sunand the Sungod wiped from sight the day of their return.Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus,start from where you will  - sing for our time too.†(1.1-12) These opening lines provide a brief synopsis of the plot of the poem. The passage begins with an invocation of the muse and a request for the story of the man of twists and turns. As readers, we learn that we are about to hear the tale of Odysseus- â€Å"the man of twists and turns- who went on a long, difficult journey and attempted (but failed) to bring his comrades home.   The unidentified narrator then requests, â€Å"Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus, / start from where you will.† Indeed, The Odyssey starts not at the beginning of Odysseus journey but in the middle of the action: 20 years after his initial departure from Ithaca. By jumping forward and backward in time, Homer provides important details at crucial moments without interrupting the narrative flow. â€Å"Odysseus, master of many exploits, praised the singer:I respect you, Demodocus, more than any man alive - surely the Muse has taught you, Zeus’s daughter,or god Apollo himself. How true to life,all too true . . . you sing the Achaeans’ fate,all they did and suffered, all they soldiered through,as if you were there yourself or heard from one who was.But come now, shift your ground. Sing of the wooden horse.Epeus built with Athena’s help, the cunning trap thatgood Odysseus brought one day to the heights of Troy,filled with fighting men who laid the city waste.Sing that for me - true to life as it deserves - and I will tell the world at once how freelythe Muse gave you the gods’ own gift of song.†(8.544-558) In these lines, Odysseus asks the blind bard Demodocus to regale him with his own story- the story of the Trojan War. Odysseus praises Demodocus for his skill as a storyteller, which surely the Muse has taught [him], and his ability to express powerful, true to life emotions and experiences. Later on in this scene, Odysseus himself weeps as he listens to the tale Demodocus tells. This scene offers insight into the performance of epic poems during Homers era. Poetry was considered a divine gift, bestowed upon storytellers by the muses and capable of inspiring powerful emotions. At the same time, poetic activity was also considered a type of rote work, as storytellers had vast repertories of tales that listeners could request. These lines convey the power and importance of storytelling in the world of The Odyssey, which is itself one of the most famous epic poems in world literature. â€Å"So, you ask me the name I’m known by, Cyclops?I will tell you. But you must give me a guest-giftas you’ve promised. Nobody  - that’s my name. Nobody  - so my mother and father call me, all my friends.But he boomed back at me from his ruthless heart,‘Nobody? I’ll eat Nobody last of all his friends  - I’ll eat the others first! That’s my gift to you!†(9.408-14) In this scene, Odysseus uses his wit to escape death by telling the cyclops Polyphemus that his name is â€Å"nobody. After Polyphemus falls asleep, Odysseus and his comrades stab and blind him. Polyphemus cries for help, shouting that Nobodys killing me now by fraud and not by force, but the other Cyclopes misunderstand the statement, believing that Polyphemus is not being killed at all. This scene is representative of Odysseus characteristic trickery. Unlike other classical heroes who overpower their antagonists through brute force, Odysseus uses wordplay and clever schemes to escape danger. The scene is also significant because it provokes the wrath of Polyphemus father Poseidon, who serves as Odysseus primary antagonist for the remainder of his journey. â€Å"Any man - any god who met you - would have to besome champion lying cheat to get past youfor all-round craft and guile! You terrible man,foxy, ingenious, never tired of twists and tricks - so, not even here, on native soil, would you give upthose wily tales that warm the cockles of your heart!Come, enough of this now. We’re both old handsat the arts of intrigue. Here among mortal menyou’re far the best at tactics, spinning yarns,and I am famous among the gods for wisdom,cunning wiles, too.Ah, but you never recognized me, did you?Pallas Athena, daughter of Zeus - who alwaysstands beside you, shields you in every exploit:thanks to me the Phaeacians all embraced you warmly.And now I am here once more, to weave a scheme with youand to hide the treasure-trove Phaeacia’s nobleslavished on you then - I willed it, planned it sowhen you set out for home - and to tell you allthe trials you must suffer in your palace...†(13.329-48) Athena speaks these lines, revealing her identity, after Odysseus has finally returned to the shores of Ithaca. Athena defines herself as Odysseus helper, ally, and protector; as the goddess presiding over intelligent warfare and the crafts, she is eager to â€Å"weave a scheme† in order to get rid of the suitors threatening Odysseus domain over Ithaca. During the reunion, Athena is full of admiration, categorizing both herself and the cunning Odysseus as â€Å"old hands at the arts of intrigue. â€Å"Give the boy the name I tell you now. Just as Ihave come from afar, creating pain for many - men and women across the good green earth - so let his name be Odysseus...the Son of Pain, a name he’ll earn in full.†(19.460-464) These lines, spoken by Odysseus grandfather Autolycus, offer insight into the origins of Odysseus name. We learn that Autolycus named Odysseus when the hero was an infant. The passage includes another example of word play: the name â€Å"Odysseus† is associated with the Greek verb odussomai- to feel anger toward, to rage or hate. True to his own name, Odysseus both causes and experiences pain throughout his travels. Strange man,wary Penelope said. â€Å"I’m not so proud, so scornful,nor am I overwhelmed by your quick change...You look - how well I know - the way he looked,setting sail from Ithaca years agoaboard the long-oared ship.Come, Eurycleia,move the sturdy bedstead out of our bridal chamber - that room the master built with his own hands,Take it out now, sturdy bed that it is,and spread it deep with fleece,blankets and lustrous throws to keep him warm.(23.192-202) At this point in the poem, Penelope has already tricked the suitors by weaving and unweaving Laertes’ funeral shroud, as well as by making them compete in a rigged game of bow and arrows that only Odysseus could win. Now, in these lines, Penelope tests her very own husband. Odysseus has returned to Ithaca, but Penelope does not yet believe that its really him. As a test, she slyly asks the housekeeper Eurycleia to move their marital bed from her chambers. This is an impossible task, as the bed is built out of an olive tree and cannot be moved, and Odysseus immediate reaction confirms to Penelope that he is indeed her husband. This final trial proves not only that Odysseus has returned at last, but also that Penelopes cunning equals that of her husband.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Is Free Trade is good for the economy (of both trading nations) Essay

Is Free Trade is good for the economy (of both trading nations) - Essay Example If it is cotton, then Country A can concentrate of producing it and allow Country B to produce corn. This is not to say that the countries will not produce the other commodity, corn for Country A and cotton for Country B, but this applies to trading. The two countries can thus effectively trade with each other and reap maximum benefits. The beauty of comparative advantage is that everyone has a comparative advantage at producing something. Comparative advantage is useful in explaining why a country, on comparison with its trading partners, might produce and export something its citizens don’t seem very skilled at producing.2 Comparative advantage explains this scenario by advancing that citizens of the country importing must be better at producing another commodity thus enabling them to pay the exporting country for the work they have done.3 Modern international trade involves goods and services that could be produced anywhere in the world, and so buyers have the option of buying products that are either domestically produced or imported.4 In Adam Smith’s theory of absolute advantage, however, nations will export goods they are capable of producing at lower costs than the country which is importing them. It has been of concern that an economy with comparative advantage in making various commodities is likely to cause unemployment in other countries. China has grown tremendously in the recent past to become a force to reckon with in the manufacturing sector. The Chinese manufacturers have the benefit of affordable labor so most of the products they manufacture are cheaper than those manufactured in other parts of the world.5 Countries such as America have found themselves worried about doing business with China due to their competitive prices. However, there is no need for worry since every economy can identify a sector where they are best at. In so doing, an economy