Medea By Euripides And Macbeth English Literature Essay

Medea By Euripides And Macbeth English Literature Essay Introduction Medea by Euripides and Macbeth by William Shakespeare are plays renowned for their portrayal of frightening female characters; Medea and Lady Macbeth. Such female characters are particularly controversial as they contradict the social expectations of women. Society constantly attempts to mold women into soft, gentle and compassionate beings. Due to such a stereotype whereby women are perceived as weak, Euripides Medea and Shakespeares Lady Macbeth are found to be quiet overly intriguing characters. Strong, fierce, angry and evil women were not heard of when such plays were written. Medea and Lady Macbeth are both prominent female characters of classic literature. Medea is the protagonist of the Euripides play Medea whilst Macbeths Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeares most memorable female characters. There is a myth that lingers upon mankind suggesting that females are gentle, caring, weak beings and because the depiction of Lady Macbeth and Medea are quite the contrary, it is debatable whether they are in fact credible characters. To be credible means to be believable, comprehensible and encompass human characteristics such as strengths and weaknesses. This allows the audience to empathize with the characters and create a shared sense of humanity with them. If it is argued that Lady Macbeth and Medea are possibly melodramatic characters, suggesting that they are exaggerated, two dimensional and hence commit evil purely out of malevolence then such an accusation undermines the quality of the plays. Melodramatic works may temporally thrill an audience however they offer little insight to the human condition and encounter no lasting, intellectually satisfying impact. Consequently the question asked is, are Lady Macbeth and Medea credible characters? Whether or not Lady Macbeth and Medea can be appreciated as believable by the audience is absolutely vital to the plays achievement; if they were simply seen as evil, the plays would be regarded as melodramatic and hence fail to be literature of depth and quality. However, if the audience is given an insight into the human condition and is therefore able understand the motives behind evil deeds and the ways in which such actions impact the characters; the play will succeed in being credible and effective. Moreover, the success of each work as literature depends on the key characters being fully rounded and believable. The intention of this essay is to examine the two plays in order to prove that Lady Macbeth and Medea are indeed credible characters. How are Lady Macbeth and Medea presented? The opening scenes of the Euripides Medea commence with the plays protagonist offstage. A strong sense of anticipation is developed as Nurse and Tutor discuss the dilemma whereby Jason has betrayed his loyal wife. The audience is subsequently introduced to Medeas despair; she is heard off stage bewailing her situation, If only I were dead  [1]  . The way in which Euripides employs sound without having Medea visually appear onstage, contributes to the plays elements of stagecraft whilst emphasizing Medeas heartbroken tone of voice and allowing the audience to focus on her speech. Medea gains the audiences empathy early in the play due to such a passionate initial depiction. Lady Macbeth however, is initially revealed to the audience later in Shakespeares Macbeth. She first appears onstage whilst reading her husbands letter; she is excited, anxious and thrilled at the prospect of Macbeth becoming King. Love is the fundamental basis to Lady Macbeth and Medeas disposition. They adore their husbands profoundly, and it is this sense of devotion which adds to their characters credibility. Throughout the entire play, Lady Macbeth is an utterly loyal wife. She is ambitious for Macbeth and hence on no account indicates a quest for personal glory. Lady Macbeth goes to great lengths in order to ensure Macbeths rapid succession to the throne; she is clearly his dearest partner of greatness.  [2]  In fact, it is her devotion for Macbeth which leads to her pursuit for evil. At first Lady Macbeth encourages her husband to sin; she is responsible for influencing his demeanor. Next she develops a strategy in order to murder King Duncan and prepares the murder scene for Macbeth, before taking part in the crime herself. Such actions were evidently driven by Lady Macbeths immense affection for her husband. Medea is also absolutely faithful to her husband and similarly assists him to achieve heroi c status in regards to the capture of the Golden Fleece. Despite such loyalty on Medeas behalf, Jason betrays her for a royal bed; this initial predicament causes a different side to Medeas character to be unleashed and destruction to commence. It was Jasons sense of betrayal following Medeas unquestioning love which leads to her being involved with evil; she creates a scheme to murder her husbands mistress before killing her own children. Once both women are on the pathway of evil they begin to manipulate their husbands with remarkable effectiveness. When Lady Macbeths husband hesitates to murder Duncan the king of Scotland, she gives a chillingly disturbing statement emphasizing her sense of determination and pride, she would have dashed the brains out  [1]  of her own baby rather than go back on her word. She then attempts to undermine his manhood by referring to him as a coward  [2]  in order to influence his decision. Medea manipulates her husband Jason correspondingly. She engages in ruse, pretending to sympathize with her husband in order to bring him into her confidence, First Ill send a slave to Jason, asking him to come to me; and then Ill give him a soft talk.  [3]  Medea utilizes gifts in an attempt to break the ice between Jason, Glauce and herself. Ostensibly, the gifts are intended to convince him that the children stay in Corinth; little do Jason and Glauce know that the coronet and dress ar e in fact poisoned and will cause death to whoever touches them. Evidently, both women use their manipulative ability in order to skillfully persuade their husbands. Lady Macbeth and Medea at times appears totally given over to evil. The aggression of these female characters is particularly striking as it defies prevailing social expectations of how women. Women are generally tender human beings however Lady Macbeth and Medea exemplify vindictiveness and determination; general characteristics of man. Our first impression of Medea allows us to bond with her; she is terribly devastated at Jasons betrayal and the way in which she bemoans in her home is truly credible. As time elapses our impression of Medea alters as we gradually observe layers of her malevolence shed to reveal a tormented human soul. It is universally accepted that women are compassionate and soft hearted due to their motherly nature however Medea is stunningly said to be stone and iron; determined to kill her sons despite their desperate cry for salvage. It is very difficult to comprehend how a mother could murder her children; subsequently Medea is portrayed as evil. Although she never felt a sense of guilt for her wicked actions, Medea hesitated slightly before committing infanticide, I cant do it  [1]  she cried. Medea looks to her sense of pride for strength, Are my enemies to laugh at me? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I must steel myself  [2]  , subsequently she swiftly gets over such dither and proceeds with the killings of her two sons. Witnessing Jason suffer brought Medea great satisfaction that prevailed over her own remorse at killing them, But my pains a fair price, to take away your smile  [3]  . Although the audience is thoroughly informed of Medeas brutal past, it was still very shocking and unexpect ed when she kills her children. At this particular moment in the play, the bond between Medea and the audience begins to diminish. Despite experiencing hardships and being emotionally torn, the audience cannot look past the brutality of such a scene. In the early scenes of Shakespeares Macbeth, Lady Macbeth appears to be stronger and more ruthless than her husband. The fact that she is in control of all evilness suggests that her sense of evil is inevitable. Despite the many attempts to reach evil, Lady Macbeth recognizes the need to mask her womanliness in order to find assistance for her plans. Evidence of such is how she yearns for her female essence to be to be replaced with poison, Unsex mecome to my womans breasts and take my milk for gall  [1]  she cries. This statement is an extracted portion from Lady Macbeths soliloquy whereby she calls on the dark spirits. She clearly acknowledges her femininity and the fact that she lacks the complete capacity for evil; she is unable to kill Duncan herself in spite of being exceedingly driven towards brutality. If one is truly evil there is no need to be unsexed. This particular speech also serves to highlight Lady Macbeths great level of passion and the extraordinary lengths she would go to ensure Macbeths speedy succession to King. It is understood that Lady Macbeth is familiar with religion and holds some religious conception. She realizes that she is contemplating a sin against God by wanting her femininity to be removed and consequently wants to be hidden from heaven  [2]  . This opens room to note that a cosmology which posits heaven above all also allows for hell, for guilt, for punishment. Although Lady Macbeth is aware that she will be punished for calling upon the dark spirits, she disregards such knowledge and sins. This form of negligence and ignorance indicates Lady Macbeths desperate desire. At this moment in the play, the audience scowl at her sense of hypocrisy. Why do they follow an evil pathway? Medea is human, however she is also related to the gods and worships Queen Hecate. Obviously elements of fantasy propel her story however she appears before the audience as a woman and must be understood as one. Clearly Medeas love for Jason was all consuming; she was willing to do anything and everything for her beloved. Such passion is evident from Medeas complete obedience; she abides by her husbands every word. As previously mentioned, all of the plays events proceed from the initial dilemma whereby a heartless husband betrays his obedient wife; this is why Medea results to her evil ways. She feels shamed, trampled on and unappreciated as she had supported and did great deal for him, for example she fled her home country and family to live with her lover. Medea even murdered her own brother for Jason. In addition to such, she persuades the daughters of a King to murder their father. Medeas deeds were unselfish and self sacrificing which is why Jasons betrayal drove her wild. To many it is incomprehensible for women to be driven by such an extent of ambition, love and betrayal as to call upon evil. However, Medea was harshly betrayed by the man who was her whole life  [1]  ; the audience can understand this motive for calling upon evil and desiring revenge. Jason lacked the decency to simply stop for a moment before wedding his young bride to recall all the extraordinary deeds Medea had done for him, actions she took for his benefit alone and which he could never express enough gratitude for. Such a degree of unfaithfulness evidently shreds Medea to pieces. The audience observes Medeas character evolve before their very eyes. Such is understood through the employment of soliloquies which are an essential element of stagecraft. Soliloquies are speeches made to oneself which allow the audience to hear the inner thoughts of a character. This permits the audience to be drawn into the characters mind and build a bond with the character. Soliloquies are of particular importance in Medea as they give the audience an insight into the way in which Medeas temperament evolves. It is Medeas self directed speeches which allow the audience to understand her state of mind and comprehend her thoughts as time elapses. Our first impression of Medea is that she is absolutely distraught and suicidal, If only I was dead  [1]  . This is an understandable and human response to such devastating rejection. The audience can relate to being betrayed and can hence understand why Medea later turns to evil; this adds to the credibility of her character. As time progresses her strength and passion drives her to mad; the first time Medea appears on stage she is not shaken with weeping, but cool and self-possessed.  [2]  If it were not for her soliloquies prior to her appearance such as, Oh, how I hate living! I want to end my life, leave it behind, and die  [3]  , the audience could not possibly understand or acknowledge her suicidal state of mind. Later Medea goes on to use her manipulative cleverness to avenge Jasons disloyalty with a series of murders, I have in mind so many paths of death for them  [4]  . Prior to such a statement Medea was begging Creon in order to allow her and her sons to stay the country for one more night. If it were not for the preceding soliloquy it would not be understood that Medea had manipulated Creon. The soliloquy reveals her true feelings; she will strike dead  [1]  her enemies. Medea is a descendant of the Sun god and is capable of passions of far greater intensity than mere mortals. Her only desire was to watch Jason suffer and she was willing to do absolutely anything to achieve just that. Medea is a proud woman, consequently when Jason trampled over such pride, compressing her ego and self concept, she was to avenge him, you were mistaken if you thought you could dishonor my bed and live a pleasant life and laugh at me  [2]  . Medeas fury bubbled and boiled to the severe extent whereby it began to take over her heart, mind and body. She is completely overwhelmed with anger and willing to even harm herself in order to wipe the smile off his face, my pains a fair price, to take away your smile  [3]  she says. Medea successfully devastates Jason by killing her own flesh and blood, her two sons despite the heartache it would cause her, simply to torment him. The way in which Medea gradually follows an evil pathway rather than undergoing a sudden tran sition of character makes her believable. Lady Macbeths love for Macbeth is also all consuming however not of the intensity of Medeas. She was also keen on doing everything and anything for the sake of her beloved. After Macbeth is informed of the prophecy he becomes rapt withal  [4]  and consequently his dearest partner of greatness  [1]  becomes determined to secure his position as King. Lady Macbeth begins to take control; she analyses Macbeths personality and considers him too straight forward and honest to be involved with evil, Yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full othmilk of human kindness, Tcatch the nearest way  [2]  . Lady Macbeth was immensely spellbound by the prophecy, she desired it sooner rather than later; she saw that her husband was ambitious to be king. Lady Macbeth notices that Macbeth requires her strong words to prompt him; subsequently she uses her influence to encourage him. Lady Macbeths evil desires escalate from this moment onwards. As time progresses she begins to take further control and eventually plans King Duncans murder. She employs a metaphor of hypocrisy, look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent undert  [3]  which is used in order to disguise her intentions of harming King Duncan. This particular metaphor is extremely prominent as it reveals a great deal of Lady Macbeths character. The audience begins to observe her strength of spirit and identify her opposite outlook to Macbeth. In addition Lady Macbeths willingness to be associated with evil is emphasized in this statement. The fact that Lady Macbeth becomes furious and challenges her husbands courage and honor when he has serious second thoughts about killing Duncan, indicates that she is indeed more brutal than he at this stage of the play. Lady Macbeth prepares the murder scene but was unable to kill Duncan herself claiming that the King resembled my father  [4]  as he slept. This exemplifies that she is not as ruthless as she appears and that she is rather vulnerable and compassionate. This particular statement adds to the credibility of Lady Macbeths character. It helps define that although one might carry out evil actions, certain things dear to them will expose their vulnerability. Lady Macbeth returns with bloody hands after smearing the chamberlains with blood in order to disguise herself and Macbeth of the deed. At the time the image of her bloody hands has no affect on her and she bluntly says, a little water clears us of the deed.  [1]  However in time, the memory of her bloody hands, which is a significant part of stagecraft symbolizing guilt, haunts and torments Lady Macbeths mind. As previously mentioned Lady Macbeth is aware of God and believes in heaven and hell. She acknowledges that she has sinned; consequently her guilty conscience begins to disturb her sleep. In time Lady Macbeth begins to experience the regular occurrence of sleepwalking. Whilst sleepwalking, she rubs her hands in a washing motion which modern psychology would regard as an obsessive compulsive disorder; she is unable to wash the guilt off her hands. Whilst performing the hand washing routine Lady Macbeth soliloquizes; Wash your hands; put on your nightgown; look not so paleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ whats done cannot be undone.  [2]  This further emphasizes her extent of her anguish. Soliloquies are a prominent element in regards to understanding and appreciating Lady Macbeths change of thought and attitude throughout the duration of the play. They help reveal the severe extent of her distress and disturbance. Along with soliloquies, symbolism is another form of stagecraft which is evident in the play; evidently Lady Macbeths sleepwalking is a sign of her great level of guilt. It is particularly ironic how earlier in the play Lady Macbeth calls upon darkness in order to hide her deed, Come, thick night  [1]  and how she now fears the dark; she has light by her continually  [2]  . Lady Macbeths sense of guilt and vulnerability towards the end of the play allows the audience to empathize and connect with her. In demonstrating such human qualities, her credibility was enhanced as unlike Medea, her actions did affect her conscience. The audience is able to relate to Lady Macbeths sense of guilt and therefore appreciate her credibility. Her guilty conscience a ffects her terribly, drives her to contemplate death and eventually commit suicide. The way in which Lady Macbeth gradually breaks down physically and mentally, demonstrates her human essence and hence makes her character credible and realistic to the audience. What is their involvement with evil? The audience is introduced to action from the moment the plays commence. The opening scenes of Macbeth introduce the audience to the prospect of Macbeth being king. Our first impression of Lady Macbeth is that she is a loving wife and excited and happy for him; the atmosphere is blissful. On the hand, the opening scenes of Medea introduce the audience to an atmosphere of misery. Jason has betrayed his wife for a royal bed and we first see Medea as distressed and a heartbroken woman. The audience is later informed of Medeas past; we understand that she has previously committed acts of evil including murder however such actions were driven by her love for Jason. On the other hand, the audience is not informed of Lady Macbeths past; it is presumed that she has had no prior involvement of evil. Medea has committed several murders before the play commences. She has killed her brother and whilst in her home town, Colchis, Medea used her devilish ways to manipulate the daughters of the local king and rival Pelias, into slaughtering their own father. From such details it understood that Medea is capable of committing horrifying deeds and that it was her love for Jason which ultimately suppressed her sense of evil throughout the course of their marriage. Consequently it was expected that once Jason hurt her Medea, she would revert to her violent demeanor and resort to greater brutality than that of which she had encountered out of love for him. After being rejected, Medea lays out a cunning plan pursuing a violent rampage in order to torment Jason. She manipulates Jason into trusting her and sends her sons off with a supposed gift for Jasons new bride. The gifts have been poisoned and princess Glauce endures a horrible death, The stuff was eating her flesh. Her eyes, her face, w ere one grotesque disfigurement; down from her head dripped blood mingled with flame; her flesh, attacked by the invisible fangs of poison, melted from the bare bone, like gum-drops from pine-trees bark- a ghastly sight.  [1]  When Medea gloats, Youll give me double pleasure if their death was horrible,  [2]  she is close to being considered melodramatic however we see enough of her humanity to prevent her from becoming theatrical. This statement highlights how deeply Jasons betrayal scarred his loyal wife. Although Medea fails to be struck by guilt after committing infanticide, she evidently wavers before killing her own children which illustrates her sense of humanity; she is not a cold hearted murder. Lady Macbeth only calls upon evil after she was informed of her husbands prophecy. Similarly to the way in which Medea reached out to evil out of love for Jason during their marriage, Lady Macbeth called upon evil with her husbands best interests at heart. She was ambitious for him to be King and desired to share such a royal status with him. Lady Macbeth begins her pursuit for evil by using her influence to manipulate Macbeth into killing Duncan; she ultimately becomes her husbands backbone encouraging the involvement of evil. Unlike Medea, Lady Macbeth didnt waver when sinning however her bad actions impacted on her and eventually her conscience and sense of guilt drove her to her own grave. The way in which Lady Macbeth is unable to endure guilt emphasises her weaknesses as a human being, thereby reinforcing her credibility. Conclusion In conclusion, at particular moments in the play Euripides Medea and Shakespeares Macbeth appear close to being melodramatic whereby the audience questions, Are Lady Macbeth and Medea credible characters? Eventually the audience sees the womens sense of humanity whereby it is clear that both Medea and Lady Macbeth are indeed credible. Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeares most renowned and fearsome female characters; however after deeply analysing her character, one cannot restrain himself from feeling empathy for her. It is understood that although she reaches out to evil and commits terrible acts, Lady Macbeths sense of faith, guilty conscience and feminine essence restrains her from being a killer with no conscience; she is a criminal whose actions and guilt deeply affect her. It is her sense of humanity and weakness which ultimately leads to her destruction. This disregards her as a frightening character and emphasizes her credibility. Medea is also said to be a frightening female character. Although her actions were horrifying and savage, Medeas conscience and vulnerability allows her to waver before killing her children; a truly evil character would not waver before committing evil. Medea was heartbroken, scared, bruised and battered which was her ultimate drive for destruction. Consequently, the audience also empathizes with Medea after understanding and acknowledging her sense of humanity and connects with her emotions. Thus, despite the fact that Lady Macbeth and Medeas female roles go against the ordinary depiction of women, they are by no means melodramatic evil characters. If Lady Macbeth and Medea were melodramatically evil, the audience will feel that the plays are unconvincing thereby unjustly diminishing the playwrights achievements.

Transformation of Islam: Islam in the societies of Central Asia Essay e

The next work used to study the Islamic government is â€Å"Siyasatnama† (â€Å"Treatise on government†) which provides a model of statecraft and administrative practice. â€Å"Siyasatnama† was written by a distinguished statesman of 11th century, a grand vizier, Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan al-Tusi (1018-92), who was given a title of â€Å"Nizam al-Mulk† (â€Å"the regulator of the state†) for faithful service to Seljuk sultans Alp Arslan and Malik-Shakh (Ibn Khallikan, page 90). â€Å"Siyasatnama† is chosen for present investigation because it reflects social and political life and moral values of the Seljuk period (Scott Meisami, page 145). â€Å"Siyasatnama† allows approaching the Islamic government from two perspectives. First, the Seljuk environment in the late 11th century will be discussed, and last, Nizam al-Mulk’s life experience will be considered. The 11th century Islamic world was characterized by strife and turmoil (Zakhodyor, page 244). Different sects appeared undermining the unity of the ummah, and the Ismailian sect of Muslims was gaining strength in Khorasan (Scott Meisami, page 161). Constant struggle for power between Shiites, Sunnis, and heterodoxy weakened the protection of the state, what was enjoyed by other nations taking military campaigns against Seljuks (for example, Dandanaqan battle) (lecture 2, week 7). In such political situation viziers were especially important, and a valuable contribution to strengthen the Seljuk Empire was made by Nizam al-Mulk, who conducted the state's domestic and foreign policies. Nizam al-Mulk’s theory of government is mainly based on a religious approach. Indeed, Seljuk court was important protectors of Islamic traditions (lecture 2, week 7). A picture of Seljuks as ardent Muslims is given by Aristakes Lastivertc’I ... ...y Nizam al-Mulk’s deep piety. Nizam al-Mulk devotes much attention to strengthening the faith on which Islamic government is based. Nizam al-Mulk relates that when the faith is weakened the state collapses (Ð ¡Ã ¸Ã' Ã' Ã °Ã'‚Ð ½Ã °Ã ¼Ã °, page 61). Indeed, ideology really matters for theocracies, it is the main factor that unites it, and destroying of it lead to break up of the whole state. To sum up, the issues of justice, virtue, and benevolence raised in the work determine the political views of its author. In turn, a socio-political system built by Seljuks had a significant impact on the formation of Nizam al-Mulk’s views. Thus, â€Å"Siyasatnama† is not only an excellent literary monument but also an important material in studying an Islamic governmental system of the Middle Ages, which contains a knowledge gained in practice and gives an idea of what an ideal government should be.

Psycho-Social Theory and Nursing Care Essay -- Nursing Healthcare

Owing to significant research into the relationship between physical, mental and social conditions, an awareness and understanding of psycho-social aspects in health care is vital (Walker et al, 2007). Those aspects are particularly important in nursing care, where an individual should be considered as the entire person with a need for physical, psychological, social, emotional, intellectual and even spiritual wellbeing (Holland et al, 2008). This essay will address psycho-social theory of health beliefs and attitudes in relation to nursing care. The essay will begin by considering how health beliefs lead to health behaviours. It will then discuss how theoretical models contribute to nursing care and their usefulness and importance in applying the theory to nurse patients. As the largest force in health care, nursing profession is considered to be in a unique position to facilitate health promotion and disease prevention. Nurses spend considerably more time with patients in comparison to other healthcare professionals and as such, they assist patients in managing their own health. The fundamental requirement in providing this care is to ensure that individuals remain as independent as possible through encouragement and empowerment. There are number of factors to be considered in delivering this care effectively. In view of cultural, socio-economic and educational diversity amongst us, it is difficult to define â€Å"health† or indeed â€Å"illness†. As our perceptions differ, so do our interpretations and possible meanings of those words. The World Health Organisation (WHO), 1948, states that â€Å"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity†. Although posit ive, the def... ...arlow. Shaw, C., Brittain, K., Tansey, R. & Williams K. (2008) How people decide to seek health care: A qualitative study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 45 (10), 1516-1524. Sully, P., & Dallas, J. (2005) Essential Communication Skills for Nursing. Edinburgh: Elsevier Mosby. Walker, J., Payne, S., Smith, P., Jarrett, N. (2007) Psychology for Nursing and the Caring Professions. 3rd. ed. Glasgow: McGraw Hill. World Health Organisation (1948) â€Å"WHO Definition of Health - Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19-22 June, 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948† at http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html. (accessed 02 December 2010).

Accommodating Pluralism: Liberal Neutrality and Compulsory Education :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

Accommodating Pluralism: Liberal Neutrality and Compulsory Education ABSTRACT: This paper examines the general neutrality principle of Rawls’ liberalism and then tests that principle against accommodationist intuitions and sympathies in cases concerning the non-neutral effects of a system of compulsory education on particular social groups. Various neutrality principles have long been associated with liberalism. Today I want to examine the general neutrality principle Rawls associates with his own liberalism.(1) I want to begin by getting clear on just what that principle is. Then I want to test it in the context of compulsory education. Let us begin by noting that any basic social structure faithful to liberal principles of political justice will inevitably prove nonneutral in its effects on many comprehensive doctrines and ways of life. This will be true for politically unreasonable doctrines and ways of life (militantly theocratic doctrines, or ways of life centered on violating the basic rights of others). But it may also prove true for comprehensive doctrines and ways of life more or less unopposed to most liberal political values (perhaps the doctrines or ways of life of certain traditional or anti-modern religious sects). Liberalism, Rawls tells us, cannot and should not promise neutrality of effects. But this should not count against it. Every basic social structure faithful to some conception of justice, liberal or nonliberal, will prove nonneutral in its effects on some comprehensive doctrines or ways of life. Here one might think Rawls has missed the point. For what is problematic about his liberalism, it might be argued, is that it will prove non-neutral in its effects on doctrines and ways of life permissible on its own account of political justice. But Rawls has not missed the point. Rawls’s liberalism does not rest on a commitment to the value of, nor does it require, a social world maximally diverse with respect to comprehensive doctrines or ways of life willing more or less to accept liberal principles of political justice. Of course, Rawls’s liberalism would be in serious trouble were it to lead to a social world only weakly diverse. But so long as Rawls’s liberalism permits a healthy degree of diversity, to claim that its non-neutral effect on some comprehensive doctrine or way of life is unfair is to presuppose rather than establish the correctness of some competing conception of justice. Liberalism cannot and should not promise neutrality of effects, but it can and should promise what Rawls calls neutrality of aim. Accommodating Pluralism: Liberal Neutrality and Compulsory Education :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers Accommodating Pluralism: Liberal Neutrality and Compulsory Education ABSTRACT: This paper examines the general neutrality principle of Rawls’ liberalism and then tests that principle against accommodationist intuitions and sympathies in cases concerning the non-neutral effects of a system of compulsory education on particular social groups. Various neutrality principles have long been associated with liberalism. Today I want to examine the general neutrality principle Rawls associates with his own liberalism.(1) I want to begin by getting clear on just what that principle is. Then I want to test it in the context of compulsory education. Let us begin by noting that any basic social structure faithful to liberal principles of political justice will inevitably prove nonneutral in its effects on many comprehensive doctrines and ways of life. This will be true for politically unreasonable doctrines and ways of life (militantly theocratic doctrines, or ways of life centered on violating the basic rights of others). But it may also prove true for comprehensive doctrines and ways of life more or less unopposed to most liberal political values (perhaps the doctrines or ways of life of certain traditional or anti-modern religious sects). Liberalism, Rawls tells us, cannot and should not promise neutrality of effects. But this should not count against it. Every basic social structure faithful to some conception of justice, liberal or nonliberal, will prove nonneutral in its effects on some comprehensive doctrines or ways of life. Here one might think Rawls has missed the point. For what is problematic about his liberalism, it might be argued, is that it will prove non-neutral in its effects on doctrines and ways of life permissible on its own account of political justice. But Rawls has not missed the point. Rawls’s liberalism does not rest on a commitment to the value of, nor does it require, a social world maximally diverse with respect to comprehensive doctrines or ways of life willing more or less to accept liberal principles of political justice. Of course, Rawls’s liberalism would be in serious trouble were it to lead to a social world only weakly diverse. But so long as Rawls’s liberalism permits a healthy degree of diversity, to claim that its non-neutral effect on some comprehensive doctrine or way of life is unfair is to presuppose rather than establish the correctness of some competing conception of justice. Liberalism cannot and should not promise neutrality of effects, but it can and should promise what Rawls calls neutrality of aim.

Discuss the Satire of Pride and Prejudice Essay

The explanation of satire in the Oxford English dictionary is â€Å"using humour or exaggeration to show what is bad about a person or thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In Pride and Prejudice this notion is almost played upon, with Jane Austen using satire throughout the novel in different ways. It is an entertaining way of subtly â€Å"poking fun† at a person, or group of people, which they are perhaps unaware of. Pride and Prejudice is a light-hearted novel, which although it picks out particular faults in society which existed then, and as Jane Austen sees them, it is a different type of satire to the type of satire that George Orwell uses in â€Å"animal farm†. Whilst Orwell is poking fun at a political system, Austen is poking fun at the social circles that surround her in everyday life. In my own personal view, both successfully ridicule the groups that they intend to. Both authors play on the faults, and enlarge and exaggerate them. Although Austen uses satire in her novel, it is concealed to all but the intelligent; who see the real purpose and not just the comical factor of it all. Austen uses it lightly, and subtly, it is not blatant. She uses it benignly, and never means to be harsh, and offensive. She shows what she has observed, and picks people’s traits; it is the people around her who are the inspiration for the characters in her novels. Using satire she showed the social snobbery between the classes. She showed how the wealthy upper class abused their rank and class and considered himself or herself higher than anyone else. They used people to gain social status in society, and for example, Mr. Collin’s used to name drop to gain respect from others, when frequently it would backfire on him, and the people would either end up laughing at him or disliking him entirely. Quite often when a person was being rude to them, they would not notice, as it was subtle, this is satire. It is a way of stirring, but it is only ever-affected people if they could interpret it properly. In the text itself, it is very effective. On the surface the novel seems like a complicated love-story, but underneath it shows the true traits of society in the time of Jane Austen. Austen uses characters from the novel to depict the different types of people that there were in those times. In the novel there are several characters that are continually made fun of satirically. The novel starts with a strong statement, â€Å"It is truth universally known that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in need of a wife.† This is as if it is set in stone, and believed by a lot of the characters, such as Mrs. Bennet, Lydia and Charlotte Lucas. By saying this, it is showing the woman to be shallow, and only really caring about the material things in life, such as how much money a man has. The more money he has, the more appealing he is to marry. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is another example of a character that has been satirised. She is a lady who comes from the Upper Crust of society, and has a very high opinion of her. She thinks herself to be highly intelligent and superior to everyone else. She overprotects her daughter, and has an immense amount of control over those who are of her acquaintance. Austen shows Lady Catherine’s true character using dialogue. For example, when Lady Catherine goes to visit Lizzie Bennet, and they have an argument, Lady Catherine defends her self by saying; â€Å"Do you know who I am?† You are shown whom she really is when she talks. Her opinion is strong, and she dislikes people talking back at her. In the novel, when Lizzie Bennet was dining with her, she would frequently ask a question, then answer it herself. Austen uses Lady Catherine as an example of a person who has a lot of money, and I high up in the social hierarchy, but lacks manners and tact, and is a general snob. A close acquaintance of Lady Catherine is Mr. Collin’s; who is a cousin of the Bennets. He is the chaplain at Rosings Park, for Lady Catherine. Mr. Collins almost worships Lady Catherine, as she has a lot of money, and he name is well known in society. He is incredibly materialistic, and puts money over personality. He tries to impress people by name dropping, often using Lady Catherine, in hope to gain popularity. He feels that it is important to do this, so that people will be impressed by him, as not only does he know Lady Catherine, he dines with her at least once a week. He is an example of someone who thinks that he has to be accepted in society and does this by varied means. He is a snob, and dislikes people that he feels are below him, although he himself is not highly popular. He has a fine image of himself in his head, and holds a good opinion of himself. You are shown that he is shallow when he asks Lizzie Bennet to marry him, as he claims that he is in love with her, and then when she refuses, he quickly got engaged to Charlotte Lucas, which just proves that he did not love Lizzie, and only asked her, as Lady Catherine said that he should have a wife. He is satirically made fun of most when he proposes to Lizzie Bennet. Austen makes the reader almost pity him, as he embarrasses himself to no end, without really knowing it, and making the reader laugh at him. You can compare Mr. Collins to Mr. Darcy. Mr Darcy is high up in the social hierarchy, as he takes after his father’s name who set such an example, and he sees no reason for him to name drop at all, especially as he is already at the height of society anyway. Mr. Darcy comes across as the type of person who is actually fine with those who are below him, and although he may be â€Å"off† with them, and have formed opinions of them, his mind is not closed, and so there is a chance for it to change. This is shown when he is kind and civil to the Bennets who were not of the same class as him. Mr. Darcy does not seem to enjoy the company of Mr. Collin’s as he is a sycophant, and tries to â€Å"get to know Mr. Darcy† by talking about Lady Catherine, Mr. Darcy’s aunt. He is an example of someone who is a gentleman, and does not abuse his social rank, although it may seems like that to many people who do not know him very well. Mr. Darcy was born into money, and so always knew what it was like, and so does not need to abuse it, when there are other people who were not born into money, and do. For example, they might have got their money from labouring, and then made it big, and disowned their former history, and then mocked the people who were labouring. The Bingley sisters are a perfect example of this. The Bingley sister’s are examples of â€Å"new money†, people who were not born into money, but made their money themselves. Even though this is the case, they like to think that they were born into money, and pretend that they were always in polite society. They abuse their rank in society, and they mock the people who they feel are below them, they think that those who work for their money are of the lower class; this is ironic as they themselves made their money in such a way. The Bingley sister’s are examples of people who have money, and really abuse it by thinking that they are very high up in life, and are rude to those who they think are below them. Mr. Bingley is a true gentlemen, who does not distinguish a person by how much money they have. He is an example to all those who thought that they were better than anyone else were. He treated everyone with respect. This is shown when he falls in love with Jane Bennet, who everyone else thought was far below him, and that Mr. Bingley was far superior to her. He showed everyone else that it did not matter where a person was on the rich list, but what sort of person they were, and that their personality mattered. William Lucas was a vain and boastful man, and boasts a lot about his knighthood, but he isn’t really all that experienced, and it is all just a large faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade that he is hiding behind. He is an example of someone who is really proud, but does not really have a reason to be proud. All of the characters mentioned, and several others in the novel are metaphorically wearing a mask, and pretend to be something that they are not, just so that they can be â€Å"excepted into polite society†. They are all one person, as they are like sheep, and copy each other, so that they can also be excepted easier. For example, when no-one knew of the deeds Wickham had done, everyone liked him, as most people did, but when some people found out what he had done, even if they did not tell anyone, you could tell that everyone else was trying to copy them by not being civil to him. They just used to follow the crowd, and they would get so caught up in what they were trying to be, that they would forget who they really were, and what their real identity was. Austen depicts this using satire in her novel, and makes it known to the reader what it was like in those times. In some ways it also can be reflected on what it still is nowadays, except nowadays there is a sheet over it all, and so you cannot see it that much. All in all I think that the satire is very affective, and I think that Austen uses it to her advantages, and it reflects true fully what the real situation was in those times, and how it was hard to tell whom the real people were. I think that the satire that she uses is really clever, and it makes you think a lot. On the surface it is quite light hearted, but underneath the surface it is much deeper than humour, and it makes you understand that there was a lot of people who were so obsessed with being sociable, that in the end you had to laugh at them. It is hard to understand it fully nowadays, as times have changed, and people have different understandings. The satire could become diluted in such situations, but I think that in this case it does not, and it stays strong. I think this because it just makes the modern world which we live in seem so much more trivial, and it gives you an understanding of what it must have been like to live then. I feel that the satire used in Pride and Prejudice is altogether witty, and clever, never once failing to mean something.

Hagia Sophia

In chapter twelve the remarkable church known as The Hagia Sophia was discussed briefly and I find it fascinating. I first learned about the Hagia Sophia in my art history class in high school. I have always been interested in the fact that it started as a basilica, was then a mosque and is now a museum that functions as both a mosque and a cathedral. I think that this amazing structure is proof that different religions can coexist and come together to create things that we all can cherish. Hagia Sophia is in Istanbul, turkey which was part of the Byzantine Empire until it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire.It was originally built under the rule of Justinian to function as a church in 532 A. D. Justinian had material brought over from all over his empire. Large stones were brought from far-away quarries: porphyry from Egypt, green marble from Thessaly, black stone from the Bosporus region and yellow stone from Syria (â€Å"The Annotated Mona Lisa†). More than ten thousand peo ple were employed during this construction. This new church was immediately recognized as a major work of architecture, showcasing the creative insights of the architects. Hagia Sophia is one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture.The church’s decorated interior of mosaics and marble pillars and coverings is massive and takes ones breath away. The dome seems weightless as if held up by the unbroken row of 40 arched windows under it, which help flood the colorful interior with light. All interior surfaces are covered over with polychrome marbles, green and white with purple porphyry and gold mosaics, encrusted upon the brick. This covering hid the large pillars, giving them a brighter look. In 1453, the ottoman turks took over and the Sultan Mehmed II ordered the building to be converted into a mosque.The bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the original beautiful mosaics that Justinian put in were plastered over. T he Islamic features — such as the mihrab, the minbar, and the four minarets outside — were added over the course of the Ottomans rule. It was used as a mosque until 1935, when it was converted into a museum by the Republic of Turkey. For almost 500 years the Hagia Sophia served as a model for many of the Ottoman mosques such as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Sehzade Mosque, the Suleymaniye Mosque, and the Rustem Pasha Mosque. However the Hagia Sophia is still the most awe inspiring.I believe that if the ottomans had never converted the church or if the church hadn’t been built under Justinian we wouldn’t have the beautiful mix of architectural aspects that we have today. The fact that the church contains the beautiful gold inlayed mosaics of Justinian, the depictions of Christ, and the large medallions with the names of Muhammad and Islam's first caliphs and that they all coexist beautifully is a perfect example of the harmony between the religions. People from all over the world from all backgrounds come to worship or just visit the beautiful structure.

Efficient Market Hypothesis Essay

These will be presented by practitioners Media Conference This will be populated by journalists Board Meeting Presentation will be to Board members Module Outline The module aims to enable students to develop business and management skills and to capture an integrated view of their learning across their MBA programme. It also builds specifically on Media Training and three Preparatory Sessions. It combines substantive lectures; ‘Business Briefings’ in the form of practitioner presentations pertinent to the Case; and experiential learning through a ‘live’ Case involving group work. Justification of the strategy (10%); Integration of business relevant functions and underpinning disciplines (10%); and Coherence & Focus of the document (10%) To be submitted by 13. 00 hours Thursday 18th April 2013. The Strategy Document should consist of four separate documents: †¢ Title page including Group name and team members †¢ 1 page Executive Summary †¢ Strategy Document (1,500 words) †¢ Appendices (make sure that these clearly reinforce points made in the Strategy Document). The Strategy Document should be in a format suitable for presentation to the company board. It should not be in the form of an essay. It should not simply be the sum of different departmental strategies. Rather, it should present an overall integrated strategy reflecting a long-run scenario plan. It should be supported by the different departmental components of that strategy. The full details of the departmental strategies can be included in Appendices. There are plenty of on-line examples of how to write a strategy document. You will still need to decide which format suits your strategy. Further advice will be given in the module. 2. Media Statement in Response to Intervention (500 words 10%) We will be looking for a justification, integration and coherence & focus of action in the statement. To be submitted by 17. 00 Thursday 18th April 2013. 3. Media Conference and Board Presentation (10% or 5% per event) This includes the Management, Presentation and Coherence of the Media Conference and Board Presentation. Individual Assignment 4. Individual Reflection (50%) Critically reflect on selected strategy (10%), group processes (10%); response to the intervention (10%); and your individual role (10%). Identify what you take from these experiences; what you would have done differently? (10%) This report should be in an essay format and can include supporting documents. The purpose of the individual coursework is to enable you to reflect on your learning from the coursework and the Company Case experience. This can include reference to: The challenges of integrating multi-disciplinary approaches to business and integrating business strategy; †¢ Group dynamics and management, your role within the group and interactions with others, decision-making processes under pressure; and group development and coherence; †¢ Real busin ess experiences of public exposure through the media and defence of strategies from senior managers. You might want to structure it by time or key stages (i. e. Strategy formulation and process; responses to interventions and the Media statement; Group formation and dynamics; Media and Board Events and event management). Please do not use this essay to criticise others but to reflect on your experiences and how you might approach this differently in the future. The essay is due at 16. 00 on 24th May 2013. Session 1 Monday 15th April 09. 30 – 11. 00 Module Introduction Introduction to the Case; Allocation of Groups What is Sustainability? In this session we will introduce the Module, its aims, activities and structure and we will clarify the assignments and assessment. We will introduce the Company Case, Wearing Well or Wearing Out? and allocate the groups. We will address the question, what is sustainability? The Company Case The Company Case ‘Wearing Well or Wearing Out? ’ will be introduced; the full case will be circulated separately. In essence Wearing Well is a long-standing UK retail chain which has recently been taken over by a private equity consortium. It has principally sold women’s clothing but also men’s clothing, men’s and ladies shoes and accessories, furnishing, appliances, and home accessories. The company is not considered to be performing well by the owners and they have commissioned a new management team (i. e. YOU in the different groups) to turn the company around. You are asked to prepare an initial five year plan in the form of a Strategy Document and to consider how integrating sustainability into the strategy can add value to the company. You will also be asked to respond to an ‘intervention’ in the form of a Media Statement. You will be required to explain and justify your initial strategy and the subsequent response in two ‘live events’ both on Friday 20th April:1. A Media Conference (supported by a Media statement that you will need to prepare) 2. A Board Meeting (supported by a Strategy Document that you will also need to prepare) Groups The class members will be organised into groups with whom they will address the Group Assignments (Strategy Document, Media Statement in Response to Intervention, Media Conference and Board Meeting). Break out rooms will be allocated. When class members are allocated to their groups, the groups will then need to decide and agree job roles / descriptions / responsibilities and assign these to group members. Each member will then be required to sign a ‘contract’. What is Sustainability? A general introduction to the theme of sustainability will be provided. The key pillars of sustainability will be introduced: 1. Balance of social, environmental and economic criteria 2. Intra-generational justice 3. Inter-generational justice. A systems approach is used to highlight the importance of sustainability and to understand the importance of sustainability to business. Preliminary Reading Senge, P (2009) ‘Sustainability: Not What You Think It Is’ MIT Sloan Management Review June Michael Porter and Mark R Kramer (2011) ‘Creating Shared Value’ Harvard Business Review Jan – Feb 2011 See http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sustainability. Core Reading Stead and Stead (2009) Chapters 1-4 OR Stead and Stead (2004) Chapters 1-3 (Chapter 2 provided) Dunphy Dexter, Andrew Griffiths and Suzanne Benn (2007) Organisational Change for Corporate Sustainability, New York: Routledge. Chapters 1 and 2 (Part 1), Background reading on Sustainability (All provided in the Module Booklet) Assadourian Erik (2007) ’Acknowledgements,’ Vital Signs 2007-2008, 104-105, New York: WW Norton and Company. Brown, Lester R. (2008) Plan B 3. 0: Mobilising to Save Civilisation. New York: WW Norton and Company. Donella H. Meadows, Dennis L. Meadows, Jorgen Randers, and William W. Behrens III. (1972) The Limits to Growth. New York: Universe Books Ehrlich Paul R. and Ann H. Ehrlich (1990) The Population Explosion. New York: Simon and Schuster. Elkington John. (1997) Cannibals with Forks. Oxford UK: Capstone Publishing Limited. Hart, S and Milstein, M (2003) ‘Creating Sustainable Value’ Academy of Management Executive 17 (2) 56 – 69 Laszlo, C (2003) The Sustainable Company Island Press Chapter 1 Munasinghe, M (2009) Sustainable Development in Practice: Sustainomics Methodology and Applications Cambridge Chapter 2 Senge, Peter M (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organisation. New York: Doubleday/Currency. Wearing Well CEO Agreement Group Role Description Manage allocation of group roles and submit Manager Agreements Manage decision processes for Group Strategy and Media Statement in Response to Interventions Manage preparation for Media conference and Board presentation Submit Group Strategy and Media Statement (according to deadlines and word lengths) CEO Name Signature Module Lecturer (Simon Wright) Signature Date Wearing Well Manager Agreement Group Role Title Role Description Name Signature CEO Name Signature Date Session 2 Monday 15th April 11. 30 – 13. 00 Shared Value and Stakeholder Value This session will provide the opportunity to revise the concept of stakeholders and to apply it specifically to the question of strategies for sustainability. Different frameworks for understanding stakeholders will be discussed and contrasted, highlighting the importance of understanding and managing stakeholder expectations in strategy formation for sustainability. We will have virtual appearances by the Stakeholder guru, RE ‘Ed’ Freeman and by Harvard Professor Michael. E. Porter discussing the concept of ‘shared value’. Core Reading Michael Porter and Mark R Kramer (2011) ‘Creating Shared Value’ Harvard Business Review Jan – Feb 2011 Freeman, R. Edward, Harrison, Jeffrey S. and Wicks, Andrew C. (2007) Managing for Stakeholders: Survival, Reputation and Success Yale University Press. See provided a short paper R. E. Freeman (2008) ‘Managing for Stakeholders: Survival, Reputation and Success’ Darden Business Publishing, University of Virginia (note permission has been obtained for the use of this paper in this module). Stead, W. Edward and Jean Garner Stead (2009) Management for a Small Planet Greenleaf 3rd Edition Chapter 7 provided Session 3 Monday 15th April 14. 00 – 15. 30 Business Briefing: Sustainability in the Retail Sector Stuart Wright, Head of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability J Sainsbury PLC http://www. j-sainsbury. co. uk/responsibility This presentation will highlight the current sustainability policies, practices and issues for J Sainsbury PLC, one of the UK’s largest supermarkets. The session will provide an opportunity to consider trends, opportunities and challenges from the perspective of one of the UK’s most innovative and successful retailers. Stuart is responsible for the delivery of Sainsbury’s 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan, a ? 1 billion initiative to drive corporate responsibility across a variety of stretching targets encompassing environmental, sourcing, communities, food ; health. Session 4 Monday 15th April 16. 00 – 17. 30 Business Briefing and Group work: First Steps Here you will begin your assessment of the Company Case and your preparation of your Strategy. This will involve agreement about individual roles within the Group, integration and time lines, and about decision-making and strategy-making processes. You should start your stakeholder scanning for WW. Sessions 5 ; 6 Tuesday 16th April 09. 30 – 12. 30 Business Briefing and Group work: First Steps Here you will begin your assessment of the Company Case and your preparation of your Strategy. This will involve agreement about individual roles within the Group, integration and time lines, and about decision-making and strategy-making processes. You should start your stakeholder scanning for WW. Sessions 7 ; 8 Tuesday 16th April 13. 30 – 17. 30 Group Work: Scenario Planning for WW This will enable you to apply the processes of scenario planning for sustainability (Sessions 5 and 6). What sort of environment (supply, employees, market) and company do we plan for? What overall strategy should we follow? You may find that this overview gets reviewed as you explore operational realities and develop operational strategies. Session 9 Wednesday 17th April 09. 30 – 11. 00 Business Briefing and Group Work: Operational Scanning for WW Each operational manager should be scanning their area of responsibility: what is working? Why? How do the operations support / undermine the overall performance of WW? This will enable you to apply the thinking about developing operational strategies for WW. Session 10 Wednesday 17th April 11. 30 – 13. 00 Group work: Operational Strategies for WW The process started in Session 8 should feed into the preliminary thinking about operational strategies. You will need to think about the relationships between the results of the different operational scanning exercises and the fit – or otherwise – of preliminary operational strategies. These will ultimately need to be informed by the overall strategy that you select. However, also the overall strategy needs to take account of operational realities and to integrate operational strategies. What do you remember from your Strategy modules? Session 11 Wednesday 17th April 14. 00 – 15. 30 Group Work: Preliminary Integration of Strategies for WW Here you will begin to integrate your operational Strategies; identify and address inconsistencies. Do the operational strategies reinforce one another? Does the overall strategy run through all the operations? Is there a clear vision for WW?