Financial Management Essay

Question 1-3 Suppose three honest individuals gave you their estimates of Stock X’s intrinsic value. One is your current roommate, the second is a professional security analyst with an excellent reputation on Wall Street, and the third is Company X’s CFO. If the three estimates differed, in which one would you have the most confidence? Why? Question 1-7 Should stockholder wealth maximization be thought of as a long-term or short-term goal? For example, if one action increases a firm’s stock price from a current level of $20 to $25 in 6 months and then to $30 in 5 years but another action keeps the stock at $20 for several years but then increases it to $40 in 5 years, which action would be better? Think of some specific corporate actions that have these general tendencies. Question 1-9 The president of Southern Semiconductor Corporation (SSC) made this statement in the company’s annual report: â€Å"SSC’s primary goal is to increase the value of our common stockholders’ equity.† Later in the report, the following announcements were made: a. The company contributed $1.5 million to the symphony orchestra in Birmingham, Alabama, its headquarters city. b. The company is spending $500 million to open a new plant and expand operations in China. No profits will be produced by the Chinese operation for 4 years, so earnings will be depressed during this period versus what they would have been had the decision been made not to expand in China. c. The company holds about half of its assets in the form in U.S. Treasury bonds, and it keeps these funds available for use in emergencies. In the future, though, SSC plans to shift its emergency funds from Treasury bonds to common stocks.

Julius Caesar Essay

Conflicting perspectives, What are they? Conflicting perspectives are a clash of ideologies and belief systems. When studying conflicting perspectives we are able to generate diverse and provocative insights, like the idea that is appealing to an audiences logic and reason is less effective in persuading them as opposed to appealing to their emotions which is more effective. This can be seen through the texts Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, the article ‘Arguments Against Abortion’ by Kerby Anderson and the essay ‘Abortion and the Alternatives’ by Voula Papas. In the text Julius caesar conflicting perspectives can be seen in act 3 scene one where both Brutus and Antony give speeches about caesars death. In Brutus’s speech he uses a number of rhetorical features and logic to convince the Plebeians that the killing of Caesar was carried out for the â€Å"goodness of rome†. we can see this through the â€Å"Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead and live all free men? †. The use of truism in this quote makes the audience unable to offer a contradicting point of view thus they are forced into complying with Brutus’s thoughts. Brutus’s speech is delivered in prose, a somewhat unpolished and unsophisticated manner of speaking. The use of prose in this instance appeals to the audience as they are able to directly relate to this manner of speaking, being of a somewhat lower class, thus allowing Brutus to connect with them on a higher level. He also arouses patriotism and plays on the rights to civil freedom of the audience to offer further persuasiveness to his speech. He does this by inferring logical and restrained reasoning for Caesar’s death which appeals to the audience’s intelligence and commonsense. The high modality of the rhetorical question â€Å"Who is here so vile that will not love his country? † is extremely powerful in agitating the existing devotion the audience has towards Rome. Similarly in the essay Arguments against Abortion the author, uses rhetorical devices and the use of logic (logos) to convince the audience that abortion is wrong. The essay has been arranged in four subsections biblical, medical, legal and philosophical arguments against abortion. Exemplification techniques through the use of facts and statistics is used to emphasize the point that author is trying to make. The author uses many logos techniques very effectively, often to make a point about the fetus being alive and being able to feel ain even at very early stages of life, so should not be destroyed. An example of this is seen in the line â€Å"If heartbeat was used to define life, then nearly all abortions would be outlawed† the deductive reasoning used makes conclusions about the fact that life exist even as a fetus and thus abortion is actually death of the fetus. By contrast Antony from Julius caesar heavily relies upon the power of language and its ability to exploit the human flaw that is emotion, and by doing so manipulate ones perception through a emotionally (pathos) driven argument. Antony has a greater understanding of the people and knows that they are passionate people who will be swayed by such talk. Also Antony unlike Brutus uses iambic pentameter this shows that he has a higher authority which would make the audience listen more carefully. After each argument Antony produces in Caesar’s defense, he uses irony through the lines â€Å"But Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man†. This line is repeated a number of times creating an anaphora. As well as slowly dismantling Brutus’ reputation through the irony, Antony indirectly implies and focuses the blame upon him and plays to the emotions of his audience indulging them to question their newly acquired perspective. It is Antonys use of emotional language that allows him to persuade his audience more than Brutus. Like wise the article Abortion and the Alternatives by Kerby Anderson relies on the use of emotive language to convince the readers that abortion can sometimes be the only resort for a female. The persuasive technique of pathos is used to effectively convey to the reader why the choice should be with the women, reference to rape cases and quilt feeling by women after abortion are examples of this. This appeals to the human nature of the reader and weakens them emotionally making it easier for them to be swayed. Also the use of props In this case a graphic image of a woman, bloodied towel in fist, crouched, naked and dead of a botched abortion. The vivid imagery allows the audience to see in reality what it is like and makes them more inclined to believe and agree to what the author is suggesting. The rhetorical question â€Å"Before legal abortion†¦.. do you want to go back to this? † as a caption of the image conveys a powerful message that there is an alternative which is safe, legal and accessible and that is abortion. We can see through all the three texts that conflicting perspectives generate provocative insights that are appealing to the audiences emotions is a more effective way of persuading them than appealing to their logic.

Future Trends in Crisis Intervention

Future Trends in Crisis Intervention Abstract Mental Health Paraprofessionals (MHPP) will work with the client and family on behavioral issues that occur in the home, school, and community. The MHPP serves on the treatment team and assists professional staff with the execution of the treatment plan. They also assist with securing community services that might be available to the client and the client's family. The purpose of intensive Mental Health Paraprofessional Intervention is to enable the client to be maintained in the most normalized, least restrictive setting as possible, and to prevent unnecessary, inappropriate institutionalization.This paper discusses an overview paraprofessionals, the impact the paraprofessionals have on the field, the challenges that organizations are faced, and how to manage with the implemented changes. Future Trends in Crisis Intervention As the population in the United States continues to climb the need for human services professionals does the same. Human service agencies are often face the dilemmas of being over-worked and under paid. Professionals in this field are often prone to burnout because of these dilemmas. Sadly, human service agencies are often the first to experience budget cuts.These budget cuts affect the human service professional’s organization, facility, coworkers, pay, clients, and their personal moral. Leading officials of many human service organizations are noticing the affects of these dilemmas and are trying proactive approaches in solving the epidemics. As a result, the paraprofessional is becoming increasingly popular as the organization can fill the much needed worker positions and assist in alleviating clinician case load. This paper discusses the impact of this trend on the human services field and how the trend will impact the practice of crisis intervention in the future.The challenges faced as a result of the impact, and how the worker can proactively deal with this expanding trend is also covered. It is vital for these services to keep up with the demand and save as much of the valuable budget money. The Paraprofessional Counseling paraprofessionals are bachelor's level graduates whom have completed a course in order to become certified as a paraprofessional. Paraprofessionals generally work in mental health centers, crisis units, day treatment programs and group homes.Generally they provide direct care to patients, where as a counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist offer more specified trained services. Treatment centers will employ support staff to work directly with their patients; counseling center paraprofessionals (CCP) are distinctly different from other support staff (Barrios & Perlas, 2010). They hold a certification in working with the mentally ill and a bachelor's degree while certified counseling technicians (CCT) have a similar certification, but hold a high school diploma instead of a bachelor's degree (Barrios & Perlas, 2010).Some treatment ce nters will also hire direct service professionals that do not have CCP or CCT certifications, but generally, those whom hold a certification are in higher demand and are more employable. Contact of a Paraprofessional The main purpose of a CCP is to interact directly with patients in their care; this may involve setting and enforcing rules on unit, organizing daily activities, and helping with chores or other similar duties.According to Christine Wyman (2012), â€Å"They often have more contact with clients that much of the other staff, including doctors, psychologists, and therapists, as the CCP is usually in charge of the client's day to day activities. † Though the CCP performs less specialized work, they often have the most insight into individual clients. Because of the constant contact they are an invaluable member of the treatment team. With how often CCP’s get to observe patients on a daily basis they are able to pick up on behavior patterns that other staff may not see.They are also able to see how various treatments affect a patient in their daily lives. Some CCPs are designated to work one on one with a single client. A CCP in this role is often assigned as such because a client has a particular need. â€Å"Such needs could include but are not limited to helping a client with severe cognitive or physical limitations, watching a client whom is a danger to himself or others or working with a client whose treatment goals involve intensive one on one work† (Wyman, 2012). ImpactThere are many ways that the use of counseling center paraprofessionals can benefit the organization. One of the many benefits of the paraprofessional in the human service career field could be that they require less training than typical clinician or other human service professional. That way the CCP is able to become certified and begin work in a much shorter time frame then someone who is going through all the required schooling and testing to become a licen sed professional. Another aspect deals with the lesser amount of pay therefore saving the organization money.With the way budgets are being cut it is important to stretch every dollar as much as possible. â€Å"Someone without the education or licensure will not be able to do as much as a professional and therefore require less pay therefore saving money for other areas it is needed† (Barrios ;amp; Perlas, 2010). Since CCP’s spend a great deal of time with the patients they serve as valuable member of the treatment team in helping diagnose issues and observe if prescribed treatments are working. With the CCP’s doing this then that opens up the professionals to work with more clients on a one on one basis.Challenges Paraprofessionals in the human services field can be considered both an important asset and a nuisance to the clinicians and the clients served. With all the good that a paraprofessional brings the position also has some negatives. During this tumultu ous economy, districts find themselves entertaining a variety of solutions as a means of tackling severe budget reductions, and colleges are faced with the impossible task of providing quality student services without adequate resources.As a result, paraprofessionals may have absorbed additional duties previously performed by a robust counseling department. Also the CCP’s can be improperly trained or supervised. Because of these two occurrences the care provided can suffer. When people are overworked they are more likely to suffer from burnout. In this case the lack of CCP’s can cause burnout on behalf of the professionals and if the CCP’s are doing more than they should they can become burnt out. Managing Paraprofessional responsibilities should not extend beyond information dissemination.When the duties expand into goal setting, planning or decision making, the paraprofessional has overstepped his/her professional boundaries. It is recommended that paraprofess ional roles and duties be assessed to ensure that paraprofessionals do not extend beyond their primary job description (Barrios ;amp; Perlas, 2010). If paraprofessionals are utilized, proper training and supervision are imperative. Both training and supervision should be conducted with counselors taking an active role in both.Training methods could include individual one-on-one trainings, small group trainings, or an in-service training to the greater college community in order to differentiate the goals and responsibilities between counselors and paraprofessionals. Trainings and supervision should include clearly defined responsibilities and a counselor referral process. Identification badges, that include name and position, should be provided along with ethical and confidentiality regulations. Closing Crisis Intervention Counseling plays an important role and benefits many people in their time of need.With the direction of society and the numerous budget cuts that are implemented each year, the affected organizations that provide these services must find the best way to survive. In hiring counseling center paraprofessionals the group takes some of the pressure off of the professionals and spread the work out more evenly. This move also saves the organization money on a tight budget. There are many issues that face the human service field and counseling in the future but one major is the funding. CCP’s can do a lot to solve this issue now and in the future as budgets for these services get cut even more.

Buyer Behaviour and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Buyer Behaviour and Analysis - Essay Example Consumers believe that a good brand name symbolizes high quality. The purpose of this study is to identify the reasons behind the adherence of consumers towards products that have a high brand image. Developing a good brand image is every firm’s objective. It helps to gain superior advantage over other firm in the industry and leads to generating higher sales. In order to develop brand image it is essential that the product is of high quality and meets customer requirements correctly. In respect of consumer behaviour, it is seen that consumers are largely driven towards purchasing those products that have a good brand image. High brand image indicate better quality products which helps attracting greater number of consumers. In case of high end products, brand image is also associated with luxury and greater social impact. A healthy brand image is therefore seen to influence consumer behaviour in a positive way (Nandan, 2005). The market for a single product can be flooded with numerous brands. It becomes difficult for consumers to decide which one is of the best quality. Instead of wasting time analyzing each brand, they are motivated to buy those products that already have a good reputation in the market. Consumers believe that quality and reputation go hand in hand. When consumers purchase a product that has a high brand image they automatically develop a trust upon the brand and view it to be of high quality (Jamal and Goode, 2001). Many consumers feel an increased level of satisfaction when they use a product that has high brand image. Brands are seen to infuse certain emotions and actions upon the behaviour of consumers. Such cognitive and virtual attributes of brand image drives consumer’s into purchasing specific products. It is seen that when an individual wears a branded watch, they experience a higher level of satisfaction although there is technically not much of a difference between a branded watch and an

Proposal Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Research Proposal Example This is principally because ethical decision making activities contribute in protecting the interests of the employees and also of the different types of stakeholders whether internal or external to a business organization. Furthermore, ethical decisions would also tend to have potential implications for the business corporation in that the same may tend to potentially affect the positions and status of different groups and employee and stakeholder communities. The paper in the light of the above issue aims to critically analyze the ambit of ethical decision making practices. The concept of ethical behavior or ethical practices relates to the influence of honesty, fairness of treatment generated to different individuals. It can also be related to the level of equality reflected in the interpersonal behavior among individuals. Furthermore, several scholars have related it with the development of professional relationships among people working in an organization (Riivari & Là ¤msà ¤, 2014). Ethical behavior reflects on the existence of dignity and equal rights of individuals working as a community in a business organization. The concept of equality relates to the aspect of fair treatment generated to the different individuals operating in a business organization (Riivari & Là ¤msà ¤, 2014). It also reflects the existence of honesty in terms of level of truthfulness pursued in the dialogues between the different organizational individuals. Moreover, the aspect of fairness relates to the generation of decisions in a fair and equitable fashion that works in an unbiased manner and legitimate with the existing organizational rules. Ethical behavior or practices relate to the level of respect generated to the different individuals. In terms of ethical behaviors it is required by the managers to pay heed to the needs and aspirations of the different

Current Australian Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Current Australian Issues - Essay Example They try to persuade the computer novices, who barely have any idea of their computer system and are alarmed by such calls and due to their limited knowledge are inclined towards believing on such scams. The technician asks the consumer to log on to a third party website for the purpose of remote access troubleshooting to the consumer’s PC. The telemarketers go to such extents that they claim they belong to reputed computer organizations such as â€Å"Microsoft† and â€Å"Windows†. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) are looking forward into investigating towards this matter and warning the consumers to remain attentive about such scams (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission). The calls come at all odd times of the day, due to the fact that the telemarketers are not from Australia. A new trend in the type of PC-related scam calls have been observed, in which the caller falsely claims to belong to some foreign government, or from the consumer’s bank and they try to convince the consumers to recover their money that they have lost in previous scams, in return for a moderate fee. This is again a fraud and the consumer ends up paying more money, without any retrieval. PC scam calls are just one genre of the telemarketing abuse. Retrieving consumer’s personal identification details also helps these scammers to provide language-specific calls. The consumer is dealt with the telemarketer of the same foreign language, in the hope of optimized persuasion strategies. Lately consumers have complained of calls by telemarketers for enrolling their kids in tuition centers for specific subjects. Another genre of scam calls relate to the religious preferences of the consumers. Consumers have been asked to join religious centers that preach certain beliefs. The idea behind these telemarketers is to scrape out as much money as they can from the consumers, by stealing their identification details, in order to

Marketing Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marketing - Coursework Example This individual would be old enough to own a credit card for making the purchases and is adventurous to try out new products/services because these make up most of the discounted offers. Groupon.com has carved out a unique market space, considering that it offers diverse products and services, which makes it difficult to evaluate whether it has traditional direct competitors. Of course its success has made numerous clones to pop up across the globe (Wauters, 2010) but it is possible that it still has market leadership in this new market space. Its major strengths are its brand as the trailblazer, its huge market presence, and its large financial backing of about US$ 1.2 billion. Its big weaknesses are that its business model is easy to replicate and therefore it may face difficulty in sustaining its first-mover competitive advantage. Groupon.com’s greatest opportunity is in the ease with which it can extend to more cities in the world. Currently it is leveraging its brand by extending its offering to willing collaborators through its Groupon Affiliate Program. Its major threat is the low barriers to entry or threat of forward integration posed by its suppliers. The macro-environmental climate appears favorable for Groupon.com.

To be discussed Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

To be discussed - Dissertation Example Although this approach was first taught by American thinkers Deming and Juran in 1950s, Americans had not adopted and taken advantage of it (Nakamura et al. 1997). Later in the years, evolution of the JIT principles took place which was integrated in the automobile industry and other manufacturing industries which functioned on the TQM framework (Nakamura et al. 1997). The Western civilization implemented these two approaches in reverse order with JIT preceding TQM. Although these two approaches have been independently implemented very often, they are also used in integration for many operations. Theoretical Framework It is because of the Japanese that the industrial world revolutionized given their two approaches: TQM and JIT. Both these concepts have similar principles and goals which aim to continuous improvement and waste reduction (Flynn et al. 1995). TQM is a set of manufacturing principles that aim to sustain the quality of the products and processes by continuously improving it with the involvement of the management, customers and suppliers (Cua et al. 2001). There are nine TQM practices that are common in its principles: customer involvement, supplier quality management, committed leadership, cross-functional product design, cross-functional training, strategic planning, information, employee involvement and feedback (Cua et al. 2001). ... JIT is an important strategic element in the manufacturing process because of the waste produced in the mass production system such as waiting (in time), processing, transporting, overproducing, unnecessary stock-on-hand, defective goods production and unnecessary motion (Cua et al. 2001). If JIT is implemented, the result would be no excess production without demand. Thus, the element of waste elimination is justification for JIT to be implemented in any process of manufacturing (Nakamura et al. 1997). The strategic importance of both these concepts exists in its usage if integrated with the management and adopted in conjunction with the advanced technology in manufacturing combined with TQM and JIT approaches (Cua et al. 2001). According to Flynn et al. (1995), the benefits of JIT can only be harnessed if the philosophy is part of the TQM philosophy. This is because together TQM and JIT are capable of pushing the problems back to the starting point of the manufacturing process unti l a point is identified as preventable (Flynn et al. 1995). It is a simple philosophy that every problem has a reason and every reason is therefore avoidable. Therefore, in order words, the philosophy of TQM/JIT rests on the principle that if the problem is detected soon, it can be fixed in the timely manner (Kanan and Tan, 2005). Although the idea of incorporating different elements of different philosophies is not always acceptable as a wise choice as limited empirical research exists on its link with performance, still it is believed and proved by different authors that the TQM and JIT elements can provide positive results in the performance of

How might a youth worker assist young people with the development of Essay

How might a youth worker assist young people with the development of moral thinking What are the issues for undertaking this kind of work - Essay Example Late adolescence is when the youth comprehends separation from the family and living an independent life. There are a lot of directions that these adolescents need. The physical and mental changes that come about develop their identity and character. It is quite natural for parents to expect a change for the better. Expectations from parents and society increase. This is a time when a youth, if not guided properly, can end up being a liability to society. Parents need to be careful in the way they handle their children at this time. Children can get carried away and be influenced by the people around them. A time when they are told to 'grow up' or 'act you age', these children must be counseled in knowing the right from wrong. This must be done professionally. Children are now in a position to understand their role in society and take a firm decision on their career. Many youths come through their adolescent years without problems. However, for some, it is a difficult period, necessitating a great deal more of understanding, patience and support. No two children are alike. Each child will have his/her own thoughts and views on life and parents experience different challenges along the way in the growth of their child. However, through their journey of adolescence, analogical situations faced by almost all adolescents are: Measuring the society's values and moral standards Identifying themselves with others; a personal identity Rebellion of authority Moodiness To an extent, an interest in the opposite sex This is the time when all the training and guidance thought to them will be of importance. There is no point in trying to impose on them, for the simple reason that they would rebel. The youth should be taken into confidence and taught the aspects of life. 2.0 Executive Summary Moral education is an integral part of psychology and education. Never before have the reports of increased violent juvenile crime, teen pregnancy, and suicide been highlighted as now. The reason: The numbers of cases just got longer and longer, outnumbering all other news reports in newspaper every day. While not all of these social concerns are moral in nature, they are complex. There is a need to find solutions to these problems so that children are better prepared to face the challenges of life more socially. It is much easier said than done. There are many potholes on the way to success. Adolescence is often stereotyped as a period of stress and turbulence, though this may be far from true. Many adolescents have shown a lot more resilience in the face of challenges and stress, quite a few have engaged in behaviours involving risk, and there are others

MALDI technique & FLOW CYTOMETRY technique Coursework

MALDI technique & FLOW CYTOMETRY technique - Coursework Example (2) ionization of sample components to produce ions, (3) separation of ions by electromagnetic field to their mass-to-charge ratios, (4) detection of ion signals and, (5) processing of the signals into mass spectra. The ionization of the analytes is a crucial step in mass spectrometry. Two methods are used: electron spray ionization and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) (Figure 1). In MALDI, the analyte is mixed with matrix, molecules that have strong absorbance at the laser wavelength, and placed onto a metal plate (Karas, Bachmann, & Hillenkamp, 1985). A laser beam is then introduced which results in a burst of ions. The presence of the matrix refreshes the laser burst, and enhances the isolation of the sample ions. Protein and peptide analyses are the most common applications of MALDI, with the most number of technical developments in the past years (Hillenkamp & Katalinic, 2007). MALDI is the leading application for proteomics profiling and imaging. Other analytes studied are nucleic acids, glycans, lipids, and synthetic polymers. Each of these analytes may have limitations in their analysis due to their structural properties, which can interfere with the ionization efficiency. The spatial distribution of drugs, metabolites, and proteins in intact tissues is also made possible with imaging mass spectrometry (Caldwell & Caprioli, 2005). MALDI-MS is therefore a valuable technique that can address a broad range of applications in the biomedical field. Since MALDI-MS tissue profiling permits the detection of more than a thousand peptides and proteins from many tissue types, it is very useful in detecting disease processes. Tissue profiling and imaging permits the direct acquisition of mass spectra from intact tissues that are either freshly prepared or come from tissue storage banks (Djidja, et al., 2010). Recently, tissue blocks that have been embedded in paraffin were used in protein profiling of several cancers. These studies showed that

Introduction to management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Introduction to management - Essay Example Information is crucial to managers, and because the value chain that links suppliers, Cadbury, its distributors and the customers is dependent on the system. All these crucial value chain issues are relevant to managers. Some of the managerial issues that influence the system the most include concerns for increase in efficiency in the form of trying to cut redundancies. The system is also aimed to provide a more efficient integration of the companys operations with the help of information technology that will result in substantial cost savings to the company. Over the years, Cadbury has gone through major changes. One of these changes include the integrated global IT system in 2002, where it has been implemented first in Australia. This change has not been effectively managed as unanticipated delays have occurred which has resulted in huge trouble to the company. The acquisition of Green and Black in 2005 has been well integrated in the companys operations, and the change is well-managed, as Cadbury has been able to adopt the Fair Trade practice of G&B. The effectiveness of the companys introduction of â€Å"Pathatrix†--a pathogen testing system in 2008, which aims to minimise the financial losses as well as the losses associated with its reputation is apparent in the companys higher revenues in the first half of 2009. The company has also undergone a restructuring of its legal team in order to reduce redundancy in 2008 as well as the closing down of one facility in Keynsham. The company has effectively managed these changes through good HR practices—systems of informal rewards and effective communications which have resulted in loyalty among employees. Because of the companys strong dedication to good HR practices, changes like these as well as its de-merger with Schweppes has not created a chaotic environment within the company, which

Kingship in Macbeth Essay Example for Free

Kingship in Macbeth Essay In his first appearance, King Duncan performs two of the basic duties of a king: punishing the bad and rewarding the good. Upon learning of the treachery of Cawdor and the heroism of Macbeth, he says, No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive / Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present [immediate] death, / And with his former title greet Macbeth (1.2.63-65). The phrase bosom interest means vital interests, but bosom suggests that a relationship of love should exist between a king and his subject. Soon after the witches hail him as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and king hereafter! (1.3.50), Macbeth receives the news that he has been named Thane of Cawdor. This news throws him into a reverie, in which he says to himself, Two truths are told, / As happy prologues to the swelling act / Of the imperial theme (1.3.127-129). Macbeths metaphor is dramatic, or musical; he seems to be imagining himself as making a grand entrance as king, or maybe as an emperor, a king of kings. Just as the King is commenting on the treachery of the former Thane of Cawdor, in comes the new Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth. The King greets Macbeth as worthiest cousin! (1.4.14) and says in several different ways that he cant thank him enough. Macbeth answers with heroic modesty that The service and the loyalty I owe, / In doing it, pays itself (1.4.22-23). That is, its payment enough to know that he did the right thing as a loyal servant of the King. Then Macbeth adds, Your highness part Is to receive our duties; and our duties Are to your throne and state [stateliness, dignity] children and servants, Which do but what they should, by doing every thing Safe toward your love and honour. (1.4.23-27) Safe toward means to secure or to safeguard; the idea is that it is every subjects duty to do everything he can for the king, both to keep the king safe and to earn the kings love and respect. Macbeths speech pictures King Duncan as the loving father of a happy family, but Macbeth is already thinking about killing him. When Lady Macbeth receives her husbands letter about the witches prophecies, she is only worried that her husband is too full o the milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way (1.5.17-18). But shes sure she has no such problem, and shes eager for the chance to make him see things her way. Holding the letter, and speaking to Macbeth (even though he hasnt arrived yet) she says, Hie thee hither, / That I may pour my spirits in thine ear; / And chastise with the valour of my tongue / All that impedes thee from the golden round, (1.5.25-28). We might say that shes going to nag him, but she believes that she is going to enable him to reach his potential. She will chastise (make him ashamed of) everything in him that prevents him from being evil enough to be king. Shortly, Macbeth appears and tells her that King Duncan will be staying with them that night. Lady Macbeth declares that King Duncan will never leave their castle alive and advises Macbeth to be a good hypocrite. He must give the king a warm welcome, the better to kill him that night. Apparently Macbeth shows a little reluctance, because she says, He thats coming Must be provided for: and you shall put This nights great business into my dispatch; Which shall to all our nights and days to come Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom (1.5.66-70) Sovereign means not only kingly but also absolute. Lady Macbeth is telling her husband that if he will only do as she tells him, they will be king and queen, with power over all. To her, the essence of kingship is ruthless power. When King Duncan is greeted by Lady Macbeth, he makes a little joke about the social difficulties of being king. He says to her: See, see, our honourd hostess! The love that follows us sometime is our trouble, Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you How you shall bid God ield us for your pains, And thank us for your trouble. (1.6.10-14) Duncans whole speech is based on our ancient custom of a guest saying something like I dont want to trouble you, and the host replying with some version of Its my pleasure. By saying that his peoples love is sometimes his trouble, King Duncan is saying that his loving people go to a great deal of trouble for him, and hes troubled by the fact that they take all that trouble. Nevertheless, when people take trouble for him, he knows that they do it because they love their king, and so he thanks them for their love. Next, referring to himself royally as us, the King jokingly tells Lady Macbeth that hes saying all of this so that instead of him thanking her for taking trouble she will thank God and him for giving her trouble. While King Duncan is at dinner Macbeth almost talks himself out of the murder. He reflects that King Duncan is a good king, not arrogant or selfish. Macbeth says to himself that the king Hath borne his faculties [royal powers] so meek, hath been / So clear [uncorrupted] in his great office, that his virtues / Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against / The deep damnation of his taking-off (1.7.17-20). The day after the murder of King Duncan, Ross speaks with an old man. The Old Mans memories go back seventy years, but nothing he can remember compares to what has happened during this night: I have seen / Hours dreadful and things strange; but this sore night / Hath trifled former knowings (2.4.2-4). Ross replies Ah, good father, / Thou seest, the heavens, as troubled with mans act, / Threaten his bloody stage (2.4.4-6). The heavens are the heavens above, where God lives, and they are also the upper regions of Shakespeares Globe theater. Ross is saying that the heavens frown angrily (threaten) as they look down upon man playing his part on the stage of life, which has been made bloody by the murder of King Duncan. King Duncan should have been honored and loved, so his murder was unnatural, and Ross and the Old Man go on to tell each other of all the unnatural things that have been happening lately. They do not know that Macbeth is the murderer, but as they speak we can see that the unnatural events reflect the contrast between King Duncan and Macbeth. The Old Man says that On Tuesday last, / A falcon, towering in her pride of place, / Was by a mousing owl hawkd at and killd (2.4.11-13). The falcons pride of place is the highest point of its flight. And the owl, which usually catches mice on the ground, went up instead of down, and killed a falcon. Also, a falcon is a day creature, and a royal companion, while the owl is an untamable bird of night and death. If things in nature stands for things in human life, King Duncan was the falcon, and Macbeth the owl. Even worse, King Duncans horses, Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, / Turnd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out, / Contending gainst obedience, as they would make / War with mankind. (2.4.15-18) A minion is someones favorite. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were King Duncans minions. The King showered them with honors and gifts, but they turned wild and made war on their master. Thus the point is made that Macbeths murder of his king is a crime against nature. Just before he sends the murderers to kill Banquo, Macbeth has a soliloquy in which he states his fear of Banquo. He says that Banquo has royalty of nature (3.1.49), and courage, and wisdom. Macbeth also says, under him, / My Genius is rebuked (3.1.54-55). A mans Genius is his guardian spirit, but Macbeth isnt being particularly mystic here. He feels that Banquo is naturally superior to him, and just being near Banquo makes Macbeth feel ashamed of himself. For example, he recalls, Banquo defied the witches and challenged them to speak to him. (In contrast, we should remember, the witches prophecy put Macbeth into a kind of trance, a reverie of ambition and murder.) In short, Macbeth feels that Banquo is more fit to be king than he is, and for that, hes going to murder him. After he becomes king, Macbeth has a moment when he tries to be the kind of king that King Duncan was, humble and mild. At his feast Macbeth welcomes everyone, saying, You know your own degrees; sit down. At first / And last the hearty welcome (3.4.1-2). The degrees of the guests are their social ranks. Normally, each guest would receive an individual greeting and then be escorted to his seat, with the highest ranking person sitting closest to the king, and the next highest the next closest, etc. Macbeth tells them that they know where they should sit, and welcomes everyone at once. He will play the humble host (3.4.4), and sit among them, showing how friendly and down-to-earth he is, even though he is now the king. However, he cant keep up his act because un uninvited guest shows up Banquos bloody ghost. Lennox and another Scottish lord have a conversation in which both of them refer to Macbeth as a tyrant. Its clear from their conversation that life under a tyrant is a life of fear and lies. Because Macbeth has many spies, they need to be careful what they say and to whom they say it. As the scene opens, they have just gotten to the point at which they are sure that they are on the same side and have many of the same thoughts. As Lennox says, My former speeches have but hit your thoughts, / Which can interpret further (3.6.1-2). Perhaps the other Lord nods agreement, because Lennox now launches on a string of sarcasms about Macbeth. Lennox says, The gracious Duncan / Was pitied of Macbeth: marry, he was dead (3.6.4). This bitter joke describes both Macbeths facade that he was sorry for King Duncan and the truth about Macbeth, which was that he was sorry for King Duncan only after he killed him. Then Lennox proceeds to ridicule Macbeths version of everything that has happened to this point. Banquo died because he took a walk after dark, and Fleance must have killed him, because Fleance ran away. And speaking of that, wasnt it terrible for Malcolm and Donalbain to kill their father? And of course Macbeth felt terrible about Duncans murder, which is why he killed the only two possible witnesses, Duncans grooms. If Malcolm, Donalbain, and Fleance were in Macbeths power, hed certainly teach them a lesson or two about killing a father! After a bit, Lennox drops the sarcasm and turns to the subject of Macduff. He has heard that Macduff has gotten on Macbeths bad side because Macduff used some broad words (3.6.21) about Macbeth, and because he failed to show up for Macbeths banquet. Does the other Lord know, Lennox asks, where Macduff might be? The other Lord does know. Macduff is on his way to the English court, where Malcolm has been respectfully received by King Edward the Confessor. Macduff has gone to plead with King Edward to help Malcolm by sending to Scotland the forces of Northumberland and Siward, two English nobles famous as warriors. If Macduff is successful, Scotland will be freed of Macbeths tyranny. Then we may again / Give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights, / Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives, / Do faithful homage and receive free honours (3.6.33-36). Under Macbeths tyranny, fear of his bloody knife darkens every moment of a persons life. In contrast to this reign of terror, a true king is given faithful homage and he awards Free honours. Free honours are given by a king in recognition of service; they are free in the sense that person honored doesnt have to be a tyrants yes-man in order to receive them. When Macbeth seeks out the witches, he curses them, calls them hags, and demands that they answer his questions. They give him their prophecies, the last of which is that Banquo will be the progenitor of a long line of kings, stretching to James of Scotland and England. Macbeth is stunned, and the first witch says that they will cheer him up with music and a dance, so That this great king may kindly say, / Our duties did his welcome pay (4.1.131-132). The witch is being sarcastic. Macbeth is a tyrant, even to witches, and gave them no welcome; they repaid his angry demand for answers with deceptive and frightening duties their prophecies. As the witches are the opposite of dutiful subjects, Macbeth is the opposite of a great and kindly king In England, Macduff pleads with Malcolm to lead an army against Macbeth. Eventually, Malcolm says that he will, but first he tests Macduffs intentions. He wants to find out if Macduff wants what is best for Scotland, or just wants to defeat Macbeth. Malcolm begins his test by saying that Scotland will suffer even more after Macbeth is crushed. The reason: Malcolm will be more evil than Macbeth. First, Malcolm says that he will be so lustful that your wives, your daughters, / Your matrons and your maids, could not fill up / The cistern of my lust (4.3.61-63). Macduffs response is more than a little wimpy. He says that uncontrolled lust is bad, but hes sure that Scotland can provide Malcolm with enough willing women to satisfy him. But Malcolm goes on to declare that hes also so avaricious that were I king, / I should cut off the nobles for their lands, / Desire his jewels and this others house: / And my more-having would be as a sauce / To make me hunger more (4.3.78-82). Macduff admits that avarice in a king is even worse than lust, but hes sure that Scotland has abundance enough to satisfy Malcolm. Such lust and avarice would be bearable, balanced against good qualities. But I have none (4.3.91), Malcolm answers. He goes on to assert that he has not a single virtue that a king needs. Not only that, but he is positively evil, so evil that had I power, I should / Pour the sweet milk of concord into hell, / Uproar the universal peace, confound / All unity on earth (4.3.97-100). After describing himself as the worst possible person on the face of the earth, Malcolm then asks Macduff if someone like him is fit to govern. Fit to govern! / No, not to live (4.3.102-103), Macduff bursts out. Then he laments the fate of Scotland and is about to storm off, but Malcolm calls him back and unsays everything hes just said about himself. He is, he now says, chaste, generous, and trustworthy. In short, he will be a true king, not the tyrant that Macbeth is. After the tyranny of Macbeth is contrasted with the goodness of Macduff and Malcolm, we are again reminded of what a good king should be. A doctor enters and tells Macduff and Malcolm that a crowd of sick people are waiting to be cured by the English king. Their sickness cant be cured by doctors, but only by the king: at his touch / Such sanctity hath heaven given his hand / They presently amend (4.3.143-145). The doctor leaves, and Macduff asks what disease he was talking about. Malcolm explains, Tis calld the evil (4.3.146). (The disease is scrofula, which causes ugly swellings of glands in the neck. It was called the kings evil because of the popular idea that a holy king could cure it by touching the diseased person.) Malcolm goes on to speak of what a miracle-worker the English king is. He brings Gods healing power to his people, and its a wonder, because How he solicits heaven, / Himself best knows (4.3.150). In addition to being able to heal the sick, the English king hath a heavenly gift of prophecy, / And sundry blessings hang about his throne (4.3.157-158). Malcolm doesnt mention Macbeth, but the only apparent reason for this description of the English king is to provide a picture of heavenly good to contrast with Macbeths hellish evil. Shortly after, news comes of Macbeths most recent act of tyranny the slaughter of Macduffs innocent wife and children. When she walks in her sleep, Lady Macbeth relives the moment just after the murder of King Duncan, when her husband could do nothing except stare at his bloody hands holding the bloody daggers. In her sleep she says to him, What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?(5.1.37-39). Her point is that Macbeth is king (or about to be) and therefore it doesnt matter who knows that he murdered King Duncan. She thinks (or thought) that kingly power would solve all problems, but it doesnt save her from madness. When he is brought news of the approach of the English army, Macbeth knows that he could lose the battle, and he tries to find a way to accept defeat. In a famous passage, he tells himself that his life is not worth living: I have lived long enough: my way of life Is falln into the sear, the yellow leaf; And that which should accompany old age, As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have; but, in their stead, Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath, Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not. (5.3.22-28) We can see that Macbeth now understands the consequences of being a tyrant. He rules only by fear, which means that all those he rules hate him. Standing before Dunsinane, Siward, the leader of the English troops, comments to Malcolm: We learn no other but the confident tyrant / Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure / Our setting down before t. ) He means that Macbeth seems to be so confident of the strength of his castle that hes willing to let his enemies lay siege to it, rather than going on the attack. Malcolm replies that Macbeth really doesnt have a choice: Both more and less have given him the revolt, / And none serve with him but constrained things / Whose hearts are absent too . By more and less Malcolm means both the nobles and the common soldiers; Macbeth the tyrant controls only those who are within reach of his sword. In the final scene, Macduff, carrying Macbeths head on a pole, hails Malcolm as king of Scotland and says, Behold, where stands / The usurpers cursed head: the time is free . The time is free because they are all now free of Macbeths reign of terror over Scotland. Macduff then leads the men in a shout of victory and loyalty. He says, I see thee compassd with thy kingdoms pearl, / That speak my salutation in their minds; / Whose voices I desire aloud with mine: / Hail, King of Scotland! . Macduff knows that these thanes already think of Malcolm as their king, and now he asks them to join him in shouting out loud, Hail, King of Scotland! And so they do, honoring Malcolm, above whose head looms the severed head of Macbeth.

Paradise Lost And Frankenstein Theology Religion Essay

Paradise Lost And Frankenstein Theology Religion Essay Despite being written more than a century apart, Paradise Lost and Frankenstein, share the idea of individuals limitations. As classic science fictions, both books seek to express individuals over the control of a higher authority. In Paradise Lost, John Milton, questions the religious idea of predestination that says every individuals life is perfectly designed by God, and therefore one should happily accept his or her identity. During the 18th century, England empowered churches and priests as messengers of God, and Milton despised the corruption and injustice he saw in these Catholic churches. Through Paradise Lost, Milton celebrates individuals who challenge a higher authority and are willing to shape their own identity. Under the influence of John Milton, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in 1818 in which people are armed with science technology to challenge authority of nature or God. Although both books celebrate protagonists strong will to search and shape their identity, the b ooks still reflect the authors concerns that individuals cannot actually shape their identity that had been already determined by predestination or a higher authority. In Paradise Lost, although Satan declares a revenge on God by ruining his plan on humanity, God always has Satan under his eyes and has authority to trump anything Satan has done. Unlike Satan, the creature in Frankenstein is not always under control or watch by his creator, Victor, but ultimately fails to change his identity of being a monster regardless of how hard he tries to be like a human being. As these books assert the existence of a God or creator, the books depict that individuals in any part of human history cannot shape their authentic identity given by a higher authority because although characters who perceived predetermination attempts to change it by doing what they can do the best, the predestined identity and fate remain still regardless of their best attempts. Although Satan is known for his evilness, his evil identity is conspicuously designed by Miltons God who eliminates all Satans choices except committing sins. In Miltons Paradise Lost, God is the most authoritative figure and often expressed as the will of whole universe. Satan, who desires to escape from God, has to make a false vision in order to reject the influence from God. After his fall from heaven, Satan made a speech to gather and encourage his fellow-demons. During his speech, Satan suggests that it is tyrannical for the  Son to rule over the angels, because the angels are self-begot, self-raisd / By our own quickning power (5.860-61). This is first deception Satan creates to cancel the fact that God is the creator of all angels. This false expression indicates while Satan knows he is ruled by God, he pretends to be out of Gods influence. Swayed by this false sophistry, the demons, and even Satan himself are deluded to believe the false belief. Miltons God does not taking their strengths when defeated. Giving hope that Satan and devils still have chance to overcome God, God rather prevents devils from repenting and receiving forgiveness. By choosing to follow Satans false reasoning, the rebel angels lose all choice in whether they will repent to return to Heaven, and perhaps do not even realize that they are given a chance of repentance. Under Gods machination, they do not have choice because Gods false hope makes them chose to have no choice, but commit sins. The demons wills are not conquered by God but instead their wills are voluntarily surrendered to Him. Satans false claiming that the angels are self-created further deprives Satans will by making him a creator of sort that his creation is a privation. Sin is his self-begotten creation, and with Death, they compose an unholy, sinful trinity. With Sin and Death, Satan, as an inversion of God, is prevented from creating anything good and allowed to create only Miserie, uncreated till the crime (6 .268-69). As Satans choice to be good is initially limited by God and evilness is what Satan is entirely composed of by his false claim, the destiny of Satan is already shaped to be nothing but evil. Despite the fact that Satan is limited by careful designs of God, he still shows a sign of independence by using material objects to support him. Raphael explains to Adam and Even that Gods creations are more refined, more spirituous, and pure, / as nearer to him placed or nearer tending (5.475-476). If Raphael is true, then conversely, Satan must become less refined, spirituous, and pure once Satan turns away from God. However, in the hell, Satan is still ambitious and willing to challenge against   God with his spear and shield. As Satan takes his material arms in a war against God, these weapons are symbols of Satans unconquerable will against Gods will. Using his spear as a crutch to support [his] uneasy steps, as he moves around in hell, Satan, instead of returning to God and seeking for forgiveness, puts his faith in his material things (1.295). Falling with his weapons in hell, Satan never loses faith that his unconquerable will is capable of contravening Gods will. Satans unconquerable will to interrupt Gods plan is also highlighted when Satan enters Eden as a cormorant and wolf and approaches to Adam and Eve first as a lion, tiger, then as a serpent (4.402-08). The change of Satans physical appearance might indicate that Satan is actually being less refined, spirituous, and pure as he turns more against God. However, it also signifies that despite the insignificant physical shape of Satan, he does accomplish his own goal of corrupting Adam and Eve. In addition, Miltons God is omniscient, knowing all that happens and all that will happen, but consequently, God can be seen as tyrannical and cruel in not preventing evil. The success of Satans mission might reflect that God allows Satan to execute his free-will of ruining Gods plans. However, Satans belief in freewill is rather a delusion that he cannot act apart from God and all acts he performs serve Gods service. When Satan returns to hell after corrupting Adam and Eve, he does not receive victory cheers. Instead, he hears a universal hiss as he and his fellow devils transform into serpents. Punished by God, Satan receives punish in the shape he sind, and the rest of the rebels are like in punishment, / As in thir crime (10.516, 544-5). The punishment of this group of sinners reflects that as a poetic justice, Gods justice dispenses punishments that are appropriate to the crimes they committed. The punishment by God further suggests that the rebels punishments are fitting as they choose to be governed by Satan and refuse to be governed by God. The fact that God punished them for their decision indicates that although their actions seem free from God, the result of their actions, the poetic justice, is always held by God. In this sense, a demon gets what he wil ls, but having his will accomplished is always followed by a punishment because what he wills falls short of Gods will. Another instance that Satans freewill actually does not exist is Miltons description of Satan through Paradise Lost. Milton began his epic with pseudo-heroic size of Satan as that of Typhon or Leviathan (1.201). Although Satan is a fallen angel, Milton left his majesty and glory as archangel to provide God with a worthy adversary. However, all the appearances he takes on after fall lesson this angelic nobility; he transforms into a cormorant, lion tiger, toad, and at last serpent. As Satan chooses to appear baser as time progresses, there is gradual decrease in a sinful wills power. His transformation displays an unregenerate aspect of the sinner. Satan did will to be a serpent, and his followers willed for him to corrupt Adam and Eve. However, once they commit sins, their wills are slavishly subjected to the sin that there is no chance of way-out from the sin. Thus, they repeat their sins involuntarily, reminding the results of devils decision to have no choice. Ultimately, the poet shows the abysmal fate of Satan that his will is annihilated as one becomes further enveloped in sin, for his will cannot be redirected from sin after God prevents him from being good. With all these careful plans by God, God not only has the power to trump what Satan uses evil actions of Satan as a part of his plan. By the end of the book, Raphael opens the idea of the fortunate fall, that the corruption of Adam and Eve is also in a way an act that brings more goodness to creation, for it leads to the coming of the Messiah who makes evil turn to good (12.471). Although Satan initially attempts to corrupt Adam and Eve to create evil and disorder in the universe, his will of creating evil actually falls under Gods plan of salvation for humanity. Therefore, when it comes to Satans proud action, it is really Gods will being done, not his, though Satan never realizes this fact. Finally, Satans belief in free-will is rather a delusion that he cannot act apart from God since all acts are performed in Gods service. Satan is rather a very tragic figure whose actions against God in exchange of his own punishments are actually used to serve Gods plans. While Miltons God is almost impossible to overcome, in Frankenstein, the creature seems to have more control over his situations. However, the creature, too, falls to the victim of predetermination by his creator, Victor. Since the time of being created by Victor, the creature is rejected by his creator and world and does not seem to have a place in the world. Since the beginning of his life, the creature is be already abandoned before he knows anything about the world he enters. When the creature muttered some inarticulate sounds, and his hand was stretched out to his creator, Victor refuses to listen and escapes the laboratory (59). In this scene, the creature is portrayed like a baby, who cannot speak a word, but stretch his hands to father for a protection. The rejection by his creator, Victor, indicates that there is already a gap between the actual creature and the imagined creature by the creator. This gap, which the creature does not perceive yet, already reflects the creature as unwanted life and abortion from Victor and his world. Victors first idea of creation and rebirth is somewhat ideal and beautiful, an art work only allowed to God. When Victor with knowledge of science created a life, the created life is rather false and ugly, pointing out that peoples imaginations that sound really appealing can be horrific when brought to the world. The rejection of Victor is therefore significant that the monster is not only rejected by his deformed physicality but also rejected by the fact that he is a resemble of false, imaginative ideas that must only stay in unreal world, in peoples imaginations. In this Mary Shelleys world of science fiction, the creature is able to be brought to the real world with scientific imagination, but since the creature is a false product of scientific imagination, he has no place to belong in the world. The creature is an outlier in the world and cannot shape his identity because his identity is free to be changed only in unreal world and in imagination of Victor. The view of the creature as the unwanted becomes more evident as the creature makes inarticulate sounds like a baby to communicate with his creator. Victors refusal to understand or co mmunicate with the creature suggests that the creatures link with Victor, which is the only connection the creature is born with, can easily fall apart, leaving the creature with no connection to the world, and therefore isolating him from the real world. Regardless of the creature is able to perceive or not, there is again a gap or loss of connection between the creature and the world. In addition to Victors rejection, even the nature of the real world seems to reject the creature. When the narrative is turned to the creature, he describes his experience of first entering the world: The light became more and more oppressive to me; I sought a place where I could receive shade (105). In Frankenstein, light is often a symbol of virtue and life which people use it to celebrate a new birth or goodness. The creature, however, finds more comfort in darkness than light, evidence that he does not seem to fit into the world. Light is rather a torture or discomfort for him that nature does not welcome him for entering the world. As the creature is rejected both in terms of nurture and nature, he clearly does not belong to the world. The idea that the creature does not belong to the world continues even after the creature becomes conscious of his surroundings. After gaining knowledge and human sense, the creature realizes that Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him, but [he] is solitary and abhorred (133). The creatures attempts for self-extension, for connection with community do not seem to work at all; as Satan has evilness to have fellow devils and belong to hell, the creature has labeled identity of a monster to belong to its category. It is a tragic irony that while ones original identity guides one to ones original community, there is no such thing as original community for the creature, who does not initially belong to the world. For the creature, the chance of belonging to this world is never given because it is Victor and society that attributes his labeled identity, forcing him to belong somewhere else. Despite his initial rejection from his creator and the world, the creature develops hope to be part of community. Without help of his creator, the creature educates himself to be closer to humankind. The creatures desire to be accepted and assimilated is apparent when he speaks his feelings toward cottagers: The more I saw of them, the greater became my desire to claim their protection and kindnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to see their sweet looks directed towards me with affection was the utmost limit of my ambition (134). His desire to be a part of the cottagers lives, to have them accept and love him, illustrates a tangible connection felt between the creature and the rest of the humanity. The creature goes on to say I required kindness and sympathy; but I did not believe myself unworthy of it (134). The creature believes himself capable and even worthy of both emotional and psychological reciprocation and by extension, capable of existing in harmony with the rest of humankind. The creature confirms his belief by educating himself, showing that at least there is an opportunity for him to assimilate to the morals and ethics of humankind. The product of his self-education seems fruitful when the creature talks with Victor persuasively: my food is not that of man; I do not destroy the lamb and the kid to glut my appetite; acorns and berries afford me sufficient nourishment (148). Without the teaching from his creator, the creature is able to discern moral right and wrong. The creature is able to form his own code of behavior on example and the behavior he views from others despite the lack of formal education. This is notable that his instinctive sense of morality comes without any help of creator, and although his morality is not inborn, it is obtainable by the creature. Further knowledge on virtue and vice is given to the creature through the books: I read of men concerned in public affairs governing or massacring their species. I felt the greatest ardor for virtue ris e within me, and abhorrence for vice (131). The presence of a creator is again absent from his education, yet he is capable of developing a thoroughly structured sense of morality and ethics. His ardor for virtue and abhorrence for vice is a basis for strong intellectual development, as well as, being skillful in human relations, the end goal of the creatures self-education. His capability of changing himself by learning indicates that the creature is not an incommunicable evil monster by inherent constitution. He is rather born unformed without any shaped identity. Therefore, as he absorbs the characteristics of humans, he feels to be closer to mankind. Despite the creatures effort to be closer to mankind, his constructed inner-personality is easily overridden by his deformity, and ultimately cannot depart from predetermination by his creator, Victor. The fall of his inner-personality occurs when the creature is shot by a boy after the creature saves a girl. The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before, gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind (143). The sudden turnover of creatures personality from kindness and gentleness to hatred and vengeance suggests how easily his constructed virtue and inner-personality to be a person can be replaced as if his efforts are worthless. Regardless of his efforts in creating his inner-personal identity, the labeled physical monstrosity overlaps his self-construction and even brings him back to his initial status, a rejected and isolated life from the world. The insignificance of his self-education becomes more apparent when Victor replays his rejection to the creature: Begone! I will not hear you. There can be no community between you and me (103). The repetition of Victors rejection is evidence that there is not much change in the creatures connection to the world after his self-education. Although the creature learns the value of virtue and community, Victor denies the creatures needs when he insists that there is no community. As the creatures efforts turn out to be futile, the creator, Victor, seems to be the only one who can save the creature from misery. Even though the creature renounces all his virtue and passion to revenge on Victor after destroying his mate, Victors death, the loss of creator, does not allow him to be independent from misery: in his murder my crimes are consummated; the miserable series of my being is wound to its close (221). While Victor is the creatures source of agony, Victor has been the only relationship he actually has i n the world. The death of Victor represents the loss of core link between the creature and the world, which allows him at least to stay in the world. His demise, in fact, brings the complete isolation of the creature in the world and therefore his own annihilation in the world. The classic science fictions reflect that overcoming the creator or a higher authority is near impossible, and even if one defeats ones creator, what left is ones self-annihilation because one is directly connected with the creator. The scientific imaginations from classic science fiction do not provide actual freedom or extension of independence beyond the limit of the world. In classic science fictions, the freedom of imagination rather brings down the individual by imagining a higher authority in form of supernatural. Therefore, at the time of classic science fiction, the ideas of science fiction are powerful tool to erase existing boundaries in oneself, but seem to paralyze one by giving new boundaries, that are taller than the old boundaries.

Role of Institutions in Social Policy

Role of Institutions in Social Policy Explore with examples the role of institutions in influencing policy outcomes. The following will discuss the role that institutions can or may have in influencing public policy outcomes, and where relevant examples of such influences will be provided. The role of various institutions will be explored, and any differences in the amount or the importance of those organisations in influencing policy outcomes will be analysed. Included in this study of the influence upon policy outcomes that institutions have, will be an evaluation of whether that influence changes with the type of organisation that is being examined, and upon the circumstances in which the policy outcomes are reached and implemented within. How much influence the roles of institutions allow them in the determination of policy outcomes, or policy decision-making can depend on the functions and objectives of the institutions involved in the decision-making process. The influence any institutions have upon policy outcomes or policy decision-making processes varies with the expertise, knowledge, tech nical know how that the institutions have available, as well as the level of access these institutions have to the decision-makers that are mainly responsible for determining policy outcomes. As will be explored the decision-makers that are responsible for the framing and carrying out of policy outcomes will be more likely to be influenced by the institutions that have the most experience and expertise in the policy areas that the decision-makers are tasked with controlling and administering. An area of policy outcomes in which institutions have played roles in influencing the final policy decisions made and actually carried out has been in issues relating to the environment. Institutions that have been involved in studying the environment in general and environmental changes like the greenhouse effect in particular have been able to influence the policy outcomes in relation to taking measures to limit or reduce environmental damage. Academic and scientific institutions alongside environmentalist groups such as Friends of the Earth have played a significant role influencing policy outcomes. There are a few examples of policy outcomes that could be used in support of this statement, arguably strong supporting evidence as well (Jones et al, 2004 p. 600). These groups and institutions believe they can influence policy outcomes by setting the public agenda (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p. 5). Prior to the 1960s academic and scientific institutions had a minor role in influencing po licy outcomes with regard to issues concerning the environment. Policy decision-makers would contact institutions that had expertise or knowledge about environmental issues upon an ad hoc basis, for example in the 1950s when the British government wished to solve the problem of smog in the London area. On that occasion institutions gave advice as to the best way of cleaning up the air pollution that had been the cause of the smog (Jones et al, 2004 p. 600). From the 1960s academic and scientific institutions began to suspect that human economic and industrial activities were having a profoundly detrimental affect upon the physical environment. Increased concerns over the environment led to the emergence of pressure groups such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, these groups have tended to attempt to influence policy outcomes by generating publicity to raise public awareness of environment issues (Jones et al, 2004 p. 695). Arguably, the combined efforts of the academic and scientific institutions and the pressure groups have raised international as well as national awareness of environmental issues. Without the publicity achieved by the environmentalist pressure groups, the academic and scientific institutions would have found it much harder to have had any kind of meaningful influence over policy outcomes relating to the environment. In turn the publicity campaigns of the environmentalist pressure groups would have a had minimal i nfluence over policy outcomes without the strong and convincing scientific evidence of human induced climate change and environmental damage presented by the by the academic and scientific institutions. These were research findings that policy decision-makers believed they have had to react to (Coxall, Robbins, Leach, 2003 p. 401). The universal nature and the global scope of environmental issues has meant that institutions and pressure groups have attempted to influence policy outcomes upon a regional or even a global basis as well as at the national level (Jones et al, 2004 p. 599). Now attention needs to be turned to explore when the approach of academic and scientific institutions and environmentalist pressure groups has been able to influence policy outcomes. A good example of this happening was the problem of acid rain, which had its worst affects upon the forests of Scandinavia. Coal fired power stations in Britain were regarded as being the main culprits behind acid rain. Strong scientific evidence produced by research institutions and environmentalist pressure groups proved that this was in fact the case. Pressure from the Scandinavian governments and the European Union coupled with the evidence from academic institutions combined to persuade the British government to take action to solve the problem by cleaning up the emissions from the coal fired power stations (Coxall, Robbins, Leach, 2003 p. 406). Perhaps the first significant example of academic and scientific institutions having a global impact as opposed to a national impact over policy outcomes with regard to the environment was over the issue of damage to the ozone layer. During the early 1980s there was increasing scientific evidence of expanding holes in the ozone layer, which is an important barrier against the more harmful effects and forms of radiation emitted by the sun. The depletion of the ozone layer would not be harmful to peoples’ health, and it would increase the environmental damage caused by the greenhouse effect and speed up the process of global warming. Scientific research proved that the hole in the ozone layer was caused by the chloroflurocarbons (CFCs) used as coolants in fridges and freezers, as the propellants in aerosol cans, and in fast food packaging. Media coverage of the problems that the shrinking of the ozone layer was causing increased the ability of institutions to influence policy ou tcomes. International agreement was eventually reached that the use of CFCs would be phased out with less harmful alternatives being used instead (Jones et al, 2004 p. 600). As the scientific evidence of the greenhouse effect grew the role of academic and scientific institutions in influencing policy outcomes has increased as well. Countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, and eventually Britain have made efforts to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases (Judt, 2007 p. 494). The efforts of institutions concerned with protecting the environment has also strongly affected and influenced the European Union, which has introduced legislation, regulations, and directives for its member states to take policy measures to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases and achieve sustainable development. Attempts to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases culminated in the Rio Earth Summit, and the later Kyoto Protocol (Coxall, Robbins, Leach, 2003 p. 407). Currently there are ongoing talks to renew the Kyoto Protocol. Over all policy decision-makers have to take into account the environmental affects of the policy outcomes they make decisions on (Coxall , Robbins, Leach, 2003 p. 406). An area in which institutions can play a major or significant role in influencing policy outcomes is in relation to medical and public health issue. Hospitals, medical centres, universities, doctors, and nursing unions are all institutions or organisations that influence or attempt to influence policy outcomes. Governments believe that they have a responsibility to ensure that their policy outcomes if possible protect and enhance public health and safety standards. Doctors, nurses, universities, and hospitals also have good reasons to promote public health issues, mainly as that is important part of their objectives as institutions and skilled professionals. When it comes down to these institutions or groups influencing policy outcomes, those that have firmly focused public health and safety objectives are more effective if they have a strong or well developed expertise in their area of specialisation. In Britain the medical institutions that are linked with, or are actually part of the National Health Service (NHS) potentially have a strong influence on health policy outcomes. For instance, doctors and the medical departments of universities have played in developing new medical treatments, diagnosing new diseases, and researching for cures to illnesses. These institutions have helped to progressively improve the quality and quantity of healthcare services and medical treatments available, allowing for increased life expectancy. For instance organ transplants, better cancer treatments, and drugs that delay the onset of the HIV / AIDS virus have all been developed since the 1960s. These medical achievements were primarily developed to prolong both life expectancy and quality, which after all is the purpose of all medical professions (Hobsbawm, 1994 p. 556). However, universities, medical research laboratories, and pharmaceutical companies also motivated by the opportunities to raise their reputations for expertise, as well as hoping to gain substantial financial rewards (Hobsbawm, 1994 p. 556). Decision-makers that are part of publicly funded health services such as the NHS in Britain can have another major influence over policy outcomes, aside from the influence of medical institutions. That other influence is often decisive in the final determination of policy outcomes, and that is the issue of funding. The majority of the British population has high expectations of the NHS, and they expect or hope that all new medical treatments will be available to patients as soon as those treatments are required. Despite public expenditure on the NHS increasing every year, medical treatments have to be rationed out or provided on the basis of which patients need treatment the most urgently (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p. 296). The splitting up of the N HS budget into individual budgets for each health trust unit also means that medical institutions now have to attempt to influence policy outcomes at the health unit trust level as well as at the national level. Although the introduction of health trust units was intended to improve efficiency within the NHS, it has also meant that the medical treatments that patients may or may not receive depends on which area of Britain they live in (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p. 297). Of course those people that chose to have private healthcare there is no worry about their medical treatments being rationed or not available in some areas, all they have to do is have enough money or insurance to pay for their treatment in the first place (Moran, 2005, p. 54). Medical institutions can have an influence over policy outcomes when they diagnose or discover new illnesses, or when they wish to change people’s behaviour to prevent illnesses. When medical institutions diagnose or discover new illnesses it can have drastic consequences, and therefore have a significant influence upon policy outcomes. A prime example of a new illness having such a significant effect on policy outcomes was over the issue of mad cow disease in Britain. The issue of mad cow disease cut across agricultural, trade, and medical areas of government policy. The origin of the crisis began with the farming practice of feeding cattle food that inadvertently used the brains of sheep infected with scrapie, and subsequently led to the emergence of mad cow disease or Bovine Sponigform Encephalopathy (BSE). Medical and scientific evidence proved that BSE could be passed on to humans through the food chain. People infected in such a way went on to develop variant CJD, for wh ich there is currently no cure, and it invariably kills those infected. The initial reaction of the British government to the BSE crisis was slow, and seemed to ignore advice and evidence provided by agricultural and medical institutions in a vain attempt to protect the British beef industry (Fisher, Denver, Benyon, 2003 p. 123). Indeed the slowness of the government’s reaction meant that the problem got better rather than worse. The government’s efforts to maintain public confidence in the safety of British beef proved unconvincing. The testing of cattle herds for BSE infection was too slow, leaving the culling of entire herds as the only means of tackling the problem. The government was also slow in issuing safety guidelines in the NHS which meant that blood and organs unknowingly donated by variant CJD victims was used in blood transfusions and organ transplants which therefore infected more people (Moran, 2005 p. 433). The whole handling of the BSE issue clearly demonstrates that if politicians or policy decision-makers within the government fail to heed the advice of suitably qualified or experienced institutions that it can have disastrous consequences in terms of policy outcomes. Tackling an issue before it becomes an intractable problem can be the difference between damage limitation, and unmitigated policy failure (Moran, 2005 p. 433). The delays in tackling the BSE issue meant that peoples lives were put at risk unnecessarily, whilst the European Union ban on British beef and any of its by-products was highly damaging to the British beef industry (Fisher, Denver, Benyon, 2003 p. 123). The measures taken to restrict and eventually got rid of BSE cases in British cattle. However the gestation period of variant CJD means that it will be some time before there are no cases at all. The BSE free status of British cattle did eventually lead to the lifting of the ban on British beef exports (Moran, 2005 p. 433). Institutions have been able to influence policy outcomes when it comes to taking preventative health measures. For instance, reducing the number of smokers, heavy drinkers, and the number of people that have heart disease. Medical institutions have been aware for quite some time that many health problems are preventable, especially if people change their behaviour. An example of medical institutions having a strong influence on policy outcomes has been in reducing the number of smokers. Smoking has been proven to be a major cause of various types of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and strokes. Anti-smoking groups and medical institutions have sought to influence policy outcomes to reduce the numbers of people killed by smoking related illnesses. Policy outcomes have included a ban on cigarette advertising, government health warnings on packets, and hard -hitting NHS adverts showing the consequences of smoking upon people’s health. Governments have also raised duty levels on cigarettes to persuade people to give up smoking, although this has only had limited success (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p. 297). The Scottish Parliament took evidence about the harmful effects of smoking from medical institutions, and voted to ban smoking in public places. That decision proved to be the catalyst for the Westminster Parliament to do like likewise in 2006 (Whitaker’s, 2007 p. 1067). Data shows that increasing numbers of British smokers wish to stop, 598,600 attempting to do so in 2006 alone (Schott, 2006 p. 109). Attempts by medical institutions and the Police to reduce heavy drinking have not been so successful. Whilst the government has tried to reduce the amount of binge drinking, most steps have been done voluntarily by the drinks industry to avoid tougher measures been taken. Medical institutions are opposed to heavy drinking due to the medical damage it does, whilst the Police can prove the link between alcohol consumption and crime. The government also decided to extend licensing so pubs could stay open for 24 hours a day, a policy outcome that seems to contradict the objective of reducing alcohol consumption levels (Coxall, Robbins, Leach, 2003 p. 330). Britain according to research is the country with the third largest frequency of binge drinkers in the European Union, after Finland and Ireland (Schott, 2006 p. 109). In terms of reducing the risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, and strokes, medical institutions seem to have had more influence with food and drinks producers t han with the decision-makers that decide policy outcomes. Once again the government prefers that companies make their products healthier on a voluntarily basis. Governments also prefer not to alienate too many businesses by affecting their ability to make profits (Jones et al, 2004 p.599). Another way in which institutions can have an influence upon policy outcomes is by being involved with organisations or committees that can determine policy decisions. Such organisations are referred to quangos or quasi-autonomous non-government organisation, and they control many areas of public decision-making and expenditure (Comfort, 1993 p. 493). The definition of quangos is now national rather than non-governmental, as they are part of the governmental structure even they are not part of departments or the civil service. Quangos have various functions and therefore levels of power and budgets. Quangos such as regional development bodies have large budgets, and community institutions could have stronger influences on policy outcomes than national institutions. Other Quangos such as regulatory bodies like Ofgem are meant to regulate private businesses rather then being influenced by institutions (Coxall, Robbins, Leach, 2003 p. 332). Quangos therefore have a great deal of inform al power, so to influence with any of them can allow institutions to gain influence over policy outcomes (Jones et al, 2004 p. 663). Potentially institutions could gain influence over policy outcomes by having some of their representatives joining any quangos that operate within their areas of interest or expertise. Alternatively quangos often have the power to award lucrative contracts, or grant funding for research or community projects, that provides further incentives for institutions to gain access to those quangos that can decide policy outcomes. There are quangos that are linked to the relevant government departments, some of which could provide institutions with the ability to communicate with ministers. Some would argue that quangos are undemocratic, and increase the chances of corruption, although ministers can make them accountable to the government if not to Parliament (Fisher, Denver, Benyon, 2003 p.371). Both the Conservatives and New Labour have made widespread use o f quangos when in government as they argued that quangos make governance more efficient (Jones et al p.664). Another way in which institutions are able to influence policy outcomes is through publicity campaigns, and lobbying the government to make decisions that favour their objectives. Such a mode of operation can mean that the behaviour and strategy of institutions is very similar to pressure groups (Fisher, Denver, Benyon, 2003 p. 171). Publicity campaigns can be either positive or negative in their tone, depending on whether institutions want to encourage or discourage certain decisions (Judt, 2007 p. 544). Examples of positive campaigning include universities encouraging the introduction of tuition fees to fund increasing numbers of students, or campaigns to fund new hospitals or new medical treatments (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p. 272). More negative campaigns have included medical institutions resisting any reforms of the NHS that they do not like. These campaigns have proved highly effective, as even the Thatcher government could not attempt to dismantle the NHS (Judt, 2007 p. 544). Therefore it could be concluded that institutions could play a significant role in influencing policy outcomes. However, no institution is guaranteed to play a significant role in influencing policy outcomes just because it exists. The roles that institutions play in influencing policy outcomes varies with circumstances, whether the government of the day has strong ideological beliefs, the expertise, campaigning skills, and the objectives of each individual institution. Governments will naturally tend to favour the institutions whose views and objectives are similar to their own, although governments also like to pursue policies that improve their chances of re-election. However, that does not mean that governments are unwilling to hear the opinions of institutions if those institutions lobby the government to influence policy outcomes. Institutions are more likely to succeed in influencing policy outcomes if they can provide strong evidence to back up their arguments or policy sugge stions. Governments prefer to adopt policies that they can convince the electorate is necessary to improve public services, could improve the standard of living, or prevent things going wrong. Examples of governments being influenced by institutions that have altered government policy include taking the environment seriously, measures to reduce smoking, and steps taken to deal with the BSE crisis. The failings that the initially inept handling of the BSE crisis demonstrated that institutions cannot always have had an influence on policy outcomes, and may only be consulted after things have gone wrong. Bibliography Coxall B, Robins L Leach R (2003) Contemporary British Politics 4th edition, Palgrave, Basingstoke Fisher J, Denver D, Benyon J, (2003) Central Debates in British Politics, Longman, London Hobsbawm, E (1994) Age of Extremes, the Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991, Michael Joseph, London Judt T, (2007) Post-war – A History of Europe since 1945, Pimlico, London Moran M, (2005) Politic and Governance in the UK, Palgrave, Basingstoke Schott B, (2006) Schott’s Almanac 2007, Bloomsbury, London Seldon A Kavanagh D, (2005) The Blair Effect 2001 – 5, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Whitaker’s, (2007) Whitaker’s Almanack 2007 – today’s world in one volume, A C Black, London

Confronting Death in Richard Wilburs The Pardon Essay -- Wilbur The P

Confronting Death in Richard Wilbur's The Pardon Death is the issue at the heart of Richard Wilbur's poem "The Pardon." This is apparent from the opening line, "My dog lay dead five days without a grave." What is not immediately apparent, however, is that this is not simply a poem about a young boy's sadness over the loss of his dog. What Wilbur discusses in this piece is much more profound, cutting through the superficialities of death and confronting fears and doubts that all of us experience at different points in our lives. This is a poem about atonement, about facing the mistakes of the past and confronting them directly. More specifically, it is about reconciling ourselves with death and everything that life's deepest tragedies entail. The adult narrator of the poem is haunted by his past, unable to cope with feelings and emotions that he had as a youth. He even seems to have attempted to repress a portion of his life. However, as a result of a chillingly realistic dream, he is at last forced to face what he thought was burie d for good. The realization that comes because of this, the realization that death is not something to run from, is the true meaning of the poem and the crux of what Wilbur is trying to say to the reader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "The Pardon" can be divided into three distinct parts. The first sub-section is made up of stanzas one and two, which detail a tragic event that occurred in the life of the narrator when he was ten years old: the death of his dog. It is in these first eight lines that the narrator tries to give the reader an understanding of what he felt when this happened. He uses very descriptive words and phrases, providing vivid imagery of the various sights, smells, and sounds that he experienced. H... ...ightful look into death and the fears and doubts that it induces within all of us. The narrator of the poem is a man who has never been able to confront death, beginning with the loss of his dog at the age of ten. He has chosen to avoid it his entire life, rather than attempting to understand it. It is finally as an adult that a vivid dream causes him to finally face his fears: he sees his dog rising out of its grave and begins to ask it for forgiveness. The dog in the dream can be seen as a representation of his trepidation. Once he is able to confront it and ask for its pardon, he can finally begin to cope with the idea of death.    Works Cited Jarrell, Randall. "Fifty Years of American Poetry." The Third Book of Criticism. NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1969. Wilbur, Richard. "Mayflies." Mayflies: New Poems and Translations. NY: Harcourt Brace, 2000.

Shedding a Different Spotlight on the Argument from Design :: Essays Papers

Shedding a Different Spotlight on the Argument from Design "Author is to book, as painter is to __________." Anyone who has taken the SAT is familiar with analogies similar to this one. The significance of analogies relies on the fact that analogies not only tell us about the meaning of words, but they tell us about the relationships of the world. In discussing our world, a well-known, much-debated topic has been the existence of God. Many arguments have been presented on both sides of this issue, the teleological argument (the argument from design) is one of the most discussed. This argument is better understood and supported using analogies. The key is to find an analogy that is grounded and plausible enough to stand up to sharp critiques. The teleological argument is a valid and plausible argument, because it allows enough evidence for the relationship of the Creator and the world to be analogous to that of a director and a musical. The basics of the teleological argument include the statement that the apparent design of the world suggests a Designer. William Paley, the populizer of this argument, uses an analogy that states the relationship of the Creator to creation is like that of a watch-maker to a watch (Rowe & Wainwright 155). The core of this argument is the claim that the design of the world suggests an intelligent designer. It further states that "something suggests intelligence if (1) it serves the sorts of ends that human minds typically propose to themselves†¦ and (2) the results are achieved in a reasonably effective manner" (Wainwright 52). This is the ground where this paper will begin to formulate an analogy that increases the plausibility of the design argument. The analogy I prefer is theatrical. The participants in a musical play include the musicians, actors, singers, dancers, stage and crew members. Each of these members is an integral piece in the body of the production. The director is the heart-beat of the production. Without the director, there would not be a musical. The director begins the formation of the musical with an end in mind-- a vision. The director uses a variety of methods to convey this vision to the players involved while guiding them in making that vision a reality. The players must cooperate with each other throughout the process and follow the director's instructions in order for the production to even resemble the director's vision.

Cougar or Coyote Essay

The trickster is an important archetype in any religion or myth because it provides an outlet for all of the chaotic and destructive emotions and tendencies of a people that are controlled by a larger social construct. It is through a trickster figure that people of a religion or society are able to explore the more untamed side of their nature while additionally presenting them with the consequences of those desires. The trickster is a figure that at once both mocks social morals and at the same time also reinforces those morals by showing the pandemonium and trouble that arises if the people do not follow the rules that are in place. The trickster also allows the people of a religion to express ideas and desires that might not ordinarily be acceptable in their society. In this way the trickster plays a very important and cathartic role in a religion or myth. Penelope, from Homers The Odyssey, is a woman of grit and spirit. Ellen Shull declares in her essay â€Å"Valuing Multiple Critical Approaches: Penelope, Again†¦ and Again† that Penelope is â€Å"the paragon of resilient womanhood† (32). However, a trickster god, like Monkey from Wu Ch’eng-en’s novel Monkey, and a mortal woman like Penelope appear to have nothing in common. Their roles are so different and their apparent purposes are even more so. On the surface it may seem as though Penelope from The Odyssey shares very little resemblance with a trickster god. However, when one takes a closer look the similarities become more obvious. Penelope is at once a powerful figure that adheres to the social norms of her patriarchal society while still rebelliously challenging the acknowledged rules of how a woman should behave. This can be seen as how a trickster like Monkey is used in myth to subvert a society’s own beliefs. Penelope is the other side of the coin of what it means to be a trickster. She is the female version as it were. Penelope may not be male, amoral, animal, or supernatural but she is cunning, childish, inventive, and she also a subversive figure within her patriarchal society. The most obvious source of incompatibility of Penelope being a trickster is that she is female while the trickster is usually a male like Monkey. Now, unless Penelope was even more deceitful than anyone had ever imagined then it is safe to say that she is not a trickster god based on that one quality alone. Leeming states that the trickster is â€Å"always male† (163). Obviously, Penelope is not male which means that she is, according to Leeming, not a trickster god, no exceptions. But if Leeming were to make an exception then Penelope would be one. Penelope is a woman who must work against all the restrictions and suffocating bounds that her society uses to leash women in order to trick the people surrounding her and she does. â€Å"She deceives the suitors and even her own husband† (Mueller, 337). Penelope even has long lasting deceptions that fool people for years. The sexual organs Penelope was born with seem to be of little importance when compared to the massive opposing powers and influences that she if forced to undermine and battle against. The next point of disparity between Penelope and a trickster figure like Monkey is that the trickster is seen as a philandering, unprincipled, hooligan. The trickster is considered to be an ethically neutral figure with a propensity for getting into humorous predicaments. Leeming calls the trickster â€Å"amoral†¦outrageous†¦ [and is] untamed by the larger social conscience†). Monkey is a perfect example of this side of a trickster. Monkey is not exactly immoral he just has his own sense of what the right thing to do is and he is overwhelmingly selfish. Every action and quest he takes at the beginning of his story is motivated by his desire to be immortal and to gain power. Even when Monkey protects his other monkey subjects he does so because he wants to maintain his kingship more than out of a fear for their safety and wellbeing. One could even posit that the monkeys would be better off without him because he brings the wrath of heaven down upon them. Monkey has all these qualities that Leeming states a trickster is comprised of. Penelope, on the other hand, is none of these things. In fact, she is usually remembered for her faithfulness to her husband even though he was gone for twenty years. Penelope â€Å"waits in Ithaca for Odysseus. She looks after his home, his son and his estate. She weeps lonely tears but nothing induces her to betray her husband and to neglect her duties, not even under pressure from the suitors does she contemplate infidelity† (Smit, 393-394). Her unwavering loyalty to her husband and her devotion to the gods are not the sort of characteristics seen in the trickster who typically represents lower or baser instincts and functions. Penelope is a classy lady but again she also has that side to her that rebels at the rules of her culture. Some might even call her a vain tease for keeping her suitors around for so long while never picking one or giving in to their masculine power. Penelope, also, does not fit in the trickster category because she is only human while a trickster is usually an animal. Leeming states that a trickster â€Å"takes animal form† (163). Monkey obviously fits into this category. Not only is he a monkey but he has mystical origins. He was born from a stone. In fact Monkey’s animal form is a point of ire for him because he in Monkey he tries become more and more human-like. He starts wearing clothes and stands upright in an attempt to appear more human. This fight between animal and human characteristics is vital in a trickster figure because that animal quality is in part what allows them to get away with their mischief. Penelope is no dog. Or any animal for that matter. She is in fact a very desirable woman with scores of suitors fighting for her hand in marriage. This does not help her in the trickster category but it does, however, show how her beauty and desirability are in part what allow her to get away with her schemes. Her beauty can even be seen as her animal side because it basically serves the same function that the animal form serves the trickster. An animal form, or in the case of Penelope, her beauty, is a metaphor of who they are and it allows them to be more completely that character and it allows them to do things that would not ordinarily be acceptable within that society. Penelope’s beauty is what allows her to subvert her patriarchal culture because her beauty gives her power over her suitors. She is a woman but she uses that to her advantage. It could also been seen that being a woman in the time of The Odyssey was akin to being an animal because it was such a male dominant culture where woman were little more than chattel or bargaining pieces. Maybe Penelope has more trickster qualities than are first apparent. The last way that Penelope does not fit into the trickster category is that she has no supernatural powers. Leeming â€Å"† (). She has no magical powers which show even further how she is not like a trickster. The trickster is almost always a supernatural figure. This category obviously denotes that a trickster has otherworldly abilities with which to influence outcomes. Penelope works entirely in the realm of her intelligence to bring about the results and tricks that she has concocted. This can make Penelope seem as being more skilled than a god who needs magic to bring about the outcome that he so desires. When compared to Penelope supernatural powers might be viewed as cheating.