Hamlets Options Essays - Characters In Hamlet,

Hamlet's Options Hamlets Options KING: Bow, stubborn knees, and heart with strings of steel, Be soft as sinews of the newborn babe! All may be well. (He kneels) HAMLET: Now might I do it pat, now a is a-praying; And now Ill do t. And so a goes to heaven, and so am I revenged. At this moment the main problem of Hamlet could be ended. Hamlet could kill his Uncle Claudius and avenge his fathers death, and the case would (excepting the case of some unknown tragedy) be closed. He would not accidentally kill Polonius, and perhaps he, Ophelia, Gertrude, and Laertes would not end up dead. The play might not have such an entirely tragic ending after all. However, Hamlet chooses not to. HAMLET: Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent. When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, Or in th incestuous pleasure of his bed, At game a-swearing, or about some act That has no relish of salvation in t Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, And that his soul may be as damned and black As hell, whereto it goes. By most accounts, this passage would be taken to mean that he does not kill Claudius because at this time the King is praying, and when praying ones soul will ascend to heaven if one should die. Hamlet wants Claudius to burn in hell; for him to go to heaven would make his revenge void. He will avenge his fathers death when Claudius is engaged in some other less holy act, in order to insure the Kings place in hell. Of course, by his delaying his revenge, the entire plot of the play goes in a different direction. Immediately after this scene Hamlet speaks with his mother, unknowing of the fact that Polonius is hiding behind a curtain in the room with them. When the Queen becomes frightened by Hamlets irate demeanor she cries out for help, as does Polonius. Hamlet mistakes Polonius for Claudius and stabs him to death. This, of course, causes a landslide of tragedy in the play. Claudius exiles Hamlet to England and sends sealed letters to the King of England telling him to kill Hamlet upon his arrival. Ophelia goes insane. Laertes, Hamlets brother, returns from France with an army, demanding to know why Polonius was killed. Claudius enlists Laertes to kill Hamlet. Ophelia commits suicide. Hamlet and Laertes duel at her funeral; both of them are mortally wounded, Gertrude kills herself and Hamlet kills Claudius. Laertes and Hamlet forgive each other, Hamlet names the Norwegian prince Fortinbras as successor to the throne, everyone dies, the end. Its not quite so cut and dry as this, however. Hamlet the play and Hamlet the character are much more complex than this. Throughout the play we are given the impression that Hamlet is one moody, melancholy dude. Consider his situation: his father died. His fathers ghost appears and speaks to him and tells him he has been murdered, and his poor son must avenge his death. This right here is one big problem in and of itself: how is Hamlet supposed to know if this is even his father? How does he know the ghost is not some demon from hell? What if hes going crazy and hallucinating? Another problem: the women in his life. Ophelia isnt exactly a grounding force; she ends up losing her mind and committing suicide. He dares not hurt his mother Gertrude, as the ghost told him not to harm her in getting his revenge. Is he really helping his country by killing the king? Does that do Denmark any good? And murder, of course, is not exactly easy. Already a thoughtful, complex man, whom I might diag nose as manic depressive; Hamlets slow unraveling throughout the course of the play is due to the many factors that are constantly pressing down on him. So, when he decides not to kill Claudius in Act 3 Scene 3, is it really because of his need to see the King burn in hell, or is that just an excuse for Hamlets doubts and misgivings in order to delay enacting his revenge? Hamlet is too intricate a character to be so singularily focused on one goal; it is obvious

Steps toward becoming a successful Journalist

Steps toward becoming a successful Journalist Although I am still young, I have a good idea of what I would like to do in the future. My plan is to pursue the career of journalism. Journalism is a fiercely competitive job, with many steps and strategies that can be taken to advance oneself. It does not seem easy yet the world of journalism is extremely exciting with many rewards.There are a great deal of skills needed to become a successful journalist. First off, a sincere interest in current affairs is beneficial. Writing, reporting, and interviewing is all centered on what is happening in the world today. I will have to learn to accept traveling away from home for periods at a time to get information on future articles. Journalists often work long irregular hours. The criteria for their work is demanding, with strict deadlines. I would have to learn self discipline, and practice getting assignments completed on time.Chinese language posters for Citizen Journalism Un...Procrastinating will not be acceptable. Furthermore, succes sful journalists need to have extreme confidence, excellent communication skills, and a good command of the English language for their work has to be error free. I believe taking a public speaking class in college will help higher my confidence and communication skills, and taking a few English classes will help my grammar and mechanical writing.Many mental skills are crucial to succeeding in the world of journalism. One should possess qualities such as being able to remain calm under pressure and having an enthusiastic and out going personality. Having the capacity to be inquisitive and persistent, and understanding the need for balance and objective is also important. Many journalists work in loud, hectic offices. I would need to learn to tune out the noise to concentrate on my work. Practicing reading a book, or writing a short story in a...

Abortion in USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Abortion in USA - Essay Example Abortion, or the willful termination of pregnancy, has very much been in the forefront in public debate in the United States. The legality of abortions and the right to have one are topics very vociferously opposed or supported.It should be noted that abortion is not a new phenomenon. Abortions have been carried out in the world since a long time ago. There have been findings, such as various olden texts, that prove that abortions were being carried out thousands of years ago. Various religious texts have also broached the subject in one way or another. It can be safely assumed that almost everyone has an opinionated stance when it comes to abortion based on what they deem to be their religious, moral, ethical and/or personal beliefs. Though many countries have legalized abortions, in the United States, the debate regarding the legality has still not been resolved, despite the United States Supreme Court having made a ruling on the subject. A brief historical overview in this regard reveals that abortion had not always been illegal in the United States. It was around the middle of the nineteenth century that states started enacting laws that made abortions illegal (â€Å"History of Abortion†). However, religion or morality did not have much to do with it. It was actually based on the premise of increasing the population, and ensuring that the immigrant populations did not increase those of the older residents. The religious minded people got involved in the debate much later, especially upon the scientific discovery that human life began at inception and not at the end of the first trimester as it had been previously thought. However, with the outlawing of abortion, there was a trend of women, who sought abortions, to go to ill-equipped back-alley practitioners most of whom were not medically trained. This resulted in many complications and deaths. With the passage of time, in late twentieth century, some states did legalize abortion; however, by 1965 it was effectively banned, with a few exceptions like in cases of rape or incest, if the mother’s life was at risk, or if the fetus was not developing right. Then, in 1973, the United States Supreme Court, in Roe v. Wade, struck down all state laws that prohibited a woman from having abortion, thus, in effect legalizing it. Even after the ruling in Roe v. Wade, the debate has not died, and some states, with the support, or by the demand, of the public at large, have enacted laws that restrict federal and/or state funding for abortion, thus minimizing the scope of the ruling. The two sides of the debate that oppose or support it are termed pro-life and pro-choice respectively. Out of the many arguments that they give, some are being mentioned here. The pro-life group argues that human life should not be so easily dispensable. It is sacred and should be preserved. A person has not right to end another’s life. Moreover, if we seek to bring religion into the debate then most , if not all, religions prohibit abortion, therefore, people who follow these faiths should not engage in the practice. Those women who opt for an abortion, according to a lot of religious minded people, show their lack of faith in God and His Commandments and His Providence. They claim that if God blesses someone with children, then He is the One who shall also provide sustenance. Also, the pain that the fetus goes through during the process is horrendous, and the fetus should not be subjected to that. What is more, abortion may also result in severe psychological trauma to the woman involved and cause emotional scarring that may last her entire life. Furthermore, abortion can, and often does, result in various medical complications. The procedure itself is quite painful, and though it does not have a long duration, however, the medical complications it can give rise to may last a life time. These medical complications include infection, sepsis, cervix weakening, miscarriages in la ter life, difficulties in

Preventing Noise Induced Hearing Loss in Children Essay

Preventing Noise Induced Hearing Loss in Children - Essay Example The loss is fairly gradual, so it may not be noticed immediately. The amount of hearing lost depends on the intensity of the sound, the duration of the sound, and how often the person experiences the sound. Hearing loss can be long term, or short term, depending on the above three instances. Once hearing loss has happened, however, there is no way to cure what has happened. In "Noise Induced Hearing Loss in Children: what Educators Need to Know", by Anne Kathryn Haller and Judy K. Montgomery, they describe the effect that noise induced hearing loss has had on American society. Nearly one third of Americans with hearing loss can link their decreased hearing ability to noise (Haller 29). Over time, it has moved to the number two cause of hearing loss, after age-related hearing loss. According to Haller, "nearly thirty million people are estimated to be exposed to injurious levels of noise each day" (30). What is worse is that many of these people are children. For children, loss of hearing carries a greater penalty then loss of hearing for adults has. Children are still learning how to use language, and a loss of hearing can negatively impact their ability to communicate, understand and learn language (Holler 2004). In the article, to prevent these problems in schools, Holler suggests having regular assessments of noise in schools, keeping noise in cafet erias and gymnasiums as low as possible, encouraging students to use personal hearing protectors, and regular screening of students for hearing loss, so that it can be caught and treated early (Holler 2004). In "The Effectiveness of an Interactive Hearing Conservation Program for Children," by Gail D. Chermak, Lori Curtis and J. Anthony Seikel, the researchers looked at recent increases in hearing loss in children and possible causes and solutions. They determined that of children with hearing loss, the majority of them are boys ages ten and older who have diminished their hearing in leisure activity (Chermok 1). Their study primarily looked at the effectiveness of hearing education for children in elementary school, and its long term effect on the children's responses to situations involving excessive noise. They presented to children two one hour sessions in which they were asked first what they knew about hearing and hearing loss in a questionnaire, and then were taught how to recognize situations of excessive noise, and how to protect their own hearing in those situations. Results suggested that this education significantly increased the children's knowledge of hearing and hearing l oss, and also increased the children's likelihood to use preventive and protective measures when around excessive noise. In the third article, "Hearing Conservation Education Programs for Children: A Review," by Robert L. Folmar, Susan E. Griest, and William Hal Martin, current efforts to protect children's hearing are reviewed, in order to provide a comprehensive source for educators. They found twelve programs whose primary goal was to educate about hearing loss, and an additional seventeen whose specifically looked at children and

Charles Murray Essay Example for Free

Charles Murray Essay The New Right came from the work of the American Sociologist Charles Murray who viewed welfare payments has causing lone parenthood which in turn created an underclass. Charles Murray visited the UK in 1989 and said it has a developing underclass. Murray said: â€Å"the underclass are defined by their behaviour. Their homes are littered and unkempt. The men in the family are unable to hold down a job. Drunkenness is common. The children grew up ill-schooled and ill-behaved and contribute to a disproportionate share of juvenile delinquents† Murray saw underclass as behaviour a lifestyle choice, a disease which infects certain groups of people. When I use the term underclass I am indeed focusing on a certain type of poor person defined not by his condition, for example, long-term unemployment, but by his deplorable behaviour in response to that condition, for example, unwilling to take jobs that are available to him. This shows how members of the underclass define themselves as different by their own behaviour. Murray singles out three forms of behaviour that define underclass status: * Parenting behaviour * Criminal behaviour * Labour market behaviour Specifically, it is illegitimate births to young women, habitual crime and particularly violent crime, and the refusal of young working class men to enter employment that determines the existence of an underclass. If illegitimate births are the leading indicator of an underclass and violent crime a proxy measure of its development, the definitive proof that an underclass has arrived is that large numbers of young, healthy, low-income males choose not to take jobs. (The young idle rich are a separate problem). (Murray, 1990) Since, in his analysis, it is the poor themselves that are to blame for their poverty, because they either choose to act in a certain way, or are conditioned to do so by over-generous government welfare, the policy solutions that flow from this analysis are, not surprisingly, aimed at changing the behaviour of the poor. The alternative, improving the effectiveness of the welfare programmes, is not considered. Indeed for New Right theorists, the welfare state is a major part of the problem. What such theorists would seek is the dismantling of the welfare state, and a situation set up that would make it dysfunctional for individuals to act in deviant ways. David Marsland Sociologist David Marsland has adopted the new right approach and does not believe that poverty is as bad as others are making out. He claims that groups such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation purposely confuse poverty with inequality and completely exaggerates the extent of poverty. He argues that there is only absolute poverty and that relative does not exist. Marsland is very critical about universal benefits and services such as health care, education and child benefits. He believes that people who are on low income are results of the state being too generous in their benefits and services rather than the individual’s inadequacy to work (Haralambos Holborn, 2008). A quote from Marsland : the expectation that society, the state, the government, they, will look after our problems tricks us into abdicating from self-reliance and social responsibly (Marsland 1989). However, Marsland has been criticised by Bill Jordan who says that he is wrong to blame the culture of dependenc y to universal welfare provision. He argues that selectively means testing benefits can trap people in a life of poverty. It often turns out that people are better off on benefits than they would be in work. It also can exclude the individual from the rest of society and make them feel ashamed and embarrassed that they receive benefits. Also, if education and health care are private then people with disability and unskilled workers may not be able to afford or find work. Jordan also claims that societies that rely upon means-tested benefits and private health care, tend to develop a large underclass, who have little chance of escaping from poverty; this is the case in countries such as America. Jordan states that poverty is a result of societies being too harsh. He argues that the only way to break the cycle of poverty is by universal benefits that are at a high enough standard so people can afford to work and get back up on their feet (Haralambos Holborn, 2008). Despite this, the New Right approach has been influential across Western countries, and the Conservative party is in power in Britain today.

The Flight Path of Airplanes Over Neighborhoods Essay -- Solutions Pap

The Flight Path of Airplanes Over Neighborhoods The houses can’t be unbuilt, and the airports can’t be torn down.   But maybe the fences can be mended.   –Robbie Sherwood    In the past 10 years, many cities across the country have outgrown the planner’s expectations.   Unfortunately the airports that were built 20 or more years ago, have not grown with the cities.   Phoenix has tripled in size in the past 10 years.   The tripling of air traffic has not had anywhere to go.   The same two runways that have been serving the city since 1935 when the airport was built have been extremely over loaded.   It is not just happening in Phoenix, a few years ago Denver received a new airport to relieve the overflow of traffic from the older Stapelton Airport.  Ã‚   In Irvine California, El Toro Marine Air Base is scheduled to be closed next year, and running into opposition to be converted to civilian use.   The changes in the National Airspac e System (NAS) are always happening, either in the routing of traffic or the airports on the ground. The problem arises when the traffic routes change faster than the airport system does.   As said above, there are some changes that are going on in the system right now.   Ã¢â‚¬Å" To accommodate the growing number of flights operating at Sky Harbor construction of a new third runway is underway.   The 7,800-foot parallel runway is scheduled for completion in spring 1999†(Sky harbor International Airport 4). In Denver the traffic load that was being handled by Stapelton Airport was too high.   When Denver International (DIA) opened in February 1995 it could immediately take three times of the traffic that Stapelton could the week before.          I believe that the airports around the country and specifically in Phoe... ...Harbor International Airport. http://www.ci.phoenix.az.us/AVIATION/airports.html   (2 Dec. 1998). â€Å"Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.†Ã‚   List of Airport Tables. http://www.nrdc.org/nrdc/nrdcpro/nrdcpro/foc/phazps.html (2 Dec. 1998). â€Å"Record of Approval: Scottsdale Airport Noise Compatibility Program.† Federal Aviation Administration. http://www.faa.gov/arp/app600/14cfr150/roasdl.html (28   Oct. 1998). â€Å"Scottsdale Airport General Information.†Ã‚   City of Scottsdale Transportation.   http://www.ci.scottsdale.az.us/airport/general_info.asp  Ã‚   (28 Oct. 1998). Sherwood. Robbie. â€Å"Airports Runway to future Bumpy:   Olive Branches offered to  Ã‚   Williams Neighbors.†Ã‚   Arizona Republic.   25 Oct. 1998,   community ed.; EV1+. Sullivan, George.   Personal Interview. 27   Oct. 1998. â€Å"What’s New.† Williams Gateway Airport. http://www.flywga.org/whatsnew.htm (2 Dec. 1998)   

The Voting Rights Act of 1965

The 1965 Enactment By 1965 concerted efforts to break the grip of state disfranchisement had been under way for some time, but had achieved only modest success overall and in some areas had proved almost entirely ineffectual. The murder of voting-rights activists in Philadelphia, Mississippi, gained national attention, along with numerous other acts of violence and terrorism.Finally, the unprovoked attack on March 7, 1965, by state troopers on peaceful marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, en route to the state capitol in Montgomery, persuaded the President and Congress to overcome Southern legislators' resistance to effective voting rights legislation. President Johnson issued a call for a strong voting rights law and hearings began soon thereafter on the bill that would become the Voting Rights Act.Congress determined that the existing federal anti-discrimination laws were not sufficient to overcome the resistance by state officials to enforcement of the 15t h Amendment. The legislative hearings showed that the Department of Justice's efforts to eliminate discriminatory election practices by litigation on a case-by-case basis had been unsuccessful in opening up the registration process; as soon as one discriminatory practice or procedure was proven to be unconstitutional and enjoined, a new one would be substituted in its place and litigation would have to commence anew.President Johnson signed the resulting legislation into law on August 6, 1965. Section 2 of the Act, which closely followed the language of the 15th amendment, applied a nationwide prohibition against the denial or abridgment of the right to vote on the literacy tests on a nationwide basis. Among its other provisions, the Act contained special enforcement provisions targeted at those areas of the country where Congress believed the potential for discrimination to be the greatest.Under Section 5, jurisdictions covered by these special provisions could not implement any ch ange affecting voting until the Attorney General or the United States District Court for the District of Columbia determined that the change did not have a discriminatory purpose and would not have a discriminatory effect. In addition, the Attorney General could designate a county covered by these special provisions for the appointment of a federal examiner to review the qualifications of persons who wanted to register to vote.Further, in those counties where a federal examiner was serving, the Attorney General could request that federal observers monitor activities within the county's polling place. The Voting Rights Act had not included a provision prohibiting poll taxes, but had directed the Attorney General to challenge its use. In Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections, 383 U. S. 663 (1966), the Supreme Court held Virginia's poll tax to be unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment.Between 1965 and 1969 the Supreme Court also issued several key decisions upholding the const itutionality of Section 5 and affirming the broad range of voting practices that required Section 5 review. As the Supreme Court put it in its 1966 decision upholding the constitutionality of the Act: Congress had found that case-by-case litigation was inadequate to combat wide-spread and persistent discrimination in voting, because of the inordinate amount of time and energy required to overcome the obstructionist tactics invariably encountered in these lawsuits.After enduring nearly a century of systematic resistance to the Fifteenth Amendment, Congress might well decide to shift the advantage of time and inertia from the perpetrators of the evil to its victims. South Carolina v. Katzenbach, 383 U. S. 301, 327-28 (1966). Back to top The 1970 and 1975 Amendments Congress extended Section 5 for five years in 1970 and for seven years in 1975. With these extensions Congress validated the Supreme Court's broad interpretation of the scope of Section 5.During the hearings on these extens ions Congress heard extensive testimony concerning the ways in which voting electorates were manipulated through gerrymandering, annexations, adoption of at-large elections, and other structural changes to prevent newly-registered black voters from effectively using the ballot. Congress also heard extensive testimony about voting discrimination that had been suffered by Hispanic, Asian and Native American citizens, and the 1975 amendments added protections from voting discrimination for language minority citizens.In 1973, the Supreme Court held certain legislative multi-member districts unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment on the ground that they systematically diluted the voting strength of minority citizens in Bexar County, Texas. This decision in White v. Regester, 412 U. S. 755 (1973), strongly shaped litigation through the 1970s against at-large systems and gerrymandered redistricting plans. In Mobile v. Bolden, 446 U. S. 5 (1980), however, the Supreme Court required that any constitutional claim of minority vote dilution must include proof of a racially discriminatory purpose, a requirement that was widely seen as making such claims far more difficult to prove. Back to top The 1982 Amendments Congress renewed in 1982 the special provisions of the Act, triggered by coverage under Section 4 for twenty-five years. Congress also adopted a new standard, which went into effect in 1985, providing how jurisdictions could terminate (or â€Å"bail out† from) coverage under the provisions of Section 4.Furthermore, after extensive hearings, Congress amended Section 2 to provide that a plaintiff could establish a violation of the Section without having to prove discriminatory purpose. The 2006 Amendments Congress renewed the special provisions of the Act in 2006 as part of the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, Cesar E. Chavez, Barbara Jordan, William Velazquez and Dr. Hector Garcia Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act. The 2006 legislation eliminated the provision for voting examiners.