Exploring the Role of Marriage in Paradise Lost Essay -- Religion God

Exploring the Role of Marriage in Paradise Lost In his epic poem, Paradise Lost, John Milton addresses the role of woman and man within the institution of marriage. More specifically, he explores why such a bond is considered sacred within the context of his Protestant religion. The book of Genesis offers two guidelines for an ideal marriage, both exemplified in the relationship between Adam and Eve. The first account states, â€Å"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh† (Gen. 2.24). A contextual reading gives the reader the impression that God encourages man and wife to pursue a spiritually enriched relationship, in which they share such intimate feelings that they seem to become a single person. The second account translates the word of God, â€Å"Be fruitful and multiply† (Gen. 1.28). This statement asserts that procreation is an important aspect of an ideal marriage. Milton’s own account of Genesis within Paradise Lost, supp orts the first account, but does not discount the latter. Adam and Eve are the original parents of mankind, and do procreate within the Garden of Eden. However, Milton chooses to focus much more on the bond shared between them, instead of the results of their sexual relationship. Adam and Eve maintain a partnership that involves deep friendship and understanding for one other. Connecting with one another allows them to maintain a structured relationship without any confusion as to each role within the relationship. Concentrating on the bond between one another allows them this clarity, much like, in Protestant religion, a strong devotional relationship to God allows clarity within one’s life. In emphasizing the importance of t... ...: A Study of the Divorce Tracts and Paradise Lost. Yale University Press. Conn.: New Haven, 1970. 3. Marilla, E.L. Milton & Modern Man. University of Alabama Press. Alabama: University, 1968. 4. Milton, John. Paradise Lost. The Riverside Milton. Ed. Roy Flannagan. Houghton Mifflin Company. Mass: Boston, 1998. 5. Nyquist, Mary. â€Å"The Genesis of Gendered Subjectivity in the Divorce Tracts and in Paradise Lost.† Critical Essays on John Milton. Ed. Christopher Kendrick. G.K. Hall & Co. New York, 1995. 6. Samuel, Irene. â€Å"The Dialogue in Heaven: A Reconsideration of Paradise Lost.† Milton, Modern Essays in Criticism. Ed. Arthur E. Barker. Oxford University Press. New York, 1965. 7. â€Å"The First Book of Moses, Called Genesis.† Handout. 9 October 2003.

Acquisition is a High Risky Strategy Essay

In the literature, several motives for takeovers have been identified. One is the desire for synergy. That is, similarities or complementarities between the acquiring and target firms are expected to result in the combined value of the enterprises exceeding their worth as separate firms (Collis and Montgomery, 1998). A second motive involves the expectation that acquirers can extract value because target companies have been managed inefficiently (Varaiya, 1987). A third motive is attributed to managerial hubris – the notion that senior executives, in overestimating their own abilities, acquire companies they believe could be managed more profitably under their control. Agency theory motive is the anticipation that firm expansion will positively impact the compensation of top managers since there tends to be a direct relation between firm size and executive pay. Contemporary specialists contend that managerial ownership incentives may be expected to have divergent impacts on corporate strategy and firm value. This premise has been recognized in previous studies. For instance, Stulz (1988) has examined the ownership of managers of target companies and has proposed that the relationship between that ownership and the value of target firms may initially be positive and then subsequently become negative with rising insider ownership. Moreover, Shivdasani (1993) empirically shows that the relationship of the ownership structure of target companies with the value of hostile bids is not uniformly positive. McConnell and Servaes (1990) have likewise analyzed the relationship of equity ownership among corporate insiders and Tobin’s q. Their results demonstrate a non-monotonic relation between Tobin’s q and insider equity stakes. Wright et al. (1996: 451) have shown a non-linear relationship between insider ownership and corporate strategy related to firm risk taking. Ownership Incentives and Changes in Company Risk Motivating Acquisitions An agency-theoretic motive for acquisitions has been used to explain managerial preferences for risk-reducing corporate strategies (Wright et al., 1996). The implication is that both principals and agents prefer acquiring target companies with higher rather than lower returns. In that, shareholders and managers have congruent interests. The interests, however, diverge in terms of risk considerations associated with acquisitions. Because shareholders possess diversified portfolios, they may only be concerned with systematic risk and be indifferent to the total variance of returns associated with a takeover. Senior managers may alternatively prefer risk-reducing corporate strategies, unless they are granted ownership incentives. That is because they can not diversify their human capital invested in the firm. In the literature, it has been argued that agency costs may be reduced as managerial ownership incentives rise. The reason is that, as ownership incentives rise, the financial interests of insiders and shareholders will begin to converge. Analysts conjecture, however, that such incentives may not consistently provide senior executives the motivation to lessen the agency costs associated with an acquisition strategy. Inherent is the presumption that the nature of executive wealth portfolios will differently influence their attitudes toward corporate strategy. The personal wealth portfolios of top managers are comprised of their ownership of shares/options in the firm, the income produced from their employment, and assets unrelated to the firm. Presumably, as senior executives increase their equity stakes in the enterprise, their personal wealth portfolios become correspondingly less diversified. Although stockholders can diversify their wealth portfolios, top executives have less flexibility if they own substantial shares in the firms they manage. Hence, if a significant portion of managers’ wealth is concentrated in one investment, then they may find it prudent to diversify their firms via risk-reducing acquisitions. In the related literature, however, takeovers and risk taking have been approached differently from the described approach. Amihud and Lev (1999) have contended that insiders’ employment income is significantly related to the firm’s performance. Thus, managers are confronted with risks associated with their income if the maintenance of that income is dependent on achieving predetermined performance targets. Reasonably, in the event of either corporate underperformance or firm failure, CEOs not only may lose their current employment income but also may seriously suffer in the managerial labor market, since their future earnings potential with other enterprises may be lowered. Hence, the risk of executives’ employment income is impacted by the firm’s risk. The ramification of Amihud and Lev’s (1999) contentions is that top managers will tend to lower firm risk, and therefore their own employment risk, by acquiring companies that contribute to stabiliz ing of the firm’s income, even if shareholder wealth is adversely affected. Consistent with the implications of Amihud and Lev’s arguments, Agrawal and Mandelker (1987) have similarly suggested that managers with negligible ownership stakes may adopt risk-reducing corporate strategies because such strategies may well serve their own personal interests. With ownership incentives, however, managers may be more likely to acquire risk-enhancing target companies, in line with the requirement of wealth maximization for shareholders. The notion that at negligible managerial ownership levels, detrimental risk-reducing acquisition strategies may be emphasized, but with increasing ownership incentive levels, beneficial risk-enhancing acquisitions may be more prevalent is also suggested in other works (Grossman and Hoskisson, 1998). The conclusion of these investigations is that the relationship between insider ownership and risk enhancing, worthy corporate acquisitions is linear and positive. Some experts assert that CEOs’ personal wealth concentration will induce senior managers to undertake risk-reducing firm strategies. Portfolio theory’s expectation suggests that investors or owner-managers may desire to diversify their personal wealth portfolios. For instance, Markowitz (1952: 89) has asserted that investors may wish to â€Å"diversify across industries because firms in different industries. . . have lower covariances than firms within an industry.† Moreover, as argued by Sharpe (1964: 441), â€Å"diversification enables the investor to escape all but the risk resulting from swings in economic activity.† Consequently, managers with substantial equity investments in the firm may diversify the firm via risk-reducing acquisitions in order to diversify their own personal wealth portfolios. Because they may be especially concerned with risk-reducing acquisitions, however, their corporate strategies may not enhance firm value through takeovers, although managerial intention may be to boost corporate value. The above discussion is compatible with complementary arguments that suggest that insiders may acquire non-value-maximizing target companies although their intentions may be to enhance returns to shareholders. For instance, according to the synergy view, while takeovers may be motivated by an ex-ante concern for increasing corporate value, many such acquisitions are not associated with an increase in firm value. Alternatively, according to the hubris hypothesis, even though insiders may intend to acquire targets that they believe could be managed more profitably under their control, such acquisitions are not ordinarily related to higher profitability. If acquisitions which are undertaken primarily with insider expectations that they will financially benefit owners do not realize higher performance, then those acquisitions which are primarily motivated by a risk-reducing desire may likewise not be associated with beneficial outcomes for owners. Additionally, it can be argued that shareholders can more efficiently diversify their own portfolios, making it unnecessary for managers to diversify the firm in order to achieve portfolio diversification for shareholders. Risk Associated with HRM practices in International Acquisitions There are a number of reasons why the HRM policies and practices of multinational corporations (MNCs) and cross-border acquisitions are likely to be different from those found in domestic firms (Dowling, Schuler and Welch, 1993). For one, the difference in geographical spread means that acquisitions must normally engage in a number of HR activities that are not needed in domestic firms – such as providing relocation and orientation assistance to expatriates, administering international job rotation programmes, and dealing with international union activity. Second, as Dowling (1988) points out, the personnel policies and practices of MNCs are likely to be more complex and diverse. For instance, complex salary and income taxation issues are likely to arise in acquisitions because their pay policies and practices have to be administered to many different groups of subsidiaries and employees, located in different countries. Managing this diversity may generate a number of co-ordination and communication problems that do not arise in domestic firms. In recognition of these difficulties, most large international companies retain the services of a major accounting firm to ensure there is no tax incentive or disincentive associated with a particular international assignment. Finally, there are more stakeholders that influence the HRM policies and practices of international firms than those of domestic firms. The major stakeholders in private organizations are the shareholders and the employees. But one could also think of unions, consumer organizations and other pressure groups. These pressure groups also exist in domestic firms, but they often put more pressure on foreign than on local companies. This probably means that international companies need to be more risk averse and concerned with the social and political environment than domestic firms. Acquisitions and HRM Practices: Evidence from Japan, the US, and Europe In contemporary context, international human resource management faces important challenges, and this trend characterizes many Japanese, US and European acquisitions.   From the critical point of view, Japanese companies experience more problems associated with international human resource management than companies from the US and Europe (Shibuya, 2000). Lack of home-country personnel sufficient international manage ­ment skills has been widely recognized in literature as the most difficult problem facing Japanese compa ­nies and simultaneously one of the most significant of US and European acquisitions as well. The statement implies that cultivating such skills is difficult and that they are relatively rare among businessmen in any country. Japanese companies may be particularly prone to this problem due to their heavy use of home-country nationals in overseas management positions. European and Japanese acquisitions also experience the lack of home country personnel who want to work abroad, while it is less of an impediment for the US companies. In the US acquisitions expatriates often experience reentry difficulties (e.g., career disruption) when re ­turning to the home country: This problem was the one most often cited by US firms.   Today Japanese corporations report the relatively lower incidence of expatriate reentry diffi ­culties, and it is surprising given the vivid accounts of such problems at Japanese firms by White (1988) and Umezawa (1990). However, the more active role of the Japanese person ­nel department in coordinating career paths, the tradition of semi ­annual musical-chair-like personnel shuffles (jinji idoh), and the continu ­ing efforts of Japanese stationed overseas to maintain close contact with headquarters might underlie the lower level of difficulties in this area for Japanese firms (Inohara, 2001). In contrast, the decentralized structures of many US and European firms may serve to isolate expatriates from their home-country headquarters, making reentry more problematic. Also, recent downsiz ­ing at US and European firms may reduce the number of appropriate management positions for expatriates to return to, or may sever expatri ­ates’ relationships with colleagues and mentors at headquarters. Furthermore, within the context of the lifetime employment system, individ ­ual Japanese employees have little to gain by voicing reentry concerns to personnel managers. In turn, personnel managers need not pay a great deal of attention to reentry problems because they will usually not result in a resignation. In western firms, reentry problems need to be taken more seriously by personnel managers because they frequently result in the loss of a valued employee. A further possible explanation for the higher incidence of expatriate reentry problems in western multinationals is the greater tendency of those companies to implement a policy of transferring local nationals to headquarters or other international operations. Under such a policy, the definition of expatriate expands beyond home-country nationals to en ­compass local nationals who transfer outside their home countries. It may even be that local nationals who return to a local operation after working at headquarters or other international operations may have their own special varieties of reentry problems. Literature on international human resource practices in Japan, the US and Europe suggest that the major strategic difficulty for the MNCs is to attract high-caliber local nationals to work for the company. In general, acquisitions may face greater challenges in hiring high-caliber local employees than do domestic firms due to lack of name recognition and fewer relationships with educators or others who might recommend candidates. However, researchers suggest that this issue is significantly more difficult for Japanese than for US and European multinationals. When asked to describe problems encoun ­tered in establishing their US affiliates, 39.5% of the respondents to a Japan Society survey cited â€Å"finding qualified American managers to work in the affiliate† and 30.8% cited â€Å"hiring a qualified workforce† (Bob ; SRI, 2001). Similarly, a survey of Japanese companies operating in the US conducted by a human resource consulting firm found that 35% felt recruiting personnel to be very difficult or extremely difficult, and 56% felt it to be difficult (The Wyatt Company, 1999). In addition to mentioned problem, Japanese acquisition encounter high local employee turnover, which is significantly more prob ­lematic for them due to the near-total absence of turnover to which they are accustomed in Japan. The US, European and Japanese companies admit very rarely that they encounter local legal challenges to their personnel policies. However, in regard to Japanese acquisitions large   amount of press coverage has been given to lawsuits against Japanese companies in the United States and a Japanese Ministry of Labor Survey in which 57% of the 331 respondents indicated that they were facing potential equal employ ­ment opportunity-related lawsuits in the United States (Shibuya, 2000). Conclusion This research investigates whether corporate acquisitions with shared technological resources or participation in similar product markets realize superior economic returns in comparison with unrelated acquisitions. The rationale for superior economic performance in related acquisitions derives from the synergies that are expected through a combination of supplementary or complementary resources. It is clear from the results of this research that acquired firms in related acquisitions have higher returns than acquired firms in unrelated acqui ­sitions. This implies that the related acquired firm benefits more from the acquirer than the unrelated acquired firm. The higher returns for the related acquired firms suggest that the combination with the acquirer’s resources has higher value implications than the combination of two unrelated firms. This is supported by the higher total wealth gains which were observed in related acquisitions. I did however, in the case of acquiring firms, find that the abnormal returns directly attributable to the acquisition transaction are not significant. There are reasons to believe that the announcement effects of the transaction on the returns to acquirers are less easily detected than for target firms. First, an acquisition by a firm affects only part of its businesses, while affecting all the assets (in control-oriented acqui ­sitions) of the target firm. Thus the measurability of effects on acquirers is attenuated. Second, if an acquisition is one event in a series of implicit moves constituting a diversification program, its individual effect as a market signal would be mitigated. It is also likely that the theoretical argument which postulates that related acquisitions create wealth for acquirers may be underspecified. Relatedness is often multifaceted, suggesting that the resources of the target firm may be of value to many firms, thus increasing the relative bargaining power of the target vis-a-vis the potential buyers. Even in the absence of explicit competition for the target (multiple bidding), the premiums paid for control are a substantial fraction of the total gains available from the transaction. For managers, some implications from the research can be offered. First, it seems quite clear from the data that a firm seeking to be acquired will realize higher returns if it is sold to a related than an unrelated firm. This counsel is consistent with the view that the market recognizes synergistic combinations and values them accordingly. Second, managers in acquiring firms may be advised to scrutinize carefully the expected gains in related and unrelated acquisitions. For managers the issue of concern is not whether or not a given kind of acquisition creates a significant total amount of wealth, but what percentage of that wealth they can expect to accrue to their firms. Thus, although acquisitions involving related technologies or product market yield higher total gains, pricing mechanisms in the market for corporate acquisitions reflect the gains primarily on the target company. Interpreting these results conservatively, one may offer the argument that expected gains for acquiring firms are competed away in the bidding process, with stockholders of target firms obtaining high proportions of the gains. On a pragmatic level this research underscores the need to combine what may be called the theoretical with the practical. In the case of acquisitions, pragmatic issues like implicit and explicit competition for a target firm alter the theoretical expectations of gains from an acquisition transaction. Further efforts to clarify these issues theoretically and empirically will increase our understanding of these important phenomena. Bibliography Sharpe WF. 1964. Capital asset prices: a theory of market equilibrium under conditions of risk. Journal of Finance 19: 425-442 Markowitz H. 1952. Portfolio selections. Journal of Finance 7: 77-91 Grossman W, Hoskisson R. 1998. CEO pay at the crossroads of Wall Street and Main: toward the strategic design of executive compensation. Academy of Management Executive 12: 43-57 Amihud Y, Lev B. 1999. Does corporate ownership structure affect its strategy towards diversification? Strategic Management Journal 20(11): 1063-1069 Agrawal A, Mandelker G. 1987. Managerial incentives and corporate investment and financing decisions. Journal of Finance 42: 823-837 Wright P, Ferris S, Sarin A, Awasthi V. 1996. The impact of corporate insider, blockholder, and institutional equity ownership on firm risk-taking. Academy of Management Journal 39: 441-463 McConnell JJ, Servaes H. 1990. Additional evidence on equity ownership and corporate value. Journal of Financial Economics 27: 595-612. Shivdasani A. 1993. Board composition, ownership structure, and hostile takeovers. Journal of Accounting and Economics 16: 167-198 Stulz RM. 1988. Managerial control of voting rights: financing policies and the market for corporate control. Journal of Financial Economics 20: 25-54 Varaiya N. 1987. Determinants of premiums in acquisition transactions. Managerial and Decision Economics 14: 175-184 Collis D, Montgomery C. 1998. Creating corporate advantage. Harvard Business Review 76(3): 71-83 White, M. 1988. The Japanese overseas: Can they go home again? New York: The Free Press. Bob, D., ; SRI International. 2001. Japanese companies in American communities. New York: The Japan Society.

Homeless Veterans Are Becoming More Prevalent Of The...

INTRODUCTION American homeless veterans are becoming more prevalent in the United States. Research will show that American veterans are an overrepresented population among the homeless in the U.S. A homeless veteran is an individual who lives on the streets, in abandoned buildings, vehicles, encampments, shelters, or transitional housing (Veterans Today, 2013). As a matter of fact, homeless veterans do not have a permanent residence under their control. Homelessness in general includes those who fit what Martha Burt, et al. (2004) called â€Å"street homeless†, which they defined as single adults who spend a lot of time on the streets; and the â€Å"chronically homeless†, which they defined as â€Å"being disabled and either continuously homeless for a year or more or having at least four homeless episodes during the last three years.† In all honesty, cities across the country are faced with challenges and disparities of homeless American veterans. Homelessness is visible in various ways in our local and state communities. It is the empirical individual standing at the intersection holding a printed sign of â€Å"Homeless – God Bless you†, an individual pushing a grocery cart filled with clothing, sticks, and other personal belongings. By the same token, these homeless individuals may also be seen pitching an old make ship tent under overpasses, and in nearby wooded areas. As a United States Veteran, it is discouraging and disheartening to see signs that read â€Å"Homeless Veteran –Show MoreRelatedEssay about The United States Homeless Population879 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction In the United States the homeless population continues to grow rapidly. Homelessness has been a public health issue for many decades. Often times these individuals feel as though society has turned a blind eye to them. 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Lack of understanding In the United States, being homeless is becoming a common occurrence, even among college students. In the movie The Human Experience, the documentarians were able to experience what is like to be homeless in New York City (Kinnane, The Human Experience). They were able to realize how different these people truly are compared to the preconceived notion humans have on those who are homeless. They didn’t choose to be homeless, it was certain circumstances, which areRead MoreProblem Solution Homelessness Essay1126 Words   |  5 Pagesof America Homelessness has always been a problem in major cities across the United States and even the world. This problem also affects out local community and even all of us individually. (Daily) A majority of the American people lives paycheck to paycheck, and according to statistics, we are only one or two paychecks away from becoming homeless. While there are many reasons a person or family can become homeless, a majority of those problems come from a lack of income. The job market of todayRead MoreHomelessness And The Homeless Population1570 Words   |  7 PagesThe United States spends over a billion dollars each year to assist homeless persons to find permanent supportive housing. Federal programs provide funding for specific sub-groups with the idea that providing housing for these groups will end the national problem. Without continued analysis of the social construction that hinders the homeless population, funding will not reach the target destination resulting in misplaced ef fort. This paper provides an informational and critical analysis of homelessnessRead MoreHomelessness : Homeless Population, Origins And Consequences Of Homelessness1373 Words   |  6 PagesHomelessness Some background information on the prevalence of and risk factors for the homeless population, origins and consequences of homelessness, prevention and treatment strategies, and other considerations will be presented. The definition of homelessness may cover a broad range of individuals, including those physically deprived of a home and housed persons unwilling to remain in their homes (Ravenhill 6). Some researchers conceptualize homelessness as â€Å"alienation from the rest of the societyRead MoreHomelessness Among American Veterans Research2029 Words   |  9 PagesHomelessness Among American Veterans Research Paper An issue that has been around for decades which still remains in the United Sates today is homelessness among veterans. Vanessa Turner has a story that needs to be heard by many. As a homeless veteran, Turner joined the U.S. military in 1997 and later, proudly advanced to the rank of a sergeant. In 2003, Turner suffered from a traumatic injury while serving in Iraq. In suffocating 130-degrees fahrenheit heat, Turner fell into a coma and nearlyRead MoreUnited States Military Soldiers Suffer1404 Words   |  6 PagesMany United States military soldiers suffer, not only from health issues, but also physical workload and finding jobs outside of the military. Many soldiers have lost limbs, and tore their bodies apart for what they believe in. A soldier sacrifices his life, his family, and his career for our life, family and careers. The sacrifices made by the soldier that gives everything up is irreplaceable and once they sign their names to that contract there is no going back. Many soldiers have health problemsRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd )1560 Words   |  7 Pages and choices of treatment therapies for victims suffering with PTSD will help suffering victims. Throughout the last decade the United States military involvement conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, has put focus on the stress on mental health for returning military members who participated in conflict theater. Although PTSD is not a new phenomenon in the United States, every war that the country has participated in has had some version of the same mental disorder.The ancient Egyptians were someRead MoreDefinition And Categories Of Homelessness2161 Words   |  9 Pageshomerless, whereby they had had a place to sleep with an address. â€Å"The ‘old homeless’ consisted of somewhat older, unmarried, white men who lived in the ‘skid row’ neighborhoods of large cities.(Hubley, Russell, Palepu, Hwang, 2014).† Individuals who lived outside of the communities norms was seen as homeless, although they had a sleep and an address. According to Livingston Miller (2006), the majority of people who are homeless are single men (61%); 15% are single wom en; 15% are women with children;

A to Z Chemistry Dictionary

The Crucible of Abigail Williams - 1517 Words

The Crucible of Abigail Williams Abigail Williams is a very spiteful and bitter woman, but she has the biggest influence on the play with all the lies she tells about people being witches which are believed and cost some people their lives. Abigail is one of the most misunderstood characters because she is so good at lying that it almost seems like she is telling the truth. A crucible is a large test that one may face that may force them to make a controversial decision to benefit them or to hurt them. In Salem, Massachusetts in 1691 there were whispers of witch craft. To avoid it one has to make lies to save themselves. Abigail Williams is one of the most important people in this story because she tells by far the most lies because†¦show more content†¦In John Proctor’s house when John Proctor comes home from working in the fields Elizabeth discovers that John was with Abigail alone and does not trust him any more. Through Abigail’s lying and attempts to win John over she begins to draw John and Elizabeth apart. When she realizes that she has a chance to frame Elizabeth she accuses Elizabeth of witch craft, because she wants to accuse Elizabeth on the grounds of Elizabeth being angry about the affair John and Abigail ha. Her thinking was that if she could not have John then no one can. Abigail feels as if she has won Johns wife is in jail and she knows that John still has feelings for her, so she feels like she can take the place of Elizabeth. Little did Abigail know that John would fight to get Elizabeth back by forcing Mary Warren to confess that it was her poppet not Elizabeth’s and that the girls are lying about all the witch craft. In the court room Abigail wants to attempt to prove Elizabeth a witch John comes in with Mary warren. When Mary testifies that the girls were lying Abigail said Mary was lying then when Abigail begins to feel threatened by Mary testifying she lies about Mary sending her spirit down to atta ck her. This is a sign of Abigail feeling very nervous about her lies holding up during court so she lies again. Then almost like the leader of a clan whenShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible : Abigail Williams845 Words   |  4 PagesThe Crucible: Abigail Williams In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Miller demonstrated that it was Abigail’s flaws- lust, jealousy, and mendacity- that led her to be responsible the most for the tragedy of the witch-hunt in Salem. The Crucible focuses of the finding of young girls and a slave messing around in the woods, trying to conjure spirits from the dead. Rather than admit to their actions and face the consequences, the girls accuse everyone else of the crimes they were guilty of. AbigailRead MoreAnalysis Of Abigail Williams In The Crucible857 Words   |  4 Pages Arthur Miller’sâ€Å"The Crucible† takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in the early 1690’s. It’s very popular because parts of this story are based on real historical events. This book has a lot of conflict happening when the people of Salem are being accused of witchcraft. Witchcraft was a very serious case to puritans. They thought that the people being accused should be punished for â€Å"being in contact with the Devil†. The people would either hang or be held in prison until they confessed. The personRead MoreExamples Of Abigail Williams In The Crucible772 Words   |  4 PagesThe Crucible is a play about the Salem Witchcraft Trials. In the town of Salem, Massachusetts, ninety one people were accused of witchcraft. A group of girls were caught dancing in the forest one night which is what caused the witchcraft trials. The group of girls started accusing people of witchcraft and the ringleader of the group was Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor then accused his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, of witchcraft so she could be with him. Although JudgeRead MoreAbigail Williams In The Crucible Analysis731 Words   |  3 PagesBeing related to a priest doesnt mean you are a good person. Abigail Williams was the niece of Reverend Parris, but she was no Puritan. Arthur Miller understood and used this truth while writing his play, The Crucible. Abigail did some things that were not only unspeakable by Puritan standards, but also illegal at the time. She had Tituba use voodoo magic in an attempt to kill John Proctors wife, and had an affair with him while she was living there as a servant. To top it all off, she threatenedRead MoreAnalysis Of Abigail Williams In The Crucible950 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å"The Crucible† the story has taught us about how great and powerful fear can easily take over one another and show how people turn against one another just to protect themselves. One of the characters in the story has shown a great example of this and you can see the great evil that is inside of this person who just lets good innocent people die to protect themselves. Cruel and selfish is what you think or maybe it is the other way around for you. Maybe you think you got to do whatever you gotRead MoreCauses Of Abigail Williams In The Crucible797 Words   |  4 PagesIn The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, people are accused of witchcraft and put to death because they don’t admit to it. People believed that witches followed the devil instead of God and only worked for the devil. Many people were killed without hard evidence for witchcraft. Many characters can be accused of causing the many deaths of innocent people but Abigail and Governor Danforth take most of the blame yet people could also blame Reverend Hale as well. Abigail Williams is one of the mainRead MoreThe Crucible: the Evilness and Selfishness of Abigail Williams956 Words   |  4 PagesThe Crucible: The Evilness and Selfishness of Abigail Williams In Arthur Millers The Crucible, there is one character who, because of her selfish and evil ways, causes the destruction of many people in the town of Salem. This character is Abigail Williams. In the play, jealousy, and self- interest are the two characteristics that are seen constantly throughout the play. These characteristics pertain particularly to Abigail, and give a graphic description of her life, and how she dealsRead MoreTheme Of Destruction In The Crucible By Abigail Williams711 Words   |  3 PagesThe main cause of the destruction in The Crucible is Abigail Williams. From the beginning Abigail has shown no mercy except for herself, from accusing others to bringing a McCarthyist shadow over the whole village. Abigail starts off in the play trying to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor, as she is madly in love with John Proctor. By doing what was feared during that time; witchcraft. With being caught and Betty Parris unconscious, she quickly starts forming her lies. Left and right she is throwing incriminationsRead MoreMass Hysteria In Abigail Williams In The Crucible1470 Words   |  6 Pagesplays an important role in Salem in the late 1600s. For instance Abigail Williams one of the girls in the crucible that uses mass hysteria to exploit the people of Salem around her. Mass hysteria mean s a group of people who over exaggerate something and becomes a fear. According to a quote from Abigail Williams says †She is blackening my name in the village! She is tellingRead MoreAnalysis Of Abigail Williams s The Crucible 1342 Words   |  6 PagesThe main character I chose to analyze is Abigail Williams. Abigail is a very intelligent, manipulative, and cunning character in The Crucible. Some would call her the puppet master of the play, as she almost seems to have all of the other characters on a string, controlling their destiny with her sly and devious ways. A main example of this in the play, was her use of Mary Warrens poppet to manipulate and control Elizabeth Proctors fate. A poppet is somewhat of a voodoo doll, which Mary Warren

Week 1 assignment Activity One Nervousness Free Essays

Week 1 assignment Activity One: Nervousness (Chapter 1) Write at least a short 200 word response discussing the extent of your nervousness and how it affects your speaking ability. What strategies will you use to control your nerves and make them work for you? First, I felt that it has been a while since I’ve stand in front of a large audience like this. I have been giving brief reports occasionally which mean that I do have some experience in informing and organizing ideas for presentations and speeches. We will write a custom essay sample on Week 1 assignment Activity One: Nervousness or any similar topic only for you Order Now I do however feel the pressure of delivering the wrong message especially in front of the senior editors and the regional managers. Secondly, I felt that if I mispronounce a word and have long pauses to remember what I indented to say, I might have a stage fright and lose the company’s faith in my abilities. Even worse, I could get demoted and lose the respect of the members of my work team. The first strategy that I will use to control my nerves is to think positive about what I could accomplished after successfully delivering my speech. If I can pass this speech, than I will be more confident on the next one. Secondly, I will write down my speech and practice on saying it so that I will remember my subtopic and present it better. Lastly, I will prepare a couple of weeks in advance so that what I want to present will become second nature in my mind. How to cite Week 1 assignment Activity One: Nervousness, Essay examples

The Machinist Trevor Reznik free essay sample

The Machinist Trevor Reznik is a machinist who has suffered from severe weight loss to the point where he has become severely emaciated. His alarming appearance and strange behavior causes his co-workers to keep away, leaving him in the arms of Stevie, a prostitute who shows genuine compassion for him, only to lose her in the end. Trevor is also no longer able to think clearly and begins to suspect that the bizarre events in his life are a concerted effort to drive him insane. Throughout the film, the audience is able to evaluate Trevor’s sleeping habits, leading to the conclusion that every chance he is given to rest becomes indefinitely interrupted. With the characteristics Trevor shows, and the events in the film leading to the end, it is feasible to come to the conclusion that Trevor suffers from a severe case of insomnia. Causes Guilt/Anxiety Guilt is effectively a form of anxiety or stress, so its stress hormones that are preventing you from sleeping. We will write a custom essay sample on The Machinist Trevor Reznik or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Its a continuous flight or fight response, but the body isnt capable of dealing with prolonged stress, as the hormones make sleep difficult and lighter as its expecting to have to run away soon. † (Ashley Morris, 2012, 1. ) Throughout the film, we find Trevor’s insomnia partially stems from his own personal struggle with guilt. This is a feeling of responsibility or remorse for an offense or crime which has spiraled out of control, becoming a living hell created inside Trevor’s mind. Trevor is constantly worried he’s being followed and that he has to run away from his crime, leaving little time for sleep. So what Trevor guilty of? That is left for the audience to piece together themselves with different clues presented in the film. In a scene during the movie Trevor and Maria’s son Nicholas, both hallucinations made up by Trevor, go on a ride at an amusement park called ‘Route 666’. The ride quickly becomes an unsettling picture of Trevor’s mind along with taunting images. For example, the car moves past a dummy dressed as a Native American brandishing a severed hand, which serves as an obvious reminder to Trevor of the accident on the shop floor in which he was guilty of a coworker losing his hand. The car then approaches a fork in the road; to the left is a ‘Highway to Hell’ and to the right a ‘Road to Salvation’. Naturally, the car takes the ‘Highway to Hell’ route and there are more flashes of Trevor’s past, causing Nicholas to suffer from an epileptic fit. Later in the film, Trevor finds he is confronted with a similar choice in an underground sewer while being chased by police. Ahead were two tunnels, one was darkened and the other well lit, but the shadow of a man was present around the corner of the lit tunnel. It feels as though the figure is meant to represent the true Trevor, but he chooses not to confront himself and the actions in which he is guilty of but instead heads for the darkness, running away from him self and the truth as to what he has done. Unfortunately, in Trevor’s situation he was extremely guilty and suffered from bouts of paranoia and anxiety, but was not able to comprehend why until the film had concluded. This guilt not only affected Trevor’s inability to sleep, but altered many other factors in his life. The creation of Ivan, Trevor’s guilty conscience, could be seen as an escape and a way for Trevor to blame Ivan for the acts he committed. An example of this situation in the film would be when Trevor had shown more interest in Ivan than Miller, a co-worker, which resulted in Miller losing a part of his left arm. Trevor had easily blamed this on Ivan, which he himself believed to be a co-worker, although no one else had any record of him. Stimulants â€Å"Stimulants are a class of psychoactive drug that increase activity in the brain. These drugs can temporarily elevate alertness, mood and awareness. † (Kendra Cherry, 2007, 1) This would mean that the usage of stimulants such as caffeine through coffee or nicotine, both of which Trevor used frequently in the film, are causing his mind to become neurally stimulated preventing him from becoming relaxed and allowing him to sleep. The extended use of these stimulants helps Trevor’s insomnia to develop which disturbs his sleep cycles. Trevor’s inability to maintain sleep mainly stems from his guilt, but is also enhanced by the stimulants Trevor indulges in. Trevor is known for his excessive caffeine use, and as expressed here, â€Å"While caffeine has several positive effects such as increasing energy and mental alertness, heavy use can cause symptoms such as anxiety and insomnia. (Kendra Cherry, 2007, 3) Caffeine is not the only stimulant Trevor uses, he is also an excessive chain smoker. Since â€Å"nicotine delivered by smoking or chewing tobacco causes the liver to release glucose and the adrenal medulla to release epinephrine,† (Anne Hamilton, 2010, 9) this also contributes to Trevor’s â€Å"fight or flight† behavior. Since Trevor is always afraid and on the run, part of his behavior is stemming from the use of nicotine, which is triggering excess adrenalin. Characterist ics Hallucinations/ Delusions â€Å"Hallucinations involve perceiving things in the absence of stimulation. In other words, a hallucination involves perceiving things that are not really there. A hallucination can false or distorted, but seem very real and vivid to the person experiencing it. † (Kendra Cherry, 2007, 1) â€Å"Delusions are irrational beliefs, held with a high level of conviction, that are highly resistant to change even when the delusional person is exposed to forms of proof that contradict the belief. (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) Many of Trevor’s actions could classify him as delusional. When Trevor goes to the police station trying to track the license plate number of who he believes to be Ivan, he is told he can not do so unless a crime has been committed. Naturally, Trevor decides to run into oncoming traffic so he has feasible reason to report a crime, subconsciously creating a hit and run accident just as he had done. All of Trevor’s hallucinations, such as Ivan, Nicholas, and Maria all stem from Trevor’s crime. Ivan, Trevor’s self conscience, appears before Trevor every time he turns around throughout the film. Trevor even believes he sees Ivan’s boots and a picture of him fishing with a friend at Stevie’s house. We come to find though that boots are Trevor’s which he had been wearing at the time of the crime, and when he takes a second look at the picture, he realizes it is he, not Ivan, who is in the photo. As for Maria and Nicholas, they are supposed to be representatives of the mother and son involved in the crime Trevor had committed. Maria, the waitress Trevor would visit at night and converse with over pie and coffee symbolizes the mother of the boy he had run over, and Nicholas is representative of the boy. Trevor spending time with Nicholas, such as in the amusement park, could be seen as a subconscious apology from Trevor by getting to know Nicholas and trying to bond with him. Inability to Achieve/ Maintain Sleep Trevor seems to be unable fall asleep, and at any point where he is able to he only experiences â€Å"micro naps† or â€Å"micro sleep†, which are periods of sleep that only last up to a few seconds, usually experienced by people who are severely deprived of sleep as Trevor is, before being woken up. Even though Trevor may not remember his crime, due to the fact that his lack of sleep has severely affected his brain and physical appearance, it has still prevented him from being able to live a normal and healthy lifestyle. Memory Loss/ Forgetfulness As Trevor grows increasingly distracted and alienated, he forgets to pay his utility bills and his electricity is disconnected. This ends up leading to the trickling out of a dark liquid from Trevor’s freezer, eventually coating the refrigerator door with streaks of the liquid, which the viewer, and Trevor, later realizes is the blood of the fish Trevor had caught on his fishing adventure with a coworker. As Trevor begins to realize his developing forgetfulness, he starts leaving himself post it notes to remind himself of anything important, since his brain is not able to function properly anymore because of his lack of rest and nourishment. Inability to Focus/ Accidental Nature Trevor’s lack of sleep has resulted in the unawareness of his surroundings, causing him to become accident prone. An example of such behavior would be when Trevor becomes easily distracted by his hallucinations, most particularly Ivan, resulting in the loss of his friend Miller’s left arm. Another example of Trevor being unable to focus would be when he visits Stevie for help after he has been hit by a car, and he lashes out at her when he sees what he believes to be Ivan’s boots, when in reality they are his. During the same visit, as earlier stated, Trevor finds a picture of a coworker on a fishing trip, and believes Ivan to be the other person in the picture, although it truly is Trevor. If Trevor had been able to sleep, he would have been aware of all his surroundings and could have tried to rationally piece together the puzzle that had become his life. However, due to the circumstances, Trevor’s co-workers indefinitely turned against him, and his outburst had caused him to lose Stevie, leaving him with no friends or relationships to rely on.