Macbeth Misplaced Priorites Essays - Characters In Macbeth

Macbeth: Misplaced Priorites Success in life is often derived from careful prioritization. Shakespeare's play Macbeth, is a play about one man's long time ambition, which drove his desire to be king and his fall from grace. Three characters from the play suffer from misplaced priorities are Duncan, Macduff and Banquo. King Duncan did not have his priorities in order, and, as a result, death was his ultimate price. Firstly, Duncan was too ambitious for his own children to become Kings. Instead of concentrating on his country and who would make a good King, Duncan placed his dream on his children becoming Kings. Secondly, Duncan should have named Macbeth Prince of Cumberland. When Macbeth learns that Malcolm is to be the next King, he says: The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step, on which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires: the eye wink at the hand; yet let that be, which the eye fears, when it is done to see. (I, iv, 47-52) Malcolm was a poor excuse for a soldier and should not become King. Duncan's naming his son Malcolm as Prince of Cumberland signed his own death warrant. If Prince, Malcolm would weaken he strength of his country. Malcolm is a poor excuse for a soldier, although it is customary for a King to pass his crown down to his son, Malcolm was not suited to be a King. Consequently, death was Duncan's ultimate price because of his misplaced priorities. Macduff was another individual who didn't have his priorities set straight and who suffered for his crime. Firstly, Macduff did not attend Macbeth's coronation. Will you to Scone? No cousin, I'll to fife. (III, I, 35-36) Macduff did not attend Macbeth's coronation, he went to fife to revolt against Macbeth. Macbeth later discovered what Macduff had in mind, so he sent his henchmen to murder Macduff's family. Secondly, Macduff put his love of his country ahead of his own family. After Macduff arrived in England he received word that Macbeth's murderers had slaughtered his family: I cannot but remember such things were, that were most precious to me. Did heaven look on, and would not take their part? Sinful Macduff, they were all struck for thee! naught that I am, not for their own demerits, but for mine, fell slaughter on their souls: heaven rest them now. Macduff sank very low, because by putting his love of his country ahead of his family, he was not at home to protect his family. Clearly, Macduff suffered greatly of his loss of his family, because of his misplace priorities his love of his country was too great. Banquo was another character in Macbeth who suffered because of misplaced priorities. Firstly the three witches had told Banquo that his sons would be future Kings of Scotland. Thou shalt get Kings, though thou be none. (I, iii, 68) Banquo contributed to his own death by keeping the future destiny told by the three witches, of his sons becoming Kings a secret. If Banquo would have Duncan that his sons would be Kings, Duncan wouldn't have been murdered, Macbeth would not be King, and Banquo's life would be spared. Secondly if Banquo had told the other thanes of Scotland about his suspicions of Macbeth, he might have lived. However, he says: Thou hast it now, King, Cawdor, glamis, all, as the weird women promis'dst most foully for't: yet it was said it should not stand in thy posterity, but that myself should be the root and father of many Kings. If there come truth from them, as upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine, why by verities on the made good, may they not be my oracles as well and set me up in hope? But hush, no more. (III, i, 1-10) Banquo didn't inform the other thanes of his suspicions of Macbeth, if he had, his life could have been spared and perhaps Macbeth's blood baths could have been averted. Banquo contributed to his own death by having misplaced priorities. Had he prioritized he might have lived to see his sons become Kings one day. Three characters from Macbeth, a play of one man's long time ambition that drove his desire to

Events Leading to the Scramble for Africa

Events Leading to the Scramble for Africa The Scramble for Africa (1880–1900) was a period of rapid colonization of the African continent by European powers. But it wouldnt have happened except for the particular economic, social, and military evolution Europe was going through. Europeans in Africa up to the 1880s By the beginning of the 1880s, only a small part of Africa was under European rule, and that area was largely restricted to the coast and a short distance inland along major rivers such as the Niger and the Congo. Britain had Freetown in Sierra Leone, forts along the coast of The Gambia, a presence at Lagos, the Gold Coast protectorate, and a fairly major set of colonies in Southern Africa (Cape Colony, Natal, and the Transvaal which it had annexed in 1877).Southern Africa also had the independent Boer Oranje-Vrystaat (Orange Free State).France had settlements at Dakar and St Louis in Senegal and had penetrated a fair distance up the river Senegal, the Assinie, and Grand Bassam regions of Cote dIvoire, a protectorate over the coastal region of Dahomey (now Benin), and had begun colonization of Algeria as early as 1830.Portugal had long-established bases in Angola (first arriving in 1482, and subsequently retaking the port of Luanda from the Dutch in 1648) and Mozambique (first arriving in 1498 and creating trading posts by 1505).Spain had small enclaves in northwest Africa at Ceuta and Melilla (frica Septentrional Espaà ±ola or Spanish North Africa).The Ottoman Turks controlled Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia (the strength of Ottoman rule varied greatly). Causes of the Scramble for Africa There were several factors that created the impetus for the Scramble for Africa, and most of these were to do with events in Europe rather than in Africa. End of the Slave Trade:  Britain had had some success in halting the slave trade around the shores of Africa, but inland the story was different. Muslim traders from north of the Sahara and on the East Coast still traded inland, and many local chiefs were reluctant to give up the use of slaves. Reports of slaving trips and markets were brought back to Europe by various explorers such as David Livingstone, and abolitionists in Britain and Europe were calling for more to be done.Exploration:  During the 19th century, barely a year went by without a European expedition into Africa. The boom in exploration was triggered to a great extent by the creation of the African Association by wealthy Englishmen in 1788, who wanted someone to find the fabled city of Timbuktu and chart the course of the Niger River. As the 19th century wore on, the goal of the European explorer changed, and rather than traveling out of pure curiosity they began to record details of markets, goods, and resources for the wealthy philanthropists who financed their trips. Henry Morton Stanley:  This naturalized American (born in Wales) was the explorer most closely connected to the start of the Scramble for Africa. Stanley had crossed the continent and located the missing Livingstone, but he is more infamously known for his explorations on behalf of King Leopold II of Belgium. Leopold hired Stanley to obtain treaties with local chieftains along the course of the River Congo with an eye on creating his own colony. Belgium was not in a financial position to fund a colony at that time. Stanleys work triggered a rush of European explorers such as the German journalist Carl Peters to do the same for various European countries.Capitalism:  The end of European trading in slaves left a need for commerce between Europe and Africa. Capitalists may have seen the light over slavery, but they still wanted to exploit the continent. New legitimate trade would be encouraged. Explorers located vast reserves of raw materials, plotted the course of trade routes, nav igated rivers, and identified population centers that could serve as markets for manufactured goods from Europe. It was a time of plantations and cash crops, when the regions workforce was put to work to producing rubber, coffee, sugar, palm oil, timber, etc for Europe. And the benefits were more enticing if a colony could be set up, which gave the European nation a monopoly. Steam Engines and Iron Hulled Boats:  In 1840, the  first British ocean-going iron warship called Nemesis  arrived at Macao, south China. It changed the face of international relations between Europe and the rest of the world. The  Nemesis  had a shallow draft (five feet), a hull of iron, and two powerful steam engines. It could navigate the non-tidal sections of rivers, allowing inland access, and it was heavily armed. Livingstone used a steamer to travel up the Zambezi River in 1858 and had the parts transported overland to Lake Nyassa. Steamers also allowed Henry Morton Stanley and Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza to explore the Congo.Quinine and Medical Advances:  Africa, especially the western regions, was known as the White Mans Grave because of the danger of two diseases: malaria and yellow fever. During the 18th century, only one in 10 Europeans sent out to the continent by the Royal African Company survived. Six of the 10 died in their first year. In 1817, French scien tists Pierre-Joseph Pelletier and Joseph Bienaimà © Caventou extracted quinine from the bark of the South American cinchona tree. It proved to be the solution to malaria; Europeans could now survive the  ravages of the disease  in Africa. Unfortunately,  yellow fever  continued to be a problem, and even today there is no specific treatment for the disease. Politics:  After the creation of a unified Germany (1871) and Italy (a longer process, but its capital relocated to Rome in 1871) there was no room left in Europe for expansion. Britain, France, and Germany were in an intricate political dance, trying to maintain their dominance, and an overseas empire would secure it. France, which had lost two provinces to Germany in 1870, looked to Africa to gain more territory. Britain looked toward Egypt and the control of the Suez Canal as well as pursuing territory in gold-rich southern Africa. Germany, under the expert management of  Chancellor Bismarck, had come late to the idea of overseas colonies but was now fully convinced of their worth. All that was needed was some mechanism to be put in place to stop overt conflict over the coming land grab.Military Innovation: At the beginning of the 19th century, Europe was only marginally ahead of Africa in terms of available weapons, as traders had long supplied them to local chiefs and many h ad stockpiles of guns and gunpowder. But two innovations gave Europe a massive advantage. In the late 1860s, percussion caps were being incorporated into cartridges. What previously came as a separate bullet, powder, and wadding was now a single entity, easily transported and relatively weatherproof. The second innovation was the breech-loading rifle. Older model muskets, held by most Africans, were front loaders, which were slow to use (maximum of three rounds per minute) and had to be loaded while standing. Breech-loading guns, in comparison, could be fired between two to four times faster and could be loaded even in a prone position. Europeans, with an eye to colonization and conquest, restricted the sale of the new weaponry to Africa maintaining military superiority. The Mad Rush Into Africa in the Early 1880s Within just 20 years, the political face of Africa had changed, with only Liberia (a colony run by ex-African-American slaves) and Ethiopia remaining free of European control. The start of the 1880s saw a rapid increase in European nations claiming territory in Africa: In 1880, the region to the north of the river Congo became a French protectorate following a treaty between the King of the Bateke, Makoko, and the explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza.In 1881, Tunisia became a French protectorate and the Transvaal regained its independence.In 1882, Britain occupied Egypt (France pulled out of joint occupation), and Italy began colonization of Eritrea.In 1884, British and French Somaliland were created.In 1884,  German South West Africa, Cameroon, German East Africa, and Togo were created and Rà ­o de Oro claimed by Spain. Europeans Set the Rules for Dividing up the Continent The  Berlin Conference of 1884–1885  (and the resultant  General Act of the Conference at Berlin) laid down ground rules for the further partitioning of Africa. Navigation on the Niger and Congo rivers was to be free to all, and to declare a protectorate over a region the European colonizer must show effective occupancy and develop a sphere of influence. The floodgates of European colonization had opened. Sources and Further Reading Bryceson, Deborah Fahy. The Scramble in Africa: Reorienting Rural Livelihoods. World Development 30.5 (2002): 725–39.Chamberlain, Muriel Evelyn. The Scramble for Africa, 3rd ed. London: Routledge, 2010.Michalopoulos, Stelios, and Elias Papaioannou. The Long-Run Effects of the Scramble for Africa. American Economic Review 106.7 (2016): 1802–48.Pakenham, Thomas. The Scramble For Africa. Little, Brown: 2015.

Philosophy of Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophy of Law - Essay Example The facts of the case are clear, the Speluncean Society in one of their routine endeavours were inadvertently trapped inside a cave they have set out to explore. Imprisoned for a period of twenty days, the group has become weary and lost for hope without nourishment or the prospect of escaping their prison in just about the right time that they are still alive. Devoid of any further source of food or sustenance, the men faced the ultimate decision of resorting to an act gravely disdained by any civilized society. The joyful day of the men’s freedom simultaneously gave rise to the moment of astonishment when the men who went in came out one person short. Sadly and regrettably, Roger Whetmore was not one of the lucky survivors. Whetmore has fallen victim to his own devise. He unfortunately suffered the fateful consequence of what he had himself proposed. Though he became reluctant upon the last minute, his idea had already been fuelled and intensified by the burning will of a ba nd of men with lost hope of survival and literally dying of hunger (Fuller, n.p.). It was a point of no return and it was a circumstance no God-fearing individual would wish for to his family, his friends or even his enemies.

Women in Antebellum America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Women in Antebellum America - Essay Example Women acquired superiority in social matters, and their voice would thus be heard. Regarding the introduction of education for women, many women joined learning institutions to acquire relevant information which would enable, better their lives. The education provides to women enabled them rear their children properly as well as providing significance influence to their husbands. The same reasoning lead to the opening up of the teaching profession suitable for females since they were considered having moral superiority over men and were innately fit to handle children. The piety morality of women, as well as concern over families, presents the impetus into the involvement in antebellum movements’ reform. Additionally, education gave women the capacity to articulate problems they face, and eventually propose necessary alternatives. Reforms provided women with necessary ideologies, which facilitated the, establishment of this cause. More conservative work charity attracted the upper classes’ members; more radical functions including abolitionism, helped draw men and women from social groups of lower levels. However, reformers of a working -class indicated less integration to such movements. Despite the fact that women suffered divisions from religion affiliation, class, and marital status, they indicated uniqueness in mind in the capacity to help others, a concept which was translated into women’s moral superiority overpowering men. The concept of moral superiority boosted efforts to raise women’s political, economic, and legal position. Women, as well, contributed to the economy of the nation through taxation exercised on their earnings, given that their population was significantly high. The impact of religion was also evident in the history of American woman. The Divine Word (The Bible) puts it, â€Å"The wise women buildeth her house.† The implication of the wisdom in this

Fact Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fact Paper - Essay Example Baking soda is generally naturally occurring because it is mined from trona ore, although it can also be chemically made (â€Å"Soda Ash† 1-1; â€Å"What is Baking Soda?†). Baking soda is an alkali that can be applied on conditions or materials that need pH levels to be adjusted by decreasing the quantity of acid in it (Garvin). It has a gritty structure, and it gives off carbon dioxide when heated (â€Å"What is Baking Soda?†). Because of these properties, baking soda can serve numerous beauty, cleaning and health purposes (Fassa; Halvorson; Mercola). Baking soda can be used for beauty purposes. Baking soda can be put in one’s underarms to serve as a deodorant (Marvin). It does not stop sweating, but it can prevent the production of body odour (Marvin). Doctor Joseph Mercola recommends baking soda as a deodorant because it does not have harmful parabens and aluminium that are usually found in commercial deodorants. Apart from baking soda’s deodoriz ing effect, it can also exfoliate the skin. Doctor Mercola states that a â€Å"paste [can be] made from three parts of baking soda combined with 1 part water [and it] can be used as an exfoliator for your face and body. It’s natural, inexpensive and gentle enough to use every day.† Baking soda can exfoliate the skin gently and naturally, so it can be used as a facial and body scrub (Marvin). In addition, baking soda can be used as a teeth whitener. Doctor Mercola suggests that people can crush a ripe strawberry and mix it with half a teaspoon of baking soda, spread it on their teeth, and leave it on for five minutes. People should brush their teeth and rinse after (Mercola). He recommends for this to be done only once a week for teeth whitening because baking soda can corrode tooth enamel (Mercola). Wendy Michaels reports that Julia Roberts only uses baking soda as her toothpaste, and she has white teeth, which could be proof that baking soda can whiten and clean teeth . Furthermore, baking soda can make skin feel softer (Marvin). For those who want a baking soda soak or baking soda bath, they can use a cup of baking soda and mix it with their tub, and they can have soft skin afterwards (Marvin). Baking soda can also be used as shampoo. People can add a teaspoon of baking soda to their shampoo bottle to help eliminate build-up of chemicals from conditioners, mousses, and sprays and to better manage hair (Halvorson). Some people also use baking soda as shampoo, also called as no ‘poo method (Oxenreider). Tsh Oxenreider advises adding one tablespoon of baking soda to one cup of water and to use that as shampoo. She explains that shampoo products mostly have chemicals that actually dry scalp and hair, but baking soda will not because it is a naturally occurring substance that adjusts pH levels of hair and scalp (Oxenreider). These are some of the beauty uses of baking soda that people can try. Baking soda can also be used as a purifying and cle aning agent. Baking soda is often sold as an air purifier that can be used inside refrigerators, cars and other containers (Fassa). It can also deodorize many things, such as carpets and shoes (Fassa). Just sprinkle them on these objects, let it sit for fifteen minutes, and then remove it to minimize odour (Mercola). Baking soda can be sprinkled on slippers, boots, shoes, and socks to get rid of foul odour too (Marvin). Moreover, baking soda is a cleaning agent in the kitchen and bathroom. Baking soda can

Global Warming Essay -- Environment Global Warming Climate Change

Global Warming For the last 20 years or so the subject of global warming has spawned heated debate among the world’s brightest minds. Its causes and effects, if either actually exists, have been hotly debated. The most popular hypothesis is called the greenhouse effect with the agreed upon cause being green house gasses. These gasses are all naturally occurring and include water vapor, methane, oxygen, and the now infamous carbon dioxide. Greenhouse gasses exist in the atmosphere and have an effect on our global weather. They trap radiated heat and prevent it from exiting our atmosphere. This supposedly increases global temperatures and is, or will, cause melting of the polar ice caps. This in turn is expected to raise sea level and cause global coastal flooding. A brief geology lesson The world we live on is at least 4.6 billion years old. In that time span it has undergone immense changes. At one time most of the land surface was connected. The continents separated and migrated to their present positions. The force behind this is called plate tectonics. The sea floor is still spreading today and is the driving force for all of the earthquakes and volcanic activity that we experience today. Convection currents created by the tremendous heat and pressure of the inner core move the plates. This core is undergoing massive thermonuclear reactions. The heat produced migrates outward and the currents it produces move the plates. This process also releases enormous amounts of carbon dioxide and water vapor. This has been taking place since the Earth was formed. We know from geologic record that there have been numerous greenhouse and icehouse ages. The question is, is the greenhouse state caused by greenhouse gasses? Probably not, at least not entirely. There are several other factors involved - the most significant being the Milankovitch cycles. These are three cycles that describe the motion of the Earth through space. The first involves the Earth’s orbit around the sun. The orbit is not perfectly round, but elliptical. This means that at one point the Earth is closer to the sun than at other times. This cycle takes about 100,000 years to complete. The second cycle involves the tilt of the Earth’s axis. The Earth’s axis is currently tilted about 23.5 degrees. But this tilt is not constant. Throughout a period of about 40,000 years the tilt changes a f... ...een showing a downward trend since their peak in 1940. Satellite readings continue to show a decrease in temperature. They recorded 1997 as the coolest year since this technology has been implemented. This imagery was also accurate enough to predict â€Å"that â€Å"La Nina† would predominate in 1998, lowering global temperatures significantly"2. That same year Moscow recorded its coldest December in a century3. Conclusion This great world of ours has been around for a long time – at least 4.6 billion years. During that time untold and unimaginable changes have taken place. Countless icehouse and greenhouse ages have come and gone. Continents have been created, destroyed, and migrated over and over again. Thousands, perhaps millions, of species have come and gone. All this, and more, without any influence from man. In geologic terms we have been on this Earth for a very, very short time. The Earth evolves on a time scale that we cannot comprehend. It has developed a balance, a system of checks and balances, which we have little or no control over. To think that we can alter a global climate that has been 4.6 billion years in the making merely shows just how much we have yet to learn.

Marriage and Dowry Essay

Woman – a daughter, a sister, a wife and a grandmother, throughout her life she dreams of having a wonderful life, a life to see to it that her marks in the school will make her parents happy, a life to see to it that her husband stays healthy, a life to see to it that her children study for their exams and a life to die seeing others happy. She cares for others, more than herself, then why we see her so much vulnerable in every moment of her life. So many issues to talk about women, rape being the most popular issue on women in the present time, almost all the women, in India, are vulnerable to this offence. But just like rape, the dowry system has affected the women psychologically, physically and emotionally. The dowry system kills her like a slow poison. The custom of dowry, in India, has spread through the hierarchy of social stratification. Several feminists suggest that the practice was initially adopted by the upper castes, then over a period of time it has been passed down into lower castes, and eventually reaches the untouchables, the outcasts. As the sociological studies suggests, often lower groups intend to copy there dominant group in there society. India ranks 136, in Human Development Index, among 187 counties around the world. This show, the people in India are in very bad condition and more than half of the population lives in poverty. The reason for poverty in India, if we look historically, it is because of the caste system, which restricted half of the population, in India, to develop, as even in present time 66% of Dalits are poor, and if we look in present time, education has deprived the poor from getting a better standards of living. It is these poorer sections as well as the middle class of our country who, not being educated and having good standard of living are still governed by old customs and traditions and continue to practise the dowry system, were in the name of gifting the groom the bride’s family is put into debt. But even in many rich families too, this system is being followed, even though they are well educated. The sums of cash and goods involved, as dowry, are often so large that the payment can lead to vicious cycle of debt in the bridal family. This has a very bad effect on the lives of unmarried women who are considered as economic liabilities by their parents, this leads to preference of boy over girl, leading to female infanticide and among the married women; they are physically and mentally harmed by their husbands and his family members, if promised dowry are not forthcoming. Modernization in India has became a barrier to many customs to be continued, like the caste system, the child marriage etc. but modernization has also lead to increase in practise of certain customs which were restricted to certain communities, as mentioned above. When we see caste, dowry and modernization, they are all inter linked with each other. With modernization, individual is not restricted to do his caste occupation and has chances to have good standard of living. Since new income and earning opportunities, brought about by modernization, are predominantly filled by men, there price tag of dowry increased. After analysing the historical developments of dowry system among the people in India, who are governed under Hindu law, now let us look at the Muslims, who are the 2nd largest population in India. Despite the fact that Islam’s beauty lies in simplicity and it recommends simple marriage, some transgressions such as dowry have crept into Muslim society in a wide range. When we look through Quran, we come across â€Å"Mahr†. According to â€Å"mahr† it is a mandatory payment, in the form of money or possessions paid by the groom, or by groom’s father, to the bride at the time of marriage that legally becomes bride’s property. But as time has passed by, Muslims have changed their character and are following their Hindu counterparts in demanding and offering dowry both, in heavy cash and kind. The competition among the rich and well-to-do section of the Muslim community to reserve a good match for their daughters for whatever the demand is, has increased. Education has hardly has any influence on the minds of the people in respect of dowry. On the contrary, a highly educated man expects a higher amount of dowry, just as it happens among the Hindus. The violence committed on women, for dowry, has increased in recent times. If we observe properly, as to why this dowry violence takes place, we can see a broader picture. The reason for dowry is mainly because the women are seen as less productive than man, concept of dowry itself shows that one’s gender determines one’s worth. The roots of this deficiency can be seen were even a bride, who may be well educated and earning than her husband, will still have to pay the dowry price, just like the other bride who is not educated and not earning. And in some instances too, were even if demands for dowry were to be satisfied fully, young women would continue to face torture and harassment in their in-laws homes because of women’s custom-sanctioned-inferiority. Dowry deaths are example of patriarchal authority. In some cases, the patriarchal authority expresses itself by murdering the young women by burning with kerosene (most frequent in urban areas) or drowning (common in rural areas). Other methods employed to murder include poisoning and physical battery. These facts and historical development shows that it is because of the disrespect and uncultured behaviour that we show towards women, has lead to female infanticide, uneducated girls, sexual harassment, dowry system, heavy debt in bride’s family and domestic violence. Let us all respect women, and treat them has equals, because only this solution, will lead to abolishment of many social evils against women.