Much Ado About Nothing

William Shakespeare wrote over 37 plays that are categorized histories, tragedies, romances, and of course, comedies.  His drama Much Ado About Nothing falls into the category of comedy, but by the standards of the modern world, the comedy is missing.  The drama shows the deception of class and actions can be achieved by all, and that one may not believe only their eyes, but must question even sight.  This comedic tragedy focuses on how evidence can be swayed, even when the evidence is seen by several people and even mentions the differences in classes even though at some times, the class lines are blurred. The classes, power and the truth are the basis of this drama, and through those misgiving topics is the world shown the jest in both.

Within the very first act the concept of classes is given to the audience.  A messenger arrives at the home of Leonato with a letter from Don Pedro of Arragon.  His response to Leonato upon the number of men lost in the war is But few of any sort, and none of name (I.i.7).  This sets the tone that those without name are not as worthy as those of noble birth.  This is exemplified by Leonato, A victory is twice itself when the achiever brings home full numbers (I.i.8-9).

The other way in which the classes are shown, and even how they are blurred, is through the waiting gentlewomen Ursula and Margaret that are not noble, but are not true servants other than they wait on Hero and Beatrice and are their companions, and through the persona of the Prince, Don Pedros brother, Don John, the bastard brother (Shakespeare 366), and While Don John is not called a bastard aloud in the drama, it is how he is introduced in the cast.  The fact that he is an illegitimate son of the Princes father makes it known that while the Prince accepts him as a noble, his is not a true noble, and others only give him respect because of his brother.  This plays out in Leonatos greeting to Don John in which he says, Let me bid you welcome, my lord, being reconcild with your brother I owe you all duty (I.i.154-156). Even from the beginning, Don John is seen as a type of outcast and thus he uses his outcast status to reek havoc on the people of Messina and to those noble of birth that are in the service of his brother.

In Act 2, Scene I as the revelers enter the festival, it is apparent that they are all wearing masks and are thus all of the same class.  The only differences would be in the clothes that are worn, but even the gentlewomen are dressed fashionably but not lavishly.  The soldiers all wear similar attire, and only differing masks, which shows they are all of the Princes soldiers, but does not let the Prince stand out.  However, this is also the scene in which Don John begins his deceptions.  Don Pedro and Claudio devise a plan in which Don Pedro will court Hero in the name of Claudio, and will get her fathers approval to the match (I.i.315-329).

Don John hears about this plan and as it is being fulfilled whispers to Claudio I heard him swear his affection of Hero (II.i.168), but he also insinuates the difference in class, I pray you dissuade him from her, she is no equal for his birth (II.i.164-165).  These statements are coming from the illegitimate brother who is not of equal birth, but still believes that he his of higher birth then Hero.  It is also from this piece of spoken evidence that Claudio is overcome with belief that the Prince is stealing Hero from him.  Luckily this farce does not play out for very long.  Beatrice brings Claudio back and the situation is resolved as Don Pedro hands Hero over to Claudio and the wedding day is set (II.i.296-301). Immediately, after the correction of this initial deception of Don John, the Prince, Leonato, Claudio, and Hero, decide on playing cupid between Benedict and Beatrice.  In the time until the wedding of Hero and Claudio, the next deception will be completed but only with the help of those present. All agree and the plan is set to begin, in hopes that Beatrice and Benedict will marry (II.i.362-370).  Nothing more is said at this point and the time continues, but merriness continues.

This first deception of Don John easily undone, that a new deception of Don John is again placed in the minds of the audience. The plot is between Borachio and Don John and is laid out.  In the ensuing discussion, it is explained that Borachio will call Margaret by the name of Hero, and she will call him Borachio.  It is up to Don John to get the Prince, Don Pedro, and Count Claudio in place so that they can see this occur in Heros bedroom window.  Borachio explains that this plan will misuse the Prince, to vex Claudio, to undo Hero and kill Leonato (II.ii28-29).  Of course, any plan to deceive and cause problems for his brother, Don Pedro, and the favorite, Claudio, is a grand plan to Don John.  He offers Borachio one thousand ducats if all goes as planned (II.ii.51-53). The plan is set, on the part of Don John, but there is more deception afoot.

Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio began the charade with allowing Benedick to over hear them talking about the love that Beatrice, supposedly, had for him.  They find him hidden in a garden and sit to discuss this new event. Don Pedro starts it What was it you told me to-day, that your niece Beatrice was in love with Signior Benedick (II.iii.90-91). Benedick even thinks for a moment that this is a ploy, but because the white-bearded fellow speaks it then in Benedicks mind it is the truth (II.iii.118-119). The farce continues on with the decision not to tell Benedick of the love stating he would make but a sport of it and torment the lady worse (II.iii.156-157). After they leave, Benedick looks into himself, and realizes that he does favor Beatrice, and even resolves When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married (II.iii.242-244). Benedick has taken the bait and is falling in love with Beatrice.

Hero employs the help of two gentlewomen, Ursula and Margaret.  Margret is to bring Beatrice to the garden with the ploy that Ursula and Hero are talking of her (III.i.4-12).  When Beatrice arrives, the two women talk of the love that Benedick has for Beatrice (III.i.37-39).  However, just as the men stating that Benedick would scorn Beatrices love, Hero and Ursula state similar beliefs it were not good she knew his love, lest shell make sport at it (III.i.57-58). Just as Benedick gave into his true feelings, so does Beatrice in that she states I will require thee, taming my wild heart to thy loving hand (III.i.111112).

Act 3, Scene 2 enters Don John again with news that disheartens Claudio and the Prince, Don Pedro.  On the eve of the wedding, Don John takes Don Pedro and Claudio to an orchard to hide and watch Heros bedroom window.  Don John promises that they will see her with another man (III.ii.109-116). The scene does not play out that the audience gets to see the action and events that lead up to the deception but are placed in an alley with the culprit who has deceived Claudio and slandered Hero (III.iii.144-152).  This speech also says that the orchard in which Claudio, Don John, and Don Pedro were hidden was afar off and not very close to the actual window (III.iii.151).  This would seem to have created the misunderstanding that Margaret was hero and that she was with another man, Borachio.  The evidence to some seems to be obvious, but to the audience, it is known to be false.

As promised, the Prince and Claudio defile and slander Hero at the altar.  They call her rotten orange (IV.i.32), approved wanton (IV.i.44), and that she is like those pampred animals that rage in savage sensuality (IV.i.60-61). They accuse Hero, with their own eyes and say that she was with another man the night before.  Even though she begs that it was not her and that she is a maid, it is obvious that the men are not going to accept her words.   Even her father turns on her and states death is the fairest cover for her shame (IV.i.116). Here not just class, but gender plays a major role.  Leonato refuses to believe his only child, who is female, but will believe men, one prince, one count, and an illegitimate bother to the prince over his daughter.  He states, Would the two princes lie, and Claudio lie (IV.i.152).

Most of the wedding guests left and believed Hero to be dead.  However, in truth she had only fainted, but this led to one last deception.  The Friar officiating the wedding create the deception of the death of Hero until her name could be cleared, or she could be sent to a nunnery (IV.i.210-243). Thus Hero left with the Friar to be hidden.  The others left to mourn the loss of Hero to the world.  This left only Beatrice and Benedick alone in the church where they finally admit their love (IV.i.267-273), and Benedick promises to challenge Claudio for the slander of an innocent lady (V.i185-193).

The deceptions begin to fall apart once more, for the night before the wedding, Borachio and Conrad, Don Johns manservant, were discovered in the alley, where Borachio confessed all to Conrad.  Unfortunately, Leonato would not hear the claims that morning since the wedding was that day, but the sexton was found and the villains were brought before him.  The guard told the sexton what had transpired, and the Sexton, verified that Don John had fled just that morning.  When they were finally brought before the Prince and Claudio, the scheme was uncovered, and both Don Pedro and Claudio repented, and begged forgiveness of Leonato.

There is one last deception that the audience knows must come to light, but the revenge and sufferance that must be first achieved to fulfill the punishment of Leonato.  After the night of mourning for Hero, Claudio is to marry the niece of Leonato.  He agrees without thinking of it twice.  He realizes that he has been deceived, not just by Don John and Borachio, but by his own eyes.  He can trust nothing any longer.  Thus when it is time to marry, the women enter the church in masks, and he is told he cannot see her face until after he is wed.  Thus he states
Claudio Give me your hand before this holy friar  I am your husband if you like of me.
Hero And when I livd, I was your other wife, and when you lovd, you were my other husband
(V.iv.58-62).

This is the best deception uncovered in the entire play.  The audience must believe that the drama is done and no more deceptions are left, but there is one more.  Beatrice and Benedick are still refusing to admit their love before anyone but themselves and one another.  They both deny to love one another, and even when told that they were tricked into their affections, and only after proof given of their love in the form of letters and verse, did the two finally admit to their love and wed as well (V.iv.73-99).

Throughout this drama, it the deceptions grow and grow.  The beginning deception is just an appetizer for the larger and more dramatic deceptions that follow.  From the beginning, the only evidence that was ever used, were lies and sight.  The deceptions were not only intricate, but the fact that those being deceived were easily turned to the belief of the worst shows that people would prefer to believe the worst in those around them.  The use of Beatrice and Benedick and the deceptions used to make them fall in love with one another, shows how easily people can be swayed by words, whether true or not.  One would love to believe that another loved them.  If they over hear it, they will believe it.

The best way to describe this is that humans are fickle.  This drama shows that whether the deceit is for happy purposes, or bad, the human will believe what they are told, and will see what they want to see as long as it reinforces what they are told.  It would have been easy for the Prince or Claudio to justify that the evidence was not hard core because of the distance they were from the window, however, because they knew that it was Heros bedroom window and they were told that it was Hero in the window, that is what they saw in the middle of the night from the orchard.

The issue of class was another factor in the drama.  It should be noted that only nobles were of any consequence in regards to deaths in battle.  However, it was also the lower born gentlewoman that was used by the common soldier to slander Hero.  The actions of the gentlewoman were within her class whereas they were unacceptable to the noble born Beatrice and Hero. The other account in which Leonato believes noble born men, even one that was illegitimate over his own daughter proves that class was not just by birth, but by gender as well.

Much Ado About Nothing is exactly that.  There were problems, issues, deceptions and fights all over a misunderstanding.  The morale of the story is to not just trust words and eyes, but question everything and think for yourself.  It is not that all humans are fickle, but only those that would allow themselves to be tricked into believing that lies were truth and truth were lies.   The drama also gives insight into the times, where men were believed over women in most cases.  While this has little to do with being tricked, it does say much for the society in which Shakespeare lived and the actions of those around him.  Shakespeare wrote nothing without hidden meanings, and this drama is no different.  He used Much Ado About Nothing to show his countrymen and peers the perils of their society and their ways.  

Inequality in High School

Since the beginning of the 20th century, high schools in America and all over the world have been striving to maximally reduce the levels of inequality among students and attendants. Those inequality movements and initiatives were particularly relevant for the United States, which had been traditionally characterized by high levels of population diversity. Needless to say, throughout the 20th century, America had been able to significantly improve the quality of social and educational approaches to high school students many of them were given a unique opportunity to graduate and make a good career. But despite relative improvements, the current state of inequality in high schools leaves much to be desired gender, racial, and socioeconomic inequality hinders the quality of the educational processes and leaves many potential and current students beyond the boundaries of quality education. It would be fair to assume, that although the United States claims its education in general and high schools, in particular, to be the basic carrier of the democratic equity vision, racial, gender, and socioeconomic inequality remains the determining feature of high school performance and leaves thousands of students no chance to succeed in their educational and career strivings.

Despite the growing inequality awareness in high schools, racial inequality remains the subject of the major educational concern. That high schools are characterized by severe ethnic and racial disparities is a well-known fact, but the more important are the impacts which these disparities produce on the quality of educational achievement in students with different ethnic  racial backgrounds. Racial inequality in high school impacts attendance and student achievement and makes it difficult for education professionals to develop learning approaches that would suit the needs of all population groups. For example, Lleras refers to the successes of black and white students in high school mathematics, noting that students in high minority high schools leave with lower math achievement, lower student engagement, and having taken less demanding math classes compared to students in Low Minority high schools (908). Moreover, the racial disparities that exist between students when they enter the high school later cumulate into even greater gaps in their learning outcomes, particularly for those who attend high schools with the high percentage of black students (Lleras 908). Lleras implies that segregation is increasingly negative for high schools and that it works against reducing racial inequality in these educational facilities. Unfortunately, desegregation alone cannot contribute to reducing the rates of racial inequality in high schools the example of Berkeley High School reveals the difficulties and inconsistencies, which high schools face on their way to racial ethnic equity. BHS is included into the list of relatively large schools with approximately three thousand students, of which approximately 40 are white, 40 are African American, 10 are Latino, and 10 are Asian American (Noguera). BHSs desire to address the issues of racial inequality ended up in the establishment of the first African American Studies department  a step that signified the growing gap between white and African American ethnic groups (Noguera). Today, the majority of white students at BHS are concentrated in the honors and college track courses, whilst Latino and African American students are bound to attend less demanding remedial courses (Noguera). These divisions further extend to impact extracurricular activities, including sports, clubbing, theater, etc. (Noguera). As a result, it is at least too early to say that high schools were able to distance themselves from the issues of racial and ethnic inequality and the situation with gender issues is no better.

The level of gender equality in American high schools is dangerously low. Gender equality is particularly problematic in high school athletics, and numerous gender obstacles prevent female students from participating in high school sports. No, that does not mean that girls are prohibited from participating in high school sport activities the rates of their participation and admission gradually increase. For example, from 1971-80, the number of female athletes at the high school level increased 616, with females accounting for approximately 35 of high school athletes in 1980. Today, girls still account for about 35 of high school athletes, although at 1.9 million participants the number of females in sports at the high school level has never been higher (Priest). But while the absolute number of female athletes in high school sports increases, the percentage of female participation in high school athletics has not changed much. Several laws and regulations have slightly facilitated female students entrance to high school sports. For example, Title IX resulted in the immediate increase of female high school students in sports (Priest), but there are still problems with how high schools address gender inequality issues. For example, high schools were never required to report the rates of female participation in high school athletics, and the enforcement of Title IX in high schools was increasingly problematic. However, the new High School Athletics Accountability Act of 2009 is expected to facilitate the process of Title IX implementation in high schools (White). High schools will be required to gather and publicize the data with regard to the number of male and female students participating in sports and the number of boys and girls sports teams (Womens Sports Foundation). It is very probable that public accountability will resolve the issue of gender inequality in high schools but it is also clear that in no way will the new regulatory requirements work to address the issues of socioeconomic inequality in high school environments.

High schools undertake serious attempts to reduce the issue and the incidence of racial and gender inequality, but socioeconomic inequality is still a problem socioeconomic disparities in students impact the quality of the educational process, and even the existing laws and regulations do not leave poorer students a chance to become successful graduates. For example, McCaul refers to socioeconomic inequality in high schools as the basic predictor of high levels of dropouts among children from families with low socioeconomic status (22). Another interesting example is in that socioeconomic inequality pushes poorer children to quit high school or to stay away from high school for a number of reasons, from being part-time employed to being unable to find agreement with teachers (Caldwell  Ginthier 30). Numerous laws and regulations were aimed to reduce the existing social disparities in high schools (for example, Title I), but they failed to mediate the effects of socioeconomic inequality on the quality of the learning process. Even if students choose to continue their learning, they face significant difficulties in the process of adjusting to, and trying to comply with, even the basic educational requirements. For example, socioeconomic inequality in high schools is a serious obstacle on the disadvantaged students way to computer use Lowe, Harvey and Sosteric report that the level and access of computer use among high school students largely depends on the parental education and family income (47). As a result, students who do not have access to or for some reason cannot use computers at home find it difficult to learn, and lag behind their peers. In this sense, the effects of Title I and related regulations is minimal, and it is obvious that for high schools to promote better quality of learning and knowledge delivery, the issues of racial, gender, and socioeconomic inequality should be timely addressed.

Conclusion
Inequality in high schools remains the issue of the major educational and social concern. Despite the growing number of laws and regulations, as well as the growing level of inequality awareness, the issues of racial, gender, and socioeconomic inequality in high schools require immediate resolution. Numerous examples confirm the urgency of inequality issues in high schools and the negative impacts, which these issues produce on the quality of learning processes and outcomes. As such, for schools to promote better quality of knowledge delivery among students, the issues of racial, gender, and socioeconomic inequality should be timely addressed.

ODYSSEY

Athena and Odysseus share a common character trait in the Odyssey they are liars. There are some similarities and differences in the way that they use lies. The reasons that these characters use lies are also different. They also use the lies on different occasions. Odysseus lies to Polyphemus and uses Cretan lies on Athena, Eumaeus and Penelope. Athena uses disguise to lie. She disguises herself as Mentor, a herdsman in Ithaca, Mentes and as a young girl in Phaecia. Even though Odysseus and Athena are presented as liars in the text, Athena proves to be a better liar than Odysseus.

Discussion
Odysseus as a liar
Odysseus has been portrayed a liar in the Odyssey. Odysseus lies to Athena, Eumaeus and Penelope his wife. The lies that he tells vary according to the circumstances that he is faced with as well as the person that he lies to. Odysseus does not lie deliberately instead he lies for a certain purpose. Odysseus lies are well crafted and he executes them with high skills. This shows his ability to lie and not his moral failure. Even though he lies, he does not expect people to believe in his lies at face value.

In the thirteenth book of the odyssey, Odysseus lies to Athena. Odysseus is taken back to Ithaca by the Phaenicians and he is left on shore fast asleep. When he wakes up he does not recognize where he is since Athena has covered everything with mist. At this point Athena is disguised as a young herdsman. When Athena reveals he is in Ithaca, Odysseus starts his lying tales. The story that he uses at this point serves several purposes. The first purpose is to explain his presence in Ithaca as well as his accompanying treasures. The second purpose is to show that he is a man worth of getting assistance and support. It is at this point that Athena reveals herself and calls Odysseus the mortal equivalent of her in subtleties and deceit.

Odysseus lies to Eumaeus using a disguise that he gets through Athena. Athena changes Odysseus into a beggar and he uses the guise to present himself to Eumaeus. When Odysseus tells his story to Eumaeus, he is more interested in creating a particular impression of himself rather than actually deceiving Eumaeus. The purpose of using the disguise of a beggar at this point is to discover the character of the suitors who have invaded his house. He is interested in finding out which of the suitors would defend a beggar. This disguise also serves a very important purpose for Odysseus. Through this disguise he is able to speak to Penelope in order to test how much she really loves him. He is also able to participate in the bow contest where he emerges the winner.

The Cretan lies that Odysseus uses are a combination of fact and fiction. The lies can be seen as factual, in the sense that he draws upon his own experiences of how he got back to Ithaca in order to create his lie. He lies to Eumaeus that he is from Crete and that he fled his home after he killed the son of Idomeneus.
Odysseus also lies to Polyphemus. When Polyphemus asks Odysseus whether he is a merchant or a pirate, Odysseus boasts that he is from the Agamemnon army and claims to have the backing of Zeus. At this point, Polyphemus does not buy Odysseus lies since he does not answer his question directly. When Polyphemus asks Odysseus where he moored his ship, Odysseus lies. He does this because he realizes that Polyphemus is testing him. Instead of replying to Odysseus lies, Polyphemus eats two people in his crew. He is then able to trick Polyphemus. This lie enables Odysseus and his men to escape by poking out his eye. Odysseus uses disguise to lie. In Book 4, Odysseus beats himself up so that he can look like a slave he also dresses up like a slave so that he can have easy entrance in troy.

Athena as a liar
Athenas uses disguise to lie. This is one of the similarities of that Odysseus and Athena share as liars. She uses disguise so that she can conceal her identity. Some of the disguises that she uses are Mentor, a herdsman in Ithaca, Mentes and as a young girl in Phaecia. Athena extends her lies to Odysseus as she disguises him on several occasions. At one time she disguises him as a beggar so that he can deceive the suitors that want to marry his wife. When Odysseus is speaking to Athena who is disguised as a herdsman, the similarity in the nature of their deceit is revealed. Athena lies with disguise while Odysseus lies about his identity. In book 13 (p.295300), Athena is impressed by Odysseus ability to lie and she admires his lies. In book 16 (p. 343344), Athena behaves differently when she is talking with Odysseus, she wants him to stop using lies and to reveal himself to his son.

Athena is a better liar than Odysseus. The difference between Odysseus lies and Athenas lies is that Athena is able to disguise herself so well when she is lying such that no one ever notices. Even though Odysseus uses disguise when lying, some people are able to see beyond the disguise. One of the people that recognize Odysseus lies is Helen. She realizes that Odysseus is lying about his identity. She then swears using an oath that she will not disclose his real identity. When he is disguised as a beggar the nurse that bathes him notices a mark on Odysseus foot and she recognizes him. She also swears not to reveal his identity and she helps him to identify the hand maidens that are loyal.

Athena uses disguise to lie to Telemachus. Disguised as Mentes, Athena enters Odysseus hall in order to encourage Odysseus son (Telemachus) to leave. In this disguise Athena lies about her identity as well as where she is from. One of the stories told disguised as Mentes is that he is on a voyage of trade he states that his father was a friend of Odysseus father. He says that Odysseus is been delayed by the gods. He tells Telamachus that Odysseus would take revenge if he was present. Using another disguise as Mentor, Athena orchestrates every part of the journey while Telemachus deals with household affairs. The story she tells using this disguise is that she is an old friend of Odysseus. This disguise enables her to achieve her purpose which is to secure a ship and crewmen for the upcoming journey. She also uses this disguise to guide and manipulate Telamachus. Towards the end of the Odyssey, Athena uses this disguise to fight alongside Odysseus and they are able to kill many men.

Athena also uses disguise to present herself as a friend of Nausicaa. The purpose of this disguise is to manipulate Nausicaa. She tells Nausicaa to go to the river so that she can meet Odysseus. Athena uses the disguise of a little girl in order to help Odysseus. In order to make sure that no one disrupts Odysseus on the way to the castle, Athena uses a cloud to disguise Odysseus.

Athena uses disguise to lie to Odysseus. When Athena wakes Odysseus after he is taken back to Ithaca by the Phaenicians, she uses the disguise of a herdsman to convince Odysseus that he is home. Athena disguises Odysseus several times so that he may appear credible. One good example of this is when Odysseus speaks to his son and reveals his identity and then when Eumaeus returns she changes him back into a beggar.

Conclusion
Athena and Odysseus use lies in the Odyssey on different occasions and for different purposes. One of the similarities in their lies is that they both use disguise to lie. The major difference between their lies is that Athenas lies are never discovered. Other differences emerge in the purpose of their lies. In most occasions, Athena uses lies to help Odysseus as well as to motivate and to change people.

Jabberwocky and Nonsensical Words

Jabberwocky is the quintessential nonsense poem throughout time. Even though it is considered a nonsense poem, the words are placed in such a way as to lend them to definitions of words that may sound similar in the modern language. Another poet that is world renowned in the genre of nonsensical poetry is Dr. Seuss.

The parents of the world have used his books and stories to teach children about values, morals, and equality. Carroll however, takes the nonsense a step further and upon first read the poem is completely nonsensical, and unless a person takes the poem line by line, the nonsense is entrenched even further. To truly understand Carroll meaning, one must look up some of those nonsensical words, or think of words that are semantically or diction based in similar terms. Only then can the meaning of the poem be understood.  

By modern vocabulary there are many words that many are sure have no meaning. To think in this way is completely wrong. In fact just about every nonsensical word used is a word found in old English or is a combined effort of two words to give itself a new meaning. He also created words that would be similar to the word that would have fit better, but because of the inflection of the word or the syntax used, the word fits and can be defined with limited problems.

The first section of the poem gives a perfect example as to the use of diction and syntax in the use of made up and nonsensical words
 Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogoves,
and the mome raths outgrabe. (Lines 1-4)

Upon first look it would seem that this is just a bunch of garbled words and phrases. But take a deeper look and the meaning can be determined. The first possible nonsensical word is brillig but if one uses old dictionaries one would discover that this word is of German origin and actually fits nicely into the poem. The meaning is the preparation of the evening meal (allwords.com). This shows the time frame and location of the story within the poem. By continuing in this way the remainder of the first stanza tells of the superstitions of the people and that they have built walls to keep out those creatures and things that scare them.

The second verse introduces the creatures that the people want to keep out of their village. The Jabberwock is mentioned first and is the most fearsome and ferocious. After the Jabberwock is the mythical Jubjub bird that represents the superstitions of the villagers, because there is nothing even remotely similar to this creature. The last of the imaginative creatures is the bandersnatch. This creature is the combination of two words, bander and snatch. Carroll used these words to affect the ideal of wit and take, through the use of similar sounds, bander and banter and snatch, meaning to tease and take.

Through the use of nonsensical words Carroll illicit the fear of the reader to the unknown, making the reader more of the child and the author the parent.  For the parent knows of things the child cannot comprehend. The fact that the remainder of the poem has more nonsensical words that work within the poem to give it definition shows that there will always be obstacles causing people to have to re-evaluate their plans and lives.

This brings the poem to its last stanza which is exactly the same as the first.  Therefore, the journey of the reader is over, and the creature that makes the villagers fear is gone.  However, the fact that the villagers still fear the Jabberwock and still maintain their shields around their village makes the reader wonder if anyone else has realized that the mythical creatures are not to be feared but defeated.  Carroll does not let the villagers grow as the reader and young protagonist do within the story.  The use of nonsensical words to end the poem shows this inability to give up superstitions of things that are unknown.

Pumps For All Resolution Memo

This Memo discusses a number of issues related to the Pumps For All (PFA) organizations and the problems that the organization currently faces. There are a number of issues and factors that ought to be considered in order to ensure that the problems which the PFA organization is facing are properly and adequately addressed. The issues of concern include the need to address the perceived improper employee recruitment strategies and constant assignment of many duties to the employees who may never have the required competencies to perform the assigned tasks.

Pumps For All Resolution Memo
You asked that I send you an outlined memo regarding the issues we seem to be having with the company engineers. Resolution of these issues is of paramount importance, and I looked into the two areas of most concern, possible adverse impact and a drop in production.

I. There has been a claim that our human resource policies and practices are having an adverse impact on protected classes of people.

A. There seems to be some legitimacy to this concern. I had our attorney check our company for compliance with the laws and regulations in regards to adverse impact.

Compliance Issues and the Relevant Contributing Factors
The need for the Pumps For All organization to fully adhere to the necessary laws and regulation in its business operations is very paramount. The first issue of compliance is the need for the organization to ensure that it portrays a global perspective to its business operations. In order to have a positive appeal to the customers and other relevant stakeholders, the need to ensure that the organization portrays itself as an international organization is vital (Bider 2005, pp.18-21). This would ensure that the recruited employees have a global outlook that would be appealing to the outside world.

The second issue of compliance is the need to ensure that there is specialization and division of labor. Division of labor would ensure that an employee only concentrates in the section of employment in which she or he is would greatly contribute thus ensuring that quality and production levels are steadily improved.
The second issue of compliance is the need to ensure specialization levels in the company greatly increase and the quality of the pumps are not compromised. The major contributing factor to this issue is the fact that the company has a very huge percentage of its employees from certain specific educational institutions.

Additionally, the employees have specific competencies which could in the long run compromise the quality of production. This is related to the second contributing factor that relates to the need for collaborative employment strategy with other related companies in the industry. Specialization in the PFA Organization, according to Bider (2005, pp.18-21), would also ensure that technology is properly integrated into the operation of PFA thus improving efficiency, integrity and productions levels. The need for compliance with technology and security issues would also be crucial in the operations of the PFA organization.

B. There are several options we can pursue to bring ourselves into compliance and ensure that we stay so.
Specialization In order to enhance the quality of pumps to be provided by the PFA, there is need to integrate the relevant technologies. Employees in the organization need to specialize in the production stages in the areas where they have utmost skills based on the overall design of the organization. Since it is never possible for each person to perform well in every department, specialization would ensure that the employees concentrate their efforts in the specific areas where they are best skilled and with the greatest interest. Low and inadequate levels of production in the best pumps in the organization need to be addressed through ensuring that there is specialization of duties concerned (Castro  Teniente 2005, pp.12-35 Stone 2005).

Diversify the employment strategies Their need to diversify business operations and employees skills. This would lead to the organizations having individuals with mixed races and very competent skills. The problem of recruiting from a specific race in a give section of the world may work against the success of the organization. People all over the world may have a very negative perception of the organization based on its selective strategy. The PFA should fully understand that race does not have any significance in the performance of the employees in their duties rather it is their competencies and skills that mainly matters in the performance of the task at hand.

It is important that the employees recruitment strategies to be employed be compliant to different countries and international employment laws, procedures and agreed upon regulations that govern employees welfare and working patterns (Stone 2005).

There is always a big difference between academic excellence and the actual competencies at work. Academic excellences do not always translate to better performance at work. The fact that engineers are recruited from the leading engineering schools in the United States of America does not necessarily mean that the recruited engineers have the experience to perform better. The fact that the engineers recruited always have very similar job requirement could as mean that the organization does not pay attentions to other vital sections of production.

Recommendations for Things to be Changed
In order to fully bring the organization into compliance and prevent further occurrences of the problems currently being experienced, there is need to change a number of issues that regard the PFA organization. To begin with, the manner in which employees are recruited needs to be overhauled. Employees should never be recruited purely based on their academic prowess. Better job performance of an organization depends to a greater extend to the diversity in skills of the employees (Lee 1996, pp. 322498). Employees should therefore be assessed based on their experience in the field, their abilities to enhance greater performance and bring uniqueness in the organization and their other relevant skills.

Employees with diverse job designs should be recruited to the organization since this would enhance exchange of different ideas hence leading to better and unique organizational performance in the production of the pumps by PFA.

To stay into compliance and ensure that we fully stay so, the organization need to set new employee recruitment policies. The policies should ensure an equal balance in the gender, race, academic and cultural background of the employees to be recruited. There should also be policies to ensure that the recruited employees do not necessary come from a single region since this may not be a true reflection of the organizations vision, mission and the manner in which it operates.

Furthermore, there is need for the PFA Organization to ensure that it adheres to the laws and regulations in different countries in order to ensure that the recruitment procedure of its employees is not marred with any irregularities (Castro  Teniente 2005, pp.12-35). The engineer job design should therefore be more broadened to include people from other professions with other unique skills required in the companys better performance.

II. There has been a drop in production and our engineer job design might be contributing factor. I looked into this.

A. The process that we used to analyze the position follows.

Process Used to Analyze the Situation and Position
Process mining used was in the analysis of the situation and assessment of the position of the PFA organization. The process entailed in-depth analysis of the entire operations of the PFA organization, the skills of the company, the vision, mission, and the current performance of the business. This method is crucial as enabled proper understanding of the current situation without any levels of biasness (Dubin 1988). The actions suggested were based on the fact that the problems being faced were compromising on the production levels, perception of the public and the overall performance of the company. The methods suggested would also enhance flexibility in the business processes (Grigori, Castellanos, Casati, Sayal, Shan and Dayal 2004, pp.320-340).

B. There are several benefits to this process as indicated below
The process also ensures utilization of questionnaires and interviews carried out to employees and other stakeholders and shareholders that were considered to hold strategic positions in the company. This job analysis process helped in soliciting more information that helped in the preparation of this Memo. The use of questionnaire and interviews in the data collection and analysis of the PFA Organization provided room for continued assessment of the performance of the organization (Lee 1996, pp. 322498). The other benefit for the use of process mining and interview is the fact that more information is collected and the equal employment opportunities and the compliance issues are adequately addressed.

Conclusion
The methods outlined above best explain why I would conduct the job analysis in the above manner. From the above arguments, it is evident that proper planning and analysis and setting up of relevant policies would greatly help in ensuring that the problems of inequality in employment strategies employed and other compliance issues are fully addressed.

Aristotle Rhetoric

Aristotles Rhetoric is often seen as a contradiction of terms.  The first part of the book states that emotions should not be part of rhetoric and yet the remainder of the book tells the reader that the emotion of the audience is one of the three factors used to prove the art is well-defined.  This has created much discussion and much frustration, but the two apparent contradictions are really not contradictions, but both are required of rhetoric.

The article by Jamie Dow (383) divides into five sections to prove or at least to show an option that not only do the two supposed contradictory sections work together, but brings it back to prove that while the resistance to the emotional arousal in part 1 is not a contradiction at all for the remaining parts of the Rhetoric. In the first section, The Contradiction Problem and the Contradiction View, (Dow 383) Aristotle did apparently contradict himself, when he stated that oration should not be based on passions, but yet the passion of the audience affects the way in which the oration is understood.  The second part of the article, Dow differentiates between emotion or passion and activity.  He explains that Aristotle used the concepts pity, slander, anger, and other such passions as not necessarily passions or emotions but as activities (Dow 386).  Thereby the contradiction view between the first part and the remainder of the Rhetoric is shown to be more of a misunderstanding of the definitions of the activities associated with oratory. The third explanation of the article works with the concepts of ancient rhetorical set-pieces in general (Dow 391) that focus on the use of passion by other orators of the time, as a way in which to overpower the audience to their views using emotions rather than logic.  The fourth section distinguishes between the tools of the art of oration and the accessories.  The tools are used to gain logical understanding by the audience and their conviction to the topic via these tools (Dow 397).  For Aristotle, the accessories were nothing more and emotions that are used when the orator could not use logic.  The last section of the article talks about how the set-pieces, the tools of oration and the misunderstanding of emotion and activity all work together, but that others will still consider this to be a contradiction, but at least now there are other possibilities given to the interpretations of the book (Dow 398).

The article is very useful in that the explanation of the Rhetoric gives readers other options in the way they view and interpret Aristotles works.  The fact that the information is so different from other interpretations allows one to use their own logic and critical thinking to either accept or oppose the interpretations discussed in the article by Jamie Dow.  The fact is that no one really knows the interpretations of Aristotle works completely.  His perspectives and logic are bound in the 4th Century BCE and therefore, placing them within current modern day culture means that there is much assuming in the interpretations of his work which can lead to error.  By acknowledging there are other interpretations and other ways to understand this contradictive view means that more people will be able to understand Aristotle and his work in correlation to the modern world.

Symposium speakers explanation of love in the odyssey

Love holds this world together. The very existence of human beings in this world is based on love that establishes human relations. Love is the most crucial emotion that binds individuals and keeps them happy. One of the most influential traditions of love in the Western world is Platonism. In the popular mind, Platonism is associated with the concept of Platonic love, which is understood today as a non-sexual relationship between heterosexual friends (Plato, 1951). As the concept of Platonic love is far from doing justice to Platos complex theory of love and sex, French scholars found it helpful to distinguish between amour platonique (the concept of non-sexual love) and amour platonicien (love according to Plato) (Plato, 1951). In Platos Symposium, Plato includes seven different points of view on love representing the speakers that participate in the symposium in honor of Agathon. It would be good if the different types of love covered by the speakers of the symposium are analyzed through the lives of characters of literary works. No piece of literature gives a more vivid manifestation of love than the Odyssey by Homer. The major emotional theme evident in this classic work is love. The characters of the Odyssey exhibit different forms of love that can be analyzed using the explanations of love given by symposium speakers. Pausanias explanation of love can be used for analyzing love found between different characters of the epic The Odyssey. Pausanias idea of dualism is evident in different types of love found in the Odyssey. Pausanias classifies love as sensual love (that which is common) and heavenly love that is based on mental and soul oriented interests.  Happiness and underlying interest of virtue constitute the superior love explained by Pausanias. Both these classifications of love are found among relationships we find in the Odyssey. True love that involves sacrifice is richly evident in the great epic. Common carnal love that is meant for exploitation and deception is also available. The great love relationship between Odysseus and Penelope perfectly illustrates the love explained by Pausanias. Eurykleia, Nausikaa and Queen Arete also exhibit the love of superior quality. The unselfish love between Odysseus and Telemachos the love between Odysseus and Laertes give two more examples of true love in the Odyssey. Examples of carnal or inferior love are also found in the Odyssey. The Seductress women show common inferior love. Helen and Klytaimnestra, Seirenes and Kalypso reveal inferior love.

Love is examined in a sequence by the speakers in the symposium. Pausanias brings up an excellent way of interpreting love. According to him, love can be broken down into two types, common love and heavenly love. Common love can be explained as the love between a man and woman who join for the gratification of the sexual desires. Heavenly love, on the other hand, includes the true love between two individuals that goes past physical appearance and other criterion. True love is a strong force that is born from the deepest heart.  Pausanias distinguishes both types of love. According to him, heavenly love has an honorable purpose.

Heavenly love is ever faithful and includes no lust. Common love, on the other hand, is the love of the physical body, not the real individual. The lasting relationship of Odysseus and Penelope in the Odyssey is an example of heavenly love. Even though through Odysseus is gone for twenty years we never find him forgetting his faithful wife who waits for him. His love for his wife made him persevere through all the difficulties and struggles that he encountered in his journey. Penelope also exhibits the same love towards her husband. Her love for Odysseus is found to be the heavenly love as explained by the symposium speaker Pausanias. Penelope, the wife of Odysseus is a true example of true love. She is the synonym of steadfastness and commitment. We find her waiting several years for the return of Odysseus. Even the intimidating suitors could not distract her away from her commitment and constancy. She successfully maintains the love she has for Odysseus. She patiently waits for his return. This is a wonderful manifestation of heavenly love. We find her telling to a stranger (who is Odysseus in disguise) Stranger, my beauty went forfeit to the Gods the day my Husband sailed with the Argives, for Troy. Should he return, to cherish me, my fortune and favour would improve. As it is, Heaven afflicts me too sorely. All the island Chiefs court me uninvited, and ravage the Estate While I neglect my guests, the suppliants that come, and even Heralds on a mission, to eat my heart out for Odysseus. We find her giving a strange beggar a place by Telemachoss side, for he brought the news of her husband. We find her telling But come, handmaidens, give him a wash and spread a...will accomplish nothing here for all his terriblespite. (19.317-325). Odysseus love for Penelope is true and great. We find him telling her Wife, one thing is certainnot all our soldiers will return from Troyunhurt  So I cannot say whether the gods will let me come back or whether I shall fall on Trojan soil. But I leave everything here in your charge. Look after my father and mother in the house as you do now  And when you see a beard on our boys chin, marry whomsoever you fancy and leave your home. Odysseus returns to his loving wife and understands that she still loves her. He finally tells her So you see that he is safe and will soon be back. Indeed he is very close  I swear first by Zeus, the best and greatest of the gods, and then by the good Odysseus hearth which I have come to, that everything will happen as I foretell. This very year Odysseuswill be here, between the waning of the old moon and the waxing of the new. The love between Odysseus and Penelope thus shows the heavenly love that is beyond all barriers.

We further find Eurykleia who matches Penelope in her commitment. Hers is also a good manifestation of selfless love. We find her being steadfast in her job as Telemakhos nurse. This is an example of love that is unconditional. Pausanias proposed nothing but this type of unconditional love. Nausikaa is yet another example of true love. She is found to be an excellent hostess to Odysseus. She gives him food, good clothing and advice. Her service is also an example of true love and faithfulness. Her mother, Queen Arete is also an example of faithful service which is done out of love. We find her as a good hostess. Her help provided Odysseus a ship to ride to home.

Yet another relationship in Odyssey in which love is manifested is the relationship between Odysseus and Telemachos. The father-son relationship between Odysseus and Telemachos is an example of true love. Even though they do not know each other, they love and care for each other. When Odysseus comes to know that suitors are devouring Telemachos and illtreating him, he thirsts to return and take revenge. Telemachos exhibits a great love for his father. We find him setting out from Ithaca, searching for his father, believing that he is still alive. Telemachos desired for guidance and help from Odysseus. Their relationship is an example of love that strengthens people in their difficult lives. Yet another important love we find in Odyssey is the love between Odysseus and Laertes. We find Odysseus desiring to see his father as he returns. When he meets his father and attempts to conceal his identity he is not able to explain his story seeing the sorrow in fathers eyes. This very incident explains his love for his father. The pain of Laertes explains how much love he had for his son. As Odysseus was thought to be dead, Laertes had reached depression. Laertes was overwhelmed with joy to find Odysseus returning.  Here we find love being a cure for pain and grief.

All these examples of true love explained in the Odyssey confirms to the explanations given by Pausanias. Pausanias claims that not every love is worth pursuing or praiseworthy. The love of the body has foolish things as its end and is not constant or stable. Each person becomes replaceable and is pursued only as long as the bloom of youth flourishes after beauty has passed and withered, the lover discards the person like an object (Plato, 1951). The love between Penelope and Odysseus describes this love. The true lover who loves reason and intelligence more than outward appearance would remain faithful to his partner. These types of love are true and permanent. Such love gives no room for money, wealth or position. According to Pausanias the motive of true love would be the education, enlightenment or improvement of the loved one. The purpose of love is creating virtue. Love pursued for other means is wrong, no matter what consequence it brings. Pausanias explains that a loved one who gratifies his lover in the hopes of gaining virtue is partaking in Heavenly Love, while gratification given for any other reason is simply Common Love (Plato, 1951).
Pausanias discusses various types of common love. According to him, virtue is the key to love. Love without virtue is considered by Pausanias as Common, inferior love. Intentions should be seeded in virtue for giving birth to true love. In Odyssey we find several examples of characters whose intentions are not true. They are pure examples of common love which is inferior. Seductress women in Odyssey manifest this common inferior love.

Two less benevolent seductress women are half-sisters Helen and Klytaimnestra. We find that the entire Trojan War is caused by Helens disloyalty towards Menelaos. Her affair caused several deaths. Odysseus would have avoided leaving home if she had not left with Paris. Klytaimnestra also became the reason for agony and sufferings by maintaining an affair and later killing her husband on his homecoming day. The seductress women, who are examples of common love, are always considered as perilous and harmful to mankind. The character Seirenes is yet another example. We find that their song seducing and compelling the listening people to linger until they die. Kirke attempts to seduce Odysseus before she helps him. The charming Kalypso tries to attract him with sex and immortality and never allows him to go home. These characters in Odyssey are examples of weak, common love. They look for inferior relationships and never desire true love.

The Odyssey by Homer thus include several characters whose love for each other give a strong example for the love explained by Pausanias in Platos The Symposium.

Realization of Human Mortality Gilgameshs Ultimate Recognition

The main character in The Epic of Gilgamesh is frequently blinded by his superior physical and intellectual gifts.   Gilgamesh is a powerful king, he is widely admired for his many special talents, and though he is cruel his position of authority is never questioned.  There is, however, one goal that eludes Gilgamesh despite his deepest desires and his quest to find the knowledge necessary to defeat death and to thereby become immortal.  Gilgamesh, in effect, views himself as a sort of transcendental figure entitled to escape the inevitability of death.  It is only after a number of failed attempts to secure the secret to immortality that Gilgamesh ultimately realizes that death cannot be escaped and that the limits of immortality relate to what humans contribute and leave for future generations.  His ultimate recognition of mortality therefore underpins his decision to transform from a cruel authoritarian king into a more benevolent leadership figure.  In support of this thesis, that Gilgameshs character was essentially a device to show the inevitability of death and that life should be used for good deeds, this essay will discuss his initial arrogance and how this arrogance is ultimately tempered and channeled into more selfless types of human behavior.  It is in this way, how human beings come to grudgingly accept the inevitability of death, that Gilgamesh is truly representative of all men.

As an initial matter, Gilgamesh pursues a lifestyle that stresses the satisfaction of his personal needs rather than the needs or the desires of other people.  He rapes women when he is sexually attracted, he forces his subjects to build monuments to satisfy his enormous ego, and  he seems to view the kingdom as existing to refelect his own superiority rather than existing to benefit all of its inhabitants.  The turning point is when Gilgameshs arrogance is at its peak, when he and Enkido are returning from the forest of cedar trees, and he pompously rejects the romantic advances made by Ishtar.  She is a goddess, she represents love, and Gilgamesh views himself as being too important for the love of a single woman even if she is a goddess.  The text provides the severity of this rebuke, Gilgamesh attracts the eye of Ishtar, goddess of love. She proposes marriage, sweetening the proposal with offers of power and wealth. He rejects her, contemptuously listing the miseries she has caused her previous lovers.  This is a pivotal moment in the text because it is the height of Gilgameshs arrogance and it is the event which ultimately persuades the Gods to kill Enkido in a manner that forces Gilgamesh to grapple with his own potential mortality.  There are events in the lives of all men which suddenly reinforce the inevitability of death these events are various and might include the death of a parent or the onset of an unanticipated illness.  For Gilgamesh, Enkidos death forces him to question whether he might be able to escape death.

Gilgamesh consequently engages in a quest to find the secret knowledge whereby immortality can be achieved.  In this respect, Gilgamesh is again representative of all men.  Stem cell research and cryogenics are scientific areas of knowledge in which human beings seek to delay or to evade death.  The knowledge which Gilgamesh seeks, though hardly as advanced as todays scientific theories, is nevertheless the same in terms of seeking to acquire a type of knowledge through which his death can be delayed or evaded.  Indeed, confronted by the scorpion guards, Gilgamesh explicitly states the purpose of his quest, I have come on account of my ancestor Utanapishtim, who joined the Assembly of the Gods, and was given eternal life. About Death and Life I must ask him.  He ultimately fails to secure this knowledge, as all men throughout history have consistently failed, and it is only when he realizes that he cannot escape death that he begins to transform from a cruel figure into a more benevolent figure.  This is because his that human mortality applies to him forces Gilgamesh to seek his immortality by being a good king in a way that will create an everlasting legacy even though he will physically die.

In the final analysis, Gilgamesh is representative of all men in several respects.  He lives a youthful life in which arrogance predominates and death seems an impossibility later however, with the death of his closest friend, it suddenly becomes clear that death is an extraordinarily pervasive phenomenon.  Rather than admitting his own mortality with the death of Enkido, Gilgamesh instead attempts to secure the secret knowledge necessary to delay or eliminate this future death.  Maturity and wisdom come when he finally accepts that this type of knowledge is inaccessible and that immortality is achieved through good deeds rather than everlasting life.

Hamlets Transformation as Seen through His Soliloquies

Hamlet is one of William Shakespeares most well-known and critiqued plays because it incorporates so many elements of drama, tragedy, humor, love, resentment and family loyalty. The title character struggles throughout with the death of his father, his place in the kingdom, the new relationship between his mother and uncle, and his love for, and loss of, Ophelia. Each character around Hamlet deals with all of these issues and relationships too they confront feelings of love, hate and need, but none of them struggles more or expresses the emotions he feels like Hamlet does. There is action, intrigue, and comedy in the play, in addition to fierce arguments and passionate exchanges. In the midst of this whirlwind of political and family drama and intrigue, Hamlet changes as a character and a person. As he finds out new information about the family members he trusts and the friends he has confided in, it alters his perceptions of them and of himself. These changes in love and loyalty as well as Hamlets growth and transformation are most evident in his soliloquies, both when speaking to other characters and as asides to him. In his soliloquies, Hamlet reveals his changing emotions, his transformation from a young man to an adult, and sheds light on the life-altering decisions hes making.

One of the first glimpses given into Hamlets perspective to himself and his place in the kingdom after the death of his father takes place very early in the play, after his mother tells him to stop grieving for his father and to look at Denmark with a light heart and new eyes. Hamlet is sad, mourning the loss of his beloved father, depressed, and unsure what his place in the kingdom will be since his father is dead and his uncle has taken over as king after marrying Hamlets mother. Once he has been left alone by his uncle and his mother, Hamlet reflects on the emotions he is feeling about all of these issues. He reflects on his fathers strength as a king and how much the king loved his wife So excellent a king, that was to this Hyperion to a satyr, so loving to my mother that he might not beteem the winds of heaven visit her face too roughly (139-42). In his memory, his father had loved his mother so much that he would have commanded the forces of nature to treat her kindly. Hamlet feels that he was a perfect king and a loving husband, one that would stop at nothing to ensure that his wife was loved, pampered and wanted for nothing. This is also the first of multiple times that Hamlet compares his father to Hyperion, a Titan from Greek mythology that was the father of Helios, Selene, and Eos, or the sun, the moon and the dawn. This reference could be interpreted that Hamlets world essentially revolved around his father, much like the moon revolves around the earth. This loss of life and reason to live is expressed a few lines earlier in the soliloquy when Hamlet says, How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world (133-34). Hamlet clearly feels a huge void in his world without his fathers leadership and guidance to the point that he feels that life is meaningless and not worth living. In contrast to his reflection on his fathers strength and excellence, he views his mother as weak, vulnerable and easily manipulated Let me not think ont frailty, thy name is woman...Within a month, ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left the flushing in her galled eyes, she married (1146, 153-56). Here, he is expressing that he feels that his mother is weak without having her husband, Hamlets father, to lean on, and that without him she quickly fell to making bad decisions. He despairs over how little time she took to mourn her late husband and feels that she remarried the kings brother so fast that the tears hadnt even had time to dry on her cheeks. Hamlet isnt really expressing anger here, mostly just sadness and depression over the loss of his father and confusion and disappointment in his mothers decision to marry her former brother-in-law. In spite of feeling all these strong emotions, he ends his soliloquy deciding that he must be quiet about his opinions It is not, nor it cannot come to good, but break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue (158-59). Hamlet feels as though his heart is breaking over what is becoming of his late fathers kingdom, but feels that he must keep quiet even though he knows it will come to a bad end.

Later, Hamlets attitude towards his mother is drastically changed. He has been home for a while and observed his mother and uncles flirtatious and publicly physically affectionate relationship. His sadness over his fathers death and his disillusionment with his mothers new marriage to her former brother-in-law has turned to anger and resentment for them both, and he takes the opportunity to tell his mother his true feelings when the two of them are alone in her chamber. Forcing her to look at a picture of her and her late husband, he again refers to his father as Hyperion and using references to Greek mythological figures by likening his features and personality to, Hyperions curls, the front of Jove himself, an eye like Mars to threaten and command, a station like the herald Mercury new-lighted on a heaven-kissing hill (57-60). His father is given attributes of several Greek heroes and gods and Hamlet tells her that, in being close to heaven that his father was as close to being godlike as a man could be. He reinforces his feelings that she should feel the same way about her late husband by reminding her repeatedly, This was your husband, look you now what follows, here is your husband (64-65). He is reminding her that his father was her husband and trying to force her to see that she is tarnishing his memory with her behavior and marriage to the late kings brother. He feels that she has no justification in saying that she is in love, because at her age that is impossible You cannot call it love, for at your age the heyday in the blood is tame (69-70). He is telling her that she is too old to make decisions based on emotions that she thinks are love because those are the impulsive decisions that a girl half her age would make, and that she is too old to think like that anymore. He tells her that she should be ashamed Oh shame, where is thy blush(82) and that she is relinquishing what was left of her virtuousness in her relationship with her late husbands brother let virtue be as wax and melt in her own fire (85-86). In these lines, Hamlet is essentially calling his mother impulsive, impetuous, lacking in virtue, wanton, and a sinner. These are very strong accusations for him to throw in the face of the woman he previously stated was so gentle and sweet that his father would have stopped nature from treating her too harshly. Here, Hamlet treats her very harshly both verbally and physically, by pushing the picture into her face and making such emotionally charged statements against her. This soliloquy reflects Hamlets growing anger and resentment and foreshadows his violent behavior to come.

Hamlet appears first in the play as a young man, heartbroken over the loss of his father, lost as to what direction his life will take and confused at his mothers and uncles actions. His emotions are personal, spoken to himself, and his decisions are mostly to keep silent about everything that is upsetting him and say nothing. Later, he appears stronger, more decisive, and possessing more conviction. The man in the first soliloquy would never throw a picture in his mothers face and come so close to calling her a whore, but the man in the second soliloquy cant stand seeing the wrongdoing that is continuously happening around him. The progression of Hamlets character is due largely to the action that takes place in between the two soliloquies, including Hamlets conversations with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and his observation of the treatment of Ophelia. Hamlet simply cant take it anymore, and this rage and anger spills over in his speech to his mother. Later he will vent this same anger physically, but the second soliloquy tells the reader that whatever decisions he makes will be made as a decisive adult that feels he is doing what must be done.

Decadence, Deceit, and Death of the American dream The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a vivid recounting of an historical era. Its depiction of social climbing, greed and ambition portray the dark side of the American dream. More than any other American novel written in the 1920s, the reader is led into a world where one can become convinced that they hear the voices of people speaking from that decade. The narrator, Nick Carroway, is the medium through which those voices are heard. He is the principal speaker in the text, serving as translator of the dreams and social ambitions of the people surrounding him. What the Great Gatsby portrays so adroitly is a moment caught in time. A moment where the decadence, deceit, and death of the American dream become transparent.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in 1896 on the edge of one of the most elegant and fashionable areas of St. Paul, Minnesota. His mother came form a wealthy background. Her family had made a fortune in the wholesale grocery business. She was, however, an eccentric and absent-minded individual. On Mrs. Fitzgeralds oddness a family friend commented that if they met her on the street she might be wearing one brown shoe and one black shoe and a goofy hat twenty years out of date. Her son, it seems, was not happy with his mothers odd behavior. Letters written to her indicate he wished to keep her out of his life.  His father, Edward Fitzgerald, on the other hand was someone the boy admired. His father came from a prominent Maryland family. He always represented the upper-class Southerners traditional manner of elegance. He seemed to provide his son with a perfect model of behavior. Good manners notwithstanding, Edward Fitzgerald could not compete in the aggressive business world of the North. He lost a small wicker furniture business in 1897 and went to work as a grocery salesman for the Proctor  Gamble Company. In 1908 he lost his job and never recovered from the blow. The family had to exist on the money from Mrs. Fitzgeralds family (Hook 03-04).

Fitzgeralds courting and eventual marriage to Zelda Sayre is another telling point in the authors life. Zelda was a rebellious Southern belle who turned down Fitzgeralds initial marriage proposal because he wasnt rich enough. Once he had sold his first and second novels, Zelda reconsidered. They were married in 1920 (Hook 25-28).

Mrs. Fitzgeralds eccentricities, Edward Fitzgeralds failures, Zeldas indecisiveness and the money troubles that plagued F. Scott Fitzgerald from childhood helped to lay the groundwork for the characters in The Great Gatsby.  

The characters of the Great Gatsby bring out in detail the darker side of the American dream. Tom Buchanon is the most sinister character in the book. He lacks a great deal of feeling, but is also completely confident the cards are stacked in his favor. He is able to effortlessly woo and wed Daisy while Gatsby is off fighting the War. When Gatsby sets out to win her back, Tom ruthlessly exposes the shady nature of Gatsbys wealth. A showdown at the Plaza Hotel turns Daisy into a prized possession, fought over on the basis of social and economic conventions. Buchanon asserts himself as a lord, Gatsby as a serf. Daisy is the woman who is the property of the American estate. Tom has a domineering quality which adds to his cruelty. He is described by Nick Carroway as having a cruel body. Other words used to describe him and add to his power are aggressive, dominance, and hard (Fitzgerald 11). Tom leads a superficially enviable life. He achieves the pinnacle of excellence at the age of twenty-one. Everything that comes after is anti-climactic. He comes from a wealthy family and spends his money through college without a care in the world (Fitzgerald 11).  His irresponsible attitude spills over into his morals as well. Tom has that element of power that overwhelms. He is portrayed as a constant predator, even if he is just taking a stroll down the street. He represents the American Dream at its most dangerous. The character who believes he was born to be King of the Mountain and will not let anyone forget it.

Daisy herself is reminiscent of Zelda. The woman who only wants to wed a successful man. Tom is Daisys ticket to a good life. Just as Zelda refused to marry F. Scott Fitzgerald unless he was a successful writer (Bloom 18). Daisy wants her life shaped immediately and waiting for Gatsby to come home from the War proves to be too much for her. She must have a decision, be it by love or money and she chooses money.  Her love for Gatsby was dangerous and defiant. He was the poor boy from North Dakota. Without any assurance of his standing in the world Daisy surrenders to a safe, material, propertied union with Tom Buchanon. But she is not the victimized soul she likes to portray herself as being. Like her friend, Jordan Baker, she is apathetic and vapid. She is not as worthy or valuable a goal as Gatsby seems to think she is. She also lacks a conscience and is incapable of resisting corruption (Bruccoli 81). Her immobility rises from a lack of values. She is so rich and bored that she lacks true self reliance and cannot commit herself to anyone or anything. She depends on the society she lives in for validation, but her wealth only gives her a false sense of independence. She fits in the category of the materialist who respects society, luxury, the establishment. She lives her life in a languor like a lotus eater (Fitzgerald 62), defining her emotions against extreme boredom and flighty desires. Daisys contrived affectations imply that she is a woman who is well aware of her actions and their effects. She abstains from making any concrete decisions. When her friend Jordan wishes to plan something for the longest day of the year Daisy turns to Nick and asks helplessly Whatll we plan What do people plan  (Fitzgerald 16). Affected and disingenuous, Daisys words are inconsequential, and they indicate an inability to see the significance of actions and relationships. Even in Daisys relationships with Gatsby and Tom one sees this apathy and absence of self-reliance. The day before her wedding to Tom, Daisy is drunk as a monkey (Fitzgerald 81) with a letter from Jay Gatsby in her hand. Daisys apathy seems to disappear when she begins to resist this wedding Say Daisys change her mine  (Fitzgerald 81). Then, in the face of opposition, she didnt say another word (Fitzgerald 81), and the Next day at five oclock she married Tom Buchanan without so much as a shiver and started off on a three months trip to the South Seas (Fitzgerald 81).

Jordan Baker is another character consumed with decadence and deceit. Nick speaks of her as being incurably dishonest. She wasnt able to endure being at a disadvantage and given this unwillingness I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young (Fitzgerald 63). He details another story about Jordans deceit. At her first big golf tournament there was nearly a row that reached the papers. Someone had suggested she had moved her ball from a bad position in a semi-final round. It approached the proportion of a scandal then died away. A caddy and a witness both retracted their statements. She also lied about a car at a party. A car she borrowed was left out in the rain with the top down. Jordan lied about being the one who left it out (Fitzgerald 68). Jordan understands the concept of right and wrong, but she is like Daisy in that she does not resist the world in which she lives. Her spiritual emptiness rivals Daisys own.
Dishonesty reigns supreme in this society, almost all of the characters engaging
in some sort of dishonest activity. Toms illicit relationship with Myrtle Wilson is
revealed by Jordan Baker, who announces to Nick that Toms got some woman in New York ((Fitzgerald19). Myrtle, as Toms mistress, is treated as callously as Tom treats all his relationships.
Their relationship is definitely flawed, cemented only by sex and money. Tom satisfies Myrtle just enough so that she does not complain.  Myrtle gets what she wants, but she is not truly connected to Tom or his world in any way.  She has the furniture he gave her and the dresses, but neither she nor Tom have any understanding of love (Carnes 91).

One of the incredible acts of cruelty occurs when Daisy kills Myrtle in a hit and run car accident. Gatsby tells Nick, Daisy stepped on it. I tried to make her stop but she couldnt so I pulled on the emergency brake. Then she fell over into my lap and I drove on (Fitzgerald 151).

Daisys response is plainly cowardly and disturbingly callous. She does not even try to take responsibility for her own actions, in this case the death of Myrtle. When Nick sees Tom and Daisy through the window into their kitchen, he sees them sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table with a plate of cold fried chicken between them and two bottles of ale. He was talking intently across the table at her and in his earnestness his hand had fallen upon and covered her own. Once in a while she looked up at him and nodded in agreement (Fitzgerald 152) Daisy simply reverts into her position as a rich society wife, and seems to have no visible second thoughts for Gatsby, and the woman she has killed, when she and Tom leave town.

Nick Carroway, the storys narrator, is the outsider who observes and reports. He is an example of innocent ambition. Its his basic goodness that draws the reader in. It is through Nicks eyes that we observe this crumbling, fragile world. Nick has his own ambition to accumulate wealth through the bond business. He strives through hard work and perseverance to accomplish his dream by lunching with the bondsmen and clerks (Giltrow, and Stouck). He too possesses a desire for wealth. But he manages to keep a level head. Especially when the disasters start mounting.  Gatsby and Tom fighting over Daisy. Daisy running over Myrtle, Toms mistress, in Gatsbys car. In the end his is the voice of wisdom as he presents this story as a cautionary tale (Schnakenburg 115).  

Without Nick Carroway it would be extremely difficult to see any good in Gatsby himself. Jay Gatsby is a bootlegger and a fraud, but he is defrauding a system that is a bigger fraud. Prohibition is a farce. The generation of the roaring twenties is captivated by glittering success and who- cares- how- you- came- by it mentality. Gatsby is the quintessential, but doomed dreamer. No matter how wealthy he is he will never win over Daisy. Gatsby believes in himself, and this speaks well of him. Through Nick, we are given a positive sense of Gatsby. Nick portrays Gatsby in a romantic manner, but the truth of the matter is that both he and Gatsby are the least dishonest of all the characters (Smart).  Both Gatsby and Nick share sensitivity toward their fellow human beings and an idealism that is the opposite of the decadence and deceit shown in the other characters.

F. Scott Fitzgerald experienced a decline and a loss of his own dreams towards the end of his life. He always lived beyond his means with his wife Zelda. She was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent her last days committed to various institutions. Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood to work on screenplays. He died there in August 1940. He had 706 to his name, most of which covered funeral expenses (Schnakenberg 193).

The Great Gatsby speaks of the decadence, deceit, and death of the American dream. Gatsby wants to buy Daisy with money, but win her with love. The people around them, Tom Buchanon, Daisy Buchanon herself, Jordan Baker, Myrtle Wilson, the inhabitants of West Egg and East Egg are ultimately proven to be worthless, self-serving socialites. Even though Gatsby does not see it, Daisy is not a prize worth keeping. Nick is honest enough in his own business dealings and its through his eyes that we come to sympathize with Gatsby. Gatsby himself is no innocent. But his love for Daisy and for life elevates him above all the others, even Nick Carroway. The tragedy F. Scott Fitzgerald describes in his work is not the tragedy of American materialism, but American idealism. Not born of American thinking, but American feeling. It is not about calculations but aspirations.

Early Arabic Historical Documents and Arabic Historiography

Most western history scholars, particularly those who are concerned with the necessity and primacy of accurate and factual empirical evidence, are looking into medieval Arabic historical documents with a very doubtful eye (Robinson 2003). This is mainly due to the extensive connection between Islam and these ancient narratives. Unfortunately, this situation has not only lead to the misunderstanding of Arabic history, and the writing of it for that matter. The sad case here is that the importance of early Arabic historical narratives to reconstructing medieval Arab history is overlooked as an after effect. Without considering the Islamic historiography, it is difficult to fully understand Arabic historiography. Hence, this paper would try to dig out the importance of early Arabic histories as reliable sources for reconstructing Arabic history.

This paper would also try to contextualize the writing of early Arabic histories, and how Islamic concepts mingle around it, comparing it with western contemporaries and its Christian tradition. This includes paying attention to how early Arab histories have been able to adhere to verisimilitude despite its association with the Islamic tradition by focusing on the works of Ibn Khaldun in the context of the Arab narrative tradition. In addition, this paper will also try to discuss how Arabic historical documents can become reliable sources despite its Islamic heritage (Badawi 1993).

Historiography is all about the writing of history. Specifically, historiography is all about the methodology used in writing history (Historiography n.d.). This definition of history has in fact always been tied to verisimilitudethat is, the closeness of a certain historical account to reality, to the truth (Breisach 1983). Up to the present, a large portion of historians still adhere to verisimilitude as the primary criteria for the truthfulness and the reliability of a historical work, and as sources for history in that matter. Looking at the dominant historical themes, you are actually going to witness that most historians regard their methodology as based on facts and on empirical evidence, because of the fact that for many historians this is the only way to establish credibility, accuracy, and being factual which is the ultimate guide for establishing verisimilitude in a historical work (Breisach 1983) This is what most historians constitute the scientific-ness of history, wherein other historical works which is deemed not objective, and does not pass the standard of empiricism, as not scientific. Unfortunately, this includes early Arabic historical works, due to its closeness to Islam (Robinson 2003).

These the reasons why many western scholars who are so accustomed to the western historiographical tradition centered on empiricism, rationalism, and positivism casts a doubt on early Arabic histories as accurate reconstruction of the past, and on early Arabic histories being able to establish verisimilitude, given its Islamic inspiration (Robinson 2003). In these circumstances, this paper will then try to establish how early Arabic historical histories actually adhere to verisimilitude, even through empirical and positivist methodologies, which are much similar with modern positivist historians, despite its associations with the Islamic Religion.

It is true that early Arabic historiography is actually centered upon a theocentric ideological framework (Robinson 2003). In this case, it is then true that Islamic teaching actually plays a large part in the writing of early Arabic histories. In this case, the dominant perspective, according to a study done by Chase F. Robinson, is that society and government must actually always be in line with the aegis of God, and that all of involved traditional roles were actually ordained by God. However, it is important that this view must not necessarily mean that uncritical historians are a sure end result for such historiographical orientation (Robinson 2003). This is because of the fact that there actually are some elements in this theologically-centered orientation of historiography into verisimilitude. Here are some important concepts from the Quran that early historians have incorporated into their historiography, and may be deemed as an early variety of the scientific method (Ahmad 2002)

Respect for observation
Universality
The absence of a priesthood caste

According to the lecture by Imad-ad Dean Ahmad, the Quran has actually valued the respect for observation. Remember that having a keen observation on the things around is one of the basic tenets of the scientific methods, in which early thirteenth and fourteenth European sciences have not yet adopted at that time (Ahmad 2002). Further, according to Ahmad, this respect for observation have been in fact one of the key reason why early Arab historians and scientists have been able to put an emphasis into empirical evidence, which is then another tenet of the scientific method, which is always have been admired by the west.  In fact, when Europe was still under the dark ages, Islamic Arab scientists have been putting a high value upon the importance of empirical evidence and observation, in which the Quran taught was bringing people to think and contemplate (Ahmad, 2002).

How have these concepts specifically influence early Arabic histories Remember that one of the major concepts that have fostered the writing of Arabic histories is the concept of hadith (Robinson 2003). In this case, such Quranic principles have always guided historians in their quest for truthful historical accounts (Badawi 1993). Hadith actually refers to the tracing of the true prophetic line (Robinson 2003). In this case, many historians may actually dismiss the fact that this theological orientation may deem early Arabic histories unreliable. However, it is also true that the Arabic narrative tradition actually gives a high emphasis upon the truth if tracing the true prophet line in this case, it has already made Arabic chroniclers a glimpse of verisimilitude (Robinson 2003). Furthermore, it may actually be seen that history is one of the major sciences present in the Arab world by the Thirteenth and Fourteenth century, in which historians likewise followed Quranic principles in the importance of empiricism to establish a true hadith (Robinson 2003).

In addition, another of the most important qualities of Islamic Arab scholarship at that time was the emphasis on universality (Ahmad 2002). Quran teaches people that all good comes from God, and that this principle was in fact important in forwarding a open minded approach to the different scientific ideas and principles that may have come from non Arab peoples such as the Greeks, the Romans, the Persians, the Indians, and even the Chinese, among others (Ahmad 2002).  And in this case, the establishment of universality is in fact one of the main features in establishing factual observations (Breisach 1983).

In relation to the propagation of knowledge, the study of Ahmad also pointed out that the abolition of the priesthood at that time, in addition to the banning of secrecy among Islamic communities, paved way for the absence of the monopolization of knowledge through a theologically-oriented caste. This was in contrary to the situation in Europe, wherein at the Middle Ages, the monks where actually in virtual monopoly of scientific knowledge (Ahmad 2002). Although it may be true that often times, scientific inquiry is guided by a theocentric orientation however, at that time, Moslems did go to the mosque not only to worship, but in fact also to learn about history, mathematics, and other sciences (Ahmad 2002). In this case, because of the encouragement of the Quran in seeking knowledge to contemplate, although it may have a say in scientific inquiries, it may be argues that Arabic scholarly work, including histories, may be done with the presence of academic freedom (Ahmad 2002).

Given such scientific circumstances, what were the actual practices that were made by early Arabic historians The study of Robinson argued that although in the midst of a theocentric orientation, early Arabic historians was also preoccupied in writing a history with a rational spirit, for it was along the spirit of the Quran to expound truth by the way of the value of evidence, consulting original documents, reconciling and analysing contradictions, and inferring proper verisimilitude judgement from these processes. Remember that this is one of the key tenets of establishing factuality and accuracy even in modern positivist historiography (Robinson 2003). In this case, we are actually to see that early Arab historians, in the spirit of truthfulness as taught by the Quran, was actually used as an advantage to train early Arab historians in the importance of weighing evidence and consulting primary, original documents.

One of the key tenets of modern historiography is the use of original, primary sources, specifically eyewitness accounts (Breisach 1983). This is because of the fact that such accounts usually has the least bias in it, especially when compared to secondary and unoriginal sources, to where secondary interpretation has already taken place, and to where personal bias has been likely to inform such interpretation (Breisach 1983). In this case, most historians who want to establish objectivity and accuracy in each historical work will surely have a high value in primary documents, to where early Arab historians already have been trained.

In addition to this, it is also true that early Arab historians may have considered in their narratives legends and miraculous accounts, which may surely be eschewed in present historiography (Robinson, 2003). However, Robinson also argued that despite this situation, most early Arab historians were still concerned with the traditional method of establishing verisimilitude. Given that legends and miraculous events where commonly incorporated into historical narratives in that time and that they are always indicated as such, it is still easy to infer where the true accounts from early Arabic histories is (Robinson 2003).

To better understand the tradition of early Arabic historiography, it is important to have a glance at the contributions of the great Arab philosopher and sociologists Ibn Khaldun. Ibn Khaldun actually forwarded to a philosophy of history, to which modern historian Arnold Toynbee called the greatest work of its kind (Hassan n.d.). What is the specific contribution of Khaldun to historiography In fact, he actually said that it is only through sustained application combined with attentive examination can historians arrive at the truth (Historiography n.d.). In this case, Kahldun actually emphasized that in order to analyze history, it is actually important for historians to have a particular detail in attention, as well as its application to analyze present events. This notion has not only gone through the rigors of traditional positivist history, but also in the development of a philosophy of history that was later witnessed in European history circles (Hassan n.d.).

In fact, Khaldun also argued that it is important not to be limited only by reproducing historical facts as they are on the contrary, it is important to know the fundamental principles of the art of Government, the Nature, and even of the particular civilization (Historiography n.d.). This assertion is one of the earliest in his time, which is surely a ground breaking analysis and method in historiography. This is due to the fact that Khaldun does not simply cal for the verification of facts, but also in analysing facts better in its effect on the present, especially by raking into consideration knowing the different forces that may actually shaped history itself (Historiography n.d.). In this case, there is actually a debate up to this time on the importance of interpretation of history and merely be retelling facts. But the fact is, Khaldun has even made a stand in this before it was actually conceived in western history circles (Hassan n.d.).

Ibn Khaldun also forwarded his grand historical work, which was called the Universal History (Historiography n.d.). This may be inferred to as a precursor to the total history of the Annales School of the French. This great historical work was divided into three different parts the first dealt with an extensive discussion of society and its origin, including the birth of towns and villages, trades, means of livelihood and sciences the second part dealt with an extensive discussion on state and sovereignty, while the third part actually dealt with the history of the Berbers and other neighbouring tribes, as well as incorporating a ground breaking systematic autobiography (Historiography n.d.).

Given such arguments, this paper then argues that early Arab histories can be used as an accurate and reliable source of reconstructing the past due to the following observations

Arabic historiography have developed into its own culture of writing history comparative to, and even beyond western contemporaries
Arabic historiography have been developed under the rigors of verisimilitude and empirical evidence amidst its theocentric approach, including stressing key concepts in writing accurate history (Robinson 2003)
The primacy of original, primacy sources
The tradition of chronology and narration
The reconciliation of contradiction among accounts
The importance of establishing truth and verisimilitude
The culture of Arabic scholarship has been guided by some elements of the scientific method, and that one of its leading thinkers has been able to make a groundbreaking philosophy of writing history (Ahmad 2002).

An Analytical Essay on the Arguments Presented by Ted Turner in My Beef with Big Media

The media has always been a major influence in the workings of society and the day to day living of humanity. No matter how much other people deny it and or snob these influences, media has played a big part in the formation, evolution, growth and expansion, and to some extent, even to its slow degradation and destruction. As what Ted Turner has pointed out in his feature article, the media has drastically changed from the early 90s when it was still full of optimistic promise. Media, with all its intricacies, complexities, and negative money-making reputation, managed to become one of the best examples of how times have changed. Because of this, medias changes have also shown how society itself has changed with regard to how they think and what they value.
 
In the article of Ted Turner, entitled My Beef with Big Media, he creatively uses sarcasm, wit, and humor to drive his point which is the negative effect that consolidation had on media, society, and life as a whole. It could even be said that it is media which committed faulty acts against itself as major companies and big wigs fought to think of more money-making strategies that eventually led to so many negative consequences, which Turner has all pointed out and explicated in his article. However, this is not the entire point of Turners article. It is merely brushing on the surface of what Turner is really trying to point outit is the governments fault why media has hindered so many events which could have given more opportunities for people to truly experience media communications at its best and as what the subtitle of his article states, government protects big mediaand shuts out upstarts like him.

Turner uses a chronological-style in the writing of his article to emphasize the whole point regarding the change in policies that the government or the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave to independent media companies to the eventual new rulings that stripped the independent companies of a chance to be media companies. Turners own experience with how he acquired the failing little-station-but-which-turned-out-to-be-the-famous-CNN-in-the-future is that of a success story only possible in business fairy tale books. Yet, he does make a pointif in the early 1960s until the late 1970s, it was possible for a nobody like him to compete against the big wigs like ABS, CBS, and NBC, then why is it not possible for other nobodies like him to do it right now As what Turner points out, the answer is quite simple that was then (2). That single phrase explains the whole reason for his ranting and raving on the injustices done by the government that has failed to protect the interests of not only the audience but also of the other media companies that should have been big conglomerates.

In trying to point out the negative effects of the governments change of heart over the support of nobodies, Turner also explains what led the government to have their change of heart and the specific actions that proved their change of heartactions like raising the cap of media ownership by the big companies which resulted in more monopolization and fewer competition that could have given the audience more diversity and variety. But over the many arguments of Turner, there are two things which really hit home and would make anyone curse over what could have been if the government was not too pigheaded over rules over the media, since it would seem with todays tragic happenings it is the media which governs over the rules. The two points which make Turners whole argument so convincing and substantial lie in the way in which he presents his own story that really proves that there is something terribly wrong with how the FCC deals with the media. First is his argument and explanation that the FCCs new rule (and new rules and new rules) gave the masses fewer options to choose from even if it would seem that there would be a wide array of things to choose from. Though there are many networks and channels now, they are more than often owned by the same companies, preventing the audience from trying to find new programs or way of programming that would really be novel. This novelty is linked to the second point which Turner convincingly explains in his article small companies with big ideas are losing their opportunity to showcase their big ideas since the big companies are crushing them with showcasing said companies so-so ideas.

Turner is not vehement about FCCs new rulings which damaged him and potential Ted Turners in the industrywhat he is vehement about is how the government has failed to protect its people by making these rules and allowing the big companies to have their way. Since big conglomerates are controlling majority of the media, then there is a possibility (which is actually happening already) that they are controlling what is fed to the people and, like a domino effect, what kind of people we have in the society. This is why Turners argument regarding his beef with big media is important to everyone as it would allow us to see the big picture and the background of what happened to media and how it was before. After all, a historical perspective will allow us to determine whether a change should happen before all things are too late and humanity is turned into zombie-like idiots perfect for Resident Evil 3.

What makes Turner very convincing with his argument is not only does he display such rational wit and sarcastic humor, but he also presents practical and understandable facts that would be easier to comprehend by the common man. Facts and figures would after all be meaningless and useless if it cannot even be understood on what are those facts for and what do they mean. In the end, Turner has managed to prove that it is indeed the fault of the government because of their rulings and most of all, because they chose not to do anything when they saw (or perhaps, they still do not know) that the rulings were not effective and advantageous.