Moby Dick By Herman Melville (1819 - 1891) Essays - Moby-Dick

Moby Dick by Herman Melville (1819 - 1891) Moby Dick by Herman Melville (1819 - 1891) Type of Work: Allegorical novel Setting The high Seas; early nineteenth century Principal Characters Ishmael, a teacher-seaman (and narrator) Queequeg, a hardened and savage harpooner Ahab, captain of the Pequod Starbuck and Stubb, Ahab's first and second mates Fedallah, Captain Ahab's Parsee servant and seer Story Overveiw A Massachusetts schoolmaster, Ishmael chose to give up the comfort and security of his classroom and fulfill his romantic desire to go to sea. Leaving Manhatto, he traveled to the seaport town of New Bedford to seek out work on a whaler. Ishmael's first night in New Bedford was spent in the crusty Spouter Inn near the water_ front. There he found the only bed available which, by necessity, he consented to share with an unknown harpooner. His roommate turned out to be a bizarre fellow indeed, a hardened South-sea islander whose body was covered with tattoos. But after Ishmael's initial fear had subsided, he found this "strange bedfellow," Queequeg, to be quite friendly. The huge man offered to share his small fortune and an embalmed human head with Ishmael. "At first I knew not what to make of this," Ishmael said, "but soon an inkling of the truth occurred to me. I remembered a story of a white man - a whaleman too - who, falling among cannibals, had been tattooed by them. I concluded that this harpooner, in the course of his distant voy_ ages, must have met with a similar adventure. And what is it, thought 1, after all! It's only his outside; a man can be honest in any sort of skin." The two men became fast friends, both signing on as harpooners aboard the Pequod, a Quaker-owned whaler out of Nantucket. There had been some question around New Bedford as to the future fate of the Pequod because of its eccentric captain, Ahab. But both Ishmael and Queequeg had no intention of changing their plans. They set sail. For the first few days the curious captain stayed out of sight in his cabin, and the Pequod was under the command of the first and second mates, Mr. Starbuck and Mr. Stubb. But as the ship continued to sail southward, a stern, relentless man suddenly strode out on deck: Captain Ahab himself. Ishmael was struck by the man's austere expression, but even more by his spectacular artificial leginstead of a wooden leg, Ahab wore an attachment carved from the jawbone of a whale. This was complemented by a gaping scar which ran down the side of his face into his collar, so that he appeared to be scarred from head to foot. For several days the crew sailed on in search of whaling schools. Then one day Ahab appeared on deck and summoned all the men. He nailed a one-ounce gold piece to the mast and announced that the gold would become the property of the first man to sight the great white whale known as Moby Dick. All the men except Starbuck and Stubb were enthusiastic about the Captain's challenge. To the two top mates, Ahab's obsession with the white whale was far beyond reason. Starbuck contended that the Captain's madness over Moby Dick was a danger to those in his charge. Ahab had already lost his leg to the whale and his mates were afraid his reckless quest would end in the loss of all their lives at the next encounter. But none of this diminished the enthusiasm of the other crewmen; they drank an oath with Ahab to the destruction of the white whale. Learning that the last sightings of the whale had been near the Cape of Good Hope, Ahab immediately plotted his course. Upon approaching the Cape, the ship came on a school of sperm whales, and the men busied themselves with harpooning and stripping the huge mammals, then melting down and storing the whale oil. When they happened upon another whaling vessel, Captain Ahab inquired further about the white whale. The captain of the ship warned him not to pursue the whale, but Ahab could not be deterred. Later, another ship stopped the Pequod, and the captain came aboard to buy some oil. He too was interrogated by Ahab about Moby Dick, but he replied that he had no news concerning the monster. just after he had departed the Pequod, a school of whales surfaced, and both ships' crews set out after them. The rival crew had a commanding lead, but the men of the Pequod, spurred on by Starbuck and Stubb, soon outdistanced them, and Queequeg harpooned the school's largest whale. Now the

Tragic Hero Essays

Tragic Hero Essays Tragic Hero Paper Tragic Hero Paper In every Sophoclean drama, there is a hero of some kind.These heroes usually are the focus of the myth.Some examples would be Frodo from the Lord of the Rings, Jason and the Argonauts in the Quest for the Golden Fleece, etc.Characters such as Creon and Antigone of the myth Antigone are also great examples.All of these characters have the qualities of a tragic hero, according to Aristotle.These qualities would be that they are inherently good, have good intentions, recognize responsibility, and accept their fate with dignity.Unfortunately, every hero has a tragic flaw. Creon and Antigone embody characteristics of the traditional Greek tragic hero and the Sophoclean tragic hero, respectively. The traditional Greek tragic hero is defined by five characteristics, thefirst being Aret. Aret is having excellence.Hubris is defines a hero as having excessive pride.At is blind recklessness that heroes may follow because they do not think about what is going to happen next.Nemesis is disastrous retribution.The tragic flaw that a traditional Greek hero harbors is their excessive pride.This is shown when Creon says, But whoever steps out of line, violates the laws or presumes to hand out orders to his superiors, hell win no praise from me. (AI L746-750)They will not accept defeat and this is bad.Creon of the myth Antigone is a traditional Greek tragic hero.He is also the antagonist in the story. The Sophoclean tragic hero is a character whose rigid and courageous adherence to a set of principles invites their disastrous fate.Their flaw is their rigidity.Antigone is a Sophoclean tragic hero in the self-entitled myth.She would not leave a family member unburied, which in turn breaks her fathers law and proves to bring her doom. Tragic hero Essays Tragic hero Essay Tragic hero Essay The Crucible as a drama effectively explores and treats the problems of envy and jealousy. These two problems are personified by the character Abigail. Abigail is vehemently jealous of Elizabeth Proctor and of course, her relationship with John Proctor, and in Act One drinks a charm to kill her. As this initial ceremony is what sparks the witch-hunts in Salem, it can be inferred that the jealousy evident in the play is the cause for all of the other problems that arise with the witch-hunts. This jealousy throughout the play causes hysteria and panic Elizabeth, knowing that Abigail wants [her] dead fears that she will be suspected in the witch hunts because of Abigails jealousies. This is indeed what occurs, Abigail utilising the agency that she gains during the trials to her advantage. However, the background of Abigails character must be explored in order to completely understand this jealousy and will for attention and love. Abigails parents were brutally murdered, and she was left as an orphan under Parris strict household. The nature of her jealousy, therefore is centres a will for affection and love. This problematises Abigails upbringing, thereby failed parents are revealed and problematised. The audiences response to Abigail identified with the tone of the play and with the manner in which envy is treated in the play with sympathy, but condemned. Other characters however, are not viewed as sympathetically. The Putnams also represent envy and resentment. Ann Putnam is resentful of Rebecca Nurse and her healthy family and this leads to Rebecca Nurses imprisonment and hanging. Thomas Putman represents envy in his constant struggle to gain more land. In this case, however, the audience condemns them. As members of the upper-middle class they do not attract sympathy for their actions. The problems of envy, jealousy and resentment, are condemned in Millers The Crucible and although partially justified in the case of Abigail, are deemed unacceptable by the audience. In Millers drama The Crucible, the need to maintain a good reputation and personal integrity is explored and problematised, revealing the superficial nature of the contemporaneous society and any applied society. John Proctor, who in Act 4 decides to hang rather than have his name be blackened typifies this trait. For this, he is immediately perceived as a character of high morals and the tragic hero of the play. However, the motives behind this high morality are exposed too. John Proctor, when deciding he will hang reveals his obsession with his good name. Although John Proctor is happy to sign the confession, he will not let it hang on the church door and this brings him to tear up what he has signed. This action represents superficiality and is problematised. The nature of the public eye, particularly the gossiping nature of Puritanism represented undermines the judicial system and ridicules it. In this, the society of Salem is condemned by the audience for its theocracy and that prive and public morality are one. The character John Proctor, although viewed as essentially good and condoned by the audience has motives to appear perfect in the public eye, an obsession that is problematised, and ultimately results in his death. Giles Corey, another character essentially viewed as good also refuses to give into the pressure of society and indeed the pressure of the stones that pressed him and clung to his personal integrity when refusing to name those whod signed an affidavit as to the good nature of Elizabeth Proctor, Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse. This personal pride borders on the edge of stubbornness and for this reason is problematised. The result of this pressing is the Corey dies, which although tragic, allows the audience to understand that he did die in vain, and with regards to the symbolic nature of the text understand that Giles Corey gave in to societal pressure like John Proctor, resulting in his downfall. Although the values of a reputation and the importance of personal integrity are maintained throughout the drama, obsession with these traits is problematised, resulting in death and destruction. A significant moral problem that is raised in the drama The Crucible is moral uncertainty, and it is explored and treated as the drama progresses. The original John Hale spoke of a conscientious endeavour to do the thing that was right. This is true of the nature of the Coreys, the Proctors and the Nurses in the play, and to an extent the judges who believe it is G-ds work [they] do. Yet these characters have difficulty in determining what exactly is right and what exactly is moral. Repetition is utilised in order to illustrate this problem. The repetition of the phrase I think indicates this uncertainty. In Act Two, for example, Elizabeth says in succession The towns gone wild, I think, I think you must go to Salem, John. I think so, and when referring to the court I think they must be told. To this, Proctor answers Ill think on it and I think its not easy to prove shes fraud. All of this suggest an uncertainty, not only to the whole situation of the witch-hunts in Salem but to societys inability to make correct judgements, and the uncertainty that society displays about what is right and wrong and what each individuals position is. This insecurity and inability to make clear concise decisions and the moral uncertainty of these decisions escalates the conflict within the drama, revealing dilemma and thus making the drama more effective. Unconsciously these characters ignore what they feel is right, and instead depend on the views of the persuasive society to do what they think is right. For example, Judge Danforth refuses to believe that the girls might be frauds and he has been making the wrong judgements throughout the play and sentencing innocents to death. The problem of moral uncertainty represented throughout the play through repetition, characterisation and conflict allows the audience to condemn this uncertainty. The audience is also able to view the destruction of characters and society itself within the play as a result of this lack of moral conviction and integrity. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller is an effective medium in which a variety of social and moral problems are raised. These problematised issues are typically treated in two ways. Firstly, in the case of problems raised such as gender and class inequalities, traditional roles are often maintained, but varied slightly in order to create confusion and complications. These complications allow these problems to be raised and condemned. Other problems, such as envy, jealousy and bigotry are vehemently attacked by Miller, allowing the audience to immediately view these issues and others as problematic. While some problems and issues raised are justified for example, Abigails desire for affection relates to her traumatic childhood all in all, the main problems raised in The Crucible are rejected. This is achieved by the use of a variety of dramatic techniques and conventions throughout the drama, allowing the audience to gain insight into the problems evident not only in the Puritan society of Salem, Massachusetts in 1492, but to other contexts be it Millers McCarthyist context, the Nazi Germany period, contemporary society or to any general context where human behaviour and conflict is evident.

Make Way for New Words

Make Way for New Words Make Way for New Words Make Way for New Words By Mark Nichol The Oxford English Dictionary has an insatiable appetite for new entries: Every three months, it expands its inventory with dozens of words. A recent newspaper article, however, sensationalized recent acquisitions by selectively announcing a pile of pop-culture-inspired terms, missing the whole point of a dictionary. The OED, like most other dictionaries, is descriptivist: It describes the state of the language. Some descriptivist resources weigh in on the formality of given entries, or their acceptability by a panel of language experts. The procedure for approving candidate terms for inclusion varies, as dictionary staffs differ on how long a term should have been in general circulation before it earns the stamp of approval. But dictionaries do not include or omit words based on their quality. So, withhold your outrage when you read that you can now find such entries as bromance (a close friendship between two men), guyliner (eyeliner worn by a man), and mankini (a man’s one-piece bathing suit with shoulder straps). The apocalypse is not nigh. The OED is merely reflecting usage. (Well, OK, maybe the apocalypse is nigh.) But wait, you argue. You wouldn’t be caught uttering or penning one of those words, inducted into the OED in 2011. My rebuttal? I deduce that you are over twenty-five years old. Well, yes, you might reply as is a majority of the world’s English-reading population. That’s true, and many people born in the last twenty-five years would probably be embarrassed to employ one of these terms in conversation, too. But many folks of all ages know these words they’re in our word-hoard, whether we choose to speak or write them or not. And though some may turn out to be ephemeral, the OED has rightfully catalogued them as being in current usage. Here are a few terms added in the most recent round that I predict might have more staying power than those listed above: Cybercast: an online audiovisual broadcast Paywall: an online system that restricts access to those who pay a subscription Super PAC: a political action committee with restrictions on funding as long as specific political candidates are not the recipients In the What Took You So Long category are such terms as blacktop, a verb describing the process of paving a surface (the noun form already existed in the OED’s pages), earthlike (self-explanatory), and supertitle, the word for transcribed or translated text displayed above a stage or on a screen. In the Department of Redundancy Department category is bimble, a synonym (primarily used in British English) for amble or meander. But English is replete with multiple words with the same meaning, so bring it on. An honorable mention, for clever coinage, goes to aptronym, the word for a personal name usually humorously or ironically suited to the person, such as in the case of an undertaker named Grimm or a clumsy woman named Grace. Whether you love or hate each of these terms or the hundreds of others being poured into dictionaries each year, keep in mind that although inclusion does enhance the possibility that they will be used more often, the realm of English is a free country, and you are welcome to accept or reject them in your own writing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?"Replacement for" and "replacement of"People vs. Persons

Tourism in Switzerland Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Tourism in Switzerland - Literature review Example However, the impact has not been extensive because of a number of factors such as new types of tourism like health and medical tourism, strong financial services in the country, and ability of the industry players in the country to deal with the situation. Impact of Currency Fluctuation on Tourism in Switzerland Over the years, tourism has been one of the greatest phenomena that enhance human interactions, cultural exchanges, leisure activities, and economic advancements among other benefits. It is agreeable that people across the world learn new things and experience new things through tourism (Elliott and Johns, 1993). Tourism entails activities of individual or group of individuals travelling to destinations and staying in environments that are away from their usual environment for a particular period of time for leisure, pilgrimage, business and other purposes (Lundberg et al, 2005). Tourism has provided the human species with the opportunity to explore new environments and travel to various parts of the world with fewer restrictions, a scenario which would otherwise be unattainable. Due to tourism and benefits derived from it, countries hosting tourism destinations have relaxed their rules and laws on visitors visiting for tourism reasons (Reynard, 2008). Actually, in most cases, countr ies have offered both the social and economic incentives to encourage more tourists to visit their countries. Most, if not all countries in the world, have at least one or more tourist destinations (Bhatia, 2004). That fact notwithstanding, there are countries that are preferred by tourists more compared to other countries. This scenario can be attributed to a number of factors that include but are not limited to political stability in particular countries; types and qualities of tourist destinations in particular countries; socio-cultural factors; level of technological advancements; and economic factors such as currency fluctuation (Fyall & Garrod 2005). These factors not only affect the number of tourists visiting particular countries, but they also influence the frequency of their visits to those countries (Kirchgassner, 2009). In Europe, Switzerland is one of the most preferred tourist destinations. The history of tourism in Switzerland can be traced back to mid 19th century (S witzerland: Market profile, 2005). Since that time it has developed to become one of the most sophisticated industries in the country that has a considerable contribution to the country’s economy. Besides, tourism has enhanced trade and foreign relations of Switzerland with the rest of the world (Hopkins et al, 2002). The tourism infrastructure in Switzerland is one of the highly developed across the world, concentrated mostly in the cities and mountainous regions (Sommerville, 2011). Switzerland’s landscapes and Alpine climate are cited as one of the main tourists’ attractions in Switzerland. Along with that, Switzerland has one of the greatest and most diverse commercial hubs, thus making it the preferred destination for tourists (Edgell, 2008). The role of tourism in the economy of Switzerland is significant; it accounts for over four percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Additionally, tourism industry in the country has helped in brid ging the unemployment rates as it creates employment opportunities both in the urban and rural areas (Datamonitor, 2010). Groux & Jesswein (2011) explain that tourism industry, just like most industries operating in the business environment, is subject to external environmental

The Changing Composition of Workforce and Values Essay

The Changing Composition of Workforce and Values - Essay Example Technological inventions have over time become a daily affair. In as much as it is aimed at simplifying operations, it is not an easy task for employees trying to keep up with the pace as refresher courses come in handy so as to acquaint them with the technology nature of the workforce. Work in current times is thus based more on practical skills so as to handle the digital operations. Unlike in the past, there is more emphasize on team work in the current workforce making social skills essential. Again resulting from technological advances, the world has become a small place as business connecting the entire world can be carried out from a central time hence making work flexible and itinerant. This eventually results in a more time conscious setting as locations of both client and service providers do not matter. The workforce is flooded with more learned employees resulting from advancements in education unlike in the past. Due to increasing service demands, the workforce is a rather competitive with customer satisfaction being the priority of operations. Technological advances have over time led to a decrease in labor due to the digital migration of the workforce operations. consequently, unlike in the past when employees were guaranteed of life-long career opportunities as well as secure jobs, employees in the current workforce risk losing their jobs to technology. Competition, the rapid rise in meeting client, often demands lead to frequent changes and aligning operations to suit demands and beat the competition. Values at the workforce are those guiding ideologies that are vital in governing how operations are carried out. They help in guiding the company in making ultimate decisions for their business and knowing what is best for pushing up profits as well as maintaining solid clientele basis. They are a mere reflection of the workforce and an easy point out of the company profile (Glickman, 1982). A

What evidence in the play can be interpreted as Mercutios Essay Example for Free

What evidence in the play can be interpreted as Mercutios Essay What evidence in the play can be interpreted as Mercutio’s affections toward Romeo being more than platonic? Discuss. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ a tragic romance written by William Shakespeare depicts the love between the two characters Romeo and Juliet. Other forms of love between characters are also present in the play, one of the most notable being the ambiguous relationship between Romeo and his flamboyant best friend Mercutio. Through a series of character interactions and character portrayals, Mercutio’s sexuality is left indistinct and his affections towards Romeo can be seen as homoerotic in nature. Romeo and Mercutio have a tendency to tease and banter with each other throughout the play. Mercutio’s teasing in particular could be interpreted as a form of homoerotism considering the large amounts of innuendo and references to Romeo’s phallus used. â€Å"To raise a spirit in his mistress circle Of some strange nature, letting it there stand Till she had laid it and conjured it down;† (Act 2, scene 1) Though this type of banter could be interpreted as normal amongst men their age, due to Mercutio’s ambiguous sexual orientation, it can be considered a form of flirting, especially when you take into consideration Mercutio’s attestment for the opposite gender and love between a man and a woman. Early on in the play, Mercutio is shown to have an aversion to women as well as heterosexual love. One of the clearest examples of Mercutio’s hostility towards women is shown in act 2, scene one when Benvolio and Mercutio are searching for Romeo after the party at the Capulets. â€Å"I must conjure him. I conjure thee by Rosalines bright eyes, By her high forehead and her scarlet lip, By her fine foot, straight leg and quivering thigh And the demesnes that there adjacent lie, That in thy likeness thou appear to us! †(Act 2, scene 1) Mercutio starts mocking Romeo’s feelings for Rosaline as well as insulting her by listing her body parts in a crude manner. Mercutio’s aversion towards women and love is also quite prominent in his Queen Mab speech which outside of being a ‘fairy’ is also a reference to whores during Elizabethan times. The speech starts off as more of a flight of fancy but steadily becomes darker the further he gets. â€Å"This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs, That presses them and learns them first to bear, Making them women of good carriage: This is she† (Act 1, scene 4) This passage could be interpreted as women losing their virginities as well as going into prostitution. Mercutio makes a stab at women through generalising them as whores, as well as stating how love is insignificant, nonsensical and corrupting. This is shown through the emphasis on Queen Mab’s small size, the fairy’s ability to confirm what ever vices that dreamers are addicted to and how the description of Queen Mab itself is complete nonsense. His aversion to women and heterosexual love could be interpreted as a sign of homosexuality, or at the very least bisexuality; Mercutio’s disrespect for the opposite gender is shown to be indiscriminate when involving matters in concern to Romeo. All women that Mercutio is seen interacting with or acknowledging in the play are insulted and ridiculed by him; the fact that they have all wanted Romeo’s company or have been subjected to Romeo’s affections is what they all have in common. â€Å"NURSE If you be he, sir, I desire some confidence with you. †¦ MERCUTIO A bawd, a bawd, a bawd! so ho! ROMEO What hast thou found? MERCUTIO No hare, sir; unless a hare, sir, in a lenten pie, that is something stale and hoar ere it be spent. An old hare hoar, And an old hare hoar, Is very good meat in lent But a hare that is hoar Is too much for a score, When it hoars ere it be spent. Romeo, will you come to your fathers? well to dinner, thither. † (Act 2, Scene 4) In this scene, Mercutio is shown to immediately interrupt the conversation between the other two characters once Romeo has lost interest in teasing the nurse, and the nurse has shown interest in conversing with him in private. Mercutio’s insults and teasing become bawdier as he tries to draw the groups attention and in turn Romeo’s attention towards him rather than the nurse as he continues to mock her. This act could be seen as an adverse reaction to the possibility of Romeo romancing another woman, or even the possibility of him romancing the nurse herself. A similar attitude is taken up by Mercutio concerning other women in Romeo’s life, as shown with Rosaline. The callous and unseemly way that Mercutio treats women who associate with Romeo could be seen as a form of jealousy, and thus his possible homoerotic affections for his best friend; characters such as Tybalt make allusions to the possibility of Mercutio’s non-platonic affections towards Romeo right before the play’s climax. Mercutio’s death scene, aside from being the climax of the play, has the most allusions to Mercutio’s affections towards Romeo being more than platonic. â€Å"Mercutio, thou consortst with Romeo† (Act 3, scene 1) This line spoken by Tybalt suggests the possibility of Mercutio’s homosexuality. Tybalt starts insulting a passive Romeo which results in a brawl between Mercutio and Tybalt, stemming from Mercutio’s need to defend his friend’s dignity and outrage at Romeo’s unresponsiveness to the insults. The brawl between the two, along with Mercutio’s resulting death, is seen as completely unnecessary as Tybalt is making no direct insult to Mercutio’s person, only Romeo’s. The need that Mercutio had felt to defend Romeo’s dignity could be seen as the manifestation of romantic feelings towards his best friend due to how unnecessarily far he’d taken his brawl with Tybalt and how it had resulted in his death. Through these series of events and character interaction such as Mercutio’s teasing of Romeo, his aversion to women, love, senseless death borne out of want to defend Romeo’s dignity and the possibility of him being homosexual, that Mercutio’s love for Romeo could be concluded as being more than just platonic. ________________ ROMEO AND JULIET ESSAY- VERSION 2. What evidence in the play can be interpreted as Mercutio’s affections toward Romeo being more than platonic? Discuss. ‘Romeo and Juliet’, a tragic romance written by William Shakespeare, depicts the love between the two characters Romeo and Juliet. Other forms of love between characters are also present in the play, one of the most notable being the ambiguous relationship between Romeo and his flamboyant best friend Mercutio. Through a series of character interactions and character portrayals, Mercutio’s sexuality is left indistinct and his affections towards Romeo can be seen as homoerotic in nature. Romeo and Mercutio have a tendency to tease and banter with each other throughout the play. Mercutio’s teasing in particular could be interpreted as a form of homoerotism considering the large amounts of innuendo and references to Romeo’s phallus used. Said references to Romeos phallus appear when Mercutio, in an attempt lure Romeo out of hiding, begins to talk of Romeo raising a spirit in his mistress circle and letting it there stand / Till she [Rosaline] had laid it and conjured it down (William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 1, Line 26). Though this type of banter could be interpreted as normal amongst men their age, due to Mercutio’s ambiguous sexual orientation it can be considered a form of flirting, especially when you take into consideration Mercutio’s attestment for the opposite gender and love between a man and a woman Early on in the play, Mercutio is shown to have and aversion to women as well as heterosexual love. One of the clearest examples of Mercutio’s hostility towards women is shown in when Benvolio and Mercutio are searching for Romeo after the party at the Capulets. Mercutio starts mocking Romeo’s feelings for Rosaline as well as insulting her by listing her body parts in a crude manner. He describes her fine foot, straight leg and quivering thigh (Act 2, Scene 1, Line 21) amongst other body parts considered uncouth to talk about during his time period. Mercutio’s aversion towards women and love is also quite prominent in his Queen Mab speech which outside of being a ‘fairy’ is also a reference to whores during Elizabethan times. The speech starts off as more of a flight of fancy but steadily becomes darker the further he gets. Mercutio makes references to women losing their virginities and going into prostitution when he talks of when maids lie on their backs / That presses them and learns them first to bear (Act 1, Scene 4, Line 96). Mercutio makes a stab at women through generalising them as whores, as well as stating how love is insignificant, nonsensical and corrupting. This is shown through the emphasis on Queen Mab’s small size, the fairy’s ability to confirm what ever vices that dreamers are addicted to and how the description of Queen Mab itself is complete nonsense. His aversion to women and heterosexual love could be interpreted as a sign of homosexuality, or at the very least bisexuality; Mercutios disrespect for the opposite gender is shown to be indiscriminate when involving matters in concern to Romeo. All women that Mercutio is seen interacting with or acknowledging in the play are insulted and ridiculed by him; the fact that they have all wanted Romeo’s company or have been subjected to Romeo’s affections is what they all have in common. In the second act, Juliets nurse approaches Romeo and expresses her interest in speaking with him alone. Mercutio, seeing that Romeo had lost interest in teasing the nurse, instantly interrupts the conversation by calling the nurse a bawd (Act 2, Scene 4, Line 115), followed by an indecent song on a girl who prostitutes herself. Mercutio’s insults and teasing become bawdier as he tries to draw the group’s, and in turn Romeo’s, attention towards him rather than the nurse as he continues to mock her. This act could be seen as an adverse reaction to the possibility of Romeo romancing another woman, or even the possibility of him romancing the nurse herself. A similar attitude is taken up by Mercutio concerning other women in Romeo’s life, as shown with Rosaline. The callous and unseemly way that Mercutio treats women who associate with Romeo could be seen as a form of jealousy, and thus his possible homoerotic affections for his best friend; characters such as Tybalt make allusions to the possibility of Mercutio’s non-platonic affections towards Rome right before the play’s climax. Mercutio’s death scene, aside from being the climax of the play, has the most allusions to Mercutio’s affections towards Romeo being more than platonic. Tybalt suggests the possibility of Mercutio’s homosexuality when he says that Mercutio consortst with Romeo (Act 3, Scene 1, Line 42). Tybalt starts insulting a passive Romeo which results in a brawl between Mercutio and Tybalt, stemming from Mercutio’s need to defend his friend’s dignity and outrage at Romeo’s unresponsiveness to the insults. The brawl between the two, along with Mercutio’s resulting death, is seen as completely unnecessary as Tybalt is making no direct insult to Mercutio’s person, only Romeo’s. The need that Mercutio had felt to defend Romeo’s dignity could be seen as the manifestation of romantic feelings towards his best friend due to how unnecessarily far he’d taken his brawl with Tybalt and how it had resulted in his death. Through these series of events and character interaction such as Mercutio’s teasing of Romeo, his aversion to women, love, senseless death borne out of want to defend Romeo’s dignity and the possibility of him being homosexual, that Mercutio’s love for Romeo could be concluded as being more than just platonic.

Colonization of Egypt :: Colonialism Imperialism

Colonization of Egypt What is a good country? Is a good country a country with a cheerful population? Is a good country a country which controls more land than the next? Is a good country a country whose government and economic system has absolutely no problems? Or is a good country a country that has a delicate balance of benefits and problems. Well, we are here today to discuss the corruption of Egypt, a good country, by Britain, a huge and powerful country. Although Britain was not the first, Britain has retained control of Egypt for nearly 40 years and I am here today to ask for the freedom and decolonization of Egypt from Britain. This problem all started in 1882 when the British forced Napoleon Bonaparte, the leader of the French Army, out of Africa. Instead of leaving the land of Egypt to its rightful owners, the Egyptians, Britain decided to colonize Egypt and control them through a protectorate. The protectorate allowed the British government to control Egypt's economic and political decisions without intervention from the Egyptians. In other words, The Egyptians had completely lost control of their own country. Well, some of you might ask, "Why would Britain want to keep Egypt?" The response to this is more simple than you might think. Was it the fact that Egypt was such a weak country at the time? Or was it that Egypt was just waiting to be colonized? No, it was greed, pure British greed, that caused the corruption of Egypt's balanced culture. The economic situation of Egypt before its colonization was quite good. The working and owning class maintained the industrial aspect while the upper class maintained the government and political prospect. Through the colonization of Egypt, Britain gained control of the Suez Canal, a major part of the world trade routes. With this advantage, Britain decided to heavily tax the ships which passed through. This brought mass amounts of money of which the Egyptians never saw. Instead of going to maintain Egypt or even the Suez Canal itself, the money went straight to the British government as profit. Finally, the news that Britain had colonized Egypt and was using it as a "profitable business" reached the public. Immediately, the Egyptians began to leave the country. The British had to act quickly, for they knew that without the Egyptians to maintain the land and canal, the profit would be lost.