Discuss How Shakespeare Uses Language Essay

Discuss how Shakespeare uses language and dramatic techniques for character development in Act 2 Scene 2 of Measure for Measure. Shakespeare uses a variety of linguistic devices and dramatic techniques for character development from Act 2 Scene 2 to Scene 4. We see Angelo’s precise, business-like persona transform to temptation, and final cruelty whilst we see the true, confident side of Isabella as as she attempts to convince Angelo to reverse his judgement, but eventually loses her ignorant hope on the realisation of his true ‘purpose’. In Act 2 Scene 2 Shakespeare portrays Angelo as precise, intelligently dealing with the pleas of Isabella to save the life of her brother by reversing the death sentence that has been handed down to him. The scene begins with the Provost and Angelo discussing Claudio’s punishment. The Provost dares to ask Angelo if he really wants Claudio murdered, ‘All sects, all ages smack of this vice, and he to die for’t!’, and Angelo states that he does, ‘Did not I tell yea? Hast thou no order? Why dost thou ask again? ’. Shakespeare instantly uses dramatic technique of foreshadowing the conflict that is to follow through the sharp words exchanged between the two. Provost then asks what’s to be done with the woman he got pregnant, Juliet. Angelo still refuses to relent, and says that Juliet, who is in labour, should go to a more fitting place, away from everything that is going on ‘Dispose of her To some more fitter place’ Shakespeare’s lexical choice conveys his ruthless nature to the audience, in this context would mean ‘send her away’, but of course reading the text using more modern language; ‘dispose’ is an unpleasant word, especially when referring to a human being, where it seems incongruous, especially in reference to a pregnant woman, thus subtly foreshadowing the revealing of Angelo’s animalistic nature later in the scene. Angelo also calls Juliet a ‘fornicatress’, the harsh constanents of the name once again conjuring the theme that is constantly present through the play, that of appearance versus reality. Although Juliet appears from Angelo’s quick appraisal to be just a sinful person, her reality is far more complex; she is much better than most women of the time, she is not a prostitute or adulterer, rather her only fault was not securing a marriage contract before she slept with her fiancee. She is actually a woman of strength and principle, not the simple sinner that Angelo’s developing harsh, cruel character reduces her to. Isabella comes to see Angelo innocently, as shy as she appeared in her first scene at the nunnery, and begins to plead with him for Claudio’s life, ‘I have a brother is condemned to die. I do beseech you, let it be his fault, And not my brother’. Angelo is portrayed to be business-like and unrelenting, ‘Condemn the fault, and not the actor of it? Why, every fault’s condemned ere it be done’ but Lucio urges her to persist, encouraging her ‘Ay, touch him, there’s the vein’ acting as a kind of Greek chorus for the audience. She does, and calls upon Angelo’s pity, mercy, and moderation; she recognises that Angelo has the power to enforce the law in full, but impresses upon him that one must use power with moderation. Isabella’s strategy is a keen one, trying to persuade Angelo to have the same mercy for her brother that she has. Once again, the issue of mercy is urged upon Angelo, as is the theme of human weakness, which all, Isabella stresses, fall victim to. Her character is portrayed as increasingly canny, when she has to be; her argument is strong and persuasive, although it is not her argument that causes Angelo to relent, but his attraction to her. Isabella also touches upon the theme of use of power; ‘it is excellent to have a giant’s strength,’ she tells Angelo, ‘but it is tyrannous to use it as a giant’, making an allusion to ‘Jove’ to demonstrate her point – even the gods, with tremendous power, know how best to use their awesome abilities. This is another lesson that Angelo’s character must learn; for although he can use the law to its full extent if he wishes, he has to learn how to temper his power with mercy and heed moderation. Comparing the characters of Angelo and Isabella, one could argue that Isabella is ‘the symbol of goodness and mercy set against a background of moral decay’. Alternatively, one could see her character as self-righteous and hypocritical, as we later discover when she values her chastity higher than her brother’s life. Isabella continues arguing with Angelo until he finally relents and tells her to come back the next day to hear his judgement. Everyone leaves, and Angelo speaks a rather striking soliloquy, apparently talking to himself ‘†¦what art thou Angelo? Dost thou desire her foully for those things that make her good? ’. Thus, through Shakespeare’s staging, we learn that Angelo admits to himself that he is in love with Isabella because of her virtue and purity. Often characters in Shakespeare’s plays have soliloquies but they do not often refer to themselves in third person and when they do, it is often a sign of madness. Perhaps Shakespeare is suggesting this as a sign for Angelo. What is certain is that he is struggling with an inward battle between what he knows he should do and what he desires to do, as his develops and starts questioning the morality of his own character. It is with great irony that Isabella’s call to Angelo to mark the weaknesses in his own heart is answered by Angelo’s acknowledgement that he is tempted by Isabella. It is this temptation that brings from Angelo his first statement of mercy toward Claudio: ‘O, let her brother live! Thieves for their robbery have authority when judges steal themselves!’ Shakespeare shows how Angelo realises that with experience of one’s own weakness comes mercy for others’ failings; however, he soon ignores this lesson, and falls into hypocrisy in Act 2 Scene 4. In this scene, Isabella comes back the next day as Angelo had asked, and he begins by saying that Claudio must die. Isabella begins to leave, but Angelo begins to tempt her to save her brother, by offering herself instead. Isabella ignorantly misunderstands Angelo’s subtle sexual offer, and he is forced to tell her plainly that if she sleeps with him he will let Claudio live. Angelo accuses her of hypocrisy, and they discuss the frailty of women. In terms of character development in this scene, Angelo begins in a state of agitation, pondering why he cannot pray and with a new awareness of how the appearance of things might not be true to reality. Where before Angelo was unified in his intentions and actions, he has now become internally divided, ‘O place, O form, How often does thou with thy case, thy habit, Wrench awe from fools, and tie the wiser souls to thy false seeming! Blood, thou art blood. ’- questioning the power of authority, position and outward appearance to convince even wise men that false men are virtuous. Shakespeare uses language of coercion, ‘wrench’ and ‘tie’, and apostrophe – ‘O place, O form’ to perhaps illustrate the sophisticated and baffling nature of false appearances. Shakespeare also shows how Angelo is beginning to seduce Isabella with subtle and ambiguous lexis, but moving more and more towards blunt, harsh and animalistic discourse as the scene progresses. ‘I have begun, and now I give my sensual race the rein’; Shakespeare shows how Angelo has almost been possessed by his animal side. This is perhaps emphasised by the use of horse imagery, ‘race the rein’, as well as the use of plosives and dentals ‘fit they consent to my sharp appetite’, drawing attention to his teeth and lips, reinforcing his sexual lust and passion for Isabella. When Isabella enters, however, she meekly accepts Angelo’s judgement, but as the scene progresses she continues to find her voice. As Angelo descends into sensuality, she seems to become more pious and religously extreme, almost swapping roles with Angelo. ‘Th’ impression of keen whips I’d wear as rubies, and strip myself to death’ – Shakespeare uses images of love, death and falgellation to express her disgust at the idea of submitting to Angelo. Though the sentiment is spiritual, the language and images are highly physical, suggesting that her character would resist the carnal sexuality by yielding herself to more gruesome lovers: torture and death. Her innocence is also shattered by Angelo’s crass offer – she seems shocked to find out that justice might not be as perfect as it appears. Her naivety is gradually stripped away as Angelo easily overcomes her threat to expose him, and she sees that virtue does not necessarily triumph over iniquity. Yet, she still has ignorant faith in the honour of her brother, Claudio, and trusts that he will defend her honour even at the cost of his life.

How and Why to Comment in Your PHP Code

How and Why to Comment in Your PHP Code A comment in PHP code is a line that is not read as part of the program. Its only purpose is to be read by someone who is editing the code. So why use comments? To let others know what youre doing. If you are working with a group of people or plan on anyone else ever using your script, the comments tell the other programmers what you were doing in each step. This makes it much easier for them to work with and to edit your code if needed.To remind yourself what you did. Although you may just be writing a quick script for yourself and dont see the need for comments, go ahead and add them in anyway. Most programmers have experienced coming back to edit their own work a year or two later and having to figure out what they did. Comments can remind you of your thoughts when you wrote the code. There are several ways to add a comment in PHP code. The first is by using // to comment out a line. This one-line comment style only comments to the end of the line or the current code block, whichever comes first. Here is an example: ?php echo hello; //this is a comment echo there; ? If you have a single line comment, another option is to use a # sign. Here is an example of this method: ?php echo hello; #this is a comment echo there; ? If you have a longer, multi-line comment, the best way to comment is with /* and  */ before and after a lengthy comment. You can contain several lines of commenting inside a block. Here is an example: ?php echo hello; /* Using this method you can create a larger block of text and it will all be commented out */ echo there; ? Dont Mix Comments Although you can nest comments within comments in PHP, do so carefully. Not all of them nest equally well. PHP supports C, C and Unix shell-style comments. C style comments end at the first */ they encounter, so dont nest C style comments.   If you are working with PHP and HTML, be aware that HTML comments mean nothing to the PHP parser. They wont work as intended and are likely to execute some function. So, stay away from:   !Comment

The Definition and Purpose of the Zero Article

The Definition and Purpose of the Zero Article In English grammar, the term  zero article  refers to an occasion in speech or writing where a noun or noun phrase is not preceded by an article (a, an, or the). The zero article is also known as the  zero determiner. In general, no article is used with proper nouns, mass nouns where the reference is indefinite, or plural count nouns where the reference is indefinite. Also, no article is generally used when referring to means of transport (by plane) or common expressions of time and place (at midnight, in jail). In addition, linguists have found that in  regional varieties of English known as New Englishes,  omitting an article is often done to express non-specificity. Examples of the Zero Article In the following examples, no article is used before the italicized nouns. My mothers name is Rose. I gave her a rose on  Mothers Day.Every mile is two in winter.This plant grows in  sandy soil and on the edges of swamps.David Rockefeller was authorized to hold the position of director of the Council on Foreign Relations. The Zero Article in American and British English In American and British English, no article is used before words such as  school, college, class, prison  or  camp  when these words are used in their institutional sense. The students start school in the fall.College provides opportunities for students to learn and meet new people. However, some nouns that are used with definite articles in American English are not used with articles in British English. When I was in the hospital, I often wished there were fewer hours in the day.[American English]When Elizabeth was in  hospital, she was occasionally visited by her parents.[British English] The Zero Article With Plural Count Nouns and Mass Nouns In the book English Grammar, Angela Downing writes that the loosest and therefore most frequent type of generic statement is that expressed by the zero article with plural  count nouns  or with  mass nouns. Count nouns are those that can form a plural, such as dog or cat. In their plural form, count nouns are sometimes used without an article, especially when they are referred to generically. The same is true when the noun is plural but of indefinite number. Dogs love to run around outside.The boy loves to play with toys. Mass nouns are those that cannot be counted, such as air or sadness. They also include nouns that are not usually counted but that can be counted in some situations, such as water or meat. (These nouns can be counted using certain measurements, such as some or much.) Clean air is important for a healthy environment.The man was overcome by sadness when he lost his home. Sources Cowan, Ron.  The Teachers Grammar of English: a Course Book and Reference Guide. Cambridge University Press, 2011.Downing, Angela.  English Grammar. Routledge, 2006.Platt, John T., et al.  The New Englishes. Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1984.

Possible Selves Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Possible Selves - Assignment Example Kail and Cavanaugh (2013) elaborate that possible selves constitute powerful motivator for people to struggle towards achieving their dreams and live satisfying life. Reflective judgment theory explores and details ways in which people base their reasoning through real life dilemmas that concern and revolve around religion, personal relationships and science among others (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2013). According to reflective judgment theory, there are seven stages of judgment. The seven stages are in three groups, namely prereflective thought that covers stages 1 to 3, quasi-reflective reasoning that covers stages 4-5 and reflective reasoning that covers stages 6 and 7. According to Kail and Cavanaugh (2013), prereflective thought of the reflective judgment theory that covers stages 1 to 3 makes people regard knowledge as something gained through the word(s) of a higher authority or firsthand observation rather than through evaluative and analytical reasoning of evidences. People exhibiting this element believe that their knowledge about life issues is absolutely correct and certain. Students in high school or colleges tend to apply prereflective thought in the process of learning. Since they do not want to challenge the knowledge of perceived intelligent and correct lecturers and teachers, they simply believe and trust instructions and lectures with little intent to seek further evidence. Teacher or lecturer is usually a person of higher authority and knowledge and cannot give false instructions or concepts to the students (Zytowski & D’Achiardi-Ressler, 2011). Believing instructions as given is usually a show of obedience, respect and disc ipline, which constitute elements of the so-called â€Å"good students†. In addition, prereflective thought of reflective judgment enable students to read, believe and grasp research findings documented in books

Enterprise resource planning Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Enterprise resource planning - Literature review Example Taking into account all the necessary precautions described in this review, readers can develop an accurate and effective ability to choose the correct ERP to fulfil their company’s needs. Enterprise Resource Planning The development of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages has evolved the software market in the most valuable segments of modern organizations. They have transformed over the past decade, every aspect of organisational process including sales, marketing, manufacturing and staffing. The first ERP systems that emerged were very expensive for small and medium companies and also required complex processes and maintenance to incorporate them. The detrimental effect that ERPs possess over the entire organization is deemed important for the development and prosperity of a business (Livermore & Ragowsky, 2002). As, such a combination of human and technical expertise is required in order to make a correct selection of vendor, implement the system accordingly and p rovide adequate support and maintenance. The instances of companies going bankrupt due to implement failure of an ERP system include prestigious firms, such as Mobil Europe, Nike, Reebok and Hershey. The continuous failures of the ERP system have raised the question of their viability and the risks involved with incorporating such practices (Chen, 2001). Based on available literature and real-life examples, this review will analyse the tasks needed in order to choose the correct ERP system, the implications that need to be considered, important procedures needed for implementation and future directions for research are proposed. History of ERP The predecessors of modern ERPs were made in the 1960’s with the manufacturing of early Material Requirements Planning (MRP) software by the partnership of J.I. Case with IBM.. However these solutions were big and expensive because they required a large technical staff to support the mainframe computers. In 1970’s the developme nt of faster and higher capacity storage enabled the development of a more integrated business information system. The introduction of COPICS concepts for IBM computers and subsequent birth of software companies such as SAP (Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung) and Oracle among others, lead to increased technological advancements in MRPs. Its functions included scheduling and releasing manufacturing work orders and purchase orders (Chen, 2001). The MRP II system was created in the early 1980’s by J.D Edwards was later named manufacturing resource planning rather than its original acronym and adopted the MRP-II term to conjoin with the newer capabilities, such as integrating primary functions (production, marketing and finance) and personnel and engineering to improve the efficacy of the enterprise. During the late 80’s the update of CIM (Computer Integrated Manufacturing) framework offered a strategy to help integrate information in a consistent manner across the e nterprise, which was the key to the migrating path between MRP and ERP systems (Chung & Snyder, 2000). The term enterprise resource planning (ERP) was named in the early 1990s by the Gartner Group and included certain criteria to asses the extent of integration across many functional areas such as production from raw materials to work-in-process (WIP) to finished goods inventory (FGI), shipping and receiving

Can People Govern Themselves Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Can People Govern Themselves - Essay Example According to blog â€Å"a†, a business that only puts qualified people in leadership positions gives out good result while democracy lets any fool who is elected have power and the results are chaos. To an extent, I agree with the above statement because democracy is the rule by vote and a person can be popular based on other factors other than credibility and efficiency. It is not strange to find a company that was running well on profits suddenly collapse due to poor governance based on elected leader. While it is fair to include the views of the people in running an organization or a country, it is also wise to include serious scrutiny of their character and their effectiveness to the position they are being given. Democracy is not entirely bad as sometimes people’s judgment of character can be right through various interactions with the person or people vying for a leadership position; they can be able to tell whether the person will be effective. A person with soci al skills is highly favored as he or she is thought to understand and solve problems fairly. Choosing leaders based on qualifications is the other alternative. People with high qualifications and references are thought to have a proper managerial skill, organized and goal oriented. Their dedication to their studies is believed to be also reflected in the work they are entrusted with. However, people can be highly qualified but lack the necessary values needed to work in an organization such as honesty. In summary, democracy cannot work effectively on its own.

The anti communist feelings Essay Example for Free

The anti communist feelings Essay I think Arthur Miller has been very successful in the character of Parris because although he doesnt actually cause any of the damage directly he still makes him a thoroughly unpleasant character and I think that the audience would feel the same. I personally feel sorry for Parris because he isnt a bad man hes just a pathetic one.  I think a scene which shows a lot of the worst behaviour is act three in the court. The obvious examples are from Abigail and the girls when they pretend to be bewitched by Mary who gets terrified at their act. Their reason for doing this is that Abigail is angry with Mary for betraying them and wants her to be accused of witchcraft so that she has no choice but to go back and join them. The audience I think would have particularly drawn into the scene because it is very tense and a lot of things happen. When Elizabeth lies for John and when John is arrested I think would have been parts that made the audience particularly angry with Abigail. Miller creates tension in this scene especially in the part where Mary is getting hysterical with the girls repeating every word Mary says and stamping their feet. This makes they play come alive and be more exciting for the audience. But in this act the climax of the tension is John Proctors hysterical speech; A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together! and the stage direction of insane laughter makes even more exciting. The best of behaviour is shown from Act three onwards because the characters consciences catch up with them and they have to take responsibility for their actions. One of the best cases of this is in reverend Hale, when he arrives he seems intent on finding witchcraft; I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face!(When talking about the devil. Act 1) but as the play progresses Miller changes the characters views completely. He goes from the accuser to helping the accused lie and Miller does this so subtly that the audience dont feel uncomfortable about this change. In act two he is beginning to waver by going to see the Proctors even though hes not on official business. In act three he announces I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court! and in act four we hear the defining quote of this character; There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head? referring to the lives of innocent people he has taken and is now feeling the strain on his conscience. I think that the audience would probably feel that Hale is someone who just tries to do his best and would not feel the same animosity towards him as Parris. Another example of the best of human behaviour is in Rebecca Nurse. She is a small character but helps give the play depth because all of the characters lives are intertwined which makes the audience feel like the characters are more personal. Rebecca is one of the only consistent characters in The Crucible she never changes her mind or lies to save herself even when faced with extremely gruelling circumstances. She never compromises her conscience by signing a false confession neither does she turn in her friends. When asked to sign a confession she replies Why, it is a lie, it is a lie; how may I damn myself? I cannot, I cannot.(Act 4) I think the audience would have liked Rebecca because she is the sort of character who doesnt change so is someone you can get comfortable with. I myself found Rebecca to be the most responsible of all the characters in the play despite having a small part. Eventually Rebecca is hanged which I think the audience would have been shocked and angry because she is a pure soul. Another person in this situation was Giles Corey who like Rebecca chose to be crushed to death rather than get other people in trouble. The most obvious example of the best behaviour is found in John Proctor in both the third and the fourth Acts. Where Miller makes him the hero by letting him confess to his sins and become a martyr. Miller creates the hero character for Proctor by letting have one final emotion filled speech about being true to your conscience and despite his admittance of an affair with Abigail the audience would like him and feel sympathy for him. The emotion of this final scene is only really shown when it is performed because of the stage directions Miller gives is what really creates tension. At first after seeing Elizabeth he decides to confess in order to stay with his family but when he is asked to sign the confession he finally snaps and his conscience takes over. His defining speech of the whole play is this final one; Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given my soul; leave me my name! One of the other reasons he decides to die rather than sacrifice his morality is when he sees his friends go off to be hanged and their looks of surprise at seeing him lying. Another thing he says which also contributes to the decision was this; I have three children how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends? this shows that he was thinking about how his family would feel if they knew he had lied. I personally found this scene the most emotionally draining of the entire play because you really get involved and start caring about the characters and I think that final speech is the best of the entire play. This essay has discussed many things that featured in The Crucible such as conscience and the way Arthur Miller made his characters either liked or disliked. All of the characters in this play were put under extreme pressure and in these situations the best scenes in the play arise. Overall I think that the best of human behaviour was presented more strongly than the worst because the characters that have the best behaviour are more strongly presented. But saying that Arthur Miller does successfully portray the worst of behaviour also because none of his characters are two-dimensional they all his separate lives which intertwine and so you feel for all of them even those who responsible for the deaths. In my introduction I aimed to show the parallels between puritan Salem and the anti communist feelings of right wing America. I have done so. The audience at both the time this was written and in the present day would find this play both emotionally challenging and exciting. The reaction to the last scene probably would have been tears, as I myself was close to tears when watching the film version. I also have achieved the link between the interrogation of Arthur Miller over his political beliefs and the witch hunts in Salem 1692, His reaction to the hysteria and how he wrote the play in protest to the somewhat ludicrous questioning of people in Salem.