Once on this Island play essays

Once on this Island play essays My overall opinion of viewing Once on This Island was that the actors did a good job in their parts but the play selection was poor. For the nature of the play it was done I possibly as well as it could have been. The lead female singer, older Timoon, was very good in my opinion but it was just a tough play to really make that great. The young girl also did well especially for her age, she seemed very comfortable. The set was very nice and I especially liked how the gate doors went directly into the stage. I also thought it was cool looking how the back screen would show the storm with lightning strikes across it. It would also show when clouds were rolling in and when accompanied by the sound it wind it depicted a nice storm scene. Also it was clever how the car was an actor holding two flashlights while acting like he was driving around. Once on This Island starts out with a poverty stricken family telling the folk tale of their people. It tells of a little girl who was ship wrecked and was the only survivor. She was in a tree screaming because she was afraid, lost, and alone. A family who didnt have any kids, heard her screams and helped her from the tree and began to raise her as their own child. They named her Timoon. She grew up with the family and the village and was well known to everyone. She was very cheery and curious on what life was like out of her village. One day she found a man who had wrecked his car. He was Daniel the son of the king of the island. There was a legend about Daniels family because his grandfather had cheated on his wife with a woman of poverty. His son grew up and threw him out of power so he cursed his bloodline so no one could leave the island and had to stay in the city. Timoon had everyone bring him back to her house so she could take care of him. Her parents were worried because t hey could get in trouble for having him there. But Timoon was persistent ...

Foot Binding in China

Foot Binding in China For centuries, young girls in China were subjected to an extremely painful and debilitating procedure called foot binding.  Their feet were bound tightly with cloth strips, with the toes bent down under the sole of the foot, and the foot tied front-to-back so that the grew into an exaggerated high curve. The ideal adult female foot would be only three to four inches in length. These tiny, deformed feet were known as lotus feet. The fashion for bound feet began in the upper classes of Han Chinese society, but it spread to all but the poorest families.  Having a daughter with bound feet signified that the family was wealthy enough to forgo having her work in the fields- women with their feet bound could not walk well enough to do any sort of labor that involved standing for any length of time.  Because bound feet were considered beautiful and sensual, and because they signified relative wealth, girls with lotus feet were more likely to marry well. As a result, even some farming families that could not really afford to lose a childs labor would bind their eldest daughters feet in hopes of attracting rich husbands for the girls. Origins of Foot Binding Various myths and folktales relate to the origin of foot-binding in China. In one version, the practice goes back to the earliest documented dynasty, the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BCE–1046 BCE). Supposedly, the corrupt last emperor of the Shang, King Zhou, had a favorite concubine named Daji who was born with clubfoot. According to the legend, the sadistic Daji ordered court ladies to bind their daughters feet so that they would be tiny and beautiful like her own. Since Daji was later discredited and executed, and the Shang Dynasty soon fell, it seems unlikely that her practices would have survived her by 3,000 years. A somewhat more plausible story states that the emperor Li Yu (reign 961–976 CE) of the Southern Tang Dynasty had a concubine named Yao Niang who performed a lotus dance, similar to en pointe ballet.  She bound her feet into a crescent shape with strips of white silk before dancing, and her grace inspired other courtesans and upper-class women to follow suit. Soon, girls of six to eight years had their feet bound into permanent crescents. How Foot Binding  Spread During the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), foot-binding became an established custom and spread throughout eastern China.  Soon, every ethnic Han Chinese woman of any social standing was expected to have lotus feet.  Beautifully embroidered and jeweled shoes for bound feet became popular, and men sometimes drank wine from the dainty little footwear of their lovers. When the Mongols overthrew the Song and established the Yuan Dynasty in 1279, they adopted many Chinese traditions- but not foot-binding. The far more politically influential and independent Mongol women were completely uninterested in permanently disabling their daughters to conform with Chinese standards of beauty. Thus, womens feet became an instant marker of ethnic identity, differentiating Han Chinese from Mongol women. The same would be true when the ethnic Manchus conquered Ming China in 1644 and established the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).  Manchu women were legally barred from binding their feet. Yet the tradition continued strong among their Han subjects.   Banning the Practice In the latter half of the nineteenth century, western missionaries and Chinese feminists began to call for an end to foot-binding.  Chinese thinkers influenced by Social Darwinism fretted that disabled women would produce feeble sons, endangering the Chinese as a people. To appease the foreigners, the Manchu Empress Dowager Cixi outlawed the practice in a 1902 edict, following the failure of the anti-foreigner Boxer Rebellion. This ban was soon repealed. When the Qing Dynasty fell in 1911 and 1912, the new Nationalist government banned foot-binding again.  The ban was reasonably effective in the coastal cities, but foot-binding continued unabated in much of the countryside. The practice wasnt more or less completely stamped out until the Communists finally won the Chinese Civil War in 1949.  Mao Zedong and his government treated women as much more equal partners in the revolution and immediately outlawed foot-binding throughout the country because it significantly diminished womens value as workers.  This was despite the fact that several women with bound feet had made the Long March with the Communist troops, walking 4,000 miles through rugged terrain and fording rivers on their deformed, 3-inch long feet. Of course, when Mao issued the ban there were already hundreds of millions of women with bound feet in China.  As the decades have passed, there are fewer and fewer. Today, there are only a handful of women living out in the countryside in their 90s or older who still have bound feet.

Building Sector and Energy Consumption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Building Sector and Energy Consumption - Essay Example From this essay it is clear tha the ‘average’ building implements materials with relatively low embodied energy and a limited amount of HVAC equipment. The energy ‘efficient’ building achieves an 80% reduction in heating energy demand and 40% reduction in cooling energy demand. The LCA shows how, even with a very significant reduction in operating energy consumption, the energy ‘efficient’ building may consume more energy than the ‘average’ one in relatively short life times if no care is taken about its embodied energy.This paper stresses that the effect of transportation energy requirement becomes also evident in this case, being the highest energy contribution for the ‘average’ building, and the second one, after the embodied energy, for the energy ‘efficient’ building. From a building energy point of view, these distributed urbanization schemes offer more chances for energy efficiency measures and appli cation of renewable energy technologies than centralized urbanization schemes. It is just through transportation energy requirements that sustainable building considerations interact with the higher structure sustainable urbanization approach.  Building energy assessment, extended to its design, construction, and useful life, allows for a proper quantification of the building's energy implications, and hence provides the basis for appropriate planning in the sector.  Energy regulation has a perceptive character, and its objective should be to establish and limit the upper bound for the buildings energy consumption.... ows how, even with a long analysis period (100 years), the energy 'efficient' building may consume more energy than the 'average' one if care is not taken about its EE. Evolution of accumulated energy consumption for two 150 m2 dwellings, an average one and another with pretensions of energy efficiency on basis of its reduced operating energy demand. (Laustsen, 2003) The results presented in Fig. 1 assumed a rather low increase in operational energy efficiency, but even with higher energy efficiency improvements we may find similar results with lower life cycle periods. The 'average' building implements materials with relatively low embodied energy and a limited amount of HVAC equipment. The energy 'efficient' building achieves an 80% reduction in heating energy demand and 40% reduction in cooling energy demand. The LCA shows how, even with a very significant reduction in operating energy consumption, the energy 'efficient' building may consume more energy than the 'average' one in relatively short life times if no care is taken about its embodied energy. Life cycle analysis for two 150 m2 dwellings, an average one and another with pretensions of energy efficiency on basis of its reduced operating energy demand, for a life time of 30 years. (Addis, 2002) The effect of transportation energy requirement becomes also evident in this case, being the highest energy contribution for the 'average' building, and the second one, after the embodied energy, for the energy 'efficient' building. From a building energy point of view, these distributed urbanization schemes offer more chances for energy efficiency measures and application of renewable energy technologies than centralized urbanization schemes. It is just through transportation energy requirements that sustainable

Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln - Essay Example Apart that the two leaders were well respected in their time and beyond; they also share a similarity in the sense that they were both assassinated. They both lost their parents at very young ages and both left a child behind after their death. This paper will analyze and compare the lives Abraham Lincoln and Julius Cesar. Firstly the creation of America by its forefathers can be likened to the Roman Republic. The American forefathers aimed to create a nation with liberty, life and happiness. The comparison between the two nations dates back to the very beginning with Gorge Washington possessing similar qualities to Lucius Junius Brutus whilst King George portrayed the tyrant role played by King Tarquinius (Wineburg, 488-499). Julius Cesar was assassinated differently to Abraham Lincoln; however, the two events are comparable to certain a extent. One similarity between the two is that they were both assassinated by individuals, who were concerned about their leadership and what they would do with their power. In more simplistic words, the two were just simply killed due to the position they occupied. The two leaders both accumulated a larger following and more power as their term in office grew longer. As Julius Cesar began to implement certain policies, his senators began to feel threatened as they were of the opinion that their positions were under threat. However the difference between Cesar and Lincoln in terms of their attitudes towards power is that Cesar was power hungry and aimed to control as much territory as possible. Whilst in office he extended his term to five years rue in IIIyricum and Cispine Paul. However, Lincoln on the other hand was the exact opposite and did not want to control a larger territory (Wineburg, 488-499). Despite Cesar’s hunger for power, he felt it not for his own benefit but for Rome. Cesar frequently stated that if he was to step down from power, it would lead to a civil war in Rome. Cesar is quoted to have said, †Å"I have long been sated with glory and power, however, it is more important for Rome than myself that I survive. If I was to be removed from my position, Rome will never know any peace. A civil war is likely to break out, one far worse than the last. In essence, Julius Cesar was an advocate for peace, a trait similar to that of Abraham Lincoln. Cesar fought for peace which led him to the accumulation of more enemies and his fight for change is similar to that of Abraham Lincoln. Despite the different positions they occupied, Abraham Lincoln and Julius Cesar were both military men. Lincoln enlisted in the army to be a member of the force fighting the Black Hawk war. While he was enrolled he quickly gained a promotion to the position of Captain for a wing of volunteers. Julius Cesar joined the Roman army with great ambition and quickly rose to the rank of military Commander. Their rise to political power was also different as Lincoln was required to perform a series of debates agains t his opponent. The two were both emulated and respected in their time. Both leaders wanted to make changes in their areas and they both gained enemies in the areas which they implemented their policies. Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in the year 1862 (Wineburg, 488-499). This act was intended to free all people and eradicate slavery in the Southern part of the country. Cesar gained enemies from the senate due to his advocation for peace whilst Lincoln was eventually assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, who shouted, â€Å"This is for the South!† before he shot him in the hea (Wineburg, 488-499). In fact, prior to being assassinated the emancipation proclamation led to a civil war in

Joffrey Ballet Essay Example for Free

Joffrey Ballet Essay When school is out, dance students have more time to dedicate to training. Choosing a summer intensive program of study can be a challenge, though. How do you know if the program you are considering is a good fit for you? Dance Informa spoke with faculty from The Joffrey Academy, Cary Ballet Conservatory, Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts’ Next Generation and Patel Conservatory’s Dance Department to learn more about what constitutes a great summer program and how you can be prepared to get the most from your experience. What should a student look for in a summer intensive program? Deanna Seay, Ballet Mistress, Cary Ballet Conservatory In looking at a summer intensive, each student needs to evaluate his or her own goals. Does the student want a program where the focus will be on improving technique? Is the student at an age when he/she wants to be considered potential company material? Does the student want an experience focused on one discipline, or does he/she want to use the summer to broaden his/her horizons? Defining these goals can help to narrow the possibilities. A student wanting to improve a lot can look for smaller programs where they will be able to receive personal attention as well as a place that provides many hours of instruction. Those on the verge of professional careers will want to find company related programs. Students wishing to broaden their horizons can look for programs that offer classes in a wide number of dance styles. Students enjoy Patel Conservatory’s Next Generation Ballet Summer Intensive. Photo by Bill Kraulter. Peter Stark, Artistic Director of the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts’ Next Generation and chair of thePatel Conservatory‘s Dance Department Students should look for: 1. Training. The school should demonstrate a history of training dancers well. Check on their website for recent graduates that are dancing professionally. 2. A schedule that keeps a young dancer busy and working hard. More classes will increase strength and technique. 3. A focus on the type of dance a student wants to study (ballet, modern, jazz) with a sampling of other styles for diversity. 4. A performing and/or rehearsing opportunity. As a performance art, in dance it is important to learn new dances and to get on stage. Alexei Kremnev, Artistic Director, and Amanda McAlpine, Communications Associate, Joffrey Academy and Community Engagement, The Joffrey Ballet Students should assess the quality of a summer intensive program by it’s faculty members (their experience and background), brand recognition (affiliation with professional company), variety of classes provided, performance opportunities, location and length of program. What are the advantages to training locally or going out of state? Peter Stark A family must decide how far they want to travel for a summer program. There is an expense with increased distance. Summer programs can offer a great sampling of an area for future employment. There are many excellent programs worldwide that will improve a young dancer both near and far. Do check out the security of the city, school and dormitory to determine if it meets the family needs. Also, ask about transportation for the students during the program. Students at the Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive Deanna Seay The most obvious advantage to staying local is the possibility of staying at home while attending the session, or at least being close to home, which can be comforting to both parents and students attending boarding programs the first time. As long as students have access to local programs that provide the number of classes they need, there isn’t really a need to travel far at a young age. Once students reach high school age and are more mature, going out of state becomes an option parents might feel more comfortable with. That being said, there will always be those young students who have the talent and maturity for an out-of-state experience at eleven or twelve. What advice do you have for those taking summer intensive auditions? Alexei Kremnev and Amanda McAlpine It is important to be as prepared as possible. Check the program’s website for any headshots or photos needed, audition fee and attire requirements. If it is possible to pre-register online, it will save you time during the day of the audition. During the audition, do your best and keep a positive attitude. If you excel in a particular area or step, be sure to stand in front or go in the first group. If you are not as strong in other areas, you may want to wait to go in the second group. Regardless, always look pleasant and smile. The judges may not realize that you may have made a mistake because they are concentrating on watching many other dancers too. Peter Stark Always dress neat in a dress code. Do not wear any warm-up shorts, skirts or jewelry. Have a head shot and dance photo (arabesque is good) available even if not specifically requested in the audition announcement. Have a positive attitude and try your best. Often schools are looking for potential, not accomplishment. If a combination isn’t perfect, that’s okay as long as you gave it a good try with a happy demeanor. Try to also pick up any nuance when the teacher is demonstrating the combination. What accents are they using in the music? How are they holding their hands and head? Be open to change and to trying something new. Deanna Seay PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS! Watch everything the teacher does when demonstrating a combination and listen to everything the teacher may say. These details are part of what the teacher will be trying to teach the student, so the students need to prove that they are responsive, receptive and truly interested. Some teachers will be very specific about where students stand and how they enter or exit the dancing space and it is important to understand and adhere to their wishes. When changing groups, students need to walk into formation quickly and place themselves immediately in the starting position. Students should appear neatly dressed. Female ballet students need to wear pink tights and a conservatively colored leotard. Black is traditional and the best choice. Men need to wear the traditional black tights and white t-shirt, which needs to be tucked in. Absolutely under no circumstances should the student wear any sort of cover-ups. Shoes, whether flat shoes or pointe shoes, need to be properly sewn and all drawstrings, ribbons and elastics should be tied and tucked out of sight. Hair should be securely pulled away from the face in a bun, French twist or other practical, yet attractive, shape. What does a summer intensive cost? Students at Cary Ballet Conservatory’s Intensive Summer Training Program. Deanna Seay Families with students wishing to attend a five-week summer ballet intensive will need to prepare to spend about $5,000 for tuition, room and board. A few smaller programs may cost $1,000-2,000 less. Many programs offer financial aid and scholarships, so it is good to ask. Peter Stark. On average most ballet summer intensive programs run about $1,000 per week, including tuition, room and board. However, this can vary greatly and many full and partial scholarships can offset some of that cost. What benefits, aside from technical and artistic, are there to attending a summer dance intensive? Peter Stark Hearing the same correction from a different teacher can open a young dancers’ perspective greatly. Of course, each teacher also has new information that can improve a dancer technically and artistically. Summer programs also pool talent from smaller schools. Students learn from each other and being surrounded by talent can be motivational and create lasting connections through one’s performance career. Many dancers enter the field professionally at 18 and it is a big adjustment to be away from home. A summer program can start to prepare a dancer to be self-sufficient and strong in a new setting. Deanna Seay Aside from the artistic and technical improvement that is often seen during intense summer ballet sessions (attributed to the concentration of class hours), students have a chance to meet other like-minded students and make new friends. The student can become re-inspired by seeing himself/herself in a new setting. These summer programs also expose the student to other students from other schools, and can help the student identify where she stands in relation to her peers. Alexei Kremnev and Amanda McAlpine Attending a summer dance intensive helps a dancer grow and mature in many ways. Often times, students form lasting friendships, make valuable connections, gain confidence and widen their perspectives. Taken from the Dance Magazine.

Depression in Teenagers: A Growing Problem Essay -- Essays Papers

Depression in Teenagers: A Growing Problem Who has not, at some time or another, said, â€Å"I am depressed?† It is a line that slips off the tongue of people all too readily when they are bored or unhappy. But most people, when they say that, do not mean that they are clinically depressed, possibly wanting or needing treatment. Sadness is unpleasant but it is not as bad as depression. When people are sad, they keep their self-respect and they feel better after a good cry or a talk with a friend. When people are depressed, self-respect fades, crying does not help at all, and people who are depressed feel alienated around others because they feel like no one understands what they are going through (Brenton 67). Depression is a serious, life-threatening illness that affects approximately thirty million Americans (Brenton 3). Age, race, religion, or educational background is not a factor. Depression strikes anyone at anytime. However, the biggest rise in depression today is in teenagers. Depression in adults is a sad, lonely, and sometimes tragic experience (Cytryn & McKnew, 17). In teenagers it can be even more devastating. Depression gets in the way of teenager’s daily lives. The years of adolescence are supposed to be the â€Å"best years of their lives† and depression robs them of those years. How can life be fun when problems interfere with social life or schoolwork? Teenagers need to know that they cannot simply ignore their symptoms. They need to get help because without the proper help, depression leads to suicide (Bender 70). There are two sides in the current controversy over depression. Some experts believe that depression is an illness while others believe that teenagers are simply making themselves fee... ...talk to. It always helps to discuss problems with someone else. I believe that if a person knows someone who has two or more of the symptoms of depression they should get that person help, before it is too late. Today’s teenagers are the future of our world. Teenagers that are depressed find everything in life to be more complicated and that is simply no way to live. Works Cited Bender, David L. Suicide: Opposing Viewpoints. 1999. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Brenton, Sue. Depression. 1996. Rockport: Element Books, 2000 Cohen-Sandler, Roni, Ph.D. â€Å"Do you need a therapist?† Seventeen Dec. 2004: 95. Cytryn, Leon M.D., and Donald McKnew M.D. Growing Up Sad. 1996. Washington: Norton & Company, 1999. Depression in Teenagers. November 2003. Hearts and Minds Network. 8 November 2004 http://www.heartsandminds.org/self/depression.html>.

Helping Students Find a Purpose for Their Education Essay

It has been my observation that many of my best students became intrinsically motivated to put more effort into their education after they have decided on a career purpose. A work or career purpose or mission answers the following question: How do I want my career to benefit others? It is also important to identify who (the population) we want to benefit. An example of a work purpose statement is, â€Å"I want to help those who are sick or injured to heal and rehabilitate. † This statement does not contain a career title, but it provides guidance for exploring a variety of careers that can fulfill this purpose. For example a student with this purpose could explore a variety of careers such as nurse, doctor, physical therapist, nutritionist, athletic trainer, fitness trainer, engineer or inventor of products for persons with disabilities, etc. The career that they choose will depend on their capability and willingness to acquire the necessary skills, education, training and credentials. Ideally the career choice will be one that uses their best talents and is one they will enjoy doing. Do you ever share with students why you chose to work in the field of education? Students need to learn about different careers from adults who work in different career fields and to hear what motivated them to make their career choices. I teach college success courses and I used to wait until the end of my courses to get into career development, exploration and planning. Students did not think about a career purpose until the last week or two of my courses. Recently I started covering these ideas in the second week of my courses so that students would have a clear direction for their education much sooner. Having a career purpose can make their education relevant and is likely to generate the intrinsic motivation to study and learn. Students need to be provided with opportunities for career guidance from counselors, teachers and professors in high school and college. You do not need to be teaching college or career success courses to do this, but can weave in a few questions and ideas into other courses. Here are a few questions you can ask your students so that they can begin a process of self-reflection about their career purpose: 1. What purpose do you want to accomplish in your career? 2. What benefits do you want others to receive as a result of the work you do? 3. What specific populations of people do you want to help? 4. How do you want to contribute and make a positive difference for others? 5. If you were wealthy and chose to work what would you do? 6. What problem or need in the world would you most like to fill or solve? 7. If you knew you could not fail what type of work would you do? 8. What are some natural talents you would like to develop and use in a career to fulfill your work purpose? When we expect students who lack self-knowledge and a work purpose to choose a major and career, we are putting the cart before the horse. Identifying a purpose first will guide students into best career choices. If we help students to determine an appropriate career goal then they will also have a purpose for pursuing a good education

Humorist Essay

Humor is all about a person making an amusing observation that in result creates laughter and provides entertainment for the audience. In the book titled Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton, the author makes a statement that the role of humor in society is to allow people to say things that other people cannot or will not say because of their role in the community.I agree with de Botton’s statement because humor secretly allows people to get a message across without having to worry about others looking down upon you because of what you said, as well as providing people with more awareness of the wrongdoing in society by making them easier to understand through the use of humor. In basic comedy, humor is effectively used to bring forth a message that is possibly serious or controversial by making it amusing and easier to understand.De Botton clearly makes a stand that humorists are not only here to amuse and amaze, but are here â€Å"to convey with impunity messages that might b e dangerous or impossible to state directly†. In this quotation, de Botton states that comedy can and is frequently used as a secret method to give thoughts and observations that may be thought of as insulting if brought up in a serious manner. Steven Colbert for example, uses humor to make serious comments about our country. He states his opinions about the government and major news stories however does so with comedy to back him up.When talking about the war in Syria, Colbert said that â€Å"Only 29% of Americans want the U. S. to attack Syria — which on the plus side means that 29% of Americans know there is a place called Syria†. Colbert uses humor to convey a message about how ill-informed people in our country are. He says this with a tone that also implies that the vast majority of people who are â€Å"ill-informed† simply don’t care at all. The basic component of what makes humor and comedy an essential factor in a society is that although t he presentation is not necessarily taken seriously, the message and ideas behind the material are always easy to recognize.In regards to humor, humorists don’t have to worry about being polite or caring for their audience. They are allowed and accepted as being funny for having quality material that contains offensive and explicit language. Their notable reputation for being indiscreet to its own audience is what makes humor an effective tool in society. For one, humorists have the ability and responsibility of making its audience laugh. But it also has the capability to allow the audience to relate the humorist's material to their own thoughts, thus allowing them to openly express themselves through laughter and enjoyment.It also has the potential to inspire people to think in a different sense. Through comedy, a humorist can quickly change one's views or opinions of a certain subject or argument by making that argument more entertaining and funny. By making an underlying me ssage laughable, it makes it easier for the audience to understand what the message of the material is actually conveying. De Botton's opinion of the vitality of humor in a society is true in that it is necessary, because it helps not only fulfill people's entertainment and expressive needs, but it also serves a purpose as an instrument of spreading a message to its audience.

Lady Macbeth In The Tragedy Of Macbeth; The Iron Butterfly Essays

Lady Macbeth In The Tragedy Of Macbeth; The Iron Butterfly Essays Lady Macbeth in The Tragedy of Macbeth; the "Iron Butterfly" In William Shakespeare's, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the dominator of the play. Lady Macbeth's character is not as eclectic as her husband's but it is just as dramatic. Lady Macbeth has a rich and fascinating combination of qualities. She is not a monster without feeling; her husband adores her, for example, "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck," (III, ii, 45). Macbeth also refers to Lady Macbeth as his dear partner. Lady Macbeth is horrified by blood and during her sleepwalking soliloquy she refers to her little hand suggesting a delicate nature and stature by uttering this: "All the perfumes / of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand." (V, i, 43-44). All of this, however, does very little to soften her true nature. She is sly and artful as she urges Macbeth to kill Duncan and she is particularly treacherous when she continually urges him to shake off his torments. For example, in this scene from the play, Shakespeare gives the reader an idea of the twist that he gives her personality and how ruthless she can be: I have given suck, and know How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this. (I, vii, 54-59). In the next examples you can see how she persuades Macbeth to ignore his torments of his guilt of the murder: "These deeds must not be thought / After these ways; so, it will make us mad. " (II, ii, 33-34), and "Why, worthy thane, / You do unbend your noble strength, to think / So brainsickly of things?" (II, ii, 43-45). Seemingly, she suffers no pangs of conscience. It is easy for her to be "bright" and "merry" and it seems second nature for her to play at being the most gracious of hostesses. Duncan is completely deceived by her "thoughtfulness." Also, take in consideration that in the midst of her chaotic dinner party, she retains her composure and saves her husband from added embarrassment. In today's vernacular, she might accurately be characterized as being an "iron butterfly"-delicate but invincible. She is impatient and absolute when her husband cannot carry out the details of their assassination plot. Although it is Macbeth who commits the actual deed of murder, it is Lady Macbeth who returns to Duncan's chamber and smears the blood upon the grooms. Her self-control is superhuman; in fact, Macbeth is terrified of it and her unfailing resourcefulness. In this example, Shakespeare demonstrates how much self control she has over the evil deed: "A little water clears us of this deed: / How easy it is then!" (II, ii, 66-67). In fact, Lady Macbeth tried to murder Duncan herself, but he appeared to look like her father while he was sleeping so she could not. Selfishly, she fastens her husband's attention on the throne of Scotland. It is she who sees to the details of the crime: "Only look up clear. / To alter favor ever is to fear. / Leave all the rest to me." (I, vi, 69-71). It is she who is more concerned that Macbeth has failed to kill Duncan, when he reconsiders the murder, than the possibility that their plans have been exposed. It is she, rather than Macbeth, who says, Go get some water, And wash this filthy witness from your hand. Why did you bring these daggers from the place? They must lie there: go carry them, and smear The sleepy grooms with blood. (II, ii, 45-49). She immediately perceives that the blood and the daggers are incriminating and admonishes Macbeth for being so foolish. Throughout the play, her courage and her practicality work together successfully. It is only in private that Lady Macbeth shows her weariness. Almost naively, she urges Macbeth to sleep and, here, her faith in sleep is deeply ironical. It is only after she has suffered a mental breakdown, that you realize how deeply her crimes have haunted her. This is an quotation from the play from the

The 25 Best Engineering Schools in the US (and How to Get In)

The 25 Best Engineering Schools in the US (and How to Get In) SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Do you dream of building driverless cars or a space elevator? You should check out the best engineering schools in the US! But with so many different engineering schools out there and intense competition for the top programs, how can you figure out where should you apply? To help you decide, we’ve compiled a list of the best engineering schools in the US. We’ll explain a little bit about each school on the list as well as provide rankings within specific subfields of engineering. What Is an Engineering School? Engineering schools are colleges with a majority of majors and courses in applied sciences and mathematics. Rather than providing students with a broad liberal arts experience (of which science and math are just a small part), engineering programs center around taking the scientific and mathematical knowledge we have and applying it to real-world problems. There’s also a difference between schools of engineering (which exclusively focus on engineering fields like mechanical and computer engineering) and larger universities that have strong engineering programs within them (like Cornell University’s College of Engineering). We’ve considered both types of schools in our rankings. How We Ranked the Best Engineering Schools In deciding which schools to include in our rankings, we focused only on the quality of undergraduate engineering programs. We did this by aggregating and comparing rankings from several different sources, including the US News World Reports (weighted 2x the others because of their dominance), Niche (a student satisfaction-heavy ranking), and College Factual. These rankings take into account factors like students’ salaries (both immediately after graduating and projected gains in the future), how popular that degree is at that school, student satisfaction, and how peers in the field view the program (mainly professors from other schools). The Top 25 Engineering Schools in the US And now (drumroll please), our list of the best engineering schools in the US. Note: All acceptance rates listed are for the school as a whole and are meant to give you a general idea of the schools’ selectivity. For more details on admissions for a specific program, you should contact the school directly. Rank School Name (Nickname) Location Admissions Rate 1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge, MA 7% 2 Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) Atlanta, GA 23% 3 California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Pasadena, CA 8% 4 Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (Olin) Needham, MA 13% 5 University of Michigan- Ann Arbor (UMich) Ann Arbor, MI 27% 6 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Terre Haute, IN 61% 7 Cornell University Ithaca, NY 13% 8 University of California- Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Berkeley, CA 17% 9 Stanford University Stanford, CA 5% 10 Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA 15% 11 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 22% 12 University of Illinois- Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 62% 13 Purdue UniversityWest Lafayette West Lafayette, IN 57% 14 Princeton University Princeton, NJ 6% 15 Harvard University Cambridge, MA 5% 16 US Naval Academy Annapolis, MD 8% 17 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg, VA 70% 18 The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) New York, NY 13% 19 Texas AM University- College Station College Station, Texas 70% 20 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 12% 21 Northwestern University Evanston, IL 9% 22 Columbia University New York, NY 6% 23 Rice University Houston, TX 16% 24 University of TexasAustin Austin, TX 36% 25 California Polytechnic State InstituteSan Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) San Luis Obispo, CA 34% Best Specialized Engineering Programs While all of the schools on our list are highly ranked overall, certain specialties are stronger at certain schools. We’ve chosen the gold, silver, and bronze medalists for five different subfields: Aerospace engineering Chemical engineering Civil engineering Computer engineering Mechanical engineering The rankings here are based on specialty rankings from US News World Report and College Factual, again for undergraduate programs only (not including the quality of masters or doctorate programs at the school). You’ll notice some overlap over different fields (for instance, MIT, Georgia Tech, and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology rank for most of them), but there are still clear differences in which schools are best for which specialty. Best Aerospace Engineering Schools in the US Aerospace engineering is the field you go into if you’re interested in studying flight of any kind (whether that’s aircraft or spacecraft). The best aerospace engineering programs can be found in the following four schools: Gold medal: MIT and Georgia Tech (tie) Silver medal: UMich Bronze medal: Cal Poly Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the US Chemical engineering is at the intersection of chemistry, biology, math, and even some physics. The following three programs all do an outstanding job at turning out graduates skilled in chemical engineering. Gold medal: MIT Silver medal: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Bronze medal: Georgia Tech Best Civil Engineering Schools in the US Students in civil engineering programs learn about designing, building, and maintaining physical structures like bridges, buildings, and roads. The following three schools have leading programs in civil engineering for undergraduates. Gold medal: Georgia Tech Silver medal: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Bronze medal: MIT Best Computer Engineering Schools in the US Computer engineering programs focus on teaching students computer science and electrical engineering. The three schools we’ve listed below have the best undergraduate computer engineering programs in the US (if you're looking for top information technology programs, check out this article instead). Gold medal: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Silver medal: UMich Bronze medal: Princeton Bonus: Want a preview of what sorts of tools you'll be using as a computer engineer? Read our article on the JavaScript TypeOf function here. Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the US Mechanical engineering programs teach students the theory and practicalities behind machine design, construction, and use. Of all the top engineering schools, the following four are known for their strong mechanical engineering programs. Gold medal: MIT Silver medal: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Georgia Tech (tie) Bronze medal: Caltech 3 Top Tips for Applying to Engineering Schools Now that you know what the best engineering schools in the US are, the next step is to make sure your high school transcript and application show that you’re a strong engineering candidate. We’ll go over three useful tips for planning your standardized testing, coursework, and extracurriculars to have the best chance of getting into top engineering schools. #1: Ace SAT/ACT Math If you want to get into a top engineering school, you need to get a perfect or near-perfect score on SAT or ACT Math. Getting an 800 or a 36 is best, especially for schools like MIT where only 25% of students got below a 780 or a 34 on the SAT or ACT Math sections. For engineering schools in general, it’s way better to get 800 on SAT Math and 550 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (for a total SAT score of 1350) than it would be to get a 700 on Math and 700 on EBRW (total of 1400). Extremely high math scores (and mediocre reading/writing scores) are always, always preferred over medium-high math scores and medium-high reading/writing scores. At a minimum, you’ll need to get at least a 700 on SAT Math or a 30 on ACT Math to have a chance of getting into a good engineering school. If you take any SAT Subject Tests, it’s important to take and get a perfect 800 on a SAT Math Subject Test (preferably Math 2) to show you’re strong in Math beyond what’s covered on the SAT or ACT. Getting a perfect or high score on SAT II Physics or any other science Subject Test as well isn’t required, but it also will help your application. #2: Take Lots of Science and Math If you want to get into top engineering schools, it's less important to be well rounded than to show that you have a solid foundation in math. Showing that you’re strong in science, too, is a nice bonus, particularly if your strength is in a field closely related to the type of engineering you’re interested in (e.g. bio or chem for chemical engineering). Demonstrate your strengths to colleges by taking (and excelling) in advanced math and science classes. This means taking honors-level, AP, or IB courses and putting as much effort as you can into getting top grades in them, even if it means you end up with relatively lower grades in other subjects. #3: Excel in Math and Science Extracurriculars As PrepScholar co-founder Allen Cheng discusses in his guide to getting into Harvard and the Ivy League, the key to getting accepted to the most selective institutions is to build up a â€Å"spike† in a certain area. For engineering schools, this area is (you guessed it) math and/or science. Taking part and scoring highly on Math or Science Olympiads and participating in competitions like Intel or Siemens Westinghouse are crucial to building your engineering extracurricular creds. PrepScholar co-founder Fred Zhang particularly recommends going to the RSI science and math camp and scoring highly on the AIME to boost your chances of acceptance to top engineering schools in the US. What’s Next? Where can you get the most money to study engineering? Find out with our compilation of the best engineering scholarships. Not sure if engineering is the right subject for you? We go into what some of the other highest-paying college majors are in this article. Liked this list of schools? Check out some of our other best-of-specialty-school lists, including the best film schools, best video game design schools, best journalism schools, and best creative writing schools. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

The EU as a Diplomatic Actor in Recent Conflicts Essay

The EU as a Diplomatic Actor in Recent Conflicts - Essay Example When America appeared to disregard even a consensus on the matter, EU came out with a view that, 'the European Union does not support a war on Iraq without the backing of the United Nations' (Reuters, 2003). A team of weapon inspectors was on a 'fact finding mission in Iraq', but America appeared to eager to strike and was in no mood to wait for their report. On the other hand the European Union together with governments from other parts of the world wanted to have a firm proof for punishing Iraq. After the 9/11 attacks, US appeared desperate to take on the terror outfits. Iraq and Afghanistan were the first in the firing line. UK, an important partner of EU, having good relations with US as well, formed the backbone of support for US policies. The official stand of European Union on the other hand was to start off the attacks after debating the issue and seeking a sanction from UN. But the moot point is, to what extent the European diplomacy was in action. The Maastricht Treaty of 1 992 was instrumental in coming out with a common foreign and security policy (CFSP) for the European Union (Bruter, 1999). This implied that the 'Union' will have a unanimous opinion about an issue. But the factual position has been somewhat different. The CFSP appeared in some common declarations only and not on issues involving diplomatic rows. It is worthwhile here to mention that the European Union and CFSP appeared to provide a semblance of unanimity on paper, but on the surface, the interests of nations forming part of the union forces them to take different stand on a range of issues. Anderson (2001) lists out factors like, lack of participation or concern by the Member States; perceived competition between the Commission and the Member States; inconsistent Member State positions; and slowness as the reasons for the EU not being able to come out with effective and unanimous stands. The Iraq war happened to be one such issue on which the EU could not come out with a strong and unanimous view. The official statement from EU on Iraq is that1, "The EU is committed to working with Iraq and international partners in order to bring about a secure, stable, unified, democratic and prosperous Iraq." But the actual implementation of this commitment is yet to be seen. While on a visit to Greece after the war started in Iraq, the UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan also called upon the EU leaders to come out with a common stand on the issue of Iraq (Barringer and Bruni, 2003). Once the war on Iraq was declared by the US and allied forces, on the basis of 'concrete proof', it appeared irreversible. But as days went by, it was all too apparent that the 'proof' that were being used as an alibi for initiating the attacks were nowhere visible on the surface. Even the so-called 'weapons of mass-destructions' were nowhere to be seen. This resulted in protests in UK and USA against the excesses being committed in Iraq. Today, even after executing Saddam Husain and thousands of deaths the WMDs are still proving to be illusionary. On the other hand the war has become a trap for US and allied forces; now they are finding it difficult to come out of it. Realising the differences in opinions of world leaders in general, UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan said, "No issue has so divided the world since the end of the Cold