Presentation

Introduction to Mexican Footlight the restaurant will be mainly Mexican, the menu will also consist of several American dishes and sea food dishes like Cold De Marls (seafood soup) and other favorites. Business Organizationally Mexican Restaurant will be privately owned. Since it is I will be fully responsible for all debts and obligations related my business. First at hand will be the staff, I need to have enough staff to get my business going and have the customers satisfied. My employees will consist of servers, cooks, dishwashers, preps, host/hostess, and a member of management for the kitchen and the front to greet the customers.

Always making sure my employees are happy and secure. Taking care of my teams who will In turn take care of our guests, resulting In increased profits. Potential Legal or Ethical Issues far as ethics goes, I will not be doing anything that may be considered Illegal nor will my employees… L will stress It as much as possible to obey the law and be as clean and neat as possible. Legally you can be sued for almost anything from having a dirty kitchen to a small crack on the parking lot floor. I will be having plenty of Insurance and I will make sure my business follows and obeys all kinds of licensing law.

I will make sure all tax laws ND employment laws will be followed as well. All employees will be treated fairly and will always have the option of leaving if they want. Business Succulence’s Mexican Restaurant will strive to develop the strongest culture in the business and to out execute our competition. We focus on quality staffing , controlling team turnover and increasing employee and customer satisfaction. The restaurant will be created to occupy both Mexican and American atmospheres 1 OFF Mexican cooking and a great down-home atmosphere.

The restaurant will overlook the down town area for a pleasant dining experience. It will consist of a fancy banquet room that will be used for private and cooperate events, along with a down home dining room that will have a cozy fireplace and hearth. The outside will demonstrate a traditional Mexican style home (stucco) with an orange color motif. Types of Motivations it comes to making my employees happy, I will always strive for that. I have always said, “happy employees means happy customers”. I will offer several types of incentives to motivate my employees to have great customer service.

As the customer is paying, I will offer them a “report card” sort of speak to fill out bout the service they received. If the service was excellent with several comments on it, I will place one from each server at the end of the week and draw to see which will receive a cash prize that week. It is very important that the kitchen stays clean, I will inspect it every week and make sure everything is looking great, if so I will give the kitchen staff a cash prize as well. All this in order to keep my employees happy and wanting more. Human Resource Management best way to improve the business is to have proper human resource management.

Helping employees with common training arctic is the best way to achieve growth within the business. Having four to five employees to one trainer would be very beneficial. Since everyone will be trained in a certain way the company will expand fast. Pay and benefits need to be increased if we want employees to stay with the company. Several businesses are offering better pay and benefits; we must retaliate by offering good starting wages and benefits. Retirement and sick leave is some of the issues that need to be operational. Vacation time should be offered after six months of employment and medical leave as well.

Pay increases would be done every six months if the employees are doing well instead of yearly. Doing all this will surely help employees determine if the company is worth their services. Technology restaurant will be able to accept debit/credit cards and any other types of payment. The cash registers will have the options of keeping track of all the sales and transactions that have taken place throughout the day. The employees will have electronic time cards… At the beginning of the shift they are to swipe in and the end of the day to swipe out.

After every night has passed a report ill be printed out so I could look over. Operations and Materials Micromanagement part of management should have all the materials needed for their area. The kitchen management is in charge of making sure all materials are ordered and products are supplied. I would not want my customers insufficient ingredients. The front manager is in charge of making sure all napkin holders are stocked and all cleaning supplies are in abundance. The front manager is also to make sure all menus are current and printed correctly, along with cash register paper and credit/debit card machine also have paper.

Morally conflicted characters are present in all three texts, as individuals struggle to make a Judgment between what they perceive as right and wrong. In Regeneration Rivers experiences an Internal ethical conflict which Intensifies as the novel progresses. Whilst observing fellow therapist Holland work, Rivers is forced to question the moral legitimacy of his war contributions. Holland employs an intense form of therapy on voiceless patient Calla. A dream he has shortly after the experience brings this dilemma to the front of his mind, ‘in the dream he had stood in Wellhead’s place.

The dream seemed to be saying… Don’t latter yourself. There Is no distinction. ‘ Electro Convulsive Therapy (ACT) was, and still Is, a controversial treatment. Frequently used as a form of social control, and the uncertainty surrounding its effects, had led it to become a source of great fear for those it was enforced upon. The language used in this passage by Holland emphasis the assertion of his control over Calla. Barker uses several imperatives and modal verbs, such as you must behave as becomes the hero I expect you to be’ and you must talk before you leave me’.

The tone here is very authoritative and could make readers feel intrusive whilst reading. Similarly, in Birdsong the main character, Stephen, experiences the horrors of war and although initially emotionally detached grows to care about the men he is serving with. The fate of his comrades fuels disdain for the war leading him to denounce it as ‘an exploration of how far men can be degraded’. As Paul Salad (1999) says the pure fury and intensity of the imagery created is… Rebounded shocking and, ultimately, desperately uncomfortable to read’, and the poignancy of the description by Faults creates an immense Impact on the reader. Despite this when Stephen Is Injured and offered a desk Job whilst recovering n hospital he Is ‘appalled at the Idea of being separated from the men he had fought with. He despised the war, but he could not leave’. This is similar to Swanson in Regeneration, who writes a poem with the lines When are you going back to them again? Are they not still your brothers through our blood?.

This moral conflict can be amplified beyond the individual. In the poem Easter 1 91 6 W. B Yeats explores the cost of freedom. The issue of Home Rule had dominated Irish Politics for several years until eventually coming to a head In April 1916, when a group of rebels seized the UAPITA city of Dublin. Yeats demonstrates his mixed feelings with the oxymoron phrase ‘a terrible beauty is born’, by personifying this freedom with the verb ‘born’, Yeats seems to be implying that the cause has taken on a life of its own and those who created it no longer have control.

Through the simile ‘as a mother names her child when sleep at last has come on limbs that had run wild’, Yeats suggests that the rebel leaders had childlike enthusiasm for their cause, but Like children were naive The true brilliance of Yeats poem is, as Decline Kibbled (1995) said, is the honesty in which he debates the issue’, this honesty makes the poem more emotive and, moreover, gives modern readers an insight into those turbulent times. The outbreak of war came at a time when rigid social structures where in place; there was a sense that those who didn’t fit the ideal where not to be accepted – such as homosexuals.

The war brought about change, some matters where by no means altered dramatically but it at least brought the old principles into conflict with the new. Whereas other texts show us individuals struggling to accept their personal identities n a society that condemns them, the poem The Soldier by Rupert Brooke presents a character whose position is supported by the masses (through propaganda) and is no doubt as to who they are and what they stand for.

His certainty is evident in the opening line of the poem, ‘if I should die think only this of me’, this imperative expresses his confidence and as the poem is written in sonnet form his love for his country cannot be denied. However, Brooke never actually saw active service and therefore his genuine understanding of the war is feeble. Stalwartly (2002) writes of Brooke ‘had Brooke lived to experience… The trenches of the Western Front, it is hard to imagine that the poet… Would not have written as realistically as Owen… . We must thus ask whether his opinion would differ if he had the experiences of his contemporaries and without the weight of public disagreement on his shoulders it is easy to see why Brooke was so self-assured in his poem he is ‘a soldier poet… Not a war poet. ‘ Contrastingly, in Regeneration an element of Robert Graver’s identity does not agree at all with social views of the time. Homosexuality was actually illegal in the United Kingdom from 1533 up until 1967, therefore for Graves the issue goes beyond disapproval.

In chapter 17 Graves tells Swanson about Peter – a man they both knew of on the front line – ‘he was arrested’ for ‘soliciting outside the local barracks’. The shock of this leads Graves to denounce his identity, saying ‘it’s only fair to tell you that… Since that happened my affections have been running in more normal channels’. The suspension marks here imply uncertainty and the abstract noun ‘normal’ is used almost as a synonym as Graves doesn’t seem able to clearly associate himself with homosexuality.

It is clear in this passage that Graves cares greatly about how others perceive him; this consciousness leads to him changing who he is. Although in Birdsong, Weir experiences similar scrutiny due to him still being a virgin it is not seen as wrong but rather a source of amusement and pity for his comrades. Stephen takes it upon himself to ‘solve’ Weir’s problem and forces him into a situation which leaves him ‘shaken and pale’. Both Weir and Graves feel a certain amount of shame for the uncommon elements of their identity, but a key difference is that Graves allows himself to be changed.

Undoubtedly, Weir is conflicted in his feelings towards his virginity, it leads him to be filled with anxiety but yet he also ‘convince[s] himself that what he had missed could not be remarkable’. The verb ‘could’ suggest doubt and it is unclear whether Weir is ever certain in his conclusions, despite his reluctance to give away something that is linked so intrinsically to his own identity he still feels ‘it had come to nothing but humiliation’. In a private letter to his mother Wilfred Owen writes how ‘[he] nearly broke down and let [himself] drown’.

This sentence alone encapsulates the psychological struggle men underwent in the thin himself and allowed his self-will to slip. In his poem Exposure we see what led to this breakdown. The ABA rhyme scheme highlights the cyclical nature of trench warfare and the anaphoric use of ‘but nothing happens’ further supports this idea, somehow the men always end up back where they started and their ‘brains ached’ from it. It can be argued that being Worried by silence’ is worse than the The alternative and psychological breakdowns are a result of the repeated tension of waiting.

Owen manages to pull himself back up and carry on but for some men it wasn’t as easy. Burns in Regeneration struggles to escape his all consuming psychological trauma. Even Rivers, the doctor who is supposed to be helping him overcome this, is ‘defeated’ by it. In chapter 15 Rivers goes to visit Burns but he is quick to see that he is struggling to re-establish himself and ‘however hard Burns tried to thrust the memories of the war behind him, the nightmare followed’. The use of the verb thrust’ here implies force and suggests that Burns is desperately trying to escape but this is a battle he is loosing.

Burns illness takes over him mind and body, preventing him from eating and turning him yellow skinned’. Philip Gibbs, a journalist on the Western Front, later recalled that the shell-shock cases were the worst to see and the worst to cure… Sturdy, men shaking with ague, mouthing like madman, figures of dreadful terror, speechless and uncontrollable’. Brenna in Birdsong suffers a similar fate. Elizabeth goes to visit him in a care home in order to seek out more information on her grandfather and the war.

Brenna kept his sanity through the wars horrors (such as pulling his brothers rotting body out of a shell hole) but once he returned home his mental state declined. What is clear is that Brenna was alone in his battle with his psyche, Elizabeth curses how she cannot ‘restore poor Brakeman’s life or take away the pity of the past’. As seen in Exposure Brakeman’s life is monotonous. He spent his entire post war existence in and out of field hospitals and care homes without a single visitor. Without anything or anyone to cling to Brenna is overpowered by his psychological conflict.

We see a conflict in gender roles during the war and thus it is manifested in war literature. Women were evolving in the absence of men and when the men did finally come back they were expected to regress. There is a subversion of gender roles, women must become more hardened and ‘masculine’ to be able to support themselves and their remaining family, while the devastation of the war brings out the more compassionate feminine’ qualities in men. The war broke down boundaries and the conflict lay in the perceptions of what now separates men and women.

The women in Regeneration, Legalize in particular, represents a new radical form of women. Legalize relished her freedom so much that doesn’t want her husband ‘back on leave’ or even When it’s over’ and alludes to divorcing him. At the time divorces were still infrequent and frowned upon – so through her consideration of it we see how the mind set of women has progressed. Prior seems bewildered by this noting women have ‘changed so much during the war’ and how ‘he was so out of touch with women’. Siegfried Swanson wrote an ironic sonnet about women entitled The Glory of Women.

There is an accusatory tone running throughout the poem, such as the anaphoric use of the first person personal pronoun you’. This use of direct address emphasis Caisson’s frustration with those at home. The opening line of the poem presents the idea that Eros’. In this poem women are seen to love heroics but this is a one sided opinion. Women gave out white feathers at home to those who were not serving to denounce them as cowards, on the surface this seems quite callous and we can see why Swanson puts women on par with the enemy -German mother’.

However, the women giving out these feathers no doubt had husbands, brothers and sons fighting on the front line, therefore seeing men safe at home no doubt enraged them. Why should their family fight and die while some stay at home? These conflicting views question whether indeed the greatest conflicts are.. Teen one person and himself, it may be that (Sharon Mennonite 2002) ‘gender stereotyping may distort and repress the personal development of individuals of both genders’. The parallels between Isabella and Elizabeth are evident – both have affairs and illegitimate children as a result.

However, the circumstances in which these events happen are very different. In pre- war France Isabella is condemned by Renee for her affair, he shouts that she will ‘[go] to hell’ for what she has done. The reference to her father – ‘and you’re father… What can he do…? Gives insight into how women were viewed at the time, as objects or sessions of the men in their lives. However, Elizabethan affair with a married man in the sass is met with little scorn or resistance. This is again indicative of the time, after both wars women had begun to campaign for equality with movements such as the Suffragettes.

When Elizabeth tells her friends they are ‘displeased’ but for superficial reasons such as Jealousy, even her mother who is from an older generation is pleased for her. The similarities between these two women may have been done by Faults to show the changing attitudes towards gender and shows how after the conflicting years progress is eventually made. The conflicting opinions of what was happening on the battlefield created a huge separation between the soldiers and the public.

In The Hero by Siegfried Swanson a mother is told of the death of her son. However, she is not told the complete truth, she is told that her son died honorably and ‘as he’d have wished’. The truth is though that her son was ‘a useless swine’ (or so the ‘brother officer’ thinks) and he died ‘panicking down [a] trench’. The annalistic imagery used here creates a stark contrast with phrases such as ‘her glorious boy, this further emphasis the difference in what those at home re being told compared with what is actually happening.

Both stanza one and three have a matching rhyme scheme (BACK), this could have been done by Swanson to show the two versions of the story, whereas the falter in the rhyme in the second stanza (ABACA) shows the discrepancy of the ‘gallant lies’. These lies and propaganda lead to soldiers such as Billy Prior feeling disconnected when they are home on leave. When walking along the beach with Sarah, Prior describes the public as ‘black figures, like insects’ this metaphor extends as Prior describes their movements saying they[swarm] across the beach like insects’.

The connotations of the negative imagery of insects, especially flies, are foulness and decay. This separation showed how the war took lives in every sense of the word as some soldiers couldn’t find a place in society after the war, Prior feels ‘like a ghost’ among them. Weir experiences a similar feeling of disconnection when home on leave, he goes to visit his parents and feels strangely formal. It appears to him that the England he thought he was fighting for ceases to mean anything to him on a Weir to wonder ‘if he was going to say any word of greeting. Throughout his stay he is

Waiting for the moment when the familiar wash of normality would come over him’ but normality seems lost to him in the way he knew it. This indifference quickly rises into anger for Weir, after his leave he calls those at home fat pigs’ who ‘have got no idea what lives are led for them’. He then goes on to wish ‘a great bombardment would smash down… And kill the whole lot of them… Particularly my family. ‘. Like in The Hero the annalistic imagery emphasis the disdain Weir has for those at home and this anger fuels the conflict between the battlefield and the home front.

“The Merchant of Venice” is believed to have been written in the 16th century and it is to a large extent reflective of England at the time, which was a patriarchal society. Portia’s character embodies the characteristics of an ideal woman at the time that arguably defers to her father and eventually her husband. However, as the play advances we see a different side of Portia.

Shakespeare introduces her character in a very conventional way. He uses Bassanio as a device for introducing the character of Portia. The audience is treated to Bassanio’s perception of Portia. It is through him the audience forms an impression of Portia, with the aid of his effective use of imagery. Bassanio begins with: “In Belmont there is a lady richly left,

And she’s fair, and – fairer than that word –

Of wondrous virtues.”

To get a clearer picture of who Portia is from Bassiano’s perspective, we consider his choice of words in his description. For example, “Richly left” – her wealth is the first quality the audience learns about before we hear of her beauty as well as her virtues. The adjective “fair” and the use of the comparative form “fairer” in the same line gives the impression that she is stunning. In addition to that, “wondrous” which qualifies her virtues portrays that she is of impeccable character. Bassanio’s speech foregrounds the idea that a woman’s wealth, fairness and virtues are the qualities men looked for in women at the time.

Bassanio then finally formally introduces her to the audience: “Her name is Portia, nothing undervalued

To Cato’s daughter, Brutus’ Portia.
Nor is the wide world ignorant of her worth”

A modern day audience is able to instantly see clearly that women are assigned second-class status, because Bassanio describes her as though she is defined by her relationship with Cato (in this case her daughter). His reference to her as Brutus’ Portia helps the audience get a feel of what she is really like, as Shakespeare brings the characters of Brutus and Portia from Julius Caesar, which the audience is most likely familiar with.

Portia in Julius Caesar starts out as a devoted wife but as the play progresses shows steadiness as well as masculinity and in fact her character echoes Queen Elizabeth who famously said “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king” – these are qualities Portia exemplifies in The Merchant of Venice as well. “Nor is the wide world ignorant of her worth” informs the audience that everybody acknowledges that she is a catch and she is in fact many men’s dream wife, which lays emphasis on her fairness and virtues. In addition to this he says: “Renowned suitors, and her sunny locks

Hang on her temples like a golden fleece,
Which makes her seat of Belmont Colchos’ strand,
And many Jasons come in quest of her”

Here Bassanio uses classical mythology to qualify. In one of the oldest quest stories, Jason led a party of Greek heroes called the Argonatus through many hazards in order to bring back the Golden Fleece from the shores of Colchis on the Black Sea. His intriguing use of metaphors and simile highlights how there are many men after her.

Finally, we meet Portia in the next scene, where her first line is: “By my troth, Nerissa, my little body is aweary of the great world” This echoes Antonio’s opening line of the play, which highlights the point that the world of Belmont – a feminine world- and the world of Venice – a masculine world- are going to be intrinsically linked throughout the play mainly through Portia and Antonio. Portia then informs the audience of the casket test – which is a test her dead father arranged for her husband to be chosen. “I may neither choose who I marry, nor refuse who I dislike, so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father.”

Portia reiterates Edwin Sandys’s Sermon Sixteen where he insists that children are to accept the advice of their parents in choosing a spouse and in fact concludes that children who marry without the consent of parents are not sanctioned by God. This causes her to carry on her father’s plan even though he is dead. Shakespeare therefore manages to present her as being a dutiful daughter in addition to being fair and virtuous. In addition to this, Shakespeare portrays Portia as though she is a slave to the casket test because she has no control over whom she marries. This is a conventional portrayal of women and would have been accepted at his time as the thought process of people moved in this direction.

We observe that as Nerissa names Portia’s suitors who appear to be coming from all over the world, Portia’s responses, for example: “I had rather be married to a death’s head with a bone in his mouth than to either of these. God defend me of these.” Gives the impression that amidst being virtuous and dutiful she is also selective dismissive and stereotypical. She echoes the anti-Semitism in Venice (Antonio against the Jew, Shylock) through her reaction upon learning of the arrival of the Prince of Morocco: “…If he have the condition of a saint, and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me.” Without even meeting him she makes up her mind that she would rather have him for a confessor than a husband because of his skin colour, which she likens to the devil because devils were traditionally black. From this moment on, it is established to the audience that Antonio and Portia are going to be the link between Belmont and Venice.

When Bassanio with his train arrives to take the casket test, we get a love scene, which is arguably the best since Romeo and Juliet. Portia who up until this point has been either warily polite or contemptuously dismissive, now displays a turmoil of emotion as she begs Bassanio to delay his choice: “I pray you tarry, pause a day or two

Before you hazard, for in choosing wrong
I lose your company; therefore forbear a while.”

Shakespeare immediately portrays to the audience that Bassanio is Portia’s desired suitor. Portia changes the rhythm of her speech from prose when she was speaking to Morocco to a softer more poetic verse form. Some may assume that she wants to influence his decision while others may see it as her simply wanting to spend quality time with the man she appears to have fallen in love with before the tension of the casket test takes over. As the scene progresses the we catch a glimpse of a flirty side of Portia, when she says to Bassanio: “Upon the rack Bassanio? Then confess

What treason is mingled with your love.”
Following this, Portia insists on “music” repeatedly in her speech which echoes, “if music be the food of love play on” from the Twelfth Night thus buttressing that she is trying to influence his decision. In the same breath she arguably poetically transforms Bassanio’s choice of the casket: “Go Hercules!”

Hercules, who is a legendary hero, reinforces that she is currently a slave of the casket test and she is imploring him to liberate her from it. At this point, we begin to see Portia attempting to manipulate the situation in order for it to suit her. When Bassanio finally makes the right choice and wins the lottery of the casket test, Shakespeare uses the device of soliloquy: “I feel too much thy blessing: make it less

For I fear I surfeit”

To allow the audience feel her joy. She immediately submits all that she has to Bassanio by referring to him as “Lord Bassanio” which again shows that she is indeed dutiful and subservient. She continues to express her elation and in fact begins to refer to herself in third person: “Happy in this, she is not yet so old

But she may learn; happier than this,
She is not bred so dull but she can learn;
Happiest of all is that her gentle spirit”

The use of third person distances Portia from the situation and not owning her joy shows that she doesn’t believe how lucky she is and cannot believe the happiness is really hers, which makes the audience able to respond to her ecstasy even more. In addition, the comparative and superlative form of the adjective “happy” compels the audience to feel and in fact share her joy. Furthermore, she continues to surrender everything to him: “Commits itself to yours to be directed

As from her lord, her governor, her king.
Myself and what is mine, to you and yours
Is now converted. But now I was the lord
Of this fair mansion, master of my servants,
Queen o’er myself; and even now, but now,
This house, these servants, and this same myself
Are yours, my lord’s.”

She now begins to refer to him as not just as her lord but now her king and governor and she hands over all her wealth and material possessions to him. She is now subservient to the patriarchal society. Although at the beginning, her vulnerability caused her to want to challenge the patriarchal society and now love makes her accept it.

We then begin to see a Portia of resource and command. As she sends Bassanio quickly to help Antonio: “O love! Dispatch all business and be gone.”

Amidst her resourcefulness, we see her desperation to make him happy. Following this, the first time the audience sees Portia in the masculine world of Venice, disguised as a man in the courtroom scene where she has come to rescue Antonio, after she has been liberated by the casket test. Portia is given the control from the moment of her discreet ceremonial entry into the scene and she manages to retain it till the end of the scene. She shapes the scene into a rhetorical symmetry that would have been evident to an Elizabethan audience. Portia unlike the other Christians refers to Shylock like a human being. She attempts to persuade him by insisting “mercy” is a divine percept of both their religions, when that doesn’t work – she tries to appeal to his financial instincts: “Take thrice thy money; bid me tear the bond”

She makes it obvious that she is acknowledging the bond but in the same breath takes advantage of his known love for money and implores him to have mercy on Antonio and offers him double the money. Despite this, Shylock refuses again, which she manages to respond: “Have by some surgeon, Shylock, on your charge,

To stop his wounds, lest he do bleed to death”

By asking for a doctor to be present she attempts to make Shylock, realise the inhumane nature of his intentions. Portia is steadily offering Shylock every chance to be merciful. Portia, picking up a reverberation from the world of dalliance with her “Tarry a little”, steps back into the world of reckoning and authoritatively changes the whole direction of the trial. Overall, Shakespeare presents her as learned, eloquent and confident which is very different to the way she is portrayed – quiet, obedient and submissive prior to this scene. However, it can be argued that because she did it for Bassanio, she is showing her love, subservient and fully committing herself to him and in fact putting into practice the traditional wedding vows even before they’re married.

In the fifth and final act, she still expands her freedom, as she grows in authority and dignity, fresh touches of humour enlightening her new traits of courteousness showing. Shakespeare presents her as a woman of perfect simplicity, in her tact especially how she keeps her guest Antonio out of the mock quarrel about the rings even though it is more or less his fault. Her final word of the act, which is “faithfully”, is reflective of her character throughout the play.

To conclude, Shakespeare generally presents her in a positive light not only through her character but also through the ways other characters speak of her. For example when Jessica likens her to being “heaven on earth” as well as when Lorenzo likens her to a “god-like amity”. In addition, she is presented as a very interesting and calculating character.

The Value of Science

Science is man’s most powerful weapon, with which man has freed himself from the yoke of ignorance and subsequent fear. Science is man’s treasure house, which has constantly provided him with vitality, hopes, ambitions, understanding and insights.

We are in the age of science and technology. Man cannot live without the aid of science. Science has so much engulfed our lives that nothing can take place in our day to day work without the help of science. Our food, transport, learning, administration, recreation and social life are all linked with science in various ways. To answer the question whether science has come to mankind as a boon or as a use for ruin (bane), one should know what science exactly means. Science is said to be a systematic classification of experiences. We, men wonder at the various things and events happening around us. We get doubts; what are they? These questions are the basic seeds for science. Then starts the thinking, reasoning, analysis, synthesis, comparison and contrast and finally the truth emerges

Leaving that apart, another creation of science is pollution of the environment. Industrialization with the aid of science has polluted air, water, food and the atmosphere.

The ozone layer is giving threatening signals. So here is a case for man to consider science as a cause of ruin. The aim of science is search for truth, and to know things, hitherto unknown. A scientist does not accept ideas, simply because, they were accepted by others earlier. Great discoveries are a result of reasoning. A lot of patience and observation are required. Civilization, as it is today, is the result of a number of discoveries made in the field of science. The invention of them simple wheel has resulted in our modern industrialization.

The aim of science is search for truth, and to know things, hitherto unknown.

A scientist does not accept ideas, simply because, they were accepted by others earlier. Great discoveries are a result of reasoning. A lot of patience and observation are required. Civilization, as it is today, is the result of a number of discoveries made in the field of science. The invention of them simple wheel has resulted in our modern industrialization. When the universe reveals more secrets to man by means of science, there is hope that the present man will become a superman and eventually science would be only a boon and not a bane of his life. Science without conscience is death of the soul.

The role of women in the 1600’s was to be submissive, passive, to obey men and to be seen rather than heard; as is depicted in the female characters in many of Shakespeare’s plays such as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Queen Gertrude in Hamlet. However, the characters in Shakespeare’s plays are predominantly male, they include very few female characters and Much Ado About Nothing is no exception. Each of the female characters in this play represents a different role of a 16th century woman.

The reason for the relatively small number of female character’s in Shakespeare’s plays is for both practicality, as all female roles in Shakespeare’s plays were performed by men, but can also be seen as a reference to women’s relatively insignificant status in society. A woman’s virginity and chastity were what her reputation was solely based on. Her status was gained by marriage and women in this time were raised to believe they were inferior to men, this status is reflected in the character of Hero.

Shakespeare seems to portray the conventional role of a Shakespearean woman through Hero. Her silent and submissive nature is what shows her weakness to being controlled by other characters. This is predominantly men; however, Beatrice also speaks over Hero, challenging the male chauvinistic stereotype by placing characteristics commonly associated with males, in a female character. This is most noticeable in act 2 scene1, where Leonato, Beatrice, Hero and Antonio are discussing the topic of Hero’s future.

Shakespeare uses Hero’s lack of a response to anything the other character’s are saying in deciding her fate to emphasise society’s expectancies of Hero, and girls like Hero, in Shakespearean times. Shakespeare uses the character Beatrice to represent a less conventional 16th century woman, independent and outspoken. By contrasting the roles of Beatrice and Hero against each other in this way Shakespeare more effectively presents the differences between these two characters. Shakespeare also mirrors the role of Beatrice in Margaret.

Beatrice unlike Hero does not have a prestigious reputation to maintain. Other characters refer to Beatrice, often by name, in comparison to Hero as ‘niece’, ‘daughter’, and ‘cousin’. The way in which Beatrice talks to the male characters is unusual for her time, she is outspoken and does not hold back on voicing her opinions. In the 16th century women could be punished by law for having such mannerisms as this. Beatrice is particularly bitter towards Benedick, to whom she is rude, ignorant and seems to take great delight in mocking at every available opportunity.

In this respect Shakespeare challenges the male chauvinism of the time by matching Beatrice and Benedick, who both, at times, appear both as witty and stubborn as one another, despite Beatrice being a woman and therefore, supposedly (in accordance to society’s hierarchy at the time) an inferior match to Benedick. Beatrice’s stubborn nature is introduced from the very beginning of the play, in Act 1 Scene 1 where Beatrice makes no attempt to be subtle with her feelings towards Benedick.

She promises “to eat all of his killing” calling him weak and challenging the praise he is receiving from the messenger who is saying “he hath done good service, lady, in these wars. ” It can be interpreted, however, that Beatrice is perhaps trying too hard to convince the other characters of how much she dislikes Benedick, suggesting her stubborn and cruel nature is all just an act, Shakespeare uses Beatrice’s intense bitterness towards Benedick to provide the audience with sufficient evidence to suspect that something has happened between these two characters in the past to leave Beatrice with these thoughts.

Shakespeare mirrors Beatrice in the character of Margaret. He seems to portray Margaret as a less powerful and dirtier minded Beatrice. She, like Beatrice, is outspoken and often seen as rude. However as Margaret is just a servant, Shakespeare uses this character for the lines that Beatrice could not get away with saying. The audience can more easily accept this rude and often suggestive (particularly when talking to male characters) humour. The suggestive aspect can be seen in act 5 scene 2. In which Margaret flirts with Benedick by saying “will you write me a sonnet in praise of my beauty? Shakespeare tries to make it known to the audience that Margaret is aware of her lowly status, by writing lines for her that are jokes at her own expense, such as in act 5 scene 2 “why shall I always keep below the stairs? “, this can be interpreted however, as either Margaret’s acceptance of her role, or as a crude joke used to flirt with Benedick. Margaret’s comedy contrasts the intelligent wit Shakespeare writes for Beatrice. The character of Margaret’s purpose is to provide a different kind of humour in the play, perhaps as a relief from the witty and sarcastic banter between the other characters.

Margaret talks back to Beatrice without any hesitation, as is seen in act 3 scene 4, where she mocks Beatrice in saying “a maid and stuffed”, this reinforces Margaret’s ill mannered nature, being used as a source of entertainment for the audience. This kind of talk would not be acceptable from the other characters, but Shakespeare builds up the character of Margaret to represent a more ill mannered and crude aspect of the play. Shakespeare does this both through Margaret’s main purpose – as an accomplice in the shaming of Hero – and the way in which she acts around the other characters, who are predominantly richer and more powerful than her.

Margaret’s main purpose is to contribute to the shaming of Hero, which causes great controversy and outrage. It’s possible that Shakespeare involves Margaret in this event as a way of informing the audience that Margaret is of a far lower status than the other character’s and introduces the idea that it is acceptable for her to do many things that for the other characters it is not. The prime example being that even suspicion alone that Hero could be involved in such affairs causes outrage, and yet when it is discovered that it was in fact Margaret, not much more is said about the incident.

In Act 2 scene 1 Beatrice compares marriage to a “scotch jig” giving a very bleak outlook on the subject by saying “for, hear me, Hero: wooing, wedding, and repenting, is a scotch jig”. By referring to the aftermath of the wedding as ‘”repenting” Beatrice makes her opinions on marriage very clear. The expectancy of women of this time was to get married and have children, and so by portraying such a passionate disdain towards the subject through Beatrice, Shakespeare challenges the stereotypical role of a woman.

It is this attitude that likens Beatrice more so than Hero, to a modern day audience, the opinion that women’s sole purpose is not to marry and reproduce. Beatrice also makes a joke when Leonato says to her “well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband” by responding with “Adam’s son are my brethren; and, truly, I hold it a sin to match in my kindred” this joke can be taken either at face value, as something Shakespeare has built up to be ‘typical Beatrice’, or seen as a way of avoiding what Leonato was really trying to say to her, as a way of covering her real feelings in case there is a lapse in her tough outer exterior.

And yet when in Act 3 scene 1 when Hero, Margaret and Ursula try to gull Beatrice she seems, to a certain extent, to believe them. Shakespeare’s sudden portrayal of slight naivety in Beatrice can be interpreted as a way of showing the audience Beatrice has a more compassionate side, and that really she wants to believe this is true such as when she says “and, Benedick, love on; I will requite thee”. Another moment in which Beatrice shows compassion is when Benedick proposes his love to her, and her immediate reaction is to tell him to kill Claudio for what he has done to her cousin, Hero.

She uses Benedick’s love for her cruelly as a way of forcing him to kill Claudio against his will when she says “you kill me to deny it. Farewell”. In some respects, the character of Beatrice is there to show an independent and opinionated woman, representative in some aspects as an early feminist and as a way of challenging the conventional role of a Shakespearean woman. However in the final scene even Beatrice the independent, witty and intelligent heroine succumbs to the persuasive ways of men, love and society. The character of Hero can be interpreted in one of two ways.

Critics say that Hero is ‘conventional, not at all deep, but ladylike and deserving of sympathy’ this could be to uphold the reputation expected of her due to her father and as a result of this, her high social status which can be seen in act 2 scene 1. But Hero can also be interpreted as an intelligent young woman that simply knows the right, and similarly the wrong, times to speak; as can be seen in act 3 scene 4, a scene with only female characters in which Hero speaks of her own free will for herself. In Act 2 scene 1, Leonato makes it clear that it is his decision whom Hero marries; and not Hero’s.

Yet Hero says nothing throughout. This is what can make the character of Hero so hard to relate to for a modern day audience, as this kind of behaviour is not as common or typical in a modern day girl of Hero’s age as it was in Shakespearean times. Although Hero’s lines in the play are often merely functional and slightly lacking, it is this; her lack of speech, that most effectively represents her character and role in society. The only time the audience is shown Hero’s wittier and more relaxed side is when she is surrounded by only female company.

Beatrice in Act 2 scene 1however, does not hold back with her opinions, when Antonio says “well, niece, I trust you will be ruled by your father” Beatrice speaks for Hero by saying “yes, faith; it is my cousin’s duty to make curtsy and say ‘Father, as it please you'” This can be seen as Beatrice either mocking Hero, or taking pity on her. But at the same time rather aptly sums up Hero’s purpose. Hero has functional lines in the play and only really speaks when given permission, such as in act 2 scene 2 when she says “I will do any modest office, my lord” modest being the crucial word in this line.

The first time we hear Hero speak for herself is at the masked ball. However, it can be interpreted that Shakespeare uses this opportunity for Hero to hide behind a mask to grant her the freedom to speak for herself, and in normal circumstances this would not be the case. In act 3 scene 1, we see a very different side to Hero than Shakespeare has previously portrayed. In this scene there are no men and so Hero is free to say as she ‘pleases’, this freedom is furthered by Ursula and Margaret, both servants, both females, and both, therefore, below Hero in terms of social status, being the only other characters in the scene.

In this scene Hero is given more lines than she has throughout the rest of the entire play. The scene opens with Hero giving Margaret an order “run thee to the parlor; there shalt thou find my cousin Beatrice… whisper her ear and tell her, I and Ursula walk in the orchard and our whole discourse is all of her” up until this point this kind of assertiveness and power is completely unexpected of Hero to the audience.

Hero then goes on to give Ursula clear and precise orders of what she must do “when Beatrice doth come” however, in act 3 scene 4, where the characters present are again all female, Hero is not as outspoken and forward. However one of the characters present is Beatrice, this suggest that’s Beatrice overpowers Hero, and although Hero is technically more powerful and important than Beatrice, as she is Leonato’s daughter, her lines are still functional and infrequent such as “these gloves the count sent me; they are an excellent perfume”.

Hero is mirrored – in a similar way to how Beatrice is mirrored in Margaret – in Ursula. Out of Margaret and Ursula, Margaret is – as it is between Beatrice and Hero – the more loud and opinionated one, as opposed to Ursula who is more quiet and reserved, and like Hero is given functional lines “madam, withdraw: the prince, the count, Signior Benedick, Don John, and all the gallants of the town, are come to fetch you to church”. In act 3 scene 4, Margaret is the dominant speaker, mocking Beatrice and talking back to Hero “troth, I think your other rabato were better. . Hero’s response to this “no pray thee, good Meg, I’ll wear this” is uncharacteristically sure of herself, showing that she didn’t really care about Margaret’s opinion, and chooses to ignore it. This suggests that Hero is perhaps not a pushover as she is made out to be, but rather knows her place and what is expected of her, and so, when she is around certain company (i. e men) she is more reserved, so as not to get herself into trouble, giving reason to suspect Hero is perhaps smarter than a modern day audience would give her credit for.

The other character’s, in particular Claudio and Leonato’s, expectancy of Hero is really emphasised when Margaret and Borachio set her up to be shamed. As even suspicion of Hero doing such causes great controversy and trouble, and is near enough the sole cause of the rest of the problems in the play from then onwards. Whereas, when it is found out that it was in fact Margaret, the act is completely overlooked. This reinforces the importance of social status within the play.

Shakespeare both challenges and supports male chauvinism at times by exploring the social boundaries of women. This is done through the characters of Beatrice and Margaret, with their outspoken nature and Beatrice’s seemingly unconventional outlook on life, but he does not cross these boundaries. As is seen in Act 4 scene 1 in which Shakespeare reflects and reinforces the separate roles 16th century society has created for males and females when Beatrice proclaims “O that I were a man! With Beatrice being the main character to challenge the conventional role of a woman, she – of all characters – being the one to say this, shows that there are still restraints put in place by society on things seen as acceptable for women to do. Beatrice repeats this line several times, interrupting Benedick with more of her self pitying rant every time he tries to defend his reasons for objecting to killing Claudio.

This can be seen as giving Beatrice, an heir of ‘damsel in distress’ a conventional and necessary role in romantic comedy, which contrasts with her character’s less conventional role as a woman in the society she is in. Also in this scene, Shakespeare uses dramatic irony, when Claudio says “you seem to me as Dian on her orb” saying that Hero seems innocent, and pure, but he continues to say “but you are more intemperate in your blood” saying that he has realised Hero is not as she first appears and sees her more as someone who sleeps around.

The audience, of course, knows this is not true. But the use of the dramatic irony here portrays the two sides of a woman, and shows how much Leonato’s reputation lies on Hero’s actions and status. Hero is a character that at first glance seems insignificant in the sense that she is rarely given opinions or a chance to speak. However the role that she plays is vital to romantic comedy as the young, innocent, female. This necessity of female characters to the plot and genre of the play despite their portrayal as being inferior to men is what is ironic in Much Ado About Nothing.

Much Ado about Nothing is particularly admired for the wit and intelligence of Benedick and Beatrice, the warring couple which are comically tricked into falling love. Benedick is a vain, confident bachelor who holds a very typical view of women: no lady is ever good enough for him and to increase his self-esteem, he never misses an opportunity to mock Beatrice. We can see this from their first conversation which takes place in Act 1. Benedick approaches her by saying “What my dear Lady Disdain!

Are you yet living? ” Through this, Benedick expresses his sarcasm towards Beatrice and his desire for her not to still be alive, mocking her existence in the conversation. Benedick is a character that represents vanity; he tells Beatrice “but it is certain I am loved of all the ladies”. The use of “certain” emphasises the confidence that he has within his character and creates an air of arrogance, as he obviously seems to believe that he is irresistible and that no lady would refuse his charm.

However, he is contradicting himself – he is loved by all the ladies, yet, he claims that he will “live a bachelor” because he finds women as not being trustworthy, as he states “I will do myself the right to trust none”. Therefore, Shakespeare uses Benedick’s vain and witty personality. Despite Benedick’s air of a very confident attitude, Benedick reveals a sensitive side to him. In Act 2, at the dance, Beatrice insults him; she pretends she does not know who is behind the mask, but she takes the opportunity to make Benedick feel miserable.

When left alone, he says “The prince’s fool! Hah, it may be I go under that title because I am merry” – this highlights that he is affected by what Beatrice has said about him, however, despite de insulting name calling that Beatrice has addressed to him, he finds a way to make himself feel better about the situation by saying that being “merry” is the only reason why he goes under that title.

This is ironic of him to say so, because as an audience we are clearly aware that he is hurt by the words she has said and that he is making “something out of nothing” – he is trying to block his emotional side and let the vanity take over, however it’s evident he cannot stand the assumptions Beatrice has made. Through this, Shakespeare creates comedy using Benedick’s contradictions regarding his self-esteem and ego – he won’t let it show that he has been hurt by a lady, even though inside he is hurting.

Penny Gay says that “Words are often less important than actions” (The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare’s Comedies 2008). This can be applied to Benedick’s situation – he claims that he is not hurt by what he has heard, but the simple act of just talking about it reveals his pain, constructing comedy as he is not matching his words to his actions. Benedick’s fixated ambition of always remaining a bachelor slowly dies as he hears the others talk about Beatrice’s love for him, creating comedy as his attitudes contradict.

Before Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato begin to talk about Beatrice, he says “One woman shall not come in my grace…rich shall she be, that’s certain: wise, or I’ll none: virtuous, or I’ll never cheapen her”. This suggests that he is ignorant towards the women and that he is pretentious when it comes to choosing one: unless the perfect woman comes in his way, he will not do himself the wrong to look or search for any.

However, after he hears the men talk about how Beatrice is in love with Benedick but won’t tell, Benedick has a sudden change of heart. He says “When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married”. This is comic because his attitudes to love have changed at an unexpected speed, which normally would not happen. Also, comedy is created through the fact that he has, involuntarily admitted that somewhere, deep down he was waiting for this to happen, even though he claimed that he hated Beatrice.

Benedick is not the only one that is tricked; Beatrice is deceived by Ursula, Margaret and Hero into falling in love with Benedick. She had a very hostile attitude to marriage and love, mocking Hero and Claudio’s engagement by saying “I may sit in a corner and cry “Heigh ho for a husband”, however, despite her hard attitude, her vulnerable side is shown when she finds out that Benedick loves her and says “Taming my wild heart to my loving hand…if thou dost love, my kindness shall incite thee”.

The powerful phrase “wild heart” emphasises that she has been holding the love in her for a long time and now it is the perfect opportunity to express it towards Benedick. This is also humorous because throughout the play, she showed hatred and mockery towards Benedick but now she claims that she is in love with him too, solving the problem of hatred between the two lovers. This reflects Alexander Leggatt’s view that “A comedy, then, is a problem solving story, ending in resolution and order normally symbolised by marriage” (English Stage Comedy 1490-1990 (1998).

Once they admit their love for each other, it can be foreshadowed that a marriage will take place between Beatrice and Benedick – it is a comedy element that “the beginning is troubled, the end tranquil” (Euanthius: On Drama 4th Century). Not only deceived in love, but Beatrice is a witty, sarcastic and superior character. She seems to acquire pleasure out of mocking Benedick, creating humour because she is subverting her role as a woman – they were not usually superior over men, however, Beatrice goes against the norms.

Her sarcasm is portrayed in “But how many hath he killed? – for indeed I promised to eat all of his killings”: here, Beatrice is clearly stating that Benedick is a coward and that he will never be brave enough to be a good soldier. She also mentions that “he hath an excellent stomach”, mocking his appearance. When confronted by Benedick’s vanity, she claims that “I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swears he loves me”.

This is humorous because she is making comparisons between animals and humans and it is unusual to say that you would prefer an animal barking over someone dedicating their love to you; it gives a sense of coldness in her personality and that she is completely closed to love. However, this is ironic because later on in the play, she falls in love with Benedick. In conclusion, most critics concur that Shakespeare’s depiction of the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick far surpasses that of Hero and Claudio in depth and interest.

Scholars have often emphasized the fact that Shakespeare deliberately introduces the theme of the sparring mockers Beatrice and Benedick before the theme of the pallid romantics Hero and Claudio; and further, that when all of the principal characters are on stage together, the audience is drawn not to the tame love-at-first-sight relationship that develops between Hero and Claudio, but rather to the “merry war” between Beatrice and Benedick which later on in the play converts into a love relationship – this creates comedy because the audience is taken through endless wars of insults and mockery until foolishly and involuntarily admitting their love to each other, changing the mood of the relationship through the work of other characters, instead of being lovers from the beginning.

The concept of the courtly world goes beyond the mere setting of the royal court and is largely presented as a life style, especially with regards to romance. This idea has transcended time, with Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales depicting a similar courtly world in the Knight’s tale, a story that possessed broadly similar features to Much Ado About Nothing. This world is set firmly in a period where the monarchy was the centre of English life. This, perhaps, explains why some aspects, especially the apparent degradation of women until they become objects, are somewhat uncomfortable for modern readers as our liberal society views this as sexist, far from a Victorian audience’s view that this was normal life.

The structure of the play is instrumental in establishing the recurring themes of a courtly world, most notably the hierarchical and patriarchal structures that operate in this setting. This is most obvious from the dramatis personae, with its order beginning with men at the top and women at the bottom highlighting the gender roles within the courtly world and love itself as it is men who essentially do the courting. This idea is alluded to in the war-like scenes of ‘take her hearing prisoner’ as war is usually the domain of men and by referring to love as a battlefield, it is therefore inferred that love is the domain of men, with the reference to a woman as a ‘prisoner’ reinforcing the passive, helpless female role. This point is further emphasized by the fact that most scenes are initiated by a male as this establishes the idea that men come first and are the dominant presence, a concept that is perpetuated through this courtly world.

The form is repeatedly used to reinforce the features of the courtly world to the audience. Being a play, the dominant role of men is highly apparent though their overrepresentation in the dialogue, nowhere more so than in conversations with Hero. Her lack of a response to ‘Speak, cousin; or if you cannot, stop his mouth with a kiss’ encapsulates the idea that women weren’t valued for their opinions, but merely their sexuality as a wife and childbearer as the ‘kiss’ suggests – Hero can only communicate with men though sexual appeal rather than her intelligence or personality. Ironically, despite being outspoken, Beatrice is only able to do so by adopting ‘masculine’ traits such as the scorner of love persona emulated by Benedick. The mere fact that the only way that Beatrice is able to speak up is through being ‘one of the guys’ reinforces the idea that it was unnatural for a woman of the courtly world to be opinionated as it was a trait primarily associated with men.

The language used, in itself, is largely representative of the features of the courtly world. The men, in particular, use witty, almost poetry like phrases, such as ‘My visor is Philemon’s roof; within the house is Jove/ Speak low if you speak love’. This passage is almost in ballad form, which, being the poetry of love, reinforces the romance associated with the courtly world. The fact, however, that such poetic language is used, is somewhat representative of the idea that the courtly world is a fantastical aspiration for most people as, like poetry, it is the construct of an individual’s imagination and is not really representative of real life. The masquerade ball, talk of which dominates much of the first part of the play, further encapsulates this idea. I say this because the idea of dissembling is highly apparent in the ball and dissembling is not too far from the idea that the view portrayed of the people, like the courtly world, is mainly a construct, yet underneath, the reality is a lot less perfect than the what audience actually sees.

The main feature of the courtly world appears to be power as this idea recurs in many ways throughout the play. The witty language used by the men is not only symbolic of the constructed courtly world, but is used mainly a tool for them to show off and gain power over one another. The same can be said for the structure as the dramatis personae is essentially a power list going in descending order. What is most interesting about this, however, is the fact that women are always at the bottom which suggests that this is less about power than it is playing to gender roles where men are required to assert themselves, just as woman are required to remain passive. This idea would sit at odds with a modern audience, as our post-feminism society finds fault with everything that separates men and women into gender roles and this patriarchal courtly world would be considered highly sexist in our modern day.