Budgeting issues in criminal justice systems Essay

One of the reasons why jails still exist despite overcrowding is the budget allotted for the criminal justice administration. But the sudden rise in the number of prisoners posed a problem when it comes to budgeting. The article on policies and procedures of correctional facilities operated by the Multnomah County clearly shows that it has been experiencing financial shortage due to faulty budgeting. The article shows that it is very expensive to accommodate a prisoner, which costs $157/day in Multnomah County. This is expensive compared to the rate of jail systems in other counties. This was attributed to the labor contracts which resulted to raised labor costs, extraordinarily high medical costs which led to high cost of the overall system in jail, ineffective jail staffing pattern, abuse of sick leave, overtime and compensatory time and increase in the Sheriff’s budget. Aside from all of these, the Multnomah County has a very expensive juvenile detention facility. It costs $401/day to accommodate a juvenile. The article further shows that the Sheriff’s Office has practiced budgeting techniques which hid the management practices of the organization. This resulted to difficulty of finding out the different organization functions. Even the district attorney’s office has to seek the help of a financial analyst to make sense of the financial outline of the jail system. What the county requires is a program called â€Å"priority-based budgeting. Each department of the jail system must present program offers for the county commissioners to fund. However, some of these program offers are rejected. The Sheriff’s office has a total of 66 funding program offers that the county commission has approved. The priority-based budgeting was applied so that the commissioners can make an informed decision from an accurate financial picture of the different programs. This enabled the commissioners to be knowledgeable in whether funding or rejecting a particular program. The article concluded that the outside help of a financial consultant was necessary to analyze the Sheriff’s costs and budgets. It was noted that â€Å"it is a natural and understandable inclination of a government agency† to do the budgeting practices discussed in the article. The DA’s office thought that similar practices have been done by other government agencies in the county. It was suggested that the commission should collaborate more with the Sheriff. The county commissioners should understand the operations that they fund so that the problems might not occur again. The workgroup of the jail systems should focus on the Sheriff’s cost reporting and budgeting practices so that they can partake in any decisions to make. The commission should also found a work group that will inspect the jails and report frequently to the commissioners. This work group must consist of representatives from the law enforcement agencies in the county, the County Chair, the County Commissioner, the United States Attorney, the administrator for the federal facility at Sheridan, representatives from the business community, a representative from the medical community, the Department of Corrections, an independent financial analyst and the District Attorney. The law also requires that the county should include the state Department of Corrections in every operation of the local jails. However, whatever responsibilities the Department of Corrections is assigned by the law should not be carried out by the Sheriff’s Association. The article strongly advises that a healthy relationship must be established between the county Sheriff and the Board of Commissioners. Any solution to the problems must start from this perspective since all other problems stemmed from a breakdown to that relationship. The other article addressing budgeting issue is titled â€Å"Will part-time prison cut crime or costs? † by Nick Morrison. The article says that British Home Secretary David Blunkett proposed that some inmates be given freedom on weekends to relieve the growing population of prisoners in jails. Those inmates who are dangerous could be provided with electronic tags and they could stay out of jail for a month. They could also work during the week and spend the weekend in jail. Many questioned this proposal whether it is a way to fight the crimes or to cut costs, particularly Norman Brennan, director of the Victims of Crime Trust. He sees this proposal as the government’s admission to defeat in solving crimes, even though Blunkett promised to be tough on car-jackers and phone thieves. Brennan thinks that it has to do with money problems and not reducing crime why Blunkett allowed this kind of arrangement for the prisoners. It was hard for the government to spend a lot of money in keeping prisoners. Moreover, Brennan argued that it is more important to keep the prisoners in jails and out of the streets to protect the victims of crimes and the public, even though it is expensive to do so. Apparently, Blunkett’s proposal did not make this possible. Criminals were allowed on the loose, and they could strike again since they have freedom. With the growing population of prisoners in jails, Brennan says that the criminal justice system is no longer effective. A crisis in the criminal justice system has to appear before people do something to solve it. He recognizes that the problems will be harder to solve later on. Even more, there were less police officers on the beat to prevent crimes even though these crimes have been getting worse for many years now. The government also has not done something to reduce crime. He couldn’t see how Blunkett’s proposal could solve any of the problems. Brennan mentions that the country has more people inside prisons than any countries in Europe. He says it is so because there are more crimes here than anywhere else. The government, he adds, has resorted to different measures to solve the rising number of crimes. Sadly, none of these measures worked, and this showed a â€Å"disgraceful record on crime and law and order. † On the other hand, the Howard League for Penal Reform agreed with Blunkett’s proposal. The spokeswoman says that â€Å"anything †¦to reduce the prison population is a good thing. † She added that the programs set to keep the prisoners with a two or three months term away from their criminal behavior are not often available, that’s why they offend the second time after they are released. The article recommends that a community penalty is more effective as a form of punishment for the prisoners than sending them over to prison. The article quotes Brennan recommending that the government should deal with the crimes head on rather than making lots of promises and pledges that it cannot meet. People should also be aware of these problems and how serious they are so that they can be a part in solving them. Brennan is correct in saying that criminals should be sent to prison whether it is expensive or not. The most important thing to consider here is the protection of the public from these offenders. The government should look more into these problems because this is getting worse every year and it has bad records of crime. The government should also look into the budgeting systems of the federal and local governments. It should consider that budgeting systems can be a part of the ineffective services it offers to the public. Changes in budgeting systems should be an important part in reform. REFERENCES Morrison, Nick. (2002, February 05). Will part-time prison cut crime or costs? Newsquest (North East Ltd. , p. 8. Available at: http://yukon. actx. edu:2083/libweb/curriculum/do/document? set=topic&groupid=1&requestid=conquesttopic&resultid=48&ts=57673F035D3E975120F685A75E3514BA_1187860483640&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B76740234. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. (2006). Independent review of policies and procedures of correctional facilities operated by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. Available at: http://www. mcda. us/articles/GJ_CORRECTIONAL_FACILITIES_2006. pdf.

A Family Supper by Kazuo Ishiguro Essay

Theme: is the conflict between generations in changing Japan. Meaning †¨the ways of past generations are giving way to new values that have not been fully developed in the younger generations. One exanple of this being that suicide, carried out in the face of defeat have now lost of its meaning and honor in younger generations. His mom is the ghost The fugu fish and the story of Mr. Watanabe and his family are subtle hints about the end of the story, foreshadowing. Are you moving to California THEME Symbols: Fish, mom, ghost Fugu is a fish caught off the Pacific shores of Japan. The fish has held a special significance for me ever since my mother died after eating one. The poison resides in the sex glands of the fish, inside two fragile bags. These bags must be removed with caution when preparing the fish, for any clumsiness will result in the poison leaking into the veins. Regrettably, it is not easy to tell whether or not this operation has been carried out successfully. The proof is, as it were, in the eating. Fugu poisoning is hideously painful and almost always fatal. If the fish has been eaten during the evening, the victim is usually overtaken by pain during his sleep. He rolls about in agony for a few hours and is dead by morning. The fish became extremely popular in Japan after the war. Until stricter regulations were imposed, it was all the rage to perform the hazardous gutting operation in one’s own kitchen, then to invite neighbors and friends round for the feast. At the time of my mother’s death, I was living in California. My relationship with my parents had become somewhat strained around that period and consequently I did not learn of the circumstances of her death until I returned to Tokyo two years later. Apparently, my mother had always refused to eat fugu, but on this particular occasion she had made an exception, having been invited by an old school friend whom she was anxious not to offend. It was my father who supplied me with the details as we drove from the airport to his house in the Kamakura district. When we finally arrived, it was nearing the end of a sunny autumn day. â€Å"Did you eat on the plane?† my father asked. We were sitting on the tatami floor of his tearoom. â€Å"They gave me a light snack.† â€Å"You must be hungry. We’ll eat as soon as Kikuko arrives.† My father was a formidable-looking man with a large stony jaw and furious black eyebrows. I think now, in retrospect, that he much resembled Chou En-lai, although he would not have cherished such a comparison, being particularly proud of the pure samurai blood that ran in the family. His general presence was not one that encouraged relaxed conversation; neither were things helped much by his odd way of stating each remark as if it were the concluding one. In fact, as I sat opposite him that afternoon, a boyhood memory came back to me of the time he had struck me several times around the head for â€Å"chattering like an old woman.† Inevitably, our conversation since my arrival at the airport had been punctuated by long pauses. â€Å"I’m sorry to hear about the firm,† I said when neither of us had spoken for some time. He nodded gravely. v â€Å"I see.† â€Å"We were partners for seventeen years. A man of principle and honor. I respected him very much.† â€Å"Will you go into business again?† I asked. â€Å"I am. . .in retirement. I’m too old to involve myself in new ventures now. Business these days has become so different. Dealing with foreigners. Doing things their way. I don’t understand how we’ve come to this. Neither did Watanabe.† He sighed. â€Å"A fine man. A man of principle.† The tearoom looked out over the garden. From where I sat I could make out the ancient well that as a child I had believed to be haunted. It was just visible now through the thick foliage. The sun had sunk low and much of the garden had fallen into shadow. â€Å"I’m glad in any case that you’ve decided to come back,† my father said. â€Å"More than a short visit, I hope.† â€Å"I’m not sure what my plans will be.† â€Å"I, for one, am prepared to forget the past. Your mother, too, was always ready to welcome you back– upset as she was by your behavior.† â€Å"I appreciate your sympathy. As I say, I’m not sure what my plans are.† â€Å"I’ve come to believe now that there were no evil intentions in your mind,† my father continued. â€Å"You were swayed by certain†¦influences. Like so many others.† â€Å"Perhaps we should forget it, as you suggest.† â€Å"As you will. More tea?† Just then a girl’s voice came echoing through the house. â€Å"At last.† My father rose to his feet. â€Å"Kikuko has arrived.† Despite our difference in years, my sister and I had always been close. Seeing me again seemed to make her excessively excited, and for a while she did nothing but giggle nervously. But she calmed down somewhat when my father started to question her about Osaka and her university. She answered him with short, formal replies. She in turn asked me a few questions, but she seemed inhibited by the fear that the questions might lead to awkward topics. After a while, the conversation had become even sparser than prior to Kikuko’s arrival. Then my father stood up, saying: â€Å"I must attend to the supper. Please excuse me for being burdened by such matters. Kikuko will look after you.† My sister relaxed quite visibly once he had left the room. Within a few minutes, she was chatting freely about her friends in Osaka and about her classes at university. Then quite suddenly she decided we should walk in the garden and went striding out onto the veranda. We put on some straw sandals that had been left along the veranda rail and stepped out into the garden. The light in the garden had grown very dim. â€Å"I’ve been dying for a smoke for the last half hour,† she said, lighting a cigarette. â€Å"Then why didn’t you smoke?† She made a furtive gesture back toward the house, then grinned mischievously. â€Å"Oh, I see,† I said. â€Å"Guess what, I’ve got a boyfriend now.† â€Å"Oh, yes?† â€Å"Except I’m wondering what to do. I haven’t made up my mind yet.† â€Å"Quite understandable.† â€Å"You see, he’s making plans to go to America. He wants me to go with him as soon as I finish studying.† â€Å"I see. And you want to go to America?† â€Å"If we go, we’re going to hitchhike.† Kikuko waved a thumb in front of my face. â€Å"People say it’s dangerous, but I’ve done it in Osaka and it’s fine.† â€Å"I see. So what is it you’re unsure about?† We were following a narrow path that wond through the shrubs and finished by the old well. As we walked, Kikuko persisted in taking unnecessarily theatrical puffs on her cigarette. â€Å"Well, I’ve got a lot of friends in Osaka. I like it there. I’m not sure I want to leave them all behind just yet. And Suichi†¦I like him, but â€Å"I’m not sure I want to spend so much time with him. Do you understand?† â€Å"Oh, perfectly.† She grinned again, then skipped on ahead of me until she had reached the well. â€Å"Do you remember,† she said as I came walking up to her, â€Å"how you used to say this well was haunted?† â€Å"Yes, I remember.† We both peered over the side. â€Å"Mother always told me it was the old woman from the vegetable store you’d seen that night,† she said. â€Å"But I never believe her and never came out here alone.† â€Å"Mother used to tell me that too. She even told me once the old woman had confessed to being the ghost. Apparently, she’d been taking a shortcut through our garden. I imagine she had some trouble clambering over these walls.† Kikuko gave a giggle. She then turned her back to the well, casting her gaze about the garden. â€Å"Mother never really blamed you, you know,† she said, in a new voice. I remained silent. â€Å"She always used to say to me how it was their fault, her’s and Father’s, for not bringing you up correctly. She used to tell me how much more careful they’d been with me, and that’s why I was so good.† She looked up and the mischievous grin had returned to her face. â€Å"Poor Mother,† she said. â€Å"Yes. Poor Moth er.† â€Å"Are you going back to California?† â€Å"I don’t know. I’ll have to see.† â€Å"What happened to†¦to her? To Vicki?† â€Å"That’s all finished with,† I said. â€Å"There’s nothing much left for me now in California.† â€Å"Do you think I ought to go there?† â€Å"Why not? I don’t know. You’ll probably like it.† I glanced toward the house. â€Å"Perhaps we’d better go in soon. Father might need a hand with the supper.† But my sister was once more peering down into the well. â€Å"I can’t see any ghosts,† she said. Her voice echoed a little. â€Å"Is Father very upset about his firm collapsing?† â€Å"Don’t know. You never can tell with Father.† Then suddenly she straightened up and turned to me. â€Å"Did he tell you about old Watanabe? What he did?† â€Å"I heard he committed suicide.† â€Å"Well, that wasn’t all. He took his whole family with him. His wife and his two little girls.† â€Å"Oh, yes?† â€Å"Those beautiful little girls. He turned on the gas while they were all asleep. Then he cut his stomach with a meat knife.† â€Å"Yes, Father was just telling me how Watanabe was a man of principle.† â€Å"Sick.† My sister turned back to the well. â€Å"I can’t see any ghost,† she said. â€Å"You were lying to me all that time.† ]†But I never said it lived down the well.† â€Å"Where is it then?† We both looked around at the trees and shrubs. The daylight had almost gone. Eventually I pointed to a small clearing some ten yards away. â€Å"Just there I saw it. Just there.† We stared at the spot. â€Å"What did it look like?† â€Å"I couldn’t see very well. It was dark.† â€Å"But you must have seen something.† â€Å"It was an old woman. She was just standing there, watching me.† We kept staring at the spot as if mesmerized. â€Å"She was wearing a white kimono,† I said. â€Å"Some of her hair had come undone. It was blowing around a little.† Kikuko pushed her elbow against my arm. â€Å"Oh, be quiet. You’re trying to frighten me all over again.† She trod on the remains of her cigarette, then for a brief moment stood regarding it with a perplexed expression. She kicked some pine needles over it, then once more displayed her grin. â€Å"Let’s see if supper’s ready,† she said. We found my father in the kitchen. He gave us a quick glance, then carried on with what he was doing. â€Å"Father’s become quite a chef since he’s had to manage on his own,† Kikuko said with a laugh. He turned and looked at my sister coldly. â€Å"Hardly a skill I’m proud of,† he said. â€Å"Kikuko, come here and help.† For some moments my sister did not move then she stepped forward and took an apron hanging from a drawer. â€Å"Just these vegetables need cooking now,† he said to her. â€Å"The rest just needs watching.† Then he looked up and regarded me strangely for some seconds. â€Å"I expect you want to look around the house,† he said eventually. He put down the chopsticks he had been holding. â€Å"It’s a long time since you’ve seen it.† As we left the kitchen I glanced toward Kikuko, but her back was turned. â€Å"She’s a good girl,† my father said. I followed my father from room to room. I had forgotten how large the house was. A panel would slide open and another room would appear. But the rooms were all startlingly empty. In one of the rooms the lights did not come on, and we stared at the stark walls and tatami in the pale light that came from the windows. â€Å"This house is too large for a man to live in alone,† my father said. â€Å"I don’t have much use for most of these rooms now.† But eventually my father opened the door to a room packed full of books and papers. There were flowers in vases and pictures on the walls. Then I noticed something on a low table in the corner of the room. I came nearer and saw it was a plastic model of a battleship, the kind constructed by children. It had been placed on some newspaper; scattered around it were assorted pieces of gray plastic. My father gave a laugh. He came up to the table and picked up the model. â€Å"Since the firm folded,† he said, â€Å"I have a little more time on my hands.† He laughed again, rather strangely. For a moment his face looked almost gentle. â€Å"A little more time.† â€Å"That seems odd,† I said. â€Å"You were always so busy.† â€Å"Too busy, perhaps.† He looked at me with a smile. â€Å"Perhaps I should have been a more attentive father.† I laughed. He went on contemplating his battleship. Then he looked up. â€Å"I hadn’t meant to tell you this, but perhaps it’s best that I do. It’s my belief that your mother’s death was no accident. She had many worries. And some disappointments.† We both gazed at the plastic battleship. â€Å"Surely,† I said eventually, â€Å"my mother didn’t expect me to live here forever.† â€Å"Obviously you don’t see. You don’t see how it is for some parents. Not only must they lose their children, they must lose them to things they don’t understand.† He spun the battleship in his fingers. â€Å"These little gunboats here could have been better glued, don’t you think?† â€Å"Perhaps. I think it looks fine.† â€Å"During the war I spent some time on a ship rather like this: if your ship was struck by the enemy, all you could do was struggle in the water hoping for a lifeline. But in an airplane– well, there was always the final weapon.† He put the model back onto the table. â€Å"I don’t suppose you believe in war.† â€Å"Not particularly.† He cast an eye around the room. â€Å"Supper should be ready by now,† he said. â€Å"You must be hungry.† Supper was waiting in a dimly lit room next to the kitchen. The only source of light was a big lantern that hung over the table, casting the rest of the room in shadow. We bowed to each other before starting the meal. There was little conversation. When I made some polite comment about the food, Kikuko giggled a little. Her earlier nervousness seemed to have returned to her. My father did not speak for several minutes. Finally he said: â€Å"It must feel strange for you, being back in Japan.† â€Å"Yes, it is a little strange.† â€Å"Already, perhaps, you regret leaving America.† â€Å"A little. Not so much. I didn’t leave behind much. Just some empty rooms.† â€Å"I see.† I glanced across the table. My father’s face looked stony and forbidding in the half-light. We ate in silence. Then my eye caught something at the back of the room. At first I continued eating, then my hands became still. The others noticed and looked at me. I went on gazing into the darkness past my father’s shoulder. â€Å"Who is that? In the photograph there?† â€Å"Which photograph?† My father turned slightly, trying to follow my gaze. â€Å"The lowest one. The old woman in the white kimono.† My father put down his chopsticks. He looked first at the photograph, then at me. â€Å"Your mother.† His voice had become very hard. â€Å"Can’t you recognize your own mother?† â€Å"My mother. You see, it’s dark. I can’t see it very well.† No one spoke for a few seconds, then Kikuko rose to her feet. She took the photograph down from the wall, came back to the table, and gave it to me. â€Å"She looks a lot older,† I said. â€Å"It was taken shortly before her death,† said my father. â€Å"It was the dark. I couldn’t see very well.† I looked up and noticed my father holding out a hand. I gave him the photograph. He looked at it intently, then held it toward Kikuko. Obediently, my sister rose to her feet once more and returned the picture to the wall. There was a large pot left unopened at the center of the table. When Kikuko had seated herself again, my father reached forward and lifted the lid. A cloud of steam rose up and curled toward the lantern. He pushed the pot a little toward me. â€Å"You must be hungry,† he said. One side of his face had fallen into shadow. â€Å"Thank you.† I reached forward my chopsticks. The steam was almost scalding. â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"Fish.† â€Å"It smells very good.† In the soup were strips of fish that had curled almost into balls. I picked one out and brought it to my bowl. â€Å"Help yourself. There’s plenty.† â€Å"Thank you.† I took a little more, then pushed the pot toward my father. I watched him take several pieces to his bowl. Then we both watched as Kikuko served herself. My father bowed slightly. â€Å"You must be hungry,† he said again. He took some fish to his mouth and started to eat. Then I, too, chose a piece and put it in my mouth. It felt soft, quite fleshy against my tongue. The three of us ate in silence. Several minutes went by. My father lifted the lid and once more steam rose up. We all reached forward and helped ourselves. â€Å"Here,† I said to my father, â€Å"you have the last piece.† â€Å"Thank you.† When we had finished the meal, my father stretched out his arms and yawned with an air of satisfaction. â€Å"Kikuko,† he said, â€Å"prepare a pot of tea, please.† My sister looked at him, and left the room without comment. My father stood up. â€Å"Let’s retire to the other room. It’s rather warm in here.† I got to my feet and followed him into the tearoom. The large sliding windows had been left open, bringing in a breeze from the garden. For a while we sat in silence. â€Å"Father,† I said, finally. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Kikuko tells me Watanabe-san took his whole family with him.† My father lowered his eyes and nodded. For some moments he seemed deep in thought. â€Å"Watanabe was very devoted to his work,† he said at last. â€Å"The collapse of the firm was a great blow to him. I fear it must have weakened his judgment.† â€Å"You think what he did†¦it was a mistake?† â€Å"Why, of course. Do you see it otherwise?† â€Å"No, no. Of course not.† â€Å"There are other things besides work,† my father said. â€Å"Yes.† We fell silent again; the sound of locusts came in from the garden. I looked out into the darkness. The well was no longer visible. â€Å"What do you think you will do now?† my father asked. â€Å"Will you stay in Japan for a while?† â€Å"To be honest, I hadn’t thought that far ahead.† â€Å"If you wish to stay here, I mean here in this house, you would be very welcome; that is, if you don’t mind living with an old man.† â€Å"Thank you. I’ll have to think about it.† I gazed out once more into the darkness. â€Å"But of course,† said my father, â€Å"this house is so dreary now. You’ll no doubt return to America before long.† â€Å"Perhaps. I don’t know yet.† â€Å"No doubt you will.† For some time my father seemed to be studying the back of his hands. Then he looked up and sighed. â€Å"Kikuko is due to complete her studies next spring,† he said. â€Å"Perhaps she will want to come home then. She’s a good girl.† â€Å"Perhaps she will.† â€Å"Things will improve then.† â€Å"Yes, I’m sure they will.† We fell silent once more, waiting for Kikuko to bring the tea.

Essay on Macbeth and female roles

Moreover, I find It to be one of his more Interesting plays as It Includes misguided ambition, bravery, paranoia as ell as betrayal and It Is a perfect example of how one story can be projected upon different ages. Macbeth, who Is a conscientious man, Is being overpowered by his vaulting ambition. The tragedy In this play Lies In him degenerating from a noble and brave warrior to a simple killer who commits gruesome murders to save himself. Ironically from the repercussions of his own crimes. Looking at this play from different angles allows me to get a better impression of how the gender roles are presented between the different characters.I found the role women play in Macbeth specially intriguing, as they seem to be the ones pulling all the strings. Therefore, I am going to show how they are being defamed and portrayed, among other things, as cold and monstrous. Moreover, I will show how those perceptions of women can be seen in relation to the classical perception of women, as we ll as the perception that people had during the Middle Ages and how these and biblical pictures could have formed such personages as Lady Macbeth and the three witches.To be able to analyze those characters in depth I am going to limit myself to specific scenes involving Lady Macbeth and the three witches. Furthermore, I am going to use information I found in various books as well as the text † The Great Chain of Being† to put my findings into perspective. The role of women in Shakespearean Macbeth The Setting Macbeth takes place in Scotland around 1600 with the exception of a single scene In England (Act 4 Scene 3). The tragedy unfolded among the upper classes of society, namely Kings and thanes.Women did not have the greatest Influence; one could say that men owned them and they behaved accordingly. 2 An example of this Is the tragedy of Macadam leaving his wife and children despite Lady Macadam's contrary linings towards his decision (Act 4 Scene 2). The play starts o ut with a lightning storm, creating a gloomy atmosphere that sets the mood and Indicates the general atmosphere of the play. The three weird ones I chose to analyze two scenes describing the three witches (they are also called â€Å"weird ones†, â€Å"weird women† or ‘Modeled sisters†) In â€Å"Macbeth†, namely Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 1 Scene 3.In my opinion, those are best suited to show how the three weird ones are being portrayed and in addition. They demonstrate how important their role included, as it isn't certain that Shakespeare wrote those. Instead many scholars live that Thomas Middleton wrote Act 3 Scene 5 and parts of Act 4 Scene 1. 3 Since I want to analyze Shakespearean play, it seems natural to exclude those two scenes. Act 1 scene 1: Meeting the witches This scene is the shortest opening scene in Shakespearean works and introduces us immediately to the three sisters.What's more interesting, though , is that they aren't introduced as wit ches or any other kind of other negative name, but they call themselves â€Å"we three†, whereas in the rest of the play others name them as the â€Å"weird sisters† or â€Å"weird women†. This might be owed to the old English word â€Å"weird† meaning â€Å"fate†, and considering there are three of them, one could associate them with the Pearce, who were the three mythical creatures that controlled human destiny. Parallels can be drawn from the mythical creatures to those three sisters controlling Machete's life, as if those three sisters decided how his life should be and how it should end. Another interesting aspect of the first scene of this play are the paradoxes used. The most interesting of those is: † fair is foul, and foul is fair†, which seems to be a contradiction in it itself and therefore a violation of God's natural order. Lars Sabers idea on this is that it is a typical Shakespearean drama with the theme of â€Å"The See ming versus the Being†6.This seems to be a fitting assumption, although it needs a deeper explanation. The main theme of the play is described by this quote and means, simply put, that nothing is what it seems. For instance, Lady Macbeth is named a â€Å"gentle lady† by Macadam (Act 2 Scene 3 line 79), but in reality, she is the one to blame for the execution of Dunce's murder. Another example is Banquet, who in the beginning, appears to be Machete's right-hand man and friend. Soon thereafter, however, we can see that he negates that picture of him.This confirms that the witches know exactly what is going to happen and to whom, and thus the assumption of them being a Shakespearean version of the Pearce. Act 1 Scene 3: The witches meet Macbeth and Banquet The beginning of this scene shows that the three witches driven by evil and vengefulness are not only malicious but also very destructive. When one of the sisters asks where the other has been, the second answers that s he was out killing swine, which back in their time, as Eva Poss.. And Clinician Gabon wrote, according to popular belief was something witches did.This shows how ruthless they are and that there is a lack of compassion for animals or other living beings. As the first sister explained her whereabouts, she tells about a sailor's wife eating chestnuts, and having asked for some she was denied the food (Act 1 Scene 3 line 1-5). This resulted in them cursing that woman's husband. The evil of the weird sisters is shown clearly in their choice of words and their actions; by taking a better look at this curse, one can see the connection between the captain's and Machete's in life several places. For one her chant: â€Å"I'll dad, I'll do, and I'll do.I'll drain him dry as hay;† can be linked to the sterility of Machete's marriage and as she chants: â€Å"Sleep shall neither night nor day', she curses this man to suffer from insomnia, Just as Macbeth will suffer from lack of sleep, w hich will ultimately push him over the limit and make him go mad. Lars Jabber explains in his book: â€Å"De err linefeed, dies hisser, go some en slag's metastasis mafia hover De sigh p deem, deer anger at subsidized deem. â€Å"9 1 do agree about the evil deeds they have committed, it can be easily overlooked that this curse also shows the limitations to their power.Specifically when looking at this quote: â€Å"Though his bark cannot be lost†, which shows that they are not capable of making this man's ship sink. (Act 1 Scene 3 line 23) As the play continues they interrupted when they hear Macbeth arriving. At that point he exclaims: â€Å"So foul and fair a day I have not seen† (Act 1 Scene 3 line 36). This is an echo of the three witches' â€Å"Foul is fair and fair is foul†, for so many men have been slaughtered in battle, yet Macbeth had achieved a great victory. When Banquet sees the witches, he describes them as being withered and wild† in attire .He says that they don't look like they were from this earth and further describes their looks with choppy fingers and skinny lips that are often used to describe a person that is not trustworthy or even likeable. People often associate it with somebody who has a calculating personality,10 and this is the same feeling you get from those witches when you hear their description. He also says that they should be women, and yet their beards forbid him to interpret them as such. (Act 1 Scene 3 line 37-45) All of this depicts how unnatural and unusual Banquet thinks these women are.When the witches start to talk, they hail Macbeth as the soon-to-be Thane of Castor and King of Scotland. Whilst Macbeth is stunned by these fair-sounding prophecies, Banquet demands the witches to also tell him about his future, and he is told that, although he shall not be royalty, his offspring will. As abruptly as the witches had appeared, they disappear, and messengers from King Duncan arrive and inform Ma cbeth of his newly gained title of Thane of Castor. When they hear the news, Banquet suddenly remarks: ‘What, can the devil speak true? His utterance once more demonstrates Banquets lack of belief in those witches, ailing them the devil. Macbeth is astonished by the news and tries to hide his mind's preoccupation with kingship, while Banquet warns him of the dangers these prophecies might bear. He compares the sisters to the darkness when he says: â€Å"And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betrays In deepest consequence. † (Act 1 Scene 3 line 119-125) Are those women simply prophets, or do they actually set events in motion?During our first encounter with the weird ones, it is unsure where they've come from or who r what they actually are, or even what they have in mind when they plan on meeting Macbeth. As the play continues, the feeling of them manipulating events becomes more apparent, and t heir maliciousness emerges step by step. The words Shakespeare used for their dialogs and chants can be interpreted as negative, and even though some might have a positive use, they are turned into something bad, just as their first â€Å"prophecy', of fair being foul and foul being fair, predicts.They plot mischief, using prophecies against Macbeth and their predictions turned the noble Macbeth into a murderer. It is unclear whether the witches had their knowledge from somebody else, or whether they are the ones toying with human destinies. As mentioned before they have a staggering resemblance to the Pearce, who controlled the thread of life and thereby every humans' destiny. The way Shakespeare chose to portray the weird ones makes it seem as if they took some kind of perverse delight in using their knowledge to destroy human beings and their fates.Looking at the witches from afar gives a clear picture of what it means to be malicious, vengeful and This woman is more than Just a n interesting character. She goes through several developmental stages, and in contrast to the three witches, the evil, or coldness that is within her cannot be seen through a dialogue but through the thoughts that occupy her mind. Lady Macbeth is one of the most powerful female characters in literature. The fact that she is alone in the beginning shows that we are privy to her innermost thoughts and feelings.Act 1 Scene 5: Lady Macbeth is determined to be queen This scene opens with Lady Macbeth, who received a letter from her husband. In his letter, he calls her â€Å"dearest partner of greatness†, which she indeed is and becomes even more so as she manipulates Macbeth into giving in to his passions. To a certain degree, she even controls his actions, resulting in the crimes committed. This means that, even though she is not the one to deliver the fatal blow herself, she definitely is responsible.As she finishes reading the news of his success in battle and his encounter wi th the witches that promised him that he will become king – and thus her queen – she exclaims: â€Å"Glacis thou art, and Castor, and shall be What thou art promised; yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full thimble of human kindness. â€Å"(Act 1 Scene 5 line 14-16) What she means is that he shall become what he was promised, namely king. This seems to be reflecting the witches' prophecy, and one could say that she follows the witches' lead and becomes herself an agent of fate.Nevertheless, according to Lars Jabber she believes him to be somebody that would let others cheat to achieve his goals, as long as it wasn't he who was cheating 1. As her thoughts seem to battle over whether her husband could fulfill this prophecy she can see only one solution: â€Å"Hi thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thin ear, And chastise with the velour of my tongue†. Act 1 Scene 5 line 24-26) She practically says that she wants to empower him with her poisonous words and he should renounce any of his doubts and be brave enough to kill Duncan.Since the masses back then must have seen Hamlet before Macbeth, they might have remembered that in Hamlet's Act 1 Scene 5, the father's ghost reports that he was killed by poison: â€Å"And in the porches of my ears did pour The leprous despoilment†12. This parallel darkens Lady Machete's words instantly. As the play continues, Lady Macbeth descends further and further into her dark self. When a messenger arrives, she compares him o a hoarse raven, an omen of death in itself, and calls upon dark spirits to â€Å"unsexes† her, saying: â€Å"Come to my woman's breasts And take my milk for gall†.Jennies La Belle argues that Lady Machete's outbreak isn't only a psychological one but one that asks for her to eliminate her basic biological characteristics of femininity. 14 Meaning that the body and mind are connected, and to achieve such an unfeminine consciousness is to become a man and leave a ll female attributes and weaknesses behind. This once more shows how ambitious she is, and that she doesn't shy away from hard assure.I am not sure I would go as far as Jennies La Belle and connect the physiological with the psychological, but there is a definite connection between Lady Machete's words and her desire to be tougher and more hardened like a man. This is once more a contradiction that fits the witches' prophecy. A woman is supposed to be nurturing and soft, whereas a man is supposed to be tough and aggressive. Soon thereafter, Macbeth arrives and they have a brief and urgent talk about Dunce's rather cruel, because it contains a paradox. The warmth of the sun is contrasted withDuncan, who won't ever see it again. In the following lines she uses several metaphors to conceal her actual thoughts:† Your face, my thane, is as a book, where men May read strange matters†(Act 1 Scene 5 line 61-62); followed by an amusingly ironic allusion to Genesis 5:† You h and, your tongue; look like ethnocentric flower, But be the serpent underwent. â€Å"(Act 1 Scene 5 line 64-65) The â€Å"paradise† that was promised by the witches turns, as they called it, from â€Å"fair to foul†. The last line of the scene: â€Å"Leave all the rest to me†, has quite a chilling tone to it and is very imperative.It seems as if she completed her transformation to a man and takes over the active and leading role in their relationship, whilst Macbeth becomes a mere accomplice. Act 1 Scene 7: Macbeth debates whether to murder Duncan The imagery of Machete's soliloquy in the beginning of this scene exposes his objective, for example Dunce's murder and his own success, but his use of words reveals a mind that is suffering from confusion and indecisiveness. This becomes particularly obvious because of the repetition of some specific words like:† if, were, but and so on† that show his confusion.Finally, when Lady Macbeth enters, he inform s her that he has changed his mind. She responds contemptuously to his change of heart: ‘Was the hope drunk Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? And wakes it now to look so green and pale At what it did so freely? From this time, Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard to be the same in thin own act and velour, As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that Which thou system's the ornament of life, And live a coward in thin own esteem, Letting â€Å"l dare not† wait upon â€Å"l would†, Like the poor cat Tightwad's? (Act 1 Scene 7 line 36-45) She does not only accuse him of being a coward but taunts him by comparing him to a cat that wanted a fish yet didn't want to get its paws wet. Lady Macbeth essentially tells him that he can't be trusted, even concerning his love towards her 16. Furthermore, she urges him thereby to get over himself and kill Duncan to prove his manhood and love for her. On top of convincing her husband to kill the King, she bre aks his first illusion of not involving anybody else by prompting him to blame the murder on Dunce's officers.This reveals how manipulative she is and that she has control over her Cubans like a puppeteer over his puppets. What really shows the darkness and the evil that lingers inside of her, though, is how far she would go to achieve her goal; she said that she would dash the brains out of her own child whilst it was sucking on her nipple and smiling lovingly at her if she had sworn as he had done. (Act 1 Scene 7 line 54-58) This is a shocking and monstrous thing to say, and no woman could call herself a woman, being able to say that about her own offspring, or any child for that matter.This declaration proves a complete absence of compassion, mercy or sense of lilt. Act 5 Scene 1: Revelation of Lady Machete's guilt during her sleep This scene is critical to understanding Lady Macbeth as a character and as a woman. Even though she felt no, or close to no remorse in the preceding s cenes, this one changes the perception of her abruptly; she is haunted by her guilt and confesses those gruesome deeds in her sleep. At this point the decline of the Macbeth family begins, Lady Macbeth doesn't play the role of the leader of their relationship anymore, and Macbeth is slowly turning mad.The psychological impact all those deeds had on Lady nine 64-66) Her speech patterns have become fragmented, and the wife that had once been in control of herself and her surroundings is now reduced to a woman who cannot connect two sentences correctly, and one who has lost connection to reality due to her devastated mind. As she sleepwalks with a candle that she has ordered(Act 5 Scene 1 line 20-21) to be by her side at all times, I agree with Lars Saber's opinion that it seems as if the only thing important to her now is saving her soul, with the light being the only symbol of hope left to her. 7 Is Lady Macbeth a 2- dimensional character, or is there more to her? Lady Macbeth, who i s an incredibly ambitious woman, shares the same aspirations as her husband. During the first couple of scenes, until Macbeth starts shutting her out, she seems to be the one who is most ruthless and the one who pulls the relationship forward. As the play continues and her husband follows her urges to kill Duncan but turns colder and more paranoid, their relationship suffers. Macbeth starts a bloodshed and Lady Macbeth finally succumbs to her guilt and goes mad.Her state of mind is even more damaged than her husband's, and her conscience ultimately forces her to commit suicide. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seem to have a perfect partnership They feel passion for each other and think alike, but as the story continues and Lady Macbeth persuades him to kill the King, they become more and more alienated from each other, and their feelings for each other turn to sheer numbness. Looking at this woman under a magnifying glass reveals that she isn't a simple two-di mensional character but Just as Pushpin described Shakespearean characters in general to be.She is a complex and multifaceted character, with all the inconsistencies that a person of flesh and blood has, and she reveals her different acts in the wide range of situations she is put nine. In the end one can't deny that Lady Macbeth has a tough outer exterior, and could be called an â€Å"Iron Lady', but she also has softer sides to her, which only comes to shine through if one begins to scratch below the surface. Are women in Macbeth evil? This question is a difficult one to answer.As I progressed from reading the play to analyzing the witches and then Lady Macbeth, my perception changed gradually. It seemed as if various authors had agreed on either putting those women into one drawer or the other, but in my opinion, they should not be stereotyped. For instance, the witches are indeed portrayed as evil and calculating, but if you take into account that they could be the ones on the receiving end of information about various humans' â€Å"fate†, then you can't call them as evil as you would probably like to.The fate of Macbeth would not lie in their hands any longer, and their actions would not matter; his path would have been predestined. When trying to understand what lies behind Lady Macbeth, many authors are very trigger-happy and call her monstrous, cold and evil. And yes, her actions, manipulating her husband into killing the King aren't the actions of an innocent soul. Still one has to look behind the curtain, to see that she did those things out of love, because she is familiar with her husband's shortcomings.Finally, she starts feeling remorse and succumbs to her guilt, but only when her husband starts shutting her out and she feels isolated. Therefore, I neither want to call those women evil nor good, rather women that are in different situations and do what they feel is right. Portrayals of women in Macbeth and the perception To start with, I will take a peek into a possible point of history where the general reception of women in the Elizabethan era might have originated. The authors of the book â€Å"Brisker till skivvies histories† retell the Greek mythological story of human creation.The titan Prometheus creates men from clay, and the goddess Athena gave them the breath of life. As the story goes, Prometheus and the human kind had angered Zeus; therefore, he let Hyphenates create Pandora, a mortal of stunning beauty. They gave her many gifts of wealth as well as a deceptive heart and a lying tongue. She becomes the first women on earth who carries one final gift: a Jar filled with all evil, sorrow and misfortune but also hope. 9 This is Just one of many examples of how lowly people thought of women.One can also recall the Christian mythology, where – Just as in Greek mythology – the woman was created after the man, and of course, it is she who causes their eviction from paradise, or for that matt er Lithe, who according to Jewish mythology, is Dam's first wife and a succubus who sleeps with different men and strangles newborn babies. 21 All of those mythological stories show a rather misogynistic perception of women. No doubt, this influenced centuries to come and I would like to argue that it also influenced Shakespeare to write Macbeth.I am tempted to compare the play to the 2nd part of the history of creation in Genesis. The role of Lady Macbeth is similar to Eve's. To a certain extent both are temptresses. In both Genesis and the play, the characters do not realize the luck and â€Å"wealth† they are in, and finally yet importantly, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as well as Adam and Eve regret their actions in the end. To explain those three similarities further, one has to take a deeper look at both stories.Adam and Eve are told by God that they are allowed to eat any fruit in the Garden of Eden apart from the ones from the tree in the middle. None of the two trie s any of these fruits, until the devil in the disguise of a snake deceives Eve and tempts her into eating the forbidden fruit by telling her stories of the wisdom and knowledge she will gain from eating them. When she tries the fruit, she tempts and convinces Adam to do the same and try the forbidden fruit. Looking at the play of Macbeth, the same goes for Lady Macbeth.Instead of being tempted by the devil, it is the thought of her and her husband becoming royal that tempts her. She gives in to that temptation. The symbolical forbidden fruit here is the murder of King Duncan, ND Just as Eve convinces Adam to take a bite of the fruit, Lady Macbeth convinces her husband, who has doubts but believes in his â€Å"partner in greatness† Just as Adam believes in Eve, to conspire and ultimately kill Duncan and take the throne. The end of the stories have their own parallels. Adam and Eve's feelings of guilt derive from their betrayal of God's trust.When they eat the forbidden fruit t hey learn the feeling of shame, which finally makes them feel guilty for their crime. Due to the betrayal of God's trust they are expelled from Paradise and became mortal. On the other hand, we have Macbeth and his wife. Their betrayal is of a more complex kind. Not only do they betray the trust of others, but, more importantly, they also betray themselves. Their ambition makes them betray themselves and the guilt that springs from it gradually nags at them, makes them lose their mind, and in the end, it is their guilt and their actions that kill them.Perception of women throughout the middle ages, royals and the common people In the book Women Defamed and Women Defended, etymology studies to depict the roots of antihistamines tradition. In those studies, they compared men to women and decided that women were deformed men. 23 This fits he Christian idea that Eve was created from Dam's rib, thus she must have been a lesser version of a man. By reading through these sources the percep tion men had of women unravels before one's eyes.Even though time has passed by, the belief in those myths, as well as the hierarchy that followed these â€Å"bible† stories hasn't disappeared fully. SST John Chromosome, for example, was an advocate for chastity and censor of women and one of the strongest voices of his time to deny authority to women or the right to teach. His reason was that, since Genesis, men had had to be the highest ranked in the hierarchy. Thus, women should not be allowed to speak in church, because they can only learn in silence.According to him, God made women subject to men, and therefore their husbands should rule them. 25 This seemed to be the common truth, though, with exceptions if one looks a little deeper at queens or noble women. Lisa Benz explains in her book Three Medieval Queens that queens were looked upon as a version of Virgin Mary on earth and therefore had the same responsibilities, for one being a mother and giving birth to the next male heir but also being an intercessor. Mary being a mediator between Heaven and earth, made he Queen be the intercessor between the King and his people.She also explains that the Queen's duties were to act as a regent in case their King wasn't capable to rule, for example due to health issues or young age. Another of their duties was to help their King and other nobility to spy on rivals, help ignite conflicts or even wars, be of strategic help and help to spread information, whether false or true, to help the King achieve his goals, whatever those might be. 26 In my opinion, there are clear parallels between the duties and roles of a queen in the Middle Ages and Lady Machete's behavior.For starters, Lady Macbeth, Just like a queen, is ready to do anything in order to help her husband achieve his goals. It is easier to see the parallel by looking at one of her first statements, namely that he shall be King as he was promised, even though in her opinion he doesn't have the manhood to do what has to be done without her support. However, I think Lady Macbeth is capable of going much further than a usual queen would have. In the Middle Ages Theresa Rearrange says, queens that were sterile were shunned and even murdered.The fact that Macbeth and Lady Machete's relationship does not result in a child must Hereford be a vital reason for her to do everything possible to please her husband by helping him achieving what he strives for, even if it crosses his or other's boundaries. This shows Lady Machete's behavior to be that of a Queen, before she actually becomes one. Another parallel is Lady Machete's way of ruling. She is the one with the strategic head on her shoulders and plans the assassination on King Duncan.Moreover, she figures out the best way to shift the blame off them and onto somebody else by drugging and placing the dagger used to murder the King in the Kings officers' hands, all of this to wash her husband's and her hands clean of guilt. Another grea t example are the tales that were written in the book of the wiles of women. This book contained tales of women and their – so it seems – pathological misconduct, adultery, their sharp tongue that shifted the blame from them onto others and simply female deceit.Those were popular antihistamines anecdotes, and general perception turned to women being deceiving liars no man could or should trust. An interesting chapter on how a â€Å"good† wife was supposed to behave in the Middle Ages from Georges Dubos and Michelle Parrot's book A history of women bevels that women were lower in the hierarchy than their husbands. â€Å"Saint Thomas went as far as to say that the basic reason for getting married was to ensure a male figurehead for the education of the offspring. â€Å"29 The only function left for the woman/mother was to nurture the child.According to them, there was one point on which there was a unanimous agreement – that a good wife is one that takes care of the house. From Aristotle on there were two areas, which were divided between man and woman: production and conservation, where the men were the ones to be productive, while the women â€Å"conserved† what they had. 0 This explains the division between the house (the female domain) and everything that is outside of it (the male domain), leading to the woman managing the family and being responsible for her family behavior. 1 We can apply these characteristics to Lady Machete's behavior, but it becomes quickly apparent that Lady Macbeth is not the type who can be connected to adultery or sexual misbehaving. On the other hand the deception of her and her actions is enormous. She does however, not deceive her husband, as was the case in those earlier tales, but the ones who stand in their path to success, particularly King Duncan. Another point to be noted is the sharp tongue. This description fits her like a glove.Examples ranging from calling upon dark spirits to unsex es her to the harsh and insulting words she uses to convince her husband of murder are excellent proofs of her resolution and her capability of using her tongue to manipulate her husband or others into doing or believing what she says. Lady Macbeth seems to fit the description of a Queen or noblewoman very well. Her one shortcoming, apart from being childless, however, is opposed to what women were supposed to be. Lady Macbeth is a bad hostess.Not only is it her husband that plans social gatherings but it is she who plots the King's demise, when she should be the one to cater to the Kings needs. The Great Chain of Being and Macbeth Being a logical human being, the first instinct is to divide things into two without overlaps, but it is impossible to name a precise moment in history when, for example, the Middle Ages turned in the age of Renaissance. Thus we cannot say that the cultural and intellectual ideas, politics or for that matter other areas can be separated into two different chunks of history.Quit to the contrary, there are overlaps of two different ages. Shakespeare, who lived (1564 – 1616) during England's Renaissance, demonstrates this overlap in his play Macbeth which is a very good example of The Chain of Being's concept but, more importantly, the consequences of somebody disturbing precisely this chain. This so-called chain was actually a description of how our world and the beings in it are connected and in which order. This order was based on the proportions of â€Å"matter† and â€Å"spirit†.The more spirit a being had, the higher up the chain that being would be. Inanimate things in nature, such as for example minerals, were at the lowest end. Above them were plants, insects, and other creatures that weren't noble , like lions, bears or wolves. Then there came humans: the king, who back then was thought to be chosen by God, was the highest ranked among humans, and women were the ones who were lowest highest. Since God was the one to create the chain, it was of course unthinkable to disturb it. Repercussions and chaos could have been the outcome.Looking at the play, Macbeth and hereby Lady Macbeth disturb this chain by murdering King Duncan, who is the highest-ranked of all human beings. This regicide has to have consequences, and the fact that Duncan is a noble and good king cannot help that matter. This killing does actually demonstrate two disturbances of The Great Chain of Being, we have on one hand Macbeth committing regicide, but Lady Macbeth disturbs the chain by leaving her place in the hierarchy and placing herself higher than she should be. I would consider this first murder to a of catalyst for the rest of the misfortune to come.As the story continues, Macbeth loses his courage and hires other men to kill for him, while Lady Macbeth starts to fall apart and feel remorse. However, the death count continues and the bodies for whose death he is responsible pile up. Mayhem erupts throughout th eir kingdom, and it becomes apparent that The Great Chain of Being is more than Just disturbed. The expected chaos has come and it does not seem like anything could stop it. Even the horses are attacking each other, and the natural order breaks down as less noble creatures overcome the noble and stronger ones.Nobody sees Macbeth as a king; instead, â€Å"his† people are calling him the tyrant. While looking at the whole play from afar, death seems to be a motif that persists and shows the crimes Macbeth commits and the impact these crimes have upon The Great Chain of Being. His kingdom seems to be engulfed in a morbid atmosphere, as different animals appear that are associated tit death and decay, such as ravens. As the play continues and more of those morbid signs appear, Macbeth loses his mind and starts hallucinating. Having committed all those crimes, he induced his own phantasmagoria.In the end it isn't only his kingdom that falls apart, but also his relationship to Lady Macbeth and further on the abrupt cut with her, as she commits suicide. If he had not had committed those crimes, according to The Chain of Being, everything would have remained in equilibrium, and the kingdom would be in a state of order, but because he does, his kingdom turns into chaos. Conclusion Working in depth on this play, more specifically the female roles in it and the history regarding the perception of women, I have to conclude that the role of women in Macbeth cannot be described in simple words.While looking at the surface, the depiction of Lady Macbeth and the witches is evil and monstrous, but it should not be categorized as obvious. These women, Lady Macbeth as well as the witches, achieve their goals through dangerous, sinister and most importantly subtle manipulation. The prophecies the witches foretell are not straightforward but play on Machete's ambition and the way Lady Macbeth questions his manhood convinces IM of committing murder. The story would not unfol d the way it does without these women.Both parties, Lady Macbeth and the witches, are important driving forces behind what happens. The witches' counterparts are the Pearce, who controlled the thread of life, while Lady Machete's counterpart is Eve, who is blamed for the original sin – the fall of humankind and its expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Even today, Eve still stands as one of the ultimate examples that connect women and evil. The Middle Ages as well as the classical perception of women had an incredible influence

Should individuals be allowed to sell their organs on the open market Research Paper

Should individuals be allowed to sell their organs on the open market in the U.S - Research Paper Example Those improvements would increase the number of lives saved. Putting a social priority in place and imposing regulations that require donation when possible will help to increase the number of patients saved by organ donation. In addition, opening the avenue of commerce for body part sales from live donors will allow for more lives to be saved when the social concept that it is unethical is removed. The integrity of the medical community is one of the primary concerns in the idea of making medical care subject to commerce. However, the United States already limits health care to those who can afford it. Therefore, selling organs in an open, but controlled market is not against the ethics of the medical community and will allow for more patients to receive the treatment that they need in order to promote longer, healthier lives. Organ transplants: Selling body parts for profit Organ transplants depend upon donations from the loved ones of people who have died or the loved ones of thos e who need an organ that can be taken from a live donor with still preserving that life. Blood can be donated in bulk along with plasma. Sometimes blood banks pay for donations of blood. However, selling organs is strictly forbidden, thus contributing to a burdened system that has long lists of people in need of transplants. When discussing the sale of organs, the issues that prevent this from occurring are based upon ethical standards of practice. These ethics are put into place for a reason; however, framing the issue differently might provide an ethical way in which to encourage more available organs while still preserving the integrity of the medical industry. Examining the topic of organ donation requires studying health behaviors. Health is a social issue, the ways in which health issues managed part of a social construction of behaviors in which medical personnel and patients interact towards defining the experience of illness and disease (Siegel and Alvaro 4). While the medi cal science provides treatments for health issues, society creates structures for administering those treatments. The frustration that many patients have is that there is treatment available, but the necessary components needed, whether that be federal laws, money, or medical materials, are not available. At this point, the social system reveals one of its flaws. In the case of organ donation, the lists are much longer than the availability of the required organs. Thus, the drive for organ donation becomes vital in providing the quantity of organs needed to save those that are suffering from various diseases. When considering all types of transplants, including tissue transplants, the chances of a person needing some form is one in two people (Institute of Medicine Committee on Rates of Organ Donation, 2006, p. 293). According to UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) (2011), the total number of people who are active on the organ transplant list is 72,260 with 110,624 total on the list as of 2:07pm on April 1, 2011. The difference is caused by those who are on the list, but who are inactive because they have become medically ineligible, either temporarily or permanently. From January to December of 2010, there were 28,664 transplants from 14,506 donors (UNOS). This difference reveals a disparity between the number of available organs to the actual need. In Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, the commercialization of organ transplants occurs, with renal transplants being one of the more commonly sold form of

Google Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Google - Case Study Example In short, Google has raised stiff challenges to many of the prominent IT companies in the world. However, Google is facing several problems also because of the stiff competition from others. Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo and Apple are some of the major IT companies which are raising several problems to Google. Moreover, Google’s HR management is also criticized heavily by business pundits. Many people believe that Google is not fulfilling its corporate social responsibility and it is following unethical business practices. This paper analyses the ethical problems facing by Google and the possible solutions or recommendations to solve those problems. One of the major criticisms labelled against Google is with respect to its unethical management of human resources. Verma (2006) has pointed out that â€Å"Google’s high growth rate is creating new HR challenges for the company. Google has built a culture where a well-chosen elite accommodates flexibility, shifting roles and, above all else, urgency† (Verma). Google’s recruitment process is causing huge problems to the job aspirants. It includes; coding contests, mysterious billboards and aptitude tests apart from lengthy interviews which lasts for months. Google may reject majority of the candidates who undergone lengthy recruitment processes, citing simple reasons. Those who successfully cross the recruitment process may fail in background check ups. In short, job seekers are approaching Google’s recruitment process with lot of concerns and worries. The second unethical behaviour practiced by Google is its effort to interfere in politics. Catone (2007) has mentioned that â€Å"Being the most heavily used search engine, Google in a very real sense control the distribution of information to much of the world. Google has recently started a blog to tagline Googles views on government, policy and politics in America† (Catone). Millions

Bloody System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bloody System - Essay Example As for the collection of the samples themselves, according to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, "starting in 1985, the American Red Cross and Food and Drug Administration policies prohibit accepting blood donations from gay/bisexual men, specifically from any "male who has had sex with another male since 1977, even once,"[5] or from IV drug users or recent immigrants from certain nations with high rates of HIV infection," ("Donation" p.1). This type of screening was found to be imperative in the quest of ensuring that the samples which were collected were not at any risk of contamination. Other disease typically checked for in the US screenings would be Hepatitis B, the antibody to Hepatitis C "anti-HCV" as well as the Nucleic Acid testing for HCV "anti-HCV" ("Donation p.1). The most notable difference when it comes to US and UK donation policy would be the manner in which how often individuals are allowed to donate their blood.

External Forces, Brand Strategy and Strategic Position Essay

External Forces, Brand Strategy and Strategic Position - Essay Example In present business environment, the competition had been likened to the battle zone where business rivals throw every manner of jibes to outdo another. It is normally said that the person who arrives first in the battle zone awaits opponents with much ease, and the one who comes later into the battle zone is often weary. It is on this backdrop that the business operations of Scribe Group often enter the market that is dominated by the big boys and competes on the complacency of other companies to win their share of the market and build their brand. To go out for war metaphorically requires strategy, and strategy in simple connotative term implies tactics that have been inculcated to outdo the opponent. The firm faces a number of external challenges myriad with internal dynamics. In understanding the Scribe Group’s external forces, the Porters Five Forces Model provides a sufficient mechanism for the analysis. The model recognizes and evaluates five competitive forces that continually bombard and shape companies to allocate their industry’s level of competitiveness and hence understand the development of their strategies (Griffin, 2013). In the paragraphs that will ensue, this paper shall apply the Five-Forces Model for the Scribe Group. First, Barriers to Entry, which is high, the airline industry is synonymous with a high fixed cost required for business development. The Selling and administrative costs can be high within the industry, given the fact that Scribe Group enters into a market where there are already established names especially the advertising costs. The report shows that the combined pretax profit realized from rail and airlines in 2013 and 2014 are 90 and 112 respectively against a huge turnover in the same period of  £980 and  £1101 respectively. The huge difference in turnover and profit is the result of even a comparable larger selling and administrative costs.

Influence of Stakeholders on Encouraging Responsible Business Essay - 1

Influence of Stakeholders on Encouraging Responsible Business Practices - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that in the business world, stakeholders constitute of any group or an individual who has an effect or can be affected by the achievement of the business objectives. They include managers, business corporates, shareholders, corporation and the entire business management. These stakeholders play a critical role in promoting responsible business practices by instituting legitimate business ethics. Business practices range from social to economic perspectives. For most businesses, there are values, responsibilities and sustainability issues that are under consideration. As a result of these factors, business management comes up with a variety of ways to ensure responsible business practices as seen in the research study by Olson. The business world has come under criticism that it is to blame for global warming, carbon dioxide emissions, deforestation, and pollution. To prove the critics wrong, Cohen states that the stakeholders have begun a f ight to reduce global warming and carbon emissions. The green movement has come in to promote the growth of trees. It also helps in educating the public in regard to the emission of carbons. The stakeholders meet annually in Rio de Janeiro for the earth summit. Worldwide campaigns regarding proper business ethics are underway to ensure that businesses reduce pollution and global warming. Apart from the green movement, the stakeholders have stipulated strict rules within their businesses to ensure that there is proper waste disposal. The stakeholders came together in 1997 to sign the Kyoto protocol so as to control the rate of waste disposal as stated in the research study by Kotler & Lee. Stakeholders are now forming various groups to promote responsible business practices. Such corporate groups include the WWF, Friends of the Earth, the Greenpeace as well as the Green Party. These groups play a considerable role in ensuring that business entities protect the environment and consequ ently lead to responsible business practices.

E-commerce and its Importance in Business Research Proposal - 1

E-commerce and its Importance in Business - Research Proposal Example At the end of the entire study and based on the conclusion, few recommendations will be also provided to further improve the process or how organizations, as well as consumers, can make effective use of it. Â  With the rapid development of networking technologies during the early 1990’s human being witnessed the commercialization of internet services (Kalakota and Whinston, 1996, p.147). From that era organizations across the globe started to incorporate the internet into their system of operations in order to gain competitive advantage and to create a core competency for themselves (Reynolds, 2004, p.5). At the same time that is in the early 1990s, the concept of e-commerce was also introduced (Kurth, 2011, p.6). Earlier E-commerce was considered to be a core competency for the organizations, however, at present, it has become a necessity to survive in the marketplace (Ardisana, 2000). Â  Electronic commerce or what is commonly known as e-commerce is an application which facilitates online selling and buying of goods and services (Zhou, 2004, p.56). It offers facilities such as online fund transfer, electronic data exchange (EDI), and online marketing among others. The major advantages of using e-commerce are the maximization of speed in the context of service delivery, reduction in the overall cost and also quicker response to the customers (Rajaraman, 2010, p.12). Electronic commerce also plays a crucial role in the online payment process. Online payment method refers to the process of directly transferring funds to the seller’s bank account (Radu, 2003, p.2). The biggest advantage of an online payment option is that it instantly completes the entire process of payment.

Fundamentals of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fundamentals of Management - Essay Example IT industry is one of the giant industries of the world (Justa, 2009). Our company not only develops efficient software applications but also provide valuable consultancy to other IT firms and multinational companies in solving their IT related issues. Mind Technologies is a dynamic information technology company that uses state of the art communication and information technologies in order to develop a variety of products related to the areas of interactive media, cell phone software, and business software applications. Our company has been successful in building a good reputation for quality and reliability. Mind technologies Inc. is the name of quality, inspiration, and innovative ideas that make it one of the world’s most reliable software companies. Our employees work on innovative ideas in order to provide something new to the customers. They thoroughly study every aspect of every new software or business application in order to insure authenticity and genuineness of the applications. We have been building software applications for the last 12 years servicing many valuable clients all over the world. Our team of professionals produces high quality software and hardware products with a high level of reliability and speed. ... We have also developed web applications for some companies, which have automated the key business process of those companies. Our software developers possess sufficient experience in a wide range of database tools and programming languages such as VB.NET, ASP.NET, C-Sharp, C++, Java, PHP, 4D, and Microsoft SQL Server. We not only develop software products based on our own innovative ideas and concepts but also develop the applications on the requests of our customers. Our developers accurately focus the requirements of the customers while developing their requested software applications. Mind Technologies Inc. has three offices located in different states of the United States of America. Main office of the company is located in Washington D.C. whereas other two sub offices are located in New York and Chicago. Each office consists of almost 20 to 25 employees. For every office, there is a manager, who looks after all activities related to the office. Apart from the office manager, eve ry department has also its own manager who has the responsibility to report all activities related to the department to the office manager. The office manager holds the responsibility to contact top management of the company. â€Å"A corporate structure is essentially the layout of the various departments, divisions, and job positions that interact to conduct the business of the company† (Tatum, 2010). There is a partnership mode of business in the company shared by three persons. Mind Technologies Inc. is not like traditional IT companies rather it holds a distinct structure that makes it attractive to the employees of the company. In traditional IT

Planned Parenthood Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Planned Parenthood Education - Essay Example In the US, there is an underlying belief that abstinence approaches are effective because of a number of reasons. First of all, adherents to this belief claim that there are certain social, physical and psychological effects that will come as result of expressing one’s sexuality. Supporters of this principle claim that young people are not supposed to treat sex as part of their normal lives because they are too young. They believe that any form of sex outside marriage is simply wrong and out of context. People who hold this perspective are guided by a certain set of moral values. The major principle behind these values is that marriage is the only place for sex. They also hold the view that engaging in any sexual activities before marriage will only make things worse for teenagers. There are some negative effects that will come out of premarital sex and must be avoided at all costs. Adherents to this believe normally hold the view that condoms have very high failure rates and other forms of contraceptives are not appropriate for young people as they do not offer one hundred percent guarantee. It should be noted that many families in the United States are founded upon religious beliefs even though many of them may not like to admit it. Religion requires young people to wait until; marriage. Consequently, its society is to remain intact then teenagers need to refrain from having sex completely. Teaching young people that premarital sex is a moral failure does not prevent pregnancy. studies show that those with fearful and negative attitudes about sexuality are less likely to use contraception when they have sex than those who believe they have a right to decide to have sex' (Ira, 1990). Planned Parenthood education is quite plausible because it will teach teenagers the fact that sexuality is a perfectly healthy part of life. Additionally, teenagers get to understand all the beliefs and attitudes about sex. This is because the approach does not hide any issue from them. Besides these, Planned Parenthood education ensures that young people understand the true meaning of relationships while teaching them interpersonal skills at the same time. This method requires teachers to give accurate information; meaning that teenagers will understand how to protect themselves using condoms and will decrease risks of contracting sexually transmitted disease. However, this does not undermine the fact that the approach also talks about the effectiveness of abstinence in preventing teenage pregnancies. The approach addresses the fact that this is the only sure

The Process of Canonization Essay Example for Free

The Process of Canonization Essay The canonization process has existed in Catholicfor centuries. This process is steeped with history, as well as tradition, and rewards people for their unwavering commitment and faith to Catholicism. The process is long, arduous, expensive, and eventually requires authorization from the highest of Catholic officials. This paper will review the history, requirements, and financial expenses involved in the process of canonization into sainthood. History Saints are human, like us, but they personify divine power and have privileged contact with the supernatural. Saints perform miracles, receive visions, and are in love with the spirit. They truly are â€Å"the chosen few† (Dunn-Mascetti, 1994). As Catholics we refer to saints as people who are extremely holy; living their lives as perfect Christians, thus allowing them the right to serve God, on a personal level, in heaven (Schreck, 2004). Canonization is the process in which the pope declares a deceased constituent of the faithful is projected as a model and intercessor to the Christian principles and recognized as a saint due to living their life in a heroic manner or becoming a martyr because of their continued faith to God (Molinari O’Donnell, 2000). This persons name is then inducted into the canon of saints, citing those who are to be given veneration universally into the church. Canonization is an earthly decision, meaning it honors them as a saint on earth, not their entry into heaven (Bunson, M. , Bunson S. Bunson, M. , 1998). According to Molinari O’Donnell (2000), canonization originated during the early formulation of the Christian doctrines of worship, invocation, and intercession. The faithful believed that martyrs were true Christians and saints because they made the supreme sacrifice, by giving their lives, for God, the Gospel, and the good of the church. Their suffering earned them ete rnal life. Toward the end of the great Roman persecutions, the veneration of martyrs was extended to confessors, those who defended and suffered for their faith, but did not die doing so. Those confessors who had been excellent Christians, in austerity and penance, were now eligible to be rewarded with sainthood (Molinari O’Donnell, 2000). â€Å"The first formal canonization came in year 993, when Pope John XV raised Ulric of Augsburg to the altars during a synod at the Lateran Basilica†. As you will see, the qualifications for canonization in the later years became more stringent after previous inductees were found to be of imperfect sanctity (Bunson et al, 1998, p. 17). Requirements The process for canonization is divided into two phases; diocesan and Roman, or apostolic. When a person dies, and it is determined they lived a perfect and holy Christian life, a formal process for canonization is initiated. In the diocesan phase, the investigation is guided by the procedural law of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, by the diocesan bishop who formally conducts the process where the candidate died. A cause defined as â€Å"recent† is one where the person’s eligibility for sainthood can be corroborated through the disposition of eye-witnesses, and can only begin after a five years following the death of the candidate. A cause defined as â€Å"ancient† is where the evidence of virtues or martyrdom can be gathered only from written sources, subsequently, there is no time limit for this cause (Molinari O’Donnell, 2000). The postulator, a person approved by the bishop and responsible for the presentation of evidence for authenticity, also agrees to bear the moral and financial expense of the cause. Their primary job is to supervise the investigation and to determine the candidate’s fitness for canonization, by researching their life, work, and holiness. After the diocesan phase is complete, the postulator will reside in Rome where he will develop the formal argument for canonization with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which is comprised of cardinals and bishops. During this time, the postulator will create a Positio, a book containing an account of the candidate’s life and virtue (Molinari O’Donnell, 2000). In the diocesan phase, information, both positive and negative, on the candidate’s life, work, and holiness are collected and documented to establish the validity for the petition to canonize. In order for the nominee to advance to the next step, their published writings will be submitted for approval to two theological censors, selected by the bishop, and will be graded on doctrine and moral teachings. Other writings from the candidate will then presented to a historical commission, also selected by the bishop, which will conclude this particular phase. Evidence must clearly show that the candidate lived a life of faith, hope and charity beyond that of a common Christian (Molinari O’Donnell, 2000). The Roman, or postolic, phase commences when the acts of the diocesan process have been turned over to the Congregation for the causes of Saints, and they have declared the cause as â€Å"valid†. At this point a â€Å"relator†, an official of the Congregation, will be appointed and will assist in the creation of the Positio. Another official of the Congregation, known as the â€Å"promoter of faith†, will be accountable for the assessment of the cau se by historical and theological consultants to whom the Positio may be submitted for their endorsement. At last, all of this information is submitted to the Congregation for the causes of Saints, who will then forward it to the pope upon their endorsement. If the pope determines the candidate as suitable for canonization, a Bull of Canonization is issued, infallibly affirming the candidate’s perfection of the saint’s life and distinguishing their role as a divine intercessor; thus becoming a saint (Molinari O’Donnell, 2000). Even through the long, demanding process involving in-depth research, historical study, and theological manifestation, the decision to canonize lies solely with the pope, and requires a confirmation from God in the way of two miracles, which is scrutinized heavily by the Congregation. Miracles are a product of divine intervention and reinforce the candidate’s holiness as a servant of God. Martyrs are exempt from this miracle requirement because the act of sacrificing one’s life is viewed as the perfection of charity; they need not prove their worthiness in miracles (Molinari O’Donnell, 2000). Financial Expense The tremendously long hours of interviews, research, travel, and other intangibles make the canonization process an exhaustive event. The thoroughness of the process comes at a steep price. After sainthood is declared, the expenses include paintings representing the new saint which is given to the pope, cardinals, and other officials of the Congregation for the causes of Saints. Other expenses include decorations of the Basilica, Pontifical Mass, Sacred Vestments, and incidental expenses that make for a sizeable bill to the postulator of the cause. For example the final expenses for the canonization by Saint Leo XIII of Saint Anthony Maria Zaccaria and Saint Peter Fourier came to the total of 221,849. 10 Italian lira. When we convert that to the U. S. dollar, the total becomes $42,816. 87 (Beccari, 1907). Conclusion Canonization has long been a tradition in Catholicism that goes all the way back to year 993. The process is a thorough procedure that involves intensive investigation of a nominee and standard they maintained in their Christian and personal life. The requirements are tightly scrutinized, and for good reason, due to the nature of the appointment to saint. A saint is in personal contact with God in heaven; we worship and pray to them. We rely, trust, and place our faith in the pope and Congregation to make the right decision, to allow only the most deserving and most holy to be rewarded with the highest honor the church can bestow upon a human being. The cost is great, but the return on the investment is heavenly.

The Development And Growth Of Capitalism

The Development And Growth Of Capitalism I will look in particular at the works of Max Weber regarding his Protestant Ethic Theory and Karl Marx alternative theories to explain how capitalism came about in Europe. I will first look at the historical background of both theorists and the actual historical events which influenced central Europe during the 19th century. These events such as the industrial revolution are important to understand how capitalistic modes of economic and societal arrangements developed and what were the contributing factors to this development. It is important to also look at the present Modern Capitalism of contemporary society, and compare it to the past to see how capitalism actually developed and expanded, touching the important, often interlinked concept of Globalisation. Modern capitalist society is described as: The expansion of international commerce on a large scale, also the flowering of a large scale industry, the triumph of machinery, and the growing power of the great financial houses. In a word, it is the present day union of all these phenomena which really constitutes modern capitalism. Capitalism is the rational development of capital, commodities and means of production in a network of an interconnected markets. Both Weber and Marx offer valid explanations for how capitalism came about, they base their works on historical references and suggest different theories to explain this phenomena. To create a more clear picture I will also compare the works of other theorists such as Emile Durkheim and Simmel. These will be useful as they will offer alternative approaches and different points of view which can help to understand the main mechanisms which lead to capitalism development. I will conclude by giving my own opinion based on the constructed evidence from various theorists on how Capitalism came about in Europe. I will try to asses what have been the most influential factors that brought to this development in this specific part of the world. Weber Max Weber was a sociologist, he offered a theory which basically seeks to describe Capitalism. This theory is based on the process of Rationalization which Weber believes to be at the roots of Capitalism development. In order to understand Webers Protestant Ethic Theory, it is useful to have a quick look at his family background: Weber was born in a middle class family, his father was a business man and embraced liberal values, described as a man who enjoyed earthly pleasures. On the other hand, Webers Mother appeared to have contrasting ideologies with the husband. She was a strong Calvinist who embraced puritan values and absolutist ideas. While Webers father was the typical image of the capitalist entrepreneur which invested and indulged in the luxuries of life, Webers mother reflected the conservative, minimalist puritan Calvinist spirit. It is no doubt that Weber was thorn between these to views and much of his work is influenced by the discrepancies between his parents. Weber was also interested in how religion influenced identities and values in central Europe. This interest could be linked to his mother strong religious values and how Weber saw a connection between Protestantism and Capitalism. Weber constructed his idea of the Protestant ethic to explain how capitalism came about. He bases his work on the question :Why did Capitalism begin in Western Europe rather than Asia?. He argued that the Protestant religion, among with its branches such as Calvinism, created the perfect ideals and behaviours which helped spread and promote capitalism. And suggested that the existence and development of Protestantism in Western Europe, together with the development of Capitalism in Western Europe were two interlinked events. Weberss therefore describes religion as the core process which brought to capitalism development in Western Europe. Weber used his rationalization theory to compare religions around the world and found that the most rational religious system was Calvinism. He believed other world religions such as Hinduism, Confucianism and Taoism were more irrational and therefore inhibited capitalism development. The nature of Protestantism and Calvinism does actually reflect possible rational behaviours; this is shown in the ideal of predestination which is embedded in Protestants, this means that ones position in society has been decided by a higher authority (God) and therefore individuals should not complain for their position in society. This merged very well with the development of capitalism as the process of industrial revolution in capitalist development involved large amount of property-less labourers which worked for the few rich property owners. While the concept of predestination helped to suggest an explaination for ones position in society, rationalization was manifested in Protestantism by the puritan minimalist ideology. Most protestants were afraid of divine judgement, unable to be forgiven by the priest like catholics, protestants searched for an answer in their behaviour. Many protestants lived minimalist lives to escape from lifes luxuries and therefore behaved in a rational manner by accumulating, working hard and creating wealth to prove to themselves and others that they were predestined to have success and go to heaven. A difficulty in using Webers works to understand capitalism is that his expalinations are very specific to the historical periods that he studied. Because of this it becomes more difficult to compare and place the protestant ethic theory into context with the capitalism of future periods. While the protestant ethic theory might serve an explanation for capitalism development at the time, it is harder to believe of Protestantism development as the driving factor for capitalism. Webers theory acknowledges that culture is therefore the driving factor for economic development and not vice versa. In my opinion Webers explanations are highly specific to particular historical periods and cannot be used to compare and describe capitalism at a later period in time. This is because ethical values and ideas are under constant change and evolve to fit with the contemporary society. More criticism on Webers theory is that capitalism began much earlier in history and that Calvinism alone did not serve in developing economic growth and capitalistic modes of production and consumption. Joseph Schumpeter argues that capitalism began much before the industrial revolution. Italy in the 14th century was composed of many small independent city states like Florence, Milan and Venice and these were the first forms of capitalistic societies which appeared; Through trade and high accumulation of capital these Italian city states represent the first capitalistic modes of economic organisation. Other empirical evidence shows how countries with a relative popular Calvinist religion did not always score high economically and in developing capitalism. For example Scotland and the Netherlands although predominantly Calvinist states, did not develop at the same speed of England or the mainly Catholic state of Belgium. Recent works have shown how Protestantism influenced capitalism not because of the protestant ethics and values, but more so because of the promotion of education and literacy that Protestantism brought in Europe. As capitalism was a process which had already begun before the religious Reformation, it is difficult to imagine that capitalism would not have developed under a Catholic religion. Contemporary empirical evidence shows how capitalism modes can be applied to almost any country disregarding religious differences. The spread of capitalism throughout the world does not need the protestant values in order to be ethically tolerable for people, therefore it is hard to believe that Protestant culture influenced the economy. Rather more plausible is Karl Marxs approach which describes how economical development and growth shapes cultures and values in society. Marx Karl Marx offers us a different approach than Webers which is useful in understanding capitalistic development in Western Europe. Marx was born in a middle class family, he was strongly influenced by Hegel. Unlike Weber, Marx sought to influence the masses rather than the elites of power. His ideas offer a theory of a capitalist society based on the simplistic nature of human beings. He believed that it is in the nature of human beings to be productive in order to survive, provide for themselves and live life. Marx argues that it is only in capitalistic society where the breakdown of human actions becomes so acute and rational that it creates negative effects. Marxs describes the process of Alienation as the crux of the problems with capitalist society. By Alienation he means the process where the worker feels alienated/foreign to his labour. He contrasts how previously workers were in close contact with their costumers and to a fuller part of business experience which supplied more gratifying incentives and values for the worker. Capitalism brought the alienation of the worked as with the industrial revolution masses of people became employed in jobs where producers do not have contact with consumers, therefore creating a dehumanising effect. Marx in the fetishism of commodities describes how the worker is alienated from his product because he no longer owns that product. This shift in ownership from the individual producer to a single individual (boss) who controls the production creates the alienation of the worker. Marx focus was directed more at the individual rather than to culture in understanding capitalism. He believed that economic development shaped culture and that religion was merely an epiphenomenon. The general Marxist view is that of a capitalistic boss which is lazy, tyrannical and demanding. This had a negative influence on the workers which were abused and largely exploited by capitalistic owners which benefited from this mode of production. This can be interpreted as a process of rationalization, this is shown in the way that it is more rational to have mass production instead of individual production. Workers required abilities were reduced and their tasks became more and more simple, repetitive and uniform, leaving most of the benefits of rationalization to the property owners, while negatively affecting the low class workers which were alienated from their labour and society. Simmel Simmel in his works touches what Marx had achieved with his works on alienation. Providing a micro point of view Simmel suggests that the Urbanization of society ( movement of masses from countryside to cities) which began with the industrial revolution, created capitalistic centres for finance, business and trade. This offers a theory which is based on the topic of migration. In my opinion it offers a more plausible explanation than Weber as it analyses broader events such as the industrial revolution and population density shifts which more strongly than religion influenced economys need for rationalization and more efficient modes of production in order to provide for all. The focus of Simmel on individual interactions rather than Weber and Marx preoccupation with large scale issues such as Capitalist Development and Rationalization of society, helped to actually create a broader point of view which stems from the individual to represent the reality of an entire society which is becoming more Blasà ©. This means that individuals, overwhelmed by the large amounts of commodities and stimuli present in urban environments are becoming more unaffected by society and the world around us. Basically it describes a process of increased individualisation where everything has become commoditised and capital is used in almost every relation in our life, making society blasà ©. This blasà © theory finds similarities with Marx theory of alienation. Both describe a problem of individuals relations in a capitalist society where feelings and ethics are given up for greater rationality, calculability and uniformity. These are the negatives of the process of capitalism which is growing more and more in contemporary society. Émile Durkheim Born from a high class background, Durkheim theories of Durkheim developed a theory of individual behaviour. He divided social facts in material and non material facts. Durkheim described non-material social facts such as institutions and culture and material social facts such as bureaucracy and law. In his work the division of labour in society Conclusion Looking at the four theorists which seek to understand capitalism development in Western Europe I have came up with critiques and praises for various theories. I find it hard to support Webers protestant ethic theory as it assumes that cultural development shapes economic development. There is a lot of empirical evidence which suggest that economic development was already running in West Europe under a capitalistic mode of production prior to the religious reformation which brought the rise of Protestantism, Calvinism and other branches. Weber fails to address the importance of migration, urbanization and the increase of rationalization as the main factors for capitalistic development, instead he seeks to find the origins of capitalism in a set of values and ethics belonging only to a section of society. Evidence shows that not always Protestant states dominated economically compared to Catholic states. The origins of capitalism date back to much earlier historical periods and can be explained by Webers theory of rationalization, but the empirical importance on religion in capitalism development is overstated and perhaps a broader view taking into account religion, economic development and rationalization is perhaps more useful. Marx theory of alienation is also useful in understanding capitalism development, indeed the increased rationalization brought by capitalism had a strong influence in workers alienation and in a increase of productivity in exchange for a loss in creativity and lead to the development of a mass production mass consumption system which laid out the foundations for a labour-capital intensive economic system that we call capitalism. Marx focuses on universal ethical values that clash with capitalism, these are Justice, Liberty and Equality, and sees capitalism as the process that undermines these ethical values. Marx solution involves the eventual rebellion of the masses against their capitalist employers, this phenomenon has not happened in most of the capitalist world and it seems that capitalism as we know today is the most Just system that is available today. Marxism perhaps gives too much importance to economic development failing to broaden itself to include cultural development and transformation in society during capitalism development, this cultural development is linked to increased rationalism which is embedded in human nature and the increased individualization of the individual which is a process which greatly influenced the development of capitalism together with economic development and profit maximisation.