Thorn Queen Chapter Eighteen

The village I'd passed earlier was called Marmant, and I had to get directions from Maiwenn's guards to make sure I didn't accidentally take some twisted Otherworldly path in my attempt to return. I rode there with troubled feelings, still replaying the events with Kiyo and trying to decide if our assorted arguments today had qualified as true fights. I soothed myself a little by reaching out and manipulating the air, creating gusts and eddies and attempting to see how big a blast I could make. At one point, I made a scrubby tree bend pretty far, but it tired me out. I had to practice more to sustain true gale-force winds, and lightning still remained out of my grasp. The people of Marmant greeted me with that same mix of fear and awe I had come to expect. Word of the changes being wrought in the land was getting around, so they were grateful and allowing themselves optimism at last. Yet, my fearsome reputation always lurked on the horizon, so they spoke gingerly around me, fearful of enraging the dangerous monarch who had forced this dangerous land upon them. â€Å"How is everything?† I asked, hoping I seemed concerned and nonthreatening. Rather than a mayor, this town had a council of five that made decisions, and they'd invited me inside for a private meeting. They were ordinary-looking men and women-still with that peasant feel so common in the Otherworld-but there was an air of competence around them. â€Å"You've got water and food now?† â€Å"Yes, your majesty,† said a middle-aged woman who seemed to be the speaker of the group. â€Å"Thank you, your majesty.† â€Å"Good. I'm sorry it's been so hard on you. Things should be better now.† There was a brief silence in the group, one heavy with unspoken meaning. I looked from face to face. â€Å"What?† â€Å"We don't want to trouble your majesty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Trouble away. It's what I'm here for.† This got another round of exchanged looks. It was still apparently an odd concept for these people. â€Å"Well,† began the woman, â€Å"near the outskirts of our town's boundaries, there have been some attacks.† â€Å"What kind?† â€Å"Bandits, your majesty.† â€Å"Son of a bitch,† I said. We'd known the group had moved, but they'd been quiet thus far, allowing me to hope I could take Kiyo up on his offer and deal with them before they caused more trouble. â€Å"We actually have many fighters and strong magic users,† she said with some pride. â€Å"But we could not stand against their monsters.† â€Å"You mean demons.† She gave a nervous nod. â€Å"Son of a bitch,† I said again. This had to be dealt with, and at this point, I really was willing to be a bastard and hold a gun to Jasmine's head. â€Å"Don't worry. They're going to be taken care of. Soon. Very soon.† The woman looked startled at the menacing tone in my voice, but her words were grateful. â€Å"Thank you, your majesty.† â€Å"Anything else I should know about?† This time, it was a man who spoke up. â€Å"We don't want to trouble you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I groaned. â€Å"Just tell me what it is.† â€Å"We heard your majesty has been seeking missing girls.† I straightened up. â€Å"Yes. What about it?† â€Å"One of ours disappeared two days ago. My neighbor's daughter, Markelle.† A small, wry smile crossed his lips. â€Å"She's a wild one, often wandering off where she shouldn't. But she hasn't come back†¦and she always does†¦.† I felt my fists clenching and forcibly relaxed them. I didn't need to scare these people any further. â€Å"Aside from the bandits, have you seen anyone else lurking around? Humans, maybe?† He seemed even more afraid to discuss this topic. â€Å"We see humans sometimes, your majesty.† I think he thought mentioning my own kind would anger me. â€Å"It's not uncommon. Often there are humans who†¦ah, give chase to some of the denizens of this world.† Shamans like me, he meant. â€Å"Usually, they leave us alone once they've found their quarry.† I thought back to Jasmine. â€Å"Any soldiers or warriors of the gent-shining ones?† â€Å"Occasionally. I presume they're deserters from King Aeson.† Not a bad theory, actually. â€Å"But we see none of them regularly. There's no one in particular who keeps returning.† I leaned forward, some part of me feeling like everything was about to fall together. â€Å"But there is a human you keep seeing, isn't there? Especially since the girls began disappearing?† He nodded. It was here. Everything was here. â€Å"A man, right? A man with a red snake tattoo?† â€Å"No, your majesty.† â€Å"I-what?† I froze for a moment. â€Å"Then who?† â€Å"A woman, your majesty. A woman with graying hair that she wears in a long braid.† I stared at him for several seconds, and then I laughed. This seemed to scare them all more than if I had burst into a rage. â€Å"Abigail,† I said at last, more to myself than them. â€Å"Your majesty?† I waved a hand at them. â€Å"Never mind.† Abigail. Fucking Abigail and Art. Working together to†¦what? Abduct gentry girls? But why? I'd toyed with the idea of Art as some kind of sick rapist, but where did Abigail fit in with this? Surely that would hold no interest for her. With a sigh, I pushed the questions to a small box in my mind, needing to wrap this up and get back to the human world. I needed to have that talk with Roland. â€Å"Anything else going on I need to know about? You've got copper nearby, right?† Finding water and food was naturally essential, but it was copper that was going to truly change things in the Thorn Land. It was what all our trade agreements were being based on. â€Å"How's the extraction going?† â€Å"Slowly until today, your majesty,† the woman admitted. â€Å"Our magic users are skilled in many things, but we have few who can work with metal. Much of our labor has been manual.† I frowned. â€Å"Why did things change today?† â€Å"Why,† she said in surprise, â€Å"because you sent the Oak King to us.† â€Å"The Oak-wait. You mean Dorian?† I exclaimed. â€Å"He's not here now, is he?† They were all clearly surprised at my surprise. â€Å"Yes, your majesty,† said the guy who'd spoken earlier. â€Å"He's out with the workers now. I thought you knew.† I stood up, still full of shock. â€Å"I have to see him. Excuse me.† They all murmured polite farewells and nearly knocked each other over with bows. I didn't stick around to return the formality. Instead, I headed back out into the bright afternoon sun, lightly jogging to where I'd seen the workers on the far side of the village. At first, I saw no indication of Dorian. Men and a few women were digging diligently, sweat rolling down their faces. Then, suddenly, I heard a slight rumbling, and the ground trembled. Huge chunks of rock rose from the earth, a few of them glinting in the sunlight. They lifted in a cluster and then slowly drifted off to the side of the work site, gently coming to rest on a pile of similar stones. Turning, I looked to the opposite side of the area and finally found Dorian, his hands moving in the air as he guided the ore. His clothes were simple today, but that hair burned and rippled in the sunshine like liquid fire. His face was filled with concentration as he watched the rocks, but once they'd come to a halt, he broke into a smile as he strode forward. â€Å"My lady Thorn Queen, what a delight.† I let him kiss my hand for the sake of appearances-seriously, why were the gentry so into that?-and then pulled him out of earshot of the others. â€Å"What the hell are you doing here?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Why, retrieving my copper.† â€Å"That's not what I mean!† He shrugged and wiped sweat off his brow. His devil-may-care expression aside, it was clear he was tired. I grabbed hold of his arm and led him back toward the town. â€Å"Come on, get something to drink before you get dehydrated. And start explaining.† â€Å"I heard there was some difficulty with your copper, and I decided to come help, seeing as it benefits me too. My sword is in need of replacement, you know-and that's not a metaphor. The metaphorical one is just fine. Besides, you don't honestly think I can let you take all the glory as being the most helpful monarch around, do you? You're making us all look bad.† â€Å"Dorian,† I groaned. Because there was really no other response. If people had fallen all over me when I arrived, the two of us together created quite the stir. Again, I was reminded of some celebrity tabloid couple. We returned to the council hall, at which point I used my queenly authority to get some privacy and some refreshment. It was a bit startling to see how quickly my orders were obeyed. Once we were alone and Dorian was sprawled in a chair, I truly got a good look at just how exhausted he was. â€Å"How long have you been out there doing this?† I asked, pouring him water from a pitcher. â€Å"Most of the day. And I'll take the wine, my dear.† He nodded toward a nearby decanter. â€Å"It'll dehydrate you further,† I scolded, handing him the cup of water. He scowled but drank it down eagerly. I watched him, still perplexed. â€Å"But why? You don't need the copper that badly.† â€Å"Perhaps not. But you do.† He finished the water, and I gave him a refill. â€Å"Thank you. Waited on by a queen-truly the dream of many a man.† I pulled over a chair of my own. â€Å"You didn't need to do it,† I protested. â€Å"You've practically killed yourself.† â€Å"Hardly. Give me and my stamina some credit.† â€Å"I still don't get it.† He finished this cup too and then gave me a look that was both exasperated and amused. â€Å"Eugenie, why do you keep having such a hard time believing I'd do things for you?† There was earnestness in his voice, and I realized we kept having this conversation over and over. Out of everyone in my life lately, it seemed like he was the only reliable one. â€Å"I don't know why. I'm sorry. I just run into few people who give something for nothing. Mining isn't going to get me into your bed.† â€Å"Well,† he said cheerfully, â€Å"nobody knows that for sure, but even if not? It doesn't matter. You need it. It makes you happy. End of story.† I looked away. Dorian truly was my friend. â€Å"Thank you. It does make me happy. One less thing in a sea of problems today.† He handed me the cup. â€Å"Get me wine this time, and tell me what your problems are. You can even sit on my lap.† â€Å"No thanks,† I said, but I did get him the wine. â€Å"I saw you and the kitsune pass earlier, actually. Is that part of your problem?† He answered his own question. â€Å"Yes, yes. Of course it is.† I was a bit surprised to hear myself pouring my thoughts out to him again. I didn't even have the excuse of being drunk this time. â€Å"I saw the baby today.† â€Å"Cute?† â€Å"Very. And it just made me feel†¦I don't know. Kiyo thinks it's jealousy, but it's more than that. I just can't explain it.† â€Å"Kind of a questioning of your own life and the choices-or lack thereof-before you?† I looked up, startled, and met his eyes. They were unusually serious. â€Å"Yes, exactly.† Dorian remained silent, and I found myself rambling more. â€Å"He's having a hard time getting all of it lately-the magic, the girls, the demons†¦he doesn't like me spending time over here. Neither does Roland.† I couldn't help a smile. â€Å"Hell, neither do I. But†¦I have to. I have to put things right around here.† â€Å"I know you do,† he said, face serious. â€Å"Dorian†¦what would happen if I got a crown?† This made him a smile a little. â€Å"It would make you look even more beautiful.† â€Å"No, I'm serious. Kiyo says it's a bad idea. That it would make all this real.† â€Å"It's already about as real as it's going to get, my dear.† â€Å"That's what I told him! But I don't get the big deal. You never wear a crown.† â€Å"Not often. But I have one, and I was crowned and all my people swore fealty to me. That's what a crown would lead to. You want one for ornamentation? Sure, that's easy. But put one on and walk out among your people-especially in a city like Highmore-and say, ‘This is who I am, I am your queen†¦' Well, that's what the kitsune fears. You're already queen. No crown can affect that. But you accepting one and declaring your authority is when you truly believe you're a queen. And as far as Kiyo is concerned, that's where the danger is.† â€Å"Wow,† I said, nearly as surprised to have such a thorough explanation from him as I was by the content itself. â€Å"Are you afraid of it?† He snorted. â€Å"Hardly. I don't need a crown to know you're a queen. It radiates off of you. But I would like for you to know you're a queen.† If dealing with all the crap I had on my plate didn't make me think I was a queen, then I didn't really know what else would. I let the crown issue go and instead recapped my latest intel about the bandits and Abigail. â€Å"I can't figure out her role here. You mentioned before that Art's motives would be†¦uh, understandable. But why her? Unless she's just enough of a pal to help him score some gentry action.† Dorian was still in his pensive mode. He'd poured himself yet another glass of wine and handed me one too that I sipped sparingly. â€Å"Let me ask you this. Why do men of the shining ones so often abduct your women?† â€Å"Easy,† I returned. â€Å"Because we're more fertile. You guys might have sex in public, but it doesn't usually result in anything. A guy who wants a kid has better luck with a human.† Dorian nodded. I had a feeling he'd already made some leap of logic and was prompting me here to figure it out myself. â€Å"And what about humans? Are you hoping for children each time you make love?† I laughed, thinking of my stock of condoms and birth control pills. â€Å"Hardly. We go to a lot of trouble not to. Too easy for us.† He leaned toward me, green eyes shrewd. â€Å"Then think about it. You understand why we would want humans. Why would humans want us?† I studied him, trying to catch up to what he'd already thought of. A few moments later, I got it. â€Å"Because you'd fulfill the opposite need. A human could have sex with a gentry girl and not worry too much about her getting pregnant. Or getting a disease.† Gentry were healthier than us in that regard. It seemed to go along with them having such long life spans- â€Å"Oh God. That would be part of it.† The more I followed his logic, the clearer and clearer it became. â€Å"You guys live longer. Gentry girls would stay young and beautiful for a long time†¦.† The horror of it was setting in. Until that moment, I had thought there were few sexual crimes worse than gentry guys consistently trying to rape me to get me pregnant. As shocking as it seemed, I was wrong. If this were true†¦if this idea that Dorian was suggesting was true†¦well. That was worse. Gentry girls taken because they were the ideal sexual partners: young, disease resistant, hard to get pregnant-even with a human. I almost laughed. It was like Tim's poem about the maiden who'd come from another world, whose beauty and youth were so great that mortal men had coveted her. The question was, how did the gentry girls feel about this role? A lot of girls wanting to get pregnant might wholeheartedly embrace human lovers-literally and figuratively. But Moria's traumatized state suggested her stint with Art hadn't been welcome†¦ I stood up and rubbed my eyes. â€Å"Oh God,† I repeated. â€Å"The stuff†¦all the stuff†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?† asked Dorian, understandably confused. Dropping my hands, I looked back at him. â€Å"These shamans, Abigail and Art. They live well. They have more possessions†¦nicer things than they should for the jobs they have.† Art's giant house in an upper-class neighborhood. The shiny SUV. Abigail's luxurious-albeit messy-apartment. Her extensive jewelry collection. â€Å"I don't know how, but they're making money off it. Off these girls.† I slumped against the wall. â€Å"And I don't know what to do about it.† Dorian rose and came to stand by me. â€Å"You'll stop them.† I shook my head. â€Å"It's not that simple. Art was right-there's no shaman council. I can't report them to anyone, certainly not human authorities. There's no accountability, no laws that apply here.† â€Å"They're breaking your laws,† he said, leaning toward me. â€Å"Therefore you have every right to stop them. Treat them as you would any other criminal in your land. Kill them.† â€Å"I can't!† I exclaimed. â€Å"I'd have to actually catch them here, and so far I haven't been able to. And I'm certainly not going to go to Texas and kill them there.† â€Å"Why not? If a murderer from my kingdom killed someone in yours, I wouldn't bat an eye if you came to slay him.† â€Å"It's different. They're†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Human?† I hated to admit, but yes, there it was. I had chased Otherworldly monsters from my world back to this one and never hesitated to kill them or banish them directly to the Underworld. But somehow, the thought of intentionally tracking humans and killing them†¦ I didn't need to voice my answer for Dorian to understand. Exasperation flared on his face, this time mixed with†¦anger. â€Å"Damn it, Eugenie. You just told me you had to put things right! Which is it? Or does it only depend on what's easy at any given time? What your mood is? Who you like better that day?† â€Å"It's not that easy!† I exclaimed. â€Å"You don't understand. You can't understand. I'm caught between two worlds here, with two sets of loyalties. I've spent my entire life being human-being part of that world. You can't expect me to throw all that away and betray my own kind.† He opened his mouth to retort and was interrupted by a faint roll of thunder. Whatever words he'd been about to utter disappeared, and he laughed. â€Å"Do you hear that? That's you, Eugenie. Your anger.† I shook my head. â€Å"I can't control thunder and lightning yet.† â€Å"Not control, no. But you can summon it unconsciously. Do you think there's anything in this land that isn't tied to you?† He gestured around us. â€Å"All these people here†¦all the people in this village looking at you with adoring eyes†¦they are your own kind too. This is what I meant when I said you're the only one who doesn't seem to realize you're a queen yet! All these people are looking to you to protect them and do what's right. If you can't do that, then you might as well back off and do what the kitsune and your stepfather want you to do.† â€Å"Dorian, I can't kill in cold blood!† He gripped me by the arms, voice calm but infused with anger. â€Å"You can do whatever it is you have to do! You are a queen. Forget all this talk about Storm King's grandson. Right now, you are his heir. You are on the verge of becoming one of the most powerful rulers in this world, which means you don't have the luxury of being squeamish. You can rule with love, but you have to rule with ruthlessness too. You are going to go down in history, Eugenie, as one of the greatest monarchs we have ever seen. And it is going to start with this-this wrong that you're going to right. If you can't do it, if you can't stop those who are hurting your people, then you might as well stop the rest of this charade. Go out there and tell those people you can't do anything for them, that you can't feed them or protect them because they aren't your kind and aren't worth bloodying your hands for!† He was shouting now, breathing heavily. I stared at him, eyes wide, filled with a little of that fear I always got when his temper rose. Moments like these reminded me of just how powerful Dorian was physically and magically. His lazy, lean appearance was deceptive; I'd seen him fight. Between that and the power he wielded, I hoped there would never come a day when we were truly antagonists. Outside, I heard thunder again. It took me several seconds to muster an answer, and when I spoke, my voice was very small. â€Å"I can't,† I said. â€Å"I can't tell them that.† â€Å"I know you can't,† he whispered. And then, still gripping me, he leaned down and kissed me. More astonishingly, I kissed him back. It seemed like all the emotions that had consumed me recently-all the rage and confusion-were poured into that kiss. My teeth bit against his lips, and when he shoved me against the wall, I welcomed the brief pain. Our hands were all over each other as we kissed, mine running the length of his body while his more aggressively hiked up the dress I'd earlier regretted wearing. In a matter of seconds, it was pushed over my hips, leaving my legs bare. With one hand still holding the skirt up, his other pushed between my thighs, slipping underneath the thong I'd put on this morning in the hopes of getting intimate with Kiyo. Those clever fingers slid into me, stoking a wetness I hadn't thought could come on so fast. My small exclamation was muffled in his crushing kiss as he alternately thrust his fingers into me and pulled out to tease and dance with my clit. It was the latter he eventually settled on, circling and stroking as heat built between my legs and made all my muscles tense up. Then, the burning flood of sensation exploded, and I came with another cry that his kiss smothered, a cry that faded into a moan as my body trembled and spasmed from the shock waves of heat and electricity still shooting through me from his touch. My orgasm created no pause in the action, though. The hand that had just brought me such pleasure moved from between my legs to his pants as he began to unfasten them. His mouth finally left mine, moving on to my neck, his kisses hot and fierce. He shoved his pants down, and I felt him against me, hard and ready as he pressed his hips to mine. My hands were tangled in his hair as I tilted my head back to receive his kisses, but his hands, busy as always, were prying off my underwear. The reality of what was happening sank in. â€Å"Wait†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I murmured, lost as his mouth bit against my skin. â€Å"No, we can't†¦I can't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You can,† he breathed in my ear. â€Å"Let me†¦let me do it. Let me bury myself in you. Let me spread your legs and take you like I did before. We are gods in this world, Eugenie, with no other lovers who are our equals. No others who are worthy of this joining.† The thong was on the ground now, and I could feel his erection pressed against my skin, so, so close to sliding in and doing all the things he promised. He rested his hands under my thighs and hoisted me up against the wall so that my legs wrapped around his hips. â€Å"Dorian†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I gasped. â€Å"I'm with Kiyo†¦.† â€Å"So? You're a queen. Do you think you can't have as many lovers as you like?† â€Å"It's†¦it's wrong. We can't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We can,† he said, voice low and full of promise. â€Å"And when we do, this land will be reborn†¦.† Afterward, I would never be entirely sure if I would have let him do it. I like to think I would have stopped him. I was in love with Kiyo, after all, and loyal to him. Surely I would have said no and shoved Dorian aside. I wasn't in love with him†¦or was I? In those moments before we'd kissed, I'd felt like he truly got me and understood the things in my head. I think I'd probably loved him since around the time we'd met; I certainly never lost the attraction. Still, that didn't make cheating on Kiyo right. Whatever decision I would have made was taken from me when there was a knock at the door. I jerked away from Dorian and hastily shoved my skirt down. He more casually turned away to pull his pants back up, seeming in no particular hurry. The door opened, and the lead councilwoman stuck her head in. Even with Dorian's back to her and me dressed, it had to have been obvious what was going on-particularly with my underwear on the floor. If she found it shocking, though, she didn't show it, and I recalled how free the gentry were in public. â€Å"Your majesties,† she said politely, â€Å"there's a storm coming in, and the workers were wondering what the Oak King wanted to do.† Dorian, decent once more, turned around and gave her a laconic, charming smile. â€Å"A storm? Really? How truly unexpected. Well, tell them to bring as much of the ore as they can into storage before the rain and cover the rest up. I'll come check on it in a moment since I have a feeling the Thorn Queen is about to depart with some haste.† The woman gave a quick curtsey and shut the door once more. â€Å"You're right,† I said, jerking my thong back on. â€Å"I'm leaving.† â€Å"Yes,† he agreed, still smiling. â€Å"Because that's your normal course of action when something happens that you don't know how to process.† â€Å"That's the thing,† I growled. â€Å"Nothing happened here, okay? None of this did.† His eyebrows rose. â€Å"Really? Because I could have sworn that something happened when my hand was between your-â€Å" â€Å"No!† I would have approached him with clenched fists to drive home my threat but was afraid of what would happen if I was close to him again. â€Å"This didn't happen. This was anger and confusion and me in a weak place, okay? I appreciate what you've done here with the copper-really. And for the advice on the girls. But that's it.† I turned, not wanting to look into those green eyes or see that smirk anymore. I didn't want to admit that loving two men was just like the rest of my life, ripped into two worlds. I needed to get out of here and get back home-though I wasn't sure which home I meant. Dorian didn't try to stop me, but his voice rang out after me as I hurried out and rain began to fall outside. â€Å"Don't forget what I said, Eugenie. Crown or not, you are a queen, so don't be afraid to do what you have to do. Love and ruthlessness. Those are the keys.†

Evaluate the part played in Macbeth by the supernatural Essay

By consideration to the text, evaluate the part played in ‘Macbeth’ by the supernatural, in its various manifestations Lady Macbeth, sleep-walks. How does Macbeth relate to an owl and king Duncan to a falcon? So how can an owl kill a falcon? Banquo is dead but Macbeth’s imagination is taking over to make him think that he’s a ghost sitting there. The witches’ apparitions, that they say and do are in Macbeths favour. The armed head: Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth Beware Macduff. The bloody child: None of woman born shall harm Macbeth. The crowned child: Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him. Later on in the play the supernatural turn against him. The witches can stop people sleeping. The witches can predict the future. The supernatural for example the owls are presented as deadlines, crickets and beetles mean death or evil. At the start of the play act 1 scene 1 where the witches hover through the fog and filthy air. The witches don’t really hover it’s the words that do the moving and the other factor that makes this work is that the audience believes in witches and the supernatural. In act 5 when Malcolm comes to attack the Scottish castle, they use branches from Birnam wood, as a camouflage to disguise the numbers of the English army and that goes with the witches’ apparitions. The witches knew this would happen but they only told Macbeth only a part of it, but when he thought about it, he thought they would never happen. With this camouflage Macbeth will probably be scared. It would have been staged by Macbeth and six or seven soldiers with branches in front of him. Supernatural means something that you can’t prove, things to do with spirits. The supernatural characters are evil. They are the witches and ghosts. The witches connect Macbeth to the force of evil. Where the place? Upon the heath. There to meet with Macbeth. The witches are old women that have supernatural powers, they speak in opposites and they rhyme when they talk compared to the other characters they will be welcome and unwelcome. They cast spells on Macbeth and Banquo to stop them sleeping. Like with lady Macbeth to sleepwalking and Macbeth seeing things for example seeing the knife above his head when he is about to assassinate King Duncan. The witches connect to Macbeth through his mind as his so called ‘conscience’ but in the play anyone who works with the witches, has no conscience. Macbeth believes in them but Banquo thinks they are imperfect speakers. Banquo also says that he cannot sleep because he has nightmares. I would not sleep; merciful powers, restrain in me the cursed thoughts. When they get the three predictions Macbeth gets very good ones and Banquo’s were ok but confusing because they speak in opposites, lesser than Macbeth yet much greater. Not so happy yet much happier. Thou shalt get kings though thou shall be none. The ghosts appear after Macbeth sends out his murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. The murderers kill Banquo with twenty gashes on his head but Fleance escapes. In the banqueting scene, Banquo is a ghost pictured with twenty gashes on his head, but he probably only had about five or six gashes and only Macbeth could see him. Were the graced person of our Banquo present, who may I rather challenge for unkindness. Than pity for mischance. But it was all his imagination, Shakespeare would have shown it by having someone backstage, saying the lines of Banquo and the audience would think they were hearing Banquo the ghost too. They appear because Macbeth’s imagination was taking over his mind, and all it seemed that all he would think about was the witches and him being king. Because once he killed Duncan he wanted to carry on killing. And he killed Banquo and tried to kill Fleance because the witches said, Banquo would have got kings but not been one himself. I think that Macbeth has a lot of interaction with the witches, as he believes that they are good, he wants to know what they talk about and that they know the future, with the predictions and the apparitions. But most of the other characters think its something ill or sick going on with the witches and that they are bad things. So they don’t want to try and connect with them because bad things may happen. Lady Macbeth doesn’t see any of the witches or ghosts but she tries to link up with the supernatural spirits, through the light and dark, so she can be powerful with Macbeth, to be the King and Queen of Scotland. She links up to them by sleep-walking in the dark and she kept seeing the blood on her hands from King Duncan’s death. She couldn’t get the blood off and she walked with a candle, rich people did this because candles were very expensive then, just in case she woke up. What need we fear? Who knows it, when none can call all our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have so much blood in him? Will these hands ne’er be clean? I think Shakespeare puts the supernatural in the play to make it more realistic, in the times he was writing plays and to make them more exciting to watch and listen to. It would be very boring without the supernatural – the witches and ghosts because the play sounds better with weird things happening because the audience tries to figure out what has happened or what is about to happen and what they are trying to say. At the globe the supernatural was probably staged as something freaky happening. But the words would have described the things happening with little actions and the audience having their imaginations take over making them think about what is happening. The play without the supernatural would be something like: a soldier who likes power and has a sidekick, does very well in a battle, gets a higher ranking and lives the rest of his life this way. The witches make him think about being king so he wouldn’t have had the thought and he wouldn’t have killed King Duncan and had all those hallucinations, Banquo wouldn’t have been killed because in the three predictions they might not have said Banquo would have kings and they would have carried on being friends. It would have been a play that anyone could make up and would be quite bad. So having the supernatural improves the play and makes it very good.

John Locke Paper Essay

Throughout the 17th century, John Locke presented society with his teachings and theories that clarified the order of natural law and fulfilled humanity’s divine purpose for living. It all began in 1647, as a young boy when he attended the prestigious Westminster School in London under the sponsorship of Alexander Popham. During his years at the Westminster School, he found the work of modern philosophers more interesting than the material being taught at the university. Much of Locke’s influence and later work was characterized by opposition to authoritarianism, which focused on both the level of the individual person and on the level of institutions such as government and church. Locke wanted each of us to use reason to search after truth rather than simply accept the opinion of authorities or be subject to superstition. He wanted us to proportion go along with the proposition to the evidence for them. Locke came to the conclusion that there must be a balance and mutual understanding between individuality and social institutions where society will not feel suppressed under man made law and restrictions. John Locke believed that all knowledge comes from experience. Experience is composed of two parts: external and internal. External experiences are ideas of supposed external objects. These objects enter our minds through sensation. Examples of sensations would be hot, cold, red, yellow, hard, soft, sweet and bitter. Internal experiences are reflections that make us understand the operation on the objects of sensation. Examples of reflections are thinking, willing, believing, doubting, affirming, denying, and comparing. Once again Locke goes back to his foundation of principles by reaffirming that in order to achieve success and sensation there must be a working relationship between individual goals and the law of society. Sensation and reflection are called the two fountains of knowledge. All of our ideas we can naturally have or have so already come from these two experiences. Sensible qualities convey into the mind, and they produce most of the perceptions and most of the great sources of ideas we have. Sensation and reflection differ from each other because sensation is what happens outside the body, and reflection has to do what happens inside the body with our mind. Also reflection has to do with the ideas it affords being such only as the mind gets by reflecting on its own operations within itself, the mind takes over its own operations and the manner of them. Besides having sensible qualities one also contains primary and secondary qualities. Locke explains that these qualities are two kinds of properties that an object could have. Primary qualities contain solidity, figure, extension, motion and number. They are properties that are objective and independent on senses. On the other hand, secondary qualities consist of color, smell, taste, sound and touch. They are properties that are subjectively perceived. In Locke’s, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, he states, â€Å"sensible qualities; which, whatever reality we by mistake attribute to them, are in truth nothing in the objects themselves, but powers to produce various sensations in us†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (John Locke, 77). In other words, secondary qualities are dependent on the primary qualities. According to Locke, ideas are anything that is â€Å"the immediate object of perception, thought, or understanding† (William Lawhead, 91). Locke states that sensation and reflection are classified as simple and complex ideas. Simple ideas are red, yellow, hard, soft, etc and for example, you touch an ice cube, your mind is telling you its cold and it’s hard, you learn that from experience. Locke believed that the mind cannot know an inexperienced idea or create a new simple idea. Although the mind cannot create simple ideas, it can process them into complex ideas. Complex ideas are made up of several simple ideas, such as beauty, gratitude, a man, an army, the universe. Complex ideas are also broken down into three parts: ideas of substance which is a constant collection of simple ideas, ideas of mode which is a combination of several ideas, which form a mode, like a triangle, last but not least ideas of relationship, which is a comparison of one idea to another. From experience it goes to sensation and reflection, and those are based on simple ideas and that’s all contained in the passive mind, after simple ideas it goes to complex ideas and that’s located in the active mind. Overall in Locke’s theory he uses epistemological dualism, which is the mind that consists of knowing and its ideas. He also states the object in the external world is known by ideas, and our ideas represent those objects. After researching about Locke’s theory of knowledge I would have to agree with what he has stated. Locke states that you go through an internal and external experience and I feel that today’s youth do go through the motions of the internal and external experiences. As a result the youth are able to gain the knowledge from those experiences by allowing the mind to willingly accept these new ideas. For example, when I was younger I put my hand near a hot stove and from the heat irritating and pressuring my hand my mind told me it was a negative stimuli and it was essential to remove my hand from the stove and to keep that memory as a basic instinct. Society goes through experiences throughout life of internal and external and eventually gains knowledge through these experiences. John Locke also stated that the mind does all the knowing and its ideas are known. I agree with what he is saying because your mind is always working, it’s always active, we receive ideas internally through our mind and we receive ideas from the outside that goes into our mind. The balance is necessary between internal and external factors to keep society and individuals stable and yet progressive to adapt to new changes that rise up.

SWAT Team Exercise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

SWAT Team Exercise - Assignment Example Keywords: satellite, maps, SWAT, Google, information, law, features. SWAT Team Exercise Part I: Assessment Figure 1: Satellite Map of the Target Residence 1. How many stories does the residence have? The residence appears to have one story. 2. What direction is the residence facing? B. North 3. Are there any residence located near the target location? A. Yes Describe the residences In figure 1, the first residence appears to be a two-story residence located east of the target location and it has white walls with a grey roof top. It has the main Forest Road passing in front of its large compound that has no fence, but at its backyard, it has trees surrounding it. The residence has no vehicles in its compound. In figure 1, the second residence is a one-story residence that has a football pitch size field with a commercial garage located south of the target location. There are vehicles including trucks, pick-ups and saloon cars at what appears to be a garage. There is a narrow access ro ad to this garage from left that leads to the main Forest Road. In figure 1, the third residence is a one-story residence located northwest of the target location near the main Forest Road. It has no fence, but has scattered dry trees everywhere in the compound. The color of the roof of the house is dark grey with black shadings. The residence has no vehicles in its compound. In figure 1, the fourth residence is located southwest of the target location. The residence has no fence, but has dry trees with a distinct green tree in its compound just beside the main residence. The residence is small with a grey roof. Beside the residence on its left there is a small house that looks like it is under construction with a white car besides it. Beside the residence on its right there is a blue structure bordering the target location. 4. Where are these residence located? E. In figure 1, there are four residential houses. One residence is located northwest of the target location bordering the main Forest Road, while the other residence is located southwest of the target location bordering the main Forest Road. The other residence is located east of the target location bordering the main Forest Road. The last residence is located south of the target location with narrow access road. 5. Does the residence have a fenced backyard? A. Yes 6. Are there any odd or unique entities about the backyard worth noting? (Example are swimming pool, a lot of trash in the yard, vehicles in the yard). In figure 1, the targeted residence has entities in the backyard worth noting. These are described as follow. In front of the garage, there is a red car parked in the driveway in front of a black car. Right of the red car about one meter, there appears to be a small green garden mower. Behind the black car, there appears to be a garage which is in close proximity with the servant’s quarter to its right. On the right of the servant’s quarters, there is a small garden with a whit e fence. About two meters from the servant’s quarter to the right, there is what appears to look like a dog’s kernel. Further to the right about three meters, there appears to be a slightly bigger garden. In the middle of the compound at the backyard, there is a circular concrete structure with about three small monuments. Part II: Narrative Introduction Crime analysis and mapping in law

Venice Biennale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Venice Biennale - Essay Example   Antonio Fradeletto was selected General Secretary and grew to become probably the most persuasive people of the time period. Owing to his diplomatic talent he was associated with the choice of the performers, the set-up of the expedition, and eventually the development of the international pavilions.The Venice Architecture Biennale is the world's grandest festivity and display of the model of structures. Which, as architecture is either an art or a business, signifies it hovers between becoming an ethnic festival as well as a business fair. And also, as architects will surely have an extremely high understanding of the significance of their work, their displays can together appear like a collection of contending pitches in the exchanging of opponent varieties of genius. Consecutive admins of the biennale – another one is approved every time – are aware of this. The portion of their task is to put a style for the entire event, which is fundamentally a huge list of ex positions and debates, so they want to devise ones which emphasize that architects are not at all times egomaniacs, but they really possess an important duty to wider and flourishing culture. "Less Appearance, More Ethics" was the authorized title tag a few years back in the past. (Crow, 1996) It had been "People Meet in Architecture" in the year 2010. It really is, and constantly, huge. The part uses up the 16th-century corderie of the ammunition dump of the Venetian republic, great rope-making events hundreds of meters extended.   

Assess the impact of Multi- (or Trans-) National Corporations on Essay

Assess the impact of Multi- (or Trans-) National Corporations on international relations. Illustrate your points with examples from the activities of named corp - Essay Example Different markets have welcomes the move taken by such multinational giants but some of them have resisted the affect which has been created by them. Such is the eventual effect by these multinational corporations that many local businesses have winded up in a quick manner, thus putting them out of business in the wake of sheer competitive activity that these multinationals bring with their set agendas. The impact however has been on both sides of the divide – good as well as bad. The results have similarly been lopsided at times, favoring the business regimes in certain cases while bankrupting the parent organization in other instances. The sort of impact these multinational corporations have had on the global relations is something to ponder upon deeply though. This is because it is the international platform which indeed lays the success or failure basis for these multinationals. (Dunning, 2001) The multinational corporations worldwide face a number of challenges when they decide to go global. This is a common problem that they face since they do not have any prior knowledge or understanding of the new territory that they will do their business from. However what best they can do is to find out and research the strengths and weaknesses of this area and hence upon getting the much needed knowledge, base their theories and strategies in a much more effective and efficient manner. This will help one and all to better understand what the new territory, region or country offers the business and the people associated with it. The best thing is that the benefits and disadvantages are determined even before the multinational corporation goes the global way and thus it saves itself from embarrassment which it might face without having proper knowledge and adequate research within it. The significant thing here is to get prepared and be ready for what is to come in the future as

Policy memo to the President on Sino-American relationships Essay

Policy memo to the President on Sino-American relationships - Essay Example One of the greatest challenges facing the US is possibility of nuclear attacks from defiant North Korea and similar attacks on US allies such as South Korea and Japan. The United States bilateral partnerships with East Asia nations like Japan aim at defending such nations in case of military confrontation from hostile neighbors (Shambaugh, 2013). Another challenge facing the US in East Asia is the increased integration and cooperation of East Asia countries in trade and formation of regional economic blocs that determine the trade flows in the region (Lin & Roy, 2010). The rise of China as an economic and military power has dwindled the influence of United States in geopolitical issues affecting East Asia. China has the potential to influence East Asia trading activities and determine the capacity of the US to find strategic partners and allies in the region (Shambaugh, 2013). Nationalism, unresolved historical issues and territorial borders is another challenge that limits the abili ty of the US to interfere with East Asia issues (Lin & Roy, 2010). Territorial border tensions have fueled military confrontation and led to high military build-up and spending by some East Asia nations thus limiting their capability to focus on trade and investment spending. In this case, the US must use a careful and diplomatic approach in its comments relating to territorial disputes in order to avoid diplomatic tensions in the region (Shambaugh, 2013).

The expectation of fear Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The expectation of fear - Essay Example An in depth analysis of the essence of watching movies and reading articles that encompass creative violence is thus essential. To begin with, Rose (2011) notes that since the emergence of reading as a culture, and with the modern technological development of the internet, children have access to movies and video games whose contents can only be described as horrific, and which are quite immersive to the extent that after watching them elicit mixed reactions, that of excitement and fear. Jones gives an example of Oliver Twist’s achievement through increased readership of his works, having been made more accessible by developments in the print. While Jones notes that the upper class were not quick with embracing serialization as a means of enhancing the thrill in novels and thus increased entertainment among children, there existed a polite society that embraced it. Jones posits that watching violent media is critical to personality identification among children. While giving an example of himself of how watching Marvel comics formed the foundation for his true identity as a writer, who then became one of the greatest script writers, he observes that the move helped him in unlocking his potential and enabled him to overcome his fears and pursue his fantasies, which finally led to his career. Based on this argument, he discredits the claim by some critics that the recent gun-drama observed in schools across America is not as a result of violence media. He notes that ‘even the trashiest pop-culture story can have its own developmental function.’ He posits that just the mere pretension of possession of superhuman powers by a child plays a critical role in helping them overcome the feeling of incapability that hovers in the minds of children. He further notes that the dual nature of most characters playing superhero roles is healthy fo r children in creating a state of harmony between their innate feelings and

Should there be legislation for equal pay be for both men and women in Research Paper

Should there be legislation for equal pay be for both men and women in the same job - Research Paper Example These encompass long held theories regarding the female gender, sex discrimination and in some occasions hypotheses regarding women’s incompetence (Coolidge 9). However, the female gender has waged defense the on basis of huge their labor that goes unpaid and unnoticed besides meager remuneration in their respective workplace (Coolidge 9). Studies contend an average female loses an approximate $420,000 in her life (Coolidge 9). This does not comprise unrecognized household chores and childbearing matter that has prompted women to lag behind in their careers (Coolidge 9). A. Women ought to receive similar remuneration considerations with men (Coolidge 9). This is regardless of either former or present notions, which corporations, states’ regimes, men and society may be holding against them. Since, their contribution is similar to that of men except in various situations whereby nature exempts them from being active, for instance pregnancy. B. There should be no equal rem uneration amid the two genders. This is due to unequal contribution in the same job capacity despite the two genders having the same education or expertise. Mainly, women tend to be slow, reluctant, and not ambitious besides in certain situations excepting themselves due to pregnancy or other varied issues. II. Unequal remuneration amid the genders up to date is still evident (Drinan 18). This is regardless of numerous Acts instituted and implemented with an intention of ending gender disparity (Drinan 18). Since, the respective authorities lack effective measures meant to make adequate follow ups, mostly evident with transition of numerous regimes. For illustration, after President Carter instituting the 1980’s Act, both the following leaders failed to ratify it except Bill Clinton who gave it a light implementation, hence offering insignificant contribution in ending gender disparity (Drinan 18). Consequently, studies reveal that an average woman losses approximately $420,0 00 in her lifetime (Coolidge 9). This continues to widen both sexes’ pay gap regardless of the developing states boasting about their stable economies (O'Beirne 29). However, other arguments contend that, there are women who earn more compared to men especially in the challenging fields, for illustration engineering. Therefore, those claiming to earn little usually venture in the less paying jobs, which entail consistency to the extent female gender cannot keep up due to their inevitable natural exemptions (childbearing issues) (Coolidge 9). In addition, Britain studies reveal a decrease in the pay gap between men and women despite unproductive measures meant to ensure adequate follow-ups (Gavin 12). However, this trend is extremely slow due to wages’ stagnation especially by the low-income earners (Gavin 12). III. Women’s remuneration should equal the task(s) mandated to undertake in their respective areas because this ensures gender equality among the employee s (Kiama). A. Equal pay aids corporations in avoiding gender inequality, which according studies is the leading â€Å"dissatisfier'† in the workplace (Kiama). 1. Approximately 48% people contended that, unfairness especially in the workplace yields to employees’ demoralization. This is regardless of other varied aspects instituted by the employer to ensure good working environment (Kiama). 2. The 2010 (CIPD)’

The Great Gatsby and a good man is hard to find Essay Example for Free

The Great Gatsby and a good man is hard to find Essay There are so many ways and means that man evolve himself into: his pursuits of his dreams, his conduct of his life as he sees it fit; his definition and interpretation of the other lives that revolve around his own life. The parallelism and yet paradoxically the extreme difference in the central characters of â€Å"The Great Gatsby† and â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† – illustrate the variances and also the similarities in the lives of two different men. It is therefore necessary for man to be properly guided by his perspective in life to enable him gain his rightful place in society and in this life. The Great Gatsby: Stocks and bond became an intriguing business in the 20’s and thus it lured a curious, young, business neophyte – Nick Carraway. From his hometown in Minnesota, he moved to New York to pursue the burgeoning promise of wealth. Nick lived in a house he rents in Long Island New York in the area of the wealthy in West Egg district. He soon learned that his neighbors are all socially well connected and established with newfound wealth that makes them all aggressive, dreamy, gregarious and showy. One such neighbor is Jay Gatsby. In Gatsby’s magnificent mansion, fabulous parties and guests happen every time. And what unfolds to Nick are circumstances that mixes all the decadence there could be. Nick is distinctive from his West Egg neighbors because he is a Yale graduate and has nevertheless established connections with the high society of the East Egg district of Long Island. Nick has a cousin that lives in East Egg, Daisy Buchanan. Daisy is married to Tom, who was Nick’s former classmate in Yale University. During one visit of Nick to his cousin, Daisy and Tom introduced Nick to a beautiful young girl, Jordan Baker. Nick and Jordan become besotted, fell in love and carried a romantic affair. It was Jordan who confessed to Nick about the true state of the marriage of his cousin Daisy and Tom. It is because Tom is carrying an extra marital affair with a certain Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle lives in a not so impressive neighborhood in a dumping ground of industrial refuses that is located between New York City and West Egg District of Long Island, called the Valley of the Ashes. Indeed it has come to pass that Tom was audacious to invite Nick to join him and Myrtle to parties. The summer that came along, Nick got an invitation from Jay Gatsby for one of his famous parties. Nick attends and finds Jordan Baker already there. It was Jordan who formally introduced Nick Carraway to Jay Gatsby. Nick was impressed by Jay a someone who is extremely gregarious, pretentious, good looking, and has a very winsome smile. It was Jordan who told Nick that Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan were friends way back their days in Louisville. Jay has been in love with Daisy from day one and still carries the torch to the present time. The reason why Jay pursued his dream, his social status, his wealth were all because of Daisy whom Jay wants to impress and win her love. Therefore, inviting Nick and meeting him was for purposes of Nick arranging for Jay to meet Daisy once again. It is because Jay learned from Jordan also that Nick is the cousin of Daisy. So, Nick found a way for Jay and Daisy to meet and talk. Daisy eventually got enamoured by Jay and thus the two has an affair. To which, Tom slowly became suspicious. Inspite of Tom’s infidelity, he still feels outraged that his wife has the gall to cheat on him. Tom confronts Jay and told him that he can never truly win Daisy’s heart because what they shared is something that Jay cannot out shine. Tom also confronts Daisy and told her that she is being blinded by Jay’s status, wealth and power because she does not know and will never know that what Jay Gatsby has are all from illegal businesses. Daisy eventually realizes that she loves Tom and feels she has to sustain her loyalty to her husband. A tragedy that transpired twisted all of their fate. Myrtle Wilson, the mistress of Tom was ran over by a car and died. The car is Jay Gatsby’s car and it was driven by Daisy. Gatsby could not take to heart that Daisy will be made responsible for Myrtle’s death. Gatsby decided that he will take the blame and claim that he was the one driving. Thus, it was such that Tom told George Wilson, the husband of Myrtle – that Gatsby was the one driving the car that killed Myrtle. George therefore suspected that Gatsby and Myrtle must be having an affair. George confronts Gatsby and shoots him to his death. Then George consequently shoots himself. Nick was the one who arranged for the final services for Jay Gatsby and buries him. Nick breaks off with Jordan and completely decided to leave behind the New York City life that he thought would make him pursue his dreams of wealth, prestige and power. It is because he found himself immersed in mind boggling misery of intrigue of decadent morals, greed and values. Nick concluded that there is really no such thing that can be emulated from Jay Gatsby as the epitome of an American dream fulfilled. A Good Man is Hard to Find: The family of Bailey is due for a holiday vacation and they planned to go to Florida. However, Bailey’s grandmother prefers to go to Tennessee. To win the debate, Grandmother pointed out to her son and his family that there is an escaped convict who has murdered to so many people and is on the loose. He is called The Misfit. The family was taken to the story of the Grandmother and they decided on Tennessee. On the road for their trip, the family did not know that Grandmother sneaked out her cat in a basket. She was seated at the back of the car, together with her grandson John West and her granddaughter June Star. Bailey and his wife were seated in front with their baby. Along the way, Grandmother remember at a certain section came to her recollection as the plantation that she used to live. She insisted to her son Bailey that they should stop for a while so she could visit. Grandmother enticed the family to abide by her wishes by telling her grandchildren that the house is mysterious for it has a secret panel that leads to somewhere yet to be discovered. The children got fussy and intrigued by the story and insisted that their father follows the wish of their Grandmother to visit that house in that plantation. The road was graveled and bumpy. As they all struggled thru the uncomfortable ride, Grandmother shifts her leg and it irritated the cat. The cat escaped from the basket and crawled at Bailey’s back. This caused the accident and the car turned over. However, no one is hurt. A car is seen to be soon driving by and they all waved for help. The car stops and three men approached the family of Bailey. The three men were carrying guns. And Grandmother recognizes one of man as The Misfit himself. The Misfit told the family that they have put themselves in trouble since they recognized him. The two other male companions were told to haul the entire family in the thick woods ahead of the road and kill them. Grandmother started begging The Misfit in all sorts of manner elucidating on the Christian principle that all men are good and that The Misfit does not actually have to be mean and bad. Grandmother was trying her best to convince The Misfit that he could even be her own son but nevertheless is loved by his own parents and family and God and he should be inspired by that. Grandmother assured The Misfit that he could find happiness in prayers. To it all, The Misfit nevertheless shot and killed Grandmother. The Theme: The Great Gatsby expounded on the realities of what it takes to reach ambition and goals in life. With the scenario of a prosperous decade of the 20’s the abundance of opportunities lured the Americans to pursue the heights of anything – no matter at what cost and what it takes. As Nick said in Chapter IX: â€Å"I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all—Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life. † â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find ventures on the ethical values and faith to be generally in every human being. The conviction of the Grandmother that she could spare her family from the ire of The Misfit is based on such principle. She pleadingly tried to convince The Misfit when she said: â€Å"Listen, you shouldn’t call yourself The Misfit because I know you’re a good man at heart. I can just look at you and tell†. The Symbol: The Valley of the Ashes is the metaphorical representation in The Great Gatsby between being a success or a failure in one’s pursuit of your dreams. It is because that stretch of dumping ground separates the old rich constituents of East Egg and the place of struggle of their dreams which is New York City The cat buried deep in the basket that which eventually escaped symbolized the means that life can unfold to bring one’s fate to an undefineable track. Grandmother, with all her imaginary, fictionalized stories to earn all her whims was finally struck by the unforeseen way that the cat could bring her to her end, inspite of all the righteousness she beholds. She just has to have her way. As her granddaughter June Star said: â€Å"She wouldn’t stay at home to be queen for a day. † Works Cited O’Connor, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†. 1993 Rutgers University Press Fitzgerald, F. Scott â€Å"The Great Gatsby†. Hayes Barton Press

Social Perspectives on the Concepts of Sex and Gender

Social Perspectives on the Concepts of Sex and Gender Critically evaluate the contribution of the social perspective to our understanding of language and meaning and the psychology of sex and gender. It can be said different psychological perspectives lead to different theories providing diverse insights into the same issue i.e. language and meaning. They focus their enquiry in different ways and consequently have dissimilar objects of knowledge. Each perspective asks different questions, use different methods and data and produce therefore different theories. These perspectives can be complementary, conflicting or coexisting, whereby each perspective and theory provides a variety of ways of applying their findings to everyday psychological problems. By focusing on the social psychological perspective, this essay will initially evaluate how this perspective contributes to a greater understanding in the formation, acquisition and use of language and how this understanding co-exists with, and may be complimented by or is in contrast to, other perspectives and how this fits in with the understanding of sex and gender. Social psychological perspectives emphasise the importance of inv estigating cognition by studying how meaning is created through participation and cultural practices and through language. The evolvement, acquisition and application of language used by humans, to express meaning and pursue goals, have been a topic of study amongst the various perspectives in psychology most notably evolutionary, cognitive and social perspectives. In researching language and the development of subsequent theories, language itself is used as a medium to investigate language. This methodological reflexivity is the source of conflict between social and cognitive perspectives on language when trying to determine to what extent, if any, the necessity of responding in language predetermines what is said. Social psychologists, more specifically discourse psychologists (i.e. Parker, 1992, as cited in: Cooper Kay, 2007, p. 105), claims that in using language individuals do so in a social and historic context, with an audience and for a purpose. Individuals therefore will m ake assumptions about the knowledge, understanding and requirements of their interlocutors in an experimental setting which is a primary method used by cognitive psychologists to study the separate cognitive and underlying thought processes language represents in communication with others or dialog with the self. The social constructionist perspective, on the other hand, uses evidence from actual language used in day-to-day communication and therefore appears to have more ecological validity. With the use of discourse analysis, they manage to describe how individuals organise their talk and use particular strategies such as the creation of subject positions or constructions of the world, to achieve particular ends. Wieder (1974 as cited in: Cooper Kay, 2007, pp. 104-105) illustrated the use of language to determine behaviour amongst newly released prisoners living in a hostel by employing a method called ethnomethodology (the study of how people do things) devised by Garfinkel (1967 as cited in: Cooper Kay, 2007, p.103). Wieder (ibid) found that the language used amongst the individuals (called The Code) does not explain their behavior but rather was used by them to actively construct their social world and take appropriate action within it (i.e. not being a snitch). Social constructionists therefore base their understanding of language on the concept that language can be seen as a vehicle for the socially produced and sustained meaning that operates between individuals, in groups and societies (Cooper Kay, 2007, p. 113). Although providing a feasible explanation for the use of language, it does not explain how language evolved or how it is being processed individually. Evolutionary psychologists (i.e. Lorenz, 1952 as cited in: Cooper Kay, 2007, p. 78) offer an explanation about the evolution of language in claiming that language is an adaptive characteristic that has been acquired (through natural and sexual selection) at species level and is characterised by the ability of humans to create meanings in quite different ways of communication than that of other species. The complex interactive activation with competition (IAC) model devised by McClelland and Rummelhart (1981, as cited in: Cooper Kay, 2007, pp. 91-94) and subsequent studies (i.e. Moss and Gaskell, 199 8, as cited in: Cooper Kay, 2007, p. 93) is used by cognitive psychologists in formulating their understanding that language is part of an information processing system that resides in the brain of an individual who creates meaning when hearing others speak or when speaking themselves. The three perspectives therefore provide complimentary understandings of language based on their individual analysis being evolution, individual processing or social construction. Parker (1992, as cited in: Cooper Kay, 2007, p. 105) describe discourse as a set of symbolic meanings created through the use of language to construct an event or object in a particular way. This is evident in the claim by social psychologists that individuals construct the world as consisting of two basic types of people men and women. This is partially achieved through social identity processes as theorised in the Social Identity Theory (SIT) of Tajfel (1919-82, as cited in Phoenix Thomas, 2007, p. 62) whereby individuals devise descriptions which derive from the social group they see themselves belonging to (i.e. male or female). Individuals, according to SIT, then tend to maximise perceived similarities to others in the same group (in-group) whilst minimising it with those outside the group (out-group) e.g. the notion of opposite sex (Hollway, Cooper, Johnston and Stevens, 2007, p. 151). Gender is consequently one of the most important and powerful social categories by which i ndividuals define themselves. Bem (1981 as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007, p. 153) proposed in the Gender Schema Theory (GST) that femininity and masculinity are socially and culturally constructed dimensions absorbed by individuals to produce an understanding of gender to make sense of themselves and their behavior. Social constructionists however, argue that gender is not a set of characteristics or properties acquired by an individual but rather that gender identity is constantly established and re-established by experiences, behaviors and actions on both individual and group levels and is therefore ongoing throughout the lifespan of an individual. The study of sex and gender is thus concerned with the intricate interplay of nature and nurture in shaping similarities and differences between men and women. In studying sex and gender as a psychological phenomenon evolutionary (e.g. Clark and Hatfield, 1989, as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007, p. 146) and biological (e.g. Fitch and Den enberg, 1998 as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007, p. 138) perspectives emphasis’ the contribution of nature to the experiences of individuals by examining the biological and genetic structures relating to sex. Social constructionists acknowledge these influences but looks at the importance of context and culture in constructing an understanding about gender whilst the psychoanalytic perspective incorporates biological differences as well as the social and cultural meanings. The difference between these approaches is often exemplified through political tension between them in relation to their implications about the fixity of the social roles of men and woman and their personal relationships and behavior. Biological and social explanations (nature and nurture) expose a fundamental conflict whereby social perspectives echo the underlying principal of psychoanalysts questioning individual agency in claiming that biological explanations, and most recently evolutionary explanations ( e.g. Hilary and Rose, 2000, as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007, p. 172), are extremely deterministic (Hollway et al, 2007, p. 171). Social constructionists explained that historical research underlines the fact that values inevitably underpin all knowledge; however, allowance should be made for new ideas incorporating change and cultural settings such as the role of women in society. The methods employed by the various psychological perspectives in studying a specific psychological issue are often complimentary as opposed to contrasting. In explaining gender social constructionists take historical and cultural situations of human beings into account focusing almost exclusively on the meaning-making activities of humans. In studying the difference in the style of sexual behavior between men and woman at an American college, Clark and Hatfield (1989 as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007, p. 146) found that women, although accepting dating invitations were less inclined to accept invitations for private meetings (i.e. at the apartment of a stranger) with almost all women refusing invitations for sexual intercourse. The results were the same when women were first assured of the trustworthiness and integrity of the stranger thus accounting for fear of potential danger as a confounding variable (Clark, 1990, as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007, p. 146). Clark and Hatfield (ibid) claimed from an evolutionary perspective that the results are consistent with the arguments of evolutionary psychologists about evolved optimal reproductive style (ibid) through natural and sexual selection processes. The findings of Clark and Hatfield (ibid) underline, from a social constructionist point of view, the notion that the sexual behavior of men and women is filtered through their own individual cultural lenses. Psychoanalytical psychologists (e.g. Benjamin, 1990, 1995, 1998 as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007, p.164) argue that these external influences (e.g. identities are constructed throug h discourse and discursive practices) are over emphasised by social constructionists and therefore does not explain the agency and capacity for resistance and change by individuals. Each of these perspectives provides a valuable point of view but none is able to give a complete explanation of the findings of the study with each perspective concentrating on its own theoretical ground when analysing the findings of a study. In conclusion, it is clear that different perspectives in psychology lead to different explanations of one or more psychological issues. These perspectives can co-exist in some ways such as the fact that social constructionists and psychoanalysts both base their interpretations on meaning. Social constructionists provide a comprehensive account in formulating an understanding of language and gendered differences with a strong focus on the extraction of meaning of behavior. Although this perspective goes a long way in understanding these, and other, psychological aspects, they do not answer all aspects such as the evolution and individual understanding of language. Findings of other perspectives such as biological, evolutionary and cognitive psychology assist in providing an explanation of those items social constructionists cannot account for. Word count: 1662 References Cooper, T., Kaye, H. (2007). Language and Meaning. In T. Cooper, I. Roth (Eds.), DSE212 Challenging Psychological Issues (pp. 71-123). Milton Keynes: The Open University. Hollway, W., Cooper, T., Johnston, A., Stevens, R. (2007). The psychology of sex and gender. In T. Cooper, I. Roth (Eds.), DSE212 Challenging Psychological Issues (pp. 125-188). Milton Keynes: The Open University. Phoenix, A. (2007). Identities and diversities. In D. Miell, A. Phoenix, K. Thomas (Eds.), DSE212 Mapping Psychology (pp. 43-104). Milton Keynes: The Open University.