Hamlet - Ghosts Speech - Act 1 Essay Example for Free

Hamlet Ghosts Speech Act 1 Essay In the beginning of the play, the reader is introduced to the disorder in Denmark, a prevalent motif. The mysterious death of the king spurred the disorder, and the prospect of revenge was magnified by the supposed appearance of the late King Hamlet’s ghost. The ghost’s appearance and subsequent speech intensify the disorder by validating the reader’s suspicion of Claudius as a murderer and an incestuous, adulterous serpent. Hamlet is torn by this revelation, and responds with justified drama. Thus far Hamlet had a few reasons to hate Claudius; the ghost’s message emboldened everything he had suspected and even added to it. Previously in Act One, Hamlet had criticized Claudius for a few major grievances: for being opportunist upon the death of his father by marrying his newly widowed mother in order to seize the throne instead of Hamlet, for not properly mourning the king by waiting just a month to take his wife, and for acting like an animal by behaving in an incestuous and lustful manner. By playing on many of the same metaphors as Hamlet and bringing forth new claims too, the ghost- whose word the reader takes as truth- bolsters Hamlet’s claims. In the ghost’s rhetoric, Claudius is an unnatural, murderous â€Å"serpent†.(sc. 5 ln. 43) As a â€Å"fat weed,† his parasitic nature is apparent and matches Hamlet’s assessment of the situation as an â€Å"unweeded garden.† (sc. 5 ln. 39) (sc. 2 ln. 139) Later, the ghost goes on to describe â€Å"lewdness† courting â€Å"virtue† in Claudius’ despicable new relationship.(sc. 5 ln. 60-1) To Hamlet and the ghost, the new union is an embodiment of evil though it holds an honorable, royal position. The royal bed is now a couch for luxury and incest. (sc 5. ln.89-90) The queen has been corrupted by â€Å"wicked wit and gifts† and succumbed by what almost sounds like magic. (sc. 5 ln. 51) This too plays on the motif of unnatural existence in â€Å"Hamlet† as exemplified by the ghost. The ghost refers to public opinion as â€Å"the ear of Denmark.† (sc.5 ln.43) By misleading this one representative ear, the entire country has been misled.  The ghost then furthers the ear imagery by describing how he was personally poisoned through his ear. This deception perpetrated by the current king adds to the sense of unrest. The late Hamlet was â€Å"sleeping within (his) orchard,† an emphatically innocent action, as the juice was poured into his ear and coursed through his body like quicksilver. (sc. 5 ln. 66) The poison â€Å"tetter(ed)†¦about†¦with vile and loathsome crust.† (sc. 5 ln.78-79) This vivid and gory description adds to the sense of decay and discord. As Marcellus put it, â€Å"something is rotten in the state of Denmark.† (sc.4 ln. 100) Then the ghost talks about how that napping time was his â€Å"secure hour.† (sc.5 ln. 68) This describes the feeling of routine that once existed in the kingdom. Now time is cursed and nothing is happens in a proper time because of Claudius’ unnatural murder. The senses of touch and sight are very important in this speech. The ghost carefully describes how things looked and felt to actualize his feelings to Hamlet and the reader. When describing the queen, he uses a prickly set of descriptive words. She isn’t just part of a cursed union, she has â€Å"thorns that in her bosom lodge to prick and sting her,† by some heavenly will. (sc, 5 ln. 94-5) Additionally, the description of the poisoning is graphic to make it personal and real for Hamlet.

Analysis of David Humes Writing :: Empiricists, Empiricism

"I was from the beginning scandalised, I must own, with this resemblance between the Deity and human creatures." --Philo David Hume wrote much about the subject of religion, much of it negative. In this paper we shall attempt to follow Hume's arguments against Deism as Someone knowable from the wake He allegedly makes as He passes. This kind of Deism he lays to rest. Then, digging deeper, we shall try our hand at a critique of his critique of religion, of resurrecting a natural belief in God. Finally, if there's anything Hume would like to say as a final rejoinder, we shall let him have his last word and call the matter closed. To allege the occurrence of order in creation, purpose in its constituent parts and in its constituted whole, regularity in the meter of its rhythm and syncopations, and mindful structure in the design and construction of Nature is by far the most widely used and generally accepted ground for launching from the world belief in an intelligent and omnipotent designer god. One does not have to read for very long to find some modern intellectual involved in the analysis of some part of Nature come to the "Aha!" that there's a power at work imposing order, design, structure and purpose in creation. Modern religious piety salivates at the prospect of converting scientists and will take them any way it can. From Plato to Planck the problematic lion of religion must be rendered safe and tame. Religion must be reasonable, after all, we are reasonable "men." Einstein writes that the scientist's "religious feeling takes the form of rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveal s an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection." We have been struck dumb, however; we can no longer be incautious with such temptations to believe, with such sirens sounding for sensible, systematic sureness. The Design Argument has been mortally wounded by David Hume. The god arrived at by arguments on the one-way street of effect to the cause is dead; we should never have allowed him to live. In Section XI of the Enquiry, and throughout the Dialogues Hume subjects the Argument from Design to searching and searing philosophical analysis, to the point in his mind that it is forever dead, and to the point in our minds that we wonder why the world has not yet received the obituary.

A Playground of Life Lessons Essay

A PLAYGROUND OF LIFE LESSONS Where were most of your memories made in elementary school? Ask almost anyone, and their answer will be, â€Å"On the playground during recess!† Unfortunately, the youth of today may not have the opportunity to make those memories. As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, more than forty percent of schools have reduced recess time, while seven percent have completely eliminated it from the school day (Pappas, 2011). With physical education only being offered to elementary students once a week, typically for forty minutes or less, recess is more important now than ever before. The absence of recess in schools will result in a long-term negative impact on these children’s health, learning, and social development. Recess could possibly be the only opportunity throughout the day for some children to engage in social interactions with their peers. There are many children who have no siblings, or who may live in rural areas that aren’t conducive to gathering with friends after school. The free time that is given during recess allows for the development of social skills that will be beneficial for a lifetime, such as, making choices, developing rules for play, team building, and conflict resolution. These are basic social fundamentals that can’t necessarily be taught in a structured classroom setting, but are imperative in everyday life. Not only is recess crucial for developing social skills, but many lifelong friendships are built while swinging on the play set, or waiting in line for the monkey bars. Being able to nourish those friendships and spend time together gives kids something to look forward to during the school day. It’s a little incentive to get them through when classroom activities become boring and monotonous. Recess is also one of few opportunities for adults and teachers to observe how children behave socially with one another during free play. This can help to determine any tendencies to fight or bully, identify children who possess leadership abilities, or pinpoint any other strengths or weaknesses that can and should be nurtured. In a typical classroom setting, children don’t have the ability to showcase talents that aren’t academic. With childhood obesity on the rise, recess is detrimental to the health of children. Inactivity is associated with childhood obesity tripling since around 1970, along with an increase in other health issues, like elevated blood pressure and high cholesterol (Jarrett, 2002). When children aren’t given the opportunity to be active during the school day, they don’t tend to go home and make up for the exercise that was missed. Research revealed that children were actually less active when they got home from school on the days when they had no recess or physical education classes during the school day (Dale, Corbin, Dale, 2000). Even though not all children participate in physical activity during recess, they won’t even have the opportunity if it’s not offered. Today’s youth is already choosing television and video games over playing outside, so why should we support a sedentary lifestyle by eliminating recess from schools? Physical activity is also impe rative for good mental health. Maintaining physical fitness has shown to increase self-esteem in children, and adults (AHA, 2012). In school aged children, it is especially important to reduce anxiety by burning off excess energy that is built up while sitting in class. The best way for them to do that is by having recess! New experimental research done by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine has also shown that children who are offered recess during the day have less behavioral issues in class. Teachers in a particular school district were asked to rate their students’ behavior, and those students who were given at least a 15 minute recess throughout the day scored higher than those who weren’t (Parker-Pope, 2009). Obviously, recess offers a break from the sedentary routine of the day. The cognitive benefits of that break are astounding! For adults and children alike, breaks are deemed necessary for satisfaction and alertness. Research has also shown that breaks during learning result in a better quality of retention and recall due to the presentation of material being spaced instead of all at once. This research is conducive to what is already known about brain functioning: â€Å"that the brain needs downtime to recycle chemicals crucial for long-term memory formation, and that attention involves 90-to110-minute cyclical patterns throughout the day† (Jarrett, 2002). Other theories state that there is a positive correlation between unstructured interaction with peers, and higher results on intelligence tests (Jirikovic, Vansyckle, McIntyre, & Irish, 2005). Aren’t higher test scores the main focus of educators today? Children aren’t the only ones that need a break from the mundane curriculum. Teachers and aides need an opportunity to regain energy levels, discuss the day’s activities and observations, and get things in order for the next lesson on the agenda. With the heightened expectations of teachers and their accountability for academic progress, the break time that is offered by recess is extremely beneficial for both their job performance and state of mind. It may take them a few minutes to get their classes back on track to learn once they return from free-play, but it has been shown that students are more focused and well behaved after recess (Jarrett, 2002). With so much evidence that supports the benefits of daily recess, it’s surprising that the elimination of it has even come into question. However, there are those who believe that recess is unnecessary and that it takes away from the time and focus on academics. For those people, I would advise to examine the research and the long term benefits that recess has been proven to offer, as well as, the potential negative effects that would result in making it a thing of the past. Some say that school is a place for learning, not playing. I say that the learning that happens during interaction with peers as a child is irreplaceable by any academic lesson plan. Strong social skills are an integral part of moving forward in the world. Any career that you choose is going to require the ability to interact with people, whether it is with co-workers, vendors, patients, or customers. You can have the best academic resume in the world, but if you can’t make your way through an interview, the employer is going to choose someone else for the job. The social skills required to communicate effectively and adapt to certain situations are only learned through personal experience. This personal experience starts on the school playground. There is also the issue of bullying that comes into play when children are offered unstructured play time, such as recess. While that is a valid concern, and should be treated as such, children also need to learn life coping skills and resiliency. Life isn’t fair, and there is usually always a bully, even as an adult. Today’s children are being coddled too much, and given a false sense of security and protection. I feel it would be more beneficial to teach children how to deal with bullying situations, rather than treat them as if they don’t exist. Observation of student’s personalities during recess can help teachers and adults to identify who needs guidance in these areas, as well as, provide them the opportunity to pinpoint the bullies and stop them in their tracks. Although there are arguments against recess, there is no research that supports the benefits of eliminating it from schools. While it may free up a few more minutes for teaching reading comprehension or long division, those minutes are counter-productive if these children have â€Å"zoned-out† and are unable to retain what is being taught. Recess needs to stay in schools, and be recognized for what it is; a playground of life lessons. BIBLIOGRAPHY American Heart Association. (2012, November 26). Physical Activity and Children. Retrieved from website http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/Physical-Activity-and-Children_UCM_304053_Article.jsp Dale, D., Corbin, B., Dale, K. S. (2000). Restricting opportunities to be active during school time: Do children compensate by increasing physical activity levels after school? Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport 71(3):240-248. Jarrett, O. (2002, July). Recess in Elementary School: What Does the Research Say? (ERIC Digest). Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED466331) http://www.eric.ed.gov/ Jirikovic, R., Vansyckle, J., McIntyre, C., Irish, B. (2005). RECESS – TIME WELL SPENT! Retrieved from website http://www.timeday.org/pdf/newsletter_february_2006/Recess_Project.pdf

Definition of Angstrom in Physics and Chemistry

An angstrom or à ¥ngstrà ¶m  is a unit of length used to measure very small distances. One angstrom is equal to  10−10  m  (one ten-billionth of a  meter  or 0.1  nanometers). Although the unit is recognized world-wide, it is not an International System  (SI) or metric unit. The symbol for angstrom is Ã…, which is a letter in the Swedish alphabet. 1 Ã… 10-10 meters Uses of the Angstrom The diameter of an atom is on the order of 1 angstrom, so the unit is particularly handy when referring to the atomic and ionic radius or size of molecules and spacing between planes of atoms in crystals. The covalent radius of atoms of chlorine, sulfur, and phosphorus are about one angstrom, while the size of a hydrogen atom is about half of an angstrom. The angstrom is used in solid-state physics, chemistry, and crystallography. The unit is used to cite wavelengths of light, chemical bond length, and the size of microscopic structures using the electron microscope. X-ray wavelengths may be given in angstroms, as these values typically range  from 1 to 10 Ã…. Angstrom History The unit is named for Swedish physicist Anders Jonas  Ãƒâ€¦ngstrà ¶m, who used it to produce a chart of the wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation in sunlight in 1868. His use of units made it possible to report the wavelengths of visible light (4000  to  7000  Ãƒâ€¦) without having to use decimals or fractions. The chart and unit became widely used in solar physics, atomic spectroscopy, and other sciences that deal with extremely small structures. Although the angstrom is  10−10  meters, it was precisely defined by its own standard because it is so small. The error in the meter standard was larger than the angstrom unit! The 1907 definition of the angstrom was the wavelength of the red line of cadmium set to be  6438.46963 international à ¥ngstrà ¶ms. In 1960, the standard for the meter was redefined in terms of spectroscopy, finally basing the two units on the same definition. Multiples of the Angstrom Other units based on the angstrom are the micron (104  Ãƒâ€¦) and the millimicron (10 Ã…). These units are used to measure thin film thicknesses and molecular diameters. Writing the Angstrom Symbol Although the symbol for the angstrom is easy to write on paper, some code is needed to produce it using digital media. In older papers, the abbreviation A.U. was sometimes used. Methods of writing the symbol include: Typing the symbol U212B or U00C5 in UnicodeUsing the symbol #8491 or #197 in HTMLUsing the code Aring; in HTML Sources International Bureau of Weights and Measures. The International System of Units (SI) (8th ed.). 2006, p. 127. ISBN 92-822-2213-6.Wells, John C. Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman, 2008. ISBN 9781405881180.