Macbeth †Hero or “Hellhound” Essay

William Shakespeare the author of Macbeth was born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He is generally regarded as the greatest playwright ever to have lived. During the time of Shakespeare (which was the Elizabethan times) the theatres in which his plays were performed were very basic. They had no scenery or sets so they used simple items such as a stool, which would represent an indoor scene. He theatres were also very small, the fortune theatre only being 80ft square. The stage had three tiers; the main stage where most of the scenes would be performed, the tiring house which was used for scenes such as the witches’ cave in Macbeth and the gallery (upper stage) which was used for scenes such as the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet. People in the Elizabethan times were extremely religious and believed in a â€Å"chain of being†. This is a hierarchical society that is divided into three sections, Heaven, Hell and Earth. They believed that everybody was born into a level and this could not change or chaos would ensue. Due to this belief the killing of king – known as regicide was regarded as the worst crime in the world as the king was god’s messenger on Earth. Macbeth was written for King James in around 1605. Because of whom it was written for Shakespeare had to change the character of Banquo to a â€Å"good guy† as it was one of James’ ancestors (Shakespeare actually borrowed the idea for the play from Ralph Holinheads’ chronicles). The play is about a Scottish nobleman ‘Macbeth’ who becomes king by murdering the previous king. The world is then thrown into disarray until eventually ‘Macbeth’ himself is killed and the true successor to the throne is crowned when order is restored. There are many themes in Macbeth many of which recur throughout the play. These include masculinity. Lady Macbeth always questions ‘Macbeth’s’ manhood whenever he doesn’t want to go through with something, which leads to ‘Macbeth’ doing whatever she wants him to. Linking with this is femininity, during the play Lady Macbeth refers to this when she calls for the spirits to â€Å"unsex† her. There is also the theme of darkness, which creeps up a few times during the course of the play. ‘Macbeth’ says to the stars as he is about to murder Duncan, â€Å"hide your fire, let not light see my black and deep desires.† Lady Macbeth also asks for darkness when she says, â€Å"come thee thick night, and pull thee in the dunnest smoke of hell.† Evil is regularly associated with darkness and these references show that there is an evil side to ‘Macbeth’ and Lady Macbeth. Perhaps the most important theme in the whole play however, is fate. Every character except from ‘Macbeth’ accepts fate and the fact that they don’t have any control over it. In the first scene ‘Macbeth’ is said to â€Å"disdain fortune† and later on in the play the witches lead ‘Macbeth’ to believe that he can have complete control of his destiny, which, he later realises he cannot. The ‘tragic hero’ is a character used quite often by Shakespeare. The tragic hero is a character who is noble, brave and good but always has one fatal flaw. In ‘Othello’ the fatal flaw is jealousy and in Macbeth the fatal flaw is ambition. The tragic hero’s fatal flaw will inevitably result in their death, hence the name ‘fatal flaw’. I am now going to work through the play discussing the question ‘Macbeth’-Hero or â€Å"Hellhound†. The play starts with thunder and lightning, which is seen as a reference to the Gunpowder Plot, which occurred around the same time as the play. The Elizabethan audience would recognise this and see the relevance because in both the case of the Gunpowder Plot and the play the intended victim was the king. The meeting of the witches is the first scene in Macbeth. This shows that the witches are a very important part of the play and they will be very influential during its course. The audience will know to be afraid of the witches because of the society of the time. To the Elizabethans witchcraft was a fact of life. We also discover that the witches are definitely a source of evil when they say, â€Å"fair is foul, and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air.† This shows that the witches are trying to disrupt the natural order, which, according to the chain of being will throw the universe into chaos. In the second scene we learn of ‘Macbeth’s’ bravery in battle. This where he is said to â€Å"disdain fortune† which shows us that he doesn’t believe in fate. We also find ‘Macbeth’ is a very strong fighter and that; he and other people believe that he is unbeatable in battle. An example of this is when the captain says, â€Å"yes as sparrows eagles: or hare the lion.† This is a reference to ‘Macbeth’s’ fighting ability and the fact that he is as scared as a lion would be of a hare. When the opposition army is refreshed and with new troops the captain says, â€Å"As cannons overcharg’d with double cracks, so they doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe.† This shows the audience how ‘Macbeth’ but will make them wonder is he too bloody and over the top? ‘Macbeth’s’ first words in scene three are, â€Å"so foul and fair a day I have not seen.† The audience will pick up on this as it links in with what the witches say at the beginning of the play. The audience may also be a little disturbed by the way that ‘Macbeth’ seems to be acting now. The witches know what ‘Macbeth’s’ name is and this startles ‘Macbeth’ and the audience. They say â€Å"All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Glamis.† The audience will now begin to realise just how powerful the witches are as this is little known information. They then say â€Å"All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Cawdor.† Of course by now the audience will know that the Thane of Cawdor is a traitor but they don’t know how the witches have this knowledge. This will scare the audience and make them wary of the witches’ behaviour. Banquo mentions to ‘Macbeth’ that he should be happy by this news, â€Å"Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear things so fair?† This shows us that the witches have also startled ‘Macbeth’. Does this mean that ‘Macbeth’ can’t be too evil as he is scared of the witches or he is just shocked because he has already thought of murdering the king? Banquo also says that ‘Macbeth’ seems â€Å"rapt withal† so we wonder if he is deep in thought or under a witches spell. If ‘Macbeth’ is in fact under the witches’ spell then his actions throughout the rest of the play can’t really be seen as his fault. Banquo seems to be aware that the witches are evil although ‘Macbeth’ isn’t. â€Å"Cannot be ill. Cannot be god.† Is he just reassuring himself or is he really not aware that the witches are bad? ‘Macbeth’ thinks of murdering the king and is scared by his thoughts: â€Å"Why do I yield to that suggestions whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, without the use of nature.† Again Banquo says, â€Å"look how our partners rapt† so again we wonder if he is under a spell or just deep in his thoughts. The way that this idea of ‘Macbeth’ being â€Å"rapt† could be Shakespeare’s way of telling the audience that ‘Macbeth’ is being controlled by something more powerful than just his mind or ambition. In the next scene Duncan announces that the successor to the throne will be his son. ‘Macbeth’ also declares his loyalty to the king when he becomes thane. The audience will already know that ‘Macbeth’ has had thoughts about killing the king and therefore will see this as ‘Macbeth’ being very two faced. ‘Macbeth’ also says in this scene: â€Å"the Prince of Cumberland: that is a step, on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap for of in my way it lies. Stars hide your fires let not light see my black and deep desires.† This reveals a lot about ‘Macbeth’s’ current train of thought. He is basically saying that the Prince of Cumberland is in his way and must be overcome. ‘Macbeth’ also becomes quite scary in this speech when he says the part about â€Å"Stars hide your fires†. This will symbolise to the audience that he is moving into darkness from light or more worryingly from good to bad. In scene five Lady Macbeth is introduced. She offers quite a lot of insight into ‘Macbeth’s’ character that hasn’t been mentioned before. She says, â€Å"Yet I do rear thy nature is too full of the milk of human kindness.† This is a feminine quality; she is basically that ‘Macbeth’ is not masculine – bloody enough. She also says that he is, â€Å"without the illness that should attend ambition.† This means that his ambition is pure but does not having that â€Å"illness† mean that ‘Macbeth’ doesn’t have a conscience? She says that he wants to do things the right way, â€Å"holily†, â€Å"wouldst not play false† and also that ‘Macbeth’ fears to do things. This shows us that Lady Macbeth has, perhaps, a confused idea of masculinity and femininity and also good and evil. Lady Macbeth’s behaviour echoes that of the witches as she calls upon the spirits to â€Å"unsex† her. We can also links with ‘Macbeth’ when she says, â€Å"come thee thick night, And pull thee in the dunnest smoke of hell.† Here she is calling for darkness like her husband did previously. ‘Macbeth’ arrives home at their castle and tells Lady Macbeth that Duncan will be staying for a night, to which Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"O never shall sun that morrow see.† This is a clear indication that she too wants the king to die. She tells ‘Macbeth’ to â€Å"look like th’ innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.† ‘Macbeth’ says â€Å"we will speak further.† This shows the audience that ‘Macbeth’ hasn’t yet decided whether or not to kill the king. In scene six the king arrives at ‘Macbeth’s’ castle. In scene seven ‘Macbeth’ argues against killing the king by saying, â€Å"he’s here in double trust.† This means that it should be ‘Macbeth’s’ duty to protect the king and not try and kill him. He also says to Lady Macbeth, â€Å"we will proceed no further in this business.† Lady Macbeth retaliates to this by saying that ‘Macbeth’ is a coward and she follows it up by saying something extremely shocking. She says that she has had children but would rather rip the baby from her and kill it then break her vow to kill the king. This shows to us that it may not just be the witches who are proving to be a bad influence on ‘Macbeth’s’ mind. This causes ‘Macbeth’ to change his mind. Lady Macbeth outlines a plan to kill the king. Her idea is to get the king’s guards so drunk they fall asleep then Duncan will be unguarded. Once Duncan has been killed she will pour blood on the guards to make it look like they murdered him. ‘Macbeth’ ends the scene by saying, â€Å"I am settled.† He has decided to kill the king. We wonder whether this was perhaps his intention all along or was it Lady Macbeth’s intervention that pushed him to do it? In Act two scene one ‘Macbeth’ starts on his mission to kill the king. A dagger appears before him. There are lots of interpretations about what this means. Is ‘Macbeth’ going mad and just imagining it? Is the dagger really there? Is it a witches’ spell making him see it? Some versions of Macbeth actually show the dagger appearing before him while some don’t, as if it is in his mind. In scene two ‘Macbeth’ kills the king and is in a terrible state. He says, â€Å"I could not say amen.† This could be evidence that he is under a spell because if he was just evil it wouldn’t bother him that he couldn’t say amen. He also says, â€Å"me thought I heard a voice cry, sleep no more.† This shows that ‘Macbeth’ is both hearing and seeing things. This will make the audience wonder if ‘Macbeth’ has truly gone mad or if he just feels guilty about it. In scene three we see the chain of being has been disrupted and chaos is ensuing when it is said, â€Å"some say the earth was feverous, and did shake.† Also in this scene Macduff finds the king dead. ‘Macbeth’ kills the servants. Is this ‘Macbeth’ being careful and cautious or just bloody? In the first scene of act three we realise that Banquo suspects ‘Macbeth’ of getting in to the position he is in more by foul play than coincidence. â€Å"I fear thou play’dst most foully for ‘t.† We wonder whether Banquo suspects ‘Macbeth’ because he knows that ‘Macbeth’ is capable of doing this. ‘Macbeth’ says, â€Å"to be this is nothing but to be safely this.† ‘Macbeth’ is pondering whether he should kill Banquo, after all he saw the witches and he knows what ‘Macbeth’ is doing. He also says, † come fate, into the list.† ‘Macbeth’ is personifying fate again, which links with when he is said to â€Å"disdain fortune.† This is very important because it shows that ‘Macbeth’ is now acting against the witches as he has decided to kill Banquo and his son. This time however ‘Macbeth’ gets â€Å"murderers† to kill Banquo. Is this because he is too scared? Does he still feel some loyalty to Banquo? Or is he just being more devious? He says to Lady Macbeth, â€Å"Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chick.† This is a huge step for ‘Macbeth’ because the murder is all his own planning and no witches or wife are persuading him. He also says, however, â€Å"O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife.† This shows that, again, ‘Macbeth’ is showing some remorse. This shows us that ‘Macbeth’ does not become purely evil immediately. In scene four Lady Macbeth says ‘Macbeth’ is â€Å"womann’d.† In Shakespeare language this means that it is good to be kind, good to be scared. Theses are all necessary parts of being a hero, not a villain. In this scene Banquo’s ghost appears before ‘Macbeth’. We wonder again, as with the dagger, is this a spell, a hallucination or just his guilty conscience playing tricks on him. ‘Macbeth’ says â€Å"I will to-morrow (And betimes I will) to the weird sisters, more shall they speak.† ‘Macbeth’ is going to see the witches. He knows that he has gone too far and cannot be good again. He has â€Å"embraced evil.† â€Å"For know I am bent to know the worst means the worst.† The audience will now wonder whether this is ‘Macbeth’ being brave or just purely evil. In scene five the queen witch says that ‘Macbeth’ isn’t linked with the witches. The audience will wonder is the witch lying? And also is this good or bad? If ‘Macbeth’ is linked with the witches then they can be blamed for his actions but, if what the witches are saying is true then ‘Macbeth’ is responsible for his own actions. Act four scene one. The witches produce apparitions as they talk to ‘Macbeth’. The audience will link this with the dagger and Banquo’s ghost and will now believe that the witches are the cause of these images. The witches’ first warning to ‘Macbeth’ is clear. â€Å"Beware Macduff, beware the Thane of Fife.† The second apparition is a bit more cryptic. â€Å"for none of woman born shall harm ‘Macbeth’.† The witches know that they are tricking ‘Macbeth’. At first ‘Macbeth’ decides not to Macduff as he thinks he can’t be harmed by him but then changes his mind to be on the safe side. This is another example of one of the many times ‘Macbeth’ goes a bit over the top by killing people. The third apparition tells ‘Macbeth’ that he will be safe until the wood marches up to the castle. This makes ‘Macbeth’ feel safe as he thinks, that the wood can’t march and that everyone is woman born. The audience however, will know not to trust what the witches say. In act five scene two we see some peoples’ opinions of ‘Macbeth’. â€Å"Tyrant, mad and valiant fury† are all mentioned. The audience will know that ‘Macbeth’s’ reign is likely to come to an end. In scene three ‘Macbeth’ learns that the English are marching into Scotland. ‘Macbeth’ says, â€Å"I’ll fight till from my bones, my flesh be hack’d!† This is another point in the play where ‘Macbeth’ is very bloodthirsty and over the top. In scene five ‘Macbeth’ hears a scream. Lady Macbeth has died. He says: â€Å"I have almost forgot the taste of fears, the time has been, my senses would have cool’d to hear a night-shriek, and my fell of hair would at dismal treatise rouse and stir as if like were in lit.† This isn’t a good sign as it shows that ‘Macbeth’ has gone too far. He also says: â€Å"She should have died hereafter, there would have been a time for such a word, tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in the pretty face from day to day.† This shows that ‘Macbeth’ is accepting that he will be defeated and wants death now. ‘Macbeth’ also learns that Burnham wood is coming to the castle. He says, â€Å"at least we’ll die with harness on our back.† The audience will wonder of this is noble and heroic or is he really mad? It also shows that ‘Macbeth’ â€Å"disdain fortune† once again. In scene seven ‘Macbeth’ realises that he has been tricked by the witches when he says, â€Å"they have tied me to a stake, I cannot fly, but bear like I must fight the course.† The audience may now feel a little bit sorry for ‘Macbeth’, as all that he can do now is fight. â€Å"Turn hell hound, turn.† Macduff yells to ‘Macbeth’ to which ‘Macbeth’ replies no. He decides that he doesn’t want to kill Macduff as he has already killed all of his family. Is this ‘Macbeth’ showing some compassion to Macduff by not fighting him or is it just arrogance? ‘Macbeth’ realises what the witches were talking about when Macduff says he was born by caesarean section – not born of a woman. Even though he now knows this he still wants to fight. The audience will wonder if this is ‘Macbeth’ trying to â€Å"disdain fortune† once again. Macduff kills ‘Macbeth’ in the fight, as the witches predicted. Malcolm says, â€Å"this dead butcher.† This isn’t really a very good description of ‘Macbeth’ as he perhaps had good reason to kill some of the people that he did and some of his other murders could be seen as ‘Macbeth’ being cautious rather than bloody and over the top. When the king’s named successor returns to the throne, the chain of being is back in order and the play ends. ‘Macbeth’ has been killed and order has been restored.

Film Analysis: “Braveheart”

Over the past decade, Hollywood has begun to turn to history as the source of inspiration for some of its award-winning movies. Most, if not all, of these films would be promoted by the producers, directors and even actors of the film as those that are as close to historical accounts and documentations about these events and individuals. Although this may be the case, a portion of the scenes shown in movies based on events and prominent individuals in history have been included in order to add to the drama and action to the film even if the scene does not have any historical documentation to support the scene to be included.In some cases, certain parts of an otherwise historical event may also be changed in order to make it more striking and memorable to the audience. The paper will provide an analysis on the accuracy of the events presented in the Academy Award-winning movie â€Å"Braveheart† starring Mel Gibson. The paper would provide a summary of important key points prese nted in the movie. Specifically, the paper would look into the accuracy of the battles portrayed in the movie to research conducted by historians with regards to Sir William Wallace, the hero depicted in this epic movie.The paper would also look into the viability of the romantic affair between Sir William Wallace and the Princess of France and the surrounding circumstances as depicted in the movie. Summary of â€Å"Braveheart† In order to analyze the accuracy of the situations and events of the movie â€Å"Braveheart†, a summary of the movie must first be provided. The film begins in Scotland in the year 1280 AD. The death of the king of Scotland left the country without a ruler of its own as the king did not have a son to leave the kingdom to.As a result, the rulers from neighboring countries began to compete with each other for the crown and ownership of the kingdom of Scotland. The most formidable of these competitors was Edward the Longshanks, king of England. His claim over Scotland was met with hostility from the commoners of the land. In order to extinguish any retaliation on the part of the common people of Scotland, Edward the Longshanks arranged a meeting whereby each leader of the different shires of Scotland were invited to attend, allowing them to bring along only one page as their companion.Among those who have been invited was a commoner named Malcolm Wallace who decided to take his eldest son, John, with him to the meeting. They were delayed to arrive to the meeting as Malcolm had to convince his youngest son, William, that he was still too young to go to the journey with them. Upon their arrival, Malcolm Wallace had realized that his son’s persistence had saved him from walking into a trap that had been orchestrated by Edward the Longshanks. All the attendees in the supposed meetings were hung inside the cottage where the meeting was supposed to have taken place, including the women and children.William, who had tried to follow his father and brother to the meeting, saw the brutality of the scenario – a vision that had left a lasting mark to the young boy (â€Å"Braveheart†). The brutality of the scene prompted Malcolm Wallace to stir some of the leaders in the shire to attempt a violent response for what Edward the Longshanks had committed to their fellow men. Unfortunately, the effort was a failed attempt, and Malcolm and his son were killed in the battle. On the day that his father and brother were buried, his uncle, Argyle, took him into his care (â€Å"Braveheart†).The film then fast forwards to a few years later. Edward the Longshanks, in his quest to rule over all of Europe, formed an allegiance with his rival, the King of France, through the marriage of the latter’s daughter to Edward the Longshank’s son and heir to the throne. Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, the Scottish nobles had formed a council. Included in the council was the 17th Earl of Bruce named Robert, who has been considered to be the leading contender to the crown of Scotland. Among the topics that begun to concern the council was the issuance of the decree of prima nocte by Edward the Longshanks.This gave nobles who have sworn their allegiance to the King of England the privilege to sleep with any newly married common woman on the first night as a married woman. This was done in an effort to encourage more Scottish nobles to swear allegiance to the King of England which then would lead to the surety of Edward the Longshank’s hold over Scotland (â€Å"Braveheart†). It was around this time that William Wallace, now an adult, returns to the shire that he had left when he was a young orphan.He reunites himself with Hamish, his childhood friend and the young woman named Murron who, during his father and brother’s burial, offered him a flower as a sign of sympathy. Because of the prima nocte decree, William and Murron married in secret and thus allowing William the privilege that most other men in the shire had been deprived of (â€Å"Braveheart†). The turning point for the pace of the movie and the life of William Wallace occurred just a few days after his secret marriage.A soldier of the English crown attempted to force himself on the young woman, but she had fought and, through the help of William, freed herself but only for a while. She was eventually caught by the soldiers and was executed in front of the entire town as an example on what would happen to them should they try to oppose any representative of the king of England, be it a soldier or a noble since according to the nobleman, an opposition to any individual representing the king of England is an opposition to the King himself (â€Å"Braveheart†).The death of Murron and the reasoning of the noble had caused William Wallace to begin a revolution beginning in his own town. His passion and determination to rid the country of the English had made a lot of Scottish c ommoners take up arms and join him in his cause. Town after town, he and his band of men which eventually led to the joining of the forces of the Scots and the Irish, had made the townspeople consider him as a legend and tales began to spread about him (â€Å"Braveheart†).News had reached the King of England and sent his daughter-in-law, the Princess of France, as an ambassador to negotiate some form of truce and ceasefire with William Wallace, who by now had been knighted by the Council of Scots, headed by Robert the Bruce. Wallace declined the offer of Edward the Longshanks by relaying to the future queen the haunting scene that he had stumbled on when he was a boy and when the King of England first offered a truce to the people of Scotland.Not only did the Princess of France become amazed by the intelligence that Wallace had exhibited, but she also began to grow fond of him in a romantic way (â€Å"Braveheart†). When she returned to London and delivered the message of William Wallace to the king, he decided to go into war with Wallace again. This time, he was to have a larger army by tapping into the allegiances that he had formed through the years. When news of this reached William Wallace through the help of the Princess of France, Wallace went to the Council of Scots to ask them to join their cause.Initially, Robert the Bruce gave Wallace his word and so did the other members of the council. However, on the day of the battle, Wallace first experienced betrayal when he saw two of the council men that showed up with their respective armies had turned around after being bribed by the King of England, and then later when he discovered that Robert the Bruce himself was fighting alongside the King of England as well (â€Å"Braveheart†). Upon seeing the effects of his betrayal to Wallace, Robert the Bruce was overcome with guilt and as a means to try to amend for his betrayal, helped Wallace escape the battlefield.This allowed Wallace to ta ke revenge on the two noblemen who have betrayed him in the battlefield (â€Å"Braveheart†). With news of Wallace’s escape reaching the King of England, another attempt was made on his life. This plot was overheard by the Princess of France, who again warned Wallace of the assassination attempt. Unfortunately, the third time, Wallace was finally apprehended. Robert the Bruce sent word to William Wallace that he would like to talk and make amends for his previous betrayal.Still trusting the Bruce, and realizing the need for a larger army to continue the cause, Wallace went to the residence of the Bruce alone and unarmed. Unknown to both Robert the Bruce and William Wallace, the other members of the Council, through the guidance of Robert the Bruce’s father, made arrangements to hand William Wallace over to the King of England (â€Å"Braveheart†). William Wallace was tried for high treason against the King of England and was sentenced to be executed the fol lowing day. Knowing about this, the Princess of France begged for the life of William Wallace to the King of England as he lies on his deathbed.When the king refused to grant the request of the princess, she then made it known to the dying king that she was pregnant with the child of William Wallace, his mortal adversary (â€Å"Braveheart†). Wallace suffered a horrendous and slow death through a process called hung, drawn and quartered. With his last breath, he shouted with all his might the word â€Å"Freedom†, a cry that stirred the hearts of his comrades who witnessed his execution in the crowd. After he was beheaded, the body of William Wallace was cut into pieces and placed in different locations to serve as a warning to anyone who tries to go against the King of England.His head was situated on London Bridge, while his arms and legs were sent to the four corners of England. The movie ends with the narration on how instead of deterring any form of resistance towar ds the crown of England, the opposite had actually happened. In the year 1314, despite the Scottish army headed by Robert the Bruce were lacking in resources and heavily outnumbered, had won the freedom of their land from English rule in the battle that occurred on the field of Bannockburn (â€Å"Braveheart†). Analysis of the Accuracy of â€Å"Braveheart†

Environmental Problems in El Salvador

With a total land mass of just 8,124 square miles, El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America. Like many of its’ neighboring countries, it possesses very few natural resources. Since the nation’s economy is based predominantly on agriculture, it’s no surprise that its’ citizens often experience â€Å"resource roller coasters†. In addition, its’ long history of inappropriate land tenure and ownership practices date all the way back to colonialism. Even more strikingly, â€Å"sixty percent of El Salvador’s population is expected to live in the capital by 2010. As a result, El Salvador has to deal with continuing environmental problems. The fact that the nation lies along the Pacific Ring of fire doesn’t help either, which subjects the country to frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. The environmental problems that El Salvador continually struggles with are deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution, contaminat ion and lack of bio-diversity. El Salvador is the second most deforested country in Latin American after Haiti. In fact, nearly eighty five percent of its forest has disappeared since the 1960's.Today, less than 6,000 hectares are now considered to be primary forest. Deforestation in El Salvador occurs as a result of timber exploitation for fuel. The nation’s high population relies heavily on the collection of fuel wood and subsistence hunting and agriculture. Since the end of the 1990's, the country’s deforestation rate has increased by eighteen percent. The environmental, social and economic effects of deforestation have been nothing short of devastating. To date, more than fifty percent of El Salvador isn’t even suitable for food cultivation.In addition, much of the country suffers from severe soil erosion. The massive deforestation that the nation has experienced has dislodged the top soil and has even changed the climate according to environmental experts. What used to be a heavily wooded region is now more like a desert. Deforestation is so severe in El Salvador that it has forced people into the capital city of San Salvador, where overcrowding has caused problems such as smog. â€Å"At least 11,000 Salvadoran children die every year because of respiratory ailments believed related to air pollution, according to one study. Although the El Salvadoran government has attempted to respond to the problem of deforestation, they have not been particularly successful. They have created deforestation laws, but due to lack of funds and management, the laws often go unenforced. In addition, soil erosion and infertility are quite prevalent in El Salvador. These problems stem mostly from poor agricultural practices. Farmers typically use a â€Å"slash and burn† farming method, which consists of cutting and burning down forests in order to use the areas for agriculture. This method destroys all vegetation and leaves the surrounding soil vu lnerable to extreme erosion.Unfortunately, since it is becoming more and more difficult to find land that is suitable for cultivation, farmers have no choice but to do this. Farming is their livelihood and quite frankly they will do anything to survive. What’s even more disheartening is the fact that the land that is suitable for cultivation has already been bought to use for construction of maquilas. In some cases, soil erosion has even buried communities in landslides and floods have submerged large areas of flat land. The soil is also unable to retain humidity causing drought conditions in the dry season.Most agricultural soil has even been acidified due to the irrational use of inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, and other forms of pollution. Luckily, the government has responded to this problem and is encouraging farmers to take advantage of improved agricultural technologies. These technologies include planting deep rooted grasses and trees on hillsides to control soil e rosion. However, farmers should not expect much financial assistance to take advantage of these new technologies because the El Salvadoran government simply does not have much to give.Thirdly, water pollution is another environmental problem that plague El Salvador. Despite receiving six feet of rainfall each year, most of the nation’s water is highly contaminated. In fact, thousands are killed each year due to water contamination, many of whom are children. At the same time, most of the citizens of the nation cannot afford bottled water. After the twelve year civil war destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure, poor areas became even poorer. Homes and water sources had been destroyed by militia during the war. After returning home, some citizens chose to hand dig wells in order to obtain drinking water.However, many others went to their nearest stream, river or pond to collect water. These unsafe and contaminated water sources caused many people to become ill wit h intestinal diseases. According to Ricardo Navarro, El Salvador’s government has failed to protect its’ most precious resource: â€Å"Farmers have cut down forests that used to store rain water. Ranchers have allowed their livestock to pollute rivers. Communities have put latrines too close to shallow wells. † Others, such as Marisol Prima Ponza, who runs a government dispensary that tracks the health of 375 children in several communities, believe that things are improving. There have been fewer cases of diarrhea,† she says. â€Å"For example, from January to August of this year I have only recorded 17 cases. † Ponza also added that these improvements are due to several projects that have been implemented to improve water conditions. El Salvador’s government can not claim that they have played a large role in any improvements though. In fact, sixty three percent of water improvement programs were financed through international loans and gra nts, twenty one percent through self-financing by ANDA and only sixteen percent with actual government resources.Many citizens and international groups alike have been putting pressure on the government to improve water conditions as well. In fact, March 22 is declared as World Water Day when thousands of people protest in the streets of San Salvador. They typically protest the four main components of the country’s water crisis: high cost of water, unjust distribution of water, contaminated water and environmental destruction. Despite some improvements, poor water sanitation continues to remain one of the main environmental problems of El Salvador. Another environmental problem that El Salvador must deal with on a daily basis is contamination.The nation’s soil is constantly being contaminated from the disposal of toxic wastes. Each day, El Salvador produces over two thousand metric tons of garbage. Over half of the garbage that is produced is disposed of illegally in o pen air dumps. In actuality, only two legal garbage dumps exist for the entire country to share. The whole country, especially the Greater San Salvador area contaminates a great deal of its garbage by â€Å"mixing organic with inorganic garbage, biodegradable or reusable materials with non-biodegradable or toxic waste. By doing this, many recycling opportunities are completely lost and the cost of recovering the recyclable materials would simply not be worth it. Unfortunately, the nation’s restrictions on any kind of waste disposal are quite lax and they do not provide people with the resources for proper disposal anyway. In addition, nearly half of the nation’s garbage is toxic waste which is harmful to human and environmental health. Factories and hospitals alike simply dump their garbage into nearby rivers and lakes which contaminates the water.Unfortunately, the response from the municipal government in San Salvador barely makes a dent in the problem. Nonetheless, if its model extended throughout the nation and made its way into the platforms of public officials as well as environmental organizations, then positive change would probably occur. For a country whose environment is badly deteriorating, this is a life or death situation and must be properly addressed. Garbage collectors themselves can be seen handling garbage with their bare hands on any given day, which subjects them to many types of infections.According to the garbage collectors themselves, there isn’t a very good communication flow between them and the environmental sanitation office. Many of the people that work at the mayor’s office are not even aware of a pilot project to separate garbage. In addition, the equipment that would be needed for the project would not even be affordable due to San Salvador’s poor economic conditions. Unfortunately, the mayor’s good intentions are simply not helpful without the proper funding and effort. Lastly, another environmental issue that affects El Salvador is the loss of bio-diversity.It’s not that the nation naturally lacks bio-diversity, but rather the result of many years of environmental abuse. In particular, the nation’s wildlife and native plant life are suffering due to soil degradation, poor water quality and subsistence hunting. Despite these problems, more than 508 species of birds, 121 mammals, 130 reptiles and amphibians, and over 2000 plant species were recorded in the nation in 1998. Even though these numbers have probably decreased since then due to the government’s lack of emphasis on natural resources training, they are still not devastating by any means.In fact, El Salvador encompasses over seven percent over the world’s total biodiversity. However, these plants and animal species are not going to save themselves. If the nation’s other environmental issues are not addressed then the distinction of some of these plants and animals is inev itable. The environmental problems in El Salvador are an important issue to the state because they all lead to others problems.For example, contamination has led to water pollution which has led to illness and people’s livelihoods depend on whether they are healthy enough to work. As mentioned several of times, the state has definitely not done enough to ddress the environmental problems in which they are suffering from. Even when they do address the problems and create plans to fix them, they usually lack the money to carry the plans through. Any money that they do have to fix the problem is typically obtained through international grant and loan programs, like the United Nations. Some improvements have been made in El Salvador, such as the integration of legal garbage dumps, but since only two exist, the improvements have not been immense. The environmental problems have weakened the economy and in turn, the weakened economy is what is preventing the problems from being fix ed.It’s not that the elected officials of El Salvador do not have goals and visions for their state, but it’s that they can’t carry them through economically. Perhaps educating the citizens of El Salvador about how to care for the environment and farm correctly is one of the first steps. International groups also need to continue to put pressure on the state through protests, such as they did on World Water Day and their funding needs to continue. By improving their environmental problems, El Salvador has the ability to prosper more than anyone has ever even imagined.

Theme of Death across Dr Faustus, Paradise Lost, Shakespeares Sonnets Essay - 1

Theme of Death across Dr Faustus, Paradise Lost, Shakespeares Sonnets and The Pardoners Tale - Essay Example Death is that relentless time passing, causing everything to decay. It is the transience of things, of all that is mortal and born in time. Time devours everything (Shakespeare). Death is also a sad force that cannot be stopped, not by anything on earth (Shakespeare (b)): Since neither brass nor stone nor earth nor the limitless ocean is strong enough to resist the sad force of mortality, how can beauty possibly resist death’s rage when beauty is no stronger than a flower? How could your beauty, which is as fragile as the sweet breath of summer, hold out against the destructive assaults of time when neither invulnerable rocks nor gates of steel are strong enough to resist its decaying power? (Shakespeare (b)) Yet, in the midst of this grave and gloomy image of death as the incessant work of time, there is also an aspect of death that transcends the destruction, and that is the beauty of the beloved as immortalized in the poetry, according to Shakespeare (Shakespeare (c)): Despite death and ignorant enmity, you shall continue on. All those generations to come, down to the weary end of time, will devote space to praising you. So until Judgment Day, when you are raised up, you will live in this poetry, and in the eyes of lovers who read this. (Shakespeare (c)) In Christopher Marlowe’s ‘The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus’ again we see the same themes about death being, in essence, something that is of man’s making, through the decisions that he makes to either go with the good in him, or in the case of Dr. Faustus, to sign away his soul to the devil in exchange for his worldly ambitions and desires. Where in Milton the cause of the death in metaphorical terms was the disobedience by Adam and Eve of the express command of God, in Dr. Faustus by Marlowe there is the sense of the key protagonist willing to risk all, even his soul, for the sake of a worldly career and knowledge of a dubious magic that would not save him in the end. Knowledge

2012 Election Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

2012 Election - Essay Example Based on all of the aforementioned issues and after balancing pros and potential cons related to both candidates, it has been determined that Mitt Romney would be the best leader for the United States. First, in relation to the economy, Barack Obama has a proven track record of failures associated with economic policy and stimulus package development to prevent the company from experiencing a recession. This current president maintains a very large group of economic advisors to provide him information and strategies that will help the macro- and micro-economic environment. It does not appear that this president maintains the academic or experience-based credentials to understand the complex dynamics of economic theory and inter-dependent financial institutions that drive growth and sustainability in the economy. It becomes a cause for concern when an individual who is responsible for dictating economic policy must rely on a basket of knowledge sources to make decisions. Mitt Romney maintains much experience-based knowledge of business and financial investment institutions and therefore can rely on their own tangible knowledge to make effective economic decisions. It is difficult t o trust the economic policy of an individual with no formalized training in advanced economic development or experience working within the investment and financial communities. Barack Obama also does not seem to understand the importance of a crumbling and inefficient infrastructure that supports retail, physical urban sustainability, and how physical infrastructure failures have long-term safety consequences for citizens. Many of the bridges and highways in America, as two examples, have been deemed unsafe by experts in safety management nationwide. In certain urban areas, they are literally falling onto vehicles as they pass underneath overpasses with the rebar exposed and potholes

Personal Growth Influences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Growth Influences - Essay Example This lifestyle, with it’s exposure to a variety of cultures and ethnicities, has been the learning experience of my lifetime and has made me very much aware of the universality and basic oneness of mankind, despite differences of race, language and religion. It has made me a true ‘citizen of the world.’ The extracurricular activity I have most enjoyed has been running track in High School. This has inculcated in me the passion to go all out to reach my goal, taught me that preparation is the key to success and has given me endurance and the hunger to win. It has also taught me to work as a member of a team towards a common objective and made me appreciate the camaraderie of a commonly motivated group and also the importance of physical fitness in life. The strongest influence of my life has been my parents. My Mother, who is a registered nurse at a retirement home, has influenced me to be sensitive to the needs of the economically and socially disadvantaged and also the aged and the ill. At her suggestion, I have been involved in a community project in which I have visited hospices for the aged over the weekends and spent some time with the inmates, reading to them (mainly the newspapers and the Bible) and helping them with their letters and other correspondence. I have come away from this experience with the certainty that society owes the aged a gift of security and inclusion. I have a deep admiration and respect for my Father, who is an International trader for a major American bank. He treats me not only as his son, but also as his confidante and friend. I am often privy to the information inputs which guide his management techniques and his responses to the various financial complexities involved in his profession. From his experiences, I have understood that the quality of life and the personal happiness of people all over the world is dependent on their financial security, particularly in the later years.

Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Annotated Bibliography Example They aim to explore the relation between the three IPTS components and PTSD symptoms. After the research, they established that the acquired capability to commit suicide links directly to re-experiencing the symptoms. However, the researchers explain, through statistical explanation of mental health distress, the relationship of the above established ideologies to disenchanted belongingness and alleged burdensomeness. Additionally, results prove that mental rehearsal of provocative and painful experiences impact on suicide risk. The researchers have created it for other scholars in the same field since it is technical. The study’s strength is that it contains basic information. The jargon forms the quandary in the interpretation, considering that it has insufficient research proof. Finley, E., Baker, M., Pugh, M., & Peterson, A. (2010). Patterns and Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence Committed by Returning Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Journal of Family Violence, 25(8), 737-743. Doi: 10.1007/s10896-010-9331-7 The researchers aim at addressing critical thematic concerns regarding a population of Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans; diagnosed with PTSD. The researcher addresses concerns of IPV among the population sample selected. The researchers come up with two categorical findings, which establish different inclinations towards the main themes under critical study, obviously, regarding IPV among PTSD. Three modes of violence include violence elicited by anger, parasomniac and dissociative. Secondly, common notions on PTSD and suffering-related war influence veterans’ reaction to violence cases against their partners. This study addresses pertinent matters in the expounding of corrective measures or actions to be taken by authorities and organizations in dealing with their workforce stress issues. The study portends benefits of research evidence and