Rivalry Between Friends

In the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, the theme of opposites plays a prominent role. Shakespeare explores several relationships in this play, but the most intriguing is the relationship between Hermia and Helena. Specifically, Shakespeare calls the reader’s attention to the relationship between Hermia and Helena and their distinct differences. It is because of these differences that Hermia and Helena develop a mutual respect and admiration for one another, though in the beginning of the play, the girls have a much rockier relationship. At first glance, these two girls do not seem to be all that different, but as the play progresses, the reader realizes that a relationship of rivalry and jealousy exists. Hermia and Helena are both portrayed as beautiful young women. Helena is in love with a man named Demetrius, who happens to be her ex-boyfriend. Demetrius, however, does not return Helena’s affections, but attempts to woo Hermia. Hermia is not interested in Demetrius’ attempts to win her heart, as she is deeply in love with Lysander. It is within this love triangle that Hermia and Helena’s relationship exists in the form of a rivalry. By the end of the play, a noticeable change in Helena has occurred, and it is obvious that she As the play begins, the reader is thrust into this love affair between Hermia, Demetrius, Helena, and Lysander. Hermia’s father, Egeus, has forbidden her relationship with Lysander, forcing the two lovers to concoct a plan to elope together. In this scene, the reader senses through her actions that Hermia is sure of both herself and her impeding elopement to Lysander. Hermia appears to be completely content with the man who loves her, and very secure in her own skin. Hermia confesses her plans to elope to her friend, Helena, who tells Demetrius of the plan in order to gain favor in his eyes. Helena, too, appears to be confident in her appearance and intelligence. Although she is confused by Demetrius’ obvious disinterest in her, Helena make is very clear to the reader that she thinks very highly of herself. This attitude is apparent when Helena says, â€Å"Through Athens I am thought as fair as she† (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 227). Although Helena appears to be overconfident in herself, she also has a side of her that is very insecure with herself, and envious of Hermia and the attention that Demetrius showers on her. Although Helena has made it clear that she is just a beautiful as Hermia, Helena believes that Demetrius is only in love with Hermia because of her beauty. It is apparent that Helena believes that she has more than just beauty to offer Demetrius when she says, â€Å"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind† (Act 1, Scene 2, Line 134). A short while later, Puck, the right hand to the Fairy King, Oberon, attempts to give Helena her precious Demetrius. The plan, however, backfires, and it is Lysander who is made to woo Helena. When Lysander approaches Helena and tells her of his newfound feelings for her, she doesn’t believe him and thinks that it is a joke. Helena yells at Lysander because she thinks that he is making a fool of her. â€Å"Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? When at your hands did I deserve this scorn?† (Act 2, Scene 2, Line 129-130).   This contradicts Helena’s earlier feeling of being just as attractive as Hermia, and just as deserving of those things that she has. While Lysander is pursuing Helena, Hermia awakens to find her love missing. The reader is again shown how confident and secure Hermia is when she worries that Lysander has been killed. The thought of Lysander being unfaithful to her never enters Hermia’s mind, and she assumes the worst when he is not there when she wakes. At the end of the play we see Helena and Demetrius are together, thanks to the correction of Lysander’s assisted feelings for Helena. Helena seems to have accepted Demetrius’ affection, whether real or not, and decides to be with him. This shows that, contrary to previous actions, Helena is starting to believe that Demetrius’ feelings are true. Whereas earlier in the play she was running away from Demetrius, sure that he was mocking her in his attempts to woo her, now she is marrying him and committing her life to being with him. This marriage and Demetrius’ sudden change of heart also calm Helena’s jealousy for Hermia. Originally, Demetrius had left Helena to woo Hermia, and now in Helena’s mind, order has been restored by Demetrius’ return to her. At the end of the play we see a more secure character and obviously a much happier Helena. In the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, every character goes through an evolution and by the end of the play, everyone is wiser for the experiences they endured. In the beginning of the play, we see Helena as an overconfident and jealous girl who is desperately chasing after the man she loves. Hermia is a more stable, self-assured character, completely confident in her relationship with Lysander. As the play wears on, Helena becomes extremely insecure and suddenly unsure of herself, whereas the reader never sees Hermia falter. Hermia runs away from the man that she had been chasing after for so long, and questions his affection for her. In the end, all’s well that ends well for Helena. She accepts Demetrius’ love and affection by marrying him, which creates more security for Helena, and gives her a sense of order restored in her life. Throughout the play, the reader sees Helena mature from an outwardly cocky, but yet inwardly insecure young woman into a self-assured and confident woman. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1980.         

Smoking IN public places essays

Smoking IN public places essays For a long time now many people have different views about smoking in public places. Smokers feel it is their right to smoke where and when they want. On the other hand non-smokers feel smokers violate their rights and endanger there life. Smoking causes heart disease, lung cancer and other serious illnesses. Cigarette smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. A substantial number of lung cancers that occur in non-smokers can be attributed to involuntary smoking. There are some parts in the United States where you can smoke in public places, on the other hand in New York there are designated areas. While some people feel that smoking in public places should remain since it is their right, smoking in public places should be banned because second-hand smoke will endanger non-smokers health and it pollutes the enviroment Smokers feel they have had the right to smoke in a public place for so long that it should not be taken away. Resturants and businesses should be allowed to set their own smoking rules, based on demands of the customers. Also business may decrease if they do not allow smokers the right to smoke, ecspecially bars and restaurants. The work place is another problem for smokers, now they have to go outside even in the winter to have a cigarette, even though they used to be able to smoke inside. A strong supporter on smokers rights is Democratic Assemblyman Dick Floyd, who wanted to vote for a controversial smokers right bill. He feels it is not a smoking bill, it merely protects the people who use legal substances such as tobacco and alcohol in their homes from job discrimination. However, smoking in public places is a danger to non-smokers health for the reason of passive or second-hand smoke. The public does not realize the significant hazards of passive smoking. A U.S enviromental protection agency stated second-hand smoke is th...

Free Essays on The Impact of Media Violence

Persuasive Essay: The Impact of Media Violence â€Å"Monkey see, monkey do† has become a well-known saying in today’s society, but is it correct? Just sixty years ago the invention of the television was viewed as a technological curiosity with black and white ghost-like figures on a screen so small hardly anyone could see them. Today that curiosity has become a constant companion to many, mainly children. From reporting the news and persuading us to buy certain products, to providing programs that depict violence, television has all but replaced written material. Unfortunately, it is these violent programs that are endangering our present-day society. Violent images on television, as well as in the movies, have inspired people to set spouses on fire in their beds, lie down in the middle of highways, extort money by placing bombs in airplanes, rape, steal, murder, and commit numerous other shootings and assaults. Over 1,000 case studies have proven that media violence ca n have negative affects on children as well. It increases aggressiveness and anti-social behavior, makes them less sensitive to violence and to victims of violence, and it increases their appetite for more violence in entertainment and in real life. Media violence is especially damaging to young children, age 8 and under1, because they cannot tell the difference between real life and fantasy. Violent images on television and in movies may seem real to these children and sometimes viewing these images can even traumatize them. Despite the negative effects media violence has been known to generate, no drastic changes have been made to deal with this problem that seems to be getting worse. We, as a whole, have glorified this violence so much that movies such as â€Å"Natural Born Killers† and television shows such as â€Å"Mighty Morphin Power Rangers† are viewed as normal, everyday entertainment. It’s even rare now to find a children’s cartoon that does not depict some t... Free Essays on The Impact of Media Violence Free Essays on The Impact of Media Violence Persuasive Essay: The Impact of Media Violence â€Å"Monkey see, monkey do† has become a well-known saying in today’s society, but is it correct? Just sixty years ago the invention of the television was viewed as a technological curiosity with black and white ghost-like figures on a screen so small hardly anyone could see them. Today that curiosity has become a constant companion to many, mainly children. From reporting the news and persuading us to buy certain products, to providing programs that depict violence, television has all but replaced written material. Unfortunately, it is these violent programs that are endangering our present-day society. Violent images on television, as well as in the movies, have inspired people to set spouses on fire in their beds, lie down in the middle of highways, extort money by placing bombs in airplanes, rape, steal, murder, and commit numerous other shootings and assaults. Over 1,000 case studies have proven that media violence ca n have negative affects on children as well. It increases aggressiveness and anti-social behavior, makes them less sensitive to violence and to victims of violence, and it increases their appetite for more violence in entertainment and in real life. Media violence is especially damaging to young children, age 8 and under1, because they cannot tell the difference between real life and fantasy. Violent images on television and in movies may seem real to these children and sometimes viewing these images can even traumatize them. Despite the negative effects media violence has been known to generate, no drastic changes have been made to deal with this problem that seems to be getting worse. We, as a whole, have glorified this violence so much that movies such as â€Å"Natural Born Killers† and television shows such as â€Å"Mighty Morphin Power Rangers† are viewed as normal, everyday entertainment. It’s even rare now to find a children’s cartoon that does not depict some t...

Overview of Population Growth Rates

Overview of Population Growth Rates The rate of national population growth is expressed as a percentage for each country, commonly between about 0.1% and 3% annually. Natural Growth vs. Overall Growth Youll find two percentages associated with population - natural growth and overall growth. Natural growth represents the births and deaths in a countrys population and does not take into account migration. The overall growth rate takes migration into account. For example, Canadas natural growth rate is 0.3% while its overall growth rate is 0.9%, due to Canadas open immigration policies. In the U.S., the natural growth rate is 0.6% and overall growth is 0.9%. The growth rate of a country provides demographers and geographers with a good contemporary variable for current growth and for comparison between countries or regions. For most purposes, the overall growth rate is more frequently utilized. Doubling Time The growth rate can be used to determine a country or regions or even the planets doubling time, which tells us how long it will take for that areas current population to double. This length of time is determined by dividing the growth rate into 70. The number 70 comes from the natural log of 2, which is .70. Given Canadas overall growth of 0.9% in the year 2006, we divide 70 by .9 (from the 0.9%) and yield a value of 77.7 years. Thus, in 2083, if the current rate of growth remains constant, Canadas population will double from its current 33 million to 66 million. However, if we look at the U.S. Census Bureaus International Data Base Summary Demographic Data for Canada, we see that Canadas overall growth rate is expected to decline to 0.6% by 2025. With a growth rate of 0.6% in 2025, Canadas population would take about 117 years to double (70 / 0.6 116.666). The Worlds Growth Rate The worlds current (overall as well as natural) growth rate is about 1.14%, representing a doubling time of 61 years. We can expect the worlds population of 6.5 billion to become 13 billion by 2067 if current growth continues. The worlds growth rate peaked in the 1960s at 2% and a doubling time of 35 years. Negative Growth Rates Most European countries have low growth rates. In the United Kingdom, the rate is 0.2%, in Germany, its 0.0%, and in France, 0.4%. Germanys zero rate of growth includes a natural increase of -0.2%. Without immigration, Germany would be shrinking, like the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic and some other European countries growth rate is actually negative (on average, women in the Czech Republic give birth to 1.2 children, which is below the 2.1 needed to yield zero population growth). The Czech Republics natural growth rate of -0.1 cannot be used to determine doubling time because the population is actually shrinking in size. High Growth Rates Many Asian and African countries have high growth rates. Afghanistan has a current growth rate of 4.8%, representing a doubling time of 14.5 years. If Afghanistans growth rate remains the same (which is very unlikely and the countrys projected growth rate for 2025 is a mere 2.3%), then the population of 30 million would become 60 million in 2020, 120 million in 2035, 280 million in 2049, 560 million in 2064, and 1.12 billion in 2078! This is a ridiculous expectation. As you can see, population growth percentages is better utilized for short term projections. Increased population growth generally represents problems for a country - it means increased need for food, infrastructure, and services. These are expenses that most high-growth countries have little ability to provide today, let alone if the population rises dramatically.

Features of the Aircraft Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Features of the Aircraft Design - Essay Example Although composite materials weigh less than aluminum and have more corrosion resistance, which will lower maintenance, composite materials also have more failure characteristics in high-energy crashes (Langevin, 2003). Composite materials are brittle, and lack plasticity following an impact, so that a change in configuration may be needed in an aircraft design to ensure that crashworthiness criteria are met. There are load-limiting devices that can be implemented so that the loads transmitted to passengers during a crash will be minimized. The structural assembly can also be modified to decrease transmitted loads. Aircraft subfloor systems can be developed with high-strength materials that hold the passenger seats during impact, and also contain a crushable layer that will absorb energy. The crushable layer is most important in the vertical direction, for improving human tolerance of the impact. This subfloor platform will also distribute loads across the fuselage evenly. Energy absorbing seats are also effective at reducing loads transmitted to passengers. A comparison of two similar real-life crash events shows that energy absorbing seats and restraint systems can mean the difference between walking away and not surviving (Langevin, 2003). Another aspect of an aircraft design’s crashworthiness is its ditchability, or its ability to emergency land in water. There is usually a great loss of life in ditching however; statistics show a 60% survivability during ditching (Kebabjian, 2006) - some sources list a much higher survivability rate. Intentional ditching of commercial aircraft is rare and often occurs after fuel exhaustion; small aircraft ditching is much more common. As far as aircraft design considerations go, large underwing turbofans have been seen as having problematic ditchability ("Fall-back System...", 1999). In our aircraft design, engines mount above or on the wing, and there shouldn’t be the same ditchability problem.

U5ipdb Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U5ipdb - Essay Example She is correct in that it is necessary to complete the billing for medical procedures in a timely fashion so that claims are properly processed, but not at the expense of coding those procedures incorrectly. Luckily, today’s world is full of a wealth of resources that Jan can turn to outside of printed media. Jan is most likely not dealing with codes that cannot be found properly. What she is doing is looking in the wrong place. She is looking where there are limited resources and giving up too easily and taking the easy road out. One of the best resources for her to utilize for this challenge would be the Internet. It is easy to find CPT codes on the Internet, even the new ones. All she needs to do is choose a search engine such as Google, select a proper search string to indicate what she is looking for and she is liable to easily find it. This is how I would handle the situation differently when using CPT codes that are not listed. One challenge of using the aforementioned method for finding unlisted, newer CPT codes is ensuring that the codes are accurate. It would be necessary for Jan to check the supplier and sponsor(s) of the website she chooses in order to determine whether not the resource is reliable. According to Avila-Weil and Regan (2007, pg. 230), â€Å"The ethics of coding, as in every professiona and business, is built on a solid foundation of moral standards which are applied to coding policies and procedures. These standards include integrity, honesty, competence, respect, fairness, trust, and courage. It is the responsibility of coding and health care professionals to establish and adopt ethical policies regarding billing and reimbursement, implement the policies comprehensively, and monitor the consistently, making corrective changes when necessary. It stands to reason from the aforementioned information that anyone who violates the standards of integrity,

The Need for Good Financing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Need for Good Financing - Essay Example The difference is that the word "finance" has a magical ring to it, and what a big difference the choice of words makes! A young boy who asks his dad for a few dollars usually pays a penalty like studying harder or fixing up his room, but a man in a suit who looks for multi-million dollar financing deals gets his picture in the papers, surrounds himself with beautiful people, and may even end up getting elected into public office like the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, Hank Paulson, who is now America's Treasury Secretary. So what this essay hopes to accomplish is to give young men and women a leg up in the good life: how to find money and learn the lessons needed to be successful later on in life. There are five basic rules that one has to remember in order to succeed in finding money without breaking the law, or without getting so used to shortcuts that instead of becoming a responsible member of society, the ambitious young person looking for money is spoiled into thinking that one can get on easily in life. This is not true, because whether one likes it or not, people have to work. Unless one learns to work hard, one can never be successful in life, especially now that there are billions of people in the world who are competing for the same lifestyle and the same jobs that people have and enjoy in America. This is the first rule of finding money the right way or, as the title of this essay suggests, finding good financing: money does not grow on trees, so one has to look for the best source of money. For young people, the best source is usually a parent, a relative, a friend, or a part-time job, in that order. Having a rich parent is an advantage, but it could also happen that rich parents are so tight with their money that their children do not get more than what they need. Many call this smart parenting, although their children may not see it that way. In other cases, parents may not have much money, but they want the best for their children, so they indulge the children's every whim and fancy. Many parents call this dumb parenting, but children usually praise this type of good financing of their expenses that they wish all parents are like theirs, except that spoiled kids usually end up as spoiled men and women who are good for nothing. Which brings us to the second rule: the wrong use of money can be the source of evil. Parents love this popular clich and often think about it when their children ask them for money, more so when their children are in their teenage years and most susceptible to experimenting with everything under the sun (or inside the mall). Good financing must include using the money for a good purpose, like being with friends, being able to buy food to eat or to engage in fun activities to relieve the mental, physical, and emotional stresses that are so common. Obviously, when parents see that giving their children money is not good for the children, they can block the channels through which the funds flow, either by withdrawing the child's allowance or imposing near-impossible conditions for funds release, such as getting straight A's or lending your iPod to your kid sister. This brings us to the third rule: one can get good financing by working for others. The reason is simple: the work you do will be unique and does not bring with it the condition to do