Globalization And Global Governance

Globalization And Global Governance Over the past years, global governance and globalization and the relation between the two, has become a much discussed subject. There are various definition of global governance; its role, its nature. Likewise, there are even more definitions regarding globalization. There are several strands of expert which disagree on when the origins are traceable, ranging even thousands of years and, moreover, some differentiate a range of separate fields to identify specifically the nature of globalization during time. Research has brought up various issues in the relation between global governance and globalization and whether or not this relation has been always even. The main question; has globalization rendered global governance ever more essential than in the past, is based on the metamorphosis of the state during the past decades, the economic crash and the massive progress in transport and communication. The aim of this essay is to understand how global governance has changed and how it imposed itself differently compared to the past decades and centuries. In order to answer this query about todays different influence of global governance over globalization, this essay will examine various theories and definition regarding globalization and global governance. As a result, the role of the state, the different kinds of globalization and governance will be examined. II: Globalization Global Governance Theory of Globalization Globalization is a very complicated matter: nobody seems to be in charge, yet it is progressing as we research it. What is behind the idea of Globalization? What do we mean when we talk about it? The term itself was introduced just recently. Globalization lacks in fact a main definition still today. McCrews shortest definition given is: Globalization can be defined as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa (A.McCrew, pp.60) The term Globalization as a matter of fact, includes a wide variety of theories and view of what is essentially reality; another definition could also be Globalization is a global movement which aim is integration, whether economic or financial or in communication. Another broad definition could be Dirk Messner view over globalization: Globalization denotes a process in the course of which the volume and intensity of transboundry transportation, communication, and trade relations are rapidly increasing (Dirk Messner, pp.29) However it has been agreed that Globalization has, is and will, without doubt, massively increase speed of global interconnections in most aspect of life. This includes culture, which spreads from a country to another throughout television and internet; or finance, which throughout a wider connection over the world, finds different markets. Technological progress rushed globalization in a world that from day to night has given new perspective to virtually anything. Even though Globalization might be a recent topic, its nature is traceable to pre-modern history. Clearly traveling very short distance, by settling in other areas, people would bring along their culture and traditions as well as their products and technologies. Globalization starts as a mixing and adaptation of culture, knowledge and also languages of outside influences which interconnect with local population. A.McCrew, in fact, redefines his previous definition by saying that: Globalization can usefully be conceived as a process (or set of processes) which embodies a transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and transactions, generating transcontinental or interregional flows and networks of activity, interaction and power. (Mc Crew, pp.43) However, as McCrew realizes later: Globalization today is different from the globalization of the 19th century, when European imperialism provided much of its political structure and higher transport and communication. Cost meant fewer people were directly involved. (A.McCrew, pp.77) In fact, globalization today, yet again according to Mc Crew, must reflect four general characteristics: it must involve social, political and economic activities across political boundaries, regions and continents; a strong intensification of interconnectedness and flows of trade, investment, finance, migration, culture etc.; these connections are related to a speeding up of communication and transport which carries ideas, people and goods; the interconnection and interaction globally are so intense that the effects of a distant event can be highly significant elsewhere and even the most local development may come to have enormous global consequences. However, Joseph Stiglitz describes globalization differently, as an: [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] international flow of ideas and knowledge, the sharing of cultures, global civil society and the global environmental movement.(J.Stiglitz, pp.4) Therefore from Stiglitz point of view, Globalization can be divided in to various branches: Economic Globalization, so covering international flow, trade, foreign assistance; Social Globalization, caused by the interconnection of more societies and cultures; and Environmental Globalization, where the challenge is global warming. This differentiation turns out to be very useful to understand how globalization affect or is affected by global governance, specifically from an economic point of view The Three visions of Globalization There are three different points of view regarding the contemporary nature and meaning of globalization: the Hyper globalist, the Skeptical and the Transformationalist. The first stand for a world which is increasingly global, and where political and economic processes and pressure have changed the state. To them the nation-state is deteriorating shown by the fact that the state decision making has vanished and national representatives powers are weaker. The second, skeptical, have a total opposite view to the Hyper globalist; they claim in recent times the states have actually acquire even more power even though there has been some major swift in the international scene. The third, the Transformationalist accept globalization as an actor which has indirectly created new economic and political scenario but that even so, this scenario has actually come in handy to states range of powers. Moreover, Transformationalist, despite arguing a major predominance of the state, declares that politics must overlap the nation-state concept. All of these contemporary points of view can be considered to some extent confused: the hyperglobalist do not realized the new position the states are assuming in global governance, skeptical possibly still live in the Cold War and declare globalization a new form of imperialism, and finally Transformationalist, who totally forget about the traditional force. These are some of the critics put in place by the Constitutive, a fourth point of view: Constitutive consider globalization as product of millions of factors and therefore couldnt emerge by applying one of the three traditional aspects. Possibly one of reason between many, above all, is the fall of USSR and the US reorganization of the global architecture. Theory of Global Governance Before explaining Global Governance, it is fair to split Global from Governance. Therefore, what is Governance? According to Vayrynen, Governance is: [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] is the sum of the many ways individuals and institutions, public and private, manage their common affairs. (Vayrynen, P.25) Governance, as the word itself suggest, is the act itself of governing, the process or power of governing. These processes are normally exercised by a government. Essentially, Governance is the result of the government. However, governance is different to politics, which is the process in which different group of people with different opinion, meet to reach a compromise. The process of Governance normally doesnt spark from a group with different opinions but still uses the same means. Accordingly, Global Governance refers to the: [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] collective actions to establish international institutions and norms to cope with the causes and consequences of adverse supranational, transnational of national problems. (Vayrynen, p.25) Global Governances collective decisions are aimed to shape and define a goal or goals at the global level. Global Governance forms a series of rules which purpose is to work globally no matter what the national laws are. This global level characteristic is the reason why it is frequently associated to Globalization, as the two influences one another as much as they are associated. However where and when did really Global Governance started to matter it is not certain. Possibly at the beginning of the 19th century. What is certain is that after the belle à ©poque, the world started to crash. A new era of highly interrelated global interdependence had begun and the worlds answer had been international institutions. The first and most important post World War I institutions was the League of Nations, which was supposed to maintain peace but miserably failed giving us World War II. The second attempt shows much more success with the United Nations. Between WWI and WWII, we have the first modern economic crash and the Great Depression. On the same wave of new international institutions, IMF and WB are born for a higher economic protection. However, this time round, the economic institutions have failed: nations which have followed IMF had economic crisis, the WB is mainly divulgating American economics and yet today, developing countries (which in some cases thank s to the combination of over speeded up globalization and bad governance) have even worsen their situation and still have little representation. Finally, the Cold war. According to the commission on Global Governance, after the Cold war, global governance was the new beginning of a new era, supposedly of peace and international political progress: [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] international developments had created a unique opportunity for strengthening global co-operation to meet the challenge of securing peace, achieving sustainable development, and universalizing democracy (Commission on Global Governance, 1995) The Nation-State The peace of Westphalia is the origin of the a system of nation-states. These then evolved in the 19th century as the main actor of territorial policies and subsequently passed to the welfare state. Before the massive expansion of political, economical and social benefits and issues around the world had started due to globalization, and before the progress in transport and communication had opened markets to the world, the Nation-State was the center of everything. Certainly, because of globalization, States have been weakened due to the fact that some of their actions have either been diverged to international institution or have become of international interest. While the State would act in favor and interest of the Nation, now a more collective action is requested and national issues are shared between numerous populations, converting therefore to a global level. As a result, on one hand, Nation-States today comprehend how their actions may concern numerous other nations and population, in fact: state will come to function less as all-purpose providers of governance and more as the authors and legitimators of an international quasi polity; the central functions of the nation state will become those of providing legitimacy for an ensuring the accountability of supranational and subnational governance mechanism which exercise various forms of private authority (P.Hirst, p219-220) However, on the other hand, there is yet no real international actor, no global level democratic institution, which is supposed to take care of the national and international issues, spread and caused by globalization. In effect, quoting yet again Hirst: while the capacities of the states for governance have changed in some respects, and many states have lost the ability to act independently, they remain pivotal institutions, especially in terms of creating the conditions for effective international governance (P.Hirst, p219) Under a more national point of view, the States still today have full authority over its own territory, an viceversa: Globalization is deterriorialization. (Mc Crew, p86) Therefore, the state is somehow going back to the middle ages, searching for a monopoly of power over people living on the national territory. People are in fact less mobile than money, goods and ideas, which thanks to globalization are easily transportable and therefore they remain nationalized. Yet today they are dependent on visa and passport: This role gives the nation the exclusive legitimacy of regulating its territory and the population which lives within it and internationally. (P.Hirst, p221) In any case, the Nation-State still exercise its power over military power. Many have argued how from the 15th century to today, the main power defining a state, was the capacity of declaring war. The last glimmer of this capacity had been kept alive by the Cold War, even though, because of massive progress in military technologies, it wasnt really the power of declaring a war but rather the power to threaten one and the capacity and possibility of destroying a nation, if not the globe. Therefore military power and the capacity to declare war of the modern states, has become so destructive that it is almost impossible to really exercise it. Anyways: Armed forces will not cease to exist but they no longer decide matters between advanced states. (P.Hirst, p227) Furthermore, the state exercises and important role over economy, even though globalization has massively enlarged the markets. Still today, markets and companies possibly cant exist without a state or public power protecting them. The States guarantee for most of the national credit. The government still regulates banking over the national territory. The effects of Global Governance over Globalization. First of all we can say that the processes of globalization are conceived as only capable of being worldwide and therefore in relation to Globalization, Global Governance must do the same. Second, it is recognized that globalization is likely to be the bases around which the course of events are organized and therefore it is virtually a relentless process and must be taken care of by Global Governance as if there was no other choice. Third, globalization is now out of control and the only tool which can regulate it is governance. Global governance and globalization are in fact clearly highly related between each other. It is easy to think global governance is another way of saying global government, but in fact it couldnt be further from the truth. Global governance is not a global government and does not even consider a world government or even some sort of dominant power or authority, meant to regulate issues to a global level. There is no global government which promotes international standards to all nations. In fact, global governance acts by itself. But then who is holding the reins of governance? Power today is in economy: Globalization of the international financial market, which started after the fall of Bretton Woods, has significantly speeded up the formation of a global economy, which likely to the European Union, has become a point of reference of the worlds economy search for development. The liberalization of worldwide trade is a main element of globalization or at least of economic globalization and it is mainly regulated by global governance. International trade has created a major period of growth but its liberalization has had some issue over the global level. The intensification of world trade has required a new institution, the WTO, which clearly, by regulating trade, plays a major role in global governance. Actually, WTO is the only institution regulating worldwide trade which in fact promotes worldwide trading system helping to raise economic efficiency and decrease costs by major principles established by the themselves: non-discrimination, transparency, increased certainty in trade, reduction of corruption and of poor governance. The WTO could be an example of good governance which perfectly relates to a globalizing world. However, because there is no central global power, talks like the Doha round are failing. Also liberalization of capital flow has had major issues due to massive speculation and volatility in currency and financial markets. The IMF, a major actor of global economic governance, managed to liberalize capital by simply removing restrictions on transactions while the liberalization of world trade was more of a consequence of globalization. This shows how Globalization and governance can work together, but also completely separately, not considering the effects on one another. In fact, globalization transforms economy from national to global and therefore any national economy is at least affecting global economy if not directly part of it. Therefore, national economies act as actors of global governance, indirectly by relating themselves to dynamics of globalization and consequently affecting directly global governance. States are no longer seen as actors of a system of states, as nation-states, but more as a system of markets. From this perspective, transnational companies become the States entities. As said in I4, globalization has weakened the state; in economic globalization, the States economic policies and the weight of them over national and international level, has been also weakened. The mobility of capitals and international trade has changed the national market. States have in fact realized they singularly could achieve much less than by unifying in international financial systems in order to renew their power over economy. However, according to Dirk Messner: Economic globalization is strengthening decentralization processes in nation-states and regional cooperation in the world regions: In the context of world economy central governments are coming under pressure from their regions, which are keen to promote their profiles in global competition. (Dirk Messner, pp39) In fact, globalization has actually created a strong current of localization, even though it is a mutual reinforcement. In a world of world markets, local or location specific advantage gain value, while in the meantime seeking transboundary partnership there for entering economy to a global level. Transnational economic spaces and communities have clearly increased due to the globalized markets. Concordantly, under a more political point of view, cooperation between globalization and governance must be very intense in order to achieve a global goal. According to P.Hirst: Governing powers cannot simply proliferate and compete. The different levels and functions of governance need to be tied together in a division of control that sustains the division of labor. [..] The governing powers need to be sutured together into a relatively integrated system. If this is not the case then gaps will lead to the corrosion of the governance at every level (P.Hirst, p 234) Global governance has also recently shown, under a political point of view and in a globalization context, a trend towards unilateralism. Clearly this model strongly weakens multilateralism necessary to make globalization work. However, even though nation-states tend to have a trend towards monopoly of power and unilateralism (which is typical in western countries) they are still very necessary since they are the only connection between national and supranational level and are of course the main actors of global governance architecture. This last role, in a direct point of view, has however changed because of the increasing discard of nation-states as direct problem solvers. Today Nation-states act indirectly via institutions and agencies, thus keeping their interest a priority. However, no singular nation-state could be considered to give a response to globalization because this egoistic trend used by most western states is virtually doomed. The national translates to international , due to a significant global impact that, associated with the openness of todays markets, are creating and affecting the future of globalization. Global politics is possibly failing because of the stubborn, but motivated decision of giving the least possible weight to developing countries, either because there is a massive fear of a power turnover from the South or to pursue the agreed combined western national interest in developing countries. Therefore, effectively, globalization has some effect on global governance but the opposite is more likely. Global governance has a wider effect on globalization even thought at the same time the processes and dynamics of globalization are controllable only to some extent , yet the different speed of propagation is the real challenge An answer to the challenge Ultra globalists have proposed to unify globalization and global governance by creating a massive central government, a global government. Obviously this is absolutely impossible or desirable; it is enough to imagine how a global election and president could be strongly interested in everything but global issues. As said, globalization has encouraged regional organization and localization: these could easily function as organizations aimed on national awareness and protection while acting globally. In finding new solution to a new problem such as globalization and global governance it is important to realize the greatness of the project: cooperation and collective decision making thanks to international organizations via States is surely complicated at the least. What has changed today, that open a new door to a future solution, is the different level of cooperation between governmental and non-governmental organizations and therefore between public and private, necessary in a rapidly globalizing world. In fact, yesterdays nation-states have stopped doing what they simply wanted; today, even though their authoritative power are still strong, they are at least taking decision on global scale as a global actor and are influenced by social groups which have some success in changing national policies that eventually may have global effects. However, is global governance really keeping up with globalization? Today, one countrys domestic policy is permanently constrained by external situations. National government can no longer ignore the international impact; international coordination is needed to solve these issues. It is true, sometimes national government enter international coordination just for profit or solving domestic policies because, with no doubt, the interdependence between states is now mandatory due to globalization which has increased this trend to a world wide scale. Therefore, even though global governance massively effects globalization, the second is faster than the first. Globalization is a huge new challenge to deal with; it has surely brought massive growth but has also exposed the poorer countries which were already unable of meeting western standards and that today, because of globalization, have further increased their gap between rich and poor. There are in fact today countries which used to be very poor and have enormously improved their market and may be considered rich, but are however populated by poor. Globalization has opened the world to new markets, markets such as poor countries which were maybe not even reachable or in war and are now used to produce at a very low cost. They are surely progressing economically but at what cost? At the moment there is no answer to this challenge but just a series of future solution, one of which is reorganizing the world economy, which how we have seen in recent crisis, keeps on making basic world economy errors on how to coordinate domestic economy without causing massive ruptures on a global scale. Conclusion Has globalization rendered global governance ever more essential than in the past? The short answer is yes, absolutely. Globalization is heavily influenced by global governance and is still a work in progress, however it is possible to see how global governance is molding and creating a future architecture that will surely change the world of politics, international organizations and the role of the nation-state. Compared to the past, there is a clear gap between the weight of economic governance and political governance. States have lost most of their political power outside their boundaries while still exercising national interest and more and more frequently yield some of their authorities to non-state actors in exchange for control of the economy by direct influence. There is in fact a predominance to economic power since the 1990s. Moreover, unfortunately globalization has created winner and losers. Since the 1980s most of the world countries have integrated themselves in the new world economy, but some have done so maybe too early and thanks to the thrust of globalization, have caused major disparities between rich (exploiter of the new economic context) and poor (exploited by the system). Multinational firms have seen a new way of producing goods at very low cost in countries which had been specifically configured to be exploited, realizing the upcoming benefits of globalization. Here the major blame is to be given to global governance, which is today a more responsible process but only due to pressures. To conclude, the answer to the question posed in this essay will always be affirmative. Furthermore, future globalization will be in the rise of developing countries but only if western countries will cede ground in the big arena of global governance. Realistically this will happen only if forced by the situation, but once developing countries will sort out their political and social issues, they will eventually have all their papers in order to enter the decision making arena inevitably dominated by western countries.

How does Shakespeare demonstrate the power of the mind in Macbeth? Essay

Macbeth is a play famous for murder and its references to blood. It is usually associated with bad luck and evil; however, there is one main issue that appears time and time again throughout the play – what is it that drives the characters to do the things that they do? Shakespeare explores and presents the power of the mind in many interesting ways. These include soliloquies and slight changes in characters such as the way they talk, act or present themselves. The main character affected by the power of his mind is, of course, Macbeth. What happens in his mind basically provides the plot for the whole play. Once the witches have told Macbeth that he will be king he can either choose to ignore this piece of information or do something about it to make it come around faster. Macbeth chooses to do the latter and he kills the current king, Duncan. Lady Macbeth becomes so caught up in the series of events and excited at the prospect of being Queen that she urges Macbeth on, encouraging him to fulfil his apparent destiny and become King. In the end, the way that Macbeth presents himself and talks is completely different to the character we are introduced to at the beginning of the play. This is all due to the effect his mind power has over him. We also see changes in Lady Macbeth’s character such as paranoia and slight changes in the way she talks and thinks. The first evidence we see of mind power is in Act 1, Scene 3 where Macbeth meets the witches. Why do the witches’ prophecies in this scene have such power over Macbeth? Although Macbeth and Banquo hear the same thing, Macbeth is much more moved by the words, and I think the main reason for this is that the witches’ are speaking Macbeth’s innermost, dangerous thoughts. Once the witches say ‘Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!’ (Macbeth’s current title) it becomes apparent to Macbeth that the witches are knowledgeable and are capable of predicting the future. Shakespeare constructs the plot cleverly here. The dramatic irony of the audience knowing he has been crowned Thane of Cawdor ensures that the audience are already aware of what the witches can do before Macbeth realises. The tragedy is often blamed on the witches because they torment Macbeth by speaking his thoughts in riddles and they make Macbeth think that his greatest prize is near. However, the witches could only have so much power over Macbeth if he already had these thoughts in his head. Therefore, Macbeth himself could be blamed for the tragedy of the play. If he had already thought about killing Banquo, but thought nothing of it until the witches had confirmed the idea, you could blame him entirely for the murder. The witches know what to say and exactly how to say it, which implies that they know what Macbeth is thinking. Another line in this scene which suggests that Macbeth had already thought about becoming King or killing Duncan is when he pleads with the witches to ‘Stay you imperfect speakers. Tell me more.’ The fact that he was willing to listen to more of what the witches had to say suggests that he had thought of becoming King before and was reassured by the idea that it could really happen. Once the witches have vanished, Macbeth and Banquo visit Duncan at a room in his palace. Here, Duncan appoints Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. It is here that Macbeth begins to fully realise the impact the witches’ words are having on him. He also sees that they knew what was going to happen to him because they had said, ‘All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor’ in the previous scene. In a powerful soliloquy, Macbeth reveals his thoughts to the audience: ‘†¦Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires;’ With ‘let not light see my black and deep desires’ Macbeth confirms that he has thought of becoming King before, but does not want to show it. When he was speaking with the witches he wasn’t sure whether to believe what they were seeing and although he did think about the idea of becoming King, he never really pursued it. Once the prophecy of Macbeth becoming Thane Of Cawdor comes true, Macbeth realises that he will be king. In Act 1, scene 7 Macbeth is considering murdering Duncan but says there are many arguments against it. Some of the lines in this scene make me wonder whose initial idea the murder was and whether Macbeth really wanted to kill Duncan. Macbeth says he is enjoying the feeling of being famous and powerful but Lady Macbeth’s persuasion quickly works on him: ‘I am settled and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat.’ In the second act when Macbeth decides he is against the idea, the more persuasive Lady Macbeth is towards him, the more Macbeth submits to her taunting – ‘When you durst do it, then you were a man; And, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man.’ By the end of the scene, Macbeth has been made to feel so inferior by Lady Macbeth that he has taken over the planning himself. Macbeth plans to blame the murder on the two guards in Duncan’s chamber: ‘Will it not be receiv’d, When we have mark’d with blood those sleepy two Of his own chamber, and us’d their very daggers, That they have done’t?’ Temporarily, Macbeth has lost his doubt and fear in the excitement of planning the murder. Perhaps the most famous act of mind power in this play, is the dagger Macbeth sees in Act 2, Scene 1. It is late at night in the castle and Macbeth meets Banquo and Banquo’s son Fleance. Banquo wants to talk about the witches’ prophecies to Macbeth. Banquo says that he has dreamt of the sisters and seems to be annoyed because they have ‘showed [Macbeth] some truth.’ Just as the three Weird Sisters predicted, Macbeth’s wishes and secret dreams of power have all come true. But along with these, so have his darkest fears. Throughout the play Macbeth continues to struggle against the images his mind conjures up against his own conscious will. Although technically, he has won the crown and been successful, he cannot enjoy himself because of the immense guilt he feels over how his mind has been poisoned by the Weird Sisters. The dagger scene is an extremely powerful example of mind power. Shakespeare uses metaphors, imagery and other dramatic cues to express Macbeth’s emotions and fear. Probably the most well known line in the play, upon seeing the dagger Macbeth says to himself, ‘Is this a dagger I see before me, The handle toward my hand?’ Macbeth realises that the dagger is only a vision created by his mind, in this question he is questioning his mind – asking himself whether what he is seeing is real or a figment of his imagination. He continues, ‘†¦art thou but A dagger of the mind,’ The way Shakespeare has written Macbeth’s speech make it seem so much more realistic. Because this play would first have been performed in a Jacobean theatre, there would have been no special effects in the theatre to emphasise the visions Macbeth’s mind were creating throughout the play. The actors would of course had to have been talented to pull off such acting without props, but the choice of words Shakespeare uses it what makes it so much more believable. Act 2 Scene 3 is the morning after the murder. In this scene Macbeth shows a variety of different emotions so it is difficult to tell what he is feeling about the murder. Also, what Macbeth says in this scene is quite ambiguous so it is quite hard to figure out what he means. When Macbeth says ‘Twas a rough night’ it could either mean that he is shocked by the night’s events or that he fears being found out. And when Macbeth says ‘Had I but died an hour before this chance I had lived a blessed time’ it is relatively easy to see that he feels guilty and regrets the murder. Another change in Macbeth’s speech is that his statements seem to be shorter and more formal. This suggests that he is on edge and is worried about being found out. In this scene, Macbeth also decides to start acting secretly, and does not communicate his plans with Lady Macbeth – ‘Be innocent of the knowledge †¦ ’till though applaud the deed’. Another major demonstration of mind power in the play is when Macbeth conjures up the image of Banquo’s ghost at the banquet in Act 3, Scene 4. Thinking about why Macbeth is so tense and anxious when he enters the room helps you to understand how his mind could have conjured up the terrible image of the ghost. Macbeth is obviously worried and guilt-ridden about Banquo’s murder, he says ‘I had else been perfect †¦ but now, I am bound in to saucy doubts and fears.’ Banquo was Macbeth’s best friend, and Macbeth had ordered him to be killed. He needed both Banquo and Fleance to be killed, but Fleance escaped. Macbeth excluding his wife from the plans is putting extra pressure on him, not to mention the relationship between the two. The banquet is the first function that Macbeth organises when he is appointed King. Therefore, he needs his guests to feel that he is a good King and is control of the banquet. When Macbeth sees the ghost and everything starts to go wrong, Macbeth is desperate to calm his important guests so that they do not think of him as not being a fitting King. The ghost in Act 3, scene 4 has an extremely powerful effect on Macbeth. He goes through different stages of acceptance, first cowering from it, then challenging it and finally, confronting it. ‘†¦the time has been, That, when the brains were out, the man would die, And there an end; but now they rise again, With twenty mortal murders on their crowns and push us from our stools†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Macbeth’s fear of the ghost is completely natural. He cannot understand how Banquo could have reappeared, especially after having just been informed of his death. He challenges the ghost, ‘Hence, horrible shadow! Unreal mockery, hence!’ Macbeth confronts the ghost, ‘Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; Thou hast no speculation in those eyes, Which thou dost glare with.’ The ghost disappears at these words and Macbeth seems to have won by confrontation. Macbeth returns to his guests. Macbeth doesn’t realise that no one else in the room can see the things he is imagining – he assumes that they saw the ghost and is surprised by their apparent failure to react to it, ‘†¦now I think you can behold such sights, ands keep the natural ruby of your cheeks, when mine is blanched with fear.’ The sleepwalking scene is one in which Shakespeare demonstrates mind power through actions very well. Lady Macbeth is subconsciously ridden with guilt over the deaths. When she sleepwalks we see her vigorously washing her hands to scrub Duncan’s blood from her hands and asking no one in particular ‘†¦who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?’ Of course, Lady Macbeth does not still have Duncan’s blood on her hands; it is only her imagination making her think she needs to scrub her hands clean – ‘†¦all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.’ Lady Macbeth is usually seen as dominant over Macbeth, she tries to seem stronger than Macbeth and hides her fear, guilt and shame as much as possible. The way that Lady Macbeth weakens when asleep creates a very powerful image of mind power. By scrubbing her hands over and over again we can guess that, rather than trying to rid her hands of blood, she is actually trying to rid her mind of the memories of the night of Duncan’s murder. The doctor who has been called to help Lady Macbeth says that the disease is ‘beyond his practice’ and that ‘more needs she the divine than the physician.’ meaning that she has more need for a priest than a doctor to rid her of her ‘evil disease’. Lady Macbeth leaves the room soon after muttering that ‘what’s done cannot be undone’ and repeating that she must go to bed. The doctor continues trying to analyse Lady Macbeth’s disease and confides in her gentlewoman, telling her that ‘Foul whisp’rings are abroad†¦ †¦infected minds To their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets.’ The doctor knows Lady Macbeth is hiding something – when he says ‘deaf pillows’ it suggests that people reveal their secrets to pillows because they are deaf and therefore cannot hear or repeat what they have done. Shakespeare’s use of language is just as important as the actions of the characters in showing how powerful their minds are. Macbeth seems weary when he is told of Lady Macbeth’s death – ‘She should have died hereafter: There would have been a time for such a word.’ It is a strange reaction – he is suddenly quiet, thoughtful and almost subdued. His drive and motivation disappear. Macbeth no longer sees any point in trying to hold on to the kingship, and does not understand why he ever wanted it. †¦[life] is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing’ Macbeth also thinks that his time is coming to an end and he will die soon. He says that his actions in the past have ‘lighted the fools way to dusty death’. It seems as though, no matter what happens from this point on in the play, Macbeth can no longer return to being the person he was before the Witches poisoned and taunted him with ambition. On the battlefield, Act 5, Scene 8 Macbeth dares each man on the battlefield to kill him in the face of his seemingly infallible prophecy. ‘Why should I play the Roman fool, and die On mine own sword? Whiles I see lives, the gashes Do better upon them.’ Roman generals in defeat would commit suicide to avoid the disgrace of capture, but, in this speech Macbeth says that while he can see living enemies, he will do his best to kill them. He continues taunting his enemies until Macduff kills him. Macbeth finds out that Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped’ which is what the Witches told Macbeth earlier in the play. At this point, Macbeth realises his life has come to an end and knows that he will not survive the fight with Macduff, however he is brave enough to fight on to the end. An interesting idea is to think about who was truly responsible for the tragedy in Macbeth, other than the witches. Macbeth himself had already thought about the kingship before being told by the Witches that he could achieve it and listens willingly to what the Witches tell him. However, when the plan has been hatched, Macbeth begins to back off until Lady Macbeth taunts him enough to convince him to take over the planning again, which he eventually does. Also, many of Macbeth’s speeches are filled with threats, evil and darkness. Mind power plays a large part in Macbeth’s character – having already thought of the kingship, he was really only waiting for confirmation from someone else before acting on his thoughts. Lady Macbeth also plays a major role in the tragedy. She becomes obsessed with the news she is sent by Macbeth, and immediately hatches a plan to achieve the goal. Her speeches, not dissimilar to Macbeth’s, are also full of darkness and double meanings. When Macbeth backs down and is not so sure about the plan, she taunts him until she finally persuades him to continue. It is also Lady Macbeth who takes the knives back down to the servants after the murder and tried to make everything normal again. Lady Macbeth is greatly affected by her mind, which we see particularly in the sleepwalking scene where she continually washes and rubs her hands in an attempt to scrub away what she believes to be Banquo’s blood. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a great man. After meeting the Weird Sisters he begins to make bad choices and gets everything wrong. The effect the three Witches have on Macbeth’s subconscious mind is astonishing – they make him see things, hear things and do things he doesn’t really want to do. Along with Lady Macbeth, the Witches’ taunting and riddles possess Macbeth and turn him into a power-obsessed, ambition-crazed ‘fiend’. However, Macbeth redeems himself at the end of his life and does not die as the villain of the play. Macbeth is a tragic hero – possessed by evil thoughts, but able to redeem himself by being brave enough to fight on to the end, even though he knows he cannot win back his sanity and/or peace of mind.

A Prominent Leader Essay

This paper will entirely focus on Oprah Winfrey. Oprah Winfrey has shone and demonstrated more strength, character, and changed the way America looks at and views racial issues in America. This paper will analyze her start in the film industry, her leadership, personal wealth, Business Leadership Oprah Winfrey is a reputable, prominent world leader, businesswoman, actress, philanthropist, and talk show-host. It is said by some that she has revolutionized television talk show. One has to admire her perseverance to overcome the hardships she faced as a child. Oprah’s mother had Oprah when she was only a teenager in a town in rural Mississippi. She was born into poverty and raped at a young age of nine years old. History repeats itself and a young teenage Oprah gives birth to a child that dies. Oprah started her career in radio. Today women turn to Oprah for self-help, self-improvement, compassion, religious questions, and even how to regulate your bowel movements. Against all odds in a male dominated field, Oprah rises to have the most-popular, longest running, and highest-ranking talk show. CNN, Time Magazine, and Life all list Oprah Winfrey as the most influential woman in the world. (Finz, 2011). Oprah Winfrey would be an example of a Transformational leader. Transformational leaders influence, inspire, move, and literally transform followers to achieve organizational goals beyond their self-interests (Burns, 1978), thus initiating and bringing about positive change. (Weiss, 2011). She was very much involved in Civil Rights, and changed the way African – Amrericans are treated. Her endorsement of President Obama brought about a post-racial era long before we would have seen. (Zak, 2011) Oprah demonstrates characteristics of a transformational leader by demonstrating the four I’s of a Transformational leader. The first I is Idealized Influence which is probably the most obvious trait. Oprah routinely fosters trust and you admire her strength and feel a sense of pride for some of the subjects she touches on. For example, I remember once seeing a show on gay/lesbians. It literally changed the entire way I view them. I used to think they wanted attention and they choose to go against what we as a society think is acceptable or not. After her show I realize they don’t want to be different they just want to be accepted. The second I is for Inspirational Motivation. Oprah rallies people everyday across America inspiring and motivating people. The third I is for Intellectual stimulation. In my opinion this is obvious through her belief and promoting President Obama during his presidency. Who really thought an African American would be president in our lifetime? Finally the last I is for Individualized consideration. She constantly is taking on sensitive subjects. I remember one show where she interviewed a boy who had been locked in a wire cage for several hours a day. She was able to tell his story and let him maintain his dignity even though horrific things were done to him. Oprah’s ratings prove she has the following and believers a Transformational leader has. Through the last twenty- five years we have seen an African American take over the media and change daytime talk shows.

Enron Questionable Accounting Leads to Collapse - 2056 Words

Enron: Questionable Accounting Leads to Collapse The Enron Corporation was established by integrating two major gas pipelines in 1985. The Company provided products and services related to natural gas, electricity, and communications and it was one of the world’s leading organizations at these sectors with claimed revenues of nearly $101 billion in 2000. Throughout the 1990s, Chair Ken Lay, chief executive officer Jeffrey Skilling and chief financial official officer Andrew Fastow transformed Enron from an old style electricity and Gas company into a $150 billion energy company. However, after the bankruptcy of Enron, it was revealed that Enron used accounting loopholes, special purpose entities and poor financial reporting to hide†¦show more content†¦Moreover, Enron introduced a performance monitoring system where employees were rated every six months. Those who raked in the bottom 20 percent were forced to quit. This ranking system did not boost up the performance of the employees; rather it created a fierce envi ronment where employees competed against rivals not only outside the company but also at the next desk. Delivering bad news could result in the ‘death’ of the messenger, so problems in the trading operation, for example, were covered up rather than being communicated to management. Enron’s corporate culture failed to sustain the organization because it lacked any method of contractual enforcement. Enron’s ethic gave managers no rational justification for choosing ‘honor trust’ over ‘abuse trust’. The Contribution of Enron’s bankers, auditors, and attorneys to Enron’s demise: ‘High risk accounting, inappropriate conflicts of interest, extensive undisclosed off-the-books activity, and excessive compensation’ these are some of the headings of the report prepared by the U.S. Senate s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations titled The Role of the Board of Directors in Enron s Collapse. (Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations,2002). Enron continuously used partnerships, called ‘special-purpose entities’ (SPEs) with the help of its bankers and auditors to move assets and debts off its balance sheet and to increase cash flow by showingShow MoreRelatedEssay on Enron: Questionable Accounting Leads to Collapse705 Words   |  3 PagesENRON: QUESTIONABLE ACCOUNTING LEADS TO COLLAPSE CRYSTAL RUFF GLOBE UNIVERSITY ABSTRACT This paper summarizes the article listed in reference that reported on the demise of Enron and the contributing factors that led to the financial downfall of a great company. The roles of the corporate culture, Enron’s financial staff, and even the chief financial officer are all to blame for the events that lead to the finality of the company that resulted in bankruptcy. 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