Torture during the Algerian War and its relevance on the War on Terror

During the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962), the French forces mercilessly tortured their opponents. Although the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) also tortured their enemies, the French military use of torture was more widespread.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Torture during the Algerian War and its relevance on the War on Terror specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Torture is defined as â€Å"any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him, or a third person, punishing him for an act he or a third person has done†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (United Nations, para.3). The French experience during the Algerian war proves that the use of torture, though regrettable, is important to defeat successfully terrorist organizations around the world. Therefore, is the use of torture justifiable in some instances? The milit ary combat of the FLN was being propelled by self-determination and the French state was equally determined to win the war. The French forces did not acknowledge that the colonial conflict was indeed a war, as this would recognize their opponents as a legitimate entity; therefore, it was until August 1999 that they stopped calling it â€Å"fight against terrorism.† That is why although France was bound by the Geneva conventions it had signed in 1951; it consistently used brutal warfare tactics in fighting against the FLN. As shown by the experience of the French military during the Algerian war, torture is a good way of gaining timely and relevant information from terrorists. For example, in an imaginary situation when a terrorist has planted a nuclear bomb in Washington City, the detonation is going to take place in the next forty-five minutes, and cause widespread destruction. However, when the terrorist is captured, although he knows the exact location of the bomb, he is n ot giving any relevant information. What is the best thing to do in such a scenario? Is he left to go scot-free because torturing him will interfere with his â€Å"human rights?† If the individual is not forced to give out the vital information, then thousands of innocent lives are at risk. In such an instance, the choice of the use of torture is allowable in order to acquire certain life-saving information that could not be retrieved easily. Therefore, the use of torture as a tool in the global War on Terror is important in defeating terrorist groups around the world. Concerning this issue, Levin states, â€Å"there are situations in where torture is not only permissible, but morally mandatory† (para.2). Levin illustrates how liberal societies do not allow the use of torture, and how other governments fear the fury of the United Nations if they are suspected of using or even planning to use it; however, he gives a different opinion on this attitude. Levin terms the us e of torture as â€Å"a weapon that is important in winning the War on Terror.† At one point, he addresses the above imaginary situation by saying, â€Å"if you caught the terrorist, could you sleep nights, knowing that millions died because you could not bring yourself to apply the electrodes?† (para.4). Some people argue that the use of torture against terrorists is unconstitutional; however, the thousands of lives lost after a terrorist incident far outweighs issues of constitutionality.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More More so, is the use of torture barbaric? The many innocent lives lost due to negligence is more barbaric (Buchanan, para.2).Therefore, the use of torture is permissible in extreme cases since in some intricate situations, it is a matter of balancing between mass murder and the life of one or a few people. As Levin puts it, â€Å"letting millio ns of innocents die in deference to one who flaunts his guilt is moral cowardice, unwillingness to dirty one’s hands† (para.4). According to this statement, if harsh interrogation tactics can be used as a way of protecting the lives of the innocent, then no one should shy from using them when it is necessary. When a nation fails to use torture, it puts thousands of lives at risk due to terrorist threats. This makes the nation to portray the same cowardice being portrayed by the terrorists. During the Algerian war, the French military did not shy off from torturing the terrorists who were potentially dangerous. If these harsh tactics could be used, then the strategies used by terrorists to wreak havoc could have been discovered by now. Assuming that a victim does not die after he or she has been harshly interrogated, the victim will less likely commit the same crime. Currently, most of the interrogation methods available are laughable and dumb. The French soldiers succes sively used torture to extract vital information from their opponents. These punishments were meant to ensure that the victims either co-operated with them or confessed some of the enemy schemes. In some circumstances, the use of torture, besides being essential, is the only available option. For example, in 1994, an Israeli was held captive by some Palestinian terrorists. After searching for clues, the Israeli police detained the driver of the car, which was used for carrying out the attack. For them to get the information about the whereabouts of the kidnappers, they were compelled to torture the driver to extract some useful information from him. This is just one example of how torture as played a significant role in the war against terrorism. The Algerian war induced the French military to use torture against its opponents. The French troops were in a difficult situation since most of the time it was not easy to differentiate their opponents from civilians at first sight. This s ituation was worsened by the fact that their opponents rarely wore easily identifiable war clothes. More so, the civilians were well informed of enemy movements; thus, most of the time they were under suspicion from the French military.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Torture during the Algerian War and its relevance on the War on Terror specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More During the war, every French soldier was obliged to be alert and give all the relevant information about the enemy by collecting all the vital intelligence information (Branche, 548). Therefore, to achieve this, the soldiers sometimes tortured their opponents. Against this background, torture was permitted as a way of combating the increasing threat of terrorists’ activities. Though the use of harsh tactics is regrettable, it is good way of gathering intelligence information about the movement of terrorists around the world. Another reason why the French used torture during the Algerian war was to provide it with all the necessary resources for the protection of its citizenry. When a country wants to preserve a strong national security, it is obliged to use harsh interrogation methods as the best alternative. In a situation when torture is used, prompted by the urge to save innocent lives, by just getting vital information from one individual, then it should be justifiable. The nation of France had always upheld principles of freedom, from freedom of speech to freedom of religion. Nevertheless, when the safety of its citizens was under threat, it had to sacrifice some of its rights. This was to make the country as safe as possible because insurgents could easily enter the country from Algeria. These rights, which were sacrificed, ensured that its citizens at home and army in the combat zone were safe from acts of terrorism. As much as the use of harsh interrogations can be considered as an inhumane practice, it shoul d be used when the need arises. To fight the growing insurgency in the world, torture is a vital tool that can be used effectively to achieve this. The formal arguments against the use of torture are absolute; they state that it has no exceptions. This widely held statement is not true because it is a misguided opinion that always comes from social commentators. This type of absolutist has created a void between good intentions and good consequences. As mush as the use of torture sounds inhumane, it is necessary to defeat successfully terrorist organizations around the world. In extreme circumstances, as experienced by the French military, radical measures ought to be done to avoid mass murder. If this consists of making a terrorist to feel pain in order to preserve thousands of innocent lives, then it is permissible. However, it is important to note that torture is more beneficial when used as a means of preventing future evils, rather than as a form of punishment. Terrorism will n ot be completely obliterated from the face of the earth if individuals settle down and stop making efforts to win the War on Terror. The use of torture, in extreme cases, is one way of making efforts to win the war.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Works Cited Branche, Raphaelle. â€Å"Torture of terrorists? Use of torture in a â€Å"war against terrorism†: justifications, methods, and effects: the case of France in Algeria.† International Review of the Red Cross 89.867 (2007): 543-560. Print. Buchanan, Patrick J. â€Å"The case for torture.† Worldnetdaily. 10 March 2010. Web. https://www.wnd.com/2003/03/17663/ Levin, Michael. â€Å"The case for torture.† People.brandeis. N.d. Web. http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/torture.html United Nations. â€Å"Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.† UN convention. 10 Dec. 1987. Web. https://www.un.org/ruleoflaw/blog/document/convention-against-torture-and-other-cruel-inhuman-or-degrading-treatment-or-punishment-commentary/ This essay on Torture during the Algerian War and its relevance on the War on Terror was written and submitted by user Rumiko Fujikawa to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Modern Day Epic Story Essays - Sports Cars, Coupes, Porsche

Modern Day Epic Story Essays - Sports Cars, Coupes, Porsche Modern Day Epic Story EPIC STORY Looking back I underestimated the true capability of Carrera. Carrera was a man of intellectual prowess and had a supernatural ability to open car doors and start them with his mind. He was only five foot six inches tall with a medium build and he always wore a fishermans hat to hide the fact he didnt have any hair. Despite being only thirty-one years old, he managed to pull off the biggest car stings in the history of automobiles. With the help of unknown outside parties he managed to steal every type of sport car imaginable. He stole cars all over North America and was undetected by the authorities. If you havent guessed by now, he got his name from a sports car. Does the Porsche Carrera sound familiar? Porsche was the car he favored over the most. Why he didnt prefer the Corvette or Ferrari I dont know. His name would become a crucial factor in the story later on. After so many news cases of reported stolen sports cars, the authorities had to step up their investigation in finding this elusive thief. This was about the time they turned to me. My name is Burt Carver. I am 48 years old and had been retired from the FBI for 3 years when they called me back. At first I was not particularly interested in returning to work. My wife didnt want me to go back because she wanted me to spend more time with her. I gave it a couple days of thought and then I decided to return for this case only. My wife wasnt pleased but my interest in sports cars caused me to return to work regardless of what she told me. I went back to my old stamping grounds where I had solved so many cases. After 3 years of being away, it felt good to be back at the J Edgar Hoover Building. Even though it was my first day back, I was all business. I sat down around a big table with a lot of rookies and my old boss, Heath McGregor. He and I had always been on good terms with each other. He told us that the only information on this car thief was that he traveled all over North America stealing very expensive sports cars. In each stolen car file, the dealers reported they had all sets of keys even though the car was missing. Heath recommended that a tip phone line should be advertised and that the person who helped bring about the apprehension of this assailant should be rewarded handsomely. Heath called the project Mission Z3, named after the BMW sports car. When we marketed the hotline, we got numerous calls. Many were bogus but one of the callers sounded convincing to us. The caller used a pay phone in order to keep his location secret. The callers name was Webster Murdock and he described how sometimes while he was working at a Porsche dealership, a young bald man would come in and harass his boss. The guy would request private information that his boss couldnt disclose. One day Webster asked his boss what that guy was after and his boss said, He wanted information on where Porsche would be selling their brand new, very rare car. When we learned of this new information we sought every Porsche dealership across America. Meanwhile, Heath learned of another robbery in which a Honda S2000 had been stolen. Heath was becoming frustrated about how the thief was getting away with more cars and wasnt even having to work hard to do it. After weeks of calling different sources, I finally reached a man who worked at a Porsche dealership in Orlando, Florida who remembered speaking to a short, bald gentlemen. I flew down to Florida and interviewed the man. He recalled that the bald mans name was Carrera. I thought that that was a good name for a person who liked Porsche cars. I asked the dealer to give me the address and number to the Porsche showroom and thought I had an idea of how to catch this thief. When I returned to D.C., I told Heath about

Technology in Correctional Facilities Term Paper

Technology in Correctional Facilities - Term Paper Example Technological prisons are designed in a manner in which violators or the offenders within the prisons are as well taken care of in terms of their behavioral checks and controls. It is obvious that the inmates would always resort to certain acts that would jeopardize the general security of both the fellow inmates and the correctional facilities (Vargas et al., 2011). The technology is then instituted in several broader paradigms to minimize injuries or other physical punishments. These actions limit the occurrence such violations thereby maximizing the overall security of both the inmates well as facilitating put that assist in the administration of the prisons (Stahl, 2006). To start with, the technology tends to offer a series of strategies that deal with social engineering. These among others include the removal of the violators’ targets within the prisons, which minimizes the opportunity for the inmates finding avenues to commit a crime. Secondly is making the violatorâ₠¬â„¢s target valueless. For instance, it aims at making the target of the intended offense quite unattractive hence reducing the desire of the inmates to interfere. Another revolves around the incapacitation of the offenders (United States.1994). These may include, restrainers, immobilizers, or containers that reduce the will or urge by the offender or incapacitates their ability to undertake an offending action. Another strategy includes the insulation of the offenders’’ targets on derailing the ability or accessibility on the offender's side to commit the offense. In this case, tranquilizers may be afforded to help suppress certain behaviors that are deemed quite aggressive such as the sexual drives that often cause sexual misbehaviors and offense-related courses (Stahl, 2006). Technology prisons against nontechnology prisons It is quite vital necessary to identify the difference between technology prisons and the prisons where there are many interactions between the correctional officers and the inmates are as unimpeachable as the application and the efficacy of the former. This emphasizes on the proper technology and the level in which it is applied.

Legislative Supremacy of Parliament and the Separation of Powers Essay

Legislative Supremacy of Parliament and the Separation of Powers - Essay Example Constitution in a codified form is one which is written or contained in a single document and is a single source of law in a state. There are 3 types of constitution:- 2) Entrenchment - It is the second fundamental feature of constitution. It tells us whether the constitution is legally protected from modification without a procedure of constitutional amendment or not. The procedure of modifying a constitution is called amending. Amending an entrenched constitution requires wider acceptance. 3) Distribution of sovereignty - Sovereignty means right to have a full control over a governance's area by a group of people or an individual. Sovereignty is an important part of constitution and it is located or seen in a state. There are three types of distribution of sovereignty: 4) Separation of powers - Constitution usually explicitly divides power between various branches of government. The standard model, described by Baron de Montesquieu, involves three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. Constitutions vary extensively between these branches. 5) Lines of accountability - This feature of constitution explain that who is accountable to whom. In other words we can say that who has the right or the supreme power to appoint or dismiss the ministers. Parliamentary supremacy or legislative supremacy is a well known concept in law that applies to parliamentary democracies. ... 2) Lower house known as the 'House of Commons'. 3. The third component of parliament is 'Queen'. 4. The government of UK is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. 5. UK's constitution is uncodified. 6. UK's constitution is not entrenched i.e. no special procedure is required for modification. 7. UK's constitution is unitary i.e. sovereignty is ultimately contained at the centre. In other words we can say that sovereignty resides only in the centre of the state. 8. UK's constitution throws a light on the concept of separation of powers i.e. it involves three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. 9. In UK's constitution the line of accountability derives from the monarch or head of state, a component of Parliament. Definition of Parliamentary supremacy and Separation of powers:- Parliamentary supremacy or legislative supremacy is a well known concept in law that applies to parliamentary democracies. Under this a legislative body has absolute sovereignty i.e. it is supreme to all other government institutions. In other words, it is the supreme power and has all the authority and it may change or repeal any prior legislative acts. Parliamentary supremacy exists in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The doctrine of parliamentary supremacy may be summarized in three points: Parliament can make law concerning anything. No Parliament can bind its successor (that is, it cannot pass a law that cannot be changed or reversed by a future Parliament). No body except Parliament can change or reverse a law passed by Parliament. Separation of powers is a political doctrine (In Latin known as "doctrina", which means code of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions.) under which the legislative (a type of representative

Vietnam Country and Culture

Vietnam Country and Culture Vietnam Essay Vietnam has a huge population and it measures to be around 95,414,640. That is way more than californias population only being 37,253,956 as of now. The capital of vietnam is called Hanoi, Hanoi is known for its architecture and a rich culture with Southeast Asian, Chinese and French impact. Vietnams four largest cities are Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, and Haiphong. If the population of these cities were to merge, the population would be 6,253,789. Also the money/currency that they use is called Vietnamese dong. One u.s dollar is equivalent to 22642.50 Vietnamese Dong. Some good attractions in Vietnam are Hoan Kiem Lake, Thien Mu Pagoda and Halong Bay. Hoan Kiem Lake is located in Hanoi which is the capital of vietnam. Thien Mu Pagoda is located in Hue and it is a city in central Vietnam.Then, Halong Bay is in northeast Vietnam and it is known for its emerald waters and thousands of limestone islands topped by rainforests. The top accommodation in Vietnam is called Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi by popularity. Vietnam has reached great results in literacy reaching to be 90% in just primary education. For adults and youth together, they would make the percentage go up to be 94%. For languages in vietnam, the percentage of people who speak vietnamese is 90 to 85% and the remaining 10% to 15% come from other backgrounds. Children must at least complete their secondary education to move farther. Students are not free to choose what they study. They have to complete all their courses that need to be completed. Agricultural products accounted to be around 30% of exports in vietnam.The agricultural products vary to be rice, cotton, peanuts, rubber, sugarcane and tea. Gross national product in vietnam increased to 3977610.00 VND billion. The per capita income in vietnam is 5,070 PPP dollars. In cambodia the per capita is only 2,890 PPP dollars. Vietnams per capita income is way more than cambodias income. Vietnam people in the urban areas, live like any other country, except only about 30% of the population of vietnam lives in urban area, they usually live in cramped apartments, some cities such as Ho Chi Minh, or Hanoi is mainly a urban area. People lives in villages in rural area, which is about 70% of the vietnamese populations, 60% of Vietnamese Workforce is farmers, where they grows food for their families, and hoping to make some money by moving to the cities and selling them at farmers markets. Vietnams customs follow Buddhism, and Confucianism, focuses on five different subjects, such as Ruler and Subject, Husband and Wife, Parents and Children, Brothers and Sisters, Friend and Friend, it stress duty, loyalty, honor, respect for age and seniority. Buddhism believe in a spiritual path, led by Buddha Shakyamuni in ancient India, as purified the mind, into a peaceful state of mind, removing any negative affects. You can have face, or lose faces in vietnam, you have to compliment people, or business, to receive faces. Some of vietnam most populars dish, is Pho, which people usually eat with bo, which is beef, and I see it like the equivalent of ramen or italian pasta. Other foods such as Banh Cuon, or Rolled Rice Pancake, which is a soft like roll that contained diced up meats, veggies, and includes condiments such as hot nuoc mam (fish sauce), vegetable side condiment plate where it has several vietnamese vegetables such as mints. We have a vietnam war memorial, located in Hanoi which is our capital. Vietnam is one of the least religious country, however some still have beliefs, and some of the major religion is Buddhism, Caodaism and Confucianism. Many of these religions respect, and have standards for family, which is why etiquette is so valuable. Vietnam believe in Confucianism, and Buddhism, which Buddhism is created by Shakyamuni Buddha, who was a monk that came to vietnam in early time, he believed in meditations, and a spiritual path, which many vietnamese monks started meditating and practicing his teachings. Confucianism doesnt always have to be perceived as a religion, they could be a ideology or a philosophy, who he wanted to understand everything, using old teachings back then, to understand the roots of cultural ceremonies. Both religion dont usually believe it ultimate goal, the ultimate entity is god, even though they worship creators of that religions, both religion main purpose is to achieve a more positive, or ethical way of life. Forms of Vietnamese music include hat cheo (traditional folk opera), hat tuong (classical drama), hat cai luong (modern theater), quan ho (folk songs, with dialogues sung between women and women), and more variations of regional folks songs. The first Vietnamese Television was aired around 1966, when the American setup a American channel and a Vietnamese Channel to send out announcements. VTV is the main channels for vietnamese television, and contains many version of popular Vietnamese-versions of US shows  shows, such as, Vietnam Idol, Vietnams Got Talent, or The Voice of Vietnam. Nobody had really known the origin of Vietnam, however in mythology, Huong Vuong was rumored to be the first ruler of Vietnam, during 111 B.C. and China ruled 111 B.C. until the 15th century, which was 1000 years of control of Vietnam, during the age of exploration, independent kingdoms unified which begins the start the independence of Vietnam. The Size and area of Vietnam is 128,455mi2. The continent that Vietnam is located in is Asia. The climate of Vietnam has a temperate region meaning it lies between the polar and tropic regions of the Earth. The changes between winter and summer are moderate. It has a high rate of rainfall, high humidity, and a considerable amount of sun.These are the political features of the country Vietnam. The population of people in Vietnam is 89.71 million and the capital of Vietnam is Hanoi. Hanoi is known for their old architecture that are centuries old in Vietnam. Some large cities in Vietnam are Ho Chi Minh city, Hanoi, Da Nang, and Haiphong. The unit of money currency in Vietnam that is used in daily life is Dong, these are the political features of Vietnam. The President or the head of the state in Vietnam is Tran Dai Quang. Some army forces is the ministry of Vietnam, the peoples army of Vietnam, and the Vietnam border defence force. The crime rate of corruption and bribery in Vietnam is high and the crime rate of property crimes such as vandalism and theft is moderate. The safety issues is pick pocketing, guns are illegal so they are thieves are usually unarmed except for a knife and such, trafficking illegal drugs come with a severe punishment if caught. Some courts of Vietnam are the Judicial system, supreme court, and the Justice system. The current type of government in Vietnam is led by a one party system which is also led by the communist party of Vietnam.

Lucy Honeychurch: Motifs, Themes, Biography, Plot

â€Å"A Room with a View†, by Edward Morgan Forster, presents the story of Lucy Honeychurch, a young woman belonging to English high society. Forster places this young maiden in a state of conflict between the snobbery of her class: the â€Å"suitable and traditional† views and advice offered by various family members and friends, and her true heart’s desire. This conflict â€Å"forces† Lucy Honeychurch to choose between convention and passion and throws her into a state of internal struggle, as she must sift through the elements of her social conditioning and discern them from her true emotions and desires [Ford]. Forster develops and utilizes Lucy’s internal struggle as a means of transforming her from a pretty young woman, to a subtle heroine. Lucy Honeychurch is introduced to the reader as a somewhat pretty young woman, obviously ignorant to the ways of the world, who is being chaperoned by her cousin, Charlotte Bartlett, while vacationing in Italy. Numerous conversations over matters of dress, the acceptability of various pieces of furniture, and other vacations, suggest the snobbish nature of both Lucy and Charlotte. Relevant materials: Maru Themes In fact, matters of convention encompass Lucy’s life until George Emerson’s â€Å"caddish,’ yet passionate, display of affection takes over. Lucy and Charlotte are both very alike because they hold true the values of upper class English society. Lucy constantly struggles with how she is supposed to act, think, or even associate herself with: most conflictingly George Emerson, a railroad worker of the lower class (Ford). Their union is forbidden by Miss Bartlett by telling Lucy that he is a socialist, that she shouldn’t associate herself with him and just overall patronizing George excessively. Charlotte and Lucy also share the same renouncement of words when they are talking to people to seem more polite. At the beginning of the novel, Lucy is feebly trying to fit in with the members of the upper class by living by certain class values and rules of propriety but they all don’t form her with any opinion or route of action. By the end of the novel, she has formed her own thoughts, opinions, and actions and takes full control of her fate and breaks it off with Cecil to marry George, her true love. Lucy also encounters muddles, as pointed out by Mr. Emerson, which she realizes and fixes by the end of the novel. She wasn’t following her own heart and thoughts, but making decisions based on the wants of her social class, not her own. Lucy Honeychurch makes a dramatic transformation throughout the novel form a sweet, naive heroine to a strong, independent woman (Schwarz). In the novel the best representation of class snobbery is Miss Charlotte Bartlett, Lucy’s chaperon in her travels to Italy and Greece. Not only is Miss Bartlett unimaginative and patronizing to the Emerson’s but she is the hindrance to Lucy’s true happiness; being with George Emerson. Lucy is at first naive and dependent on others views for her own at the beginning of the novel. In the opening scene, Lucy and Miss Bartlett meet the Emerson’s who offer them a room with a view. In the text; Forster gives us insight into Miss Bartlett: â€Å"Miss Bartlett, though skilled in the delicacies of conversation, was powerless in the presence of brutality. It was impossible to snub any one so gross. Her face reddened with displeasure. She looked around as not to say, â€Å"Are you all like this? â€Å"(Forster 11). And two little old ladies, who were sitting further up the table, with shawls hanging over the backs of the chairs, looked back, clearly indicating â€Å"We are not; we are genteel†(11). â€Å"Eat your dinner, dear, she said to Lucy, and began to† toy again with the meat that she had once censured. †(6). Lucy replies in this manner to the apparent indifference between Miss Charlotte and the Emersons: â€Å"Lucy mumbled that those seemed very odd people opposite† (6). Furthermore, during the dinner conversation at the pension Miss Bartlett Commands Lucy To: â€Å"Lucy, dearest, let Mr. Beebe eats his dinner. â€Å"(7). This is the first instance of Miss Bartlett’s overbearing dominance of Lucy’s actions, Thoughts, and decisions. Finally, Mrs. Bartlett realizes her obtrusive manner toward Lucy at the end of their trip to Italy and confesses to Lucy, â€Å"I shall never forgive myself. †(89). Lucy then starts to truly find herself when Miss Bartlett starts letting Lucy become independent and pursue her own interests; letting her do what she wants; and think what she wants to think. But class snobbery is apparent all the way throughout the novel particularly by the provincial patronizing of the lower class repeatedly in a multitude of situations. Forster was born into an Anglo-Irish and Welsh middle-class family at 6 Melcombe Place, Dorset Square, London NW1, in a building that no longer exists. He was the only child of Edward Morgan Llewellyn Forster and Alice Clara â€Å"Lily†. His father, an architect, died of tuberculosis on 30 October, 1880. Among Forster's ancestors were members of the Clapham Sect. He inherited a lot of money from his paternal great-aunt Marianne Thornton (daughter of the abolitionist Henry Thornton), who died on 5 November, 1887†(Mcdowell). The money was enough to live on and enabled him to become a writer. Young Edward was raised by his mother, aunts, and governesses. He started writing stories at the young age of six at the Turnbridge high school in Kent County. Then later he started to study philosophy, and literature at Kings College in Cambridge. Then he joined a group called the Cambridge Apostles, devoted to protecting homosexuality and theology of the age. Forster began to become enthralled by the surrounding WWI and the beautiful, aspiring landscape of Europe (McDowell). He drew inspiration for his novel A Room with a View. When he traveled to Italy, Greece, And Rome. Forester would develop a deep love of Mediterranean culture he would grow to love and write about. Forster then traveled to Alexandria, Egypt where he met his first true love, Mohammed el Adia. He became well acquainted with the conflict between the British Taj and the Indian Independence Movement; from which stemmed an award winning book, A Passage to India (Britannica). The author’s tone throughout the novel, A Room with a View is: satirical, humanistic, and very particular in the conflict between the upper class and the lower class. Forster based his book around the passion of Lucy Honeychurch, the main character, and the internal conflict between Lucy and her decisions; in relation to the morals and values of her social class. It reflects snobbish British upper class during this time period and their effrontery to delegate mainstream tourists and Italians below themselves. Forester’s satirical views is portrayed in the title of his chapters where 16-19 are entitled â€Å"Lucy Lies† to† blank† and his chapter titles actually tell the big events of each chapter, in sharp contrast to novels of other eras which used titles to just foreshadow the possible. The title, A Room with a View is portrayed throughout the novel by the relationship between Cecil and Lucy Honeychurch. Lucy views Cecil as a room with no view and in retrospect; Cecil views Lucy as a view without a room (Mcdowell). Devote Love and compassion along with the belief of Georges belief in fate is what drives the plot of the story. Lucy can’t help feel compassion in love with George who sweeps her off her feet time and time again. While, George believes strongly in fate proving arduously stubborn throughout the whole novel, ultimately uniting Lucy and George in the end. An example of both the two main Components of the novel, A Room With A View: class snobbery and the independent transformation of Lucy Honeychurch is when Lucy experiences thinking for her own self and keeping her own secrets making her feel lonely (Literature Notebook). â€Å"After Mr. Eager leaves, Lucy expresses exasperation at the thought of the drive. They discuss the problems of the drive; for one, Miss Lavish has been invited by Mr. Beebe, and Mr. Eager does not like Miss Lavish. So Charlotte resolves that the two men will go with Lucy in the first carriage while Miss Lavish and Charlotte follow in the second carriage (Forster 120). They pick up their mail at the bureau; Lucy has letters from home. Mrs. Vyse, a friend of the family, is in Rome with her son. Lucy suggests going to Rome the next day, but Charlotte reminds Lucy of the country drive, and the two women laugh at Lucy's suggestions. At this point in the novel is the apex where Lucy thus changed by the secret of the murder of the Italian man, feels a new perspective on life, that of her own opinions and thoughts. The concealment of the murder thus drives Lucy toward the transformation of a more independent character. When Mr. Eager rolls onto more class anxiety or class snobbery of passing a rumor about Mr. Emerson murdering his wife, then Lucy takes a stand and defends the Emersons saying that they are nice people who would never do anything of that sort. This is a monumental change in the novel of Lucy forming her own opinions and developing into a strong woman. Forester outlines and enhances the concussive idea of fate, and the background elements that enhance the drama. Before the carriage ride it’s sunny and hot outside; but after when the story reaches the pinnacle and Lucy begins to display her independence and becomes stronger as the thunder storm develops. Forester is using the mood and background of the book to perpetuate the transformation of Lucy Honeychurch. The main characters transformation form delightful to strong and bold matches the presentiment of the mood while riding toward Windy Corner. George Emerson strikes up an argument with Mr. Beebe about what life is based on: fate or coincidence? George takes a standpoint that fate is the controlling influence in life which is portrayed by Forester in the way that George and Lucy seem to magically run into each other after Lucy is told by Miss Bartlett to not associate with the Emerson’s because they are â€Å"Evil. † This first instance is when Lucy comes across two Italians fighting when she is returning from touring the gift shops and is horrified to see an Italian man stabbed in the back over a debt of five schillings (Literature Notebook). She faints and when she wakes up she sees George who caught her when she fainted. Lucy immediately is startled at George being so close to her and makes a frantic escape for home. The second instance of fate bringing Lucy and George together is when Lucy encounters the Emerson’s at the Church. The Emerson’s give Lucy a nice lesson on medieval art and give her some interesting views on life to think about. â€Å"The thing about the universe is that it doesn’t fit,† remarks George which portrays his deep thought, sensitivity, and intelligence (Forster 25). A third instance is when the Italian clergyman leads Lucy to George when they are on the carriage ride to see the beautiful homes and landscape of the countryside. Instead of leading Lucy to Miss Bartlett, like she requested in Italian, He leads her to George Emerson in the field of violet terraces. George turns and sees her and immediately kisses her, caught up in the beauty of the moment. The final instance is when Cecil, Lucy’s supposed suitor, invites the Emerson’s over to the garden party to absolve Lucy’s snobbishness by introducing perspectives of the lower class. Really, Cecil ends up ruining his own planned marriage with Lucy and foils his own happiness (Schwartz). What Forster wants to portray in this novel, is the personalities and opinions of his characters and how your social background can both influence you positively and negatively. He incorporates so many different elements and personas into the story that it leaves the reader to be saturated the feelings and emotions of the characters very strongly. You get a strong feeling of the class snobbery, transformation of Lucy Honeychurch, influence of fate, and a real insight into the opinions of Lucy Honeychurch. Forester brings all of these elements and ties it together with the ongoing transformation of Lucy Honey church form a weak, naive woman to a sophisticated, strong woman. The intense influence of Miss Bartlett finally is broken when Lucy begins to go and explore Italy for herself and starts to have her own thoughts and secrets. Lucy Honeychurch, at first, finds herself constrained by the claustrophic influence of her Guardians, especially Miss Bartlett. However, Lucy takes control of her own fate and finds love with George Emerson, who views her as a â€Å"Room with A View. In Contrast, Cecil views Lucy as a View without a room, or just something to have and look at; like a piece of art (Ford). He tried to manipulate herself and work into a masterpiece, trying to contort her imperfections while George respected her thoughts and opinions and loved her for who she was. Not to mention Cecil’s struggle with any intimacy whatsoever toward Lucy, even a kiss. So, in conclusion Forster incorporates the oblivion of class control over Lucy Honeychurch and the prevalence of Lucy transforming into an independent woman to control her own fate and end up with George Emerson, despite her class opinion of him.

How does Shakespeare adapt the holinshed chronicles to create an entertaining piece of theatre? Essay

The Holinshed Chronicles, first published in 1577, contained factual accounts of the reign of Macbeth, and was used as the source material for Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’. During this essay, how Shakespeare used, edited and manipulated this information will be analysed. There are several reasons why Macbeth was a good choice for Shakespeare to base a play on. Firstly, Banquo, a character in ‘Macbeth’, was related to the current King of England and Scotland, James I, so if Shakespeare portrayed Banquo as a good person, his play would gain instant popularity with the royal family. Another reason Shakespeare was drawn to Macbeth was because the factual story of Macbeth included the predictions of three strange women, or witches, and as people in the early 17th century took witchcraft very seriously, it added extra tension for the audience, and once again suited the interests of James I, who had a well known interest in witchcraft. It was typical for Shakespeare’s plays to derive from other people’s work, for example, ‘Macbeth’ was taken from the Holinshed Chronicles. Another example of this is the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’, which was taken from an Italian poem, and turned into a play by Shakespeare. When creating ‘Macbeth’, Shakespeare’s main aims were for his play to be popular with the Royal Family, and therefore popular with the general public, which meant that he would make a lot of money from the production. It was also important that the play wasn’t too long, and was easy to perform on stage. Shakespeare included three witches from the beginning of ‘Macbeth’ to incorporate Macbeth into the central role of the play straight away. According to Holinshed, there were not only witches, but also â€Å"certeine wizzards† who prophesied about Macbeth. Rather than include too many ‘supernatural’ characters and complicate the performances on stage, Shakespeare created Hecate, a very powerful witch to make up for lack of witches and wizards from the Holinshed Chronicles. From their first appearance, the witches are in full control of what happens around them, â€Å"When shall we three meet again?† And where and how they appear. This is crucial to the play, as it gets the interest of the audience from the very first scene, because at the time when the play was first produced, there was a very strong belief about witches and the supernatural. Shakespeare is very creative with the way he uses the witches to incorporate the audience into the play. The witches often equivocate when talking to Macbeth, misleading and confusing him, â€Å"The power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.† This technique is also effective when used to create dramatic irony, for example when it is used at the beginning of the play, â€Å"All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter.† Shakespeare clearly highlighted the witches power throughout the play by using the various aforementioned techniques throughout the play. The witches language also helped for them to be taken seriously by the Shakespearean crowd, because they talked in iambic pentameter, and the people watching the play most probably wouldn’t speak like that, so it helped to give the witches an extra ‘edge’ in the performance. The inclusion of the witches in the play was of up most importance, and was most probably a factor in Shakespeare’s decision to use the story of Macbeth for his play. It must also be taken into account that the play wasn’t being performed with any effects, just a stage, so it was crucial that Shakespeare made the scenes possible to perform, (Shakespeare’s plays were never meant to be read) whilst still using some form of stagecraft. A good example of this is from the â€Å"witches dance† scene. This would have looked good on stage, but it was equally simple to perform, with no additional effects required. In ‘Macbeth’, Shakespeare portrays Duncan as a good ruler, who is well respected and liked. This conflicts with the Holinshed Chronicles, which suggest that Duncan was a terrible leader with little support or respect. Even though Shakespeare uses the Chronicles as the main source for his play, he mixes factual information with fiction, to make the play more appealing and exciting. Duncan first appears in the play in battle, and seems like a commanding character in control of his actions, but is later revealed to make errors in judgement, â€Å"He [the traitor] was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.† His judgemental errors show again when he admires Macbeth’s castle, â€Å"This castle hath a pleasant seat† which will ultimately be the place of his murder. Despite this, Shakespeare again portrays him as a good king, as this is the main reason that Macbeth has doubts over his murder. One of the main reasons Shakespeare wanted to portray Duncan as a good king was to make the murder of him more dramatic. If he had portrayed Duncan as a bad monarch whom people disliked, his murder wouldn’t have been such a terrible act, and Macbeth would have faced little consequences. Instead, we are given an opportunity to see Macbeth rise to his zenith and quickly fall to his nadir shortly after in the play. Another reason for the murder of a ‘good’ Duncan was to grab the attention of an audience that were watching the play at a time when there was a great belief in the Divine Right of Kings. It is widely believed that Shakespeare changed Duncan’s character in a similar way to the other characters he portrayed differently than Holinshed – to cater to James I, the current King of England and Scotland. Throughout ‘Macbeth’, Banquo is seen as the opposite of Macbeth, where as in the Holinshed Chronicles, it’s written that Banquo was as eager as Macbeth, and willing to support him throughout his plots and kingship. We first see Banquo at the beginning of the play, with Macbeth when they meet the witches, who tell the prophecies about Macbeth. Whilst Macbeth is thinking about the prophecies and plotting his next move, Banquo shows doubts, â€Å"Are ye fantastical, or that indeed which outwardly ye show?† This highlights the contrast between Macbeth and Banquo from the beginning of the play. As the play advances, we see the relationship between the two put under great strain, as Banquo is the only person who knows about Macbeth’s plots and murder of the king, â€Å"I fear thou played’st most foully for’t.† Despite this, Banquo still pledges his loyalty to the new king, but is however murdered anyway due to the paranoia of Macbeth, and the seriousness in which Macbeth takes the witches predictions of Banquo’s children becoming king. There were several reasons why Shakespeare would have wanted to do this to Banquo’s character in ‘Macbeth’. Firstly, it highlighted the contrast between Macbeth, and his once close friend. It also highlighted Macbeth’s paranoia over the predictions of the witches, so much so that he was driven to murder his close friend to keep his throne. It is also another adaptation of Shakespeare’s that emphasises how he tried to adapt the play to suit the current king of England and Scotland, James I. At the time of writing it was believed that the king was a descendent of Banquo, so Shakespeare would have wanted to portray him as a good character, therefore gaining the approval of the Royal Family and making the play instantly popular. Macduff, a crucial character in the plot of ‘Macbeth’, is only first seen in the middle of Act 2, and plays a rather scarce role in the play. However, this does not reduce the significance that he has on the plot of the play. Macduff is suspicious of Macbeth as soon as he takes the throne, and suspects that he killed Duncan. Macduff’s suspicions of Macbeth are key to the plot, as it is he who flees to England to build an army capable of challenging Macbeth when he hears that his family have been murdered by Macbeth, â€Å"Within my sword’s length set him. If he scape, heaven forgive him too.† This is another example of a character being the friend of Macbeth at the start of the play, and turning against him as the play progresses. â€Å"Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself†. In productions of ‘Macbeth’, Macduff’s main scene’s, such as his campaign in England and final battle with Macbeth, are hard to produce on stage. This has resulted in many productions cutting his scene in England, and Shakespeare changing the location of Macbeth’s final battle. According to Holinshed, when Macbeth finds out about Macduff being born by Caesarean section, â€Å"Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.† he flees, and is pursued by Macduff. However, in the play, Macbeth and Macduff fight at Dunsinane and Macbeth is ultimately slain. This is an example of how stagecraft was a major hurdle in Shakespeare’s productions, and how they were written. Shakespeare based Lady Macbeth on a person from Holinshed, Queen Gruoch of Scotland, however, he strongly exaggerates and changes the character to suit her role in the play. Lady Macbeth plays a key role in the plot of the play from the first time we see her, at the end of Act 1. Without Lady Macbeth, it is very probable that the play’s plot wouldn’t be able to exist, as it is Lady Macbeth who fuels Macbeth’s ambitions throughout the play. She is constantly twisting the thoughts of Macbeth and propelling him to do the awful things that he does throughout. In Lady Macbeth’s first appearance, when she hears of the witches predictions she calls on evil spirits to assist her in her plans for Duncan’s murder, â€Å"Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty.† As the play progresses, we see Lady Macbeth overpower the will and thoughts of Macbeth, for example, when she proposes the murder of Duncan, Macbeth goes back on his word, saying that he wants nothing to do with the murder. At the end of that same scene, however, Lady Macbeth has managed to manipulate his thoughts, and get him to go through with the murder, â€Å"I have given suck and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this.† Even though it’s Lady Macbeth who is in control of events in the play, she too suffers great anxiety after all the terrible things she does. By the end of Act 3, there are signs of her conscious taking over her, with her taking no part in the murder of Macduff’s family, a major plot in Act 4, an act in which she doesn’t feature at all. By the beginning of Act 5, Lady Macbeth starts to sleepwalk, and give away everything that her and Macbeth have plotted and done, â€Å"The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne’er be clean?† This adds dramatic effect to the end of a scene to keep the audience interested in the play, and offers a different perspective on a strong looking character. Macbeth is the main character of the play, and is probably the most interesting character to analyse. We first see Macbeth in the first half of Act 1, where he is a military hero, with no real ambition but to do the best he can for his country. Throughout ‘Macbeth’, we see him manipulated by his wife and murder his way to kingship, sometimes against his will, but other times, such as when Macduff’s family are murdered, there is no mention of outside influence. Although it seems like it is Lady Macbeth who is in command of what happens to potential threats and Macbeth, she never actually commits any of the murders herself. This could suggest that she knew what consequences could come from the beginning, and wanted it to be on Macbeth’s shoulders, not hers, however, she also suffers from mental illness due to the murders later on in the play. During his transition from hero to hated villain, we see how much Macbeth is plagued by his conscience and the knowledge that what he is doing is wrong, â€Å"We will proceed no further in this business, he hath honoured me of late.† There are two factors that prevent his conscience from taking command however, the witches and Lady Macbeth, both of whom he can’t ignore. As the play progresses, Macbeth struggles to trust anyone, even his wife, who he earlier said was his â€Å"dearest partner of greatness†. This leads to the murder of a lot of people that Macbeth doesn’t trust, including Banquo, who was his good friend, and ally for a short period of time. Although he is easily manipulated, he can also manipulate other people, depending on who he’s around, for example, when talking to royalty, or important people, Macbeth could talk in verse, or iambic pentameter. He also had the ability to talk well to â€Å"low-status characters†, such as the Porter or the Murderers, speaking in prose. We also see a different side to Macbeth during his soliloquies, as we see what he is thinking at crucial parts of the play. For example, in Act 5, Scene 5, when he performs his famous â€Å"Tomorrow† soliloquy, we see an insight into his emotions and feelings about how he feels he has lost his friends and family. Shakespeare’s use of the soliloquies of Macbeth throughout the play creates a unique opportunity for the audience to see a glimpse of what Macbeth is thinking and feeling, creating a better audience response throughout, and maybe giving the audience a chance to feel sorry for Macbeth, before he dies honourably in battle. There are many different techniques that are used throughout the play, and a lot of language in different styles and formats. It is crucial to remember that Shakespeare’s plays were written in the 16th Century for the 16th Century, not for us to read in a book 400 years later. Shakespeare uses lots of imagery in his plays, which was crucial for an audience of that time, as the play was only performed on stage with no special effects, (apart from the occasional trap door†¦) so the use of imagery in the play allowed the audience to get a better picture on what was happening in the play. Shakespeare’s ability to use both iambic pentameter and prose makes ‘Macbeth’ stand out, because you are given a chance to see the intelligence of characters such as Macbeth, who use both iambic pentameter, â€Å"To know my deed, ’twere best not know my self† and prose, â€Å"I did so, and went further, which is now the point of second meeting.† The language that Shakespeare chooses to use is also crucial to understanding the relationships between characters, such as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In the early scenes, the two use iambic pentameter when talking to eachother, which shows a trust and understanding between them. However, in the later scenes, this trust is broken, and the language used in the scenes containing these characters reflects that as their consciences start to eat away at them, â€Å"Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One, two. Why then ’tis time to do’t?† Stagecraft was of up most importance when the play was performed in the 16th century (and now) as the play was never meant to be read, just performed. With limited equipment/effects, it was difficult to produce a play that was easy to perform on stage, however, Shakespeare wrote his plays in such a way that they grabbed the attention of the audience whilst being simple to perform at the same time. A particularly good example of stagecraft is the witches’ dance from the beginning of Act 4, â€Å"Double, double told and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.† This is particularly effective, as it can be performed easily on stage, but it also grabs the attention of the audience to keep them interested. Also, because it doesn’t require any spectacular effects, it could be performed fairly easily in 16th century Britain. Because the play is limited to a number of acts/scenes, it was necessary for Shakespeare to either miss out sections mentioned in Holinshed entirely or edit them to make them more performable. A good example of this is the final battle between Macbeth and Macduff. According to the Holinshed Chronicles, Macbeth tried to flee from his castle, but got caught by Macduff and killed. In ‘Macbeth’, the whole scene takes place at the castle. This allows the scene to be performed whole on stage, so there is no loss of tension between scenes, and it makes it easier and cheaper to perform, because less sets are required and it isn’t as broken up. In reality, Macbeth’s reign over Scotland lasted 17 years before he was killed, however, this would have been inappropriate for a play of this length, so Shakespeare had to narrow his reign down to only a few months. This helped the performance, because it made it much more dramatic, creating a better audience response. Settings of the play also had to be narrowed down, due to time, cost and convenience on stage. For example, in reality, there was lots more English involvement, and Shakespeare only covers a very small scene in England. This is because the play is explained well enough without the English scene, so it was un-necessary to add more scenes which weren’t needed. After having the chance to study the play from both the book and movie, it’s clearer what limitations Shakespeare had. For example, in a film, special effects can be added, and more scenes made available in the production. On stage however, there are more limitations, for example, when Birnam Wood ‘moves’ towards Dunsinane Castle, effects can be added in a film, but on stage you are limited to basic props and no additional technology. This changes how the audience interprets the story, because you get a better idea of how it was from a movie, with more advanced editing, compared to watching it how it was probably performed originally on stage, In conclusion, there are various ways in which the Holinshed Chronicles are adapted to make an entertaining piece of theatre, but in my opinion there are a few key points. Firstly, I think that ‘Macbeth’ has been so entertaining and successful, because there was already an interesting plot and opportunity to impress the current king. Secondly, Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter and prose makes the language of the play very interesting and it is clever how the information in Holinshed is twisted, manipulated and made more dramatic to create a very entertaining piece of theatre.