Lady Macbeth - Macbeths Incredible Lady :: Macbeth essays

Macbeth's Incredible Lady      Ã‚   In William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth there are two main characters, one of which is more believable than the other. Lady Macbeth is not as lifelike or realistic as her husband. In this essay we shall explore her character.    In his book, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, H. S. Wilson describes the role of Lady Macbeth:    Professor Kittredge used to point out to his classes that Lady Macbeth, in urging Macbeth to act, uses the three arguments that every wife, some time or other, uses to every husband: "You promised me you'd do it!" "You'd do it if you loved me!" "If I were a man, I'd do it myself!" But Macbeth's mind is made up by her assurance that they may do it safely by fixing the guilt upon Duncan's chamberlains. (72)    L.C. Knights in the essay "Macbeth" describes the unnaturalness of Lady Macbeth's words and actions:    Thus the sense of the unnaturalness of evil is evoked not only be repeated explicit references ("nature's mischief," "nature seems dead," " 'Tis unnatural, even like the deed that's done," and so on) but by the expression of unnatural sentiments and an unnatural violence of tone in such things as Lady Macbeth's invocation of the "spirits" who will "unsex" her, and her affirmation that she would murder the babe at her breast if she had sworn to do it. (95)    Samuel Johnson in The Plays of Shakespeare underscores how ambition by the protagonists leads to detestation on the part of the readers:    The danger of ambition is well described; and I know not whether it may not be said in defence of some parts which now seem improbable, that, in Shakespeare's time, it was necessary to warn credulity against vain and illusive predictions. The passions are directed to their true end. Lady Macbeth is merely detested; and though the courage of Macbeth preserves some esteem, yet every reader rejoices at his fall. (133)    In "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth," Sarah Siddons comments on the Lady's cold manner:    [Macbeth] announces the King's approach; and she, insensible it should seem to all the perils which he has encountered in battle, and to all the happiness of his safe return to her, -- for not one kind word of greeting or congratulations does she offer, -- is so entirely swallowed up by the horrible design, which has probably been suggested to her by his letters, as to have forgotten both the one and the other.

Culture And Socialization

Socialization can be defined as the process by which people learn to become members of a society (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 58). Thus, the socialization process of an individual starts from birth and continues throughout life. The period of socialization helps an individual to develop feelings, perceptions, learn the basics of social interaction and also learn to recognize and respond socially to parents and other important people in their lives (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 58).According to Tepperman and Curtis (2011), â€Å"Socialization is accomplished by many different variables; including ethnicity, family structure, gender, environment and birth order† (p. 58). Socialization perpetuates culture so therefore individuals are affected by socialization and culture in one way or the other. By definition, culture is a set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization, or group (MacNeill, 2012). It is the key to understandi ng how we relate to each other.There are different types of culture around the world, for example, American culture, Chinese culture, and African culture. Tepperman and Curtis (2011) noted that â€Å"Culture is different between places and at different times† (p. 32). Culture consists of a set of principles and traditions which is passed on from one generation to another. Socialization teaches cultural values and norms which provides the guidelines for our everyday life. It is therefore inevitable that socialization influences what we do as humans.This paper will argue that the effects of the principal agents of socialization have led to the continuity of culture. This paper will then discuss some of the attributes of the cultural realms that are connected with the process of socialization. Finally, the essay will conclude with a discussion on the effects of socialization outcomes. The process of socialization starts within the context of the family. The family is considered to be the most impressive agent of socialization because it provides the context in which the first and most long-lasting intimate social relationships are formed.Tepperman and Curtis (2011), explains that â€Å"In families, children learn how to relate to other people, express intimacy, and resolve conflict â€Å"(p. 62). In order to accomplish this, parents internalize social norms and values in their children to behave in socially appropriate ways (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 62). Furthermore, the family is the child’s window to the world. A child’s experience of the world would be framed by his or her family’s social class, religion, ethnicity and so on (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 62).That is to say, a child who does not start the process of socialization within the family context is likely to lack a sense of self-control and other basic social skills which are learned from the family. In addition, the family plays a primarily important role in shaping the child’s attitude and behaviour. Tepperman and Curtis (2011), noted that â€Å" Successful socialization of children involves not only bringing about their outward conformity to parental directives, but also enabling them to become self-regulating, and motivating them so that they become willing to cooperate with parental socialization† (p.62).The social interaction that takes place within the family contest is a major contributory factor to the continuity of culture. The mass media is another principal agent which has been accorded a place of importance in the explanation of socialization. The mass media constitute a key realm of cultural production and distribution. The mass media including magazines, internet, newspapers, radio, television and all means of communication which are directed towards a vast audience in society are deemed to be influential agents of socialization.According to Tepperman and Curtis (2011), the media are â€Å"Instrumental in transmitti ng and reinforcing certain values, social behaviors, and definitions of social reality† (p. 64). The media also contribute to racial and sexual stereotypes – stereotyped portrayal of men and women, racial or ethnic minorities, homosexual men or women, older people, or those with varying abilities shape viewer understanding and socializations (Tepperman $ Curtis, 2011, p. 64). Thus, the mass media is assumed to be significant, with powerful, long lasting consequences. Today there are more televisions and fewer people per household.In other words, more people are watching television alone (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p68). Children spend a great deal of time surfing the internet and watching television. Most of the time, these children are unattended or unsupervised because so many parents are in the labour force spending long hours to provide for their families.As a result of the increasing use of the internet and other sources of entertainment or information such as telev ision, children are more liable to imitate what they see on the television or the internet. There has been a long standing concern that  focuses on violence and pornography in digital media; 20 years ago it was televisions particularly music videos; but movies, comics and magazines have all been considered potentially dangerous sources of influence, especially for young people (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p65).The mass media is a central cultural concern because of the nature of the content that it brings to the vast majority of people (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 45). Through the production and the distribution of information to a wider audience, the mass media serves as a means by which cultural and social continuity is attained.As children move through childhood, there are many environmental influences on their socialization to adult roles. Children gradually move beyond their experience of the family – as they become involved in groups in the neighborhood, other families , peers, play groups and so on (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 64). Peer groups have gained increasing recognition as an important socializing agent for children (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 68). The peer group usually involves children within a given peer group are the same age and come from the same social status.According to Tepperman and Curtis (2011), playgroup provides â€Å"Important opportunities for children to learn to relate to others and increase their social skill† (p. 68). This is achieved by children interacting with their peers in playgroups to develop a frame of reference not based on adult authority (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 68). This is the time children are able to learn among their peers and function independently without supervision from an adult. The peer group exerts great influence especially in the adolescence. Tepperman and Curtis (2011) â€Å"depicts adolescent as a period of testing limits† (p.68).In 2008, Sara, Shmuel and Zinaida conclu ded that â€Å"Adolescents prefer alternative and independent ways, especially with peers, over activities that are organized for them by adults† (p. 373) The school is an important institution which provides an environment for the transmission of social values through teaching and learning. Tepperman and Curtis (2011), argues that the â€Å"School is probably the most important locus of childhood and adolescent socialization because it is central to a young person’s social life and acts as a filter for future occupation choice† (p. 70).In school, children learn discipline, social interaction and other basic skills that are deemed to be appropriate by society. The school also provides a platform for children to mingle, play and interact with peers. Through this, they learn to understand themselves and others. Sara et al. (2008) concluded that the school enables them to socialize outside the family, to establish independence from adults, to practice the skills re quired for entering conventional adult roles, to develop their future adult identities, to express their own interests, and to build their own cultures with their peer groups† (p.373).In the process of socialization, beliefs and values are passed on to children through language practices. Communication is the sharing of meaning by which the thoughts of one person are made understandable to another (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 44). Tepperman and Curtis (2011), defines language as a â€Å"System of words both written and spoken for the purpose of communication† (p. 44). Socialization is realized to a great extent through the use of language, the primary symbolic medium through which cultural knowledge is communicated and instantiated, reproduced and transformed.During this process, individuals learn the language of the culture they are born into as well as the roles to play in life. In addition, the mass media is also one of the most important attributes of the cultural realms that play a variety of social roles in the socialization process. Through distribution and production, the mass media transmit messages to a mass audience. They are the means by which we find out about important political, economic, and social happenings.We rely on them for the information we need to understand our local, regional, national, and global contexts (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 46). Through the mass media, individuals can learn the cultural practices of other countries or culture. For example, through the mass media, people can watch the Chinese New Year celebrations without going to China, the Caribbean Calypso Carnival without going to Jamaica or the Olympics games without visiting the host nation.The principal agents of socialization are the most important contributory factors to ensuring the continuity of cultural attainment. The family, mass media, school and the peer group have been accorded a place of importance in the explanation of socialization. It is i mportant to note, however, that there are also certain attributes of the cultural realm that are connected with the process of socialization. These attributes of the cultural realm includes language, mass media and so on. Thus, there is a circular relationship between culture and socialization.

Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee - 896 Words

Everybody knows the book To Kill a Mockingbird. One of the main storylines in the book was with Atticus, the father of the narrator. Atticus was a lawyer and was assigned to defend a black man in the 1930s. The book To Kill a Mockingbird has many events such as jem scout and dill go up to the radley place and jem has to read to Ms dubose for cutting all her calimesa buds. The story takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama. The book was published in 1960. The main characters included the narrator, Scout, her brother, Jem, their father, Atticus, the house maid Calpurnia (she is black women) and other characters like Ms Dubose and Aunt Alexzandrea. Even though Atticus knew that he had no chance of winning Tom Robinson s case, he should defend him because he would be a good example for his children and that it is the right thing to do so it makes sense to defend Tom Robinson. The first reason why Atticus should defend tom robinson is because he needs to be a good example for his children. Atticus is a father of two children so he needs to be a good Father. Atticus quotes â€Å" I wanted to show you what real courage is instead of having a gun in his hand. It s when you know you re licked before you begin what you started to do and see your way through.† This is an excellent quote to explain that Atticus should defend Tom Robinson. This is in Chapter 11 when Atticus confronts miss Dubose and talks with her without hesitation and then explains to Scout and Jem as a quote saying†IShow MoreRelatedKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1049 Words   |  5 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird: How a Story could be based on True Events in Everyday LifeDaisy GaskinsCoastal Pines Technical Collegeâ€Æ'Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama. Her father was a former newspaper editor and proprietor, who had served as a state senator and practiced as a lawyer in Monroeville. Also Finch was known as the maiden name of Lee’s mother. With that being said Harper Lee became a writer like her father, but she became a American writer, famous for her race relations novel â€Å"ToRead MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee1000 Words   |  4 Pagesworld-wide recognition to the many faces of prejudice is an accomplishment of its own. Author Harper Lee has had the honor to accomplish just that through her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a moving and inspirational story about a young girl learning the difference between the good and the bad of the world. In the small town of Monroeville, Alabama, Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926. Growing up, Harper Lee had three siblings: two sisters and an older brother. She and her siblings grew up modestlyRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1290 Words   |  6 PagesHarper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird during a rough period in American history, also known as the Civil Rights Movement. This plot dives into the social issues faced by African-Americans in the south, like Tom Robinson. Lee felt that the unfair treatment towards blacks were persistent, not coming to an end any time in the foreseeable future. This dark movement drove her to publish this novel hopeful that it would encourage the society to realize that the harsh racism must stop. Lee effectivelyRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee873 Words   |  4 PagesIn the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates that â€Å"it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird† throughout the novel by writing innocent characters that have been harmed by evil. Tom Robinson’s persecution is a symbol for the death of a mockingbird. The hunters shooting the bird would in this case be the Maycomb County folk. Lee sets the time in the story in the early 1950s, when the Great Depression was going on and there was poverty everywhere. The mindset of people back then was that blackRead MoreKill A Mockingbir d By Harper Lee963 Words   |  4 Pagesgrowing up, when older characters give advice to children or siblings.Growing up is used frequently in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Harper Lee uses the theme growing up in To Kill a Mockingbird to change characters opinion, develop characters through their world, and utilizes prejudice to reveal growing up. One major cause growing up is used in To Kill a Mockingbird is to represent a change of opinion. One part growing up was shown in is through the trial in part two of the novelRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1052 Words   |  5 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama in the late 30s early 40s , after the great depression when poverty and unemployment were widespread throughout the United States. Why is the preconception of racism, discrimination, and antagonism so highly related to some of the characters in this book? People often have a preconceived idea or are biased about one’s decision to live, dress, or talk. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee examines the preconceptionRead MoreHarper Lee and to Kill a Mockingbird931 Words   |  4 PagesHarper Lee and her Works Harper Lee knew first hand about the life in the south in the 1930s. She was born in Monroeville, Alabama in 1926 (Castleman 2). Harper Lee was described by one of her friends as Queen of the Tomboys (Castleman 3). Scout Finch, the main character of Lees Novel, To Kill a Mockinbird, was also a tomboy. Many aspects of To Kill a Mockingbird are autobiographical (Castleman 3). Harper Lees parents were Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Finch Lee. She was the youngestRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1695 Words   |  7 PagesIn To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee presents as a ‘tired old town’ where the inhabitants have ‘nowhere to go’ it is set in the 1930s when prejudices and racism were at a peak. Lee uses Maycomb town to highlight prejudices, racism, poverty and social inequality. In chapter 2 Lee presents the town of Maycomb to be poverty stricken, emphasised through the characterisation of Walter Cunningham. When it is discovered he has no lunch on the first day of school, Scout tries to explain the situation to MissRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1876 Words   |  8 PagesThough Harper Lee only published two novels, her accomplishments are abundant. Throughout her career Lee claimed: the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Goodreads Choice Awards Best Fiction, and Quill Award for Audio Book. Lee was also inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This honor society is a huge accomplishment and is considered the highest recognition for artistic talent and accomplishment in the United States. Along with these accomplishments, herRead MoreKill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee1197 Words   |  5 Pagessuch as crops, houses, and land, and money was awfully limited. These conflicts construct Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird. In To Kill a Mocking Bird, Lee establishes the concurrence of good and evil, meaning whether people are naturally good or naturally evil. Lee uses symbolism, characterization, and plot to portray the instinctive of good and evil. To Kill a Mocking Bird, a novel by Harper Lee takes place during the 1930s in the Southern United States. The protagonist, Scout Finch,