Medicalization of Childbirth

1. BACKGROUND In the 1700s, Barber-surgeons, predecessors of the obstetricians belonged to a low social standing, similar to that of carpenters and shoemakers, members of the arts and trade guild. In an attempt to create social mobility and improve social status, barber-surgeons saw the opportunity to expand their expertise and redefined the perception of their skill as life saving, a higher moral order. Soon, barber-surgeons gained a competitive edge over midwives to practise at difficult home-deliveries, through manual non-medical-instrumental extraction of fetus from the birthing woman (Dundes, 1987).Contrary to lay belief that fetal life began only at the point of â€Å"quickening† when expectant woman felt fetal movement (20 weeks), Obstetricians utilized their bio-scientific knowledge from the expertise of the microscope to claim that the start of perinatal life begins from the point of conception (Costello, 2006). This Interprofessional rivalry sparked resistance from t he displaced midwives. However, English midwives succeeded in certifying midwifery practice through the 1902 Midwifery act (Costello, 2006).This was an important step in establishing midwives not as physician-rivals, but as para-medical subordinates. In the same year, 1902, the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the British Empire was published (Drife, 2002). Early physician Mosher observed inverse relationship of declining birthrate and increasing abortion rate. He hypothesized that women opted for â€Å"criminal abortion† to avoid childbirth pain. This sparked widespread attention from society to reduce the disincentives of childbirth. Hence, obstetricians made claims to be able to alleviate childbirth pain, creating a market for obstetrics.In 1900s, only 15% of deliveries were in hospitals (Jones, 1994), after the ministry of health expanded maternal hospital facilities, hospital deliveries sored from 60% in 1925, to 70% in 1935 and 98% in 1950 (Loudon, 1988). This sh arp increase also correlates with the emergence of chloroform and ether as the first analgesics during the mid 1800s, followed by the Twilight Sleep consumer movement, of scopolamine and morphine, in the early 1900s, championed by middle and upper class women for fundamental rights to painless childbirth.Under the guise of these feminist efforts, medicalization of pregnancy and childbirth changed the orientation of childbirth to something unnatural, and created consumer demand for medical intervention. Finally, the formation of universal healthcare systems, such as the NHS, in an attempt to provide welfare-state equality to healthcare access, gained power over women’s reproductive status and decisions. 2. INTRODUCTION Medicalization occurs when a social problem is â€Å"defined in medical terms, described using medical language, understood through the adoption of a medical framework, or ‘treated with medical interventions† (Conrad, 2007).Pregnancy and childbirth has been subjected to the process of medicalization through increased medical jurisdiction and medical surveillance over these natural domains of life. There are three levels of medicalization: conceptual, institutional, and interactional (Conrad, 2007). This essay explores ways at which these three levels of medicalization have been applied to pregnancy and childbirth, and its consequences. 3. DISCUSSION 3. 1 Conceptual medicalization Pregnancy was an experience strictly confined to women, while childbirth was a domestic event attended by female relatives and midwives.This exclusive and empowering experience opposed and threatened patriarchy, the dominant culture of modern society, creating a social problem of female superiority. Hence, professional obstetricians emerged, eliminated midwifery, and created a medical model of practice that cast a disabling view on pregnancy and childbirth, allowing male participation as women’s salvation or at least, her equal. Medical authori ty and medical technologies attempt to reduce the private and individual experience of the women, and allow participation of men in the shared pregnancy and childbirth experience.One way of removing power from the female experience is to shift the focus away from adaptive bodily functions, to a desexualized and depersonalized birthing experience, with introduction of elements of patriarchy. The agency of the women was further removed through the application of the lithotomy (dorsal recumbent) position and epidural anesthesia. The lithotomy position has the woman lies on her back, facing the ceiling, with her legs separated and held by stirrups.She is given no visual or physical access to the birthing process, and no free access to movement. She merely allows. Epidural anesthesia removes bodily sensations from the waist down. Hence, the birthing woman does not receive contraction signals from her body to bear-down and expel the child. She has to depend on obstetricians for objective data on her delivery progress. Risks and choices are also presented in medical terms, hence, women are unable to understand and make informed choices or negotiate participation in their pregnancy and childbirth process.Then, the woman is stripped of her individual identity and given identities based on the age, maternal co-morbidities, number of pregnancy (Parity), and point of time in delivery (Gravid). These gives obstetricians biological information of the individual, allowing better assessment of the body and applying of the concept of risks to the management of care. Furthermore, the woman’s identity now revolves around the unborn child. Her choice of diet and lifestyle is now dictated by the risks she is willing to put on the unborn child.The rights of child over mother are highly contested in the literature. After depersonalizing the woman, weakening the gender ideology at birth, an attempt to desexualize the birthing process is done by creating taboo and discomfort to the sexual nature of childbirth. In Midwifery techniques, hands-on perineal massage, which involves preparatory stretching of the vaginal passage; and stimulation of the nipples and clitoris to elicit biological hormones that relaxes and lubricates the vaginal walls, supports natural delivery.However, obstetricians attempted to remove suggestions of female sexuality from the birthing process to allow involvement of a male-dominated profession. Substituting the natural, with artificial injectable hormones (Pitocin) to induce labor; cesarean sections to remove the child from an above-naval-abdominal surgery; and episiotomies (clean incision and straight reunion of the skin, as opposed to a irregular natural tear) as a mark of the obstetrician. This decreases the empowering experience of the body and increases the dependency on external medical interventions.They also offer episiotomies and cesarean sections to â€Å"intercede† for the husband, who assumes legal access and poss ession of the body and sexuality of the birthing woman who has been â€Å"destroyed† by the birth of her child. Another example to illustrate presence of patriarchy is how technology â€Å"reveals† and shares the individual pregnancy experience of the pregnant woman with her husband, is through ultrasonography-enabled-visualization of the child in formation. As such, he pregnant women no longer has authoritative knowledge over her pregnancy, but now engages in an more egalitarian relationship with her husband, an equal partner in the pregnancy experience. 3. 2 Institutional Medicalization Obstetricians became self-governing-businessmen through private practice. Their capitalistic motivations were achieved solely through their medical authority, and not through training in business management. They could determine the type of obstetrical interventions women of each social class deserved.A 75% cesarean section rate among private patients compares to 25% among general pat ients in New York (Hurst and Summey, 1984). This suggests a difference in professional accountability of physicians treating different paying classes. Private obstetricians receive out-of-pocket fees directly from their patients; maintain continuity of care, a personal doctor-patient relationship is expected. Obstetricians become â€Å"socially indebted† to direct-paying patients; hence they may exercise their skill of medical interventions in exchange for the fee, imposing medical procedures on women even in the absence of indication.Furthermore, the closer doctor-patient relationship of private practitioners allows the professional to better evaluate the emotion-translated financial willingness or financial ability to pay for additional cost of medical interventions. High information access through prenatal education and consultations positively correlates with high prenatal care and high cesarean rates (Hurst and Summey, 1984). Theoretically, increased prenatal care should decrease the risks of pregnancy and childbirth; hence less medical intervention should be required.Hence, it is suggested that with medicalized care expanding its surveillance to the prenatal period, there is increased awareness of the dangers of childbirth complication, and of alternate birthing methods, putting high SES New York women at risk for choosing medical intervention, which carries surgical risks on its own. Interestingly, women of lower SES in public hospitals in India were also subjected to more medical interventions and became targets of governmental missions of population control and subjected to pressure to undergo sterilization after delivery (Van Hollen, 2003).Another notable finding was the extensive use of drugs to induce labor, where drug-induced labor was a means of crowd-control, to free up maternity beds for new patients (Van Hollen, 2003). This infrastructure constraint defers from the picture of many modern western countries. In which extensive infrastruct ure was built in more fertile days, and with declining birth rates, more invasive medical procedures such as cesarean section ensures longer hospital stays, utilization of resources and sustaining jobs of healthcare workers in the maternal hospital (Hurst and Summey, 1984).By medicalizing pregnancy and childbirth, the state, through government hospitals and public policies can effectively control the rate of reproduction. Hence, it is seen in both social classes, obstetricians have different motivations for the medicalization of childbirth. Another factor fuelling the medicalization of childbirth is obstetrician’s fear of malpractice suits. Government employers indemnify obstetricians working in general hospitals, however private practicing obstetricians do not receive this privilege. Hence, private patients are able to bring malpractice suits directly to the practitioner, and his practice’s reputation.Fear of malpractice suits are frequently cited for the increase in cesarean rates in New York (Hurst and Summer, 1984). Hence, private practitioners reduce the risk of being legally liable for unsuccessful or complicated childbirth by relying on their skills and exercising authority to decide on medical interventions. Private practitioners also pay a huge premium for malpractice insurance to cover for themselves. In New York, malpractice insurance premiums have risen from $3,437 to $50,000 over three decades (Hurst and Summey, 1984). Application of costly medical interventions helps private obstetricians to cover this cost. . 3 Interactional medicalization Through the cultural interaction between obstetrician and his patient, obstetricians attempt to control culturally deviant behavior medical and intervene with obstetric medicine. Obstetricians routinize medical interventions as professional rituals to establish a sense of security and control over the unpredictable natural process of pregnancy and childbirth (Davis-Floyd, 2002). As part of the ob stetrician’s professional duty, they experience the agonizing prospect of the encountering a biological defect or a loss of human life or biologically defective.Hence, when in the power to establish control mechanisms over nature, obstetricians instate medical interventions to protect themselves from emotional distress, from disability, death or blame from their patients. However, Floyd fails to acknowledge the functionalist and symbolic interactionist perspective, where obstetricians may employ medicalization, not solely from the power of professional authority but for social service to women, and a social duty maintain society’s order.Simonds, 2002 points out that â€Å"as small durations of time become socially meaningful, the perceived scarcity of physical time increases, perceived control of events in one’s life decreases†. This rightly illustrates increased value and meaning of the period preceding childbirth, as social pressure to produce a new fun ctional member of the social group, on both women and obstetricians increases. Ultimately, medical interventions not only serve the interest of obstetricians, but also to women and society as a whole.For example, the change from trimester to weekly monitoring of pregnancy and the introduction of a scheduled hourly-charting at labor, does not merely enable increased medical surveillance and control, but also increases social contact which legitimizes woman’s gender role and addresses the valued significance of pregnancy and childbirth as social events. To the same effect, the medical category expansion to include prenatal screening at dated-pregnancy-checkpoints is also a social construction influenced by the 20th century eugenics project.Prenatal screening allowed in-utero detection of â€Å"biological defects† such as Cleft lip; Spinal bifida; Down’s syndrome, and determination of sex, this screening creates points of knowing for crucial decision-making. Throug h selective abortion another obstetric procedure, obstetricians and women â€Å"play God†, make choices on rejecting or accepting the child into the family and society. This stems from the desire to have a perfect child in a eugenic society. Next, risks is defined by obstetricians, whether a women is or not allowed to have a normal birth.Medical students are taught in terms of the very dichotomous high or low risk assessment of pregnancy. Obstetricians are able to develop diagnoses to categorize deliveries as high risk. Previously, due to poor nutrition, women suffered from a calcium deficiency known as rickets, hence malformed pelvis caused difficulty in vaginal delivery (Drife, 2002). Now, doctors socially construct small pelvis as a diagnosis of cephalo-pelvic disproportion (Beckett, 2005). Women then see themselves as defective, blame themselves, hile doctors use this emotional-blackmail, threatening women of her baby’s death, usually into submission, hence legitim izing his obstetric power. Hence, obstetricians attempt to use objective criteria to label the highly subjective definition of complicated or high-risk pregnancies. Another example is obesity. Women with obesity have higher rates of cesarean section (Beckett, 2005). Hence, these deviant behaviors are perceived as abnormal and have a higher rate of medical intervention.Obstetricians also exaggerate the dangers of childbirth (Cahill, 2001), implicitly suggesting the potential for complications and risks. It is suggested that women internalize gender systems such as knowledge, discourses and practices of the female norm and â€Å"acts† it out during childbirth (Martin, 2003). Middle-class women view themselves as relational, caring, selfless, and discipline their bodies to adhere to the prescribed gender identity. At childbirth, women may actively request for medical intervention, such as analgesia, epidural anesthesia, cesarean sections under general anesthesia, to prevent devi ant behavior.This social driver for medicalization of childbirth is also reflected in the increased risk of childbirth portrayed by the media. Media constantly focuses on exaggeration, creation of a medical crisis. The birthing women agonizing in pain, the use of machines to denote life or death, and the swarming of medical personnel at the birth bed portrays an increase tension and risks at childbirth. Also, news reports home birthing, and finding of abandoned newborns as irresponsible, and linked to pathological child-abusers (Craven, 2005). . CONCLUSION Medicalization of childbirth and pregnancy is an attempt by society to maintain hegemony over the female body and the family, to perpetuate patriarchy, capitalism, vigilance and risk-caution as the dominant culture. However, there is a vast difference in the motivations of this social process. Society sees inequality of gender as a social problem, hence it attempts to control female subordination through the medicalization of preg nancy and childbirth, experiences paramount of the female gender identity.Then, society attempts to control the reproduction of the population by structurally categorizing women according to their ability to access maternal facilities of care. The â€Å"ideal† childbirth experience was then linked to the idea of Socio-economic status. Women, who could afford medicalized care, received the most current and â€Å"advanced† technologies. While women who could not afford medicalized care often received less medical interventions, creating a subjective experience â€Å"lesser† than that of the already established norm of hospitalized painless childbirth.Also, the state could more effectively control population growth through the authority of the attending obstetricians. Lastly, society attempts to control the ideal construction of a society, seeing the unpredictability of childbirth as a social problem, hence attempting to control it with an expansion of medical cate gory to include risk assessments such as prenatal screening and intensive monitoring of delivery process at childbirth. Society also sees the unruly behavior of women at childbirth as deviant and attempts to control it with medicine and medical interventions.

The Fashion Channel †Case Study

The Fashion Channel – Case Study Exercise 1: What is expected outcome of each of the targeting scenarios? (complete both the Ad Revenue and Financial calculators to fully understand the financial impact of the scenarios) Exhibit 4: Ad Revenue Calculator TV HH Average Rating Average Viewers (thousands) Average CPM1 Average Revenue/Ad Minute2 Ad Minutes/Week Weeks/Year Ad Revenue/Year Incremental Programming Expense 1 Revenue/Thousand Viewer 2 Calculated by multiplying Average Viewers by Average CPM Current 2007 Base Scenario 1 110,000,000 110,000,000 110,000,000 1. % 1% 1. 2% 1,100 1,100 1,320 $2. 00 $1,80 $1,80 $2,200 $0 $0 2,016 2,016 2,016 52 52 52 $230,630,400 $0 $0 $0 $0 Scenario 2 110,000,000 0. 8% 880 $3,50 $0 2,016 52 $0 $15. 000. 000 Scenario 3 110,000,000 1. 2% 1,320 $2,50 $0 2,016 52 $0 $20. 000. 000 Exhibit 5: TFC Estimated Financials for 2006 and 2007 Revenue Ad Sales Affiliate Fees Total Revenue Expenses Cost of Operations Cost of Programming Ad Sales Commissions Marketing and Advertising SGA Total Expense Net Income Margin 2006 Actual 2007 Base Scenario 1 Scenario 2Scenario 3 Assumptions Insert scenario results from revenue calculator Grows 2% per year with population $230,630,400 $207,567,360 $249,080,832 $323,882,560 $345,945,600 $80,000,000 $310,630,400 $81,600,000 $81,600,000 $81,600,000 $81,600,000 $81,600,000 $81,600,000 $81,600,000 $81,600,000 $70. 000. 000 $72,100,000 $55. 000. 000 $55,000,000 $72,100,000 $55,000,000 $7,472,425 $60,000,000 $41,200,000 $72,100,000 $70,000,000 $9,686,477 $60,000,000 $41,200,000 $72,100,000 $75,000,000 $10,378,368 $60,000,000 $41,200,000Grows 3% per year with inflation Add incrementa l programming expense 3% of ad sales revenue Reflects increased spending of $15M Growing with inflation 3% Spradsheet calcuates automatically Spradsheet calcuates automatically Spradsheet calcuates automatically $6,918,912 $45,000,000 $40,000,000 $6,227,021 $60,000,000 $41,200,000 $216,918,912 $113,300,000 $113,300,000 $11 3,300,000 $113,300,000 $93,711,488 30% $54,640,339 19% $94,908,407 $151,496,083 $168,867,232 29% 37% 39% Exercise 2: Analyze the segmentation options and discuss pros and cons of each.Broad-Based Marketing Pros: When we compare the Net Income of the base 2007, the broad-based Marketing segment will deliver almost $40,000,000 more. Also by the investing in a major marketing and advertising campaign the Average Rating will increase from 1% to 1. 2%. Another advantage of this segment is that it does not need any additional costs of programming, like the other two segments. Cons: A disadvantage of this segment is that the competition would continue to penetrate the premium segments and further erode TFC? s pricing ability. In addition to that the average CPM will decrease $0,20 in comparison to the Current CPM.Fashionista Segmentation Pros: An advantage of this segment is that the Net Income in comparison to the Net Income of the Based 2007 will increase by almost $100,000,000. It is al so strong in highly valued 18-34 female demographics. Because of this the CPM will decrease to $3. 50 because of strengthen the value of the audience to the advertiser. It is also strong in highly valued 18-34 female demographics. Cons: To attract and retain the interest of this segment it is necessary to invest in new programming. This would mean they would have $15,000,000 more spending per year on programming.Another disadvantage it is smaller than the other two segments and represents only 15% of households, this can lead to a drop in the viewers of the other clusters. Another disadvantage is that the average Rating will decrease from 1. 0% to 0. 8%. Focus on the â€Å"Fashionistas† segment This segment was strong in the highly valued 18. 34 female demographic New programming are necessary to attract and retain the interest of this segment Spend 15$ million on programming Focus on â€Å"Fashionistas†, Planners and Shoppers and â€Å"Situationalists† Focus on Women aged between 18-24Fashionista plus Planners/Shoppers Segmentation Pros: An advantage of this segment is that the Net Income will increase more than $100,000,000 in comparison to the Net Income of the 2007 Base. Also the CPM will increase to $2,5 because of a dual targeting. In addition to this the average Rating will increase from 1% to 1. 2%. Cons: To ensure that there were selections aimed at both segments; Wheeler needs to spend $20,000,000 more on programming. Because of the determination only on this two segments it can be that the number of the loyal viewers of TCF will decrease.Exercise 3: If you were Dana Wheeler, what would you recommend and why? If I was Dana Wheeler I would recommend TCF that they should adopt Scenario 3. However, Scenario 3 has a few disadvantages. For example the possibility to lose some loyal viewers and furthermore TCF has to spend $20,000,000 more on programming which means investing a lot of money for them. But in my opinion, in Scenario 3, t he benefits exceed the disadvantages. On the one hand through this Scenario the Net Income will increase more than $100,000,000. In addition to that the CPM will increase to $2,5 and the verage Rating will increase from 1% to 1. 2%. On the other hand 50% of all US Television Households consist of Fashionistas and Planners/Shoppers. In these two markets the 18-34 year old female audience represents 50% and 25% of the cluster respectively. TCF should therefore increase the advertising revenue. The Scenario 3 is better than the Scenario 2 because Scenario 2 only focuses on the Fashionistas and doesn? t include Planners/Shoppers which are also important to consider. Target at â€Å"Fashionistas and the Shoppers/Planners Spend 20$ million on programming

A summary of the Chapter ‘We Cheer Jim Up

In the chapter ‘We Cheer Jim Up,’ Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer are faced with the challenge of stealing Jim from Tom’s Aunt Sally Phelp’s plantation without being caught. The fact that they have to dig Jim out of a small, dark shack does make this task much harder for the two boys, especially since it is guarded with dogs and other African American slaves. Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer both scheme together to come up with a brilliant plan. They even lie to a slave about their relation to Jim, so to keep their actual friendship with Jim, and their plot to free him, secret. Â  In this chapter, Huck actually feels extremely guilty for committing a sin—stealing some-one’s slave. Normally, Huck enjoys the thrill of living on the edge and engaging in unlawful activities. However, he suddenly feels very apprehensive about this act he and Tom are about to commit and even questions Tom about this. Â  His experience of being held hostage by his drunken father has also enabled Huck to cope and deal with difficult situations in a more mature manner than when he lived with the widow. Nevertheless, Huck is faced with a personal conflict within himself. While he desperately wants to free Jim, he is bothered by the potential consequences that he and, especially Jim, will have to face if caught. A main theme being developed in this chapter is the idea of superstition. The slave that takes Huck and Tom to the shack to see Jim talks about nothing but witches and how he is constantly pestered by their voices. Every sound he hears, he believes it is the witches returning to trouble him. This chapter also introduces one powerful symbol. One might say that the tiny shack symbolizes the bondage African American people experienced on plantation farms back in those days. The darkness and dismal conditions of the shack where Jim was chained and confound also represents the cruel treatment run-away slaves, and African slaves in general, were treated.

Financing Plan to Raise Capital Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Financing Plan to Raise Capital - Research Paper Example The Marina Restaurant was blessed with an interest from very influential people and customers even from the beginning. It usually hosts live bands apart from food and this has helped it solidify its image as the premier casual rock and roll diner. With all the success, the company has grown globally. The vast amounts of locations reflect the effective and efficient management which has led a small investment in a single cafe into an internationally recognized business expanding in just over 18 years. Marina Restaurant revenues are mainly from cafes, selling memorabilia and hotels. To ensure customers keep coming back they ensure they provide excellent value in the form of good food and entertainment. With such growth, the management has decided to open more outlets for the restaurant. However, it needs capital to start up the investment. Start-up Funding The Marina Restaurant seeks funding of $900,000 for the new venture and it will get it from three investment groups or under equity offering which entails raising capital through the issue of stock. This approach is preferred at this stage since there are no repayment schedule or debt service repayments. The shareholders will only get their returns when the company makes profits. The shareholders also have a right to vote during annual general meetings and can elect the board of directors (Owen 2003). The ordinary shareholders are the owners of the business and can receive dividends from profits. However, it is a costly process as there are floatation costs incurred and it can lead to dilution of shares held by existing shareholders. It is also risky if there are no dividends payable at year end thus shareholders end up bearing the operational risk. The investment documents will be prepared by legal firms representing each party and will not be limited to Form D Security Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, Subscriptions agreement and the Private Placement Memorandum (PPM). The subscriptions agreement reflects the terms and conditions of the investment. In other words, it is the sales contract for buying securities. Form D SEC filing notifies the commission that the company is using Regulation D program and also gives the basic information of the company. It is vital to note that this form is not an approval document but a mere notification that the company has an offering in the place. It is a violation of the security laws under the federal government to raise capital without this document. The PPM discloses all the company’s information to investors. The information maybe whether the company is raising debt or equity, the risk the investors may face and the terms of the investment( share price, maturity dates or note amounts). Financial projections Financial projections will be on the income statement, statement of financial position, statement of cash flows as well as on the financial ratios. Projections will be on years ranging from 1 to 5, and they are based on historical inform ation already available from the company (Owen 2003). Apart from the forecast, the break-even analysis will be carried out. Break even analysis Break even analysis shows the relationship between selling prices, sales volume, variable costs, fixed costs and profits at various levels of activity. It is also referred to as cost-volume profit analysis. It used in determining the break-even point where the total revenue equals the total costs. This means that at BEP, the profits are zero. Fixed costs include rent,

Morality subject, the rights and wrongs on Abortion on A Catholic Essay

Morality subject, the rights and wrongs on Abortion on A Catholic viewpoint - Essay Example This was the message of Cardinal Renato Martino, who was president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Moreover, according to Martino, the stance of Amnesty International which is to uphold human rights above specific theologies and the right of the unborn child to live may trigger opposition from the Catholic Church and various anti-abortion organizations but may actually inspire others to cut the life of the unborn child if they feel they have to. Nevertheless, regardless of people’s stance on abortion, the act is considered a moral wrong based on Catholic theology. Based on Catholic theology, abortion is wrong because of several reasons. First, according to De Marco, the immoral nature of abortion depends on â€Å"the presence of hundreds of thousands of non-Catholic individuals who actively oppose abortion, together with the existence of many anti-abortion groups who are affiliated with non-Catholic agencies and institutions†3. Although this may be logi cally a fallacious statement since it is based on the idea of the absolute and unquestionable rightness of the majority of population, the opinion still has practical value. Although practicality is not necessarily synonymous to what is morally right, it is certainly undeniable that the opinion of the majority matters for any institution, including the Catholic Church, is made up of this majority. ... Moreover, since it is not only the Catholic religion that pushes for the respect for the life of the unborn child, then these reasons for the wrongness of abortion are therefore â€Å"not peculiarly Catholic†5. It therefore reflects the sentiments of various other religions. Although it would be rather exhaustive to explain in this paper, there is basically no religion that condemns life. This mere fact therefore tells us that basically life is precious and these religions, which have been established by learned people and intellectuals, may not be that wrong. The stance of the Church itself on abortion is only implied in the Canon law but â€Å"the very fact that there have always been canonical penalties for abortion is a reflection of the Church’s position that abortion is a grave evil†6. Nevertheless, there are specific teachings of the Catholic Church against abortion. In fact, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2271, â€Å"Direct abortionâ € ¦willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law [and] are abominable crimes†7. It is very interesting to note the phrase â€Å"willed either as an end or a means† for it implies that even if abortion were used to save the mother’s life, just like what modern oppositionists are claiming, abortion is nevertheless a crime. It therefore does not make abortion right even if it were used as a means to save a person’s life. The Catholic Church therefore maintains that the functionality of an object or a concept cannot guarantee its spiritual value. Moreover, contrary to what science has determined, for the Catholic religion, â€Å"the exact time when the fetus becomes ‘animated’ has no practical significance

Ethical Dilemma Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Dilemma - Research Paper Example It is done to enhance breathing especially in patients who are intubated for a long period. The Code of Ethics for Nurses was produced as a guide for performing nursing responsibilities in a way steady with excellence in nursing care as well as the ethical requirements of the profession. The four main principles are autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice (Seifert, 2008). Autonomy principle states that every person must be given the time, respect, and opportunity essential to make her/his own decisions. The nurse should understand that patients have the right to make decisions basing on their beliefs as well as value systems. Patient’s choice and decisions should not be limited by a nurse. All patients should be given informed consent even as they make their decisions. This is a fair, equal as well as appropriate treatment to a person. Every patient has a right to health care. Thus, each patient should be treated equally regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, race or gender (Seifert, 2008). This is a principle that means ‘do no harm’. It relates to nurses obligation to help the patient and not inflict any harm. The nurse should prevent as well as remove the harm from the patient. Furthermore, the nurse should do good to the patient. This principle is applicable where the bad effect must not be the means of the good effect, and the good effect must prevail over the evil that is allowed. The first code is that â€Å"the nurse in practices and relationships should act with compassion as well as respect for the innate work, dignity, and uniqueness of all individuals unlimited by considerations of economic or social status, personal attributes or the kind of health issue†. The nurse in this case should act with compassion empathize with the patients mother and respect her uniqueness. The second code is that â€Å"the nurse’s basic commitment is to the patient, who can be an individual, group, family or community. The nurse

Middle Class Delinquency to Gangs Research Paper

Middle Class Delinquency to Gangs - Research Paper Example As Lowney (2009: 527-38) observed, in a gang, a youth will find money, friendship and above all to get what they need. The paper will discuss the middle class delinquency relationship to the gangs. In order to understand the relationship between the middle class delinquencies to gang, it is of great importance for five issues to be addressed. To begin, gang must be differentiated from other forms of peer groups. Gao (2002: 8-26) observed that some youths are organized into groups but are not gangs. Secondly, attention must be paid to the relationship strength between being in a gang and the delinquency of the members. Thirdly, the focus should be on the importance of learning from the peers despite being generalized into gangs. The fourth issue involves the peer group solidarity effect in causing delinquency. Because of the importance of giving consideration to the similarity of the peers to a gang, getting involved in delinquency and other activities, and the peers solidarity should be treated as variables. Peer groups that resemble a gang among the middle class stimulate delinquency when the members feel the strong solidarity sense in their group. Furthermore, it may be that the likeness of the gang is related to the delinquency of the individuals when combined with the delinquency of other members. ... According to Myerhoff et al (2001: 328-335), the popularized gang ideas are used by all types of youths in different sorts of communities. Moreover, the disorganized communities act as the delinquency locations, predominantly the male gangs. Greeley et al (2005: 33-41) suggested the strain theory that was introduced by theories such as Albert Cohen as the model that can explain how factors in the middle class such as homelessness, poverty, lack of opportunity and lack of parenting are the major contributors of crime and formation of delinquent sub cultures like the gangs. According to Greeley et al (2005: 33-41), the strain theory forms part of the objectivists perspective that believes that behavior is socially created, assumes consensus of value and is observable. Furthermore, the theory comprises of the two other separate theories, that is, Anomie and Social Disorganization Theories. According to Lowney (2009: 527-38), both theories suggests that the less presence of integration, cohesion and solidarity within a community, group or society, the higher the rate of crime and deviance. Gao (2002: 8-26) indicated that the term Anomie refers to condition of lack of norms, that promotes in most cases higher suicide rates. Using the concept of anomie, The Theory of Anomie and Social Structure was drawn. The Theory of Anomie and Social Structure gives a logical explanation of the reasons why most crime activities are found in middle class and the lower class urban areas. According to Salzinger et al (2006), social structure balance and culture are the necessary components that form an integrated society. Therefore, anomie is the direction that disintegration of the society takes when there is dissociation between legitimate societal means and valued cultural ends

Second Great Awakening and Women Activism Essay

Second Great Awakening and Women Activism - Essay Example A female antislavery society was formed by some reformers so as to ensure that women are not ill-treated in the society. American slavery was regarded as a sin against God mainly by female reformers. On the contrary, Congregational Church had denounced abolitionist efforts which were undertaken publicly by women. The social influences were used by females in order to focus on Christian benevolence objects and promoting piety. It has been proclaimed by critics that her tone changes when she assumes to be a public reformer like the man. Female reformers eventually tend to become ostentatious and obtrusive. The charm linked with domestic life is lost when women loose such modesty, which constitutes the real societal influence by women. Sarah Grimke was another female reformer, who had stated her point against the criticism. Grimke sisters had the strong belief on evils related to slavery, after being converted to Quakerism. Sarah Grimke clearly defines in her letter that women have the capability to identify causes behind dangers. This capability is hindered when men feel that women are ruining their modesty by becoming public reformers. She further argued by saying, the New Testament highlights the influence and appropriate duties of women, which can also be regarded as the origin of mighty power. The sense of morality in women had been adversely affected by men in terms of interpreting duties of women. This debate was extended to sayings of Holy Bible, where God has not differentiated amongst human beings.

Reflections on Contemporary Leadership Issues and Strategies Essay

Reflections on Contemporary Leadership Issues and Strategies - Essay Example The application of various concepts in the practical world allows one to understand the functionality and dynamic nature that leadership requires, in order for this subtle art to be effective. The class boasts of a plethora of different nationalities and backgrounds that have made me appreciate key ideologies like teamwork, motivation and appreciating diversity amongst many other. Leadership is not merely about managing people and increasing productivity to generate higher profit levels. It is an amalgamation of various personal, social and strategic skills. True skills promoted by leaders are developed over a period of time, and are evolved through regular use in all aspects of the daily routine of an individual. This by no means implies that the same skill set will apply and work in all situations. While certain individuals possess inherent leadership qualities and abilities, others will need to perfect their skills through learning and practicing. One feature which must be remembered by all is that true leadership values can never be taught; they must be groomed through use. The feedback provided by my fellow colleagues was an enlightening experience that allowed for an understanding from a different perspective. Conversations and discussions allowed everyone to contribute to the matter in an open environment, with each individual able to discuss their views and experiences of leadership. This provided a more comprehensive outlook of the subject, with examples of various industries and sectors like information technology (IT), health care, hospitality, human resources (HR) and construction; from the public and private aspects, with global and local perspectives. Everyone has a different way of relating to/with leadership. I believe that my personal reflection varies from most of the generic scenarios. Most of the course text assigned to us provided detailed discussions on leadership from a business outlook. While these harnessed ideas and

Germany and the German Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Germany and the German - Assignment Example Honestly, the film was a sorry reminder of a heinous event that all Germans and the rest of world wanted to forget. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe could not have been magnified through Eisenman’s architectural work as it seemed to emphasize the magnitude of death that defies rational and logical reasoning. People have already felt pain and anguish just to be reminded of the genocide that occurred during those times, especially the relatives of the victims. To be reminded time and again is creating a numbing experience which could have created callousness and indifference to the present generation. It is not to say that everyone has forgotten the incident. It is just to express that at times, those who were directly hurt and affected by the crimes would like to move on with the lives, remembering the happy times instead of the gruesome, painful events that cannot be retracted or changed by any form of monumental

The problem of minority prisoners Essay Example for Free

The problem of minority prisoners Essay The problem of minority prisoners has been high on agenda for several decades already. In this paper I will focus my attention on possible measures and remedies aimed at establishing bridges of understanding between minority prisoners and corrections. I have critically examined a significant number of authoritative sources regarding the issue and I’m going to evaluate the problems that exist in current situation with minority representatives in prison and advocate for the necessary policy change. I shall note with regret that escalating tension between minority prisoners and the personnel is jeopardizing the rehabilitation of the convicts. This problem is often but inadequately addressed by prison authorities. Let me bring some examples. In Pakistan, according to Shehar Bano Khan’s article entitled â€Å"’Ordeal’ of Minority Prisoners†, Christian prisoners suffered from the â€Å"bitter ordeal of discrimination†, and the â€Å"prison authorities unbridled highhandedness and discriminatory behaviour has become a major personal safety concern†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (www.dawn.com/2004/08/29/nat16.htm) I want to start enlisting methods of building bridges of understanding between minority prisoners and corrections by quoting the message of the Scottish Prison Service: â€Å"The Prison Service is absolutely committed to ensuring race equality and delivery of good race relations in all aspects of our work. We will ensure that race issues are addressed in all parts of our business – and promote race equality as a core standard and essential ingredient for running a successful prison.† (www.sps.gov.uk/home/reqs.pdf) All Party Parliamentary Group for Further Education and Lifelong Learning in the report on prison education came to the following conclusion: â€Å"Black and ethnic minority prisoners may have different learning needs and some requirement for different sites and modes of learning. For example there is a need for more culturally sensitive programmes for such prisoners prisoners whose first language is not English will need different learning programmes.† (http://www.natfhe.org.uk/says/pubsfued.html) This should be a very serious concern in the prisons worldwide; this principle should be applied to any interaction between the staff and minority prisoners, let alone the educational process. The staff of the prison should always keep in mind that prisoners from different racial and ethnic background may require using different interaction models. All the minority prisoners must have access to quality interpretation services; this is the first step to build the bridges of understanding in a literal sense. This may sound unrealistic for the moment but prison personnel should work towards the completion of this important goal. Keeping in mind, that minority prisoners may be vulnerable and sensitive about some issues, it would be of great use organizing a special training session for prison staff concerning cultural and religious practices of minority prisoners serving their sentence in a specific institution. The report entitled Implementing Race Equality in Prisons advices â€Å"to ensure effective training incorporating race equality issues†¦is developed and delivered to employees and contracted staff on the basis of learning need.† (www.cre.gov.uk/pdfs/PrisonsFI_action.pdf) Basically, the question of religion is a separate topic. The prison personnel should be very attentive to this issue since religious disrespect may cause tension and confrontation. For centuries prisoners have been deprived of their right to religious practices because it was perceived as an effective way to demoralize them. Let’s remember the controversy over the religious discrimination of the prisoners in Guantanamo. Shehar Bano Khan’s article also informs that in Pakistan, â€Å"discriminatory treatment of Christians and other minorities has become a regular feature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  with â€Å"janitorial work†¦assigned to the Christians only† and with â€Å"no preacher for them.† (www.dawn.com/2004/08/29/nat16.htm) The prison personnel should ensure that every minority prisoners has an opportunity and facilities to practice his/her religion; spiritual literature should be supplied if necessary. The guard shouldn’t subject the convicts to discrimination due to their religious beliefs. The Race Equality Scheme being implemented by Scottish Prison Service states the same: â€Å"Members of all religious groups have the same right to practice their faith. Arrangements should be made to give each group the same opportunities to do so.† (www.sps.gov.uk/home/reqs.pdf) There’s much debate over the question of the religious practices in prisons. It’s widely recognized that â€Å"although prisoners retain the right to free exercise of religion, incarceration places some practical limits on this right,† as Mara Schneider informs in the article entitled â€Å"Splitting Hairs: Why Courts Uphold Prison Grooming Policies and Why They Should Not.† (Michigan Journal of Race Law 2004)   Therefore, the prison personnel should ensure religious freedom unless it’s incompatible with safety concerns. The article by Jennifer Vogel entitled â€Å" White Guard, Black Guard: Racism in Washington Continues† informs that â€Å"more than one third of the more than 14,000 state prison prisoners are of minority descent.† In the article the issue of violence against minority workers and prisoners is scrutinize. The author proposes a highly efficient measure to establish fair treatment of minority prisoners. She especially stresses the fact that â€Å"while 23 percent of prisoners are black, only 6 percent of DOC employees are black.† (www.prisonlegalnews.org/ban.htm) Employing guards from minority background will provide a positive model of non-discrimination. Still, careful workplace control should be initiated. The offences of minority guards are reported and such practices lead to violence towards minority prisoners. This caused, according to Vogel’s article, â€Å"a frightening atmosphere where white guards refer to blacks as â€Å"coons† and worse; where minority prisoners are targeted for beatings; where black guards receive threats†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (www.prisonlegalnews.org/ban.htm) We live in multiethnic societies. Until there is no equality and fair representation of minorities in staff we can’t speak of establishing efficient communication between the prisoners and the guards. The report entitled Implementing Race Equality advices â€Å"to increase the proportion of staff from minority ethnic groups to achieve a representative workforce†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (www.cre.gov.uk/pdfs/PrisonsFI_action.pdf) The statistical report entitled Ethnic Minorities: Crime and Criminal Justice states the following: â€Å"Ethnic minorities are under-represented in the police, prison service, lay magistracy and at senior levels in all criminal justice agencies.† (http://www.rouncefield.homestead.com/files/a_soc_dev_35.htm) The guards should never deprive prisoners of the use of any prison facilities. The Scottish Prison Service recommends the following: â€Å"The range of facilities provided and opportunities offered to staff and prisoners, including jobs, should be responsive to the needs of ethnic and racial groups. All staff and prisoners should have equal access to those facilities and opportunities.† (www.sps.gov.uk/home/reqs.pdf) The report entitled Implementing Race Equality in Prisons also supports this view by stating that the following should be proposed to all the prisoners on the equal basis: â€Å"Facility licences enable eligible prisoners the chance to participate in; training, employment, educational and community service or for official purposes such as attending civil court proceedings.† (www.cre.gov.uk/pdfs/PrisonsFI_action.pdf) We must admit that the most efficient way of protecting minority prisoners’ right is launching a formal complaint. Numerous court cases were initiated on this issue. Therefore I would suggest informing both the prisoners and the guards about non-discrimination legal acts and policies as well as practical methods of protecting their rights. All the necessary support should be provided to the prisoners who want to defend their right. Kimmett Edgar and Carol Martin interviewed the ethic minority representatives in the local prisons. Here’re their findings: â€Å"32% said they had not experienced anything that warranted a complaint†¦36% of those who had experienced discrimination said that they had complained.† The reasons for not complaining included that the prisoners â€Å"were frightened of reprisals from staff if they did complain,† or â€Å"believed it would be futile to complain,† or â€Å"they did not know how to complain.† (www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/rdsolr1104.pdf) Ensuring transparency and efficiency of the complaint system should be the primary concern of the prison personnel. An article reviewing The Black and Asian Prisoner s Guidebook and the Law attracts our attention to the fact that the basic rights of every person should be always respected: â€Å"The Civil and Human Rights of ethnic minority prisoners systematically apply by colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion and religious beliefs.† (http://www.blink.org.uk/pdescription.asp?key=1095grp=16) Legal Assistance Available to Minority Prisoners in Delaware, the most comprehensive study of possible models of legal assistance, points out a series of problems preventing the prisoners from minority background from receiving qualified legal protection. This list includes poor interpretation services, shortage of paralegal help, shortage of the advocates speaking the languages of ethnic minorities as well as shortage of public defenders and judges. The prison personnel should help the prisoners to overcome all this barriers and to obtained necessary legal help. The report entitled Implementing Race Equality in Prisons stresses the importance of proper monitoring and surveying. This should include 1. Prisoner Ethnic Monitoring data outcomes, 2. Race Relations Management Audit score, 3. Substantiated/unsubstantiated racial incidents (prisoners/visitors), 4. Prisoner survey outcomes,5. Visitor survey outcomes. The report also proposes â€Å"to develop effective systems at national and establishment level to monitor progress on race equality ensuring compliance with†¦[the legislation]†¦and taking remedial action to address difficulties.† (www.cre.gov.uk/pdfs/PrisonsFI_action.pdf) Laura May in her article entitled Action Needed over Race Relations at Jail, Report Finds states the following:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Black and ethnic minority inmates in a prison believe they have been marginalised but inspectors could find no evidence of direct discrimination†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1979788) Proper monitoring should be in place to prevent such common situations. Scottish Prison Service in the annual 2004 report indicated several important initiatives aimed at building bridges between minority prisoners and guards and establishing racial equality. From my point of view, the most interesting of them were â€Å"development of closer links with a number of external organisations in the promotion and development of race equality within our Service,† â€Å"the introduction of a foreign language book rental scheme for prisoners,† â€Å"the continued development of our Race Relations Complaints system and monitoring from our national Race Relations Liaison Monitoring Group,† as well as â€Å"the development of Dietary Guidance in relation to ethnic minority catering throughout the estate.† (http://www.sps.gov.uk/keydocs/race_equality_reports/default.asp) To sum up my paper, I would like to stress once more the importance of building bridges of understanding between the minority prisoners and corrections. The rights of the prisoners and non-discrimination should be the key principles in providing proper treatment of minority representatives. There is a variety of measures aimed at ensuring equality in prisons ranging from staff training to monitoring. But I would like to stress that all these measures would work only if applied consistently and simultaneously. References    NATFHE Prison Education Submission to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Further Education and Lifelong Learning,   June 2004 Available: http://www.natfhe.org.uk/says/pubsfued.html Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Shehar Bano Khan, â€Å"Ordeal of Minority Prisoners†, DAWN, 29 August, 2004 Available: www.dawn.com/2004/08/29/nat16.htm Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Jennifer Vogel, White Guard, Black Guard: Racism in Washington Continues, May, 1999 Available: www.prisonlegalnews.org/ban.htm Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Mara R. Schneider, Splitting Hairs: Why Courts Uphold Prison Grooming Policies and Why They Should Not, Michigan Journal of Race Law, Volume 9, Issue 2, Spring 2004 Scottish Prison Service, Race Equality Scheme, 2000 Available: www.sps.gov.uk/home/reqs.pdf Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Kimmett Edgar, Carol Martin, Perceptions of race and conflict: perspectives of minority ethnic prisoners and of prison officers, University of Oxford Centre for Criminological Research, Home Office Online Report 11/04, 2004 Available: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/rdsolr1104.pdf Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Legal Assistance Available to Minority Prisoners in Delaware, 1989 Available: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/edocs/usccr/pdf%20files/Preservation%20Resources%20PDF/cr12as7z.pdf Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Commission for Race Equality, HM Prison Service, Implementing Race Equality in Prisons, December 2003 Available: www.cre.gov.uk/pdfs/PrisonsFI_action.pdf Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Scottish Prison Service, Race Equality Annual Report, 2004 Available: http://www.sps.gov.uk/keydocs/race_equality_reports/default.asp Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 The Ethnic Minority Press, The Black and Asian Prisoner s Guidebook and the Law, A review, 19 August 2002 Available: http://www.blink.org.uk/pdescription.asp?key=1095grp=16 Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Ethnic Minorities: Crime and Criminal Justice Available: http://www.rouncefield.homestead.com/files/a_soc_dev_35.htm Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Laura May, Scottman.com, Action Needed over Race Relations at Jail, Report Finds, 25 September 2003 Available: http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1979788 Last Accessed: 3 November 2004

Indias Society and Culture

Indias Society and Culture Executive Summary The culture of India is among the worlds oldest, reaching back about 5,000 years. Many sources describe it as Sa Prathama Sanskrati Vishvavara — the first and the supreme culture in the world. India is a very diverse country, and different regions have their own distinct cultures. Language, religion, food and the arts are just some of the various aspects of Indian culture. Here is a brief overview of the culture of India. Introduction Major determinants of social and political organization in India today are: Religion, Caste, and Language. There are more job opportunities in the private sector and better chances of upward social mobility now, hence India has begun a quiet social transformation in this area. The government has recognized 18 official languages; Hindi, the national language, is the most widely spoken, although English is a national lingua franca. About 80% of the population is Hindu; India is the home of more than 138 million Muslims, the third largest Muslim population in the world. India’s population also includes Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis. The Caste System The caste system is based on occupational and socially defined hierarchies. There are 4 castes: 1) Priests (Brahmin), 2) Warriors (Kshatriya), 3) Traders/artisans (Vaishya), and 4) Farmers/laborers (Shudra). These categories are generally understood throughout India. The caste system does not include the tribal people and those outside the caste system formerly known as untouchables†, or dalits. In reality, Indian society is divided into thousands of jatislocal, endogamous groups based on occupationand organized hierarchically according to complex ideas of purity and pollution. Discrimination based on caste is officially illegal, but remains prevalent, especially in rural areas. Government effort, expanding education, land reform and economic opportunity through access to information, communication, transport, and credit are helping to lessen the harshest elements of the caste system. The Hindu Worldview Concept of dharma – following one’s duty; being duty bound Karma – action and consequence (as we sow, so we reap) Samsara – cycle of life Moksha – release from the successive cycles of life, death and rebirth Hindu Weddings Hindu weddings are a sacrament. Generally, they last a few days. They are highly ritualized. Fire is a sacred and central element of the Hindu wedding. Weddings are very festive, with lots of music, dancing, food, sweets, gifts, and include many family traditions. Black or plain white is NEVER worn at a wedding as both are the colors of sorrow, mourning or widowhood. Not all Hindu weddings are ostentatious, noisy, and long. Many factors affect wedding customs: Region Caste Socio-economic standing Education level Urban versus rural Family make-up Workforce Labor force: 487.6 million (2011 estimate) Labor force by occupation: Agriculture: 52% Industry: 14% Services: 34% Unemployment rate: 9.8% (2011 estimate) Classified as a low income country by the World Bank with a GNI (gross national income) of $450. Great inequality in the distribution of wealth: the richest tenth of households hold 33% of wealth, while the poorest tenth only hold 3%. 29% of the population lives below the poverty line; 70% of these people reside in rural areas; 86% of the population lives under $2 per day; 44% lives under $1 per day; 25% of the population does not have enough money to eat adequately. Dos and Donts in India 1) Do drink bottled water only. 2) Dont offer bribes to get any job done. Bribe-taking and bribe-giving are a common practice in India but they are intended to speed up things or win a favor that non-Indians are not entitled to. Plan well in advance. Use consultants or trade and industry associations. If you expect favors, let them come free or not at all. Warn anyone (even in government) who asks you for a bribe that you would report him to the Anti-Corruption Bureau or the nearest police-station. 3) Don’t show amusement at Indian English, accents or choice of words. The fact remains that many Indians speak and write better English than many native English speakers. 4) Do pay attention to the Indian nod. Many Indians are in the habit of shaking their head in the course of conversation or taking instructions. The nod generally means I hear you. Namaste. This is a greeting done with joining of your palms as during prayer. 5) Do say namaste, folding your hands together, as if praying. This is a common greeting well understood across India, in spite of linguistic differences. 6) Don’t shake hands with women if they do not extend their hand out first. Many women may not wish to shake hands when met, so a ‘Namaste’ greeting is appropriate, followed with a Kaise hai? (How are you? in Hindi.) Indian Food Wide regional variation A variety of spices and nuts add delicate flavor to the food Vegetarian food is very common in India There are many types of curries (vindaloo, Madras, etc.) Do not confuse curry with gravy. No beef! (Cows are considered holy in India.) Chicken and lamb/mutton are common meats, as is fish. Indian pickles are served with every meal; they are made with oil, spices and a variety of vegetables (mango, lemon, chilies, and carrots.) Plain yogurt is consumed with almost every meal. Indian Cinema The biggest film producing industry in the world is the Mumbai-based Bollywood. It is also called Hindi Cinema, since many regional language films are also produced in India. Melodrama and romance are common ingredients of Bollywood films. Indian Music India has a history of music that spans millennia. Music serves as spiritual inspiration, cultural expression and pure entertainment. Types of music: Folk – rural, ethnic, regional music Popular – Bollywood and regional cinema music Classical music – two branches: Carnatic) Southern India) and Hindustani (Northern and Central India) Galaxy of Musicians by Raja Ravi Varma depicts Indian women dressed in regional attire playing a variety of musical instruments popular in different parts of the country. Indian Dance In Hindu mythology, dance is believed to have been conceived by Brahma, who inspired the sage Bharata Muni to write the Natya Shastra, a treatise on performing arts, from which a codified practice of dance and drama emerged. The best-known of Hindu deities—Shiva, Kali and Krishna—are typically represented dancing. Shivas cosmic dance, Kalis dance of creation and destruction, and Krishnas dance with the gopikas (cow-herd girls)—Rasa Lila—are popular motifs in Hindu mythology. Conclusion To conclude with, there are different aspects of the Indian culture. Each aspect is practiced by people but not everyone believes in the different aspects. As you can see it is a very traditional culture, everyone has their opinion towards it, positive and negative. Therefore the Indian Culture is a very unique culture and has various practices. Although the youth do not believe in the traditional aspects, the culture will vary with time and will not be traditional anymore because of the modern world. All in all the aspects are frequently practiced but tomorrow’s generation are going to change it.

Multiple Objects Tracking Via Collaborative Background Subtraction Computer Science Essay

Multiple Objects Tracking Via Collaborative Background Subtraction Computer Science Essay Multiple Objects Tracking Via Collaborative Background Subtraction. Object tracking system is a group of integrated modern technology working together to achieve certain of purpose like monitoring, tracking moving object such as vehicle. The main purpose of the object tracking is to achieve monitoring purpose such surveillance in restricted area, providing information about moving vehicle located at road to Intelligent Traffic System and traffic monitoring. This project discusses the development of the object tracking system and the idea of this system is based on vision system available on current market. For this object tracking system, user can monitor and track moving object such as vehicle where the vision system been placed. Software MATLAB is used to program algorithm like detecting and tracking moving object where the vision system is placed and display moving object image for user. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE DECLARATION i ABSTRACT ii ABSTRAK iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURE viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix LIST OF TABLES Table No. Description Page Table 4.1: Summarize of three experiment conduct previously. 17 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 2.1: Example of Median Filtering, value of current pixel will replaced using new median value 5 Figure 2.2: Normal presentation of a straight line 7 Figure 3.1: Relationship between webcam, MATLAB and GUI 11 Figure 3.2: Flow of work for vehicle tracking system 12 Figure 4.1: Logitech Quickcam Pro 4000 Image 14 Figure 4.2: Image captured for YCbCr return color space 15 Figure 4.3: Image captured for grayscale return color space 16 Figure 4.4: Image captured for grayscale return color space 17 Figure 5.1: Example of frame differencing 23 Figure 5.2: Memory of cache been flush 24 Figure 5.3: GUI window layout design 25 Figure 6.1: Display figure when there is no moving object 28 Figure 6.2: Moving curtain cause by wind 28 Figure 6.3: Moving stand fan motion. Frame start from up to bottom and left to right. 31 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CCD Charge-couple Device FPS Frames per Second GUI Graphical User Interface ID Identification Number USB Universal Serial Bus VGA Video Graphics Array CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Overview Object tracking system is defined as a real time vision system which is capable to perform desired surveillance task without human supervision (Nguyen, K. et al., 2002). Besides that, object tracking system is able to detect object which is moving in street such as vehicles or pedestrian without human assistance. Furthermore, an object tracking system may also send amount of vehicle which is moving in desire area to assist data collection for Intelligent Transportation System (R. Reulke et al., 2002). This tracking system may also have the abilities to resist with environmental changes such as shadow of surrounding building or even slow moving vehicles. Therefore, a quick response for vision fields such as real time street monitoring system which are able to perform moving object detection. In this project, the main purpose is to design an object detection mechanism for an object tracking system, from connecting a vision system to a computer. The target is to build an applicable obje ct tracking system. Object tracking system can distinguish between static background and moving objects by itself and able to display and tracking moving objects if any moving objects detected. Hence, it allow us to monitor a heavy load street which having high volume of usage. Furthermore, it can contribute data collection if those areas contain Intelligent Traffic System which can reduce time of waiting for vehicle located at traffic light. Since year 2000, plenty of fast response time or accurate object detection algorithm had been release such as background subtraction, mean shift, Kalmen filter, Markov Chain Monte Carlo, Kernel Density and others. Object Tracking System consists of two major systems which are vision system and moving object detection and tracking software system. The vision system is responsible to export video stream captured and send to tracking system. Meanwhile, the tracking system is to let user monitor and been inform if moving object detected. In this project, object tracking system will be design and developed to ensure it is capable to detect and tracking moving object such as vehicles moving in street. Due to this, it could not effectively detect fast moving object, surrounding light intensity is too low or shadow of building. As a result, the detection algorithm should fast enough to process each frame coming from vision system and can able to encounter problem stated before such as shadow surrounding and slow responding time by tracking system. Problem Statement The current real time object tracking systems developed usually cannot eliminate having slow respond during tracking object which will limit the robustness of object tracking. Hence, the algorithm that able to having less computation time is necessary to be developed. Background subtraction at the initial detection will save computation time for faster response to detect an object in real time. To obtain more accurate tracking result, a more precise detection and tracking algorithm will be carried out. It is believe to track the moving object using this algorithm will taking less time and providing more accurate result. Objective The aim of this project is to detect multiple moving objects through real time vision system. This projects aim can be realized by accomplishing the following sub-objectives. To study and identify practical parameters to track a moving object. To implement background subtraction for real time detection purpose. To enhance the developed algorithm for continuous tracking purpose. To ascertain and enhance performance of develop background subtraction based tracking system. 1.4 Scope of Work The main scope of this project is to build an object tracking system capable of detect and track moving object. The object tracking system includes a vision system and an image processing system. The image processing system will able to detect moving objects and tracking it continuously. MATLAB control m-file will be acts as core of the object tracking system, it will be use as detect and track moving vehicle in video supply by vision system. The vehicle tracking system will display in GUI window. Vision system will be use as a supplier to supply tracking system that video capture in desire area. This system should be small enough so that it can be easily set up or take away. Organization of the Report This report includes seven chapters, each chapter is properly divided and plan. Vision system and object tracking system will be discussed in each chapter. Chapter 2 discussed about review of object tracking and detecting method available nowadays. Chapter 3 explains about flow of work require for this tracking system, parameter require during tracking system is running, input and output prediction and concept how to build this tracking system using vision system available in market. Chapter 4 explains hardware and software setup before this tracking system was starting to run. This is to ensure vision system will supply appropriate video require for tracking system and MATLAB will provide suitable arrangement such as memory to process the video supply by vision system. Chapter 5 discuss about algorithm using in this project that is background subtraction using frame difference. In this chapter, an M-file will be constructing and including function requires establishing the tracking system. The tracking system should able running using hardware and software setup preparing at previous chapter together with this M-file. Chapter 6 show image output and result obtain during this tracking system is running. Firstly it will show successful background subtraction and secondly it will show distortion of surrounding such as shadow of object. Chapter 7 will summarizes and concludes the report by stating the limitations of the project as well as the future work of the project. CHAPTER 2 review of object tracking and detecting method 2.1 Overview In this chapter, review of existing method to detect and track object will be discussed. Algorithm that suitable for detect and tracking also will be studied. Several algorithms will be review by student. 2.2 Median Filter Median Filter, use to reduce small noise in an image is a commonly used technique (Al-amri, S.S et al., 2010). According research by Boyle, small noise normally appears very distinct and its having quite different value in grayscale within its neighbor pixel values. By changing its gray value to the median of neighboring pixel value, the noise can be eliminating using this technique. Using example in Figure 2.1, the value of neighboring pixels are 115, 119, 120,123, 124,125,126,127 and 150. By calculating median value using these neighbor pixels, we can obtain median value is 124. Replacing pixels in centre using median value will eliminate the noise. Figure 2.1: Example of Median Filtering, value of current pixel will be replaced using new median value In order to obtain more accurate median value, we should increasing number of neighbor which involve in median value calculating. This technique will become more and more complex when dealing with bigger image. Besides that, computation cost and time require is relatively high because it needs to sort all value in neighbor. 2.3 Canny Edge Detector Canny introduce a well-known technique using edge detection (Neoh, H.S et al., 2005). This method requires few steps to track an object. Remove small noise using smooth a image Two gradient images are generated on both vertical and horizontal direction using one of the gradient operators based on previous image. Result denoted as Gx (m,n) and Gy(m,n) where m and n are pixel coordinate. Calculate edge magnitude and direction images from previous two images. Edge magnitude, M (m,n) = Edge direction, Threshold the edge magnitude image M (m, n). Set pixel to zero if their value below a predefined threshold. Reduce edge breadth by non-maxima operation on MT (m, n) the non-zero pixels in MT (m, n) are set to zero if their value are not greater than their neighbors along the direction indicate by. Result is threshold using two identical thresholds: T1 and T2 where T1 Edge with a magnitude less than T1 will be removed and those greater than T2 are detect as real edge. Edges with magnitude between T1 and T2 also detected as edges if they connect to an edge pixel. 2.4 Hough Transform This technique detects object whose shape can be parameterized in a Hough parameter space (Gurbuz, A.C. et al., 2008).These objects include polynomials, straight line, circle and etc. The peaks detected in Hough parameter space is used to describe the object space. An example, line segment can be described using a parametric notion: Where r is length of a normal from origin to this line and ÃŽÂ ¸ is orientation of r with respect to x-axis. ÃŽÂ ¸ Figure 2.2: Normal presentation of a straight line Using this normal presentation, we can transform the points on the line to curve in a Hough parameter space whose coordinates represent the normal length and orientation. Points which are on the line generate curves intersecting at a common point (r, ÃŽÂ ¸). 2.5 CamShift CamShift or Continuosly Adaptive Mean Shift track objects based their color. This technique was developed and detects an object using centre and size of the object in a given image (Ganoun, A. et al., 2006). Step of tracking an object is as follows: Set the size of search window. Initialize location of searching window. Location of centroid within search window based on the 0th and first moment been computed. Search window is centered at the centroid. Step three and step for is repeated until it has move for distance lee then a preset threshold. In order to use this technique, an identical color of object must be use. Hence, one object with complex color is not suitable for this technique. 2.6 Kalman Filter This algorithm is a state estimation based on feedback control mechanism (Donald, J.S. et al., 1998). This filter will predict the process state and then obtains feedback from the measurement. Equation for Kalman filter is divided to two groups: Time update equation. Measurement update equations Time update equation is used to predict current state and error covariance. Output of these equations is a state of prediction for next time step. In the other hands, the measurement update equations incorporate a new measurement into their prior prediction. Output of this is an improved estimation compared to other estimation. However, Kalman Filter cannot detect fast moving object such as moving vehicle in Highway, this is because changes in speed, acceleration can be dramatic during two consecutive frames. The Kalman filter is not fast enough to respond to constant and sudden changes of system rate. Hence, it is not suitable for detection purpose which require less computation time. 2.7 Markov Chain Monte Carlo Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) is a class of algorithm for sampling from probability distributions based on constructing a Markov Chain that has desired distribution as its equilibrium distribution. In order to construct a Markov chain Monte Carlo, it must contain three main stages (Jia, Y.Q. et al., 2009): Model Construction. Image is first pre-processed to retrieve its edge features. Models of roads and vehicle also been defined according for this method. Bayesian formulation. Since vehicle detection and segmentation problem is casted as Bayesian problem of finding a MAP solution, a corresponding formulations been defined. Prior probability and like hood of vehicles proposal are defined from which the form of the posterior probability is derived to evaluate different proposals. Detect a vehicle using MCMC. Construct a Markov chain to sample the proposal in the parameter space. Monte Carlo method with simulated annealing been used to search for the position and other related parameters that fixed actual vehicles most. 2.8 Background Subtraction In background subtraction, two image been captured in same location will be compared. Assume first image did not contain any moving object (empty background) and next image contain one moving object. Minus the second image with first image will contain moving object only since background of image been subtracted (Fukushima, H. et al., 1991). The image is read as array format in the image processing, which each pixels is represented by matrix coordinates (x,y). The intensity at position (x,y) is define by I (x,y). (4.1) From Equation 4.1 Where lc, Ib, Is are the contributions from the foreground objects and background objects respectively. In the image for the subtraction, the brightness is written as (4.2) The position adjustment between the two images is easily carried out by using the foreground objects. In order to obtain the foreground object, the first image is subtracted from the second one which contains the foreground object as show in Equation 4.2. CHAPTER 3 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN 3.1 Introduction Method of how to detect and track object will discuss in this chapter. The vision system will capture video in a desire area and send that video to MATLAB for processing. The MATLAB will process data coming from vision system and performing tracking action. Figure below show the mechanism for vision system and MATLAB. The vision system includes webcam which can connect to a computer using USB. The MATLAB will get data from vision system and processing the data. After that, A GUI window will show moving object if moving object exist capture by vision system. Webcam MATLAB GUI Figure 3.1: Relationship between webcam, MATLAB and GUI MATLAB been chosen as platform for detecting and tracking due to it contain powerful toolbox which can use to synchronize with webcam and can produce a simple detect and track vehicle tracking program. Besides that, it also can produce a GUI window which is requiring for the tracking system. 3.2 Flow Chart of Work In this section, flow of work requires detecting and tracking moving object will be further discussed. Frame differencing will be using to subtract the background and obtain the masking of moving object. In order to obtain more accurate result, a more accurate algorithm will be use to track moving object. Input Video Frame from camera Pre-processing Store the current frame as background Subtract the next frame with background image Save into memory Update current frame as background Display moving object and track it continuously. Figure 3.2: Flow of work for object tracking system 3.3 Discussion In this chapter, draft and prototype of tracking system been discussed. In order to achieve this objective, the tracking system will be build based on conceptual design discussed previously. In the following chapter, pre-processing will be elaborated and method to connect webcam with MATLAB will be show. Preparation configuration also will discuss in details. CHAPTER 4 Hardware and Software Setup 4.1 Overview Hardware and software setup is defined as a preparation before a simulation is set up in either hardware (tools or instrument) or software (simulation program, programming language) by designer. A setup describes a system will be perfectly connecting between hardware and software to achieve certain mission. Engineer use a tools or instrument that either ready in market or design it according to their requirement. In other way, software such as scientific program also available in market, all that engineer need to do is fully utilize the program by design an efficient flow which can achieve their expectation. Engineer can develop a surveillance system and by using a mathematical modeling to analyze and obtain object which is moving from view of camera. In this chapter, hardware and software setup is carried out for the design of a street monitoring system. It includes the connecting webcam to MATLAB which will let MATLAB ready to get real time video recording from webcam, M-file coding which contain algorithm to extract background which is static from object (vehicles or pedestrians) which is moving. Lastly, is to show image which is moving after process of background subtraction been executed in form of GUI. 4.2 Tools and Software In this section, tools and software using along this project will be describe in details of how they contribute in this project. Tools using in this project is a webcam which can connect to computer via USB 2.0 connection, it can either capture a static picture or even recording a video which can be treat as real time recording device. Software using in this project is MATLAB R2009a. In MATLAB R2009a, toolbox which will be use to develop this street surveillance system is Image Acquisition Toolbox and Image Processing Toolbox. Image Acquisition Toolbox will be use to establish a real time recording from webcam and delivered to MATLAB. In other hands, Image Processing Toolbox will be use to process continuous frames capture which is stored in MATLAB and show moving object which is process by using background subtraction. 4.2.1 Webcam In this project, student will use Webcam which is product of Logitech with model Logitech Quick Cam Pro 4000. Figure 4.1: Logitech Quickcam Pro 4000 Image Source: Logitech Software Support (2010) Logitech Quick Cam Pro is a webcam that able to capture video in 640 x 480 resolutions and able to snapshot a picture with 1280 x 960 resolutions. Besides that, it also contains a build in microphone which able to record sounds around that webcam been located and activated. Video capture from this webcam is using advance VGA CCD sensor and up to 30 fps. (Logitech, 2004) In order to try different video input format, student tried several video input format available for this vision system such as YCbCr, grayscale and RGB. These three return color space been chosen due to vision system using at here, Logitech Quick Cam Pro 4000 only support these three return color space. Three experiments will be performing to choose the suitable return color space from YCbCr, grayscale and RGB. In each experiment, three cases will be using to test different light intensity towards an object (battery) that is low, normal and high. For low light intensity, surrounding of image captured should be dark enough. Normal light intensity test will be performing at inner space with medium light intensity and camera should not point toward a direction with strong light source such as sun or spotlight. In the last case, camera will be capture image in direction towards strong light source such as torchlight. These experiments will be tested using webcam connect to MATLAB and executing command codes. Summarize of three experiment will be included in Table 4.1. Experiment 1: Using YCbCr as video input format and display as figure. After webcam is connecting to MATLAB, code as below will be executing to perform the test. vid = videoinput(winvideo,1); set(vid,ReturnedColorSpace,YCbCr); preview(vid) From Figure 4.2(a), image obtained almost in dark due to low intensity of light surrounding object. Image can be seeing using human eyes in clear view for Figure 4.2(b). For last case, object still can consider as clear although white spot cause by strong light source located at upside of Figure 4.2(c). (a) (b) (c) Figure 4.2: Image captured for YCbCr return color space (a) Low light intensity (b) Normal light intensity (c) High light intensity From this experiment, this return color space is potential to be used in this project. It does not lose color property and only having small changes of color during in high light intensity situation. Experiment 2: Using grayscale as video input format and display as figure. To perform this experiment, previous video object should delete from MATLAB workspace and executing following code. vid = videoinput(winvideo,1); set(vid,ReturnedColorSpace,YCbCr); preview(vid) From both Figure 4.3(b) and Figure 4.3(c), we can see that color property of object only left color, that is black and white. Furthermore, Figure 4.3(c) does not have problem of overexpose. Same as previous, object hard to see in Figure 4.3(a). (a) (b) (c) Figure 4.3: Image captured for grayscale return color space (a) Low light intensity (b) Normal light intensity (c) High light intensity Although performance in handling high light intensity is better, this return color will not consider at this moment since color property of decrease that will limit the improvement of algorithm that may need color property. Experiment 3: Using RGB as video input format and display as figure. (Default returned color space in MATLAB) Since default setting for this webcam is RGB, after delete video object built in previous experiment, a new video input is create and preview directly. No return color space should be set. vid = videoinput(winvideo,1); preview(vid) It is not possible to capture image in dark environment at Figure 4.4(a). Figure 4.4(b) can represent each color of object with details. Furthermore, this return color space did not show problem of overexpose, as in Figure 4.4(c). (a) (b) (c) Figure 4.4: Image captured for grayscale return color space (a) Low light intensity (b) Normal light intensity (c) High light intensity From this experiment, it is clear to show that this return color is most suitable for this project among three return color space. It does not lose color property and yet can encounter overexpose problem. Table 4.1: Summarize of three experiments conduct previously. Property YCbCr Grayscale RGB Able to detect object in low light intensity No No No Color Returned Multi color Black and white Multi color Able to encounter overexpose Partially No Yes From Table 4.1, we can conclude RGB is the most suitable since from human visual view, grayscale return color space will lose its color characteristic since it will threshold the figure into black and white, we will unable to further recognize an object exist in frame of view due its unique characteristic such as color. YCbCr can be defined as a way to encode RGB information, thus using RGB will keep original characteristic remain unchanged. Using RGB, we still can develop other usage of it. Since return color space using is RGB, which is default in toolbox. We can ignore the set return color space in MATLAB coding during import the video input object. Initially, an object will be created to get input from webcam using following MATLAB command, obj = videoinput(winvideo,1) where 1 is ID number of camera input. After this MATLAB command is executed, an object named as obj will be store in workspace of MATLAB. In order to let the video input object continuously acquire the data, student has to instruct MATLAB by command as following: triggerconfig(obj, manual); set(obj, Tag, appTitle, FramesAcquiredFcnCount, 1, TimealrFcn, @locFrameCallback, TimerPeriod, 0.01); 4.2.2 MATLAB M-file Initially, we have to associate object (video input object) with figure in GUI of MATLAB, if it is already existed, we will use it or else create a new one. ud = get(obj, UserData); if ~isempty(ud) isstruct(ud) isfield(ud, figureHandles) ishandle(ud.figureHandles.hFigure) appdata.figureHandles = ud.figureHandles; figure(appdata.figureHandles.hFigure) else appdata.figureHandles = localCreateFigure(obj, appTitle); end An empty array with unset dimension and value will be used to store what the video input object needs in terms of application data. appdata.background = []; obj.UserData = appdata; Function named as imaqmotion which contain MATLAB command will be compile together and compile to ensure no error detect. In order to execute this function, user can create a video input object and executed it by named of function follow by name of video input object in bracket. 4.2.3 Error Catching in M-file To prevent MATLAB contain an existing video input object is running, a stop instruction will be included in M-fie. stop(obj) This is to ensure that only one new desire video input object will be use to perform the monitoring process. Besides that, MATLAB will show a warning if frame import from webcam takes too long returning. This warning can be skipped by using: warning off imaq:peekdata:tooManyFramesRequested MATLAB will stop responding and quit improperly if error that unpredicted occur during the process. Thus, we have catch the error and only pop out a warning message to indicate user that error been occur and MATLAB can stop the execution of function gracefully. catch error(MATLAB:imaqmotion:error, sprintf(IMAQMOTION is unable to run properly.n%s, lasterr)) end 4.3 Discussion In this chapter, student demonstrates how a MATLAB connect with webcam and import real time recording to MATLAB. Follow by preparing an environment where declared video input object will be store in workspace of MATLAB, where this object can be use to start the core of project, subtract object from static background. Steps mention before is to ensure user can executed several step in one simple instruction which is store in MATLAB M-file. In the next chapter, student will show how two consecutive frames being compare and spot which is not belong to previous frame (declare as background of frame) in same location of matrices will be show in MATLAB GUI. CHAPTER 5 BACKGROUND SUBTRACTION USING FRAME DIFFERENCE 5.1 Overview To achieve objective of this project, detect object which is moving from the view of vision system, we need develop a monitoring system which able to distinguish moving object and static background. This can be done using writing an algorithm using different language such as C programming, Open CV or MATLAB. In this chapter, background subtraction using frame difference will be implementing along this project to subtract the background. Background subtraction is a general method where as frame difference is a subset of background subtraction which compare the current frame with previous frame and any pixel not belongs to previous frame is consider as moving object. This method been chosen due to its simple operation and can reduce time require to process those frames import from vision system. Frame use as background will be store as array with constant array which contain information of pixel. This array will use as reference, in another, as a background of image which will be compared with next frame capture by vision system in variable of array. After two frames are being compared by using differencing method, object which consider as moving should be show in a window. Due to simple subtraction method, delay in video processing can be reduced. Those functions contain above ability will be include in M-file. Those instructions will be include in different function so that it can be executed according to flow of project. These include localFrameCallback (a function to update image display by video input object), localUpdateFig (function that update GUI window using latest data), localCreateFigure (function that create and initialize figure), localCreateBar (function that create and initialize bar display). 5.2 Initialize and Creating a Background Image This section is basically disc

How to Improve in Shakespeares The Tempest :: Tempest essays

How to Improve Shakespeare’s Tempest    Mr. William Shakespeare, I am going to get right down to business.   I am writing to you regarding our recent collaboration on The Tempest.   In my opinion I think we need to make a couple of changes.   The first is in regards to Caliban and the second has to do with Prospero.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I was reading the section of the play where Caliban takes Stephano as his master I began to think about how he should be wiser by now.   As is Caliban begs a drunken Stephano to be his master.   In my opinion Caliban should show development by not drinking and possibly taking advantage of the drunk Stephano and Trinculo.   It should develop in this fashion:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   I believe that I can assist you in your stay on the island.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephano:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What mean you beast?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   And I with my long nails will dig thee pignuts,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Show thee a jay's nest, and instruct thee how   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To snare the nimble marmoset.   I'll bring thee   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To clustering filberts, and I'll teach thee to get   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Young scamels from the rock.   Does't though attend me?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephano:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I do.   For all this service what want'st you in return.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I ask but one simple service.   The death of my tyrant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   master.      Ã‚  Ã‚     Stephano:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   You ask me to murder for you?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I ask only that you remove your only opponent in making   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   me your vassal.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephano:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Well bargain'd for a monster such as thee.   I shall   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   consider it.    If the scene is run in this way Caliban is developed as more human and less monster.   Also it adds more urgency to the possible danger Stephano and Trinculo bring, but the comic aspect remains because the two are drunk.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My second suggestion addresses the issues of Prospero and tempests.   At the end of the play there is the opportunity for great suspense.   The interaction between Prospero and his brother and conspirator could be much more intense.   You could easily create an internal conflict for Prospero where he debates whether or not to take action against Antonio.   Of course he cannot have given up his powers at this point.   Instead of just letting Antonio alone Prospero could use his magic to give him pains, make him small or one of many other whimsical tricks to teach Antonio a lesson; I think that causing Antonio to sleep and in turn not taking him home would be the most fitting punishment. How to Improve in Shakespeare's The Tempest :: Tempest essays How to Improve Shakespeare’s Tempest    Mr. William Shakespeare, I am going to get right down to business.   I am writing to you regarding our recent collaboration on The Tempest.   In my opinion I think we need to make a couple of changes.   The first is in regards to Caliban and the second has to do with Prospero.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I was reading the section of the play where Caliban takes Stephano as his master I began to think about how he should be wiser by now.   As is Caliban begs a drunken Stephano to be his master.   In my opinion Caliban should show development by not drinking and possibly taking advantage of the drunk Stephano and Trinculo.   It should develop in this fashion:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   I believe that I can assist you in your stay on the island.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephano:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What mean you beast?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   And I with my long nails will dig thee pignuts,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Show thee a jay's nest, and instruct thee how   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To snare the nimble marmoset.   I'll bring thee   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To clustering filberts, and I'll teach thee to get   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Young scamels from the rock.   Does't though attend me?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephano:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I do.   For all this service what want'st you in return.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I ask but one simple service.   The death of my tyrant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   master.      Ã‚  Ã‚     Stephano:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   You ask me to murder for you?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I ask only that you remove your only opponent in making   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   me your vassal.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephano:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Well bargain'd for a monster such as thee.   I shall   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   consider it.    If the scene is run in this way Caliban is developed as more human and less monster.   Also it adds more urgency to the possible danger Stephano and Trinculo bring, but the comic aspect remains because the two are drunk.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My second suggestion addresses the issues of Prospero and tempests.   At the end of the play there is the opportunity for great suspense.   The interaction between Prospero and his brother and conspirator could be much more intense.   You could easily create an internal conflict for Prospero where he debates whether or not to take action against Antonio.   Of course he cannot have given up his powers at this point.   Instead of just letting Antonio alone Prospero could use his magic to give him pains, make him small or one of many other whimsical tricks to teach Antonio a lesson; I think that causing Antonio to sleep and in turn not taking him home would be the most fitting punishment.