Comparative Analysis on Kikuyu

Comparative Analysis on Kikuyu Comparative Analysis on Kikuyu within the SPE and Post-SPE Framework Term Paper for Foundations of Phonology Course Introduction This paper aims at observing the data set of Kikuyu language. Two frameworks are compared, i.e. the Sound Pattern of English (henceforth; SPE), and Post SPE (Autosegmental Phonology). Within the discussion, approaches form other theories will also be highlighted; however, the main point addressed in this paper is to evaluate the data set of Kikuyu on the basis of phonological theories within the two frameworks involved. Based on SPE theory, the lexical entries should consist of sufficient information for the phonological rules in order to identify its phonetic forms for each context. In other words, each lexical entry is entered as a set of phonological distinctive features. Furthermore, the underlying representation (UR) is considered as an abstract representation in comparison to a surface representation (SR). Along the paper, we will discuss both frameworks together with feature notations and then we will analyze the data set segmentally to obtain the rules governing the language of Kikuyu. In the next section, we will attempt to analyze the variability of the coordinated articulary apparatus with the spirit of the Post-SPE framework driven by a number of questions in the optimization of the data set analysis of with respect to the framework inquestion. During the analysis, we will not consider some basic requirements such as No Crossing Constraint and Linking Constraint in order to be consistent with the well-formedness condition of Post-SPE framework. Furthermore, we will also approach the so-called geometry of phonetic representations accompanied by sufficient examples to figure out any possible solution. One of the central issues addressed within this paper is the analysis on the shifting of nasal + consonant with respect to the given data set. We will try to compare two theories in question and observe how those theories could account for the changes in the data set. At a later stage, we will see which theory casts better analysis of the given data than the other does. Some literatures will be considered especially those from the textbook of Phonological Theory: The Essential Readings by Goldsmith, J. such as The Sound Pattern of English by Chomsky, N. and Halle, M., among others, as well as relevant sources which might give us more information about the language of Kikuyu. Now, let us go through the analysis from the first framework, i.e. the SPE framework. The SPE Framework The SPE framework is believed to be the basis of Generative Phonology since theories within this framework were influenced by the views from generative linguistics. Chomsky and Halle (in Goldsmith, 1999 : 17-19) states that a speakers knowledge of his language consists of knowing the lexical items of the language and each lexical entry must contain specified features, which determine the phonetic form of the item in all contexts, i.e. the items phonological features. Furthermore, such phonological features are classificatory devices, they are binary, as are all other classificatory features in the lexicon, for the natural way of indicating whether or not an item belongs to a particular category is by means of binary features. There will be two levels of representations that will be discussed in the SPE framework; underlying representation (i.e. lexical or morphophonemic sequence) and the surface form (i.e. phonetic output form). Given the authors aim at maximizing the simplicity of the grammar, it follows that underlying representations should be as abstract as possible and avoid redundant, or non-distinctive, features. Minimized underlying representations are indeed a requirement to ensure the generality of the overall linguistic system. Within this framework, we will analyze the data set on the language of Kikuyu in the spirit of morphological analysis, overview on any possible alternation within the dataset, as well as identifying the underlying representation (UR) from the given data set. Following this analysis, we will try to observe possible rules with feature notation of the given data in order to get a generalized rule ordering within the data set. For this analysis, we also refer to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) chart, especially for the consonants chart and their features. Let us try to analyze the data set from the morphological analysis with the given data set below. The data set of Kikuyu is given below in table 1: Imperative---1 sg.Imperfect--English Meaning ßura------mbureet?--------'lop off' ßaara-----mbaareet?-------'look at' t?ma------nd?meet?--------'cut' toma------ndomeet?--------'send' reha------ndeheet?--------'pay' ru?a------ndu?eet?--------'cook' cina------ineet?--------'burn' koma------?gomeet?--------'sleep' kera------?gereet?--------'cross' ?ora------?goreet?--------'buy' ?aja------?gajeet?--------'divide' From table 1, we can see that there are two forms to observe, the one being Imperative and the other being the 1-sg-Imperfect from data set of Kikuyu language, which is followed by its meaning in English. The table shows that for each given word, several letters remain unchanged, which is typed in Bold inside the word. Most of them seem to have a Vowel and Consonant order (VC) and a long vowel one (i.e. VVC) such as in ßaara. Furthermore, we can also see in the Imperative column in which all words are always ended with a, marked after a slash sign (-). Subsequently, the words in the first singular Imperfect column are always ended with an eet?, which is also separated by a slash (-). A complete data set analysis is given in table 2 below. Table 2 Imperative-------------1 sg. Imperfect------------English Translation ßur - a--------------------mbur - eet?----------------------'lop off' ßaar- a--------------------mbaar- eet?----------------------'look at' t?m - a--------------------nd?m - eet?----------------------'cut' tom - a--------------------ndom - eet?----------------------'send' reh - a--------------------ndeh - eet?----------------------'pay' ru? - a--------------------ndu? - eet?----------------------'cook' cin - a--------------------in - eet?----------------------'burn' kom - a--------------------?gom - eet?----------------------'sleep' ker - a--------------------?ger - eet?----------------------'cross' ?or - a--------------------?gor - eet?----------------------'buy' ?aj - a--------------------?gaj - eet?----------------------'divide' From table 2, we can see that the unchanged letters, which are Bold typed above, are the stems or could be part of the stems of the word in underlying representation. Furthermore, we can also see suffixes, which indicate the Imperativeness or the given words that are signaled as the final letter a at the final position of the word. From the regularity of the final letters eet?, we can say that the given words must be classified as suffixes indicating the 1 sg. Imperfect form of Kikuyu language. We will discuss the underlying forms of the morphemes regularity in a separate discussion in a later part. Now let us see the structure of the nasal sound which occurs before the stems. It is conceivable that an alternation is defined as a morpheme, which has two different sound shapes, which can be analyzed by a phonological process. From the data set of Kikuyu, the some alternations can be observed as indicated in the following table (see table 3). The alternations can be identified easily in that ß becomes b; t /r becomes d; c becomes ?; k / ? becomes g. Those alternations can be viewed as the alternations in the language of Kikuyu whose phonological process will be explored in rules. Table 3 Imperative------------1 sg. Imperfect In a.b.ß-------------------------mb In c.d.t-------------------------nd In e.f.r-------------------------nd In g.c--------------------------- In h. i. k-----------------------?g In j. k. ?-----------------------?g Furthermore, we can also see that a nasal consonant is inserted before the changed consonant, e.g. m; n; ? and ?, which suggests that the morphological process goes along with the phonological process. Such insertion shows us important points for the data set in the language of Kikuyu. We will discuss such phenomenon in greater concern in later part. However, there is one thing to say about this phenomenon in the insertion of nasal consonant in the 1 sg. Imperfect groups could be analyzed as certain prefixes embedded which might express the tense of a verb. Whenever the alternation is constructed in an opposite way, i.e. b becomes ß in data set, this lead to an ill formed construction. Such a case is also falsifiable from data h. and j. in which ?g would become k and ? respectively following the case. Therefore, we will consider the sequence of alternation as from Imperative to 1 sg. Imperfect. The reanalysis of the stems of both forms is illustrated in table 4 below. Both prefixe s (nasals) and suffixes ( a and eet?) are discarded in table 4 so that we can get the stem of each verb. Table 4. Imperative--------------1 sg. Imperfect--------------English Meaning ßur---------------------bur-------------------------------'lop off' ßaar--------------------baar------------------------------'look at' t?m---------------------d?m-------------------------------'cut' tom---------------------dom-------------------------------'send' reh---------------------deh-------------------------------'pay' ruc---------------------du?-------------------------------'cook' cin---------------------?in-------------------------------'burn' kom---------------------gom-------------------------------'sleep' ker---------------------ger-------------------------------'cross' ?or---------------------gor-------------------------------'buy' ?aj---------------------gaj-------------------------------'divide' What we have observed so far indicates that phonological components are obtained by mapping from the underlying representation (UR) to the surface (phonetic) representation (SR). This mapping phenomenon can be observed by rewrite rules which will be discussed in a separate part. In other words, the data set of Kikuyu we have so far could be considered as the Surface Representation. In the following paragraphs, we attempt to identify the underlying representation of the Kikuyu language. As noted above, we have seen that the unchanged letters in table 2 could be analyzed as the stems or part of the stems of the words in the underlying representation. On the basis of minimization of the underlying representation we will attempt to rule in the consonant before the unchanged letters because it seems to be implausible to predict the consonants such as ß, t, r, c, k, ? by rule. Furthermore, we have also observed that the consonant ß can shift to b not the vice versa. Referring to the SPE theory, minimizing the underlying representation means that anything, which can be predicted by a rule, should be eliminated from the underlying representation. For instance, the shifting from ß to b can be viewed in table 4 which is exemplified by the shifting is from ßur to bur. Such process also applies to all other words in the data set. By definition, we could get something like /ßur/ to be the actual stem for underlying representation of the word, which means lop off in Kikuyu. The stems in underlying representation in the data set are presented in table 5 below and the Underlying Representations for the Imperative and 1 sg. Imperfect are represented in table 6. Table 5 UR Stem English Meaning /ßur/ 'lop off' /ßaar/ 'look at' /t?m/ 'cut' /tom/ 'send' /reh/ 'pay' /ru?/ 'cook' /cin/ 'burn' /kom/ 'sleep' /ker/ 'cross' /?or/ 'buy' /?aj/ 'divide' Table 6 Imperative UR 1 sg. Imperfect UR English Meaning /ßur - a/ /Nas - bur -eet 'lop off' /ßaar - a/ /Nas - baar-eet 'look at' /t?m - a/ /Nas - d?m -eet 'cut' /tom - a/ /Nas - dom -eet 'send' /reh - a/ /Nas - deh -eet 'pay' /ru? - a/ /Nas - du? -eet 'cook' /cin - a/ /Nas - ?in -eet 'burn' /kom - a/ /Nas - gom -eet 'sleep' /ker - a/ /Nas - ger -eet 'cross' /?or - a/ /Nas - gor -eet 'buy' /?aj - a/ /Nas - gaj -eet 'divide' In the framework of SPE, we have been familiar with the terms such as abbreviatory conventions, conciseness, Minimize UR, Rule format and Evaluation measures, etc. They will be considered here under IPA consonant chart and feature table where relevant information is given in table 7 below: Table 7 (Imp = Imperative) (1sg = 1 sg. Imperfect) Group A (data a. b.) ß - bilabial fricative (Imp) b - bilabial plosive (1sg) m - bilabial nasal (1sg) Group B (data c. d. e. f.) t - alveolar plosive (Imp) r - alveolar fricative (Imp) d - alveolar plosive (1sg) n - alveolar nasal (1sg) Group C (data g.) c - palatal plosive (Imp) ? - palatal plosive (1sg) ? - palatal nasal (1sg) Group D (data h. i. j. k.) k - velar plosive (Imp) ? - velar fricative (Imp) g - velar plosive (1sg) ? - velar nasal (1sg) From the distribution in table 7, we can draw some important information in the surface level. In Imperative classification (Imp), we can observe that the fricatives are plosives whereas in (1sg) group, we only observe the plosives ones. This observation is helpful for arriving at the deduction that under certain environment, fricatives/plosives are interpreted as (à  ) plosives. Furthermore, within each group, we can identify that the same place of articulation is shared, i.e., bilabial / alveolar / palatal / velar. This observation will contribute to identify the relation between the changed consonants and the added nasal sound types. In the mean time, within each 1sg group, we can also observe that the nasal sound always precedes the plosive sound. This observation is useful for understanding whether the prefix [Nasal] functions are in a linear order. By applying the minimized major feature for these consonants, we can generate some crucial feature notations as noted below. 1. Fricatives [-son, +cont] 2. Plosives [-son, -cont] 3. Nasals [+son, -cont] Therefore, now we can observe the assimilation of the feature [cont] in the course of transferring from fricatives to plosives and probably the dissimilation of the feature [son] between nasals and plosives. In order to satisfy the conditions of Minimize UR and the Evaluation measure, we could observe each sound in detail and add the feature [voice] where we can see that all plosives and nasals are [+voiced] as illustrated in table 8 below. Table 8 Features - consonant Features-place of articulation Group A (data a. b.) ß - [-son] [+cont] [+voiced] (Imp) [+ant] [-cor] b - [-son] [-cont] [+voiced] (1sg) [+ant] [-cor] m - [+son] [-cont] [+voiced] (1sg) [+ant] [-cor] Group B (data c. d. e. f.) t - [-son] [-cont] [-voiced] (Imp) [+ant] [+cor] r - [+son] [+cont] [+voiced] (Imp) [+ant] [+cor] d - [-son] [-cont] [+voiced] (1sg) [+ant] [+cor] n - [+son] [-cont] [+voiced] (1sg) [+ant] [+cor] Group C (data g.) c - [-son] [-cont] [-voiced] (Imp) [-ant] [+cor] ? - [-son] [-cont] [+voiced] (1sg) [-ant] [+cor] ? - [+son] [-cont] [+voiced] (1sg) [-ant] [+cor] Group D (data h. i. j. k.) k - [-son] [-cont] [-voiced] (Imp) [-ant] [-cor] ? - [-son] [+cont] [+voiced] (Imp) [-ant] [-cor] g - [-son] [-cont] [+voiced] (1sg) [-ant] [-cor] ? - [+son] [-cont] [+voiced] (1sg) [-ant] [-cor] From the features distribution above, we can observe several important generalizations. First, as we can see in the left column, consonants could adjust themselves to the nasal during the shifting to plosive by preserving [-cont] and [+voiced]. Then, the consonant r in Group B is the only consonant in Imp which has feature [+son], therefore, we have to shift it to become [-son] as well in the course of shifting to plosive. However, this is definitely not a kind of adjustment to the nasal since it is conceivable that all nasals are found to be [+son]. Second, in the right column, we can observe that the insertions of prefixing nasals adjust themselves to the consonants and become bilabial / alveolar / palatal / velar nasal respectively in place of articulation. Furthermore, we attempt to figure out the adjustments above as assimilation, as well as the dis-adjustment of r as dissimilation. In sum, we can obtain two important rules in the language in question. Rule A: [-cont] [+cons] à   [+voice]/[+nas] ______ [-son] Such rule entails the adjustment of the consonants to the nasals. Under this rule, ß becomes b; t and r becomes d; c becomes ?; k and ? becomes g due to the prefixing nasal. Then, all fricatives become plosives as given the following rule. Rule B: [+nas] à   [aPlace]/______[aPlace] In rule B, the same place of articulation is construed by the notation [aPlace] represents here. This rule signals the adjustment of the nasals to the consonants. By using this rule, nasal will become m whenever aPlace is bilabial; n whenever aPlace is alveolar; ? whenever aPlace is palatal and ? whenever aPlace is velar. The origin nasal in prefixing cannot be observed from the given data set. For instance, if it is [+nas, +cor] then it should be a consonant n. Along the previous part, we have observed some ordering rules in the language of Kikuyu. Further in this part, we will try to figure out the ordering of the two rules we have mentioned in advance. Based on the SPE framework, we have seen that all morphological rules apply before all phonological rules. Although Kiparsky and many others believe the other way against this framework, we try to see whether this rule is indeed workable within the spirit of SPE framework. Here, the morphological rules are viewed as infix insertion, i.e. prefix /Nas/; suffix /-a/ and /eet?/ in the given data set which will apply in the first place and the phonological rules given in Rule A and Rule B above will apply in the second place. Now the question turns to which phonological rule applies in first order, being Rule A or Rule B. Suppose we take examples in data d and e from the given data set. First, let us look at data d. it seems that we will not find any difference in data d with respect to the ordering of two rules and hence the result looks like the same. Then, try to compare with data e. Let see what happens. Table 9 Data d = from [toma] to [ndomeet?] If Rule A precedes Rule B Morphological Rule /Nas/ + /tom/ + /eet?/ =UR Rule A /Nas/ + /dom/ + /eet?/ Rule B /n/ + /dom/ + /eet?/ =SR If Rule B precedes Rule A Morphological Rule /Nas/ + /tom/ + /eet?/ =UR Rule B /n/ + /tom/ + /eet?/ Rule A /n/ + /dom/ + /eet?/ =SR Data e. from [reha] to [ndeheet?] If Rule A precedes Rule B Morphological Rule /Nas/ + /reh/ + /eet?/ =UR Rule A /Nas/ + /deh/ + /eet?/ Rule B /n/ + /deh/ + /eet?/ =SR If Rule B precedes Rule A Morphological Rule /Nas/ + /reh/ + /eet?/ =UR Rule B /n/ + /reh/ + /eet?/ Rule A /n/ + /deh/ + /eet?/ =SR As we can see above, the comparison between data d and e indicates the same thing for ordering of two rules as well. This suggests that the ordering of rules do not have something to do with the result. It further suggests that the nasals and the derived consonants could have a relatively strong connection with each other, i.e. one co-exists with the other. Within the SPE framework, the data set has been analyzed in the form of features of lexical individual segments. We tried to apply the rules we have and they seems to work well. This gives further indication that the SPE framework can be considered as effective tool in explaining the phenomenon in data set of Kikuyu language. However, it seems that the relationship between the two rules is not transparent. The reason for this might be the difficulty in generating the only one rule instead of two explaining such phenomenon in the SPE framework. The Post-SPE Framework Autosegmental phonology was introduced by John Goldsmith (1976) and re presented a great step forward in linguistic research. In the classical generative theory developed by Chomsky and Halle, phonological components were linear sequences of segments which themselves consisted of feature bundles. One of the downfalls of the SPE framework resided in the assumption that every segment had to correspond to exactly one feature specification and vice-versa (every feature specification had to correspond to exactly one segment). Consequently, many phonological phenomena (related to stress, lengthening, rhythm and intonation for instance) were left unexplained. SPE simply had no way of providing a proper account of prosodic phenomena. As stated by Goldsmith himself ((1999: p.137), Autosegmental phonology constitutes a particular claim about the geometry of phonetic and phonological representations. it suggests that the phonetic representation is composed of a set of several simultaneous sequences of these segments, with certain elementary constraints on how the various levels of sequences can be interrelated or associated. The main innovation brought about by Post-SPE framework is the fact that supra segmental features, such as stress or tone, are no longer confined to exactly one segment but can be shared by two or more segments and vice-versa. Some features, while remaining associated with a segment, are now handled separately. Many phonological phenomena can then be analyzed in terms of a restructuring or reorganization of the autosegments in a representation. Different from the first section, here we will analyze the data set of Kikuyu within the Post-SPE framework, or also known as the Autosegmental Phonology but within this paper we rather use the term Post SPE just for the sake of easiness in comparison. In this section, we will also consider the use of the IPA chart and feature notations for the discussion in the Post-SPE framework. Also in this part we might still view some rules from SPE framework and will be reviewed in the spirit of Post-SPE framework. Phenomenon such as assimilation and dissimilation will be approached to address the problems we found in the data set of Kikuyu Language. Of course, other theories within the Post-SPE will also be introduced. Let us start our discussion with the identification of features and spreading in this framework. In this framework, features will be viewed as independent features of their segments in order for them to be represented as auto-segments. We can observe in the data set of Kikuyu language that a phonological process can influence more than one consonant at a time. This might lead us to review the data we had in table 3 where ß mb; t nd; r nd; c ; k ?g; ? ?g, with the given two rules. We have mentioned earlier about assimilation in SPE, i.e. an alternation which copies a feature specification from the closest segment. Take Group A and Rule B as an example: [+nas]à   [bila Place] / ______ [bila Place] Nà   m / ______ ß / b In the Post-SPE framework, assimilation is identified as the spreading of features to the neighbouring X-slots. This means that an X-slot is associated with the two X-slots, resulting assimilation as illustrated below: NX NX mX |à  Ã‚ ¥|à  Ã‚ ¥| [+ant][+ant] [+ant] [-cor] [-cor] [-cor] For the sake of easiness, some tiers are excluded. Here, X represents the changed consonant in Kikuyu. The nasal is considered another X slot, which is marked as N. After spreading, we see that the two X-slots share the feature of [+ant] and [-cor]. The feature from the neighboring X-slot could be deleted after the course of spreading. The replacement of Rule A in the Post SPE framework is a bit more complicated than Rule B since deletion is involved. As for instance, consider Group A we have noted above, within the SPE framework, we will get the shifting below. [+cons]à   [-cont] [+voice] [-son] / [+nas]______ ßà   b / N______ Then, let us apply this within the Post SPE framework to analyze this phenomenon where we have two X-slots represent Nasal and Consonant respectively during the course of alternation. An example of shifting from Nß to Nb is given below. X X X X | | à   | / [+son] [-son] [+son] [-son] [-cont] [+cont] [-cont] [-cont] [+voiced]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  [+voiced]  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  [+voiced]  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   [+voiced] For the sake of easiness, some tiers are reduced. We can see in the shifting process that [-son, +voiced] features are preserved during the shifting and [+cont] feature becomes [-cont]. In the SPE framework, it is conceivable that morphological rules apply before phonological rules, so we have a Nasal slot before Consonant slot in 1 sg. Imperfect i

Is a soliloquy a good way for us to know what is going on in a characters head? Essay

This essay will discuss soliloquies and how they are used. I want to show that a soliloquy is a good way to show us what is going on in the characters head, it gives us an insight into the characters mind and thoughts, and helps us identify the type of mind and character we are looking at. In this essay I will be referring to various Shakespearian plays, the main play I will be referring to is Macbeth. Macbeth is about a Scottish king who is corrupted by three witches. It is about dreams, beliefs, actions and consequences. I will be looking at what a soliloquy is and the way Shakespeare has used the soliloquies in Macbeth. I also want to look at the use of Shakespearean language and Imagery in Macbeth. Soliloquies are often used in Shakespeare’s plays. A soliloquy is when a character voices their thoughts when alone on stage. I have studied three different soliloquies from the play Macbeth. The first is taken from Act 1, scene V. The second soliloquy is taken from Act 1, scene VII. And the last soliloquy is taken from Act 2, scene I. These examples of the soliloquies we have used allow us to see what state of mind the character is in at certain parts of the play, also I think it allows us to see what type of person the character really is and understand them better. The first soliloquy is used as Duncan arrives at Macbeth’s castle, Lady Macbeth has already decided by this point that the only way Macbeth can become king of Scotland is if they kill Duncan. The soliloquy is her preparing herself for what she is about to do and also asking the spirits to give her the strength to do it. â€Å"The raven himself is hoarse That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan Under my battlements. Come, you spirits Tha tends on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fil me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood, Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Act 1, Scene V In the opening lines of the soliloquy you can already see that Lady Macbeth is a strong-minded woman but believes that men are stronger than women and in order to complete her task she must be as strong as a man. Evidence for this is the lines ‘Come, you spirits Tha tends on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,’ Lady Macbeth is calling on the spirits to turn her into a man and make her strong. However I believe that Lady Macbeth was stronger and more determined than Macbeth. There is evidence in the other two soliloquies that Macbeth is in two minds about murdering Duncan. â€Å"†¦This even-handed justice Commends th’ingrediants of our poison’d chalice To our own lips. He’s here in double trust First as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; and then as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself†¦that his virtues Will plead like angels, trumpet tongu’d , against The deep damnation of his taking off†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Act 1, scene VII † †¦I go, and it is done: the bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is knell That summons thee to Heaven, or to Hell† Act 2, scene I These examples show just how unstable the mind of Macbeth is. In Act 1, scene VII Macbeth is talking about how Duncan trusts him and how he should protect Duncan from harm, not be the one who kills him! This is shown in the lines ‘He’s here in double trust’ and ‘Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself ‘. However in Act 2, scene I Macbeth is prepared to go through with the deed, no matter what the consequences are. From the soliloquies you can also see what the character is like. It is in my opinion that Macbeth is compassionate to his friend and does not want to hurt him, however he is also over come with greed. He wants the wealth and power that comes with being king and will, perhaps, do anything to get it if prompted. These two views make his mind unstable and weak so that it can be manipulated by Lady Macbeth. I believe that lady Macbeth is an evil woman who will do anything to get what she wants. An example of this is part of a conversation that Lady Macbeth had with Macbeth when she thinks that he will not kill Duncan â€Å"I have given suck, and know How tender ‘t is to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked the nipple from his boneless gums, And dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this.† Act 1, Scene VII What she is saying in this quote is that she would take a baby that was feeding from her and kill it in the most horrific way if Macbeth wanted her to. I think only a truly evil woman can say this and mean it, only an evil woman would kill her baby. Shakespeare used various images through out this play. Both in Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy and Macbeth’s soliloquies there are strong witchcraft, nature and baby images. I think the strongest images in the soliloquies are the baby images. I believe that these worked the best because people generally have strong feelings no babies, especially if the baby is being harmed in some way. A baby can also be used as a symbol of innocence; a child looks at the world with innocence in their eyes. It is in my opinion that Shakespeare used the images of a baby for several reasons. The first reason is to get the audience emotionally involved in the play, if they see an image of a baby being hurt then they are going to dislike that particular character, however if the image is a good image of a baby then the audience are less likely to dislike that character. And the second way is to show the differences and similarities between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. When Macbeth uses an image of a baby it is filled with compassion and love, however when Lady Macbeth uses the image of babies it is filled with greed and cruelty. I believe this because of certain lines used through out the soliloquies. In Act 1, Scene VII Macbeth quotes ‘And Pity, like a newborn babe,’ Macbeth uses a baby as a symbol of innocence to gain pity from the audience. In Act 1, Scene VII Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth ‘I have given suck, and know how tender’t is to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash’d the brains out,’ This is filled with hatred which she is using to pressurise Macbeth into killing Duncan. It also shows that they think in similar ways even though they have different views. As Shakespeare was writing for an English audience Macbeth is very pro English, anti Scottish. It is a Scottish thane, who is easily corrupted by promises of power and fortune who becomes King and it is an English army, which over throws the evil Scottish king and restores peace throughout the land. I believe that soliloquies are a good way to know what is going on in a characters head. It allows us to know what they are thinking and feeling through out the play. With out soliloquies we would have to rely on facial expressions to know what the character is thinking. If we did this then I believe that plays and theatre would not be as popular as they are and the works of Shakespeare such as Twelfth night, Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer’s night dream and Hamlet would never have become the classics that they are.

Allocating Scarce Resources and Alternative Medicine Essay

1. Sympathy Rule: Impartiality rule: â€Å"health care professionals should usually be impartial in helping patients† (p. 189) But the rules used must be appropriate for people with ordinary human sympathies and feelings, example, biases toward friends or relatives. So the rules should allow for some bias – It was okay for Alice to send her aunt in first. Argument for the sympathy rule * The sympathy rule would not permit HC providers to help their relatives/friends in any way they like. It would permit them to give priority to their relatives only in very extreme, life and death situations. * From society’s point of view this rule is okay b/c society values both impartiality and close ties between relatives and friends. The sympathy rule is a kind of compromise between the two. Objection to the sympathy rule * We know from experience that people will already be biased toward their relatives and friends, and will have a tendency to give them priority where possible. * So, to counteract this innate bias, there must be a very strict rule against nepotism. However difficult it may be to be completely impartial as between your mother and a perfect stranger, this is what morality requires of HC professionals. 2. Innocents First Rule: Was Alice justified in sending her innocent aunt in before Terrance who caused the accident by his negligence? â€Å"Patient A, who is innocent and who cannot wait for care, ought to be given priority over patient B, who is known to be at fault for the injury and who also cannot wait, other things equal.† (p. 206) Third Party Interests 1) Childless person vs. parent of young child (dependents case) 2) Drunk vs. doctor (the public good case) 3) Person with highly infectious disease vs. person without infectious disease (the innocent threat case) 3. Public Interest Rule â€Å"Where the public interest is great enough, a patient may be given priority over those who came earlier.† (p. 208) Example, treat the Pope or the Prime Minister before the ordinary person. Discussions: 1. My answer to your question is this: No, it is not ethical to use non medical â€Å"social worth† factors to favor one patient over another. The use of such a criteria to choose between candidates for scarce medical resources can be critiqued both from Kantian and Utilitarian perspectives. I believe the most basic and powerful objection to â€Å"social worth† is that such a criteria reduces patients to their potential for maximizing social benefit. Kantian ethics argue that people should never be treated merely as a means to an end. By selecting between patients based solely on their potential contribution to society, they are being reduced to merely a means of achieving the most possible social good. They are not regarded as people with basic intrinsic value that goes beyond their ability to contribute to society. Any patient that does not have the ability to contribute much to society, because they are elderly, mental, or physically handicapped, automatically is unfairly at a disadvantage. On the face of it, Utilitarianism would seem to favor the use of such a criteria. Choosing people to save based on their potential future contribution would seem to produce the most net benefit. However, the physican/patient relationship would suffer greatly if patients felt that their physicians were continually looking past their personal welfare to the potential for social benefit. Distrust and suspicion would result if patients perceive that physicians were making treatment decisions based on their potential social value. Thus, over a longer period of time, the eventual erosion of the physician/patient relationship could result in less net benefit for society, a result not favored by Utilitarianism. Additionally, there are a host of other practical difficulties with appalling a â€Å"social worth† criteria. Use of such a criteria would require some type of ranking of respective social worth. How does a professional athlete rank against a priest, or an insurance salesman, or a physician. How much should patients’ personal life be involved in selection decisions? Given the pluralism of our society, development of such a list is nearly impossible. And even assuming that such a list could be compiled, whose ideas of social value should we use to make the list? Inevitably, personal bias would influence the ranking of â€Å"social worth†. Ultimatley, the use of medical factors, such as need, amount of resources required, and potential for success, should be used for patient selection, not non mendical â€Å"social worth† criteria. 2. As a physician for 30 years, practicing medicine from a perspective of â€Å"hearing the story† of the person, trying to ascertain the depth of their understanding, what motivates them to live, go on, do the unfinished, resolve those difficult relationships, be productive, make a difference, I find that those patients who have had transplants as adults have risen above the flat line of their lives and choose to see life as something to be lived and not something to be chased. â€Å"Social worth† has the unfortunate connotation of value, of something to be contributed, something that inherently gives a sense of future. We the elders decide who and again unfortunately are imperfect yet our decisions are irreversible. Committees are convenient because the decisions take on a vote situation based on the facts of the particular case. Sometimes I think that we do too much cerebrating and not enough feeling and deciding from the heart. The heart knows, where the brain has too much debris and stereotype to render fair decisions in who gets what organ. The system is flawed because we try to make sense out of something that exceeds our understanding and we forget what our hearts are telling us.

The Immunodeficiency Syndrome Virus ( Aids ) - 984 Words

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which results form an infection called the human immunodeficiency syndrome virus (HIV) is a global epidemic that has taken numerous amounts of lives. There are two forms of HIV that are linked to AIDS, HIV-1 and HIV-2 (Crooks, Baur 460). HIV-1 is a virus that is constantly mutating and it is the first human immunodeficiency virus to be recognized as the leading cause of AIDS world wide, then we have HIV-2, which only occurs in some African countries (Crooks, Baur 460). In the 1980s the number of AIDS cases in the United States grew rapidly each year and eventually began to stabilize. This epidemic and the number of people suffering from the disease has been underestimated by federal†¦show more content†¦MSM still accounts for 53-59% of the HIV cases in the US and drug use attributes to 9% of HIV cases (Crooks, Baur 462). Contrary to past beliefs heterosexual contact has been the primary form of HIV transmission worldwide and accounts for about a third of HIV cases. In the past couple years the number of females infected with HIV has steadily been rising. It is stated that adolescent women are highly vulnerable to this disease due to their immature reproductive tracts. To this date a vast majority of AIDS deaths has occurred in Africa, primarily in the sub Saharan nations, which is home to 70% of all people who are living with HIV/AIDS (Crooks, Baur 463). Notably this disease has surely become a very vagarious pandemic of this time. To help reduce our risk of contracting this deadly disease we must take that power into our own hands. Knowing the HIV ca n be found in blood, saliva, vaginal secreions, semen, urine and breast milk can lead us in the right path of protecting ourselves. It is proven that bodily fluids such as blood, semen, and vaginal secretion contains the highest concentration of the virus. Implementing thing such as avoiding anal intercourse, avoiding sexual contact with sex workers, avoiding sexual intercourse during menstruation and also avoiding oral contact with the anus can help limit our chances of contracting this virus since 80% of HIV cases are through sexual contact (Crooks, Baur 476).