A dance with the devil Essay Example for Free

A dance with the devil Essay When I was a little girl, my grandmother would always tell me stories. Some of her stories were for the purpose of scaring me. I don’t mean just to frighten me, but to actually scare me out of doing bad things. This is because, of course, my grandmother didn’t want anything to happen to her little kids. One of her stories was: when she was a young girl her mother didn’t let her go out, but she still went out. As she was heading to the party the devil stood in her way, and who knows what extra details my grandmother added. There was one story though that she swore was true and very close to home. The year was 1975†¦ there was a young woman who lived in San Antonio, Texas. She was a shy kind of girl, a homebody so to speak. Her friends were the ones known to go out every weekend dancing, but she was different. So one night, her friends pressured her to go out. She wasn’t really up for it. She had a bad feeling about it actually. Nonetheless she still got all dressed up and went out. Once she got to El Camaroncito Night Club, she felt out of place. Her friends were off dancing with partners they had found. This was while she was left off on the side like a wallflower. See more: Homeless satire essay There was a turning point in the night though. It was the moment that a young handsome man walked. He automatically grabbed every women’s attention. He was dressed in all white, and was a brilliant dancer. He wooed many of the ladies in the room, while the young lady stared in astonishment. Mid song he caught the young woman staring at him. Their eyes locked as he slowly approached her through the crowd. He asked her to dance and off they went. Together they danced so gracefully, it was as if they were floating in the air. Inevitably everyone stared at them. They gathered in a circle around them, hypnotized by their dance. Time seemed to have slowed down, but the music was as loud as ever. The handsome man grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer. Together they spun and spun. At this point, the young girl was finally glad she went out. She was having fun, with a handsome man. But little did she know of what was to occur. As they spun into the center of the dance floor, they spun faster and faster. It looked as if they were losing control. Now everyone really looked directly at them. They began to levitate into the air and it was as if there was a spotlight on them. They both were in the air now slowly spinning now. He was now smiling while she looked unconscious, her head pulled back. The man’s shoes had disappeared and in their place was a chicken foot and a hoof as his feet. The sign of the devil. Woman began screaming in horror as everyone began to evacuate. There was no time, the lights went out. As the lights came on the woman laid there on the floor motionless, she was dead. And the man had entirely vanished. Only a strong smell of sulfur remained, which is the smell of the devil. He was never to be seen again. The police were called but could not do anything. That is where the story ends. When I was a young girl this story scared me so much, but now it fascinates me. I don’t know if it really is true or not, but I don’t mind. I will say this though, I looked it up online and there were many articles on this story. Some details vary but for the most part they are all exactly the same story. It is up to you now to decide whether you believe this or not†¦

Classifiation of Business Students :: essays research papers

Classifiation of Business Students As members of a team at State University, we are individuals. As a team we are a collage of different individuals working together to achieve a common goal. The goal in this case is a business management degree. No matter how common our goal is as a team, we as individuals each have a unique path in achieving it. For instance, some team members have an interactive style. They have the tendency to be fast paced, and spontaneous. This is fine and works well with a couple of the dominant styles in the group. They see eye to eye on the speed of completing tasks. On the other hand there is a cautious style in the team that has a slower paced approach to tasks. This is in direct conflict to the interactive styles speed. Also, the interactive style has a desire to be in touch with and acknowledgement by others. They seek recognition and approval by others. This is a similar aspect of the dominant style. The cautious member of the group has a tendency to work and spend time alone. The cautious does share the interactive styles desire to be noticed, not for effort, but rather accuracy. Another behavioral style that was noted by one of the team members was part of the interactive style; which is also known as the â€Å"impresser.† The impresser is less open and less direct than most other interactive styles. The primary goal that motivates an impresser is to win with flair. The impresser does not want to win at any cost or hurt others’ feelings. Taking shortcuts for an impresser is cheating, so this type of person avoids such behavior. The impresser becomes impatient with those who procrastinate about getting started. At times, an impresser can get so involved with getting a job done that he or she may stretch the truth a bit. As an impresser one must pace themselves better by adding one-third to one-half the time to original estimates of when tasks can be done. Summarily, reduce by one-third to one-half the number of projects they take on. They must maintain perspective by seeking to be less emotional and intense about non-critical situations. Taking a stress management course and learning simple breathing exercises as a way to deal with pressure will be best for an impresser. Another style is the predominantly cautious style of behavior.

Macbeth as a tragic hero

The focal point of the paper is to trace the instances of Macbeth’s character as a tragic hero. This would also include the appearance of the witches when he was pure and loyal and gradually descend to the point of near insanity when he found himself nearing the ultimate stage of becoming evil himself. It could well be mentioned in this context that concept of a hero and a tragic hero is rather a perspective of the reader. However, it can be stated that a character is defined as a hero when he appears to be a central character of the story. This same person is labeled as a tragic hero if the readers find him indulging in acts that are not moral or legal. Macbeth fits this criterion of a tragic hero perfectly. (Tyerman, 233-35) The text reveals in the opening phase of the drama that Macbeth is an extremely capable warrior in accordance to the account of the captain, thus making him an important aspect of the drama. It is here through the captain’s point we come to know that Macbeth is one of the most loyal subjects of King Duncan. Next we see that Macbeth is interacting with three witches who helps us understand the three major attributes of Macbeth i.e. self-doubt, ambition and physical bravery. At the same time it beyond doubt in the basement Macbeth’s character is clean and as a solder he is true to his job and his king. (Powell, 49-50) However, at the end of this scene we see the ignition of evil in the form of ambition but in an understated phase. This was a state where he was fighting for his king and now when victory was achieved he wanted the better part of it for himself. Things started changing at a faster phase and Macbeth found himself submerging into the various aspects of evil. First he, with the instigation of Lady Macbeth, he killed King Duncan then it was the turn of Banquo. Banquo was a friend but he was eliminated in the process of keeping Macbeth’s throne safe. He did not stop to this and eliminated the family too. By the end of the play, at his death, Macbeth was completely a tragic hero as a character. (Powell, 51-53) The transition of Macbeth from being a heroic character to a tragic hero came in various phases and aspects of circumstances and political developments. It was not a justification from Macbeth’s point in the act of killing King Duncan. The only justification of Macbeth was his ambition. He was not pleased with his possession of Glamis and Cawdor, he wanted more. He wanted to be the king himself. It is true that he was instigated by the witches. The witches stated â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee. Thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee. Thane of Cawdor! / All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king thereafter!† (Shakespeare, I.3) This lead to the assassination of Duncan with ample moral and physical support from Lady Macbeth and all this time Macbeth tries to be brave and just to himself but deep inside his morality is broken although Lady Macbeth tried her heart out to justify each evil acts of Macbeth. Macbeth knows that he is on the wrong side. For Macbeth, as he mentions time and again, Duncan is more than a king to Macbeth and is like a father to him. Thus with this act of treachery and treason he was, at a sphere, murder his father. This was a huge leap towards becoming a tragic hero as well as a negative character. (Tyerman, 235-37) Banquo too fought beside him with almost equal success and that created doubts in Macbeth’s mind as Banquo was about to become an important foe in the line of his ambition. This too was prophesied by the witches stating that the decedents of Banquo would reign as ruler. Thus it became more obvious that Banquo should be killed. However, he himself knows very well that whatever he is doing is unethical and unjustified and he becomes more aligned with the witches where the inner self represented as the witches are depicted as ridiculous and bizarre and obviously unholy with their actions like â€Å"Double, double, toil and trouble, / Fire burn and cauldron bubble† (Shakespeare, IV.i.10–11) and â€Å"eye of newt and toe of frog†. (Shakespeare, IV.i.14). At this part Macbeth becomes an extension of evil spirit such as the witches themselves. At this point whatever Macbeth acts or represents becomes a manifestation of ill fate and unholy intensions. He orders assassinations and tries to kills any and every heir to the throne like a true negative character and this plays an impact over his mind. One major part of this follow through was Macbeth’s misapprehension of blood. (Prawer, 224-5) He saw blood everywhere and it appeared to him that this blood was of Duncan’s and that it could not be rinsed away. â€Å"I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er† (Shakespeare, III. 4. 135–137). It would be relevant to mention that the playwright William Shakespeare depicted the character of Macbeth as a metaphor of human ambition gone wrong. This makes a character that starts as a brave and powerful warrior who is completely loyal to his abilities and more so to his king. He is well loved by his men and friends and the King himself and there is no reason to accept him as a positive hero but gradually we find him rolling into the abyss of evil procedures and ultimately becomes a tragic hero as a character. The arrival of the three witches also signifies the contributing factor as an instrument. This part of the text appears to us as a superficial metaphor but this is apparently no illusion as per the drama. This is because there was another person who witnessed the witches and he is Banquo. Therefore, it could be ascertained that the characters of the three witches are in reality not illusions but a simple dramatic manifestation of the underlying sense of ambition of a courageous warrior who has tasted success few moments ago for his King, Duncan. This was a state where he was fighting for his king and now when victory was achieved he wanted the better part of it for himself. It is but human to ask more and it is human to be prone towards errors. But these are not qualities of a hero. Thus Macbeth is more tragic hero than a hero. (Prawer, 221-2) In this context it would be relevant to mention that the trace the instances of Macbeth’s `visions’ also contributes to the fact that Macbeth was becoming a tragic hero as a character. His visions were so powerful because his desires were authoritative, commanding and extremely influential. Macbeth’s visions in the end appears to be born out of the conflict of morality and ambition and thus could be well be narrated as a manifestation of the argument of the inner self. These visions are therefore both illusions and imprint of the psychological analysis at the same time. But the overall aspect of these illusions is negative as they are all inclined towards evil visions of death, blood and fear. A character that experiences these visions makes the character negative with a malevolence vibe. Such a person is never a hero. But as he is the central character of the drama it would be logical to address him as a tragic hero. (Prawer, 223-4) In the later stages we see that illusions in the true sense of a psychologist appear in the scene with Macbeth visualizing the appearance of Banquo’s ghost. This is nothing superficial but the inner fear of an otherwise physically brave individual. Macbeth tries to be brave and just to himself but deep inside his morality is broken although Lady Macbeth tried her heart out to justify each evil acts of Macbeth. Macbeth knows that he is on the wrong side and the fear of remaining in the wrong side ultimately was manifested as the ghost of Banquo. Macbeth’s subconscious morality projected the act of murder as a ghost. It is a true illusion but of the psychological context. Psychology plays a deep impact on Macbeth all the text and another superficial aspect of Macbeth’s inner fears were revealed when he visualized Banquo’s dead body looking at him and he is tremendously terrified that Banquo might still be alive. This one vision or illusion appears as a striking note to Macbeth’s morality and thus expose the inner contradiction of Macbeth’s ambition, morality, justification and self doubt. (Gervers, 17-22) In conclusion it can be stated that Macbeth is a villain in many senses but a lovable villain without doubt and this contributes this character to become one of the crafted tragic hero of literature. Reference: Shakespeare, W; Complete Works of Shakespeare; (National Book Trust 1982) Prawer, H A; Kings and Kingdoms: Analysis of Royalty in Shakespearean Plays (Allied Publishers 1998) pp 221-5 Powell, M; Anatomy of a Character: Macbeth (ABP Ltd 2001) pp 49-53 Gervers, V; Power Mechanism in Literature (HBT Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2000) pp 17-22 Tyerman, J; Invention of the Tragic King (Allied Publications 2001) pp 233-37

The Salem Witch Trials Of 1692 - 1270 Words

The Salem Witch Trials The year 1692 is remembered as one of the most scandalous times in American History. Throughout the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, over a hundred people were accused of practicing witchcraft (the majority of them being women). 14 women were hung, and 5 men were accused leading to a total of 19 people dying due to these trials. One man was even pressed to death by substantial weights for declining to enter a plea (Linder 1). No less than eight individuals passed on in jail, including one baby and one child; and more than one hundred and fifty people were imprisoned while anticipating trial. The primary reasons for the witch trials were clashes over managing governmental issues, religion, family, financial aspects, and apprehensions of the citizens. The Salem Witch Trials reflect the harsh and rigid judgements of the Puritans and citizens of Salem. It is one of the most intriguing story in American History. The accusations began on January 20, 1692, when Reverend Pa rris, the Puritan minister of Salem, noticed strange behavior from his nine-year old daughter, Elizabeth, and his eleven-year-old niece, Abigail Williams (Blumberg 5). The two children started showing odd conduct including yelling vulgar words and going into dazes. Parris contacted the local physician, William Griggs, but he was unable to find out what was wrong with the children. Griggs suspected some demonic behavior from the children, so Parris spoke with other ministers. Not even a dayShow MoreRelatedThe Salem Witch Trials Of 16921281 Words   |  6 PagesThe Salem Witch Trials were a sequence of hearings, prosecutions, and hangings of people who were thought to be involved in witchcraft in Massachusetts. These trials occurred between February 1692 and May 1693(The Salem Witch Trials, 1692. ). The Trials resulted in the execution of twenty people, in fact, most of them were women. The first of the trials began in several towns in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, such as Sa lem Village (currently known as Danvers), Salem Town, Ipswich, and Andover(SalemRead MoreSalem Witch Trials Of 16921271 Words   |  6 PagesSalem Witch Trials of 1692 Salem was a very disperse community in the Massachusetts Bay colony with a growing Puritan community in the northern America. Towns in the colony were scattered by a half days travel or more. In view of this, transportation and communication was a very slow and the settlers were threatened by the attack of bears and other wild animals. Puritans were spiritual people and believed that God is the ruler of everything they possessed. The puritans believed that they were theRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials Of 1692 Essay2205 Words   |  9 Pages The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 were a dark time in American history. There were many possible causes of the Salem Witch Trials. A few major causes that led to the Salem Witch Trials were religion, reputations, and lack of laws. Life before the infamous Salem Witchcraft Trials was extremely mundane and normal. Salem villagers led a simple life in the customs of the Puritans. The Salem village and society was based and founded on the Puritan religion. The people had a very set lifestyle withRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials of 1692941 Words   |  4 PagesA. Plan of the investigation The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a dark and very crucial time in American history. The late sixteen hundreds consisted of relying on young girls for the truth; but to what extent did the puritan’s religion and culture have in the proceedings of the Salem Witch Trials? A focus on the religion that the puritans believed in and their culture will be discussed. Also, how their faith turned them against those who were accused of witchcraft. It is also neededRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trial Hysteria Of 1692879 Words   |  4 PagesThe Salem Witch Trial hysteria of 1692 caused 20 people to be hung or pressed to death and 4 perished in jail. In addition, 200 people in Salem were accused of being witches. On June 10 of 1692, Bridget Bishop was charged with practicing witchcraft and she was also accused of bewitching her husband to death. The result of her not confessing was that she was hung to her death. All of this frenzy started in the house of Samuel Parris. His daught ers were consumed by the bizarre tales told by their IndianRead MoreThe Causes Of The Salem Witch Trials Of 1692700 Words   |  3 PagesSalem Witch Trials DBQ   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How would you feel if your life was ruined just because you were considered unfit for society? This is exactly what was going on during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Prior to the trials, there were witch hunts that caused global unease mainly to Protestant societies. King Philip’s War also contributed to this unease by pushing people from the east coast and into Puritan towns. These towns had misogynistic male leadership, depriving many people of humanity becauseRead MoreEssay on Salem Witch Trials Of 16921061 Words   |  5 PagesThe Salem Witch Trials of 1692 In colonial Massachusetts between February of 1692 and May of 1963 over one hundred and fifty people were arrested and imprisoned for the capital felony of witchcraft. Trials were held in Salem Village, Ipswich, Andover and Salem Town of Essex County of Massachusetts, but accusations of witchcraft occurred in surrounding counties as well. Nineteen of the accused, fourteen women and five men, were hanged at Gallows Hill near Salem Village. Hysteria had swept throughRead MoreWitch Hunts : The Salem Witch Trials Of 1692938 Words   |  4 PagesWitch Hunts Essay â€Å"Its funny how everyone hates witch hunts†¦ until they see a witch† - Jon Stewart Even though The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 was one of the most well-known witchcraft trials over the world, the idea of witchcraft stretches over a long period of time and spreads throughout the world. One of the earliest known witch hunts according to (witchcraftandwitches.com) were in the mid 15th century, where Pope Innocent VII claimed that Satanists in Germany were meeting with demonsRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials And The Witch Hunts Of 1692801 Words   |  4 Pagesduring the witch hunts of 1692. The primary source that is being analyzed isn’t about him but is from many stories that he collected and put them together in a manuscript. This manuscript that contains true accounts about the trial and it included the attempted escape of Mrs. Cary of Charlestown Massachusetts told from her husband Nathaniel Cary’s viewpoint. I believe that Nathaniel Cary wanted this account to be written in order to highlight and expose how the puritans handled the witch trials and spe cificallyRead MoreThe Spring Of 1692 Salem Witch Trials1698 Words   |  7 PagesIn the spring of 1692 the Salem witch trials began. During this time in history women accused of being witches often faced being torture, testing, and trials. Most of the time witches experienced executions if not that, put in jail. The townspeople tortured the accused witches in the most inhumane ways. This is considered a very dark and eerie time of the Puritans in Salem, Massachusetts (P., Shaunak). A group of young girls in Salem, Massachusetts told the people of their town they had been possessed