Muted Group Theory

Pant set us this assignment she told us that we could choose any topic at all that she has touched upon in class and we have to note our response to it. It does not need to be a theory only. I read the theories and had Initially thought that I would Like to comment on how men are forced to conform to certain stereotypes and at times have to bottle up their emotions to ensure they are accepted by the people around them. However, 2 days before the submission date, I was casually browsing the internet when I came across the below advertisement.It aught my attention, forcing me research and reflect on it thus completely changing my topic. The ad for a Jewelry brand shows high carat diamonds and other precious stones which along with the kind of clothes that the models are wearing and the usage of English language shows that it is aimed at affluent and educated families. The ad shows the woman echoing the thought that ‘l did not choose my husband but I can choose my Jewelry. This to me dispels the notion that some of us have, which Is that only certain rural and attacked' classes actually have limitations put on their redeem of choice.That educated people In urban areas have the luxury of being able to make the decision of the magnitude of choosing one's life partner. Yes, It Is a luxury. No, even many of the financially rich cannot afford it at times. In my experience this luxury has little to do with finances. In fact most of the financially well-off families that I know or have heard off, have more restrictions than those that belong to middle class ‘service' families.Most of my friends that come from high income ‘business' families have been conditioned to do whatever they want in life, hey have the best of facilities and freedom to do whatever they want, Except choose a life partner belonging to a significantly different economic background than themselves. For some of them even the person Is chosen by the parents, not on the merits of the per son, rather on his/her formally business and finances. The concept of using marriage for forming stronger business or political alliances Is not new.The marriage between McHugh emperor Kafka with the Ragout princess Soda was a marriage of alliance. My wife and I have picked out the perfect spouse for my son. They have developed a wonderful relationship together over the years, with great chemistry and warmth. She comes from a family that has identical values and priorities to ours and would make wonderful in-laws. They are both 9 years old. I (Bussing, 2011) Jeff Bussing was uses this real life incident that he came across to further talk about arranged marriages in business and specifically in entrepreneurship.Movies like Kabuki Sushi Kabul Sham (2001), Arthur (1981 and 2011), Dialed Outlandish El Cayenne (1995) etc. Have highlighted this practice over the years. Kabuki Slush Kabuki Sham showed a very wealthy family's patriarch who was educated, well mannered, generous and a loving family man, but when the decision of his son's marriage comes up his sentiments are that his son does not need to be Involved In the decision of his marriage. When his wife tries to suggest that the son should be consulted in this She is finally silenced with a ‘Eke day an†¦ Bas eke day' which translates to ‘Vie said so†¦That's it'. No further discussion required. Arthur, the drunk heir to his family's fortunes has every conceivable luxury available, as long as he agrees to marry a wealthy heiress of his family's choosing. He falls in love with a ‘common working class girl' which is unacceptable to his grandmother. She threatens to disown him from the family fortune if he does not marry the wealthy heiress she chose. Dialed Outlandish El Cayenne has the family patriarch who had fixed his daughters marriage to his friend's son in the infancy of both the children itself.The family since moved to a different continent and the children have grown up in envir onments that are poles apart with no contact with each other. But when the girl finishes her higher education she is expected to accept marrying the man without even meeting him first. This is not to say the parents don't care about their children, they care deeply. They Just assume that they know better than their children. Here the parents hold the power and act out the role of the Dominant group as per the Muted Group theory and the children form the Muted group.The Muted Group Theory (MGM) was put forward by anthropologists Shirley and Edwin Arden and was further elaborated by Cherish Kramer and others like Robe, Herring, Radii Copra etc. The dominant group does not intentionally silence the muted group; they may not even realist they are doing so till it is explicitly pointed out to them. Most Muted groups tend to try to speak, but their words fall on deaf ears. When this happens continually over a period of time, they ‘lose their voice'. Losing their voice means not Just the ability to spell out opinions.It goes deeper; they accept things as they are and to them will always be and stop thinking about it altogether. The Just quietly do what they are told to do. Another interpretation of the Muted Group Theory was put forward by Emily Hartley in her research paper titled ‘Muted Group Theory Application in the Indiana Wesleyan University Theatre Program'. (Hartley, 2012) She applied the MGM to her the universities theatre program and found that the theatre students were being ‘muted' by the conservative institute which had strict rules about censorship.Since most plays contained some or the other ‘bad' language they were not allowed to stage those productions. There were also several other factors that were contributing to the silencing process such as the Theatre advisory board, the faculty, the administrative and financial policies. All of this was curtailing the artistic expression of the students which can demoralize and limit in tellectual growth. This is not to say that things cannot be changed. There are many ways to unmet a muted group. Some strategies that have been found to be effective are: 1.Calling out and attaching nomenclature to the methods used for silencing the muted groups. Making the dominant groups realizes that they are silencing the others. 2. Celebrating the things that others use to suppress the muted groups with. Egg: LIGHT community taking pride in their sexuality and holding parades. 3. Creating a new language that is more suitable to the muted group capable of reflecting the opinions they want to express. Egg: movies, painting, an actual language, computer mediated communication etc.

Gulf Refinery Fire

In the early hours of August 17, 1975, a tragic disaster occurred on the Gulf Oil refinery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This horrific disaster took the lives of eight firefighters, and potentially could have taken more lives if it wasn’t for the help of many surrounding fire stations. The cause of the fire was the overfilling of Tank 231. While no crude oil escaped from the tank as a result of being overfilled, large quantities of hydrocarbon vapors were trapped above the surface of the tank’s crude oil. As the quantity of crude oil increased, these hydrocarbon vapors were forced out of the tank’s vents and into the area of the No. Boiler House where the initial flash occurred. The overfilling of the tank resulted from a failure of the tanker’s personnel to properly monitor the quantity of crude oil being pumped to the tank. This whole disaster could have been avoided by just double checking the amount of crude oil in Tank 231. At 12:45 a. m. on the morning of Sunday, August 17, 1975, the tanker â€Å"M/T Afran Neptune,† tied up at a Gulf Refinery dock, began pumping reconstituted Venezuelan crude oil with additional 5 percent naphtha into Gulf Refinery Tank No. 31. Tank No. 231, built in 1929, of riveted seam construction, had a capacity of 75,000 barrels and had recently been renovated with an internal floating roof. Within the refinery, the tank was located at Avenue â€Å"Y† and 4th Street. Located just west of Tank No. 231 was Boiler House No. 4, the site of a four-alarm fire on April 22, 1967. A brick chimney arose from Boiler House No. 4 and this stack was a familiar sight to westbound motorists on the Penrose Avenue Bridge as th e word â€Å"GULF† was painted in large, white letters. Hydrocarbon vapors, emanating from Tank 231, accumulated in the area of the boiler house and were ignited by an unknown ignition source. A flame front followed the vapors back to Tank 231 causing fire at the tank’s vents and an explosion within the outer shell of the stack. These events began to unfold at 5:57 a. m. Shortly thereafter, a second explosion occurred within Tank 231. Burning petroleum spilled from the tank’s vents into a diked area surrounding the tank. Within the diked area a second tank, No. 114, just north of Tank 231, containing No. 6 grade fuel oil, also ignited as pipelines within the diked area began to fail. The initial explosion also damaged the pipe manifold outside of the dike wall and petroleum pouring out under pressure ignited. At 6:04 a. m. , upon receiving the report of fire from the Gulf Refinery, the Philadelphia Fire Department transmitted the refinery’s fire alarm box: Box 5988, Penrose and Lanier Avenues. Upon leaving their station, Engine 60 could see fire and smoke conditions at a distance, and before arriving at the refinery, Engine 60 ordered the second alarm at 6:09 a. m. First arriving companies had large clouds of heavy black smoke emanating from Tank No. 31, fire on top of Tank No. 114, and fire showing from the 150-foot stack at Boiler House No. 4. The third and fourth alarms were ordered in quick succession by Battalion Chief 1, Arthur Foley, at 6:11 a. m. and 6:14 a. m. Acting Assistant Fire Chief Dalmon Edmunds ordered the fifth alarm at 6:34 a. m. The sixth alarm was ordered by Fire Commissioner Joseph Rizzo at 6:52 a. m. Over the next several hours, fire fighters utilized deluge guns and master streams to cool down surrounding exposures, and applied foam directly to the burning tanks and piping in an effort to extinguish the fire. By 8:44 a. m. it appeared that the fire was well contained and the situation sufficiently stabilized to declare the fire under control. As the firefighting operation progressed, it became apparent that the refinery’s sewerage system was not up to the task of properly draining the foam, water and petroleum-naphtha product mixture that was accumulating on the ground along Avenue â€Å"Y,† between 4th Street and 5th Street to the east, running in front of the refinery’s administration building. These drainage problems were further exacerbated by a decision by refinery personnel to shutoff drainage pumps. Three members were attending to the apparatus and wading in the foam-water-petroleum mixture which was accumulating on the ground. Commissioner Rizzo and Gulf Refinery manager Jack Burk were on an overhead catwalk nearby observing the fire fighting operation. Without warning the accumulating liquid surrounding Engine 133 ignited, immediately trapping the three firefighters working at Engine 133. Instinctively and without hesitation other nearby firefighters dove into the burning liquid to rescue their comrades, not aware of the danger to themselves. Five more firefighters would be consumed by the advancing fire. The flames just engulfed them,† said Commissioner Joseph Rizzo, describing how he escaped the first of dozens of explosions but looked back to see three of his men sealed in flames. â€Å"They were trying to get under the foam, but to no avail,† he said. â€Å"They were human torches. † The fire quickly spread eastward along Avenue â€Å"Y† towards 5th Street. Viewing the unfolding horror before him, Commissioner Rizzo ordered two more alarms, five additional rescue squads, and the recall of all companies which had previously been released from the fire grounds throughout the day. On these orders the fire alarm room transmitted the seventh and eighth alarms. As the fire had been placed under control nearly eight hours earlier, firefighters in stations across the city knew that the unthinkable had occurred as these additional alarms were struck. At 4:46 p. m. Commissioner Rizzo ordered the ninth alarm and notification of Philadelphia Managing Director Hillel Levinson as a major disaster was now unfolding at the Gulf Refinery. As the fire swept rapidly eastward along 5th Street, Philadelphia’s foam pumpers, Engines 160 and 133, and the Gulf Refinery foam pumper, were rapidly destroyed in the fire’s advance. At 5th Street, where Engines 16 and 40 had been assigned to improve drainage, their pieces were also destroyed in the fire’s path, although their pump operators were able to escape. Upon reaching 5th Street, the fire traveled two city blocks north along 5th Street, now threatening four additional storage tanks and the 125-foot Penrose Avenue Bridge. At 5:37 p. m. , Commissioner Rizzo ordered the tenth alarm as the fire was now traveling southward and engulfing the refinery’s administration building, which was located on the south side of Avenue â€Å"Y† between 4th and 5th Streets. The tenth alarm companies were ordered to report to Gate 24 at Penrose and Lanier Avenues, to set up deluge guns and leave the area. As the situation continued to deteriorate at the Gulf Refinery, Commissioner Rizzo ordered the 11th alarm. By seven o’clock, the involved tanks and pipelines were gushing flames and nearby streets in the complex were burning streams of oil and other petroleum products. The courageous men of the Philadelphia Fire Department kept with the fire, retaking 5th Street, 4th Street, and finally Avenue â€Å"Y. † At 1:00 a. m. Commissioner Rizzo left the fire grounds to visit the injured firefighters in the hospital. Rizzo then gave command to Deputy Fire Commissioner Harry T. Kite who placed the fire under control at 5:38 a. m. on Monday, August 18, 1975. The tragedy that occurred on the hot august day in 1975 could have been avoided all together if the refinery personnel in charge of Tank 231 simply monitored the amount of crude oil being pumped into the tank. Mistakes do happen, but unfortunately this mistake took the lives of eight firefighters. As of now we can only take th is disaster into consideration and make sure this doesn’t ever happen again in the future. In remembrance of the firefighters who perished in the blaze: John Andrews, 49, Engine 49.

Article Review Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Article Review - Research Paper Example The author clearly states an explicit thesis and has a specific point of view; the impact of juvenile drug courts on drug use and criminal behavior. What prompted the researchers to carry out this study is that there is very limited literature that supports the effectiveness of the juvenile drug courts (JDC). Therefore, the study was aimed to fill in the gap on the effectiveness of JDCs. The audiences for the article include criminal justice agencies, teachers, parents, young children and youths, psychologists, law enforcement agents, and medical practitioners. The article is organized into an abstract, introduction, study objectives, methodology, results, discussion and analysis, and conclusion. The article’s abstract provides a summary of the study. The juvenile drug courts have adopted the models together with philosophy of courts for adults, however, their successes in bringing down drug addiction together with juvenile deliquency have been mixed. The research study made comparisons on juvenile drug courts with youths receiving standard probation on alcohol and other drugs to criminal re-offences 3 to 30 months after the youths had served the juvenile drug court’s probation. The study uses a quasi-experimental design. The participants included youth who participated in either probation (596) or JDC (622) between 2003 and 2007. The study results found out that probation and JDC youth did not differ significantly on alcohol and other drugs offending. Contrarily, the JDC juveniles had statistically significant fewer delinque nt crimes in contrast to those on probation, with the difference between the groups widening with extended follow-up periods. The authors start by providing a background information on JDCs. This enables the readers to have a background knowledge of the study. Various interventions have been used to address juvenile delinquency. The most common strategy in the juvenile justice system is punishment that is

International Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

International Trade - Essay Example When the overall prices for the raw materials decrease, larger scale manufacturing is valued and the merchandize above the local demand line is exported to generate income and get international product exposure Increased demand for foreign products any where can increase exports in that country. Also the accidental surged demand for any product globally also increases exports. For Example; increased demand for face masks when the Swine Flu spread like an epidemic disease. Sudden demand for warm or cooler clothes, technological changes and need for technologically enhanced products also shift the demand curve upward. The increased governmental spending might improve the standard of living in a country. The improved standard of living might not ensure that people will start buying expensive products but they will try to invest money and save by buying good quality products in relatively lesser currency notes Easier and supple terms of trade have also encouraged exports globally. This means that governments and organizations find it easier and cheaper to get into international trade with the neighboring countries because a loathsome burden of the terms of trade is waived off. The slack terms of trades in term of tariffs and quotas, encourage cross border trades and businesses This graph explains the impact of increased/decreased demand and supply of local product and eventually a shift in the demand for foreign products. The same happens in reality as well, when demand for local products increases, the imports (exports for foreign country) also increases in order to attain the equilibrium in the market. When this happens the magnitude of change in exports (from foreign country’s end) is almost double than that of the change in local products or imports. Considering and applying trade liberalization theories, where the perfect

Wesfamers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Wesfamers - Essay Example It provides an in-depth knowledge regarding an entity or an issue or an event to the individuals, which helps them to build conception regarding the same. A company listed under stock exchange has to provide information to its stakeholders so as to keep them updated regarding the performance. This company has to maintain flow of information to its stakeholders as they have to comply with the rules and regulations that are formulated by the higher authorities of stock exchange (Westbrook 7). This information is a medium of communication of the stakeholders with the company. This helps in changing the view point of the stakeholders towards the company. Here, stakeholders refer to customers, employees, shareholders, media, investment community and the bankers. For the companies, which are registered under stock exchanges, information is described as the disclosure as it has direct or indirect impact on its stock price. Information has many forms from announcements to accounting numbers, which depicts achievements of the company, its descriptive activities and different corporate functions that are essential for its operation (Westbrook 7). Communication theory was first established by the famous Greek Philosophers Aristotle and Plato. They had discovered three components as the art of disclosure such as grammar, logic and rhetoric. In the context of corporate communication, rhetoric aims at establishing a relationship between the information that are shared by the company and the way they are communicated to the general public. Presently, the information age had influenced the traditional media and it is challenged by the online source of information. The stock exchanges release data and information regarding company stock performance, which comply with the rules and regulations (Westbrook 7-9) in their website. This information assists the stakeholders to make appropriate decisions regarding any investment. The stakeholders belong to two

Social science research Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Social science research - Assignment Example Apparently both methods draw considerable advantages and disadvantages and in this essay, I seek to critically evaluate them and on their application in social science works. The main advantage of the qualitative methodology is that, it employs a descriptive, modest, and inductive techniques of data collection that are compatible with social science works (McRoy, n.d.). It is the most advocated method when social workers are studying issues or topics that do not agree with the quantitative research approach. From a social psychological basis, qualitative method is coherent with person-in-environment of social science professional practice. In dealing with patient’s issues and treatment, doctors, nurses, and clinicians rely on interviews to gather information about a particular client’s illness. Such practitioners, therefore, follow a series of intuitions and working assumptions that are based on observations made through ongoing interaction with the patients. Most training offered to social science practitioner is based on qualitative research, whereby from a qualitative view, they are trained to observe at each case individually (McRoy, n. d.). Unlike quantitative method that focuses on broader social sciences topics; qualitative approach has the advantage of addressing micro-level studies. The micro-level issues include those of small groups, subjects, or organizations and research that are not so much physical, but rather needs a psychological approach. When qualitative research is applied in such topics, it draws a wide range of facets that depict a picture of wholeness in terms of group(s), person (s) or settings of the situation. The depicted picture of a study by a qualitative researcher on micro-level topics is holistic because it pulls all the necessary colours, structures, and textures into the painting(Tewksbury, 2009).The after analysis result is plainly contrasting and can never

Week2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Week2 - Essay Example diary or separate company is the most appropriate strategy as opposed to a branch because the mother company can transfer financial assistance to the separate company from a foreign financial institution in form of grant loans, which is not possible when labelled as branch office. Besides, the separate subsidiary would be able to return the financial favour in form of dividend or loyalty hence minimizing tax obligations(Barney, 2008; PWC, 2008). The IRS has their own strategies of detecting whether a corporation is remitting appropriate amount of tax either through office or field examination. The filed examiners would visit the business strategy and determine the amount of tax payable. During such visits, they conduct auditing interviews and running tax reports(Barney, 2008; PWC, 2008). If the addition tax is found, the team will inform the corporation and require them to sign the tax report. However, the corporation may decide to decline signing until they go through the report and verify the details. The tax policy is not prohibiting foreign investment but rather enhancing transparency in financial dealing. The USA tax policy especially on the transfers, states that every exchange of property must be subjected to taxation under the section 351 and 361(Barney, 2008; PWC, 2008). The corporations are required to declare in the form what details of the property is

Brunswick Distribution Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Brunswick Distribution - Case Study Example Factors attributed to the current crisis vary. Brunswick Inc faces numerous challenges associated with marketing, finance, and operation. They include; 1) retailers’ interests to buy directly from manufacturers 2) growing direct competition from other distributors 3) manufacturers’ rigid attitude to credits 4) retailers’ delayed payments and 5) issues related to giving and taking orders. Bradley Pulaski, the vice president of operations suggests expanding the service area across the Midwest because according to him, the company still gets service requests from potential customers of that region. However, it demands the construction of a new warehouse as distribution from the current facility will cause delayed deliveries. Bradley’s proposal would cost a total $12 million for property, plant, and equipment. In contrast, Mariana Jackson, the vise president of logistic thinks that providing timely service is the vital part in order to retain the existing customers. It involves empowering the distribution system with web-based technology like call center and integrated information backup. He envisages that the improved system would make distribution more cost effective as it can save up to 16% in shipping expenses and 16% in labor expenses annually. Finding both options inappropriate to the situation, Alex Brunswick determines to use a 12% cost of capital as discount rate when making financial decisions. Among the three options, Mariana Jackson’s suggestion seems more relevant to the case. If the firm’s information system is enhanced, it can avoid unnecessary delays in customer service and deliveries. Pulaski’s option flaws as it doubles company’s financial burden. Since the company is unable to give timely delivery, expanding its coverage to Midwest will cause more troubles. In the same way, Alex’s decision is also not a sufficient strategy. Two things are

Analyse the role of the Marriage Amendment Act 2002 (Commonwealth) in Essay

Analyse the role of the Marriage Amendment Act 2002 (Commonwealth) in attempting to adress the perceived social problems - Essay Example The marriage institution as a socially sanctioned union for procreation and child-rearing has been found in all societies, but in widely varying forms. Marriage is sometimes used to establish the legal father of a woman’s child and vice versa; gives the both partners control over the others sexual services, labor and property; establishes a joint fund of property for the benefit of children; establishes a relationship between the spouses. The most common type of marriage is treated as the union of one or more men with one or more women. Marriage is usually heterosexual and entails exclusive rights and duties of sexual performance. Prior to all the hoopla about marriage, the society has seemingly established certain norms and practices that govern the act of marriage. Laws are made to preserve marriage and the family as the basic unit of society. Such laws over the years have seen so many changes in order to adapt to the changing attitude in the society. Dissenting opinions hav e resulted to so many arguments that question the laws passed by each country and are equated as a restrictive measure in the marriage act to satirically portray a morally upright society. Yet in this current period of history when equal rights are commonly fought and granted by the governments, society has also substantially gained a relaxed observance towards the practices that prevailed 25 years ago in the marriage union. Times have changed and society has grown as a whole thereby certain laws are explored that allow equal treatment of rights and preferences as applied into the laws of marriage. However, religions have lobbied against a so-called break-up of the covenant that establishes an exclusive marital union in religion as recognized in modern society. Other celebrated unions that are beyond the religious were sometimes shunned in the last century. Our egalitarian government has given us given us the freedom to choose and practice of our own religion and allowed us to treat

The development of evil and its effect in the play Macbeth Essay Example for Free

The development of evil and its effect in the play Macbeth Essay Unnatural deeds to breed unnatural troubles. Trace the development of evil and its effect in the play Macbeth. Shakespeare wrote his plays during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I (James IV of Scotland) who succeeded Elizabeth in 1603. He was a Scot, interested in witchcraft and supported the theatre. Macbeth was written during his reigns as king. The main topics of Macbeth are regicide and witchcraft. During the Elizabethan period, people were thought to have lived life according to a hierarchical structure. At the top was the king (who was Divinely Appointed by God) and the peasants at the bottom. During this period, people started to question the hierarchy. In Macbeth, regicide comes into the play. Regicide is when someone murders the King and breaks the order, defying God. This then led to the thought of unnatural things happening (i.e. witches). Shakespeare tries to use the play Macbeth as propaganda and to show that people should follow the rules of hierarchy. Regicide was considered the worst possible sin. James I also had an interest in witchcraft and the supernatural element in life. The theatre was a good way of entertainment for the King, and James asked Shakespeare to write the play for him. Even from the very beginning of the play, there is a sense of mystery. It is mostly created by the witches. Fair is Foul, and foul is fair, Hover through fog and filthy air. (Act1, Scene1 The witches) The first line is a contradiction and already shows the violation of natural order. When the witches speak, the lines only contain seven syllables, but all the other characters use ten syllables in a line. There is also the use of alliteration, with the constant repeating of F. Shakespeare is setting the witches character as different and spooky compared to the rest of the characters. The witches prediction of Macbeth gaining power, are correct but is seen as evil by the audience. This is because the witches dont tell Macbeth the price hed have to pay and the consequences hed have to face. Beware Macduff; Beware the Thane of Fife (Act 4 Scene1 Apparition one) For none of women born shall harm Macbeth (Act4 Scene1 Apparition Two) Macbeth shall never vanquished be, until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane Hill (Act 4 Scene1 Apparition Three) These apparitions make Macbeth feel stronger and more confident because he thinks that all men must be born from a woman, and that the woods can not move. Macbeth doesnt feel threatened by Macduff either. He feels he can not be harmed by Macduff. Macduff: What need I fear of thee? (Act4 Scene1 Macbeth) Macbeth feels if Macduff becomes a concern he can just kill him. This shows how he grows in fear over Macduff as the play progresses. It is seen in Macbeth that the witches And the apparitions are worse than unnatural and are supernatural. Banquo calls the witched Instruments of the darkness (Act 1 scene 3). This basically means they are being referred to the workers of the devil. Nature also seems to get upset by the evil deeds. Thou seest, the heavens, as troubled with mans act, threaten his bloody stage (Act 2 Scene4) This quote means that the actions of men are threatening natures land scape. The animals are also acting unnaturally too. Tis unnatural, even like the deeds that done. On Tuesday last, a falcon towering in her pride of place was by a mousing own hawked at, and killed Rosse: And Duncans horses a thing most strange and certain beauteaous, and swift, the minions of their race, turned wild in nature as they would make war with mankind OldMan: Tis Said, they eat each other (Act 2 Scene 4) In this quote, an old man is talking about his experiences of seeing an own eating a falcon where normally the own is the prey of the falcon and Duncans horses eating each other. In act 3 Scene 4, Macbeth sees Banquos ghost. Our graves must send those that we bury back He is scared by the ghost, no one else can see the ghost except Macbeth. Earlier on in the play, Lady Macbeth is the strongest character, while Macbeth struggles with his conscience. Later on in the play, her conscious catches up with her, she cant cope with it and goes mad. Lady Macbeth keeps referring back to washing her hands in the hope that she can wash off her conscious as easily as she washed the blood off after the Kings death. In the end it gets to her so much that she kills herself. Go, get some water, and wash this filthy witness from you hand. (Act 2 Scene 2) Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth that a bit of water will wash it all away and make things beter. Out, damned spot! Out, I say! What, will these hands neer be clean? (Act 5 Scene 1) Lady Macbeth is struggling with the guilt of the murder, she is obsessed with washing her hands and trying to clean them. When Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to kill King Duncan, she calls upon the spirits and the supernatural to help her. Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts (Act 1 Scene 5) Lady Macbeth wants to get rid of her femininity. Unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty She wont kill the King herself, because she believes a man should do it, which is why she wants to make the spirits make her a man so she doesnt feel guilty. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to look happy and cover up the plans of there murder schemes but putting on an act. Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it (Act1 Scene 5) Lady Macbeth feels the guilty, but doesnt show it, she is not afraid of the conciquesnces at this point in the play. She is cold hearted. My hands are of your colour; but I shame to wear a white heart (Act 1 Scene 5) Macbeth is the main character in the book. In this play, the supernatural stuff affects him the most. He sees a dagger when hes going to kill Duncan, and hes the only one that could see Banquos ghost. Is this a dagger I see before me (Act 2 Scene 1) Macbeth knows that he is seeing things that arent really there. He then goes on a says how it was pointing in the way to kill Duncan. In Act 1 Scene 3, Macbeth makes a link with the witches as the first thing he says. So foul and fair a day I have not seen This echoes the first thing that the witches say and immediately suggests an evil link between the two lots of characters. At the end of Act 1 scene 7, Macbeth echoes what Lady Macbeth has said. False face must hide what the false heart doth know. This means, he doesnt show his feelings, and puts on an act, and doesnt let anybody know his plans of murdering the king. During the play, Macbeth seems to get a very guilty conscience. The first signs of this is in Act 2 Scene 2, where Macbeth says: As they had seen me with these hangmans hands. Listening their fear I could not say Amen when they did say God bless us Macbeth knows he has done something really bad, broke the rules and violated the order of God. He begins to feel guilty. Lady Macbeth manages to convince Macbeth to kill King Duncan at the begeining of Act1 Scene7. Macbeth We will proceed no further in this business This shows that at the beginning of this scene he didnt want to kill the King, but by the end he slowly changes his mind. I am settled; and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat (Act 1 Scene7) Along with Lady Macbeth, Macbeth refers to washing his hands, as a way of getting rid of his guilt. Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No This hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red (Act 2 Scene 2) Macbeth is saying that no water can wash the guilt inside of him away from him. I am in blood stepped in so far that should I wade no more returning were as tedious as go oer (Act 3 Scene 4) This quote from Macbeth is saying that he has done the murder now, and its hard to go back to the way it was before, because now he is living in constant fear and guilt. Just before Macbeth is about to get hung, he makes a speech. In this he says: Lifes but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. (Act 5 Scene 5) In this, Macbeth talks about how life is just a journey to death and how hes isolated, he believes Duncan is better off than he is. In this point in the play, he has lost the will to live, and in this quote, he is very emotionless. Macbeth realises that Banquo was right. To doubt th equivocation of a fiend, that lies like truth He doesnt trust witches like what Banquo said. The witches promised theyd take him up in life and make his life better, but instead they brought him down. Gradually, the other characters in the play, realise that Macbeth is not a true king his evil actions have betrayed him. Scotland is described as being sick under Macbeths rule. In Act 4 Scene 3, Malcom says that every day a gash is added to her wounds. Even Macbeth recognises there is something wrong with Scotland and calls it a disease. If thou couldst, doctor, cast the water of my land, find her disease, and purge it to a sound and pristine health. (Act 5 Scene 3). But, in Act 5 Scene 2, Cathness describes Malcom as the medicine that will cure Scotland. Meet we the medcine of the sickly weal, and with him pour we in our countrys purge each drop of us. In Act 5 Scene 9, Macduff turns up with Macbeths head. Malcom makes all the Thanes into Earls to reward them for helping him. Then Malcom invites everyone to him coronation, as he is soon to be the new king.

Personal Pronouns in Academic Writing

Personal Pronouns in Academic Writing Introduction This paper review on the works of previous studies regarding the usage of personal pronouns in research articles (RA). The review will look at the usage of personal pronouns in written corpora in different aspects; first looking at the use of personal pronouns as a whole in the world of academic writing and the differences in usage of personal pronouns among the native speakers of English and of those who uses English as a second language. In recent study, there has been an interest in investigating voice-related issues in the study of student writing (Zhao Llosa, 2008). McCrostie (n.d.) claims on the lack of research done to investigate the use of voice in non-native academic writing and fewer still, had been done on the studies below advanced level. Gender has also been mentioned as an area of study that has slowly gained attention in the study of second language research. Though this had been said, gender receives lack attention in the study of discourse; though many have claim of its importance as a mean and goal of language instruction. Thus, based on the issues above, the objective of this study is to investigate the usage of personal pronouns by male and female Malaysian academic writers. According to Nordquist (2010), personal pronouns are defined as nouns that are used to substitute the person or people who are talked about. Literature Review Personal pronouns There has been extensive research on various features of academic writing and one of frequently looked at feature is the usage of personal pronouns in academic writing. Using personal pronouns in academic writing has been related to writers voice and the writers position in the academic world. Hyland (2001) states that the use of impersonality has been proposed by manuals and textbooks as means of demonstrating scholarly persuasion and allowing writers to speak to readers in an unmediated approach (as cited in Martin, n.d). The usage of personal pronouns in scientific writing sees a development from traditional notion towards recognition of this particular writing style. Martin further comments that writers choice is announcing their presence in the academic field is viewed as a strategy that is increasingly used by writers of the international English speaking community in promoting and gaining accreditation on their claims in research. This is also supported by Cherry (1998) claimi ng on the importance of self-representation in academic discourse and Groom (1993) in his analysis of academic writing indicates the importance of writers textual voice and states that writers should clearly state when they are reporting the voice of an author or stating their own expressions and personal point of views (as cited in Martin, n.d.) Kuo (1999) investigated the use of personal pronouns in scientific journal articles and discusses on how writers are able to reveal on their own perception of their position in the academic field as well as other readers. Kuo further comments on how knowledge presented in article journals with the use of personal pronouns poses a great value towards writers as it allows writers to share personal contributions and seek solidarity with readers as well as others involved in the particular discipline. Hyland (2001) as cited in Martin (n.d.) supports this notion in his research articles across eight different disciplines on the attributions of personal pronouns, reporting a high proportion in the usage of personal pronouns in social sciences and humanities. Hyland concluded in his study that the usage of personal pronouns in scientific texts seems to be a valuable rhetorical strategy which allows writers to construct academic credibility and gain a certain degree of confidence and authori ty (as cited in Martin, n.d.). Tang John (1999) in Martin (n.d.) also mentions the importance on the usage of personal pronouns however suggests that both teachers and students should be aware on the real presence of how personal pronouns are used differently and other alternatives that can be opted towards the traditional method in claiming academic position and authority. The Use of Personal Pronouns among Non-native Speakers Martinez (2005) states on how using personal pronouns are not problematic for native, yet may pose as one on non-native speakers of English. Hyland (2000) conducted a study and revealed that non-native speakers uses personal pronouns in non-controversial contributions however avoid them when stating expressions, argumentations or opinions (as cited in Martinez, 2005). In a study conducted by Petch-Tyson (1998 in Martinez, 20005), it was found that non-native speakers use personal pronouns at a rate of two to four times more than native speakers thus concluded that learners overused first and second personal pronouns in their writing. A different study done by Tang and John (1999) on 27 Singaporean university students showed the frequency of personal pronoun usage where first person pronoun occurred 92 times in all 27 essays which indicates a similar role to Hyland (1999, 2000) and Harwood (2005 as cited in Martinez, 2005). Chang and Swales (1999) had also published a study concerning the attitudes of 37 non-native speaker graduate students studying at English universities regarding the use of personal pronouns in academic writing. From the study, it was found that regardless of their proficiency in the language, the students felt uncomfortable in using personal pronouns in academic writing. These graduate students believe that the use of personal pronouns is much more suitable to be used by senior scholars and states that using them makes academic writing more challenging. It was also found that these students rarely uses personal pronouns when giving opinions or stating the origin of a new idea (Chang and Swales, 1999 as cited in McCrostie, n.d.). McCrostie further commented that regardless of amount of studies focused on published writings, few studies had been done on unpublished writing of non-native speakers thus suggesting that there is a need to have more studies to compare unpublished writings among both native and non-native speakers which can also contribute knowledge to the study. Gender and Personal Pronouns As mentioned previously, very few researches have been conducted in the area of discourse with gender functions as a variable. Past researches focused on linguistic differences between gender and its role in the studies related to informal writing, speech and electronic messaging (Yazdani Samar, 2010). Yazdani and Samar (2010) further stated that gender; as an effective tool in writing has not given much focus on its impact or role in the methodology of teaching writing thus, needs to cater to the arising issues academically. A study done by Yazdani and Samar (2010) on Iran writers revealed that female writers use more personal pronouns compared to males. A study conducted by Armagon et al. (n.d.) also revealed similar findings in their research. Methodology This study adopts a quantitative approach. 10 articles were randomly selected where there is equal distribution among gender (5 males and 5 females). The articles were selected from GEMA Online Journal (Jurnal Pendidikan), the Malaysian Journal of ELT Research (MELTA) and The Open Applied Linguistics Journal. All research articles are from the Social Sciences field. The articles were then analyzed via Lex Tutor. The limitation to this study includes no control over the writers race; thus the variable is not used as a factor in the study. Secondly, the authorship of research articles varies where several articles are written by single writers and few collaborative writers in single articles. Third, the research articles vary in terms of length resulting in imbalanced amount of words and personal pronouns that could be affected by it. Finally, the approaches regarding to the research articles were not taken into consideration. Few research articles were found to have a qualitative appr oach thus relying heavily on interviews or written transcripts thus may affect the outcome of the study. Findings and Discussion The findings obtained from the analysis are presented as following: Research articles written by Malaysian males in frequency: Articles Personal Pronouns Singular Personal Pronouns Plural 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd Male 1 (21) it (19) they (2) them Male 2 (13) I (1) me (5) you (44) he (16) him (2) her (3) us (31) we (16) they (6) them Male 3 (26) I (1) you (95) he (15) him (31) it (3) her (7) we (2) us (24) they (11) them Male 4 (4) I (3) she (1) he (1) her (1) him (13) they (11) them Male 5 (41) I (2) me (1) she (10) we (19) they (7) them Total 87 6 234 53 128 Total: Personal Pronouns Singular (327), Personal Pronouns Plural (181) According to the table above, it is found that Malaysian male writers uses more singular personal pronouns compared to plural personal pronouns. Based on results, it is also found that Malaysian academic male writers use more 3rd personal pronouns for both singular and plural categories however the highest frequency among personal pronouns used are 3rd singular personal pronouns with a frequency of 234. Among the personal pronouns used frequently by Malaysian male writers: He HE is very selective towards whom HE directs the venom. (male 2, 2002) In terms of average score, HE is the second highest (male 3, pg. 12) It and the enormous opportunity IT presents to higher education (male 1, pg. 4) engaged in a particular task and how IT will improve their reading skills. (male 3, pg. 2) Him done bad thing to HIM and this made HIM feel bad (male 2, pg. 10) this particular strategy to help HIM comprehend what he is reading. (male 3, pg. 13) They When these students enter university, THEY expect the spoon feeding (male 1, pg. 1) particularly when THEY proceed to tertiary education. (male 3, pg. 2) information elements did THEY instruct learners to find out (male 5, pg. 1) Them , thus prompting THEM to pay more attention to metacognitive reading (male 3, pg. 3) systems of the language that enables THEM to teach effectively. (male 4, pg. 1) Research articles written by Malaysian females in frequency: Articles Personal Pronouns Singular Personal Pronouns Plural 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd Female 1 (1) he (1) she (3) we (10) they (1) them Female 2 (16) I (1) me (20) you (2) he (5) her (4) his (3) she (40) it (3) us (15) we (59) they (14) them Female 3 (2) I (10) they (6) them Female 4 (3) I* (2) we (24) they (15) them Female 5 (19) I (2) me (62) you (1) she (14) he (11) her (3) him (5) we (3) us (25) they (6) them Total 40 82 85 31 170 Total: Personal Pronouns Singular (207), Personal Pronouns Plural (201) Based on the table above, Malaysian female academic writers use more plural personal pronouns in writing their research articles. This finding is similar of their male counterparts. The findings also reveal that Malaysian female academic writers use more 3rd plural personal pronouns in academic writing unlike their male counterparts who uses a higher frequency of 3rd singular personal pronouns. Among the personal pronouns used frequently by Malaysian female writers: You What assumptions do YOU think administrators make about attire (female 2, pg. 6) If YOU have the main point (female 5, pg. 8) They real audience for the language task THEY were working on (female 2, pg. 1) THEY can be changed through the learning process such as by using (female 4, 2) THEY generally respond in predictable ways rather than be critical. (female 5, pg. 4) Them being presented with predetermined language structures and then practicing THEM. (female 2, pg. 2) It also requires THEM to state their name in order to enable (female 5, pg. 7) Usage total of Personal Pronouns by males and females Gender Male Female Personal Pronouns Singular 327 207 Personal Pronouns Plural 181 201 Total 508 408 Overall, the findings indicate that Malaysian male academic writers use more personal pronouns than Malaysian female academic writers. The findings obtained are not in line with previous research that was done by Yazdani and Samar (2010) in relation to non-native English speakers. Conclusion and Recommendations The findings had shed new insight on the use of personal pronouns between male and female Malaysian academic writers. In conclusion, there is no significant difference between the general use of personal pronouns among male and female writers. Both male and female writers were found to use more singular personal pronouns. However, there is a difference in terms of the personal pronouns used between male and female writers. Male writers were found to use higher frequency of 3rd singular personal pronouns whereas the female writers were found to use a higher frequency of 3rd plural personal pronouns. The findings have also revealed that male writers use more personal pronouns compared to female writers in the overall analysis. However, as mentioned previously, the findings of this study may be affected by factors listed in the limitation section as this study is based on a small scale range. Therefore, the findings obtained in this study are still questionable thus several recommendations are proposed for future researches interested in the same area of study which are (a) to focus on research articles under the same area of study and approach; (b) to consider the writers race as a variable and (c) to take into consideration of the length of research articles planning to be used in the study. List of Research Articles: Male Writers Subramaniam, G. (2006). Stickability in Online Autonomous Literature Learning Programmes: Strategies for Sustaining Learner Interest and Motivation. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (2). 80-96. Hazidi, H. A. H. (2002). Similar words, Different Meanings: A Natural Semantic Metalanguage Exploration of Cultural Differences. GEMA Online of Language Studies. (2)1. 1-13. Muhammad Kamarul, K., Chew, J., Abdul Rashid, M. (2006). Metacognitive Reading Strategies of Good Malaysian Chinese Learners. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (2). 21-41. Munir, S. (2009). Grammatical Awareness among Primary School English Language Teachers. GEMA Online of Language Studies. 9(1). 35-46. Lim, J. M. H. (2009). Rhetorical Categories and Linguistic Mechanisms in Describing Research Conditions: A Comparative Genre-Based Investigation into Researchers Choices in Education and Applied Linguistics. The Open Applied Linguistics Journal. 2. 67-85. List of Research Articles: Female Writers Ainol, M. Z. Noor Lide, A. K. (2006). Classical and Rasch Analyses Of Dichotomously Scored Reading Comprehension Test Items. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (2). 1-20. Mardziah, H. A. Tan, B. H. (2008). Wired Together: Collaborative Problem-Based Language Learning In an Online Forum. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (4). 54-71. Nor Shidrah, M. D., Nuraihan, M. D. Noor Lide, A. K. (2005). Second Language Writing Anxiety: Cause or Effect? Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. 1-19. Siti Norliana, G. (2008). Learner Background and their Attitudes towards Studying Literature. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (4). 1-17. Tan, K. E. (2006). Writing English Essays within Dominant Discourses in Malaysian Schools. GEMA Online of Language Studies. 21. 23-45.