Contradictions of Character in George Bernard Shaws Pygmalion Essay

â€Å"Manners are the happy way of doing things† according to Ralph Waldo Emerson.   According to Emerson people use manners as a front to make themselves look better.   Inherently, this will lead to a contradiction of the front and the reality.   One such man who is most concerned with manners is the protagonist of Shaw’s Pygmalion, Professor Henry Higgins.   Higgins is a man who displays contradictions within his character.   He is in the business of teaching proper manners, although lacks them himself.   In addition, Higgins is an intelligent man, and yet he is ignorant of the feelings of those around him.   Another apparent contradiction is that Higgins’ outer charm serves to hide his bullying nature. He manipulates Eliza and others around him to serve his own purposes, without any regard for her feelings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Higgins, a teacher of proprietary manners, lacks those very manners which others pay to learn from him.   Ironically, Higgins believes that he is the greatest teacher of manners.   He announces that in â€Å"three months [he] could pass [Eliza] off as a duchess.†Ã‚   Higgins thinks that he can take any lower class girl and pass her off as a duchess.   He truly believes that he is capable of transforming Eliza.   Once the teaching begins, Higgins shows no respect for others in his life.   When he goes to see his mother, she reminds him that â€Å"[he] promised not to come on† her days when she is having guests.   He ignores this promise to his mother because he believes that his newest experiment is more important than his mother’s insignificant visitors are.  Ã‚  Ã‚   This behavior continues throughout the ... ...ulative experiments on life.   Higgins tries to use his charm to manipulate people into giving him what he wants, but when this tactic fails he resorts to brute force and abuse.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is amazing that a man with such great qualities and characteristics can also have the bad qualities that are opposite of those great ones.   How these traits can coexist in one person does not make sense.   One of the traits must be a false front.   This is the nature of the world.   When two opposites come together in the same place and do not alter each other, then one of them is kept up as a faà §ade.   At any moment in time this faà §ade can move or crack and the true nature of the person will come to light.   People who display too many contradictions in character are usually true hypocrites.

Climate Change Essay

Once, I visited a hospital for my health checkup,there I saw a man with shattered skin,rashes all over the body;clearcut it was the case of allergy.Doctors are rushing and making report on it.After a week I again visited that hospital for my scheduled checkup,then I came to know a shocking news-that allergy case was the case of Ganga bath!! Alas! Holy river Ganga, ancient river Ganga ,that Ganga which takes away all the sins from mankind, today causing allergy,irritation,skin rashes!!! that man has to pay price for his religious belief†¦ Also scientists got some samples from Ganga from specific places having disease causing microbes. This small case itself indicate the change we have made in our nature. Change is the law of nature,change is inevitable and change is evergoing process,but Climate Change is one of the most complex,multifaceted and serious threat that the World face. Whether you are adding your bit to the heap of garbage piling up in your locality or not become meaningless when the garbage begins to rot-the stench will reach your nose too,Climate Change induced by global warming works much the same way. World famous scientists all over the country had evaluated climate change and came to conclusion that Greenhouse Gases ,CFC, Carbondieoxide and many other toxic gases are the cause of environment degradation.Though it is true scientifically,the root lies elsewhere;that is in the greed of human being.Our greed led to adavancement of technology and led us farther from peace and prosperity of all. Increasing consumption of electricity due to intiation of several new industries,disposal of garbage without treatment to maximize profit,use of environment hazardious substances like polythene in our daily life are concrete examples of human greed. People have been influencing the Biosphere for at least 8000 years,since the invention of Agriculture,but Climate Change has proposed a threat over our Agriculture.The most affected area of Climate Change will be Agriculture and its biodiversity. The first and foremost impact of climate change is in biodiversity specially Islands biodiversity.nearly one –fourth of the worlds countries are Island and they are treasure trove of biodiversity.Also they provide food,fresh water ,wood,fibre,medicine,fuel and other raw materials. But increasing sea level has given a alarm threat to them,The New Moore Island of India in Sunderbans has been consumed recently by rising sea,many other Pacific atoll nation Island of Kiribati,Islands of Vanuatu also submerged in early history.we are loosing huge . biodiversity;these are initial cases†¦ Rather IPCC has warned that a rise in sea levels of between 18 and 59cm by 2100 would be enough to submerge many other big islands, including Maldives and make them unhabitable,also of the 724 recorded animal extinctions in 400 years about half were Island species .also climate change will bring degradation of coastal environment and natural resources on which poor rural people depend.Higher rates of erosion and coastal land loss may vanish our islands In context of Agriculture,sea level rise will also cause increased salinity due to encroachment of the sea and saltwater intrusion into freshwater lenses,contributing to an increasing shortage of water supply and loss of agriculture land.The most vulnerable section will be the poor and marginal farmers with small landholdings because ‘extreme weather events’will specially occur in tropics,fundamental changes in rainfall pattern together with rising temperature will shorten growing season and reduce crop productivity . Acco.to World Bank 75% of 1.2 billion people are trapped in extreme poverty,so they will fail to adopt new rotation practices and thus most vulnerable to climate change. World wide farming is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions accouting for 20% of total emissions.Atmospheric concentration of methane has more than doubled during the past 200 years.Natural wetlands,fossil fuels related to natural gas,coal mines coal industry,electric fermentation,rice fields,biomass burning,landfills accont for 75% of methane production in our environment. thus major source of greenhouse gases is agriculture itself. Rice fields are the most significant contributors of atmospheric methane accounting for 11-13% of the world’s total methane production. Also, rice production will need to expand by around 70% over the next 25 years to meet the demands of fast growing human population whose food demand is expected to double in developing world in next 40 years. Thus if we increase our crop area specially staple crop area in near future then the problem of global warming is likely to increase. Already in today’s era 800 million people are unnourished, in India only 30 million people suffer hunger,46% children are underweight and 17000 people are dying per day due to hunger on an average. Thus in near future we are going to face a great threat not only of climate change but also of food security†¦. However, Not all effects of climate change on agriculture are expected to be negative, most of the major food crops are C-3 plants including staple food like rice ,wheat, oat, barley will show increase in yield ranging from 25% to 64% due to increased CO2 level, also most of the noxious weed are C4 plants and their growth will be checked. But this is only one side of the coin ,increased temperature due to increase in CO2 level may rise the pest attack up to 25% and fungal disease attack up to 20% and also disturb our monsoon pattern.In an overview it can be said that it will create more and new problem rather than benefits because the worst sufferers would be farmers of Rainfed agriculture which cover 60% of all cultivable lands. Today humanbeings have become dependent on technologies which are dependent on non -renewable resources and produce illeffects in long run.nowdays we say that glaciers are shrinking;may be shrinking but more that the heart of the people and their philosophy is shrinking too.while the drastic effects of global warming has been discussed in many scientific circles,had their run on T.V. and even had well meaning Hollywood films but the need of the hour is to change ourselves,to reduce our luxurious wants. The need of the hour is to develop a) True sustainability,there should be synergies between climate mitigation strategies and development policies in areas of energy efficiency,fuel substitution,renewable ,afforestration,and land and waste management. b) The planning should not be for temporary economic gains and support,but for sustainability in future as well.There should be partnerships with communities,individuals,and private sector to frame effective measures to reduce the impact the effect of climate change. Today we all peoples of the world need to change our habbits ,not only in Agricultural practices but also in our daily life practicices†¦ Switching of fans and light before leaving room ,efficient use of water at home , proper garbage disposal at micro level, though seems to be a very minute step but the huge building of true sustainability will only form above these basic steps because this will be the 1st step against our greed, so step ahead and realize your own responsibility ,because it is not the time to curse the darkness but to light a small lamp. References: 1. â€Å"Know climate change† by Tanya Agarwal 2. â€Å"Global climate change† by Arnold J.Bloom 3. Science Reporter (CSIR) 4. IPCC website

Witches in Macbeth by William Shakespeare Essay - 730 Words

The title figure in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a classic example of a tragic hero. There are many factors that contribute to the main character, Macbeth, to degenerate; three of them will be discussed. These three are the prophecy, which was told him by the witches, Lady Macbeth’s influence and control over Macbeth’s judgment, and finally Macbeth’s ambitions that drove his desire to be king. Macbeth degenerates from a noble man to violent individual and this leads to his death. The prophecies that were told by the witches were one of the factors that contributed to the degeneration of his character. Typically, a tragic hero is a figure of high stature, often of noble background. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth and Banquo are†¦show more content†¦ii. 12). This shows that Lady Macbeth has a heart deep inside her. Lady Macbeth plays an important role in Macbeth’s degeneration because she knows that she has a strong and dominant power over her husband using her power, she encourages Macbeth to do what he has to do to get rid of King Duncan. He thinks that Duncan is a great King and considers him to be a good friend. Macbeth is lost in his thoughts, his â€Å"good† side and â€Å"bad† side are in a fight â€Å"But Macbeth is not a merely a cold- blooded†¦ he nearly persuades himself to reject the plan,† (Principal Topics, 238). Finally, Macbeth gives in to Lady Macbeth and decided to kill Duncan while he is visitin g Macbeth’s castle the same night. After Macbeth had killed Duncan, he regrets what he had done â€Å"†¦I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on’t again I dare not.†(Shakespeare, II. ii. 51). Following the format of a tragic hero, Macbeth suffers from a tragic flaw. At this point of the play, the audience can note the change in Macbeth’s character. Macbeth’s blind ambition also influenced his declining character. His ambitions alone had not been strong enough to carry King Duncan’s death. However, his ambitions along with the provoking of his wife lead him to take a violent and bloody path to the throne. Macbeth’s ambitions influenced the cause of his new character. This new character contained violence and power hunger. Macbeth was crowned King of Scotland, which led to extremeShow MoreRelatedWitches in Macbeth by William Shakespeare Essay1766 Words   |  8 PagesWitches in Macbeth by William Shakespeare People that lived during the Elizabethan period were very superstitious. They feared the power of witches the most. The hate stemmed mostly from the . . . supposed satanic beliefs of the witches and their heretical partnership with the Devil (Papp and Kirkland 43). Others thought of witches only when something of value had been damaged. They automatically assumed that a witch or one of her familiars must have done it, and the one thing everyoneRead MoreThe Role of the Witches in Macbeth by William Shakespeare Essay1108 Words   |  5 PagesThe Role of the Witches in Macbeth by William Shakespeare Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare some time between 1603 and 1606 and is set in Scotland around 1040. The time it was written coincides with the reign of King James the First of England. King James showed a great interest in witches and powers of the supernatural and Macbeth was arguably written to impress the king in what were violent times. Shakespeare used witches as pivotal characters to createRead MoreWitches ´Prophecies in William Shakespeare ´s Macbeth1413 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves† William Shakespeare. In the play, Macbeth, three witches tell Macbeth a handful of prophecies that later come true. These prophecies mean nothing if Macbeth is not influenced to do something about it. Macbeth shows bravery and honor in a battle which gives victory to Scotland, making the witch’s first prophecy correct. Lady Macbeth’s ambitious to be queen after hearing about the witch’s second prophecy. This influences Macbeth’s actionsRead MoreEssay The Role of Witches in Macbeth by William Shakespeare1007 Words   |  5 PagesThe Role of Witches in Macbeth by William Shakespeare The witches present modern directors with great difficulties. Consider the role of the witches and suggest how they can be made as successful for a modern audience as they would have been for a contemporary audience. In Shakespeare’s day, the thought of the witches scared people as they thought that they had witches living among them, casting spells on them and trying to do them harm. This fear was fuelled by theRead MoreAnalysis of the Three Witches in Macbeth by William Shakespeare1776 Words   |  8 PagesAnalysis of the Three Witches in Macbeth by William Shakespeare In this essay, I am going to look at and explore the three witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I will look at the way they are presented in each of their four scenes; how audiences might react to them and the part they play in his downfall. The witches don’t appear much in the play but bring about the idea of both evil and ambition. In Act 1 Scene 1 the mood is set. We first hear of the witches and the play beginsRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Macbeth And The Witches1277 Words   |  6 PagesOne of the most noteworthy reasons Shakespeare s plays are still so popular to this very day is because of their timeless themes. Similarly to modern day, the women of Shakespeare’s time were typically regarded as feeble and inferior to men. Compared to men, women weren’t thought of as important or competent, let alone capable of power. Shakespeare’s Macbeth declares this stigma wrong. In the play, the most prominent female characters, Lady Macbeth and the Witches, are domineering and mighty, whileRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Macbeth 1363 Words   |  6 PagesMacbeth is without a doubt one of the most captivating plays, in my opinion written by William Shakespeare. Throughout this play there is definitely a numerous amount of things that can catch your attention, whether it is a trio of witches appearing, committing murder, or keeping secrets. However, what really c atches my attention is the way Shakespeare uses language and unique style to create a distinct mood, and reveal characters’ inner thoughts. In the play Macbeth written by William ShakespeareRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Macbeth By William Shakespeare1724 Words   |  7 Pages His definition of tragedy applies to William Shakespeare s play Macbeth. The play is about a hero who reaches a high position in the play and then falls because of his choices. Macbeth is a tragic hero according to Aristotle s aspects that make a tragedy. Macbeth is neither a villain nor a perfect character, he appears in the play in a high stature, he starts to make multiple mistakes and due to his actions, he causes his downfall. First of all, Macbeth is neither a villain nor a perfect heroRead More What is drama? The Collins dictionary describes drama as a serious1360 Words   |  6 Pageshave to purchase tickets and go to the theatre for all their entertainment needs. Today technology has helped drama mature. The public is able to view their favourite soap opera or comedy program on the television or on the Internet. William Shakespeare was and still today is believed to be the greatest playwright of all time. He had the ability to pack the theatre every night when he was performing in one of his 37 plays of comedies, histories and tragedies. Baz Ulhrman described himRead MoreThe Fall Of A King893 Words   |  4 PagesThe Fall of a King (An Analysis of why Macbeth became Mad and Corrupt) In life there are many things that influence the lives of people on a day to day basis. This can be anything from a small incident that happens on the daily.Or one rather large incident that has an enormous impact on them and influenced them to make further irrational decisions. It also doesn’t have to be a large event, but a sequence of events done by them, but influenced by others words and judgement. An excellent example