Slavery Reparations Essay - 1591 Words

Nobody questions the fact that slavery has been the cause of pain for many people and families. What is in question is how to mend this pain. Have the ancestors of American slaves experienced troubles directly resulting from the actions of slavery that deserve reparations? Are the ancestors of slave owners experiencing prosperity that should be redistributed? Although slavery has been illegal in America for 143 years, the controversy over slavery reparations continue to cause controversy to this day. During the 1860’s, slavery was a huge part of life in the South and its effects touch many people and their families. Almost one-third of all Southern families owned slaves (Wright, 1900). Even though slavery was widespread throughout the†¦show more content†¦Wright p.50, Copyright 1900 by Government Printing Office. Not only was slavery a big part of the population but it also made up a big part of the economy. Although the southern states had only 30% of the nation’s free population, it was home to 60% of the nation’s wealthiest men. The per capita income in the South was about $3,978 versus the North at $2,040 according to the Historical Census Browser (2004). Even before the Civil War ended, the Government had seen the need to provide aid for the newly freed slaves. On January 16, 1865, General William Sherman issued a field order to set aside confiscated land for the newly freed slaves (Myers, 2005). This field order, commonly known as field order N o. 15, decreed to set aside 400,000 acres of land to be redistributed to the newly free slaves and their families. This land would be divided into 40 acre plots and each of the families would be given one of these plots to live on and do with as they see fit. A later order would also authorize the military to loan each of these families on mule in an effort to help them make a living on this newly acquired land. Sherman, along with the Secretary of War, also met with the community leaders to discuss how these lands would be divided up and many of the other issues that came along with the emancipation of slaves in the south. Four days before the notorious Field Order No. 15, Sherman and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton met with twenty of the Savannah blackShow MoreRelatedReparations For Slavery : Slavery1218 Words   |  5 Pages Reparations for Slavery? Harriet Tubman once said, â€Å"Now I ve been free, I know what a dreadful condition slavery is. I have seen hundreds of escaped slaves, but I never saw one who was willing to go back and be a slave.† What is a reparation? A reparation is the making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged. The biggest question of time is should African Americans receive payments for slavery? Many people would say yes withRead MoreU.s. Slavery Reparations972 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Should African Americans Receive Reparations? Racism and hate have played a major role in United States history. These words have been the fuel behind slavery, inhuman treatment, and genocides. The Kosovo, Native Americans, Japanese, and African Americans are some of the prominent races that have been affected by racism and hate. The U.S. have given reparations to the victims of Kosovo, Native American, and Japanese, but no reparation have been given to African Americans. ForRead MoreThe Legacies of Slavery and Reparations Essay1000 Words   |  4 PagesThe Legacies of Slavery and Reparations Reparations? Just the term stirs up controversy, along with endless amounts of questions that are still to be answered. Should reparations be awarded? Is it feasible? Who should receive it? In what forms should it be given? These are only a few of the most important questions that need to be answered. To answer these questions, I will draw on the research conducted for my country study and the panel debates that were conducted over the past weeks. Read MoreEssay on Reparations For African Slavery1203 Words   |  5 Pagesand deprive African Americans of their liberties and enslaved them. Since then, the United States has attempted to repair this mistake through reparations. The legal reparations of the United States have unsuccessfully redressed individual and social injustices by failing to alleviate the pain caused to the African American community. The Harm caused by Slavery still continues to be suffered by the community through this day. African Americans have always been devalued in the American Legal SystemRead MorePros On Slavery Reparations And The Civil War765 Words   |  4 PagesBrittney King Jefferson Fortner HUM-115 1 February 2016 Pros on Slavery Reparations Are we as the ancestors of slavery entitled to reparation from the businesses that promoted slave trade and or the government? The debates of slavery reparations has been a long drawn out tradition about what should happen but, in the eyes of the ancestors of African Americans they believe they are entitled reparations. I think as for slavery reparations the ancestors of African Americans deserve an apology for theRead MoreReparations For Slavery During The Civil War1712 Words   |  7 PagesReparations for slavery Reparations for slavery have been a topic among scholars and regular people for years now. During the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War many freed slaves were promised 40 acres of land, as a form of reparations.(Staff www.The Root.com) However, this became an empty promise and nothing was enforced to help African Americans become socially, economically, or politically leveled with white Americans since. African Americans were enslaved to work for big corporations andRead More Reparations for Slavery and Discrimination - Just Say NO Essay example1018 Words   |  5 PagesReparations for Slavery and Discrimination - Just Say NO If you are the son of a man who had a wealthy estate and you inherit your fathers estate, you have to pay off the debts that your father incurred before he died. The only reason that the present generation of white Americans are in a position of economic strength...is because their fathers worked our fathers for over 400 years with no pay...We were sold from plantation to plantation like you sell a horse, or a cow, or a chicken, or a bushelRead MoreThe Slavery Of The Holocaust1391 Words   |  6 Pages GERMAN REPARATIONS Historically, there has been many groups of people who have received reparations for past wrongdoings. There have been a few isolated incidents, such as the Rosewood event, where African Americans were harmed and received reparations; however, reparations have also been given on a much larger scale. Ta-Nehisi Coates is a national correspondent at The Atlantic, and he has written books along with countless articles on African Americans and equally. Coates is one of the mostRead MoreThe Case For Reparations : A Moral And Spiritual Awakening1684 Words   |  7 PagesThe issue of reparations in return for the egregious injustices committed in the form of slavery by our predecessors, is an important topic dissected in The Marrow of Tradition and Coates’ article â€Å"The Case for Reparations†. The cornerstone of this problem is the idea that due to all the years of generational oppression and discrimination, what form will this reparation end up taking? A reparation that i s based on doling out mere financial support for those that endured such brutality is insultingRead More Reparations to Descendants of Slaves Should Have Ceased Long Ago1464 Words   |  6 PagesReparations to Descendants of Slaves Should Have Ceased Long Ago In this day and time the world is heavily concerned with political and social corrective ness, thus everyone is catered too and no money changes hands. The idea and arguments of paying reparations to the descendants of slaves has been in the American media and courthouses since the English barrister James Grahame published a groundbreaking book in 1850 setting the first claim for reparations in the United States. It is no surprise

Legacies of Kenya Essays - 1058 Words

Many different tribal communities inhabited Kenya, during its pre-colonial period. Today there are about 42 different tribes in Kenya who are all different from each other (Safari in Africa†). The Agikuyu and the Miji Kenda were farmers, the Maasai and the Samburu lived off of livestock, and the majority like the Luo and the Abagusii practiced a mixture of crop cultivation and pastoral work. Subsistence production was the norm and manual labor came from the family. Classes were mostly non-existent and poverty was not much of an issue either as reciprocity was largely practiced. Relations between other tribal communities were for the most part were good as they traded, married with each other, and had limited and sporadic conflicts†¦show more content†¦Where the separation of tribes created most trouble was in politics. Today Kenya is troubled in a political sense, as was proved by the violent and uncontrolled elections of December 2007, in which somewhere around 1,000 people were killed and over 300,000 made homeless (Kenya Profile) Targeted ethnic violence directed towards the Kikuyu people, the community that the controversially elected president Kibaki belonged to. Although Kenya has had surprising political stability despite having issues like at one point having only one legal political party, alliances and disagreements begin with tribal loyalties and disagreements. This history implies that tribal identity is more important than creating national identity in a country where the notion of tribal identity is challenged by western government systems. Just as political issues and violence arose from detrimental demarcation of boundaries, the corrupt political leadership during colonial regimes created a weak and dependent economy. The British exercised indirect colonial rule, meaning they entrusted the government and administration to traditional rulers while having something like advisors for them. Despite this, the British instituted colonial policies in Kenya like Land alienation for European settlers, African taxation, and forced African and migrant labor. With these policies came the rise of settler dominatedShow MoreRelatedColonialism And Its Impact On Africa1206 Words   |  5 Pagesexperience of colonialism began to take effect between the 1400s and 1800s. It started when the Europeans arrived to Africa and set up trading posts. In the late 1800s and early 1900s the increase of European power took over most of the continent. The legacy of the colonial experience will influence the history of the continent. Mid 1700s to the late 1880s the Europeans increased their involvement in Africa. The reason was the resistance against slave trade. The British founded a colony of freed slavesRead MoreRole Of Government In Government1155 Words   |  5 Pagesthe formation of the new government, J. M. Kariuki, was assassinated under very suspicious circumstances. He had become a critic of the official government corruption, including the injustices surrounding land redistribution among the landless in Kenya. Kenyatta chose to redistribute the land that was previously owned by the colonialists to his cronies. In an attempt to mitigate a potential revolt, Kenyatta had ordered an investigation into the murder. A list of government security officers was implicatedRead MoreEffect of Colonization in Kenya1159 Words   |  5 Pageseffect of colonialism in Kenya This essay analyses the effect of colonialism in Kenya. It explains the depth of colonialism within Kenya’s context and analyses the impact of colonial conquest, the imposition of international and local administrative boundaries. It also examined further the lasting consequences of colonial economic and social policies concerning colonialism in Kenya. This essay gives more explanation that has to do with British colonialism in Kenya. Colonialism developedRead MoreAnalysis Of Jessica Posner s `` And Kennedy Odede s Find Me Unafraid ``1247 Words   |  5 PagesIn Jessica Posner’s and Kennedy Odede’s Find Me Unafraid, there is a part of Kennedy’s narrative that details the unrest associated with the political election in Kenya. He speaks of how many people within the Luo and Kikuyu tribes were turning to violence, killing one another, even innocent children, as a way to show their frustration with the unjust system they were born into. From forced circumcision to burning down homes with families inside to slashing people with machetes, lives were beingRead MoreCritical Commentary of Frantz Fanon925 Words   |  4 Pagesthat corresponds with the world, but in searching for the moments where Fanon’s text and the world do not correspond, and asking how Fanon, the revolutionary, would think and act in the period of retrogression.† A complete study of 1968 and its legacies in Europe can not solely deal with events that occurred on the continent. 1968 was, in fact, a â€Å"global phenomenon†; with ideas perpetrated in Europe reaching as far as Mexico, China, and India, but to name a few . The beginning of this mutualisticRead MoreDreams From My Father : A Story Of Race And Inheritance1451 Words   |  6 Pagesyears and the journey that has led him to the point at which the book was published, in which he was starting his political campaign for Illinois Senate. The main themes that are present throughout much of the book deal with him learning about the legacy of his father indirectly through his father’s friends and family, finding and struggling with his racial identity, as well as overcoming racism as a man of ‘mixed race’ stuck in between two worlds—both of which could be cruel, judgmental, and violentRead MoreReflection On Biases And Prejudice1253 Words   |  6 Pagesstud ying classroom culture as well as social class in America† (67). Examining the term social class, in particular, my understanding of this concept is the possession of a certain level of privilege in which appearances, as well as economic status and legacy, are provided to an individual. Social class in my perception is another form of a caste system in which groups of people are in separate rankings based on their advantages. Bringing this topic into the classroom, there are surely diverse people withinRead MoreCulture Of Afric Africa1208 Words   |  5 Pagesamid the resulting pilgrim period, especially to present-day South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Algeria. South Asians likewise touched base amid provincial times. Their relatives, regularly alluded to as Indians, are discovered to a great extent in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. FOOD Africans live in rustic zones, especially those individuals who show their presence in eastern, southern Africa and western. Numerous villagers are subsistent ranchers, which implies that they live very nearly completelyRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1315 Words   |  6 PagesBetween is set during the colonial period, a period of transition in which white European settlers were arriving in Kenya bringing with them their Christian values and traditions. However Ngugi focuses on the lost heritage of East Africa and does this through the literary form of storytelling. He sets his novel in the remote highlands of Kenya. This is significant as it relates to the legacies of the Kenyan tribal identities, and is considered the origins of where Ngai, the Kikuyu God had created Gikuyu;Read MoreThe Kenya Shifta War and Realism2602 Words   |  11 Pagesisolation and ethnic Somali in Kenya irredentism drive to unite all other five Somali lands with Kenya into a greater Somalia. The issue of British colony had otherwise been much less to do with this war, the main reason to war was that of irredentism by Somalis. This conflict went on as Somalis resisted from being governed by a dark skinned government of the Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta while at the same time seek unity. Somali seek independence at the expense of Kenya. Somalia wanted to be in power

Brain Sides Essay Example For Students

Brain Sides Essay The human brain is a miraculous organ. It regulates thought, memory, judgment,personal identity, and other aspects of what is commonly called mind. It alsoregulates aspects of the body including body temperature, blood pressure, andthe activity of internal organs to help the body respond to its environment andto maintain the bodys health. In fact, the brain is considered so central tohuman well-being and survival that the death of the brain is considered in manyparts of the world to be equal legally to the death of the person. In the pastfifteen years or so there has been a lot of talk of left brain and right brainpeople. Clearly their are misconceptions and truths about how our brainhemispheres operate. First of all the myth of the left brain and right braintheory. This states that generally people see the left hemisphere of the braincontrolling logic and language and the right, creativity and intuition. Inaddition people differ in their styles of thought, depending on which half of the brain is dominant. Some people believe that most of what these notions stateis farce. Next the article explores the history of this fascination of the leftand right hemispheres of the brain.. It wasnt until 1962 when Roger W. Sperrybegan experimenting on certain aspects of the brain that contribute to the truthof the left and right brain theory. Sperry studied people who had undergonesurgical division of the corpus callosum, the bridge between the twohemispheres. His studies showed that, an object placed in the right hand(left hemisphere) could be named readily, but one placed in the left hand(nonverbal right hemisphere) could be neither named nor described. DoreenKimura. Kimura developed behavioral methods which involved presenting visualstimuli rapidly to either the left or right visual fields. Another importantmethod developed was dichotic listening which centered around theuse of sound to study the hemispheres. Through these tests and the continualstudy the theory that the l eft brain controlled ended. Instead a new theory wasborn known as the two-brain theory. This said that at different times one of thetwo hemispheres would be operating. An example of this is that the righthemisphere is in control when an artist paints but the left hemisphere was incontrol when a novelist wrote a book. This theory failed because of one physicalstudies showed that people with hemispheres surgically disconnected couldoperate in everyday life. Also, research demonstrated that each hemisphere hadits own functional expertise, and that the two halves were complementary. Thereare five pionts two each hemisphere. 1. The two hemispheres are so similar thatwhen they are disconnected by split-brain surgery, each can function remarkablywell, although quite imperfectly 2. Although they are remarkably similar theyare also different. The differences are seen in contrasting contributions. Eachhemisphere contributes something to every action a person takes. 3. Logic is notconfined to the left hemisphere. Although dominant in the left logic is presentin the right hemisphere. 4. There is no evidence that either creativity orintuition is an exclusive property of the right hemisphere. 5. Since the twohemispheres do not function independently, and since each hemisphere contributesits special capacities to all cognitive activities, it is quite impossible toeducate one hemisphere at a time in a normal brain. Through my research I cameto the conclusion that people are not purely left or right brained. There is acontinuum in which the hemispheres work together in harmony. Often the left orright hemisphere is more active in some people but it is never the soleoperator. We have a single brain that generates a single mentalself. , but merely somewhere on the scale between left and right brain. .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d , .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d .postImageUrl , .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d , .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d:hover , .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d:visited , .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d:active { border:0!important; } .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d:active , .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uad884a2c19cc51826f3831eba8bab47d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Shotz Essay Some of us are extreme left, few extreme right and most in the middle leaningleft a bit (this is where I fell). Psychology

The Cracked Mirror The Minor Characters Essay Example For Students

The Cracked Mirror The Minor Characters Essay It is reasonable to wonder what Shakespeare had in mind while writing Hamlet. After all, Shakespeare wasnt a philosopher or historian, or even a literary critic. He was a playwright. He didnt leave critical essays examining his work. It is left to us to examine his work and decide for ourselves, if we care to, what Shakespeare was thinking. Did he know that he was writing a drama of deep psychological significance, a play which would eventually be viewed and read the world over, produced many times over hundreds of years, taught in schools, and thought of as one of the worlds greatest plays? I, for one, imagine him crossing the t in the last word of the play, putting down his pen, and saying, I hope it runs a year. Yet Hamlet is an extremely complex play. To appreciate the imagination which went into the creation of this tragedy, lets first delve into what is putatively Shakespeares most complex tragedy, King Lear. Lear has three daughters: Cordelia, who is faithful and unappreciated by Lear, and Regan and Goneril who receive everything at his hands and betray him. These themes of misplaced love and filial betrayal are mirrored in the subplot of the play, the relationship between the Earl of Gloster and his two sons, Edmund, who is supported and approved by Gloster and betrays him, and Edgar, who unjustly becomes a fugitive from his fathers wrath. The mirror is whole. In it we view Cordelias reflection and see Edgar, while Regans and Gonerils reflections, which are of one face, show us Edmund. We will write a custom essay on The Cracked Mirror The Minor Characters specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In the main plot of Hamlet, Hamlets father has been murdered. Hamlet swears revenge, but feigns madness and delays. In the subplot, the chamberlain, Polonius, is murdered by Hamlet. One of Poloniuss children, Laertes, swears revenge, while the other, his daughter Ophelia, goes mad. Here, the mirror is cracked. Hamlets reflection is splintered. We see one part of him, his revenge motive, in Laertes action, and we see his pretended madness in Ophelias piteous condition. More than this, Hamlets image is dimmed compared to those of his counterparts. Hamlet speaks of revenge, but procrastinates; Laertes instantly raises and army and attacks the kingdom, but he must be satisfied over his fathers murder. Hamlet only acts mad; Ophelias madness is too real. Shakespeare presents us with a play dealing with striking human similarities and differences-and a protagonist who is more than a character, but is a compendium of the qualities of the minor characters. Hamlets unrealized potential throws the fully-realized actions of Laertes and Ophelia into relief. If the play were about Laertes and Ophelia, Hamlet would be the perfect foil. In Hamlets fibrillating performance we appreciate Laertes boldness. Viewed against Hamlets affected loss of wits, Ophelias true madness is the more pitiful. But to consider Hamlet a foil for Laertes and Ophelia is to miss the point. After all, Hamlet is the hero. The play is, more than anyone, about him. Mirrors can be deceptive. One can lose sight of what is real and what is merely image. Claudius is a case in point. We could never mistake Claudius for the protagonist of the play. Could we? He is Hamlets antagonist. But, In fact, Claudius has several characteristics common to Shakespeares tragic heroes. Using *A. C. Bradleys definition, lets examine Claudiuss qualifications to be the protagonist of Hamlet. The tragic hero is a person of high degree or great importance. Claudius qualifies here. He is the king. As his fortunes go, so go those of all who surround him. As he is cheerful, the court is cheerful. As his brow is contracted in woe, so the Danish court suffers. .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf , .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf .postImageUrl , .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf , .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf:hover , .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf:visited , .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf:active { border:0!important; } .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf:active , .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub01cf941057ab0a869402438f7321cbf:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Islam 2 EssayThe tragic hero has a predisposition in some particular direction, accompanied by an inability to resist the force which drives him or her. Claudius is ambitious. Hisambition drives him to murder his brother, the former king. Claudius is evil. But the tragic hero need not be good. Consider Macbeth and Richard III. By their acts, Shakespeares tragic heroes hope to achieve intended outcomes. But what they achieve is not what they intended; it is terribly unlike it. Claudiuss murderous act brings him only short-lived happiness. As the play opens, Claudiuss situation is secure. He fears no upsets until Act 3 unfolds. From then on he knows no peace. He is threatene d from within by pangs of conscience and from without by Hamlets knowledge of his crime. Finally, he pays for his crime with his life. The play depicts also the troubled part of the heros life. Beginning with the death of Polonius, Claudius must plot to kill Hamlet. Moreover, he must deal with rejection byGertrude, the madness of Ophelia, and an insurrection brought by Laertes. At the end of Act 5, he dies. In the end there is a sense of waste. Our reaction to the death of the protagonist can be expressed with the words If only . . .All the foregoing characterize Shakespeares tragic heroes. What is missing in Claudiuss case is a tragic effect. There is no sense of waste in Claudiuss death, no sense that this death could have been avoided, no arousal of pity and fear as there is in Hamlets, Macbeths, Othellos, and Lears deaths. If only Macbeth had been less ambitious, Hamlet more forceful, Othello less passionate, and Lear wiser, their untimely deaths need not have occurred. We feel sympathy for these tragic heroes. We react to their deaths with a sense of regret. No one regrets Claudiuss death enough to say if only . . . And so, Claudiuss reflection, while almost that of a protagonist, lacks the proper form. Gertrude, Hamlets mother, is at once a cause of Hamlets pathos through her marriage to Hamlets uncle and a glass through which we view something of Hamlets family. We see the family together only once, the ghost appearing in order to remind Hamlet of his vow of vengeance, perhaps, also, to reunite the family. The moment in Act 3 that he appears, when Hamlet and his mother are together, suggests such a motive. Moreover, he appears in his night gown instead of in armor, as in his first appearance. Acting like a husband, he rescues his former wife from Hamlets anger. However, the ghosts efforts at reunion fail. Gertrudes guiltmarriage to a husbands brother was considered incestprevents her from seeing the ghost. By reflection we see Poloniuss family, all members destroyed through involvement with Hamlet. We see them together, too, only once, early in the play, as Laertes is preparing to set sail. Ophelia is guiltless. Laertes is guilty only of seeking revenge for his fathers murder. Polonius is guilty of being a busybody, a dangerous involvement in Hamlets tragedy. The longer Hamlet procrastinates, the more bodies pile up, and the more the question of his procrastination takes on importance. Why does Shakespeare make us, wait until the end of Act 5, for Hamlet finally to play his proper role and resolve all questions? This is Shakespeares genius. We view Hamlets procrastination as probable. After all, no matter what Hamlet does, the past cannot be undone. Running a sword through his uncles ribs will not bring Hamlets father back. We are willing spectators to the unfolding of this tragedy. And between the anticipation and the act fall some of the most beautiful lines in all of dramatic literature. Shakespeare achieves his goal. Hamlet has run a year, several hundred times over. .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249 , .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249 .postImageUrl , .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249 , .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249:hover , .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249:visited , .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249:active { border:0!important; } .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249:active , .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249 .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc72abe546e4d000303dfe723f5685249:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Procrastination Essay*A. C. Bradley, The Substance of Shakespearean Tragedy Shakespearean Tragedy, MacMillan and Company Limited, 1904, pp. 1-29**David Daiches, A Critical History of English Literature, Vol. 2. Bibliography: