Multiculturalism and America’s identity Essay Example for Free

Multiculturalism and America’s identity Essay I think multiculturalism strengthens America’s identity By allowing other from other countries come here, accepting them as US citizens, giving the opportunities that we have here in the US that they may not have in their own countries. Many other countries do not have a lot of the freedoms as we do, and allowing and accepting multiculturalism we are showing the world we are a fair and caring country that is open minded to giving others chances and breaks in their lives that they can get within their own country. Multiculturalism is the acceptance of multiple ethnic cultures, where people from different religious backgrounds, countries and tradition are given equitable status in schools, neighborhood, cities and nations. This has given rise to multiculturalism here in America. It has brought a change of social layers, but also made the citizen enjoy equal rights and liberty. It has given us a chance to learn things about other countries, their traditions, religious beliefs, and cultures. Multiculturalism in the US has definitely shown positive aspects and is still supporting a large number of immigrants, who have come here received great education and many have opened their businesses. The only downfalls I see are language barriers, I strongly believe if one lives in the United States they should speak English, it does create some issues in regards to communication. And that many people are not open minded enough to allow others enjoy the freedoms that we do here in the United States, there are many people that feel when people from other countries come here they take away from US citizens.

Maos Last Dancer Essay

Maos Last Dancer Essay Li Cunxin, is one of the best male ballet dancers in the world. He has shown great courage, ambition and determination throughout his entire life. He excelled in the gruelling ballet training at the Beijing Dance Academy, made his way to be one of the premier dancers with the Houston Ballet for 16 years before moving on to another career as a stockbroker and today, he resides in Australia while travelling around the world as a motivational speaker. Li was born into a very poor family in 1961 in Qingdao in China which was then a communist country led by Mao. He lived in a very small town with twenty of his relatives. His family struggled to stay alive, living close to starvation daily, but because of the familys love for each other and their determination to live, they try very hard to survive each day. Lis childhood is filled with love and affection from his family. It was always in Lis mind that he wanted to be able to do something to help his family. He knew that ballet would be his familys best opportunity to escape the bitter poverty in his rural home in China. Sure enough, he was chosen to become a ballet dancer. Li then began his journey in becoming one of the best dancers in the world. His family is always there to support him on every decision he made, giving him full support, love and encouragement. At the age of eleven, Li began his training at the Beijing Dance Academy from 5:30 am to 9 pm for 6 days a week. No matter how much he suffered during the training, he never thought of giving up. He realised that dancing is his passion and it motivated him to give his 100% effort in dancing. Li would wake up at 5 in the morning when everyone is still sleeping and hop up and down the stairs to build the strength of his leg as well as his stamina. At night he would practice his turns by the candlelight. As much as he wanted to live a better life, he had never forgotten about his family that he left behind. Lis determination has steered him onto the path of success that helped him break free from his communist homeland. After 7 years of harsh training at the Beijing Dance Academy, Li had become a self disciplined and a student with great determination. He received a golden opportunity to study dance in America through a student exchange program under Maos regime. He was later offered a contract as a soloist with the Houston Ballet and danced for the company for 16 years. He was regarded as one of the best dancers in the world. In three international ballet competitions, he won silver and a bronze medal at three international ballet competitions and he performed with some of the best ballet companies in the world. Here are some quotes and principles that Li stands firm on which have led to his success in dance. Dance is the ultimate combination of discipline and freedom. Discipline is the foundation to become totally free and creative. If youre free without a foundation then you could go off the rails. His self determination, dedication and the willingness to work hard and always behave positively to achieve his goal is his approach to success and to dance. In the official site of Li Cunxin, here are the testimonials that document his influence on the development of dance. According to Australian Friendly Societies Association (AFSA), Without a doubt one of the most powerful and invigorating presentations I have seen. The AFSA are extremely impressed by Lis impact, style, personable nature and overall attitude. What makes me think that Li is impressive is in the sense of his style and movement in dance which are strong and defined which is beyond ethereal with his emotional conveyance. His dances are one of the dances that are hard to forget. I believe that his approach to dance is one of commitment and focus. From his attitude and behaviour, it can motivate us as dancers to keep in mind that we can do it as long as we stay determined. Lis film, Maos Last Dancer, is an amazing true story based on the extraordinary pathway he had to go through to become a famous dancer. Lis success is not just as a dancer, he succeeded in lighting for the true human ideal. The film Maos last dancer explores the struggle for two freedoms: personal choice and artistic expression. On the surface, this true story concerns the struggle between the eastern and western ideologies. While some people view his choices as heroic, others see him as a traitor to his homeland. In my point of view, Li left his family behind in Beijing to U.S and began to not only see the world for the first time, but also found his passion in dance. Going even deeper, viewers will see his struggle for creative freedom the ability to say, do, and dance what he feels as an artist. This is how he has made an influence in dance. I believe that it is true; he gives every dancer mental motivation and hope to achieve a goal by reminding us not to waste every single mome nt of our dancing journey. Other than that, Li likes to take on challenges. He requested to enter the America International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, the equivalent of the Olympics for ballet dancers and he achieved a silver medal. I wanted to get a sense of how my dancing stood up to international standards. (Li, 292). Li always had a positive attitude towards dance. He had to constantly confront and overcome his self-doubt and insecurities; even when he was locked up in the Chinese Consulate in Houston for 21 hours, which is one of the most famous and controversial defection in the U.S history. The FBI and also the then Vice  president George W.Bush was called in resulting in a tension with the Chinese Consulate. The world waited for 21 hours to see what fate has for Li. Li walked out after 21 hours into the streets of Texas and never looked back ever since. These are what people admire about him the most. We have to find our own direction in dance; our own style by dancing from our heart and soul. Nowadays, the hard work and dedication towards dance that Li has are rarely seen. We can truly see that Lis story is a true fairytale about a boy who had a dream to become the best ballet dancer in the world. His view on dance training is one of determination and hard work because it provided a path for him to break free of communist China and take him around the world as a professional dancer. To prove the validity of the story above, here are the substantial evidences on his personal thoughts about his life in China. When Li was in America, he told himself that he was the fish and China is the pond. From this metaphor we can see how Li felt about China as a fish cannot exist anywhere else other than its pond so like the fish, Li thought he would not be able to live out of China. From what we can see from his life experience, the approach that Li took towards dance is full of determination, courage, discipline and the passion to be one of the best dancers in the world. His sheer discipline and the need for him to lift his family out of poverty drove him to achieve beyond his limit. Work Cited Elias, Debbie Lynn. Maos Last Dancer. 20 August 2010. Tonight at the Movies. . FAQs, Career. Li Cunxin Dancer, Stockbroker and Author of Maos Last Dancer. 2010. . Determination and Defection. TripAtlas.com. 2010. . Li, Cunxin. Maos Last Dancer. Offical Site of Li Cunxin. N.p., 2005. Web. 23 Aug 2010. . Li, Cunxin. Maos Last Dancer. Australia: Sheena Dewan, 2003.

Inspiration :: essays research papers

Subject: Inspiration Please take a moment to relax your mind and humble your heart to focus on Christ. Allow God, to be the only person on your mind while you read this prayer. If we can take the time to read long jokes, stories, etc., we should give the same respect to this prayer. Friends that pray together, stay together. Dear Lord, I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness. Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You. Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through God eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my wrongdoing, and receive the forgiveness of God. And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example -- to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response w hen I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those that will delete this without sharing it with others. I pray for those that don't believe. But I thank you that I believe. I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households.

Causes and Effects of the Civil War Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Did you know America’s bloodiest battle fought on their own soil was the Civil War? The Civil War was fought on American soil between the northern states and the southern states. Many causes provoked the war, which would affect the nation for decades to come. Slavery, the Missouri Compromise, and John Brown’s attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, were some of the many causes. In turn hundreds of thousands of soldiers died, the South’s economy was devastated, and the northern ideals flourished.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the later 1700’s to 1863, slavery was an intricate part of the South. Slaves were needed for plantation work like planting, caring for, and harvesting crops to maintaining the land. After Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, more slaves were needed to keep up with the increased cotton production. In the South their belief was African-Americans were property. On the other hand, the North’s economy was based on industry and manufacturing powered by European immigrants. They believed slavery was wrong and inhumane and African-Americans are just as human as everybody else. These two different views are one of the major reasons that led to the Civil War.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Americans in the early nation agreed that slavery was legal south of the Ohio River and illegal north of the Ohio River. However, in 1819 the issue came up should Missouri be admitted to the union as a slave state or a non-slave state since Missouri ...

Exploring the Value of Canonical Literature and Its Role in Modern Educ

Exploring the Value of Canonical Literature and Its Role in Modern Education The English curriculum within most modern high schools seems to be comprised of two main portions. The first of these is the grammatical component, which seeks to help students better understand the structure and function of language. This aspect, although considered tedious by many students, certainly has immense value. Communication within the bounds of the English language is governed by a multitude of grammatical rules. Any student who wishes to communicate effectively must possess at least a basic understanding of these standards. The grammatical component, however, does not stand alone in the high school English classroom. It typically is accompanied by a literature section. This aspect of the curriculum focuses on the study of written works. In most secondary education settings, the literature studied falls into the realm of what is commonly referred to as â€Å"the classics.† In essence, these books are part of a canon of literary works that has been collected and passed down through the years. Having stood the test of time, they are considered by many to be â€Å"the best of the best† (Dixon 4). Most of the literature in the canon is like a fine wine in that it seems to have gotten better (or at least become more highly regarded) with age. These books typically are written by authors whose names have become legendary: Dickens, Twain, Shakespeare, Bronte, etc. Although the canon does feature a few 20th century writers such as Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Wright, there is an undeniably heavy emphasis placed on authors who died centuries ago. Aside from a few notable exceptions, the works of the canon also tend to be f... ... classics and make it personally relevant. If this is done, the canon then becomes an invaluable tool for increasing knowledge and building understanding. WORKS CITED Appleman, Deborah. Critical Encounters In High School English. New York: Columbia University, 2000. Dixon, James G. Transcending Difference: The Place of the Classics in the Curriculum of the ‘90s. Diss. Grove City College, 1991. Funderstanding. 9 Nov. 2003. . Jain, Saranga. Literature in Education: Contemporary Texts Versus the Classics. Diss. The Pennsylvania State University, 1998. Literacy Matters. 8 Nov. 2003. . Whitehead, Alfred North. â€Å"The Place of Classics In Education.† The Aims of Education and Other Essays. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1929. 93-115.

How does the view of modern media and literature vary to the biblical literature on the medical developments of Cloning?

This essay deals with the issues raised in the media by the rapid technological developments of cloning and in particular on the religious beliefs of the uniqueness of life. It will also touch upon the ethical and legal issues brought about through out the development of cloning. 1A clone is a group of genetically identical organisms. Identical twins are therefore a clone since both come form one fertilised egg that is divided into two genetically identical cells that then separate. In the process of mammalian cloning there are two processes. Nuclear Transfer is where the nucleus is removed from the unfertilised egg cell; this eliminates all its genetic information. The cell nucleus of the individual being cloned is introduced into the enucleated egg cell though cell fusion. If this is done in the right conditions, the egg cell then begins to divide and go through a process of foetal developments as if it had been fertilised normally. The other process is artificial twinning which is a process of splitting the embryo into two or more embryos. First an egg cell is fertilised by sperm, then left to grow into an embryo. The embryo is split into two or more embryos when it is still in the early stage of development. The split embryo are nurtured into new embryos, all genetically identical, then implanted into the surrogate mother to grow. This is not the same as nuclear transfer as the born animal has biological parents and is a clone of its brothers and sisters. Cloning of mammals has proven to be difficult and has only developed in the past few years through a long line of research. 3In 1997 came the most famous sheep of all Dolly who was cloned using a cell from an adult sheep. She represented a new departure because she was the first mammal to have been cloned using a nucleus taken from an adult sheep. She possessed a genetic code identical to that of her original parents. This breakthrough raised the possibility of cloning adult mammals rather than embryos. However it is not known yet whether nuclear transfer will be possible in the process of cloning humans. Most future cloning developments will not even concern the reproduction of humans but it will focus on using cloning to understand cell development, heredity and genetic structure. For example cloning research may contribute to disease treatment by allowing scientists to reprogram cells. Through research, skin cells could be reprogrammed into insulin producing cells in the pancreas. These skin cells would then be introduced into the pancreas of the diabetes patients, allowing them to produce insulin. 4However a number of other applications has been envisaged. It could be used in future research in which cloning may be beneficial, such as encouraging research into cloned tissues to work with the basic building blocks of life ‘the stem cells' and discovering how to reprogramme them in such away that they will develop into the tissue that is needed such as skin or heart muscle or nerve cells. These stem cells can be acquired from the foetus which has miscarried or been aborted. In order to obtain these stem cells which are genetically identical to the suffer, it is necessary to use the cloning technique, taking the nucleus of a cell from the affected person and putting it into a human egg, from which the nucleus has been removed. This is the creation of life; it is genetically identical to the person who is suffering. After just a few days of cell division, the stem cells would be removed from the embryo and then the embryo would be destroyed, this would give you a cell line which would never be human but would be used for producing identical tissue for a patient who needs a supply of cells or tissue for grafting, such as replacing heart muscle tissue which would offer hope for people with heart disease, or brain tissue which would help suffers of Alzheimer's. However many of these future applications of cloning involve the creation of embryo solely as a source of cells and destroying them. In an article by Roger Highfield science editor of The Daily Telegraph raises the ethical question, does the 100 cell early embryo that will be used in the stem cell research count as a person? That is the question at the heart of the debate. At one extreme, pro-life groups, the Catholic Church and some other religious organisations argue that the embryo becomes a human being as soon as an egg is fertilised, and should be accorded the same respect as a baby. However, as stated by Roger Highfield in the Sunday Telegraph 2002 the Christian tradition has not always granted this moral status to the early embryo. For many centuries it was believed that the human soul did not enter the embryo until 40 days after conception in the case of a man, and 90 days after conception in the case of a woman. This distinction only ended in 1869 when Pope Pius IX declared that women who had survived an abortion were to be excommunicated implying that a person was ‘ensouled' at conception. Highfield believes those at the other extreme of the debate claim that a very early embryo is no more than a collection of undifferentiated cells and deserves little more attention that any other isolated human cell or tissue. The fact that the embryo has the potential to become a person does not they say accord it the rights of a person. They also say the view that the embryo is a person from the moment of conception does not match most people's idea of human personal identity. The Warnock committee concluded that the early embryo has special status but not one that justifies its absolute protection. One of the arguments used by the modern media against developing embryonic stem cells is the same for cloning whole animals. As it could be argued that once scientists have done this there would be no stopping them from going on to develop a human clone. If once the first step is taken it might seem inevitable that the next step should follow. Therefore is it wrong to let the first step take place? As Mary Warnock suggests in her article on stem cell research from the Dialogue journal is our fear of genetic manipulation different in kind from other fears? Many fears of new discoveries have been fears of supposed risks. This was the case when people feared steam engines or internal combustion engine. And we have on whole become a risk averse society, we think of minimising risks as human nature. The issue poses the question of how cloning maybe beneficial as well as morally wrong. The people against cloning feel it is an affront to religious sensibilities; it seems like playing God and interfering with the natural process. There are other objections too like they are worried that cloning appears to be a powerful force that can be exploited to produce horrendous results like creating a population entirely the same. One of the main ethical concerns brought up by the media is the possibility of the psychological impact on the offspring. Would the human clone have a diminished sense of individuality? Perhaps human clones would think that they were genetically destined to the same fate as the person from whom their donor cells came. 7Ethical questions have been raised about how cloning could also control the children's genotypes, which could be practised in discriminatory ways. As the author Peter Paris expressed in the Ethics of Human Cloning that parents could use cloning as genetic manipulation along with other techniques to exercise the quality control over their children, or perhaps scientists may use it with racist intent a fear raised by Peter Paris,' Since Europeans, and euro Americans have never been able to affirm the value of the worlds darker races as equals, there is little reason to believe that their scientists would not seek to rid the world of some of its racial diversity by combining science of eugenic with that of human cloning,. From this there could be a reduction in genetic variability, for producing many clones runs the risk of creating a population entirely the same. The population would be susceptible to the same diseases and one disease could devastate the entire population. Too this lends support to old prejudices and it could also raise new ones which cut across existing social divisions. In the modern media supporters of cloning consider that with careful continuation of research, the technological benefits of cloning clearly outweigh the possible social consequences. In their minds, the final products of cloning, like farm animals and laboratory mice will not be the most important achievement. The applications of cloning the envision are not nightmarish and inhumane, but will improve the overall quality of science and life. Cloning will help to produce discoveries that will affect the study of genetics, cell development, human growth, and obstetrics. Also the people who argue in favour of cloning believe that much of the concerns are based on misunderstandings. They believe cloning in reality would produce what amounts to a delayed identical twin, several years or even decades younger than that person who is being cloned. Identical twins are separate individuals. They look different because of different preferences, clothing and hairstyle. They even have different moral values, academic achievements and tastes in music. As many identical twins through their lives develop unique identities of their own. Another misunderstanding is how genes influence an individual's development. Human beings do not inherit a fixed unchangeable genetic blueprint from their parents. Scientists believe it's an interaction between genes and the environment in which an individual grows up and lives including the environment in which the foetus is in the womb. 8One of the major reasons people fear cloning is based religious reasons on the notion that a clone is an imperfect imitation of the real thing, which causes some people to think that far from having the same soul as someone else a clone would have no soul at all. In the book Remaking Eden it was stated that the Irvine, California, rabbi Bernard King was seriously frightened by this idea when he asked, ‘Can the cloning process create a soul? Can scientists create the soul that would make a being ethical, moral, caring, loving, all the things we attribute humanity to? ‘. The Catholic Father Saunders suggested that, ‘Cloning would only produce humanoids or androids-soulless replicas of human beings that could be used as slaves. ‘ However there is nothing artificial about the cells used in cloning. They are alive all through the cloning process. The newly formed embryo can only develop inside the womb of a woman in the same way embryo and foetuses develop. Cloned children will be proper human beings thus the notion of soulless clone has no basis in reality. 9Though the fundamental ethical concern is something for which Christian theology provides some insights. Neil Messer suggests that the act of cloning can go against many people's moral and religious beliefs. The bible is an important part of any Christian's life and it contains the teachings of God and his views on life. In genesis he talks of the creating of earth where on the fifth day: ‘God created man in his image: in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1v27. Human beings are made in the image of God. This bestows on them unique status in creation to treat them, not as manipulated, is to violate Gods given nature. Should we be going against him and creating humans to our specifications? Or is this what God would have wanted? Many strong Christians would disagree with pre-cloners saying that God made man and we should not be tampering with God and his creations, we are finite and limited creatures, we are mortals rather than God, and it is both foolish and self destructive for us to forget that. Whilst many would answer with arguments that if God had not wanted this then he would not have let humans progress so far, like genesis 11 we find human beings use there God given skill and ingenuity to try and reach up to heavens, to make a name for themselves in efforts to become like God ‘ Come let us build ourselves a city a tower that reaches the heavens, so that we may make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the face of the earth' Genesis 11v3. In this man is using Gods given ability to push back out limits to take some measure of control and authority over created order and share in Gods creative work. This was seen as an arrogant use of that skill and ingenuity to pretend that we have no limits, that we are Gods. However God has given us freewill and to exercise this freewill would mean consequently God cannot be held responsible. 10Also in Bioethics a primer for Christian Gilbert Milander believed Christians would also see cloning as a violation to the uniqueness of human life, which God has given to each person and to no one else. Christians are given their individualism uniqueness in the ritual of baptism. In baptism God sets his hand upon them calls them by name and thereby establishes their unique individual identity and destiny. Their uniqueness is not a personal achievement or power it is established in community with God when they realise that they can not directly control their destiny but when they admit that life is grounded and sustained by God. 11Nevertheless from the earliest time of human culture we have been co-creators with God. We have taken the things around us including our own bodies and brains and reorganized them into a number of different ways. We can ask ourselves the question is there anything that can be excluded from the touch of the human hand and the initiative of the human brain Even now we have discovered that life itself can be tampered with. Which shows us that we are co creators with God and we can shape life anyway we desire. 12Consequently can we Christians accept their positions as co-creators or would this be seen as blasphemy? Although the fact remains that humans have been given such power without the knowledge and understanding of God, which means the moral issue then becomes whether we will use our power responsibly. What wrong things might we create with the power of life? Will we be able to watch someone die knowing we are able to create replicas of them? Will we deny our human weakness and try and stop the process of aging by replacing aging parts of our body? Will we worship physical strength and create a society where only those people live and make false images of human life selected by our own preferences. The media has now made us aware that the possibility of cloning humans is only a few years away. Though Cloning has offered us an insight into the power of creation that humanity has done. A Christian could come to the analysis that humans are co creators with God, that we are ever moving closer to making babies rather than having babies. The media and religious organisations believe Cloning represents a test of human restraint wisdom and technological developments and in many ways identifies genetic engineering as one of the most moral problems of the 21st century. Epilogue The media provides us with information that the science of cloning continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and medical advancements based on this science will continue to provide new ethical and religious challenges. As Dr Michael West said on a radio4 Today programme when interviewed by John Humphry's ‘The Use of stem cell research for the relief of disease, Parkinson's, Cystic thybrosis will prove to be irresistible but not for human cloning, Literature Review I have many books written about the ethical debate surrounding cloning all of which are in the light of the recent developments of cloning and sets out the modern debate and the Medias views of cloning as well as the theological issues. The books seem quite useful all giving different viewpoints on the subject and they all seem to have been written quite recently as cloning is a new issue and first explored in March 1997 when Dolly the first cloned mammal was born. There are journals which consist of the moral debate of cloning hence I will be able to get hold of up to date information and the view ethicists in this area. The Ethics of Human Cloning Neil Messer 2001 With all the recent events and research of cloning this booklet sets out the debate of cloning it explains the technical terms clearly and draws out the theological issues and shows what Christians have to contribute to the discussion of Cloning. 2 Clone The Road to Dolly and The Path Ahead 1998 This book puts the science and ethics into context and discusses what part of cloning may play in the future of this medical research and human race. The book also considers the ethical dilemma that maybe used to clone human. Also the book touches on how news on scientific journals reach the popular media. 3. Remaking Eden Cloning and Beyond 1999 This book explores the science of embryology touching down on cloning and the new world of baby making , it explains what science can do and will be able to do. 4. Flesh of my flesh, the ethics of Human cloning This book contains a collection of articles from scientists, philosophers, bioethists and theologians debating whether cloning should be allowed , it also examines up to date laws on cloning and different legal points of views.

Analysis of Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare Essay

Much Ado About Nothing is a play set in c1598 in England. The author of this play, William Shakespeare has used various literary techniques to construct and develop its characters. This essay will analyse some of the techniques including tone, character-specific dialogue, dramatic irony, soliloquy, and symbolism that has been used by the author to construct the characters of the play including Benedick, Beatrice, and Don John. Tone is one of the major techniques used by Shakespeare in this play, to show audience the type and behaviour of characters. In the introduction of the play, Beatrice asks the messenger who had come to deliver a message that stated that prince Pedro is coming to Messina, if â€Å"Signior Montanto† (1. 1. 25) (mocking â€Å"Signior Benedick†) had returned from the battle. The tone of Beatrice used in this introductory scene, gives audience an idea that she might be a witty character. Beatrice, like in this scene, has a witty attitude in most of the scenes. An example of this is where Leonato is talking to Beatrice about her future husband, where she states that a one who has a beard is â€Å"more than a youth† (2.1. 27) and he is not for her, whereas one who has none is â€Å"less than a man† (2. 1. 38) and she is not for him, concluding that there is no man that is able to become her husband. This shows that Beatrice is a very hard-hearted character and cannot be changed or pleased so easily. The tone of Beatrice is usually specific in most of the parts of the play. However, this is also true for the other characters in the play. This shows how tone can be used to specifically recognise a character. Therefore, it can be concluded that the author has used Tone as one of the early techniques in constructing and developing the characters, to let the audience know about the characters’ personality and behaviour. A technique that is used for most of the characters of the play is character-specific dialogue. Character-specific dialogue relates to tone; it makes audience familiar with the way a specific character speaks and expresses his thoughts. Don John is the character in the play that never changes his way of speech. In the scene where Don John speaks for the first time, he has a very villainy dialogue where he states how â€Å"That young  start-up† (Don Pedro) â€Å"hath all the glory† of Don John’s â€Å"overthrow†, and if Don John can â€Å"cross him anyway†, he blesses himself â€Å"every way† (1. 3. 48). This way of speech stays the same at all the parts of the play; â€Å"I am sick in displeasure to him, and whatsoever comes athwart his affection ranges evenly with mine† (2. 2. 5). This technique similar to tone, contrasts the dialogue of characters to differentiate between the ways different characters think and behave. It is used to make characters seem different or similar to other characters; otherwise known as stereotyping. Thus, character specific dialogue makes audience familiar to the behaviour and thoughts of a character, and is therefore used for constructing characters. Dramatic irony is another technique used in this play that gives audience an overview of the way characters think in certain situations. Dramatic irony, is a technique that aids in developing characters mostly by showing the characters’ feelings (that are not usually visible) towards something that they think is real, but only the audience know if it is true (i. e. where at least one character doesn’t know what the audience know). An example of this is in a scene where Don Pedro, Leonato and the other men were discussing how Lady Beatrice â€Å"was in love with Signior Benedick† (2. 3. 82). The dramatic irony here is that Signior Benedick in this scene was hiding and overhearing the conversation, but doesn’t know that he was being deceived into believing that Lady Beatrice is madly in love with him. Since benedick gets deceived into believing that Beatrice really loves him, he then expresses his deeper feelings much more to the audience as he says to himself that if Beatrice does love him, â€Å"it must be requited† (2.3. 183) and otherwise he will not be. This shows that dramatic irony leads into constructing and developing characters, as dramatic irony in a way allows audience to overview and understand a character’s deeper thoughts/feelings. Soliloquy is also a technique that has been used similar to dramatic irony by putting forward the emotions of a character and having an overview of his/her personality/thoughts to aid in building the character. Dramatic irony is where ‘there is something that a character doesn’t know, but the audience are aware of it’, whereas a soliloquy is where ‘the audience know what a character is feeling but other characters are not addressed’. A good example of a soliloquy is in the scene where benedick is speaking to himself about how a man changes himself after falling in love. In the scene, benedick says how â€Å"One woman is fair, yet I am well; another is wise, yet I am well; another virtuous, yet I am well† (2. 3. 21) but unless there is a woman who has all three qualities, he shall not fall in love with any woman. From this scene, it is observed that benedick has certain values that a woman should have, and that she is the woman he will fall in love with. As seen, soliloquy opens the door to a character’s deeper feelings. These are feelings that a character is not likely to state when other characters are present and addressed. This shows how soliloquy, similar to dramatic irony, lets the audience know about a character’s deep thoughts/emotions. Another technique that had been used was Symbolism. This technique is present in many scenes throughout the play. It has been used to make the audience visualise and understand certain aspects of the play. An example of this is in the scene where Beatrice gets deceived by her cousin into believing that â€Å"Benedick loves Beatrice so entirely† (3. 1. 37). In the scene Hero tells Margaret how it is good for Benedick to forget Beatrice as â€Å"Disdain and scorn ride sparkling† (3. 1. 51) in Beatrice’s eyes and â€Å"Mispricing† (3. 1. 52) everything they see. This was being said so to make Beatrice realise that her behaviour was full of scorn and pride. At this time when the play was written, women generally had to be polite when men are around. However, it is seen that Beatrice’s character does not obey this rule, and her behaviour is contrasted with other women. In the introduction of the play, as seen in the paragraph that analysed â€Å"tone† as a technique, Beatrice was a witty character. Though at the introduction tone was used to develop the character of Beatrice to be witty, it has also been repeated throughout the play. The repetition of this fact has led to symbolise Beatrice with the character of wit and wit itself. This shows how symbolism has been used along with tone and repetition to construct characters of the play. The literary techniques analysed above show how they were used to construct characters and position audience to let the characters be constructed within their thoughts. Shakespeare has used various literary techniques including tone, character-specific dialogue, dramatic irony, soliloquy, and symbolism to directly and indirectly construct and develop the characters of the play Much Ado about Nothing. All of these techniques relate to each other within the context of constructing characters by various means like giving characters an insight of character’s thoughts, letting audience know more about the personality of characters etc. Thus these techniques have been used in the play to create and develop the characters of the play. Bibliography * Shakespeare, William. Mares, F. H. ed. The New Cambridge Shakespeare – Much Ado About Nothing. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print * n. p. â€Å"Glossary of Literary Terms† uncp. com. UNCP, n. d. Web. 22 Aug, 2010.