Acts 1 and 2 of Romeo and Juliet Essay Example For Students

Acts 1 and 2 of Romeo and Juliet Essay Love is an important theme in Romeo and Juliet and is interpreted in many ways by the many different characters. After the prologue, which is filled with hints of the ending for the star-crossed lovers, the play opens with a scene between Sampson and Gregory who are two servants of the Capulet family. They are vulgar and crude, making many sexual references and innuendoes. They do not see love as involving emotions or desires, but as a purely physical thing, sexual not emotional. Sampson refers to women as weaker vessels and tells of how he will rape the maids of the Montague household. Neither of them appears to have ever experienced true love. They talk in a rude and coarse manner and objectify women. The opening helps the audience to contrast this vulgar image of love shown in a humorous context, to Romeo and Juliets sincere love for each other. This perception of love is also shared by the nurse and Mercutio, both who are comical characters. Mercutios humour is mostly offensive and insulting; he sees love as a pointless emotion. Mercutio teases Romeo from the start for being a lover. He believes that love is just an illusion, its made up in dreams by Queen Mab, he says she gallops night by night through lovers brains, and then they dream of love. The nurse uses similar bawdy language by way of, Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days. The nurse urges Juliet to get all of the pleasures out of love and she ensures Juliet and Romeo are able to marry and indulge in their sexual relationship. In this way, although there is long elaborate speech of true passionate love between Romeo and Juliet, there is also rude and coarse language which would have appealed to the lower-class audience. In the Elizabethan era, it was common for a young man to fall hopelessly in love with an unattainable beautiful woman, often with little chance of being loved back. This is how we first meet Romeo; he is very depressed and confused. However, you see many different attitudes towards love from Romeo; during each situation he is in, he reveals a different portrayal of love. Here he tells his cousin, Benvolio, of how he is in love with a woman, Rosaline, and speaks his love. This love feel I, that feel no love in this. Romeo speaks of how he does not enjoy being in love and that he sees it as a punishment, like being shut up in prison or like being whipped and tormented. He talks of love as being something he has to do, not something he feels. Benvolio believes that Romeo is not really in love, but that it is more of an infatuation. In his attempts to help Romeo overcome his obsession, Benvolio tells him to examine other beauties. Benvolio does not have a lot of belief in true love but merely in loving the beauty of women. In this scene, the audience see Romeo for the first time and they are exposed to a pathetic, depressed, miserable boy, who does not take pleasure in love, ay me sad hours seem long However the fact Shakespeare never reveals Rosaline to the audience adds mystery to Romeos obsession. This kind of love he feels for Rosaline did not tend to lead towards marriage, which was something else. Marriage often had nothing to do with love; it was arranged between families and was generally all to do with legal contracts, family, pride and wealth. This is shown by Juliets parents; Capulet is much older than Lady Capulet, who married when she was very young. Her mother learnt to love him after they married. This is also depicted in the scene when Paris asks Capulet for Juliets hand in marriage before he has even met her. Although Juliet is very young, Capulet still gives Juliet a choice of if she wants to be married and by this shows his affection for her. He refers to her as the hopeful lady of his earth and she calls him as good father. He believes marriage as a good thing but also states that love is preferable. He does also show his concern about Juliets age, .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550 , .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550 .postImageUrl , .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550 , .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550:hover , .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550:visited , .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550:active { border:0!important; } .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550 { 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; } .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550:active , .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550 .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; } .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550 .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9b784b54d5c0c6ae752ad99810e4a550:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Romeo diary EssayShe hath not seen the change of fourteen years, Let two more summers wither in their pride, Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride. Yet Paris states that women younger than Juliet are already made mothers, a thought shared also with Lady Capulet, Well, think of marriage now; younger than you, Here in Verona, ladies of esteem, Are made already mothers: by my count. She feels marriage is more important than love as well, So shall you share all that he doth possess, By having him, making yourself no less. She implies that marriage a necessity and it is what women are made for. Lady Capulet also recites a long elaborate speech full of comparisons of Paris face and love being like a book, Read oer the volume of young Paris face, This precious book of love, this unbound lover This speech starts with the assumption that because Paris is a man of wax, Juliet should be very excited to be given the chance to marry him and should immediately be attracted to him. However, Lady Capulet soon gets irritated when Juliet shows no signs of interest; she hurries Juliet, asking her of her feelings towards this, Speak briefly, can you like of Paris love? Juliet answers in such a way that keeps her parents happy, Ill look to like, if looking liking move, She says that she will look forward to liking him, if by looking at him can lead her to liking him. As she is so young, her answer seems acceptable as her mother does not question her further. Lady Capulets scene with Juliet is not normally how a mother addresses her daughter or how a daughter addresses her mother. Their dialogue seems very formal and polite, Madam, I am here. What is your will? This depicts the distance between Juliet and her mother; instead of saying mother, she says madam. However, this gap between them is filled by the nurse. The nurse effectively acts as Juliets substitute mother and it is her, who Juliet confides in and trusts. When Romeo first meets Juliet, the insincerity of his love for Rosaline is exposed and he suddenly realises it, Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I neer saw true beauty till this night. He speaks of how his love for Rosaline was not true and pure, like the love he now feels for Juliet. His attitude towards love changes as suddenly as his change of heart. Romeos feelings sound more genuine in speeches about Juliet than of Rosaline which was much more exaggerated. He wants to be with Juliet all the time, and he is continually comparing her to a saint and the light that can brighten up anything. O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! O, then, dear saint, O, speak again, bright angel! In the sonnet shared by Romeo and Juliet, the interpretation of love is shown as religion. There are many references to saints, pilgrims, shrines, holy, prayers, faith and devotion. This is an obvious contrast to how he felt when he was in love with Rosaline. Juliet seems very playful in her language with Romeo but she also feels the same way as she refers to him as her only love. In their scene at the balcony, Romeo now feels love as being a power in which he can with loves light wings fly over the high walls surrounding the Capulet mansion. When Juliet asks Romeo how he knew which room was hers, Romeo replied, By love that first did prompt me to inquire; He lent me counsel, and I lent him eyes. This means that love led him to her balcony. Juliet, in this scene, seems much more mature than Romeo and speaks in a much more serious tone; Romeo speaks using elaborate and indirect language, .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f , .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f .postImageUrl , .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f , .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f:hover , .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f:visited , .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f:active { border:0!important; } .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f { 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; } .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f:active , .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f .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; } .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u06c45f28c36dd3c4b43a3c2f01ffeb7f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Desdemona: the Modern Woman in the Classic Play EssayIt is my soul that calls upon my name: How silver-sweet sound lovers tongues by night, Like softest music to attending ears! Juliet does not like his theatrical speech, instead she gradually tears Romeo away from this artificial language in which he used with Rosaline. Juliet speaks of love as being eternal and sacred, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite. She believes in their love so much that she accepts to marry him, the only son of her parents sworn enemy, even though Paris had offered to marry her. Friar Lawrence acts as Romeos substitute father and looks after him throughout Romeos relationship with Juliet. He agrees to marry them thinking it will unite their families but still feels it is still a risk, Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast. When the Friar remarks on how quickly he falls in love, Romeo replies by saying that there is a difference between his old love and his new one, Her I love now Doth grace for grace and love for love allow. The other did not so. This is another example of how Romeo is truly in love with Juliet. The friar is similar to the role of the nurse towards Juliet as they both look after and advise the young lovers. In conclusion, there are many forms of love; parental love, marital love and physical love. I believe that Romeo and Juliet contains the right balance of each different aspect of love. The humorous bawdy language of Mercutio and the nurse provide a break from all the ominous reminders of the tragic ending and the elaborate, fancy dialogue of Romeo and Juliet. These crude parts of the play would also have appealed to the lower class and less cultured members of the Elizabethan audience. All in all, the theme of love is well presented in many different ways by many characters.

Gradgrinds philosophy of education in Hard Times Essays

Gradgrinds philosophy of education in Hard Times Essays Gradgrinds philosophy of education in Hard Times Paper Gradgrinds philosophy of education in Hard Times Paper Essay Topic: Education Hard Times Charles Dickens novel Hard Times is a classic story about family problems, detachments and inappropriate family values set in industrial England. The main point of the story focuses on Thomas Gradgrind, a single-minded man who lacks emotions and whose philosophy is one dimensional. In order to discuss how Dickens presents education, in particular Gradgrinds philosophy of education it will be important to look further at the following points: Gradgrinds teaching style, interaction with his pupils and finally Gradginds personality. Thomas Gradgrind was a man built on the idea that facts and statistics were the only truth in life and all that was needed to have a healthy and productive life. Gradginds teaching style can be seen as regimented and one dimensional. For example, he believes in stating facts based on principles and has no time for anything outside the obvious. This can be seen at the beginning of the first chapter when Mr Gradgrind says, Now what I want is facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but facts. This makes him seem a stubborn scary person, who lacks creativity and doesnt like to be challenged. : Also he believes himself to be factual and proceeds upon a principle to be accurate. You can see that facts are very important to Mr Gradgrind as the word Facts has a capital letter most of the time. Dickens seems to give an over the top description of Mr Gradgrind, using dull, monotonous language through which he shows us that Mr Gradgrinds attitude towards education is purely based on facts. Dickens also presents Gradgrind as a very well organised man, who is described as square. Square wall of a forehead, where everything about him is dry and inflexible. Dickens has described this character for a reason, to make the reader imagine a very dull, unattractive character. Dickens use of repetitions creates effect on the character such as In this life, we want nothing but facts, sir nothing but facts! . This implies that Gradgrind is a firm believer of education and is accustomed to only one explanation, and he doesnt consider anything more complicated. Gradgrind has no imagination, creativity or inspiration of any kind because he has only one goal in mind. When Gradgrind speaks to his pupils he doesnt let them explore their thoughts of vision. For example in the conversation about horses with his class he quotes Do you ever see horses walking up and down the sides of rooms in reality- in fact. This shows that Gradgrind has no ability to believe in images or ideas in the mind, especially of things that never will be seen in reality. When Gradgrind addresses the pupils he uses an order to instruct, because he wants everything in the right classification of arrangement, for example when communicating he underlines them as numbers rather than names, for example Girl number twenty. This is his regimented way to organize his pupils because the children are not allowed any independent thought which takes their personality away from them. Also Gradgrind shows no respect for the students and believes he is superior to them. Another sentence Gradgrind uses: Sissy is not a name. Here he tells Sissy that her name is ridiculous and that she should change it, Call yourself Cecilia. This shows Gradgrind is ignorant to what the students may want or believe. He also wants everything in an appropriate order because of his factual regime. Gradgrind produces a quite ridiculous question for Sissy to answer Girl number twenty, give me a definition of a horse Sissy knows what a horse is as she was brought up with them, but she is unable to answer Gradgrinds ridiculous question because she does not know what the word definition means. Bitzer is then asked to describe the answer, he does so correctly, Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth This answer goes well with the question, it is also ridiculous, this is emphasised by the answer being something that a student of this age would not know. Bitzers mechanical reproduction of facts is the approved product of Gradgrinds system of education. Dickens uses other characters names to create effect in the philosophy. For example Mr Mr MChoakumchild who is portrayed as an unpleasant teacher at Gradginds school. His name suggests that he is not very fond of children, which stifles or chokes their imagination. Dickens describes Mr MChoakumchild as an intelligent man, the subjects and skills that he studied show that his knowledge was very high. For example Orthography, etymology, syntax and prosody . He believes that fact is all that the children need to know in life. Dickens chapter title gives an implied meaning, Murdering the innocents this gives a violent impression. This can be interpreted as cramming the pupils minds with facts and overpowering their ability to think in a wider context. In conclusion, it can be seen that Dickens presents Gradgrinds philosophy of education by portraying Gradgrind as a gruelling man, who is only interested in his own way of doing things. It is his teaching of facts and excluding imagination, fantasy and understanding. He is a very hard man and is representative of the title, for example Industrial England was full of hardship where people were poor and lead simple lives. Dickens also uses irony to symbolise his point, a good example is the name Mr MChoakumchild. It is ironic because the schools philosophy is to cram the childrens minds with facts thereby choking them. Dickens has succeeded in writing the opening chapters about education, and his use of language is very effective.

Pros and Cons of Job Sharing for Teachers

Pros and Cons of Job Sharing for Teachers Job sharing refers to the practice of two teachers sharing an employment contract. The contract split can vary (60/40, 50/50, etc.), but the arrangement allows two teachers to share the contracts benefits, vacation days, hours, and responsibilities. Some school districts do not allow job sharing, but even in ones that do, the interested teachers often must partner and come up with an agreement on their own to present to administrators for approval and formalization. Who Job Shares? Teachers returning from maternity leave may pursue job sharing to ease back into a full schedule. Others, such as teachers who want to simultaneously pursue a masters degree, teachers with disabilities or recovering from illness, and teachers nearing retirement or caring for elderly parents, may also find the option of a part-time position appealing. Some school districts promote job sharing in an effort to attract qualified teachers who would otherwise choose not to work. Why Job Share? Teachers may pursue job sharing as a means to teach on a part-time basis when no part-time contracts exist. Students can benefit from the exposure to different teaching styles and the enthusiasm of two fresh energized educators. Most teaching partners split the week by days although some work all five days, with one teacher in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Job-sharing teachers may both attend field trips, holiday programs, parent-teacher conferences, and other special events. Job-sharing teachers must maintain clear and constant communication and exercise extreme cooperation, sometimes with a partner who operates with a different teaching style and possesses different educational philosophies. However, when a job-sharing situation works well, it can be quite beneficial for the teachers, the school administration, and even the students and their parents. Consider the pros and cons of job sharing before you pursue an agreement with another teacher. Pros to Job Sharing The flexibility to work part-timeThe advantage of a schedule conducive to child care and family lifeThe accrual of years-of-service credits (toward retirement benefits) that would otherwise be lost (for example, upon resignation)The opportunity to work cooperatively with a chosen colleagueThe option to split curriculum by expertiseThe benefits of a two heads are better than one problem-solving approachThe convenience of a built-in substitute teacher Cons to Job Sharing Decreased benefits (medical, retirement, and other)Dependence on someone else for job securityExtra time (without extra pay) required to coordinate with a partnerLess control over classroom setup and environmentPotential for personality conflicts with teaching partnerPotential student discipline problems without consistent classroom expectationsEffort required to present a unified front to students and parentsLikelihood for important details to fall through the cracks if communication faltersPossible parental confusion about which teacher to contact with concerns Job sharing wont work for everyone. Its important to discuss the details, agree on every aspect of the arrangement, and weigh the pros and cons before signing a job-sharing contract.

Discussion Stories and the Communication Model Essay

Discussion Stories and the Communication Model - Essay Example In all four scenarios, different types of information are gathered, shared and saved in different ways. Like information can be shared through email, electronic documents, voice recording and web presentations. It can be stored directly through web pages means in a digital form or it can be printed through print out and filed them in files. This document which is assembled in the file will be a great asset for the organization. For storing a collaboration experience, you must have knowledge that that has done and stored those types of experiences, awareness of from where the information of the experience will be available and from where you can find that information. I have done research in collaboration in which our group members do not have a time to do research in same time and same place so we prefer to do research in same time, different place. In a same time, different place our group members have done research and sharing information in a same time and different places very easily through chatting, video conference, teleconference, through email, applications/white board sharing, group calendaring and through different resources. Our group members have adopted all these steps for doing that research successfully. Winkler, Ramona. (2002). Keywords and Definitions Around "Collaboration". SAP: The Best Run business Run Sap, Retrieved on 4th January 2012 from

Indoor Play Area for Children in Highcross Mall in Leicester in the UK Essay

Indoor Play Area for Children in Highcross Mall in Leicester in the UK - Essay Example The creative ideas and innovative designing of play centre are discussed in detail to land on a conclusion that an effectively designed play centre at Highcross Leicester would certainly attract more and more number of parents enclosed by their kids to the shopping mall, the sales graph of which has the chance of ever going up. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 4 Problem†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 4 Aims and Objectives†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 5 Methods†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 5 Business Plan†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 6 Time-frame†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 11 Possible constraints†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 12 Outcome/Discussion†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 12 Conclusion†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 16 Introduction: Customised childcare in UK was very poor two decades ago. When compared to other European countries and Western side of the Globe, UK’s child care systems were low in intensity. Mothers of UK found the period between childbirth and schooling too long to sustain especially when they happened to be employees. Lack of state and private initiatives to find out alternative childcare systems were ascribed to their opting part-time employment rather than full-time jobs. However, internal and external influences have paved way for emergence of a series of childcare legislations in the final decade of 20th Century. The years that followed Childcare Act 2006 saw a leap in childcare development. The Brighton and Hove City council has recently published in February 2010 an updated information sheet ‘Running a Crecheâ⠂¬â„¢ in which a clear definition of creches is envisaged. It reads: - facilities which provide occasional care for children under eight and which are provided on particular premises on more than five days a year. They need to be registered where they run for more than two hours a day, even when individual children attend for shorter periods. Some are in permanent premises and care for children while parents are engaged in particular activities, eg, shopping or sport. Others are established on a temporary basis to care for children while their parents are engaged in time-limited activities, eg, a conference or exhibition. Problem: Our aim of designing a play space inside the shopping Mall at Leicester, UK should never be considered as an easing knack for parents in their busy schedules of shopping and other activities so that they can lessen the burden of their childcare activities. Instead, the play area is to be designed in such a way it nourishes creativity among kids. Aim and Ob jectives: The purpose of this report is to investigate and analyse information in connection with formation of a creche in the busiest shopping centre in Leicester. Although a play zone in a shopping Mall in which the ‘play’ serves a subsidiary (Sarah and Valentine, 2009, p.89) and supporting function, our aim in this study is to evolve a method/ design of creche with creative elements so that parents’ responsibility of robust childcare is shouldered. The chief predictors in this endeavour are obtaining valid permission from authorities and ensuring a considerably greater natural environmental design. Methods: The method in gathering information to plan and implement this project included primary and secondary

Hepatitis B infection: An overview

Hepatitis B infection: An overview HEPATITIS B What is hepatitis B? Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus. Chronic hepatitis B is a long-term infection of the liver that can sometimes develop after a bout of acute or short term, hepatitis B. How does a person get hepatitis B? The virus that causes hepatitis B is spread through contact with infected blood or other body fluids of people who have hepatitis B. For example, you can get hepatitis B by having unprotected sex with an infected person. People who use intravenous drugs can get hepatitis B when they share needles with someone who has the virus. Health care workers, such as nurses, lab technicians and doctors, can get these infections if they are accidentally stuck with a needle that was used on an infected patient. Pregnant women who are infected with hepatitis B can also pass the virus on to their babies. Hepatitis B cannot be transmitted through casual contact. For example, you cannot get hepatitis B by hugging or shaking hands with someone who is infected. How long does it take chronic hepatitis to develop after acute hepatitis B? The time between the acute illness and signs of chronic hepatitis B varies. It may take a short time, or it may be years after the acute infection before chronic hepatitis B develops. How is hepatitis B diagnosed? Blood tests are used to diagnose hepatitis B. Blood tests can tell your doctor whether your liver is working properly, and they can also be used to follow your condition during treatment. Your doctor may want to look at your liver with an ultrasound exam or x-rays. A liver biopsy may also be needed. With a liver biopsy, a small piece of the liver is removed through a needle and looked at under a microscope. A liver biopsy can help your doctor diagnose your illness and see the condition of your liver directly. What are the symptoms of hepatitis B? The symptoms of hepatitis B are: nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, jaundice (the skin turns yellow), weakness, fatigue, or brown urine (may look like tea), Symptoms of hepatitis B can range from mild to severe. If you have a mild case of hepatitis, you may not even realize that you have it. It may not cause symptoms or may only cause symptoms similar to the stomach flu. What are the complications of chronic hepatitis B? People with chronic hepatitis B may not have any symptoms at all. In some people, chronic hepatitis can lead to cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis occurs when the liver cells die and are replaced by scar tissue and fat. The damaged areas of the liver stop working and cant cleanse the body of wastes. The early stages of cirrhosis may not have symptoms, but the following symptoms may arise as cirrhosis gets worse and more of the liver is damaged: weight loss, fatigue, jaundice, nausea, vomiting, or loss of appetite, Cirrhosis can lead to liver failure and even liver cancer. If you have hepatitis B, you are also susceptible to hepatitis D (also called Delta agent). Hepatitis D can only develop in people who already have hepatitis B. It can make your symptoms of hepatitis B or liver disease worse. It is spread through contact with infected blood or other body fluids of people who have hepatitis D. How is chronic hepatitis B treated? If you have chronic hepatitis B, your family physician will probably refer you to a gastroenterologist or other subspecialist that treats people with chronic liver problems. There are a number of medical treatments available that are often successful. These include Interferon alfa-2b and other antiviral medicines. Treatment may take a year or more, depending on the severity of the infection and the response to treatment. Can hepatitis B be prevented? The best way to prevent hepatitis B is to have protected sex (use a condom) and to avoid sharing needles. A vaccine is available to prevent hepatitis B. It is now routinely given in the first year of life to all newborn infants. It is safe and requires 3 shots over a 6-month period. This vaccine should be given to people who are at high risk for this illness, such as health care workers, all children, drug users, people who get tattoos or body piercing, and those with multiple sex partners. (Hepatitis B, 2007a) (Hepatitis B, 2007b) (Viral hepatitis B, 2007) References Hepatitis B. (2007). Retrieved December 30, 2007, from eMedicine Health website: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/hepatitis_b/article_em.htm Hepatitis B. (2007). Retrieved December 30, 2007, from World Health Organization website: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs204/en/ Viral hepatitis B. (2007). Retrieved December 30, 2007, from CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/b/

American Home Products Corporation Essay

American Home Product Corporation (AHP), a highly growing American company, has four business lines: prescription drugs, packaged drugs, food products, house wares and household products. Its policies include: -A tight financial control and maintained an aggressive capital structure policy. – Make money for its stockholders and to maximize profits by minimizing cost. – It has been able to finance internally its growth while paying a very high portion of its earning to its shareholders (60%). Currently, AHP seems to have no business risk but may face a certain risk in the long run. Based on the ratios shown on the attached sheet, AHP should not worry about business risk since its working capital is very healthy ($1472.8 million) and cash excess $233 million. The high ROA, high profit margin, low current-to-asset ratio and 49.71 collection days show that AHP can generate cash quickly, thus it can maintain current high growth rate. However, it’s decreasing annual sales growth from 14.1% in 1978 to 8.8% in 1981 (exhibit 1) shows that it faces future risk of losing market shares in all its business lines if it does not foresee competition and continues to focus on increasing stockholders’ value. AHP’s current financial performance is very good since it has high ROE (30.3), high quick ratio (42.68), low debt-to-equity ratio (0.09) and low debt-to-asset ratio (0.01). However, an analysis of different debt ratios shows that if AHP increases debt ratio, it will face a financial risk of increased debt-to-equity and debt-to-asset ratios. In other words, it will face solvency problems in long terms. AHP also face liquidity problems since the quick ratios decrease when the debt ratios increase. 2 The proposed mechanism follows a dual mechanism of leveraging:- (a) Increase the Debt Equity Ratio. (b) Buy back the shares. This also results in the following:- (i) Improves EPS as the amount gets shared by lesser number of shares. (ii)Improves Price / earnings ratio (iii) The excess capital gets utilized. (iv)Sends a +ve signal to the market and share prices likely to increase. (v) Improves Return on Equity ratio. The calculations enclosed indicate that the best option in accordance with the company stated policy would be to have Debt-Equity Ratio of 70%. Shareholders’ value increases when debt ratios increase. EPS increases from $3.18 to $3.49. The dividend payout ratio also increases from 0.597 to 0.602. Similarly, the dividend yield from 0.063 to 0.070. It means that the company can increase shareholders’ value by increasing debt ratios. However the following needs to be considered:- (i) The valued net worth of the firm which decreases may not convey the correct picture to the investor and thus negating the positive signals of buy back of shares. (ii) The firm has no strategy related to R&D in new products and focuses on me-too products thus constituting a large business risk. (iii) The firm would reduce the cash to debt ratio substantially exposing itself to financial risk. The closest competitor has Debt – Equity Ratio of 30% which if taken as a benchmark gives a conservative method of deciding the proposed leveraging, however this does not maximize the shareholder value, but is in line with the strong conservatism philosophy of the firm. It also gives a better Return on Assets ratio and has a safer Debt to Cash ratio. Even though AHP has a very good current financial performance, it should change the financial policy to increase debt ratio at a certain level. To meet the goal of increasing shareholders’ value, AHP should not use its excess cash flow to repurchase its stocks because this is only a temporary solution and may generate serious financial problems in the long run. Instead, AHP should use this excess cash to invest in profitable projects to improve its current products and launch new products that meet current market demands. By doing so, AHP can minimize the business risk, prepare itself for competition and increase sales growth. On the other hands, AHP should increase debt ratio to a certain level that is suitable for its  business to increase shareholders’ value. Also it should continue to exercise tight monetary policies as earlier to pay off the debt in a disciplined manner This solution does not bring financial risk to AHP but enable it to minimize business risk. If AHP remains only concerned about how to increase shareholders’ value and ignores market threats, it might lose its business to its competitors.