Hamlet: Hamlets Sanity :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Hamlet: Hamlet's Sanity â€Å"Great wits are sure to madness near allied, and thin partitions do their bounds divide.† Though John Dryden's quote was not made in regard to William Shakespeare's Hamlet, it relates very well to the argument of whether or not Hamlet went insane. When a character such as Hamlet is under scrutiny, it can sometimes be difficult to determine what state he is in at particular moments in the play. Nonetheless, Hamlet merely pretends to be insane so that he can calculate his moves according to the situation at hand. There are many situations throughout the play that are enough to bring Hamlet to insanity. Take, for example, Act IV, scene II, after Polonius's death. Hamlet's day has been hectic; he finally determines that Claudius has killed his father. The chance to kill Claudius confronts him, and he comes very close to convincing Gertrude that Claudius killed his father. Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius and finally, the ghost of his father visits him. Though at this point these situations create plenty of reasons for Hamlet to be insane, he remains sharp and credible. â€Å"[Hamlet] concocts this state of madness...his intellect remains clear, his discourse sound and comprehensive,† (Harris, p. 129). Hamlet reveals to his friends and his mother of his plans to pretend act insane. He tells Horatio that he is going to "feign madness," and that if Horatio notices any strange behavior from Hamlet, it is because he is putting on an act. (I, v). Hamlet also tells his mother that he is not mad, "but mad in craft." (III, iv). In addition to his confessions, Hamlet's madness only manifests itself when he is in the presence of certain characters. When Hamlet is around Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he behaves irrationally. When Hamlet is around Horatio, Bernardo, Francisco, The Players and the Gravediggers, he behaves rationally (Bevington, p. 59). Some of the characters themselves come to realize that Hamlet is not mad. Claudius confesses that Hamlet's "actions although strange, do not appear to stem from madness." (III, i). In addition, Polonius admits that Hamlet's actions and words have a "method" to them; there appears to be a reason behind them, they are logical in nature. (II, ii). Hamlet is also able to make smart remarks to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, comparing them to sponges. "When he (Claudius) needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you and, sponge, you shall be dry again," ( ). This is random and unexpected, as many of his actions, but the comparison makes sense; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern soak up all the kings

IT Enters a New Learning Environment Essay

It is most helpful to see useful models of school learning that is ideal to achieving instructional goals through preferred application of educational technology. These are the models of Meaningful Learning, Discovery learning, Generative Learning and Constructivism. Meaningful Learning If the traditional learning environment gives stress focus to rote learning and simple memorization, meaningful learning gives focus to new experience departs from that is related to what the learners already knows. New experience departs from the learning of a sequence of words but attention to meaning. It assumes that: ââ€"  Students already have some knowledge that is relevant to new learning. ââ€"  Students are wiling to perform class work to find connections between what they already know and what they can learn. In the learning process, the learner is encouraged to recognize relevant personal experiences. A reward structure is set so that the learner will have both interest and confidence, and this incentive system sets a positive environment to learning. Facts that are subsequently assimilated are subjected to the learner’s understanding and application. In the classroom, hands-on activities are introduced so as to simulate learning in everyday living. Discovery Learning Discovery learning is differentiated from reception learning in which ideas are presented directly to student in a well-organized way, such as through a detailed set of instructions to complete an experiment task. To make a contrast, in discovery learning student from tasks to uncover what is to be learned. New ideas and new decision are generated in the learning process, regardless of the need to move on and depart from organized setoff activities previously set. In discovery learning, it is important that the student become personally engaged and not subjected by the teacher to procedures he/she is not allowed to depart from. In applying technology, the computer can present a tutorial process by which the learner is presented key concept and the rules of learning in a direct manner for receptive learning. But the computer has other uses rather than delivering tutorials. In a computer simulation process, for example, the learner himself is made to identify key concept by interacting with a responsive virtual environment. Generative Learning In generative learning, we have active learners who attend to learning events and generate meaning from this experience and draw inferences thereby creating a personal model or explanation to the new experience in the context of existing knowledge. Generative learning is viewed as different from the simple process of storing information. Motivation and responsibility are seen to be crucial to this domain of learning. The area of language comprehension offers examples of this type of generative learning activities, such as in writing paragraph summaries, developing answers and questions, drawing pictures, creating paragraph titles, organizing ideas/concepts, and others. In sum, generative learning gives emphasis to what can be done with pieces of information, not only on access to them. Constructivism In constructivism, the learner builds a personal understanding through appropriate learning activities and a good learning environment. The most accepted principles constructivism’s are: ââ€"  Learning consists in what a person can actively assemble for himself and not what he can receive passively. ââ€"  the role of learning is to help the individual live/adapt to his personal world. These two principles in turn lead to three practical implications: ââ€"  the learner is directly responsible for learning. He creates personal understanding and transforms information into knowledge. The teacher plays an indirect role by modeling effective learning, assisting, facilitating and encouraging learners. ââ€"  the context of meaningful learning consists in the learner â€Å"connecting† his school activity with real life. ââ€"  the purpose of education is the acquisition of practical and personal knowledge, not abstract or universal truths. To review, there are common t hemes to these four learning domains. They are given below: Learners ââ€"  are active, purposeful learners. ââ€"  set personal goals and strategies to achieve these goals. ââ€"  make their learning experience meaningful and relevant to their lives. ââ€"  seek to build an understanding of their personal worlds so they can work/live productively. ââ€"  build on what they already know in order to interpret and respond to new experiences. LB#6: IT Enters a New Learning Environment. Effective teachers best interact with students in innovative learning activities, while integrating technology to the teaching-learning process. In Meaningful learning * Students already have some knowledge that is relevant to new learning * Students are willing to perform class work to find connections between what they already know and what they can learn. In Discovery learning Ideas are presented directly to students in a well-organized way, such as through a detailed set of instructions to complete an experiment or task. In applying technology, the computer can preset a tutorial process by which the learner is presented key concepts and the rules of learning in a direct manner for receptive learning. In Generative Learning Active learners who attend to learning events and generate meaning from this experience and draw inferences thereby creating a personal model or explanation to the new experience in the context of existing knowledge.Motivation and responsibility are seen to be crucial to this domain of learning. In Constructivism The learner builders a personal understanding through appropriate learning activities and a good learning environment. Learners: are active, purposeful learners. Set personal goals and strategies to achieve these goals. Make their learning experience meaningful and relevant to their lives. Seek to build an understanding of their personal worlds so they can work/live productively. Build on what they already know in order to interpret and respond to new experiences.

buy custom The Impacts of Changing Software Requirements essay

buy custom The Impacts of Changing Software Requirements essay The issue of new changes to be introduced into the system should be addressed during the earlier stages than at the late stages of the software development life circle. The later a change is addressed, the greater the cost, risk and duration of the project. The first scenario depicts some stakeholders (the project team leaders) as being part of the source of the feature creep introduction. The company signs an agreement that was not initially part of the deal. This issue has both its advantages and disadvantages. Starting with the advantages, the company has decided to adopt a framework that is in line with the ADA and section 508. This is a great deal as it provides for more user needs and standards. The feature creep in this case helps achieve the business goal as well as the customer needs. It as well aids in advancing the project to fit into its ideal problem solving state. Based on various techniques, a team through their leader can cope up with the changes and come up with a strategy that will allow them to deliver the software according to the new requirements. First of all, on the start of the project, the team has a mandate to accept that feature creep is part of the project so, prepare in advance. Secondly, they can commit enough time to the requirements elicitation. While performing the intensve requirements analysis, they should also consider the boundaries to changes and when they can be made. Meanwhile, the team should remain task-oriented and consider the customer as right while taking on a lot of research before deciding to commit. On the other hand, the feature creep has negative impacts on the developing team. First of all, additional costs have to be incurred. The developers possibly have to fix the new requirements beginning with the point of integration of the new idea. The project takes more time than the initially decided time and more risks have to be incurred. This leads to delay in the project delivery an altered project milestone results. Most programming languages have a steep learning overhead hence new suggestions would put everything on hold. This leads into the team members frustration especially in the case where they were not consulted. It is therefore necessary to have the project team aware of any consultations and their directions. In the second scenario, the Contents Management System, a scope creep is introduced into the system. The project is now meant to handle more Operating Systems based on a web platform. The result of this is additional development expenses and time introduced into the system. In addition, the complexity of the system becomes a question. Before anything can be done with the suggestions that have been made, it is necessary to carry out a change analysis. The requirements must be considered so that the product satisfies the clients needs. Some changes may be critical to a system so, they must be included whereas some are optional hence can be included in a version of the software. Any alternative that is taken has an impact on the design. First, there is a time taken to decide on which option to take. Secondly, there are new risks that are introduced into the projects design phase. The design may be produced in a manner that doesnt satisfy the customers need. Lastly, the cost of the whole project goes higher than the initially intended costs. This is due to more resources that need to be allocated to the projects in order to accomplish the new mission. Nevertheless, the second scenario leaves the system developers with a decision to make on whether to take the change defer it or reject it. If the developers decide on a progressive application upgrading, then they can start off with the initial projects and implements the customers needs. However, rejecting the change is the least expected decision. A project that fails to address the change in the requirements and quantifying the effects of the changes normally fails. Buy custom The Impacts of Changing Software Requirements essay