Death as a Major Player in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet :: William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet

Death as a Major Player Death plays a key role in Romeo and Juliet. During the story, six deaths occur that fashion Shakespeare’s publication into the calamity that’s known around the world. Each death pushes the story forward continuously, leading to the finale where the two lovers die due to love and hate from both feuding families. Mercutio, the joker and comic relief of the play, dies first and foremost. Tybalt spies Romeo at Lord Capulet’s extravaganza and vows to continue his fighting match by saying: â€Å"I will withdraw; but this intrusion shall, Now seeming sweet, convert to bitt’rest gall† (I, V, 93-95) Determined to duel with Romeo, in Act Three, Scene 1, he challenges the Montague but Romeo declines fighting with his brother-in-law, saying: â€Å"I do protest I never injured thee, But love thee better than thou canst devise† (III, 1,67-68), His statement means he doesn’t want to cause Tybalt any harm but would rather leave the scene. Mercutio steps in for Romeo, Romeo comes between them, and Tybalt’s sword stabs Mercutio when Romeo was holding Mercutio back. As Mercutio lays wounded and waiting for a surgeon, he blames Romeo for his injury saying, â€Å"Why the devil came you between us? I was hurt under your arm.† (III, I, 103-105) Soon following, Romeo learns that Mercutio is dead by Benvolio who says: â€Å"O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio is dead! That gallant spirit haths aspired the clouds, Which too untimely here did scorn the earth.† (III, I, 118 – 120) Romeo, enraged at the killing of one of his dearest friends, challenges Tybalt to a fight for revenge, saying: â€Å"Now Tybalt, take the ‘villain’ back again That late thou gavest me; for Mercutio’s soul Is but a little way above our heads, Staying for thine to keep him company. Either thou or I, or both, must go with him.† (III, I, 127 – 131) Tybalt takes up the challenge and the Capulet falls to the ground, dead by Romeo’s sword. Benvolio tells everyone including the Prince what has happened later saying: â€Å"There lies the man, (Tybalt) slain by young Romeo, That slew thy kinsman, brave Mercutio.† (III, I, 146 – 147)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With Romeo banished and Juliet acting as if she was dead in the Capulet family tomb, Paris comes to her grave to mourn the loss of his fiancee. On the path of the family tomb, he spots a torch and puts his own out to listen the stranger, saying:

Job Hunting

â€Å"The United States economy seems to be at its lowest at the moment,† can be found headlining The Los Angeles Times. The unemployment rate has been at its highest since the Great Depression and statistics have shown that for over a year now the unemployment rate in the Inland Empire has been at 12 percent. As our society continues to stumble, America continues to decrease the number of job openings available. Because of this job hunting today is a very difficult process. To begin with due to a staggering economy there are fewer job openings available but more people trying to look for jobs.People all over the country are being laid off due to budget cuts. For example it is said that three hundred teachers are to be laid off this year all over San Bernardino Unified School District, Rialto Unified School District, and Riverside Unified School District. Teachers being laid off will cause a struggle for those on the hunt for a job because those who are currently looking for w ork will now be competing not only with the ones already on the hunt but also with three hundred others who have just been added to the statistics.For example a friend of mine, ten years ago was a business man working for a large corporation receiving great pay. Now my friend, the same one who was once a businessman can be found working at McDonalds as a cook, getting paid minimum wage because the corporation he worked for went bankrupt. He didn’t have any other options open for him and he had to settle with whatever it was that he could find at the time. The elderly have families to support at home and the young have their own bills to pay as well. Competition increases day by day and to be able to find a job just gets harder and harder.Furthermore, many people don’t have much education and with not much education the situation becomes harder on them to find a job. Education now plays a great role when applying for a job. In our society there are those people with AA degrees and/or BA degrees that are applying while others have nothing at hand. For example I recently applied at a hotel for a desk front clerk. At my group interview I was competing against a lady who held an accounting degree and who previously had experience. I, on the other hand, only held a high school diploma and had fast food experience.I was turned down because I had neither a degree nor experience. Being able to attain a job becomes harder on those who are just entering the workforce. With budget cuts all around the state and cities there aren’t many options open to civilians. For example my best friend who is at an academy to become a cop has just been told that there will be no job openings available for him once he’s graduated. His situation is due to the fact that the County of San Bernardino will be cutting 50 percent of the county’s work force such as paramedics, police, and firefighters.Situations like this slow down the process and make it harde r on one to be able to attain a job. Lastly due to the advancement in technology companies/corporations are cutting down on workers. Our society now needs less manual labor than what it once used to. A robot can do the job that a hundred people used to perform, in less amounts of time and with no pay. For example America once had manual labor being performed at car factories but with the invention of robots manual labor is not needed anymore.Car parts are now being made by robots and having robots benefits the company because the company can now produce more quickly and save millions of dollars on labor. Computers are another example of automation competing against human kind. For example over the course of the next three years Foxconn, the world’s largest electronic manufacturer, will be adding a total of one million robots and computers to the corporation. The only meaning this holds is that over the next three years there will be thousands and thousands of people left unem ployed.With robots and computers taking over, hundreds are left without a job and by the looks of it our society will continue to become more computerized and programmed. There are thousands of people who are unemployed today. Job hunting today is affected by a staggering economy, education, and the advancement in technology. Under the circumstances it becomes crucial for one to be able to find some kind of job. Day by day job hunting becomes more competitive with fewer chances to a new opportunity.

Development of M1 Garand - World War II Rifles

The M1 Garand was a .30-06 round semi-automatic rifle that was first fielded by the US Army. Developed by John C. Garand, the M1 saw extensive service during World War II and the Korean War. Though plagued by early problems, the M1 became a beloved weapon by soldiers and commanders who recognized the firepower advantage it provided over older bolt-action rifles. The M1 Garand was exported widely after World War II. Development The US Army first began its interest in semi-automatic rifles in 1901. This was furthered in 1911, when testing was held using the Bang and Murphy-Manning. Experiments continued during World War I and trials were held in 1916-1918. Development of a semi-automatic rifle began in earnest in 1919, when the US Army concluded that the cartridge for its current service rifle, the Springfield M1903, was far more powerful than needed for typical combat ranges. That same year, the gifted designer John C. Garand was hired at the Springfield Armory. Serving as the chief civilian engineer, Garand began work on a new rifle. His first design, the M1922, was ready for testing in 1924. This possessed a caliber of .30-06 and featured a primer-operated breech. After inconclusive testing against other semi-automatic rifles, Garand improved the design, producing the M1924. Further trials in 1927 produced an indifferent outcome, though Garand did design a .276 caliber, gas-operated model based on the results. John C. Garand at work at the Springfield Armory. National Park Service In the spring of 1928, the Infantry and Cavalry boards ran trials which resulted in the .30-06 M1924 Garand being dropped in favor of the .276 model. One of two finalists, Garands rifle competed with the T1 Pedersen in the spring of 1931. In addition, a single .30-06 Garand was tested but was withdrawn when its bolt cracked. Easily defeating the Pedersen, the .276 Garand was recommended for production on January 4, 1932. Shortly thereafter, Garand successfully retested the .30-06 model. Upon hearing the results, the Secretary of War and Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur, who did not favor reducing calibers, ordered work to stop on the .276 and that all resources be directed to improving the .30-06 model. On August 3, 1933, Garands rifle was re-designated Semi-Automatic Rifle, Caliber 30, M1. In May of the following year, 75 of the new rifles were issued for testing. Though numerous problems were reported with the  new weapon, Garand was able to correct them and the rifle was able to be standardized on January 9, 1936, with the first production model cleared on July 21, 1937. M1 Garand Cartridge: .30-06 Springfield (7.62 x 63mm), 7.62 x 51mm NATOCapacity: 8-round en bloc clip inserted into an internal magazineMuzzle Velocity: 2750-2800 ft./sec.Effective Range: 500 yds.Rate of Fire: 16-24 rounds/minuteWeight: 9.5 lbs.Length: 43.6 in.Barrel Length: 24 in.Sights: Aperture rear sight, barleycorn-type front sightAction: Gas-operated w/ rotating boltNumber Built: approx. 5.4 millionAccessories: M1905 or M1942 bayonet, grenade launcher Magazine Action While Garand was designing the M1, Army Ordnance demanded that the new rifle possess a fixed, non-protruding magazine. It was their fear that a detachable magazine would be quickly lost by US soldiers in the field and would make the weapon more susceptible to jamming due to dirt and debris. With this requirement in mind, John Pedersen created an en bloc clip system that permitted the ammunition to be loaded into the rifles fixed magazine. Originally the magazine was meant to hold ten .276 rounds, however, when the change was made to .30-06, the capacity was reduced to eight. The M1 utilized a gas-operated action that used expanding gases from a fired cartridge to chamber the next round. When the rifle was fired, the gases acted upon a piston which, in turn, pushed the operating rod. The rod engaged a rotating bolt which turned and moved the next round into place. When the magazine was emptied, the clip would be expelled with a distinctive ping sound and the bolt locked open, ready to receive the next clip. Contrary to popular belief, the M1 could be reloaded before a clip was fully expended. It was also possible to load single cartridges into a partially loaded clip. Operational History When first introduced, the M1 was plagued by production problems which delayed initial deliveries until September 1937. Though Springfield was able to build 100 per day two years later, production was slow due to changes in the rifles barrel and gas cylinder. By January 1941, many of the problems were resolved and production increased to 600 per day. This increase led to the US Army being fully equipped with the M1 by the end of the year. World War II Infantryman, kneeling in front of M3 Half-track, holds and sights an M1 Garand rifle. Fort Knox, Kentucky, June 1942. Library of Congress The weapon was also adopted by the US Marine Corps, but with some initial reservations. It was not until midway through World War II that USMC was completely changed over. In the field, the M1 gave American infantry a tremendous firepower advantage over Axis troops who still carried bolt-action rifles such as the Karabiner 98k. With its semi-automatic operation, the M1 allowed US forces to maintain substantially higher rates of fire. In addition, the M1s heavy .30-06 cartridge offered superior penetrating power. The rifle proved so effective that leaders, such as General George S. Patton, praised it as the greatest implement of battle ever devised. Following the war, M1s in the US arsenal were refurbished and later saw action in the Korean War. Replacement The M1 Garand remained the principal service rifle of the US Army until the introduction of the M-14 in 1957. Despite this, it was not until 1965, that the changeover from the M1 was completed. Outside of the US Army, the M1 remained in service with reserve forces into the 1970s. Overseas, surplus M1s were given to nations such as Germany, Italy, and Japan to aid in rebuilding their militaries after World War II. Though retired from combat use, the M1 is still popular with drill teams and civilian collectors.