Self Assessment on Child Learning Environment

Self Assessment on Child Learning Environment Part A Reflecting on a childs learning and development as a practitioner is important in order to gauge an understanding of the childs ability to learn and how it can be continually improved. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) developed a curriculum framework, known as Aistear, which supports practitioners in early childhood care and education (ECCE) settings to reflect, identify and assess childrens learning. Assessment of the childs learning allows the practitioner to gather an understanding about how the child thinks, their abilities, and interests. For a practitioner to understand and assess a childs thinking, abilities and interests they must interact with the child. Good assessment practices depend on listening, empathising, watching and talking with the child (Dunphy, 2008). It is through these types of interactions in everyday activities and experiences with the adult and other children that help form a successful learning process for them. In order to plan and develop appropriate experiences which the child will find enjoyable and exciting, it is important that the practitioner has a good assessment process in place in the ECCE setting. Through observation the practitioner can assess the childs progress and develop a plan to continually enhance the childs development further. It is up to the practitioner to interpret the childs learning using the aims and learning goals outlined by Aistear to then form and plan the learning further. The practitioner must observe to note childrens progress in all areas of their development including skills, dispositions, attitudes, knowledge and understanding (NCCA, 2009). Development through planning is done through two assessment approaches defined in Aistear which include the assessment for learning and the assessment of learning. Assessment for learning takes the approach of supporting and planning the childs learning through reflection and assessment whereas assessment of learning is the approach of measuring, comparing, analysing and reporting (Daly and Forster cited in Mhic Mhathà ºna and Taylor, 2012). These approaches use many different methods of assessment. Each method helps to create portraits of the childrens learning and development. Observation is a key method in assessing a childs learning. Observing a child allows the practitioner to physically see the childs capabilities and document their learning. It allows them to see where the child excels or where they may need further support. It can also show a practitioner how a child interacts in social situations and how they play. While many practitioners use this as their main assessment method it is not the only one. Through the use of different assessment methods the practitioner can form a bigger picture of a childs learning and development. Aistear outlines the five assessment methods; self-assessment, conversations, observations, setting tasks and testing (NCCA, 2009). Self-assessment consists of the children themselves assessing their own learning and development. The child can begin to identity their own achievements and progress. It is then up to the practitioner to help guide the child and discuss with them about their experience. Discussing and having conversations with the child allow the practitioner to further assess and gather a better understanding of the childs learning (NCCA, 2009). By using conversation as an assessment method the practitioner can gain a better insight into the childs thinking then they would from just observing, thus allowing the practitioner to offer the appropriate support for the child. These assessment methods so far discussed are very child lead assessment. It is the child who shows the practitioner their learning and development with the practitioner acting as an observer. Observation can also be adult lead assessment as well as setting tasks and testing. If the practitioner needs to collect information on certain aspects of the childs learning they may design certain activities to help them do so (NCCA, 2009). Through observing, the adult can design activities which interest and excite the child to help them further gather information they may have set out to obtain. From setting these tasks the practitioner can help explain and encourage the child to further their learning and development. This is similar to the assessment method of testing. The assessment should focus on strengths and also aspects which may need further improvement (Dunphy, 2008). The practitioner complies all they have learned through observing and discussing with the child to test the child on certain aspects of their learning and development, such as social abilities. This can allow the practitioners to compare the outcomes with other children of similar ages therefore allowing t hem to see which children are meeting their milestones and who may need further assistance. There is a huge necessity for these assessment methods because without them the practitioner would not be able to understand or have the information needed to assist the child appropriately to develop into a well-rounded holistic child. While using Aistear as a framework to help with good assessment practices in ECCE settings the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education developed the quality framework Sà ­olta, which also promotes good assessment practices. Sà ­olta was designed to assess and support ECCE settings to continually improve the environment for which the child learns and develops. Sà ­olta aids the practitioner to reflect upon their own role assessing themselves to ensure they are providing quality experiences for every child (CECDE, 2006). As well as reflecting upon themselves is allows the practitioner to assess the environment, equipment, curriculum and interactions, all areas which assist in childrens learning and development. While assessing the child helps create portraits of their learning and development it is also important to use frameworks, such as Sà ­olta, to assess the learning environment. Without an appropriate educational environment which engages, assists, challenges and offers the child different experiences then a child will not learn and develop to their full potential. Part B Lesson Plan for Spring Month: Febuary/March Weekly Theme: Plants Flowers Type of Setting: Montessori/Aistear Room: Pre-School Age of Children: 3-5 Rationale for topic: A child brought a flower to the setting which prompted the other children to want their own flowers. Lesson Plan 1 Hand Print Flower Date: 27th Febuary Number of Children: 8 Dispostions developed: Persistance, responsibilty, investigative, Curiousity, Fun, independence. Rationale for choice of activity: Allow the children to express themselves creatively through visual arts using paint. Make marks to record their own idea of flowers. Long-term aim: To develop their abilities to express themselves creatively, express their imagination and to refine fine motor skills. Develop a connection between flowers and spring. Aistear Link Codes: WB A3 LG1 COM A4 LG2 ET A3 LG1 Sà ­olta Standard: Standard 6: Play Component 6.5 encourages him/her to explore, be creative and use previous learning to make new meaning. Material and/or equipment needed: White paper, various colour paints, paint brushes. Plan: To begin the practitioner will demonstrate how to create a flower using your handprints. The practitioner will paint their hand using a paint brush, printing it in a circular motion around the page then using their fingers to paint the other parts of the flower. Once the practitioner has demonstrated to the children how to create the flower, the children are invited to explore the materials and create their own concept of a flower. Children will be able to choose their own colours and method to create their flower. Reflection: The activity went well as the children actively engaged with the idea of the activity, each creating and exploring their own idea of a flower. They demonstrated curiosity as they printed their hands on the page at different angles to make marks with the paint. The children each used different methods to paint the flower. Some imitated the practitioner while others just used their fingers or the paintbrush. I then noticed (P) had painted squares at the bottom of the page and asked them what did you make when you did these. (P) told me There flower pots, my mammy has lots of flowers in flower pots. This then got one child particularly curious asking me where do flowers grow and how do you make flowers. I told them how flowers grow from seeds either in the ground or they can be planted in a flower pot. The children then shifted their focus from the painting to the discussion and each child shared their idea on how flowers grow. Critique and Evaluate: As the children all wanted their own flower, I set them a task to design their own. They showed confidence in their ability to independently paint their own hands and design their own flowers with the different methods they those. By setting the children the task they have demonstrated the aim of the activity, to express themselves creatively by making marks to record their ideas. Setting the task enabled the children to choose their own colours acting upon their curiosity to explore different marks and experiment with different colours. During the task the children took the lead during the natural occurring opportunity of one child asking questions about where and how flowers grow. This prompted all the childrens curiosity as they all moved their focus from painting to get involved in the discussion. It is important when using the method of setting tasks outlined in Aistear as an assessment method that going forward I use their questions about the flower to co ntinue their interests in planning the next activity. Lesson Plan 2 Plant Flower Seeds Date: 28th FebuaryNumber of children: 8 Dispostions developed: Responsibilty, Curiousity, independence. Rationale for choice of topic: During painting our own flowers the topic of where and how do flowers grow was asked. Planting the seeds and physically watching the flowers will help give the children a better understanding of where and how they grow. Long-term aim: The children will be able to have a better understanding of working theories of where and how the flowers grow. It will also develop the disposition of responsibility as the children will need to care for their flower to help it grow. Aistear Link Codes: WB A3 LG5 IB A4 LG4 ET A2 LG3 Sà ­olta Standard: Standard 7: Curriculum Component 7.4.1 What strategies do you use in implementing the curriculum/programme? Example being facilitating the childrens interest. Material and/or equipment needed: Flower seeds, flower pots, soil, gloves, hand shovel and water. Plan: The practitioner will demonstrate how to plant the flower seed. The children will then be given the hand shovel taking it in turns to spoon soil into their flower pot. Using their finger they will place a hole in the middle of the soil and place the flower seed into the hole covering it over. Once the seed is planted, the children will then use a jug to water the seed. While planting the practitioner will discuss how we care for our plant and what it needs to grow. Reflection: This activity went really well as the children really engaged and showed interest. They demonstrated great independence and manipulation skills as they spooned the soil into the flower pots with great control. (B) did struggle with spooning to soil into to pot and (S) demonstrated great care Ill help you do it as she assisted (B) to get the soil in his pot. (S) than went on to discuss with the other children what they had to do next assisting each of them. Once the children had planted their seeds I discussed with them what the plant needed in order to grow. I asked I wonder what the seed needs to grow. (B) said you pour water on top of it while (A) contradicted (B) telling them No you just put it in the pot. I then said youre both right the plant needs water and soil to grow but it also needs sun. Where should we put the plants so they can get sun?. The children looked around the room (S) shouted to everyone the sun is at the window look as they decided we would place ou r pots here. (B) then reminded everyone we forgot the water lets put it on top the children took turns watering their plant. I discussed with them that the plant will grow roots and drink the water in the soil but this seemed to confuse them especially (B) who kept telling everyone that you pour the water on top of the plant. Critique and Evaluate: The link with Aistears method of assessment using conversations is evident during this activity as the children took turns in talking, listening and discussing their ideas with each other. It is also evident as I responded to the children agreeing with both (A) and (B) as we discussed and I gave feedback about what the plant needed. I also used conversation to prompt the children to share their ideas using an open ended question about where was best to place the flower to get sun therefore aiding the children in expressing their own views and making their own decisions, which Aistears Identity and belonging learning goals outlines. Through conversing with the children it has given them the opportunity to expand on their own knowledge about how to care for materials in their environment and what they need to survive. Lesson Plan 3 Experiment: How plants drink water using food colouring. Date: 1st March-3rd March (observed the flowers over a few days.) Number of Children: 8 Dispostions developed: Investigative, Curiousity, Fun. Rationale for choice of activity: The children will be able to see the food colouring stain the flowers as it absorbs the water helping them develop thinking skills as they can come to an understanding of plants absorbing water. Long-term aim: To continue their intrests about flowers and give the children a better understanding about how the plants absorb water. Aistear Link Codes: WB A3 LG 1 ET A1 LG4 Sà ­olta Standard: Standard 8: Planning and Evaluation Enriching and informing all aspects of practice within the setting requires cycles of observation, planning, action and evaluation, undertaken on a regular basis- the activity planned is from observing and evaluating the childrens interests and taking action to plan according to their needs and interests. Material needed: Food colouring, flowers, jug, and water. Plan: Under the guidance of the practitioner,the childrenwill fill a jug with water and place some flowers in the jug. They will then add food colouring into the water and place the flowers in an area of sunlight. With this activity the flowers need to be observed over a few days to observe the flower changing colour from absorbing the stained water. Reflection: The initial activity was short and prompted many curious questions from the children such as why is the water green how will they drink that how will it change colour. After discussing and answering their questions the children were eager to move on and conduct the experiment. They demonstrated their independence as once provided with the materials and instructions about what and how we were going to do the experiment, they supported and enabled each other to carry it out. I then observed the children as they continually went back to the flowers that day watching to see if they had changed colours. The following day, upon arrival the children raced to the flowers screaming with excitement to see that one of the leaves had green spots on it. (B) look everybody its gone green (S) the plant drank the green water (P) it drinks it from the bottom. Over the next few days the children still continued to have interest over the experiment as I observed them going over to look shar ing it with the other children and even their parents. Critique and Evaluate: From watching and listening to the children I observed how excited and involved they all got while discussing and carrying out the experiment. Using observation as an assessment method has allowed me to see how the children express their excitement and awe using their language, gestures and facial expressions. From taking a step back and observing the children I could see how the children expressed their feeling and thoughts with each other and their excitement to involve their parents. Using observation as an assessment method has shown me that building on the child interests to help them make sense of the world truly excites them. (See appendices for photographs of the activities.) Part C Using the topic of spring, the assessment of the activities helped to plan further activities based on the childs interests. Aistears outlines the features of good assessment practices which involve collecting, documenting, reflecting and using the information (NCCA, 2009). In each activity, the assessment of the activity benefited the child as it built on the childs past experiences which they shared to support the development of new learning. From collecting and documenting the childs interests, it allowed a portrait of the childs interests, abilities and knowledge to be assessed and used to plan further experiences which would help the child/children develop. From using the different methods of assessment such as setting a task, conversations and observation it allowed for appropriate activities to be planned according to the stage of development and interests the child/children were at. Observing over a period of time during the how plants drink water experiment highlighted how e xcited the children got from watching the plant change colour sharing the information with parents. This allows the parent to gain an insight into what the child is interested in which can be further developed outside the classroom. In each activity the children developed the disposition of curiosity. Their curious nature engaged the children to get involved in the painting, planting and experimenting. The activities also showed evidence of the childrens knowledge developing as while planting the children believed that pouring water on the top of the flower helped it to grow were it then became clear during the experiment that they absorbed water from the bottom. From planning the activities, to observing the children while implementing them and using Aistears different assessment methods to record and reflect on the experience, it gives a portrait of the child/children which helps the practitioner to continually provide and enhance future experiences to help develop a holistic chil d. References Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE). (2006), Sà ­olta: The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education. Dublin: Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education. Daly, M and Forster, A. (2012). Aistear: the early childhood curriculum framework. In: Mhic Mhathà ºna, M. and Taylor, M., eds., Early childhood education and care: an introduction for students in Ireland. Dublin 12: Gill Macmillan. Dunphy, E. (2008). Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment: a research paper. Dublin 2, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. Dunphy, E. (2008). Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment: a research paper: executive Summary. Dublin 2, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). (2009) Aistear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework: supporting learning and development through assessment. Dublin: NCCA. National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). (2009) Aistear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework: principles and themes. Dublin: NCCA.

Dave Matthews Band †The Sons of Crash :: Music

Dave Matthews Band – The Sons of Crash    All I want is for a voice to come out of the wilderness and the stereo to crackle in flames like the burning bush. I don’t want to have to ask, "Are you talking to me?" I want to know. -Ariel Swartley "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle" Music is a funny thing. I’ve listened to music all my life, thousands of songs, hundreds of artists. But only a few stick out; like my first real album (Tiffany’s self titled release. What ever happened to her?), or my first alternative album (the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik: I bought it on tape when I was 14 and listened to it so much that it wore out). Only one has become a part of who I am, the Dave Matthews Band’s Crash. Somewhere between its "So Much To Say" and "Proudest Monkey" my indifferent hearing turned into awareness, and I stopped listening with just my ears and started listening with my heart. When I went to my first class at Mary Washington College, my English professor- an interesting man, but temporarily an agent of authority- posed a question to us, one that at the time had as much meaning as "What did you do this summer?" He asked us to pick a Desert Island Disc. It really wasn’t a hard decision; I was listening to the Dave Matthews Band’s Crash more than the rest of my CDs and I was pretty sure I could write the four papers on it required by the class. I really didn’t understand then the decision I had made. But out of respect and insecurity, I headed off to my desert island with Crash (cf. Mark 18). Most rock records aren’t hard to understand. They draw on commonplaces of community and adolescence: easy listening, good dancing, simple emotions, and sharp images†¦ But [Beggar’s Banquet’s] cleverness makes the difference.    -Simon Firth, "Beggars Banquet" Simon Firth "changed [his] usual habits" in 1968, choosing The Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet over "The Beatles’ more comfortable music," and was rewarded with "the most interesting rock record [he had] ever heard" (30). My musical snobbery ended in my junior year of high school, when my typical (and boring) choice of anything ‘alternative’: Metallica, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, was replaced with Garth Brooks, Blackstreet or my mom’s favorite, the Dave Matthews Band. Dave Matthews Band – The Sons of Crash :: Music Dave Matthews Band – The Sons of Crash    All I want is for a voice to come out of the wilderness and the stereo to crackle in flames like the burning bush. I don’t want to have to ask, "Are you talking to me?" I want to know. -Ariel Swartley "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle" Music is a funny thing. I’ve listened to music all my life, thousands of songs, hundreds of artists. But only a few stick out; like my first real album (Tiffany’s self titled release. What ever happened to her?), or my first alternative album (the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik: I bought it on tape when I was 14 and listened to it so much that it wore out). Only one has become a part of who I am, the Dave Matthews Band’s Crash. Somewhere between its "So Much To Say" and "Proudest Monkey" my indifferent hearing turned into awareness, and I stopped listening with just my ears and started listening with my heart. When I went to my first class at Mary Washington College, my English professor- an interesting man, but temporarily an agent of authority- posed a question to us, one that at the time had as much meaning as "What did you do this summer?" He asked us to pick a Desert Island Disc. It really wasn’t a hard decision; I was listening to the Dave Matthews Band’s Crash more than the rest of my CDs and I was pretty sure I could write the four papers on it required by the class. I really didn’t understand then the decision I had made. But out of respect and insecurity, I headed off to my desert island with Crash (cf. Mark 18). Most rock records aren’t hard to understand. They draw on commonplaces of community and adolescence: easy listening, good dancing, simple emotions, and sharp images†¦ But [Beggar’s Banquet’s] cleverness makes the difference.    -Simon Firth, "Beggars Banquet" Simon Firth "changed [his] usual habits" in 1968, choosing The Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet over "The Beatles’ more comfortable music," and was rewarded with "the most interesting rock record [he had] ever heard" (30). My musical snobbery ended in my junior year of high school, when my typical (and boring) choice of anything ‘alternative’: Metallica, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, was replaced with Garth Brooks, Blackstreet or my mom’s favorite, the Dave Matthews Band.

Body Modification in America Essays -- essays research papers

Body modification in American Culture In recent years tattooing and body piercing have become increasingly prevalent in popular culture. These forms of body modification are no longer tools used by criminals and gang member, showing their role in society. These practices are used by many of teenagers and young adults in our society today. In fact many of these practices have been a positive trend in American culture, giving adolescents a way of expressing themselves Studies have revealed a positive correlation between risky behaviors (such as the use of drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol) and participation in body modification. There is a shortage of available research, however, investigating the relationship between body modification and behaviors of high-risk such as driving while intoxicated and unsafe sexual practices. The current study attempted to bridge this gap in the literature by examining body modification participation and involvement in very high-risk behaviors common to a college student population. Two hypotheses were examined. First, it was hypothesized that a positive relationship between participation in body modification and very high-risk activities would be found. Secondly, it was hypothesized that self-esteem would mediate the relationship between body modification and very high-risk behaviors. The Cognitive Appraisal of Risky Events--Revised (Fromme, D'Amico, & Katz, 1999; Katz, Fromme, & D'Amico, 2000) and The Coopersmith Inv entory (Coopersmith, 1...

BCG Matrix Application

BCG Matrix is devised by Boston Consulting Group. The underpinning philosophy for the development of this matrix was the portfolio analysis. The aim was to develop a methodology to determine what type of strategic decision needs to be taken, especially in terms of investment to the products within the portfolio of a company. He divided all the products into four categories, on the basis of two dimensions.These categories were cash cow, dog, star and question mark. These four categories were based on two dimensions, market growth (high or low) and the market share of the concerned product. PurposeThe basic purpose of the BCG matrix was to establish a picture of the product portfolio for an organization which classifies the products into the categories based on market growth and market share. This classification, as they posed, was deemed to help in taking strategic decisions related to investment, divestiture etc. The Impact of BCG Matrix: The popularity of BCG Matrix in early days ca n be highlighted from the fact that in 1979, there was around 360 out of the fortune 1000 companies which were using this tool and considered it to have a positive effect on the management decisions. (Haspeslagh 1982)InterpretationBefore moving on to the actual case, it is better to understand the interpretation of each category as it would help in gaining deeper insight of the case. Star: In this tool, those products are classified as star which has high market growth and the product itself has high market share. For such product, the main focus is to protect the market share. Cash Cow: ‘Cash Cow’ are those products which have low market growth, yet high market share of the product itself. The extra cash generated out of it is usually used to protect market share and distributed to other products (usually question marks) to support their share.Question Mark: These are the products which are high in market growth, but the product itself does not have high market share. This situation demands either more investment in those products to increase the share or to divest them, if the competitor is very strong and increasing share does not seems to be a possibility. Dog: These are the products that have low market share and the market growth is also low. In this case, the best strategy is to liquidate or divest it for as much amount as possible. (Keller and Kotler, 2005)Applying to the CaseThe case states that the company has developed the BCG matrix for its divisions. The findings of the BCG matrix show that Electronics Division is on the upper right side of the matrix (which means question mark). However, the Appliances Division is on the lower left side of the matrix (Cash Cow). The Appliances Division: (Cash Cow) This means that the appliances developed by the company have low market growth and the appliances made by the company have high market share. As there is high market share, so the profit generation form these products is high and as the mar ket growth is low, so the investment required is low.This means that the additional cash can be used to grow other businesses / divisions or products. The Electronic Division: (Question Mark) These are the products where there is a significant market growth, but the company itself is not able to gain a significant market share. This is the worst of all other case, since the market is growing yet the firm is not able to capitalize the situation. If questions marks are kept going like this, they would absorb so much cash and ultimately become a dog when the market growth drops.Thus, there is a need of significant investment into the electronic division to enable it to capitalize the growing market and become a ‘star’. Strategic Recommendation: Since the appliances division is in a position to generate more cash than the cost of running the division as well as the cost of investment required protecting the market share, the additional cash can either be used to support the question marks (such as electronics department where significant investment is required to make it star) and make them star or it can be used for Research and Development of those products which may prove to have high growth potential for future.In case of electronic division, it is recommended that significant investments must be made with the aim of gaining some market share. If there is some untapped market, it is a bit easy, however, it the market is almost saturated and there is a need to grab share from competitors, it is a bit difficult. The investment can be made to add new features to the products to attract customers, launching aggressive marketing and sales campaigns etc. Reliability of BCG Matrix Nevertheless, it was used extensively by the companies in last quarter of the 20th century; however it has certain critiques as well, which harms its reliability.One of the biggest critiques on the BCG matrix is on its assumption that higher market share means higher profit. It may not be the case. For example, there is a possibility that a company has lower market share (due to niche marketing or due to high prices) but its prices are too high, so it leads to a higher profit, despite lower share. In that case, the BCG matrix won’t provide a true picture. Moreover, the matrix ignores the market share growth rate. There may be some start-ups with low market share yet high market share growth rate.Such firms which may prove to be a potential danger (especially in Information Technology industry) are totally neglected by the BCG matrix. These findings suggest that though apparently it looks like appliances division is having a good time in the market while the electronic division is in trouble, however this conclusion should not be drawn unless, all other factors ignored by the BCG matrix, such as market share growth rate, duration of entry into the market, competitor’s growth rate etc.Are revisited and the same situation is apparent from other tools like, Mc Kinsey and General Electric Matrix (that uses factors like industry attractiveness and business strength), SWOT Analysis for each product, porter’s five force analysis (to understand the environment in which the product is there) and above all the use of data mining tools etc. , (Bendel et al, 2006) using different variables than the one used by BCG Matrix.So BCG matrix can provide an idea, but final decision must be based on the conclusions from multiple tools, measurements, market situation, analysis and above all, management insight.BIBLIOGRAPHYBendle, N. , Farris, P. , Pfeifer, P. , & Reibstein, D. (2006).Marketing Metrics: 50+ Metrics Every Executive Should Master. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Publishing. Haspeslagh, P. (1982).Portfolio planning: Uses and limits. Harvard Business Review, 60(1), 58-73. Keller, K. , & Kotler, P. (2005).Marketing Management (12th Edition) (Marketing Management). Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall.

Cicero: on Friendship Analysis Essay

Aristotle once said, â€Å"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.† There are many things that go into the process of friendship. Some people deal with friendship one way while others deal with it in another way. Cicero had a lot to say about the different aspects of friendship in his time, but how would he view modern friendship? Some friendships Cicero may not be proud of; like the common relationships that are forced on in a classroom or work place and the lack of allowing nature to take control and make the friendships that are meant to happen. However, Cicero would be happy with the way the higher level friendships have developed in virtue and value. Cicero dwelled on the fact that friendship must have common factors. Friends should share â€Å"the greatest agreement of desires and interests and opinions (Cicero, 7).† Modern friendship has turned into something that makes â€Å"common people† feel like they have to be friends. For example, in the classroom or workplace it is encouraged to make friends with everyone that you are involved with daily. Does building a friendship based on common surroundings make a good one? Cicero would say no. He would say that friendship has to be built on something more than just a desire for common interests like a job. It must agree on things that build a relationship such as these desires, interests, and opinions. There is no way that Cicero would be happy with the encouragement to build false relationship only on the grounds that someone works in the same place as someone else. He is not saying that you need to be enemies with these people because he knows the importance of common friendship. He knows that if you were to take friendship out of the world then â€Å"no home or city could stand, (and) no farms would stay in cultivation (Cicero, 9).† There is nothing wrong with a temporary friendship but he says, â€Å"If mutual advantage is what stitches friendship together, those friendships would dissolve whenever that condition changed; but since the nature of things cannot be changed, true friendship will last forever (Cicero, 12).† The condition that may change in common, modern relationships is the job or the class that you have made those friends in. You can still make good friends within the workplace or classroom, but the friendship cannot solely rely on the fact that the friends have the same surroundings. Human nature is what makes people want to have friendships. This is one of the main things that Cicero continuously touched on in his book. â€Å"†¦Friendship arises from nature as such, rather than from some neediness: from application of the mind, along with a kind of love, rather than from thinking about how much advantage the relationship might bring (Cicero, 11).†Cicero would be very disappointed in how many relationships are built for the need of a person instead of letting nature take control of the friendship. There are a lot of corrupt and wrong friendships in today’s society that Cicero would look down on. The fact that one person uses another person for their own will is not the kind of relationship that Cicero was wanting people to build. He brings up the nature of human beings a lot in this text because people take advantage of other people and he knew that. â€Å"†¦ Friendship is not something we are led to by the expectation of making a profit; we think it worth seeking because the whole enjoyment of it consists in the love itself (Cicero, 12).† The love and nature of friendship go hand in hand when building relationships because without love for that person there is no need for a friendship to be kept. The friendship should happen naturally. Unlike in today’s world, friends were found to feel wanted. Now the person with the most friends is considered the best because of their popularity; however, that should not be the case. It is better to have three great friends than a thousand false ones. Friendship must be formed by nature. â€Å"†¦ That feeling of love and affectionate goodwill come naturally into existence, once there has been a recognition of goodness (Cicero, 12).† This nature founded by goodness, virtue, and value are what really builds a solid friendship that Cicero would be very proud of. Higher levels of friendship are the ones that hold strong for years. Cicero would be ecstatic to see that the virtue and value of friendship has grown since his time. Once you get passed the lower levels of friendship such as the common relationships and the lack of control nature has on friendships you can see that. Virtue and value are the greatest aspect that friendship has today and did have back then. Friends are there for each other when they are going through the good and bad times. â€Å"Friendship makes good times yet more splendid, and takes some weight off of unfavorable times, by sharing them (Cicero, 9).† Without friendship there would be no point in living. Cicero realizes that friends are what get people through their day to day lives. â€Å"†¦Everything that exists and moves in the universe is brought together by friendship†¦ (Cicero, 9)† There is no love without friendship, no teams without friendship, no jobs, and no country without friendship because friendship is what makes everything work. Cicero would be very happy with the way people value friendship today. A good, modern friendship is hard to come by in today’s society with everyone wanting something from someone else. Cicero knew all about what made friendship work. The world has changed the way friendship is viewed. Cicero would love to see that the virtue and value of friendship has developed. â€Å"Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.† Albert Camus said that about what he thought a friend should be within the friendship; not lead, not follow, just to walk beside him. It takes a long time and a lot of work to build a solid friendship but, according to Cicero, once you have it is the greatest treasure of all.

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 13

â€Å"I'm really not a serial killer. It just seemed like too good a chance to pass up.† â€Å"Man,† I said. â€Å"If I had a dime for every time I heard that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Liam, the guy who'd bought me at the auction, laughed and opened the car door for me. He drove a shiny black Lotus Elise that he'd had imported from the UK. I found that impressive. It appeared to have just been freshly washed. I found that impressive too – and a little sad since it looked like it was going to rain at any moment. â€Å"It's supposed to be really good, though,† he added, starting up the engine. â€Å"So, I hope you'll like it and not think it's too demented for the holidays.† I hadn't been keen on following up with my charity date, but I'd known it would have to happen sooner or later. When Liam had called earlier to say he'd gotten tickets to a dramatic production of three Edgar Allan Poe stories tonight, I figured it was as good a time as any to get it over with. Besides, I liked Poe. It was kind of a creepy date to have around the happiest time of the year, true, but that would be the theater's fault, not Liam's. It was an early show, so we planned to attend first and catch dinner later. On the drive there, he turned out to be a lot like I'd expected. Intelligent. Nice. Moderately funny. He worked for an investment company downtown and had enough sense not to bore me with the details. We traded light banter, sharing anecdotes and experiences. I still would have rather been with Seth, but Liam was a fine guy for one night, and I figured he should have a fun time after donating so much money. The play was about as twisted as I'd hoped. They started with â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death,† followed by â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado.† â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† closed the night off because honestly, what sort of Poe festivities would be complete without that crowd pleaser? â€Å"I've never heard of ‘The Masque of the Red Death,'† Liam said afterwards. We'd decided to leave the car and walk the six blocks to the restaurant he had reservations at. â€Å"I read the others in high school. I guess it's some kind of allegory about how you can't escape death, huh? You can lock yourself away, but it doesn't work.† â€Å"More than an allegory, actually,† I mused. â€Å"Historically, that wasn't an uncommon way for people to deal with plague and disease. Lock themselves up. Or else leave town and run away. Sometimes they'd throw the sick people out of town and lock the doors, so to speak.† â€Å"That's horrible,† said Liam. We stepped inside the restaurant, a small Italian one that was almost always booked. I had to admit, he was doing a good job with this date thing. â€Å"People didn't know any better,† I said. â€Å"They didn't know what caused diseases, and aside from good hygiene and luck, there were few treatments for ancient and medieval epidemics.† â€Å"That auctioneer didn't say anything about you being a history buff,† he teased. â€Å"Yeah? Would you not have bid?† â€Å"Are you kidding? A beautiful woman who uses the words ‘ancient and medieval epidemics' on the first date? I would have bid more.† I grinned and let the maitre d' lead us to our table. I was glad Liam appreciated my historical knowledge, but I'd have to be careful not to get too nerdy. I knew more than the average girl should and could get into levels of detail that modern people had no way of knowing about. I shifted to something else. â€Å"Well, I think the auctioneer was kind of distracted by the other contestants.† â€Å"Oh, you mean the feminazi who went before you?† I frowned. â€Å"No, I mean the giant blonde in silver that he bid on.† â€Å"Oh, yeah,† Liam agreed. â€Å"She was crazy. Attractive, but crazy.† â€Å"You actually thought she was pretty?† â€Å"Sure. Not as pretty as you, of course,† he hastily added, mistaking my meaning. â€Å"But the auctioneer apparently thought otherwise. He couldn't keep his hands off of her.† â€Å"Oh, come on. He barely touched her.† â€Å"Well, not during the auction, of course. I mean afterward.† â€Å"What?† I was interrupted when the waiter came by. I had to wait for Liam to order wine before he could finish the story. â€Å"After the auction. I was there helping wrap things up. Deanna's a friend of my ex-wife's. When we all finished, Nick and that blonde were all over each other and left together.† â€Å"That†¦that isn't possible.† Tawny had said they'd left separately. There was no way she and Nick could have been hot and heavy the night of the auction. The following night had been when she showed up for the dance lesson. Even if she was lying about things falling apart with Nick – and really, why would she? – she'd obviously had no recent energy fix. Massive shape-shifting, on the scale of nonhuman shapes, could burn through energy that quickly, but a new succubus wouldn't have that skill yet. None of this made sense. Liam, obviously, didn't catch my confusion. â€Å"Why's it so hard to believe?† he asked. I shook my head. â€Å"It's†¦never mind. I hope they had a great time. Now†¦what kind of wine did you order? I missed it.† Not wanting to ruin dinner, I put the Tawny conundrum into a holding bin in my mind and did my best to give Liam his seventeen-hundred-dollars worth. When dinner ended, we walked back toward his car, enjoying a leisurely pace. The weather, though damp, had warmed to about fifty. Seattle's fickle winters did that sometimes, only to freeze up a day or so later. When Liam slipped his hand into mine, I let him, but it presented me with a dilemma. He was no one I really planned on seeing again. As a courtesy to Seth and an attempt at a normal life, I avoided casual affairs in this body. All of those reasons meant I shouldn't let the night escalate into anything more than a friendly handshake good-bye. But suddenly, I was feeling the loss of my energy. It had felt so good to have Simon's – yet it had been stripped from me before I could even do anything with it. It'd be so nice to have that feeling back, to go home with Liam and get what I needed. When we reached his car, he kept holding my hand and turned me so that I faced him. â€Å"What now?† he asked. â€Å"I don't know.† I was still torn on what to do. â€Å"I'm open to suggestion.† Liam smiled, a cute smile that showed in his blue eyes too. â€Å"Well, how about this?† He leaned down and kissed me, much as Dante had nearly done. Oh, Liam. Liam was a good man. A good, good man. Seth caliber. The moment our lips touched, I felt the sweetness of his life energy trickling into me. My desire woke up, and I pressed myself to him. I might not like to use this body, but these were unusual circumstances. I made my decision. I'd sleep with him and part ways. He was a nice guy, not a psycho stalker. He might be disappointed, but he wouldn't give me grief for wanting to be friends in the morning. He kissed me harder, pushing me against the side of the car. All that energy from just one kiss. The sex was going to be great. Yes, yes. More. Get more. Feed me. I jerked away from Liam. He looked down at me, legitimately concerned. â€Å"What's the matter?† It had been a whisper in my head. Faint but real. It had been paired with a longing, a deep longing for Liam's energy that rivaled my own need – but it hadn't been mine. It had belonged to someone – or something – else. Suddenly, it all came back to me. The conversations with Dante and Erik. Some creature preying on me and stealing my energy. True, it was what I did to men†¦but, well, I couldn't help how I felt. And just then, I felt nauseous at the thought of some parasitic creature coming to me tonight because I was full of energy. It made my skin crawl. Bad enough this thing was using me. It was also using me to use Liam. I looked back at him; he was so cute and so nice. I shook my head. I couldn't do this. I needed the energy, but I was going to put if off as long as possible. I wouldn't give this thing what it wanted. â€Å"Liam†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I said slowly. â€Å"I should tell you something. I, um, just recently got out of a long relationship, and I went to the auction because I thought I could, you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He sighed, not appearing angry so much as regretful. â€Å"You aren't ready.† I shook my head. â€Å"I'm really sorry. I wanted to help at the auction, and I thought I could move on.† He squeezed the hand he was still holding and released it. â€Å"Well†¦I'm sad, but I understand. And I like you†¦if we went out, I'd like to work on something serious. That can't happen until you're ready, and I'd never want to force you.† Oh, God. Nice, nice guy. â€Å"I'm so, so sorry,† I said. I meant it. I so wanted his energy. â€Å"Nothing to be sorry about,† he told me, smiling. â€Å"Come on, I'll take you home.† He returned me to Queen Anne, and I kissed him on the cheek before leaving the car. He told me to call him when I was ready to date again, and I told him I would. Once he was gone, I didn't go inside. Instead, I called Dante. â€Å"It's your favorite succubus,† I said when he answered. I heard him yawn. â€Å"Debatable. What do you want? It's late.† â€Å"I need to talk to you. Something weird happened.† â€Å"I'm in bed, succubus. Unless you plan on joining me, I'd rather not receive visitors right now.† â€Å"Please, Dante. It's important.† He sighed. â€Å"Fine, come on over.† â€Å"I don't know where you live.† â€Å"Of course you do. You've been here a gazillion times.† â€Å"You live in your store?† â€Å"Why would I want to pay rent for two different places?† I drove down to the shop. The sign read CLOSED, but there was a faint light inside. Dante opened the door when I knocked. He wore jeans and a plain T-shirt, nothing unusual, but the disheveled hair suggested he had indeed been in bed. â€Å"Sorry,† I told him. â€Å"Maybe I should have waited.† â€Å"Too late for regrets. Come on in.† He led me through the storefront, back to the small door I usually saw closed. On the other side was a large room that appeared to be a combination living space, office, supply closet, and†¦workshop. â€Å"Erik was right,† I said, walking over to a high set of shelves. They were filled with jars and bottles of herbs and unidentifiable liquids. â€Å"You are a magician.† I considered. â€Å"Or at least you're pretending to be.† â€Å"No faith in me. Probably smart.† He pointed to a bean bag chair and a plaid ottoman. â€Å"Take your pick if you don't want the bed.† I chose the ottoman. â€Å"Well, it's not that I don't trust you†¦but everything else you do is a scam. Of course, Erik has to hate you for something legitimate, and he wouldn't have sent me to you in the first place if you didn't have some kind of skill.† â€Å"Interesting logic. Maybe he hates me for my charming personality.† He rubbed his eyes and yawned again. With the motion of his arm, I noticed faint punctures in the middle of his arm that I'd never seen with long sleeves. â€Å"Maybe he hates you for your vices.† Dante looked at where I was staring. He shrugged, unconcerned. â€Å"Nah, Lancaster has better things to worry about than a casual hit now and then.† â€Å"From my experience, there's no such thing as a casual hit.† â€Å"What, are you here to do an intervention now, succubus?† â€Å"No,† I admitted. I had neither time nor interest to reform Dante. â€Å"But I heard a voice tonight.† â€Å"I heard a voice too. It called and woke me up.† â€Å"Dante!† Angrily, I explained the situation. A hint of his sarcastic smile remained, but otherwise, he actually seemed concerned. â€Å"Huh. Interesting. It actually raised its ugly head.† â€Å"What do you think that means?† â€Å"Not a clue until we know what it is. The only thing I can guess is that it was desperate for some reason. Until now, it's done a pretty good job at hiding itself – aside from your energy loss, obviously.† He brightened a little. â€Å"I don't suppose it's here now, urging you to jump me?† â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"Ah, well. I'm probably not as good a catch as Seventeen-hundred-dollar Man. Your predator has standards.† I shuddered, hating the idea that I actually had a predator. I looked up at Dante and must have looked truly pathetic because a startled look crossed his features. â€Å"Dante, you have to help me. I know we don't have the answers yet†¦but, well, I'm scared of this thing. I can't bring myself to take a victim because I'm afraid of this monster coming back. I don't even want to go to sleep.† His gray eyes assessed me, and to my astonishment, he almost looked gentle. It completely transformed him. â€Å"Ah, succubus. You can sleep tonight. No energy, no visit. I doubt the kiss was enough of a lure.† â€Å"But eventually†¦eventually I'll have to get another fix†¦and until I'm able to talk to Jerome about all this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well, I could maybe make you a charm or something. Protection to ward this thing away.† â€Å"You can do that?† I tried to keep the skepticism out of my voice but failed. His face turned wry once more. â€Å"If you don't want the help†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No! I do. I'm sorry. That was wrong of me. I asked for your help, then backed off.† â€Å"Well, as you said, I haven't inspired much faith in you.† â€Å"I'll take whatever help I can get,† I said honestly. He stood up and stretched, then walked over to his shelves, studying their contents. â€Å"You sure about that? You might not like what I have to do to make this. How badly do you want it?† I thought about that voice, that creature's need inside my head. â€Å"Pretty badly. Provided you don't, like, give me a necklace made out of goat entrails, I think we're good.† His eyes were still on his shelves and jars. Several moments passed while he considered. â€Å"I'm going to need some time on this, I'm afraid. It'd be a lot easier if I knew what it was we're dealing with. Without that, I've got to try to make some sort of catch-all charm that may or may not work. The broad spectrum ones are always hard, too.† â€Å"So nothing tonight.† He strolled back over to me. â€Å"You're fine tonight, remember? Of course, you're welcome to stay here, and I'll stay awake and make sure nothing happens to you.† I couldn't help a smile. â€Å"Just like Kayla.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"My boyfriend's niece†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I'd nearly forgotten about our weird conversation. â€Å"She said some funny things. But I don't know if it was just kid imaginings or if she maybe has some kind of psychic ability.† â€Å"Fine line with kids,† he said. â€Å"If she has any powers, I'm sure science and discipline will work them out of her. What'd she say?† â€Å"She said that I was ‘magic.' And that there were monsters in the air who got into people's dreams.† When he didn't respond, I exclaimed, â€Å"Do you think she could help with this?† He shook his head. â€Å"No. If she is psychic or gifted or whatever, she's too young and inexperienced to know what she's perceiving to be of any real use.† â€Å"But she could be sensing what's following me.† â€Å"Sure. If she's a really astute psychic, she'd be sensitive to anomalies in the magical and spiritual worlds.† Interesting. Tiny little Kayla, possibly with the potential for great spiritual powers some day. â€Å"What's your advice?† â€Å"Huh?† he asked. â€Å"For someone like her. To develop her abilities and make sure science and discipline don't beat it out of her.† â€Å"My advice?† He gave a harsh laugh. â€Å"Let them beat it out of her. You'll be doing her a favor.† I sat quietly for a long time, studying my feet. When I finally looked back up at him, I asked, â€Å"Why are you so unhappy?† â€Å"Who says I'm unhappy? I make money by doing nothing.† I gestured around. â€Å"Everything says you're unhappy. Your attitude. Your arm. The pile of beer bottles over there. The fact that even though you claim I annoy you, you keep helping me and always seem glad to have me around.† â€Å"Misery loves company. You aren't exactly all that chipper yourself.† â€Å"I'm very happy with my life,† I argued. â€Å"Well, then, go back to it, and let me sleep.† In a not too subtle signal, he walked over to the door and opened it. â€Å"I'll work on your charm and get back to you.† I started to snap back at the abrupt dismissal, but he looked so weary, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Besides, I knew I'd been right. Dante Moriarty was a very unhappy man who used sarcasm and substances to hide it. I wondered what it was that plagued him so much – what it was that had darkened his soul. â€Å"Are you ever going to tell me why Erik hates you so much?† I asked quietly. Dante pointed at the door. â€Å"Good night, succubus. Sweet dreams.†

The Symbolic Role of Horatio in Hamlet

In Shakespeare’s Tragedy Play Hamlet, Horatio shows as a minor character. However, the contributions and demonstrations he brings to the play and to the audience are very important and abundant. His role in the whole play can be viewed from three angles. First of all, he is most close friend of Prince Hamlet. In all the schemes, he performs as Hamlet’s informer, assistant, counselor and confidant. Secondly, Horatio rationally and wisely witnesses and judges key figures and events in the play.He has directly or indirectly involved all play’s developments from the beginning to the end. Thirdly, highlights the loyalty and intellectual achievements of which humans are capable. Horatio links the audiences and carries the hopes – loyalty to friendships, rationality to human behaviors and future, and bringing the justice to the world. Through the character of Horatio, the key concepts and benefits of loyalty, rationality and hope are portrayedHoratio is Hamlet's most trusted friend as verified from the beginning to the end of the drama. Through his wisdom, he relates the challenges he and Hamlet face with respect to Claudius. In the play, there are three friends for Hamlet. The other two, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, betray Hamlet for their selfish (yet understandable) benefits and find their own final destinations when they arrive at England. Horatio knows Denmark Prince Hamlet from Wittenberg University in England when both of them are scholars there.He comes to Denmark to join the old King, Hamlet’s father’s funeral. Hamlet reveals all his revenge plans to him. Horatio swears himself to top secret about the ghost and Hamlet's pretense of madness to hide from Claudius's. Even more important through the mousetrap play, Horatio conspires closely with Hamlet to prove Claudius's guilt. With all the ensured trusting from the Prince’s letter to him, Horatio is the first to know of Hamlet's return from England. He is the on ly real company when Hamlet discovers Ophelia’s death.In the graveyard, he presents with Hamlet when they view the Yorick’s skull with the talks about glories and death, â€Å"To what base uses we may return, Horatio! Why may not imagination trace the noble dust of Alexander, till he find it stopping a bung-hole? † (5. 1. 192-4). Horatio stays with Hamlet to the end of the tragedy, to the end of Hamlet’s death, with the entire honor, loyalty to friendship, he comments to drink the poised wine to go with the Prince of Denmark: â€Å"I am more an antique Roman than a Dane. /Here’s yet some liquor left† (5. 2. 353-4).Only by the Hamlet’s final and firm request to him to keep live to tell the masses of the story, Horatio survives himself to honor the Prince’s requests, and brings the truth, justness and rightfulness to the world. Horatio best demonstrates his rationality and respectable nature outstanding all other characters in th e play, even the key character Hamlet from this point of view. The guards invite him to see the ghost as their rusting to him as a rational and knowledgeable â€Å"scholar†. (1. 1. 41; 1. 5. 150) At that time, this title is the most respectable name for the verifications or justifications.This is just like nowadays we request the signatures from doctors, teachers or lawyers etc to sign various important documents to verify our life and experiences. He reports to Hamlet and bring him to the castle. With all the cares to Hamlet, he himself provides the audiences calm, resolute, rational and confident views of the ghost and the old King’s story: â€Å"But soft, behold, lo where it comes again; /I’ll cross it hough it blast me† (1. 1. 25-6). By their careful plans and implementations of mouse-play, Hamlet confirms the old King’s murder.Hamlet gets really over excited with the confirmation. However, with the rationalities and intellects, for the best in teresting of the Prince, Horatio calm down Hamlet of any overreactions or rush actions. To meet Hamlet’s will, he brings himself back from emotionality to rationality and reality as he recognizes the importance to satisfactory Hamlet’s requests to tell the world the story. For Hamlet, Horatio is the key connection, witness and judge to attach and the audiences. He helps Hamlet form the play’s consistencies.This has been clearly demonstrated in the whole drama. Only through the conversations between Hamlet and Horatio, could the insides of Hamlet show the audiences the Prince is not really crazy or foolish but kind, sharp with dubiousness and procrastinations for his mission to revenge for his father’s murder. If we could say Hamlet is the emotion core of the drama, we might be able to see Horatio standing for calm, courage and kindness of the play, even directly from Hamlet, â€Å"Horatio, thou art e'en as just a man /As e'er my conversation coped withal †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3. . 50-70) At the very beginning of the drama, Horatio, with the trust of the guards, help Hamlet to meet the ghost, the old King and discoveries the dirty assassination. At the end of the play, Horatio, who saw the old King’s ghost, is companying and comforting the dying Prince, â€Å"Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest! † (5. 2. 343-4). Without Hamlet, it would be impossible to have the intense and feeling the ups and downs of the love, hate, remorse, hesitate, brave, courage.Without Horatio, it would be very challenge to get the senses of security, wisdom, loyalty and rationality of human being has. The play illustrates the completeness with Horatio banding Hamlet from the start to the end with good hopes left to audiences. Of all the three important roles and contributions Horatio to bring to the audiences, every piece has it own special contribution to the play. Lonely and hesitant Hamlet has at least one of best friends – trustable all time and calm and rational in any situations to conform and counsel.Horatio, really as a wise and intellectual scholar, can help the drama to reality. His unshakable loyalty and common senses lead the audiences to have the expectations when things are or may go wrong. His timely show up in the play has brought audience to both Hamlet and the audiences to the reality with logical senses. Horatio is the symbol of loyalty, rationality and hope in the great tragedy Hamlet. Works Cited Hamlet May 6, 2012.Primary Sources: Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. ed. Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor. London [England]: Thomson Learning, 2006. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. ed. Philip Edwards. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Secondary Sources: Babra, Neil. Hamlet. Adaptation of Hamlet by William Shakespeare New York : Sparknotes, 2008. Coville, Bruce. William Shakespeare's Hamlet. New York : Dial Books, 2004. . Hamlet. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Producer Dyson Lovell. Carolco International N. V. DVD. 1990. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. ed. The Rector and Visitors. University of Virginia, 2000. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. edited and rendered into modern English by Alan Durband. Hauppauge, N. Y. Barron's, 1986. Hamlet. 28 April 2012 . Horatio in Hamlet. 30 April 2012 Hoy, Cyrus. ed. Hamlet by William Shakespeare. New York: Norton, 1992. Leggatt, Alexander. Shakespeare's tragedies: violation and identity. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Marsden, John. Hamlet & Ophelia: a novel. Toronto: Harper Trophy Canada, 2009. Shakespeare Hamlet Notes. Coles Editorial Board, Toronto: Coles Notes, 2001. Shakespeare's Horatio An analysis of Hamlet's Friend Horatio. 30 March 2012 . Scene 4 – Hamlet – A Comprehensive Analysis of Shakespeare's Greatest Tragedy. 30 April 2012 .