15 Tips to become more creative

15 Tips to become more creative Nowadays, if you are not at least a bit creative, soon a automatic robot will be doing all your job. But discovering those imaginative flourishes or inventive solutions isn’t all that simple. Sometimes that muse just won’t discuss. This is not an inspirational list designed to convince you that you’re a unique and creative snowflake. Somewhat, this is for when you’re trapped in a creative bind and need a little extra oomph to make assembling your project work. So here are 15 tricks to help get those creative juices juicing again. Get those endorphins streaming. Exercise is stress-reliever and a creative trigger, and mindless repetition is the secret to allowing your creative head wander. And remember, no subject how much you loath this job, great deal of thought is still better than stumbling your way through a home treadmill workout wishing you might have a cheeseburger. It helps to get some perspective. Take a Bathtub After all that exercise wanting to force imagination, you’re still sweating desperation. At this time you reek of it. Okay, maybe not, however the shower is a great destination to drown out the world and relax your mind enough to let it wander. And a brain with wanderlust is the fertilizer for new ideas. Sleep on It This is why you always do better on tests when you fell asleep together with the book somewhat than cramming right before the test. Your mind requires rest, and the rest actually helps you organize your thoughts and shakes new things free. It provides you with ways to check out old problems in a fresh way. Be Curious What job are you working on? Could it be for a client, or around a certain subject? Do some research. Allow yourself to get lost in your issue and find something that’s interesting for you, even whether it’s abstract. Be curious about it. A lot more intimately you connect with your subject, the more creative you will be when trying to work with it. Listen to Music Listening to music-just listening to music-helps your brain relax. It’s also evocative of images and feelings. You know, those things you are trying to speak to to make assembling your project more creative? Those. Ideas result from a complex mixture of problems, thoughts, and experiences. Allow music move over you, and pick it. Yeah, man. Groovy. Pick a Shade or Theme Sometimes creative imagination gets bogged down in the facts and the specifics. Don’t slip-up the forest for the trees, here. Online backup, take a breath, and ask yourself, â€Å"Self, what is the overall theme, concept or tone?† Insurance agencies a major picture to show up back on, you may find You’ve exposed new creative strategies. Go through the Pretty Colors Sometimes just selecting colors that would work together can give you a whole new point of view on your creative task. Maybe you hadn’t seen things in this light before. Who recognizes. Try different color mixtures or play around with the Adobe Kuler to see if you spark any new ideas. You can even check out some art or even just browse the web for things such as Deviant Art. Try informing a story about an interesting picture You’ve seen. Have no idea the storyplot? Make it up. That’s one half the fun. Clean Something Mindless tasks are great for idea era, and firm is often comforting. Besides, you do not want to clean while you’re in the throes of an creative epiphany, can you? Best get it done now. Go for a Drive. Traveling around and listening to music (or listening to silence) is a superb way to clear the mind. It’s also a little hypnotic, and this hypnosis helps you wiggle creative problems around in your mind just like a loose tooth you are wiggling with your tongue. Eventually something’s heading to break. Just don’t discuss on the telephone while driving a vehicle. It’s distracting. To other motorists. Get Mad. You know all those things you really want to inform that awful client? You know those times when you want to say â€Å"really fellas, this is the truth that you don’t want to listen to†, or write a searing email to your boss? Write them down. Let it out. Most of us have created mental blocks to saying just what we mean because, well, we don’t want people to think we’re psychopaths. Period of time those obstacles and say precisely what you suggest. It’ll feel great, and often you’ll discover (someplace) a new way to approach your problem. Simply by being honest. Spend Some Time Alone Whether you’re walking in the woods or standing on the roof of any skyscraper, only time is creativity’s favorite place to develop. I’m sure which mental or neurological reason for this, but I don’t know what it is. I just know that other folks and electronic gizmos aren’t only distracting, they actually cause anxiety. Turn your cellphone off. Kill the news headlines channel. Mentally move away from it all. It’s actually pretty well accepted that individuals who spend more time by themselves thinking tend to be creative (and, actually, more emotionally fit). Show Someone What you’re Doing I don’t indicate step-by-step, however the process of articulating your creative problem to some other person is incredibly helpful when searching for new methods to an old problem. This is particularly helpful if you are trying to clarify things to a kid (or a dumb good friend), because you have to come up with a much more accessible way to articulate your idea. Pull or Build Something Actually, doing anything repeated that requires extreme concentration would work. The trick here is to let your brain go numb. It’s actually related in some ways to self-hypnosis. It allows your mind wander. Plus the theme of the post is to let your mind wander. Doing something repeated or mindless is often nice since it allows you to start out speaking with yourself with your â€Å"mind tone†. Just don’t answer the tone out loud, and you’re good.

Answer the questions provided with 1-2 paragraph answers. It is about Essay

Answer the questions provided with 1-2 paragraph answers. It is about Edmund Berke and his book - Essay Example Do they all say the same thing? Burke is saying that order must be maintained in a civilized society. This is particularly true when concerning assets. He felt that giving people assets they had not worked for would cause confusion. Burke’s phrase ‘good order’ means law and order. This is not to say the Burke thought the French should accept tyranny, but he advocated going about resisting within the French law, not a revolution. (142-143) Burke stated ‘Nobility is a graceful ornament to the civil order. It is the Corinthian capital of polished society.’ Noblesse oblige means that royalty and nobility have certain social responsibilities toward one’s subjects. 7. What are the limitations placed upon (or the fences around) the British House of Commons? Why does it need to be fenced in like that? (38ff. and pages 164/165) And how is this different from the French National Assembly after the Third Estate declared itself as the whole of the Assembly and the other estates/strata accepted that fact? Before that what were the three orders/estates in French society? ‘After all, if the House of Commons were to have a wholly professional and faculty composition, what is the power of the House of Commons, circumscribed and shut in by the immoveable barriers of laws, usages, positive rules of doctrine and practice, counterpoised by the House of Lords, and every moment of its existence at the discretion of the crown to continue, prorogue, or dissolve us? The power of the House of Commons, direct or indirect, is indeed great; and long may it be able to preserve its greatness, and the spirit belonging to true greatness, at the full; and it will do so, as long as it can keep the breakers of law in India from becoming the makers of law for England. The power, however, of the House of Commons, when least diminished, is as a drop of water in the ocean, compared to that residing in a settled majority of your National Assembly. That

Database Architecture and Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Database Architecture and Administration - Essay Example As the paper declares the navigational Model encompasses the â€Å"network model† and â€Å"hierarchical model† of database interfaces. The network model was developed by Charles Bachman in 1971 to define and set a standard for database systems. This model had a collection of records, connected to each other through links. Various record types were interconnected to each other, thus allowing a many-to-many relationship. IDS and IDMS are both examples of the network model. A network model can be explained using this schematic diagram. This discussion explores that navigational databases are open-ended and are best suited to handle small-scale data. However, it is difficult to search for data in this system since it does not have the search functionality. The system had to be navigated â€Å"manually†, that is to reach a particular record, one had to start at the parent record and then navigate step-by-step until one reaches the desired record. Due to these limitations, navigational database models became outdated by 1980s, though a form of the hierarchical model is still used in XML applications. The main distinguishing feature of the relational model is that the data is organized in a tabular form in rows and columns. The rows list the data while columns list the attributes. A key is chosen that uniquely identifies every row in the table and links different records from different tables. To find a particular set of data, a â€Å"query† is generated which mines the entire database to return the requi red answer.

Computer Platforms Questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Computer Platforms Questions - Research Paper Example 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 5 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 6 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 9 c] Extend the ideas in part b) to show how a 7-segment display may be used to display Hexadecimal. [4] BCD Inputs Segment Output Display A B C D a b c d e f g 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 4 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 5 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 6 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 9 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 A 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 b 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 C 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 d 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 E 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 F 33.] a] Apart from using Ones and Twos Complement what other methods may be utilised to represent negative numbers in binary' Include examples in your answer [4] Apart from Ones and twos complement Sign and Modulus or Sign-Magnitude system can be used to represent negative binary numbers. In this system a bit is reserved at the left of the most significant digit to represent sign. For example 1012 = 510 (positive) Extra bit, representing sign

The implementation of electronic health record

The implementation of electronic health record Only 4 percent of U.S. doctors are using an electronic medical record system (EHR) because of a diverse range of barriers and perceptions involved with implementing an EHR system. The health care portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) called Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health or HITECH promotes the Meaningful Use of information technology in the form of EHR systems for every American by 2014 (Hoffman, 2009). Just having an EHR system is not enough; meaningful use means the system must improve the quality, efficiency, security, access, and communication in the delivery of health care among other functions. The United States government has provided $17 billion in available incentives to assist physicians and health care facilities implement certified EHR systems that meet Federal qualifications by the year 2014 (Blumenthal, 2009). This important health care issue affects everyone in this country because of the nature of private health i nformation. The U.S. government mandate for the implementation of electronic health records presents a wide variety of issues for and responses by physicians who want to retain their diversity relating to the way they practice medicine, while meeting the Meaningful Use requirements that will positively affect their investment and efficiency. Meaningful use depends on interoperability, which means that physicians systems will be able to communicate with each other for information exchange. Currently some physicians may have systems that are interoperable, but some may have invested in software that does not provide that function. Numerous vendors often market more than one type of system. Currently, estimates of physicians using a complete, fully functional EHR system are only at four percent (DesRoches, et al., 2008). This leaves the majority in need of researching software systems, purchasing, and implementing an EHR system to meet the Meaningful Use requirements. The practice of medicine is a highly individualized field where every physician has their own ways to provide for their patients. A general practitioner will have different software needs than a surgeon or obstetrician. An issue the physicians have to address is that they have to choose a certified EHR system that will provide the functions they need for their particular practice of medicine. Many physicians are starting with a basic system and customizing it to fit their practice needs (Baron, et al, 2005). HITECH will need to certify systems that provide functions that the physicians require with enough flexibility to meet the diverse needs of every type of practice. Some EHR systems are designed for primary care practices or large hospitals and may not meet the needs of a specialist. Physicians will have to choose a certified system that will have the required functions as well as those his practice will require. Whichever system a physician chooses will require training in order to benefit from the functions the software can provide. A basic knowledge of computer use is a skill many physicians do not even have. In fact, some physicians have technophobia when it comes to computers in their practice (Hayes, 2009). Statistics have shown that younger physicians are more apt to have a positive outlook on the EHR systems. Younger physicians also appear to have earlier adoption of an EHR system because of their prior exposure to computers. In-depth training to learn the functions and processes of the system are necessary to prevent severe disruptions in the workflow of the office. Many offices will train a few employees to be Super Users to be a resource for others in the office who have had less training. Super Users will be able to adjust the work processes when needed. Some physicians offices close for a period of days to bring the system online and prepare the office for going live. The diversi ty in computer abilities and comfort levels will affect the complexity, price, and amount of training required for each physician and his office staff for the chosen system. Cost is the biggest issue in the adoption of EHR systems. Cost estimates are between $12,000 and $24,000 to implement a fully functional EHR system (Baron, 2005). The equipment, software, training and one year of support can cost $140,000 or more (Baron, 2005). The HITECH incentives will cover some, but not all the cost of the conversion from paper to electronic records. Incentive payments can total $18,000 in the first year, for physicians implementing in 2011 and 2012 and will continue for 5 years at reducing amounts. The available incentive amounts will decline each year and end completely in 2016. In other words, physicians who adopt in 2011 could collect $44,000 over the five-year period while physicians who adopt in 2013 would receive $27,000 in incentive payments over 3 years (Blumenthal, 2009). The incentives will provide more funding for physicians that implement early. Surveys indicate that the incentives are a facilitator for approximately 55 percent of physicians who see the incentives as a reason to make the transition now, and receive maximum financial benefit (Blumenthal, 2009). The diversity in size of practices will affect how the physicians perceive capital costs. Due to the diversity in the types and ways physicians practice, issues that need to be considered and addressed, and the many solutions available, physicians attitudes and opinions on EHRs and Meaningful Use vary from very enthusiastic to resentful and wary. Studies have shown that physicians who have already adopted an EHR system are generally satisfied with their system and the benefits it provides. However, although the physicians will be the ones assuming approximately 89 percent of the cost of the system, they will not receive much of a return on their investment (Hoffman, 2009). The insurance companies will save money on reduced testing, streamlined billing, and overall efficiency. The government will save money on the same things as well as have a medium for monitoring fraud. Physicians will save some money on record storage, employee salaries previously paid for filing and transcribing records, and paper office supplies, but in comparison to the cost of the system, savings ar e minimal. Physician concern over return on investment is 50 percent for physicians who do not have an electronic system but only 33 percent for physicians who are already using an electronic system (DesRoches, 2008). The results may reflect Medicare and Medicaid patient numbers, size of the physician practice or perhaps the diverse perceptions physicians have over the dollar value versus the benefits to their actual income. Seemingly, the biggest numbers of implementers are the larger practices who are often better able to absorb the large investment than a small practice or single physician office. Statistics show that large primary care practices are more apt to implement EHR systems than other types of practices. These large group practices of fifty or more physicians were four times more likely to have a fully functional system than with physicians in practices of three or less physicians (DesRoches, 2008). The increased cash flow from a large practice makes the large capital expense less detrimental to the practice. This diversity in the size of physician practices is a significant basis for EHR implementation. EHR implementation itself will not provide for full Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. In order for a physician to receive full reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid, an EHR system must meet the Meaningful Use requirements. Physicians who do not have an EHR system that meets the meaningful use requirements will see penalties in the form of reduced Medicare payments. The reduction of payments will start at one percent in 2015, increase to two percent in 2016, and increase again to three percent in 2017 (Blumenthal, 2009). Physicians with large amounts of Medicare and Medicaid patients will have a significant reason to implement a system that meets the Meaningful Use guidelines. This issue will not affect all physician practices and some physicians do not feel it is a significant impediment to their practice income to warrant the large expense involved with implementing an EHR system. The diversity in the types of patients a physician or practice routinely cares for will have an e ffect on their financial return and willingness to implement an EHR system. For those who may not see a financial return there are many other benefits to adopting an EHR system for patients, insurance companies, and the government, and to some degree physicians. One benefit for physicians is a more efficient and streamlined insurance claims process, which will aid in cash flow. Physicians will also be better able to provide for their patients because the patient record will be able to go where the patient goes, including to hospitals and specialists, resulting in better coordination of the patients care. The EHR will provide a reduction in clinical errors because of the ability of the EHR to provide clinical decision support and monitor medication dosing and contraindications, and allergies. However, a group of physicians feel that this is questioning their judgment and do not want the interference in the way they practice medicine. Of physicians who are using a fully functional EHR system 86 percent appreciate the avoidance of medication error function that their system provides. The diversity in the physicians response to clinical decision support may be due to age of the physician, the number of years he or she has been in practice or any number of reasons including the personality of the physician. Along with those benefits, there is disruption of the office workflow. This is a significant cause for physician concern (DesRoches, 2009). The learning curve for an EHR system slows down all the processes in the office. Some physicians are better able to deal with the chaos that ensues while converting to an electronic system. Everyone within the practice has to relearn his or her job processes. All the office procedures of the practice have to be redesigned to work with the EHR system and the practice requirements. There is a period even after implementation of changes and adjustments that must be made to customize the system to the practice. Physician practices have reduced their patient load as much as fifty percent during implementation to try to reduce the waiting time for patients (Braon, et al., 2005). This essentially means a reduction in revenues until everyone can perform their jobs smoothly and handle the normal patient load again. Estimates are anywhere from four to six months before normal patient load is fully resumed. Physicians have reported losing patients because the wait time to see the physician was too long during the early stages of implementation (Baron, 2005). This is a major barrier for 41 percent of physicians in making the switch to electronic records (DesRoches, 2008). Physicians are very busy by nature and a slowdown in the office creates a diverse level of frustration that has caused some physicians to put off implementation or even to reverse the work already done in adopting an EHR system and return to their paper system. Those who do make the switch from paper to electronic records will have to consider HIPAA requirements for security of an EHR system. EHR systems require the secure storage of EHRs, which contain patients private health information and interoperability requires secure access to patient EHRs. Some physicians will choose to be on an encrypted network to share information with their local hospital, laboratories, and other health care providers. A verification process will be required to allow authorized physicians access to patients private health information and to deny access to unauthorized persons. Security of patient records is a concern for many physicians. Some physicians feel this is something that needs more regulation before they will expose their patients to the risk of a breach. The diversity in the EHR systems in operation now creates issues for secured patient PHI with system interoperability. With all the diversity involved in implementing an EHR system, physicians perceive the challenges of the U.S. government mandate for the implementation of electronic health records in different ways. Some feel there are too many barriers to address before implementation of an EHR and others feel the benefits outweigh the barriers. There are as many opinions on the issues of switching to an EHR system as there are physicians themselves. Addressing issues such as cost, security, training without a major loss in cash flow, which stems from disruption to the workflow of the office, will all stress the doctor patient relationship at least for a time. This is important because it will effect how and when the physicians adopt and use the nationwide system. The diversity in the way physicians practice medicine is individualized and the approved EHR systems will have to be flexible enough to allow for that individuality. The one thing all physicians want is to practice medicine they way they always have and meet the required mandate for Meaningful Use so they may recoup some of their investment. References Baron, R. J., Fabens, E. L., Schiffman, M., Wolf, E. (2005, August 2). Electronic health records: Just around the corner? Or over the cliff? Annals of Internal Medicine, 143(3), 222-226. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=17875478site= ehost-live This article is written by physicians in a 4-internist practice describing the processes involved with converting from traditional paper medical records to electronic medical records. Baron and colleagues address the problems and issues involved, and how they worked through them. Some topics of interest include both planned and unexpected finances, training, workflow and accommodations and the overall office environment. The article describes the realized benefits and lacking areas of standardization and interoperability. I chose this source for its overall description of actual process of implementing an electronic records system. This article also addresses computer skills and requirements. Blumenthal, D. (2009, April 9). Stimulating the adoption of health information technology. New England Journal of Medicine, 360(15), 1477-1479. doi:10.1056/ This article describes the portions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) that pertains to health information technology. The article addresses barriers physicians have for implementing the mandated electronic medical record. Financial issues including incentives, costs and financial penalties are of adopting the mandate are covered. Other areas to promote and ease the transition, such as support systems, state and regional medical information exchanges, education initiatives, and extended HIPAA guidelines with regard to electronic records and transmissions are included in this article. This article explains the incentives for implementing the electronic records system. I chose this article to explain the diversity involved in the governments promotion for adopting an electronic health record system. DesRoches, C. M., Campbell, E. G., Rao, S. R., Karen, D., Timothy, F. G., Jha, A., . . . Blumenthal, D. (2008, July 3). Electronic records in ambulatory care: A national survey of physicians. New England Journal of Medicine, 359(1), 50-60. doi:10.1056/ This article is a summary of statistics and results compiled from a survey of physicians in the US regarding the adoption of electronic health records. Documented in the survey are physician statistics and opinions in areas of usage, implementation, and satisfaction with the electronic health record systems. Issues addressed are quality of care, age groups of physicians who have adopted an electronic system and size of practices more apt to adopt electronic health records. The positive effects on practice processes, barriers that hinder adoption of electronic health records, incentives for and reservations with switching to electronic health records are included in the survey. I chose this source because it provides actual statistics of the usage of electronic health record systems as well as the diversity in physicians perceptions of the process, the systems, the benefits, and problems associated with compliance. Hayes, F. (2009, February 2). No Rx for ROI. Computer World, 43(5), 40. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=36487540site=ehost-live In this article, the senior news columnist addresses the issue of return on investment (ROI) for the adoption of electronic health records. The definition of ROI is given and how it applies to aspects of electronic health record adoption for physicians and hospitals is examined. Risks to, benefits of, and improvements needed regarding electronic health records are noted. The author confirms that those assuming the expenses for electronic health records will not be the ones reaping the benefits. I chose this article because it covers reflects my opinion one of the most important reasons for physician resistance to implementing the government mandated electronic health record system. Hoffmann, L. (2009, November). Implementing electronic medical records. Communications of the ACM, 52(11), 18-20. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=45021143site=ehost-live In this article, a basic history of George W. Bushs goals for every American to have an electronic health record is presented along with the progress of the government in making those goals real. Usage of electronic records is briefly mentioned. The article focuses on some major barriers and concerns of physicians for implementation and usage. The article also addresses some of the positive aspects for electronic health records. I chose this article because it provides concise overall answers to who, what, when, where, and why answers to the implementation of the electronic health record and health information technology.

Comparing Minorities as Portrayed in My Name is Asher Lev, Joy Luck Club, and Black Like Me :: comparison compare contrast essays

Minorities in America as Portrayed in My Name is Asher Lev, Joy Luck Club, and Black Like Me        Ã‚  Ã‚   Conflicting values are a constant issue in society. In diverse civilizations minorities become out ruled by the majority. In Twentieth Century American culture there are many difficulties in existing as a minority. The books My Name is Asher Lev, by Chaim Potok, and the Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, portray the aspect of being torn between two cultures as a conflict for today's minorities. Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin, examines the hardships for a minority by progressively revealing them. The events of the three authors' lives reflect how they portray the common theme of the difficulties for a Twentieth Century minority. My Name is Asher Lev demonstrates that the aspect of the protagonist being torn between two cultures is a difficulty for minorities in America. Asher Lev was torn between being an artist and his Jewish community. In the novel, Potok describes in detail the "feelings, dilemmas and questions [minorities] bump into while trying to obey their traditions and their passions at the same time" (Chaim). The main character, Asher Lev, chooses to be an artist and winds up having to separate himself from his life. He explains, "I am a traitor, an apostate, a self-hater, an inflicter of shame upon my family, my friends, my people; also I am a mocker of ideas sacred to Christians" (Potok 1). By choosing the life of an artist, Asher faces a life of continuous pain due to betrayal to his family. The protagonist's painting of the Brooklyn Crucifixion "raises disturbing questions about anti-Semitism, conflict between Christians and Jews, and the tension between artistic conventions and religious imper atives" (My Name is Asher Lev 2877). It contradicted everything his family had raised him to believe in. He never fits into society since he defies his people and mocks the majority in this painting. Asher describes how his double culture life is doomed. "Asher Lev . . . was the child of the Master of the Universe and the Other Side. Asher Lev paints good pictures and hurts people he loves" (Potok 348). Asher moves from the religious to the secular world in the course of the novel. This is because Potok's novels "assume the impossibility of existing in both the religious and secular spheres" ("Potok, Chaim" 339).

Macbeth was basically a good man lead into evil ways Essay

The statement ‘Macbeth was basically a good man led into evil ways’ is one I agree with, to a certain extent. His evilness certainly progressed throughout the play, but his influences from the witches and Lady Macbeth and degree of goodness at the start is debatable. I shall also discuss the reasons for his destruction, which ties in the plays themes – for example ambition, order and disorder and guilt and conscience. The play opens with a scene of disorder – lightning and a coven of witches. This really sets the scene for the rest of the play. The disorder finally reflects on Macbeth, therefore leading to his destruction. When we watch the first scene we wonder how big a part the witches will play and how influential they will be. At the end of the scene we know that they are going to meet Macbeth and we are anxious to know what is going to happen to him. We also know that they are evil creatures and they intend to play around, their final words leave us with a feeling of uncertainty and disbelief; ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair, Hover through the fog and filthy air.’ The audience asks themselves what does this mean? Can good be bad? These words sum up a lot of the play; the good can be bad and vice versa. ‘Hover through the fog and filthy air’ tell us that the play will be evil and full of cunning schemes and dirty tricks. It is also wondered why Shakespeare didn’t introduce Macbeth in the first scene, as the play is entitled after his name. However, Shakespeare’s use of the witches in the first scene emphasises how influential they are. By going against the expected, the audience becomes more afraid of what will happen. The witches are unexpected and so add even more to the feeling of uncertainty and anxiousness. But was Macbeth good from the start? Firstly, in his defence, the king thought highly of him. Regarding the treason committed by the Thane of Cawdor, he says ‘What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won’. By referring to Macbeth as ‘noble’ it gives him a good impression, that he is loyal and just, but in what sense it is directed is unsure. Is he referring to the character of Macbeth, or the military skills? As this scene is set on the battlefield and Macbeth is one of his best soldiers, he may have been referring to his military skills. But as the play commences we learn that Duncan and Macbeth are socially connected, as they dine at each other’s homes. So it does seem that Macbeth was seen as a good man at the start of the play. If this is true, what made Macbeth turn to evil ways? Firstly ambition played a part to start his destruction. In Act 1 scene 3 we first meet Macbeth, who has his first encounter with the witches, which has immediate effects. The first thing the witches say to Macbeth is; ‘All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis.’ ‘All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Cawdor.’ ‘All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter.’ By saying these things the witches immediately have the attention of Macbeth. In these times, the 15th and 16th centuries, many people believed in witchcraft. Between 1560 and 1603 hundreds of people (nearly all women) were convicted as witches and executed. So it is no surprise Macbeth believed theses things said to him, but maybe partly because he wanted to believe. Also the witches predict that Banquo’s son will become king and at the end of the play he does. However Macbeth does no know this. The audience think that the witches intend to create evil but they are not sure where, when and with whom. So they are not sure what to make of the predictions. We also learn in act 1 scene 3 more about the witch’s powers. One of the witches says; ‘Although the bark cannot be lost, yet it can be tempest tossed.’ She is speaking about a sailor’s wife who would not share her chestnuts so the witch will create a storm to sink the boat he is sailing in. This tells us that the witches have enough power to create a situation that could destroy, but not to physically destroy. So this is another argument to say that Macbeth was good from the start – the witches had him in their power. On the other hand Banquo did not believe what the witches said – showing he was more level headed. But when Macbeth finds out that Duncan appointed him as Thane of Cawdor, he really does believe in what the witches say. The witch’s power is well illustrated in this scene because they put Macbeth in the situation in which he could think of murder, but they do not suggest it directly. If they were trying to led Macbeth on then this scene tells us he is an easily lead person, as he seems deeply affected by the witches words – this weakness is also shown later in the play concerning Lady Macbeth and the plotting of a murder. This scene cleverly portrays the difference between how Macbeth and Banquo reacted to the witch’s predictions. Banquo is also offered great hope that his sons will be kings but he does not believe that good news can come ‘from voices of Satan’ and does not trust them even though they could become true. ‘Were such things here as we do speak about? Or have we eaten on the insane root,’ Banquo was used by Shakespheare to show that Macbeth must make the choice between good and evil. From the structure of this scene we are fairly sure he will choose evil. Yet Macbeth’s degree of evil is not yet shown, it is only at its potential stage. None of his bad thoughts about Malcolm being the successor to Duncan have not been taken into action. Lady Macbeth is partly to blame for this. In Act 1 scene 5 Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth, telling of his experience. She too believes that the witches are true. Her power and strong beliefs are soon shown when she says; ‘Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here And fill me from the crown to the toe topfull Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood †¦.Come to my woman’s breasts And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers.’ This really shows the power and strength Lady Macbeth has. It also relates to the latter part of the play where it is clear that Lady Macbeth is the dominant person in their relationship. An argument brought forth by some is that this speech is a spell. We are led to believe further in the play that Lady Macbeth has witch qualities when she thinks she has blood on her. This is another characteristic of these times – people believed that this was a sign of a witch. So we cannot say that Macbeth was forced to murder King Duncan by the witches as the encouragement of Lady Macbeth is shown greatly in scene 7. The witches did not put the idea into Banquo’s head that he should murder Macbeth to ensure his son would become king, so therefore we cannot say that they put the idea into the head of Macbeth. Critics argue that Lady Macbeth was the one who forced Macbeth into killing Duncan. However, it was Macbeth who had the first thoughts of murder, In act 1 scene 5 Macbeth writes a letter to Lady Macbeth telling her about his meeting with the witches; ‘I have learned by the perfectest report they have more in them then mortal knowledge.’ This is untrue because Macbeth does not know that they were telling the truth and Banquo did not believe them in the same way. Therefore he does not know anything by the ‘perfectest report’. This shows us that Macbeth may have been trying to tempt Lady Macbeth into thinking the first thoughts of murder, leaving the blame lying with her, whilst attempting to clear his own conscience. Lady Macbeth’s character takes blame for the murder as she shows no sign of repent once the crime has been committed, until the end of the play when she becomes insane. Before the murder takes place she takes matters into her own hands, criticising her husband; ‘It (Macbeth’s nature) is too full o’th’milk of human kindness.’ She then says at the end of scene 5; ‘To alter favour is to fear, leave the rest to me.’ So the actual influence of Lady Macbeth is uncertain; she is either subconsciencly persuaded by Macbeth to persuade him, or she has an actual evil inside her. Macbeth’s evil really comes to its zenith when he becomes king. He has murdered, and lied just to gain power. Ambition over took him, fired on by the powers of the witches. It is debatable whether Macbeth was originally a good man who was led into evil ways, or if he was evil from the outset, but I believe that evil is made not born. The ethics and morals of people are created at childhood, through the observations of others, being told by parents what is right and what is wrong. This belief brings me to the conclusion that the witches had some uncontrollable force over him, whether this was a mental forced – sparked off by Macbeth’s great ambition or whether they had actual power I am uncertain. But for Macbeth to be so changed and affected by these creatures when his friend was encountered the same and not affected at all leads one to believe that he has a weakness in his character. So it is well argued to say that yes, Macbeth was a good man led into evil ways.