Analysis of Debates Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Debates - Research Paper Example Society never ceases to look down upon any person taking these plunges or walking those extra miles. These people are always watched from bay with half-squinted eyes. Nevertheless, far beyond confronting the frowning brows of the people gazing around, it is very important to listen to the call of one’s heart (Streitmatter 1-23). Since time immemorial, it has been an established fact that the union of opposite sexes is very important for the progression of any particular race. However, human mind has unfathomable depth and dark channels and abbeys where light of any logic or comprehension is very difficult to reach. A man might feel a physical affinity with a man, and a woman can also have the same kind of affection for another woman against the general convention prevalent in the society. If we examine the scriptures, literature and folklore thoroughly, it can be identified that mankind’s affinity towards the same sex has evolved steadily but in a very latent way. With the progress of civilization and so much of awareness of the importance of civil rights and human psychology, the time has come when people have chosen to discuss the issue at an open and broad forum where the marriages between the same-sex can be advocated and discussed without any kind of suppression. Thesis Statement This essay intends to analyze the thought that gay marriages should be accepted as a commonplace affair of the society. At the same time, the essay throws light on the myriad pros and cons associated with the legitimate ways of attaining the unification of two people belonging to the same sex. Gay Marriages and Its Sanctity Same-sex marriages are often coined in the local terminology as ‘gay marriages’. Etymologically, it is a legitimate union between two persons of the same biological sex. The supporters or the promoters of the gay marriages tend to refer to the same-sex marriages as marriage equality or equal marriage. Turning the pages of the history related to the legitimation of the same-sex marriages, we can observe that it is only very recent, i.e. during the first decade of the twenty-first century, that same-sex marriages were recognized, enacted and protected from the various legal cells across the world. The other noteworthy fact regarding the sanctification of the same-sex marriages took place in the very recent times, i.e. in the year 2013 itself. During the current calendar year, eleven countries across the globe and a few sub-national jurisdictions have allowed the legitimate union between couples of the same sex (Pratt). The complex question which is raised in the most recent times in different societies across the globe is that why there is a complete absence of legal sanctity and universal right pertaining to the gay marriages uniformly across the globe. The Western world is still a step ahead in this regard, and if focus is shifted towards the East and the oriental societies, the condition is pathetic, to say the least. In the current scenario, there are places where even the thought of marrying a person of the same gender can mercilessly take away one’s life. Clergy and church are also not behind any regulatory and theological bodies related to the condemnation of marriage of equality (Mulholland). For example, if a thorough light is shed on the article by Chrysovalantis P. Kefalas, it can be arguably asserted that marriage of equal

Slavery Essay Example for Free

Slavery Essay The way countries, nations or states act and base their policies on many times reflect what their past was like. This is very true in the case of Africa. The only problem is that Africa is said to have no history. This just means that Africa’s many cultures did not affect the way imperialists and other influences acted towards the huge continent. Everything was based on their interests and consequently this meant that the way of dealing with Africa in every way was based on Western traditionalists. To this we must answer the question how has the Western World affected Africa’s present stage and what must be done to undo what is wrong and hopefully correct this situation. Africa first played a role in Europe’s and the America’s history when the U. S. and Great Britain needed labor. They needed a lot of it and they needed it cheap. There was nothing cheaper than free labor. It would require an initial investment to African â€Å"leaders† but it paid off almost instantaneously. This is what we used to call slave trading. In around the 1860’s this became an illegal act. However, like any other crime, this trading could not be stopped entirely. British Naval ships were set up as blockades but sometimes Slaves were stored in spaces that were no higher than 12 inches so not all slave carrying boats could be stopped. In fact while the Navy stopped approximately 103,000 slaves from entering the slave force about 1. million entered it. Since this trade was illegal it was even more profitable than before. The slaves that were stopped from being shipped all the way west were being sent to Freetown, Sierra Leone and Monrovia, Liberia and they were called recaptives. These were towns set up by the British and some liberal Americans to send former slaves and recaptives back to their home continent.

Internet Legislation :: essays research papers fc

With the recent popularity of the Internet many topics concerning it have hit main street media. One of these topics is legislation to control its certain aspects. Legislation is now one of the feuded discussions when it comes to the Internet, and through my report I hope to shed some light on this topic of conterversy. The Internet by definition is an international web of interconnected government, education, and business computer networks--in essence, a network of networks. A person at a computer terminal or personal computer with the proper software communicates across the Internet by placing data in an Internet Protocol (IP) packet--an electronic envelope--and "addressing" the packet to a particular destination on the Internet. Communications software on the intervening networks between the source and destination networks. And these collections of networks linking millions of servers (computers) together, where in essence one computer can access info from another. The Internet was first formed in the lats 60's by the military as a form of communication incase of nuclear attack. Just recently in 1984 is when it was first opened to the everyday consumer as a form of communication. After a few years of mild aknowledgement of its assistance, From a thousand or so networks in the mid- 1980s, the Internet has grown to an estimated 30,000 connected networks in 1994 with about 25 million people having access to it. it all of a sudden boomed with popularity with networks expanding at an exponential rate. And with the networks came multi billionaire business such as American Online. Along with information the Internet has links to other more unmoral forms of entertainment, on of these is pornography, "porn" of the past few years has taken up more than one half of the web pages on the Internet (about 4Â ¼ out of 10 web pages are porn) a number which has caused much dismay with users and nonusers alike. Those who support porn on the Internet say its with in there rights and everybody should have access to it. But parents are afraid that the Internet carries a large number of minor users who with almost no Internet experience can access porn. Only Legislation that currently exsists is We start with the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996, a controversial piece of legislation signed into law by President Clinton on February 8, 1996, and now under legal challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union and others.

Computer Processors :: essays research papers fc

Processors: Which is the best ?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A processor is the chip inside a computer which carries out of the functions of the computer at various speeds. There are many processors on the market today. The two most well known companies that make processors are Intel and AMD. Intel produces the Pentium chip, with the most recent version of the Pentium chip being the Pentium 3. Intel also produces the Celeron processor (Intel processors). AMD produces the Athlon processor and the Duron processor (AMD presents).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Processor speeds are measured in megahertz (MHz) and now come in speeds of up to 1000 MHz (1 GHz), which is very fast. This is almost ten times faster than the speed of most home computers, which average from 133 MHz to 166 MHz. Intel and AMD have been in a race to break the 1 GHz speed barrier, and the number of megahertz in the newest processors is not as significant as it was in earlier processors. For example, the difference between a 133 MHz processor and a 166 MHz processor is rather large, but the difference between a 533 and a 566 is barely noticeable. This is because the companies are becoming more concerned about the number of megahertz in a processor that the actual speed is not keeping up with the megahertz number (AMD/Intel).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So, which processor is the best? It depends on what the computer is being used for. The AMD Athlon processor is the best processor when it comes to 3D games and handles games quite well (Athlon Processor Quotes). The Pentium 3 processor is not quite as good at handling games. From personal experience with a Celeron 566 processor, the Celeron does not do a very good job at handling 3D games and will often freeze during a game, but otherwise is a very good processor. The Pentium 3 is the best processor for handling office applications, but the Celeron and the AMD do a good job as well. In consideration of the price, the Celeron processor is the best priced processor and offers good performance (P3 vs. Celeron 2). The Celeron is about half the price of the Pentium 3 processor (P3 vs Celeron 2).

Impact of Trade on East Asia and South Asia Essay

East Asia and South Asia was similar in that it promoted economic development in both regions and transformed port cities of both regions into cosmopolitan centers, but differed in that it helped with the establishment of Buddhism in China while it helped with the establishment of Islam in India. The impact of trade on East Asia and South Asia was similar in that it promoted economic development in both regions. In East Asia, the Grand Canal, a series of connected waterways, linked together north and south China. As northern and southern China traded rice and other food crops, the larger economy of China improved and grew. In South Asia, northern and southern India traded spices, metals, and specialized crops that were not available throughout India. As northern and southern India traded, the south prospered and experienced a surge in economic development. Trade promoted economic development in both East Asia and South Asia because they both traded within their region and outside of it, obtaining profit and wealth, along with goods. The impact of trade on East Asia and South Asia was similar in that it transformed port cities of both regions into cosmopolitan centers. As China traded, Arab, Persian, and Malay merchants settled within its region. The merchants settled in port cities, such as Guangzhou and Quanzhou, which turned into cosmopolitan centers. As India traded, Muslim, Jewish, and other merchants began to dwell within the subcontinent. The brokers became residents at port cities, such as Calicut, which developed into cosmopolitan societies. Trade transformed port cities in both East Asia and South Asia into cosmopolitan centers because they both had thriving commercial centers where merchants moved to in search of business opportunities. The impact of trade on East Asia and South Asia differed in that it helped with the establishment of Buddhism in China while it helped with the establishment of Islam in India. Buddhism diffused into China along trade routes. Merchants set up Buddhist communities in China, such as Dunhuang, helping it gain a foothold in society. Islam spread into India as merchants traded and settled in the region. As they settled in cities, such as Cambay, they spread Islam into Indian society. Trade helped with the establishment of Buddhism in China, but helped with Islam in India because Muslim merchants traveled to South Asia due to its trade centers and relative proximity, while Buddhist merchants traveled to East Asia in search of trade opportunities outside of India. From 600 to 1450 CE, the influence of trade on East Asia and South Asia was similar in that it encouraged economic growth in both areas and helped with the development of port cities into cosmopolitan centers in both regions, but differed in that it promoted the establishment of Buddhism in China while it promoted the establishment of Islam in India.

Strategy and international management Honda motors The WritePass Journal

Strategy and international management Honda motors Introduction Strategy and international management Honda motors IntroductionReferences:Related Introduction This essay is about the potential objective of the multinational company of entry in to the new market for expanding business and maximizing profit in new explored market, and will highlights possible insinuation of a global company in host country economy. In this essay Auto car manufacturing Company will be critically highlighted that why multinational auto manufacturing company expands business to other regions and discover new market places and what are the grounds behind that step. The chosen company for this critical essay is Honda Motors. Before discussing Honda motors foreign direct investment (FDI), its motives of investing abroad from its home country, and the home country policies regarding FDI. It is vital to provide company background first and its history. Honda is sustaining a global point of view, and is devoted in supplying products of the uppermost excellence keeping in view a reasonable price for worldwide buyer’s satisfaction. Honda Motor Company Limited is possibly best branded as an auto maker. Among the car manufacturing companies in Japan Honda is second and fifth biggest and successful car manufacturing company in the world. Today Honda is renowned for its innovation, excellence, well-built and advanced engineering which combine to get the best possible output in auto market and that is the reason why Honda has strong image among leading car manufacturing companies. Honda is a Japan based company, which has made its name in the manufacturing of cars in very short period of time. Honda Motor Company was founded by Soichiro Honda and his partner, Takeo Fujisawa (Source, www.honda.com). Innovative strength of mind is obvious in the absolute name of their business, which is  Honda  Technology Research Institute Compan y Limited. Honda is considered to be the primary producer of engines across the world in terms of the complete volume of the engines it manufactures annually. Honda endeavoured into the Japanese  car industry  after 1960 with the T360 (Source, www.honda.com). In this essay I will focus Honda Motors investment in Pakistan. Honda Atlas Cars Pakistan Limited is a mutual enterprise between Honda Japan Motors and the Atlas Group Pakistan. Honda Company was established in 1992 and combined agreement was signed in 1993. The inauguration ceremony was held on 17th of April 1993 and within a very small time of 11 months, construction and erection of machinery was completed. Honda invested in Pakistan because of numerous reasons which can be called the perfect location for investment. As per Dunning the location, owner specific and internalisation advantages are three basic fundamentals for multinational company to invest across the border. Pakistan got strategic importance because of its prominent geography. Indian Ocean on one side and very close of Persian Gulf which is very significant for trade import and export purpose. Pakistan is like a gate way for Middle East, for Central Asia to China and India. Pakistan is at number 9 with a population of 140 million, so it is clear that Pakistan has got a vast market and around 40 million hard working cheap labour. Road and rail infrastructure of Pakistan is reasonable well dev eloped and it is developing time by time. Because of its link with Persian and Arabian Sea export processing zone is working from 1980 and because of large demand three more export processing zones have started working in Sialkot, Risalpur and Saindak. Honda invested in Pakistan because Pakistani economy usually showed sensitivity and possible aptitude to convene exogenous blows and minimize risk (Source:- www.unescap.com). Pakistan got very strategic place in term of foreign direct investment (FDI) as per economic survey of Pakistan FDI is increasing from 2006-2007 from 6 billion US dollar which is almost 48% higher than last year. According to figures there are around 3.9 million auto cars on the roads of Pakistan, and the demands for vehicles individually and combined are increasing rapidly, and prominent figure is calculated of 300,000 as an annual demand. Multinational companies from Japan, Europe and Korea have invested around 1.5 billion dollars in Auto industry of Pakistan (Source:- www.unescap.com). It is the matter of fact that developed markets drench with the passage of time, keeping this point companies still want to preserve expansion. Honda keeps a strong point of expanding their business to areas which are less saturated. Most of the certain saturated markets may welcome variety from other developed economies and companies attempt to invest in those markets to capture market share. Pakis tan government has eased up the investment policy environment foreign private investment. For welcoming and encouraging foreign direct investment in export-oriented industries, an Export Processing Zone (EPZ) is set up in Karachi. The government of Pakistan has also ratify a wide set of investment incentives including credit facilities, fiscal incentives, and visa policy. Foreign controlled manufacturing companies exporting 50% or more of their production can now borrow working capital without any limit. Other foreign-controlled manufacturing companies including those not exporting and selling in the domestic market can borrow rupee loans equal to their equity without prior permission of the State Bank of Pakistan. Foreign investment in Pakistan is sheltered through the Constitution (Article 24) as well as through specific laws. Section 8 of the Protection of Economic Reforms Act 1992 provides legal cover to foreign investment in Pakistan. Honda established its unit in Pakistan due to several factors which they believe that will maximise their profit by investment abroad like abundant low cost land and natural resources, vast cheap and technical working people, increasing local market, reasonably developed infrastructure and important and critical location. As According to Dunning (2008) company invest abroad because of suitable climate, proximity to relevant markets, availability of raw materials and minerals, and availability of low cost advantages such as cheap labour. Honda invests overseas to lessen revelation to one market. This gives Honda international diversification and leads to benefits for Honda. As the global economy changes over the time and recession is affecting one area some time another economy in different region is practicing a boom, so operating in different countries instability can be less experienced by companies. According to Dunning (2008), It has to be more gainful for the company to develop its resources in overseas, rather than in domestic, locations. Honda chose site in Lahore, Honda current location in Lahore Pakistan is near to Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore which can be easily and affordably accessed adding to this it can be easily access from motorway which connect main cities of Pakistan and nearly 90 km from Faisalabad international dry port.   Honda is enjoying economical delivery of cars with its well managed delivery set-up all over Pakistan. Pakistan government policies are very much in favour for investors of auto makers to invest in Pakistan. Honda invested huge amount of investment in Pakistani market so that to get more benefit and capturing more international reputation from the cheapest cost of production in Pakistan economy, as there is availability of cheap and skilled labour as it is fact that companies with labour intensive production processes have a larger incentive to invest overseas and thus benefit from these cost efficiencies. T his gives host country many advantages like increase in export, boost in economy and linkage with other countries. According to Lipsey (2002), FDI has a great influence on any host country economy and increases the interaction of countries and export from the host country increases as well. Customers who are interested in new models are manufactured in the local country (Japan) and as well as manufactures in Pakistan, is another, verdict weighty factor and gives a extra advantage to Honda FDI policy. Dunning (2000), said that market seeking factor is appropriate in the FDI decision making process. One of the reasons why Honda invests abroad is diversification. By diversifying, it reduces risk and by diversifying worldwide, one can reduce the risk further. International investing provides investors the opportunity to spread risks over more than one market. Due to rise in oil prices that increases transportation cost of vehicles from one country to other country so the prices of impor ted vehicles are normally are very high than the cars which are manufactured and assembled in home country. Honda is enjoying this case by establishing its manufacturing and assembling unit in host country as to maximise its markets shares and reduce risk. High import duties make imported cars prices higher and unaffordable. Market saturation and increased competition at home have lead automakers to the evident termination that future growth will occur in investing abroad where population is more and where the demand of cars is much. Honda motors have domination over its firm specific advantages and can exploit them abroad, ensuing in a higher trivial return or lower trivial cost than its opponents, and thus in more profit. This was said by Cantwell (2000), that advantage in technology might be used to increase international expansion and this can be motivating factor as well for companies. The subsistence of a particular know-how or core ability is an asset that can give rise to ec onomic rents to Honda. These rents are gathering by Honda by licensing the Firm Specific Advantages to another firm, exporting products using Specific Advantages as an input, or amendment subsidiaries abroad. Honda has its unbeaten technological power and innovation in their manufacturing and this makes it the successful car manufacturing company in the competition. There were and still there are competitors for Honda in Pakistan as some companies started well before than Honda in Pakistan, they know how the market and environment is. According to Hymer’s (1966), to compete in the overseas market foreign companies must possess some kind of advantage. Such advantage can be of many different types, but the most obvious is size and market power.  Ã‚  A business intend to build up a firm precise advantage in international market and development tends to be completed in the market because of localisation feature like trading hurdles, expensive carrying costs, company mostly adop t this criteria by investing out from its home country in their own services to a certain extent than through, let take a example of a licensing or agreements. The more insubstantial the company exact advantage is much stronger that propensity would be. To do business with intangible assets are very tricky and difficult to handle. There is some significant argument is that transnational corporation exist because information crossways boundaries can be moved much powerfully in the corporation rather than among independent industry, the reason is not of market collapse. That extracted that in common intangible asset can be taken as a demanded asset, but can rarely be separated from the company itself and it is impossible to be taken as a community good (Source, www.ousest.com). As the oil prices are increasing day by day so to afford heavy cars are getting tougher so trends towards small and local manufactured cars are increasing and that is the reason why Pak Suzuki Motors enjoys a domination in the car market with 40.2% of car market share and Honda has 14.7% of market share and trying its level best by deploying the new and advanced technology to its cars with affordable price (Source:- www.ousest.com). Honda has transferred nearly all its advanced technology to the unit working in Pakistan so that to facilitate the customers with innovation and advance technology with low prices as exporting cars from Japan to Pakistan becomes more expensive and unaffordable for buyers to grab the car of their dream and also buyers tends to buy relative cheap and locally manufactured and assembled cars so to reduce the factor of losing customers Honda makes sure that market must be in hand by investing more in host country. According to Dunning firm must have some owner ship advantages to penetrate in any country and capturing the market through that ownership advantages. Initially Honda was emphasizing on investments in countries where political situation were stable and government policies were in favour of foreign investment to reduce barriers in their investment and returns, Pakistan political matters were never been much stable but the policies and climate are always in a favour of foreign investment, Honda neglected the political factor and invested hugely in Pakistan to capture the uprising car market of Pakistan. This showed the interest of Honda as an active market seeking FDI. Economic prosperity is the main ingredient to the country’s progress and advancement. Foreign investment gives the strong base for economic development.   FDI added notably in the human resources development, capital formation, and organizational and managerial skills of the people in the country. One of the positive spillover effects was that the occurrence of foreign firm helps in enlargement infrastructure facilities, which makes it easier and profitable for local firms to crowd-in (Lemi, 2004). In developing countries like Pakistan FDI is helpful to narrow down the Saving-Investment gap. The economic benefits of FDI were extensive ranging, it unlock new opportunities of knowledge, transfer of technology, training of manpower, market networking and externalities in the host countries. The potential advantages of the FDI on the host economy are it facilitates the use and utilization of local raw materials, it bring in modern techniques of management and marketing, it eases the access to new technologies, Foreign inflows could be used for financing current account deficits, it increases the stock of human capital via on the job training. The local ventures are able to learn by watching if the economic structure is suitable (Bhagwati, 1994) also it stimulates the investment in RD (Calvo and Robles, 2003). Although there is huge positive impact of FDI on host country economy there is some negative implication that results due to FDI. Often seen that host country faces problems with FDI, government has less control over the foreign companies which are operating in the country and this results in not adopting the economic policies of the host country. Defence of the country has to face some risk due to incoming foreign investment. Foreign firms deploy its home country policies in the host country firm which sometimes are not suitable for the workers of the host country. Inflation rate increases in a considerable amount in host country. One of the main negative impacts of FDI is that the economically backward section of the host country is always inconvenienced when the stream of foreign direct investment is negatively affected (Source:- economywatch). Honda is providing advanced and innovated cars to the its customers mostly in affordable price and playing important role in the economy of the country as well. Honda investment resulted not only in maximizing their profit but resulted in opening of thousands of jobs and also pays taxes to the government. Honda successful investment and increase in profit motivated other companies to invest in Pakistan which will be again beneficial to locals and to government. But going to the depth of Honda investment, Honda is getting more than their investment but Honda is still not able to provide more employment opportunities by expanding their units to other cities in Pakistan. Although the unit is fully working in Pakistan but still car prices are not in a range of middle class community which could be in affordable price if Honda management reduces a small percentage from their profit. Highly technical staffs are still called from Japan and avoiding local technical staffs to remain where the y are, Honda must send host country technical staff to trainings abroad so that human resource of host country can go further up in the company making more opportunity for others. This will in return reduces Honda cost and will be helpful for host country human resource. References: Bhagwati, J.N. (1994), â€Å"Free trade: Old and new challenges†, Economic Journal, 104, pp.231-246. Cantwell. J. (2000). A survey of theories of international production:   the Nature of the transitional firm, London: Routledge. Dunning, J.H. (2000). â€Å"The Eclectic Paradigm as an Envelope for Economic and Business Theories of MNE Activity†, International Business Review,9, pp. 163-190. Dunning electic paradigm, information available ousest.com/internalis, accessed on 4th March 2011. Hymer, H. (1979). The Multinational Corporation: a Radical approach, New York: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. Information available on www.ousest.com, website accessed on 21st April 2011. Information available on www.honda.com, website accessed on 2nd March 2011. Information available on   adb.org, website accessed on 22ndFebuary 2011 Information available on www.dawn.com, website accessed on 1st March 2011. Information available on www.honda.com.pk, website accessed on 2nd March 2011. Information available on www.economywatch.com, accessed on 5th March 2011. Investment Policy, Information available on www.sbp.gov.pk, accessed on 5th March 2011.  ·Ã‚  Information available on www.unescap.org/tid/publication/part_two2223_pak.pdf, accessed on 7th April 2011.  ·Ã‚  Information available on ousest.com/transact.html, accessed on 7th April 2011. Lemi, A. (2004).â€Å"Foreign Direct Investment, Host country productivity and export: The case of US and Japanese multinational affiliates†, Journal of Economic Development, 29. Lipsey, R. E. (2002). â€Å"Home and Host country effects of FDI†, NBER Working Paper No W92923, available on www.ssrn,com, accessed on 27thFebuary 2011. Pakistan Research Repository, information available on www.eprints.hec.gov.pk, accessed on 1st March 2011. .

Dialectic and Spectacle in the Harrowing of Hell Essays

Dialectic and Spectacle in the Harrowing of Hell Essays Dialectic and Spectacle in the Harrowing of Hell Medieval Literary Drama Dialectic and Spectacle in the Harrowing of Hell Roland Barthes's essay on "The World of Wrestling" draws analogically on the ancient theatre to contextualize wrestling as a cultural myth where the grandiloquence of the ancient is preserved and the spectacle of excess is displayed. Barthes's critique which is above all a rewriting of what was to understand what is is useful here insofar as it may be applied back to theatre as another open-air spectacle. But in this case, not the theatre of the ancients, but the Middle English pageant presents the locus for discussing the sport of presentation, or, if you prefer, the performance of the sport. More specifically, what we see by looking at the Harrowing of Hell the dramatic moment in the cycle plays that narratizes doctrinal redemption more graphically than any other play in the cycle as spectacle offers a matrix for the multiple relationships between performance and audience and the means of producing that performance which, in turn, necessarily produces the audience. The implications of the spectacle could sensibly be applied to the complete texts of the cycle plays, and perhaps more appropriately to the full range of the pageant and its concomitant festivities. The direction of pseudo-historical criticism, especially of the Elizabethan stage, certainly provides a well-plowed ground for advancing the festive and carnivalesque inherently present in the establishment and event of theater. Nevertheless, my discussion here is both more limited and more expansive: its limits are constructed by the choice of an individual play recurrent through the four extant manuscripts of what has come to be called the Corpus Christi plays; its expansion is expressed through a delivery that aims to implicate the particular moment of this play in the operations of a dominant church-state apparatus, which is, ostensibly, a model of maintaining hegemony in Western culture. The Harrowing provides a singular instance in which the mechanisms of control of the apparatus appear to extend and exploit their relationship with the audience (i.e. congregation). The play is constructed beyond the canonized operations of the sacred, originating a narrative beyond (yet within) the authorized vulgate; it is constructed only through church authority yet maintains the divinely instituted force of the orthodox doctrine. Two introductory instances, one from the Chester cycle and the other from the Towneley cycle, situate the narrative and event of the play as a spectacle which engages the possibility of being consumed by its historical and particular mass culture a culture which was primarily illiterate in both the official and the vernacular writings of the church and being understood within the hegemonic orthodoxy. The introductory speech in the Chester Plays (The Cooke's Play) describes a previous knowledge that Adam as representative for a fallen humanity apprehends exactly at the moment he articulates his speech: Nowe, by this light that I nowe see, joye ys come, lord, through thee, and one thy people hast pittye to put them out of payne. Similarly, though now through Jesus's self-proclamation, the introduction in the Towneley cycle reveals the already known nature of its narrative: A light will thay haue To know I will com sone; My body shall abyde in gaue Till all this dede be done. The doubled "nowe" of Adam's speech and the perfected futurity of Jesus's speech dictate a time before narrative. By expressing the nature of narrative to be known and that the outcome of the particular battle which is hardly a battle between Satan and Jesus is already determined, both Adam's and Jesus's speeches establish a code for participating in the festival. The audience is relegated within this code beyond the activity of interpretation; they are placed outside of the hermeneutic circle. Instead of calling for interpretation, the play calls for consumption, which means, in this case, to view the spectacle. The public then is subordinated to its own activity of visualization its own sense of perception to gain access to the operations of the festival. At this point of subordination to the visual, the audience's motives, according to Barthes's description of the effects of the spectacle, are extinguished: The public is completely uninterested in knowing whether the contest is rigged or