Saturday, April 11, 2020
Occupational Safety and Health Essay Example
Occupational Safety and Health Essay Occupational Safety and Health †¢ Introduction †¢ HIRARC †¢ OSH Legislation †¢ Inspections †¢ Safety Audits †¢ Responsibilities †¢ Influenza A (H1N1) HIRARC We need to know about OSH because: 1. It is a requirement under the law (OSHA and its Regulations);  2. We need to make provisions for securing the safety, health and welfare of our colleagues; 3. We need to make provisions for protecting our clients against risks to safety or health in connection with our trade and activities. In order for us to achieve the objectives of OSH we need to look into HIRARC which is the basis of occupational safety and health. HIRARC is a compound word which is made up of three consecutive activities running one after the other. The activities consist of Hazard Indentification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control. Hazard indentification is the recognising of things which may cause injury or harm to a person. Risk assessment is the looking at the possibility of injury or harm occuring to a person if exposed to a hazard. The introduction of measures which will eliminate or reduce the risk of a person being exposed to a harzard is known as Risk control. We need to know about HIRARC because: †¢ it is the core business of all OSH personnel, safety committee members, supervisors etc. †¢ it is a DIRECTIVE from the Chief Secretary of the government service to all government departments and agencies through its letter of directive: UPTM 159/267/50 Klt. 4 dated 20th of August 2004. Before the proccess of identifying any hazards begin, it is necessary to know how to classify what is hazard, risk and danger. Hazard anything that can cause harm. †¢ Risk a probability of harm actually being done. †¢ Danger the relative exposure to a hazard. Hazards can be sub-classified into health or safety hazards. Examples of health hazards are: †¢ Physical (noise, heat, radiation, vibration, pressure, machinery, electricity etc. ); †¢ Chemical (gases, vapours, acids, alkali, pois ons, aerosols, irritants etc. ); †¢ Biological (pathogens, fungi, other micro organisms etc. ; †¢ Psychosocial (stress, social problems, accidents at workplace/home, fear of failure, retrenchment etc. ); †¢ Ergonomic (workplace design, layout of workstation, excessive manual handling, design of tools etc. ) Examples of Safety hazards are: †¢ Mechanical (cuts, entanglement etc); †¢ Heights (falling objects etc); †¢ Electrical (shock, burns etc); †¢ Fire/Explosion (burns, injury, death etc); †¢ Confined space (poisoning etc) Hazards can be identified through the means: 1. Risk analysis 2. Workplace inspection . Safety audits 4. Job safety analysis 5. Feedback from workers 6. Observations 7. Advice from specialists 8. Accident records 9. MSDS/CSDS etc. Risk assessment can be achieved by: 1. Gathering information about each hazard identified 2. Using of the information to assess the likelihood and consequence of each hazard 3. Producing a qualitative or quantitative risk table                 Hierarchy of risk control: 1. Elimination 2. Substitution 3. Isolation 4. Engineering control 5. Administrative control 6. Personal protective equipment We will write a custom essay sample on Occupational Safety and Health specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Occupational Safety and Health specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Occupational Safety and Health specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Do you know that it is the duty of our employer under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 0f 1994 to: a)   Ensure our safety, health and welfare at our workplace by: o the provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health; o making of arrangements for ensuring safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use or operation, handling, storage and transport of plant and substances; o the provision of such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure the safety and health at work; o maintaining the workplace in a condition that is safe and without risks to health and the provision and maintenance of the means of access to and egress from it that are safe and without such risks; o the provision and maintenance of a working environment which is safe, without risks to health and adequate as regards to facilities for our welfare at work. b)   Formulate safety and hea lth policy: o as often as may be appropriate revise a written statement of his general policy with respect to the safety and health at work; o arrangements for the time being in force for carrying out the policy; o to bring the statement and any revision of it to the notice of all of his employees. c)  Employ a competent person to act as a Safety and Health Officer at the place of work exclusively for the purpose of ensuring the due observance at the place of work of the provisions of the OSHA and its regulations and the promotion of a safe conduct of work at the place of work. )  Establish a Safety and Health Committee at the place of work if there are 40 or more persons employed at the place of work. e)  Consult the Safety and Health Committee with a view to the making and maintenance of arrangements which will enable him and his employees to co-operate effectively in promoting and developing measures to ensure the safety and health at the place of work of the employees and in checking the effectiveness of such measures. f)  Notify the nearest Occupational Safety and Health Office of any accident, dangerous occurrence, occupational poisoning or occupational disease which has occurred or is likely to occur at the place of work. Neverthel ess, it is our duty as employees to: )  Take reasonable care for the safety and health of ourself and of other persons who may be affected by our acts or omissions at work; b)  Co-operate with our employer or any other person in the discharge of any duty or requirement imposed on our employer or that other person by OSHA; c)  Wear or use at all times any protective equipment or clothing provided by our employer for the purpose of preventing risks to our safety and health; d)  Comply with any instruction or measure on occupational safety and health instituted by our employer or any other person by or under OSHA or any regulations made thereunder. How to create a safe workplace 1. Anticipate the hazard 2. Identify the hazard 3. Assess the risk 4. Implementing control measures 5. Reviewing of control measures Occupational Safety and Health Essay Example Occupational Safety and Health Essay Occupational Safety and Health †¢ Introduction †¢ HIRARC †¢ OSH Legislation †¢ Inspections †¢ Safety Audits †¢ Responsibilities †¢ Influenza A (H1N1) HIRARC We need to know about OSH because: 1. It is a requirement under the law (OSHA and its Regulations);  2. We need to make provisions for securing the safety, health and welfare of our colleagues; 3. We need to make provisions for protecting our clients against risks to safety or health in connection with our trade and activities. In order for us to achieve the objectives of OSH we need to look into HIRARC which is the basis of occupational safety and health. HIRARC is a compound word which is made up of three consecutive activities running one after the other. The activities consist of Hazard Indentification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control. Hazard indentification is the recognising of things which may cause injury or harm to a person. Risk assessment is the looking at the possibility of injury or harm occuring to a person if exposed to a hazard. The introduction of measures which will eliminate or reduce the risk of a person being exposed to a harzard is known as Risk control. We need to know about HIRARC because: †¢ it is the core business of all OSH personnel, safety committee members, supervisors etc. †¢ it is a DIRECTIVE from the Chief Secretary of the government service to all government departments and agencies through its letter of directive: UPTM 159/267/50 Klt. 4 dated 20th of August 2004. Before the proccess of identifying any hazards begin, it is necessary to know how to classify what is hazard, risk and danger. Hazard anything that can cause harm. †¢ Risk a probability of harm actually being done. †¢ Danger the relative exposure to a hazard. Hazards can be sub-classified into health or safety hazards. Examples of health hazards are: †¢ Physical (noise, heat, radiation, vibration, pressure, machinery, electricity etc. ); †¢ Chemical (gases, vapours, acids, alkali, pois ons, aerosols, irritants etc. ); †¢ Biological (pathogens, fungi, other micro organisms etc. ; †¢ Psychosocial (stress, social problems, accidents at workplace/home, fear of failure, retrenchment etc. ); †¢ Ergonomic (workplace design, layout of workstation, excessive manual handling, design of tools etc. ) Examples of Safety hazards are: †¢ Mechanical (cuts, entanglement etc); †¢ Heights (falling objects etc); †¢ Electrical (shock, burns etc); †¢ Fire/Explosion (burns, injury, death etc); †¢ Confined space (poisoning etc) Hazards can be identified through the means: 1. Risk analysis 2. Workplace inspection . Safety audits 4. Job safety analysis 5. Feedback from workers 6. Observations 7. Advice from specialists 8. Accident records 9. MSDS/CSDS etc. Risk assessment can be achieved by: 1. Gathering information about each hazard identified 2. Using of the information to assess the likelihood and consequence of each hazard 3. Producing a qualitative or quantitative risk table                 Hierarchy of risk control: 1. Elimination 2. Substitution 3. Isolation 4. Engineering control 5. Administrative control 6. Personal protective equipment We will write a custom essay sample on Occupational Safety and Health specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Occupational Safety and Health specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Occupational Safety and Health specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Do you know that it is the duty of our employer under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 0f 1994 to: a)   Ensure our safety, health and welfare at our workplace by: o the provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health; o making of arrangements for ensuring safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use or operation, handling, storage and transport of plant and substances; o the provision of such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure the safety and health at work; o maintaining the workplace in a condition that is safe and without risks to health and the provision and maintenance of the means of access to and egress from it that are safe and without such risks; o the provision and maintenance of a working environment which is safe, without risks to health and adequate as regards to facilities for our welfare at work. b)   Formulate safety and hea lth policy: o as often as may be appropriate revise a written statement of his general policy with respect to the safety and health at work; o arrangements for the time being in force for carrying out the policy; o to bring the statement and any revision of it to the notice of all of his employees. c)  Employ a competent person to act as a Safety and Health Officer at the place of work exclusively for the purpose of ensuring the due observance at the place of work of the provisions of the OSHA and its regulations and the promotion of a safe conduct of work at the place of work. )  Establish a Safety and Health Committee at the place of work if there are 40 or more persons employed at the place of work. e)  Consult the Safety and Health Committee with a view to the making and maintenance of arrangements which will enable him and his employees to co-operate effectively in promoting and developing measures to ensure the safety and health at the place of work of the employees and in checking the effectiveness of such measures. f)  Notify the nearest Occupational Safety and Health Office of any accident, dangerous occurrence, occupational poisoning or occupational disease which has occurred or is likely to occur at the place of work. Neverthel ess, it is our duty as employees to: )  Take reasonable care for the safety and health of ourself and of other persons who may be affected by our acts or omissions at work; b)  Co-operate with our employer or any other person in the discharge of any duty or requirement imposed on our employer or that other person by OSHA; c)  Wear or use at all times any protective equipment or clothing provided by our employer for the purpose of preventing risks to our safety and health; d)  Comply with any instruction or measure on occupational safety and health instituted by our employer or any other person by or under OSHA or any regulations made thereunder. How to create a safe workplace 1. Anticipate the hazard 2. Identify the hazard 3. Assess the risk 4. Implementing control measures 5. Reviewing of control measures
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Dangerous Situations and Fear Essay Example
Dangerous Situations and Fear Essay Example Dangerous Situations and Fear Essay Dangerous Situations and Fear Essay Essay Topic: Fear Of Flying Fear is an emotion aroused by danger. It is an important protective instinct. At any hint of danger, a substance called noradrenalin is released into the blood. This prepares the body for action. When we are scared, our skin is pale, as blood is diverted to the muscles. Our body is sweating more, to cool the muscles; our breathing is faster, and provides so more oxygen for the muscles; our heart beats faster to push more blood to the muscles. Also the gut and bladder relax, as blood is diverted from them to the muscles.As a result, we can feel quite sick and breathless. In many creatures, including man, fear can also cause paralysis, or freezing with terror. It is very common to experience fears in childhood. Many of these childhood fears, such as a fear of animals, darkness, storms, doctors and strangers, disappear as the child gets older. However, as people get older, a few may suffer badly from phobias. These are unreasonable fears, which send one’s body and mind into panic . Some of the common phobias are a fear of heights, spiders, and closed places, flying in planes, speaking in public, injections or blood.There are also endless uncommon phobias, including fear of running water, swallowing solid food and even going to the hairdresser’s. Everyone is mildly phobic about something, it is natural. But when your phobia spoils your life it’s time to do something. When I was a child, I didn’t have any typical childhood phobias, except of one, which lasted until now – my fear of insects. My childhood was also probably the most dangerous part of my life. Most children don’t have the self-preservation instinct and neither did I. Bruises were quite common and I never remembered how and when I injured myself.Also bloody knees and elbows were part of my everyday life. As I grew older, wounds started to appear more and more seldom and I am happy to say, that I have never had any more serious injuries as a dislocated ankle. I hav e also never been in an extremely dangerous situation, only some common ones. Probably the most common dangerous situations are falls falls of bicycles, roller skates, horses†¦ I have been learning riding a few times in our holiday and once I also fell down. Of course, it was not pleasant, but also not very dangerous, as I am not a good rider so the horse was just trotting.I hurt my head, although I was wearing a helmet, and my hands and my buttock, but it was my self-confidence, that was hurt most. Once, it was in summer, I was going to a lake with my friends to chill, because the days were really hot. We decided to swim across it. When we were right in the middle, I got a cramp into my calf. It was painful and I couldn’t move the leg. After a few minutes, when I felt a bit better and tried to return to the bank, my latter leg received a cramp. That time I luckily had a friend nearby, who helped me to get to dry land so it had a fortunate end.In none of these situation s I felt fear, because I didn’t felt like my life could be in danger. As I said, I have no experiences with really dangerous situations, but I think that almost every situation can turn to a dangerous one. Of course, various kinds sport, mainly extreme sports and speed sports, adjust the amount of danger of the situation. But even when you step out of the door you can bring yourself into danger. I think that it is important to find a balance between setting our lives consciously and unceasingly in danger and sitting at home timidly don’t enjoying our life.
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Code of Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Code of Ethics - Assignment Example The purpose of the code of ethics is to compel the members of the company to respect the society in which it operates. By virtue of operating in a certain society, the company should make sure that it respects the values of the people in the areas in which it operates. This is aimed at creating mutual trust among the community members so that the company can operate viably. The other aim of the code is to provide a framework that will guide the operations of the employees in their day to day activities. The objectives of the company can be achieved through the efforts of the employees hence the code is specifically meant to ensure that the workers operate within the expected standards. This will also help the company to gain credibility from the members of the society if its operations do not violet the values of the community members. Core values †¢ The company strives to promote the well-being of individual person, communities and the environment. Every person is important to the company and it shall strive to treat all people as equal. The other core value of the company is to promote the well-being of the environment. This can be achieved through engaging in green practices that do not cause harm to the environment. †¢ Act responsibly in the community. The company is concerned about issues such as responsibility and accountability in its operations. In order to operate effectively, the company strives to be accountable for its actions so that they do not negatively impact on the other people. Promote community health and safety. This is the other core value of the company since it intends to promote good healthy among all the citizens involved. Essentially, the company will try to make an effort to engage all community members in its operations so that they can share the same vision with it. This will help it to improve its operations. Strive to meet the present needs of people without compromising the future generations to enjoy the same needs. The element of sustainability is a virtue in the operations of the company. The company’s main aim is to protect the environment so that future generations
Thursday, February 6, 2020
Reconstruction and the west Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Reconstruction and the west - Essay Example People like Richard Hathaway Edmond of the Baltimore’s Manufacturers’ Record, which was among the most read papers, had also advocated for the new south among others (Norton et al, 2011). The south was able to reinvent itself through industrialization. This was made possible through southern industries such as steel, mining, and ship building that had greatly flourished during World War 2 (Norton et al 2011). The Tennessee Valley Authority had built dams which generated electricity and employment which greatly affected both the residents and manufacturers. African Americans were also able to vote due to the changing of civic rights unlike in the past where they did not partake in any of the political activities, slavery was also abolished and eventually there was growth in economy, this lead to the increase in population, despite the fact that the south had been viewed as a huge economic failure. Although slavery had been abolished there was still racial segregation because the whites were still viewed as the superior race. For instance Henry Grady stated in a speech in 1888 that the supremacy of the white race of the south must be maintained forever because the white race is superior over the black race (Norton et al, 2011). Due to industrial growth, labor was required and most of the laborers were women who received very low wages and due to relying on cash crop farming many people lost their land and had to resort to being tenant farmers. The Lakota Sioux mainly hunted buffalo as it was their main source of food. They also used the skin for clothing, making utensils, mobile huts while they also used the bones for making knives, scrappers among other tools. In the 17th century they acquired horses from the Spanish through trade and sometimes they would steal the horses. They included the horses in their routine buffalo hunting. In 1776 the Lakota people fought and defeated the Cheyenne people taking over the black hills region from them
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Proposal for a National Bank Essay Example for Free
Proposal for a National Bank Essay Before Alexanders proposal for a National Bank, the United States had no place where to store and save their money. The country didnt have a stable economy and needed improvemt in handling the financial business of the United States. By establishing a national bank, the country woould be able to establish financial order, clarity and precedence in and of the newly formed Unted States. It will also establish credidt, both in country and overseas, for the new nation. And finally it was to resolve the issue of the flat currency, which was issued by the Continental congress immediatley prior to and during the United States Revolutionary War. Although he saw a good future with having a National Bank, Jefferson disagreed completly. The secretary of StateThomas Jefferson and Representative James Madison we opposed, in which they claimed that the bank was unconstitutional, and that it only benefited merchants and investores at the expense of the majority of the population. Like most Southern members of Congress, they believed that it would only benefit business interest in the commercial north, not the southern agricultural interest. Also they stated that the creation of a bank violated the Constitution, which specifically stated that the congress was to regulate weights and measures and issue coined money, instead of bills of credit. A strict interpretation of the constitution states that the government those powers specifically granted to it by the Constitution, and a loose interpretation of the constitution positis that the government powers that are not specifically denied to it by the constituion. Thomas Jefferson believed in a strict interpretation of the constitution while Alexander Hamilton believed in a loose interpretation of the constitution. The chartering of the First Bank of the United States by the U.S Congress was indeed constitional since it depends on how you interpreate the Constitution. Hamiltons propostition is to create a national bank for the well being of the conutry. He states that in the constitution that they can tax the people and the safest place to put the money they collect is in a bank and in which they are able to take out from. (Doc.A Art l, Sect Vlll, para.18) Also he disliked or disagreeded with the idea of only a specific party can chose the idea for a bank for them and believes that the federal government should be supreme over state government.(Doc.B) There are many adavntages of having a national bank. Some advantages if having a bank is government can loan money to people,they can take money from the bank to use for emergancies and they can store their money as well as the advantage that they can print money.(Doc.D) Congress can chose any means not specifically prohibited by the constitution to achieve a constitution end. If the end is constitution and the means is not unconstitutional then the means is also constitutional. (Doc.F)Hamiltons had a clear idea of how he saw the country after having a national bank and saw the future of the country in a capable stand. In the other hand, Thomas Jefferson had acomplete view of how the country might fall into complee disaster if he allows a national bank. He states that he would accepted the idea of a bank but the problem is that he only wants to have gold and silver as coins to pay with but not other types of moniatry. He also says that it is not in the constitutiton that the federalist can create banks so he says that only the state can He also states that it shold be up to the people to decide if they want a bank or not.(Doc.A Art.l, Sec.X, para.l) As well as this he believes that it shows that they are giving all nthe power to someone if they create a bank, that it will ruin state government and that he has the support of the South and West since they are as well farmers. He believes that the North has factories so they had to ask loans from the bank. Also Jefferson feared that the bank would give loans to the merchants in the North instead of giving it to the farmers. (Doc.C) He views that the manufactures might make banking as a business and take adavntage of th famers and lower classess(Doc. E) This does not only worried Thomas Jefferson but James Madison as well. He is really worried about that it will interfer with state bank. As well believes that if the farmers need money, they might not be able to get that help(Doc.G). Both Believe that this change in the country will hurt the greatly and they dont want to be regreating later on when there might not be a possible to change it or even fix it a little. The reason why the chartering of the First Bank of the United States by the U.S Congress was constitutional is beacause it is just pure common sense to have a secure place to keep and hold their money. They couldnt just keep hiding their money under there beds or even in pots since everyone did it in the same place, roberes would know exactly where it is. It is nescecary to have a bank so they ahve a place where to keep it. Also the idea that the federal government is supreme over the state government is key. I agree with the idea of creating a national bank but i believe that it should be up to the poeple if they would like to have one or not. They are they ones who will be living it day by day and with either take adavantage or miss the opprtunity of a life time. Althought Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson disagreed in many occasions and for many reasons, both were looking in to the well being of the country and thats what counts the most. Not only because either of them say so but because in the constitution it states The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. This e=means that it should be up to the state ot people to decide so what better way than to have the people decide if wheter or not they believe they should have on. Their opinon is what counts the most since it is stated in the Constitution, Freedom of Speach.
Monday, January 20, 2020
Grading System Reform Essay example -- Argumentative Persuasive Educat
Grading System Reform Teachers have always used grades to measure the amount a student has learned. This practice is becoming ineffective. Many students have a wide range of grades, which show that grades may not show what a student really knows. Therefore, the standard grading system should be replaced. Some reasons why grades should be replaced are bad grades can hinder a child’s performance, grades define who a student is in the classroom, and grades are not an effective way to see if students have learned the material. The current grading system should be upgraded and every school should incorporate the plus/minus system in their method of grading. The public high schools began a grading system as a way of telling an individual how they were performing. There was no interest by the public in reporting the school’s progress at teaching. Teachers, in an effort to recognize outstanding performers, looked for a way of rewarding hard-working students for their efforts The grading structure changed from superior and excellent to A’s and B’s. This placed much of the burden of recognizing academic talent on the high schools. Hindering a student’s performance with a bad grade in the middle of the year can make them give up for the rest of the year. Once a student has received a bad grade they might lose faith in their academic ability. By giving up a student does not reflect their academic ability and their bad grades are not based on what they learned. Students are... Grading System Reform Essay example -- Argumentative Persuasive Educat Grading System Reform Teachers have always used grades to measure the amount a student has learned. This practice is becoming ineffective. Many students have a wide range of grades, which show that grades may not show what a student really knows. Therefore, the standard grading system should be replaced. Some reasons why grades should be replaced are bad grades can hinder a child’s performance, grades define who a student is in the classroom, and grades are not an effective way to see if students have learned the material. The current grading system should be upgraded and every school should incorporate the plus/minus system in their method of grading. The public high schools began a grading system as a way of telling an individual how they were performing. There was no interest by the public in reporting the school’s progress at teaching. Teachers, in an effort to recognize outstanding performers, looked for a way of rewarding hard-working students for their efforts The grading structure changed from superior and excellent to A’s and B’s. This placed much of the burden of recognizing academic talent on the high schools. Hindering a student’s performance with a bad grade in the middle of the year can make them give up for the rest of the year. Once a student has received a bad grade they might lose faith in their academic ability. By giving up a student does not reflect their academic ability and their bad grades are not based on what they learned. Students are...
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Hamlet and Othello Essay
The two plays by William Shakespeare, Hamlet and Othello, reflect the Renaissance philosophy, with its most important schools- Platonism, Aristotelianism and Humanism, especially in their treatment of human nature and human condition. The works of the two philosophers – Plato and Aristotle, which formed the basis of the two movements that took the names of their initiators, were reinterpreted by many scholars of the Medieval and Renaissance period, and of the later periods. Platonism and Aristotelianism were opposed philosophies in their first articulation. The Platonists believed that there is a world of abstractions, the pure world of ideas. The characteristics of the material objects, formed an abstract world, which was moreover, the true word. For example, the Platonist school of thought implied that the material world was only a reflection of the perfect world of ideas, that is, a beautiful object is only the reflection of the idea of beauty. Aristotle revised these ideas that Plato had first initiated, and proposed an opposed view, which was based on an empirical way of knowing the world, and which constituted the first step towards natural science. The two doctrines referred obviously to both ontological and epistemological facts about the world. On the other hand, the Renaissance humanism which was actually the most characteristic philosophy for this period, emphasized the nobility of human nature, and the powers of human intellect and spirit, while joining the two main philosophies – Platonism and Aristotelianism. As Brian Copenhaver and Charles Schmitt observed in their Renaissance Philosophy, both Platonism and Aristotelianism presented many problems for the humanists and for the theologians as well, like, for instance the transmigration of souls and other beliefs which seemed incompatible with Christianity: â€Å"Why should an upwardly mobile scholar or bureaucrat sympathize with Plato’s elitism? Were humanists not troubled by his scorn for poets and rhetoricians? Plato’s advocacy of communism and advertisement of homosexuality invited political and social complaint. Even his renowned piety seemed out of tune with a philosophy that made matter eternal, the human soul preexistent and migratory, and the gods and demons many, powerful, and worthy of worship. As the Renaissance came to know Plato better, discussion of his thought could not have been other than complex and divided, and the controversy had been prepared by an anti-Platonic tradition long sustained by pagans and Christians alike. As early modern thinkers developed new modes of reading unknown to antiquity and the Middle Ages, Plato’s compatibility with Christianity remained the leading question. â€Å"(Copenhaver, 129) However, many of the ideas of the two philosophies were either kept or reinterpreted as the main philosophical views at the time of Renaissance, and this is very well reflected in the plays of William Shakespeare. In Hamlet, which is one of Shakespeare’s plays that most approaches a metaphysical view of human nature seems to waver in its essential purport upon the edge separating Platonism from Aristotelianism. One of the greatest dilemmas in Hamlet is that of individual action. Shakespeare’s prince of Denmark is called upon to revenge the murder of his father. As critics have observed repeatedly, on of the most essential and telling things in the play is Hamlet hesitation when he has to take definite action against the murderer. One of the essential differences between the humanists who advocated Plato’s theory and the ones who adopted Aristotelianism, was that between the contemplative life that was characteristic of the Platonic movement and that of active life as presented by Aristotle. Various philosophers of the Renaissance took up one or the other of the two doctrines, and encouraged either contemplation or action: â€Å"Ficino’s work (†¦) also glorified the contemplative life and professed an ascetic contempt for the material world not in keeping with the pragmatic interests of the civic humanists. But to see the Aristotelian Argyropoulos as champion of the active life and the Platonist Ficino as prophet of contemplative quietism is too simple. For one thing, Argyropoulos seems to have intended no activist propaganda in his teaching, and, even more important, Ficino’s theory of the contemplative life kept his philosophy attractive to the politically and economically vigorous Florentines who supported him. Always urging the ascent of the soul, Ficino presented the contemplative life as the final step in a hierarchy of human action that led people to surpass the active life without utterly denying it; lived well, the active life becomes a step on the way to escaping matter and uniting with God. It was the genius of Neoplatonism to open channels between the divine and the mundane that transcended the world while preserving it as a platform for ascent to the godhead.†(Copenhaver, 144) Hamlet seems to be a contemplative character altogether, for whom the ideal world of abstract moral values constitutes the guiding principle. When he is faced with the baseness of the many crimes that occur in his own family, he postpones taking action and revenging his father. Moreover, the revenge takes place almost accidentally at the end of the play.            His hesitation in front of these â€Å"material†problems is relevant for his Neo- Platonic frame of thought:            â€Å"How all occasions do inform against me,            And spur my dull revenge. What is a man            If his chief good and market if his time            Be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more.            Sure he that made us with such large discourse,            Looking before and after, gave us not            That capability and godlike reason            To fust in us unus’d. [†¦]†(Ham. IV. 4. 32-39) It becomes obvious from Hamlet’s speech that his reflections regarding human condition and human nature are based on main principles of both Humanism and Platonic thinking: man is seen alternately by Hamlet as a superior being endowed with â€Å"godlike reason†and a beast, whose main concerns are its primary needs. That is, Hamlet’s own ideas about the world and about man, which are essentially idealistic and Platonist, meet with an obvious obstacle in the material world, where he sees the baseness of character of both his uncle and his mother. An even more poignant example of how he is repelled by the idea of a purely material world in which the spiritual realities he believes in are hardly perceptible is his unjust condemnation of Ophelia, whom he blames without proof for the frailty he sees in his own mother. Hamlet ponders himself on his own hesitation in when he is supposed to take action, and realizes that his wavering comes from what he calls â€Å"thinking too precisely on the event†( Ham. IV. 4. 41), that is to say, his own contemplative nature and the need to understand first and meditate on the event, as well as to judge it, prevent him from taking action. At the end of the monologue however, he determines that his â€Å"thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth†( Ham. IV. 4. 66), that is, he chooses action over contemplation, as he feels he is compelled by the events to mend things and do justice to his father’s death. Thus, it can be said that Hamlet has to take action and reestablish the ethical order in the world, which had been so terribly disturbed by the crimes which took place in his family. This structuring of the events reflects the Renaissance philosophical context, which blended Platonism with Aristotelianism and Humanism. First of all, according to the Platonists man should tend to contemplation of the ideal world, and live in the purer world of the spirit, not be limited to the material one. The protagonists in Hamlet, that is the king and the queen, have sinned against these precepts by giving in to desire of power and to lust. The fact that Hamlet feels that he needs to take action is in tuning with the humanist idea that man can reestablish the divine order and that, in order to do that, he must play the part that is required of him in the material world. Thus, the two worlds- the material and transcendental are not completely separate, and the Renaissance man believed that the spiritual perfection can be reached through action as well, insofar as this would imply reestablishing the divine order. In Othello, similar ideas appear about individual action. Othello too is called upon to take action against what he believes was the betrayal of his wife Desdemona. However, the first significant difference between Hamlet and Othello is that the latter is a moor, that is a colored man, of a different race and religion. The Renaissance views on the subject of race are very significant in the context of the play, and are reflected especially in Othello’s character, which appears to be the very opposite of that of Hamlet. If Hamlet is of a contemplative nature, given to musings about the nature of man and his place in the world, Othello is a rough, impulsive man who acts without hesitation, but also, acts when he shouldn’t. He is easily deceived by Iago and therefore he believes him when he tries to inflict him with false ideas about Desdemona’s love. Thus, Othello, who like Hamlet, can be said to perform an act of revenge, actually does something which is useless and, moreover, unjust. Othello’s character is also evident at the end of the play, after he kills Desdemona and confesses the manner in which he loved her: â€Å"one that loved not wisely, but too well†(V.2.340). Thus, his own statement reveals the nature of his impulsive and tempestuous character and emotions: he was capable of true and strong love, although he did not love â€Å"wisely†. This proves essentially that Hamlet and Othello are two opposite characters, both acting in the name of revenge, although for different reasons, Hamlet in his attempt at reestablishing the moral order and Othello in the name of love. However, if Hamlet hesitates to take action for most of the play, and moreover, chooses the device of the staged play to commence his revenge, that is, another intellectual, contemplative device, Othello takes action without judging the events for himself, but being merely influenced by what Iago was telling him. Othello is a military character in a way, who is prone to take action and fight:            â€Å"Farewell the tranquil mind! farewell content! Farewell the plumed troops, and the big wars That makes ambition virtue! 0, farewell![†¦] The royal banner, and all quality, Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war! And O you mortal engines, whose rude throats Th’ immortal Jove’s dread clamors counterfeit, Farewell! Othello’s occupation’s gone. ( Othello, 3.3.347-57) It is interesting to notice that both Othello and Hamlet may be paralleled to Cervantes’ Don Quixote. Hamlet lives interiorly in a Platonic world, which could be likened to Don Quixote’s confusion of the books of romance with actual reality. Don Quixote lives in the world of the stories he has read, and moreover, those stories are chivalric romances, that is stories of quest and exemplary deeds which aim at mending the world and which are always fraught with symbolic meaning. But, he needs to accomplish the deeds that fill his fantasy, and although it can’t be said that he does so, he does act. In Don Quixote thus, action is itself unreal, since his chivalric deeds are not what he believes they are: â€Å"Were those mud walls in thy fantasy, Sancho,’ quoth Don Quixote, ‘where or thorough which thou sawest that never-enough-praised gentleness and beauty? They were not so, but galleries, walks, or goodly stone pavementsâ€â€or how call ye ‘em?â€â€of rich and royal palaces.†(Cervantes II, 489) The chivalric romances which are Don Quixote’s faith are also that of Othello in a way, because of the latter’s military character, and his search for adventures. Othello’s love for Desdemona also has something of the chivalric about it. Thus, all the three characters, Hamlet, Othello and Don Quixote evince the same Platonist and Aristotelian dilemmas of contemplation and the spiritual versus action and the material.
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