Hamlet - a Universal Man - 2075 Words

The tragedy and situation in the play ‘Hamlet has been commented on as ‘universal. Audiences of many different cultures can enjoy ‘Hamlet even though it is set in an alien culture to them. The reasons for this are that many people can relate to the play, they feel that they are living though a profound experience, even if nothing in the plot of Hamlet has ever happened to them. The experience of ‘Hamlet is not restricted to the plot and its characters. br brA large factor in this universal acceptance is that the main character, Hamlet, around whom the entire play revolves, is realist and ‘universal himself. In this Hamlet is merely a reflection of aspects found in all men, he is a symbol for how any man would act given the†¦show more content†¦It is an unobtrusive means that spares the innocent, but condemns the guilty. This cleverness may be beyond the average man ability, but it is what the common man wishes he could do. Hamlets method is a reflection of what the ‘common man knows would be the right action to take. br brA most notable aspect of Hamlet is that he does not want to be a ‘hero. In many ways Hamlet tries to avoid the task set for him. Hamlet is set on his course by powers that are beyond his control. He is pressured into conflict by the supernatural. Though he does agree to avenge his father, he does so in an extreme rashness that he later regrets, a repeated rashness that ultimately causes his demise. br br(Hamlet) Speak, I am bound to hear. br(Ghost) So art thou to revengeÂ… br(Hamlet) Haste me to knowt, that I, with wings as swift bras meditationÂ… brMay sweep to my revengeÂ…(Act 1, Scene5) brO, what a rogue and peasant slave I am (Act 2, Scene 2) br brHamlets rashness and passion are common features found in all people. In a highly emotional state Hamlet commits himself, only to find he does not really want to keep his promise. Hamlet is the reluctant hero, which is true for many people. Though people may dream of being a hero, most would prefer the safety to possible death. Though when forced to do so, or when it seems the only way, people will find themselves acting in ways they have never done before. Hamlet reflects peoples ability to change and riseShow MoreRelatedThe Great Flood Of Gilgamesh, The Canterbury Tales, And Hamlet1311 Words   |  6 Pagesthis literary device in stories to convey a critical belief about life. A theme of a book is usually seen as a universal in nature because when a theme is universal, it touches on human experience. Sometimes there are multiple themes to a story and they may or may not be stated directly. Religion is a theme found throughout the stories of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, The Canterbury Tal es, and Hamlet. The theme of religion is prevalent throughout The Epic of Gilgamesh. Readers can see that the stories foundRead MoreAnalysis of the story Shakespeare in the bush.1253 Words   |  4 Pagesand motivations of Shakespeare s tragic plays will always be apparent because human nature is more or less universal through out the world. She does however take into account that the customs and translation of his works could produce slight differences in their interpretations. The argument remained a stalemate as she was preparing to travel to Africa. Her friend gave her a copy of Hamlet as a parting gift with hopes that perhaps she would find the true interpretation. On her trip to Africa theRead MoreShakespeare Is The Greatest Masterpiece Ever Written? Essay1710 Words   |  7 Pageswritings share universal themes encompassing love, war, class struggles, sex, betrayal, grief, and family. Shakespeare is relevant and Hamlet is the greatest masterpiece ever written! This relevance is proven within Shakespeare’s complex character development of Hamlet, an empathetic young man dealing with internal struggles on how to handle the death of his father. Shakespeare’s words come to life in Hamlet as he mystically addresses the most timeless philosophical dilemmas of man: the passionRead MoreHamlet And Twelfth Night Comparison Essay957 Words   |  4 Pagestranscended the restraints of age because they contain universal themes. His body of his work is comprised of genres of plays, which varied from tragedies to comedies. Of them, Hamlet and Twelfth Night are perfect examples of both. A comparison between them could be of interest because their common points demonstrate that, however differing their genres are, Shakespeare’s plays essentially illustrate what it is to be human[1] . [2] Hamlet and Twelfth Night could both be compared through instancesRead MoreThe Gravedigger and the Inevitability of Death in Shakespeares Hamlet1397 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet:   The Gravedigger and the Inevitability of Death From the appearance of the Ghost at the start of the play to its bloody conclusion, Hamlet is pervaded with the notion of death. What better site for a comic interlude than a graveyard? However, this scene is not merely a bit of comic relief. Hamlets encounter with the gravedigger serves as a forum for Shakespeare to elaborate on the nature of death and as a turning point in Hamlets character. The structure and changing mood of the encounterRead MoreHamlet Liberation In Death Analysis1098 Words   |  5 PagesLiberation in Death: Hamlet’s Existential Struggle in Hamlet What is the meaning of life? Who am I? What is my purpose? These are open existential inquiries that both modern and ancient philosophers have yet to answer certainly. Unquestionably, the philosophy of existentialism is an interesting theory and psychological phenomenon. Existentialism is a philosophy promulgated in the 20th century that holds that every person exists first and his nature, or essence, comes about later through the mannerRead MoreHamlets Paradox of Man1011 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeare was a man ahead of his time. He was a man who had an ability to portray the inner workings of humanity. Throughout his masterful works he was able to peer into the human psyche and capture emotions like no other writer has been able to do. He filled every one of his plays, most notably Hamlet, with eternal truths concerning human emotions. Shakespeare develops the paradox of man and contradictions of humanity with imagery, ironic siloques, and philosophical rants by Hamlet and ClaudiusRead More Universal Acceptance of Hamlet by William Shakespeare Essay2011 Words   |  9 PagesUniversal Acceptance of Hamlet by William Shakespeare The tragedy and situation in the play ‘Hamlet’ has been commented on as ‘universal.’ Audiences of many different cultures can enjoy ‘Hamlet’ even though it is set in an alien culture to them. The reasons for this are that many people can relate to the play, they feel that they are living though a profound experience, even if nothing in the plot of Hamlet has ever happened to them. The experience of ‘Hamlet’ is not restricted to the plotRead MoreCompare And Contrast Hamlet And Twelfth Night1162 Words   |  5 PagesFrom Hilarity to Tragedy in Shakespeare: How Hamlet and Twelfth Night Compare By Zawadi Bunzigiye William Shakespeare wrote plays covering the breadth of human experience. They seem to have transcended the restraints of age because of the universal themes that they contain. His body of his work is comprised of genres of plays varying from tragedies to comedies. Of them, Hamlet and Twelfth Night are perfect examples of both. A comparison between them would be of interest because their common pointsRead MoreIt Is Possible To Put A Value Or Price On Almost Anything,1269 Words   |  6 Pagespossible to place a value on life based on some of these things, whether it be how many good deeds that someone has done, how many financial assets they have, or their contribution to society. What many do not understand is that there will never be a universal way to value a life because everyone has different opinions on different things. For example, the life of a pastor might be valued high by one individual who notices all the good that the pastor has done, while a pessimistic individual has the opportunity

Nature vs. Nurture Essay - 1620 Words

Different personality traits make us who we are today. There are many factors to our personalities and each aspect illustrates a bigger picture of who we are and how we came to be. Openness to experience is a factor of the Five Factor Model (FFM) that describes my personality and is an essential part of who I am in this society. Openness utilizes active imagination, attentiveness to inner feelings, intellectual curiosity, interest in variety, and interest in aesthetics. It is used to display a general appreciation for creative ideas, imaginations, and the arts. Due to a sufficient amount of psychometric research, it is valid to say that openness is viewed as a global personality trait that is comprised of a set of specific habits,†¦show more content†¦Although, they were traditionally Korean in the sense that they craved discipline and enforced good morals on me, they were also understanding of the imaginative world. Also, my parents are true believers of being open to all t ypes of art. However, not only are they true believers of this openness, it is apparent that is in them that they are open to experience. Ever since I was five, I have played the cello. This driving force behind the pursuit of music stems from my parents’ broad outlook on the arts and their thoughts on how important it is to learn about the arts. These evidences display that openness to experience carries a genetic component. Not only in my immediate family is it apparent that there is a genetic component to openness to experience, but in my extended family it is evident as well. Another prime example of the â€Å"nature† quality of openness is illustrated through my twin cousins. I have twin cousins, who were raised in drastically different environments. However despite the different environments, both of my cousins have the same FMM trait: openness to experience. One of the twins named Yuri was sent to boarding school in America at an early age while my other twin co usin Nari stayed in Korea. Yuri was raised by my aunt and uncle in New York City and lived a very liberal and non-traditionally Korean lifestyle. On the other hand, Nari remained in Korea and was raised in a very culturallyShow MoreRelatedNature Vs Nurture : Nature Or Nurture874 Words   |  4 Pages Nature or Nurture. Nature may be all of the genes and hereditary factors with which influence them to become who they are such as physical appearances and personality characteristics. Nurturing impacts people’s lives as well as how they are raised and all the environmental factors. In combination, these qualities can be the true identity of oneself. Many people may argue that nurture appears to a play huge factor in the two, but others may think otherwise. Not having both as a characteristic canRead MoreNature Vs Nurture : Is The Nature Or Nurture?1300 Words   |  6 PagesAoS 3: Student Directed Research Investigation Unit 1 Psychology - Megan Rodrigues RESEARCH QUESTION How is the nature vs nurture debate related to a consideration of the mental disorder, schizophrenia? INTRODUCTION Schizophrenia is categorized by thoughts or experiences that seem abnormal with reality, disorganized speech or behaviour and decreased participation in regular daily activities. Difficulty with memory and concentration are sometimes also present. The two hit hypothesis generally refersRead MoreNature Vs Nurture : Nature And Nurture1821 Words   |  8 PagesNature and nurture are usually seen as very different things, but they are actually somewhat similar and even integrated. There is a huge debate over which holds more influence over how people develop and whether they behave based on genes or their environment. In Sincero’s article Nature and Nurture Debate she discusses arguments for both sides, saying behavior may be completely in a person’s genes, or it could come from experience and influence. Many people believe â€Å"that the criminal acts, tendencyRead MoreNature And Nurture : Nature Vs. Nurture1780 Words   |  8 PagesAs Nature Made Him: Nature vs. Nurtur e Human behavior is determined by both biological and environmental factors. Psychologists are interested in learning which of these factors is a greater influence on human behavior and identity. Although psychologists today generally agree that both nature and nurture play a role in conditioning behavior, there is still disagreement about the part that each of the factors have in determining behavior. The nature versus nurture debate focuses around the extentRead MoreNature Vs Nurture : Nature And Nurture1821 Words   |  8 Pages Nature and nurture are usually seen as very different things, but they are actually somewhat similar and even integrated. There is a huge debate over which holds more influence over how people develop and whether they behave based on genes or their environment. In Sincero’s article Nature and Nurture Debate she discusses arguments for both sides, saying behavior may be completely in a person’s genes, or it could come from experience and influe nce. Many people believe â€Å"that the criminal acts, tendencyRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture : Nurture1405 Words   |  6 PagesDecember 2015 Nature vs. Nurture Very few people know that the nature vs. nurture debate actually began early on with famous Greek philosophers such as Plato and Descartes. These two theorized that certain things were inborn and occurred naturally regardless of environmental factors (Cherry 1). Most people began to witness this debate in 1896 when the phrase â€Å"Nature vs. Nurture† was coined by English polymath, Francis Galton (â€Å"Nature vs. Nurture†Origins 1). At this point the nature vs. nurture debate grewRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture : Nurture901 Words   |  4 Pagestime the proverbial nature vs. nurture question has sparked quite a debate. I hold the belief that nature vs. nurture is a zero-sum game. We essentially enter this existence, a lump of clay that needs molding in order to take form. So, I believe my creative abilities can be attributed to the sum of our genetic predisposition, the nurture of our mind, and the dynamic of both nature and nurture, with nurture being the predominant influencing factor. In psychology, nature refers to the inheritedRead MoreNature Vs Nurture And Nurture1777 Words   |  8 Pagesformed and cultivated through nature or nurture. This psychological anomaly is why I am writing this paper. Ever since I have enrolled in, and taken, a psychology class during my junior year, I have questioned whether every little emotion and action is because of nature or nurture. No topic is more widely explored and researched than morality. It cannot be scientifically or psychologically proven or tested, making any claim highly controversial. This idea, of nature vs nurture, that I had previously researchedRead MoreThe Nature Vs. Nurture1463 Words   |  6 PagesT What can we define as Human Nature and Nurture? The Nature vs. Nurture has been a long never ending debate for some time now. Nature vs Nurture has been so profoundly debated, that now it’s unclear whether what makes us who we are and what we do, nature or nurture. For purposes of this essay Nature is going to be defined as characteristics we acquire through our genetic and biological factors, while that Nurture is going to be defined characteristics we acquire through our interactions and influencesRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture : Nature Versus Nurture1337 Words   |  6 PagesNature vs. Nurture There are many different ways that behavior can be explained, especially on the terms of nature vs. nurture. Aggression is a behavior that has been extensively analyzed in a complex manner and the causes of it can be explained many different ways. Aggression can be defined as hostile or destructive behavior that can cause injury or destructive outlook especially when caused by frustration. Nature can be defined as aspects of behavior that have been inherited or are genetic, while

Poverty and Child Development Essay Example For Students

Poverty and Child Development Essay Poverty is defined in many ways. The dictionary definition simply does not suffice to show the human cost of poverty. Poverty is much more than the limited capital resources that this definition suggests. Poverty is defined by the federal government as 16,660 for a family of four in 1998 (Child Poverty in the United States 2000). These figures are tremendously flawed; a single individual residing in the United States would not fare well by the standards of most individuals at this income level. Individuals in Laos, Cuba, Ecuador, or many other nations however, would live as kings on this income. Poverty is, therefore a subjective concept far more complicated than a yearly income. The individual most harshly affected by poverty are those who are the most powerless to do anything about itchildren. Research indicates that extreme poverty in the first five years of life alters a childs chances in life compared to lesser degrees of poverty in later life. This is the result of several key factors. The first problem associated with poverty is poor nutrition. It has been proven that poor nutrition leads to lower intelligence, poor physical development, and diminished immunity to disease. Children deprived of proper nutrition during the brains most formative years score much lower on tests of vocabulary, reading comprehension, arithmetic, and general knowledge. The more severe the poverty a child faces, the lower his or her nutritional level is likely to be (Brown and Pollitt 38-43). Government assistance to poor families such as WIC help; however, the guidelines for eligibility fall woefully short of making sure that every child has adequate nutrition. As stated previously, the federal guidelines for poverty are ludicrous when applied to real world economics. To further complicate matters, guidelines used by agencies such as the United States Department of Health and Human Services serve to painfully remind the poor that they are a nuisance to be eliminated. A child that goes to school hungry, even if not malnourished, will have greater difficulty focusing their efforts than a well fed one. An individual who is hungry will eventually become hypoglycemic, a condition in which blood sugar levels fall. The symptoms of hypoglycemia range from fatigue, sleepiness, irritability, headache, and decreased mental alertness. Many children that are perceived as having behaviour problems may actually have a nutrition problem. All of this is assuming that one is fortunate enough to live in an industrialized nation. Children in poor countries do not attend school unless they are the sire of wealthy parents, thus sealing their fate as impoverished individuals. In many countries no child labor laws exist and therefore a child is seen as a productive worker. Often these children work as many hours as an adult. In all fairness the harshness of life in many countries dictates that having ones children educated is a luxury they can not afford even if state funded schools exist. The family contribution theory extends even to the children. The first image of poverty that enters most peoples minds is that of a third world nation, children of industrialized nations are not immune. The United States child poverty rate is substantially higher- often two-to-three times higher- than that of any other major western industrialized nation (Child Poverty in the United States 2000). Canada has its share of problems as well. Canada has the second highest child poverty rate when compared against 17 other industrialized nations around the world, second only to the United States (What We Know 1997). Poverty often results in a less healthy population than would be otherwise expected. The reasons for this are varied. An economically limited individual will tend to live in more cramped conditions than his wealthy counterpart. Doctors are averse to providing free or low cost health care. Lennie analysis Essay When poor nutrition is combined with cramped quarters and infrequent visitation to health care professionals disease is the result. Childhood immunizations are one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions of the twentieth century. They have drastically reduced or eliminated the burden of many illnesses (Childrens Defense Fund 36). Not if you live in a third world nation though. Children, who are by nature less resistant to disease, do not .

A Rose For Emily (Time And Setting) Essays - A Rose For Emily, Emily

A Rose For Emily (Time And Setting) In A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, the author uses the element of time to enhance details of the setting and vice versa. By avoiding the chronological order of events of Miss Emily's life, Faulkner first gives the reader a finished puzzle, and then allows the reader to examine this puzzle piece by piece, step by step. By doing so, he enhances the plot and presents two different perspectives of time held by the characters. The first perspective (the world of the present) views time as a mechanical progression in which the past is a diminishing road. The second perspective (the world of tradition and the past) views the past as a huge meadow which no winter ever quite touches, divided from them now by the narrow bottleneck of the most recent decade of years. The first perspective is that of Homer and the modern generation. The second is that of the older members of the Board of Aldermen and of the confederate soldiers. Emily holds the second view as well, except that for her there is no bottleneck dividing her from the meadow of the past. Faulkner begins the story with Miss Emily's funeral, where the men see her as a fallen monument and the women are anxious to see the inside of her house. He gives us a picture of a woman who is frail because she has fallen, yet as important and symbolic as a monument. The details of Miss Emily's house closely relate to her and symbolize what she stands for. It is set on what had once been the most select street. The narrator (which is the town in this case) describes the house as stubborn and coquettish. Cotton gins and garages have long obliterated the neighborhood, but it is the only house left. With a further look at Miss Emily's life, we realize the importance of the setting in which the story takes place. The house in which she lives remains static and unchanged as the town progresses. Inside the walls of her abode, Miss Emily conquers time and progression. In the first section, Faulkner takes us back to the time when Miss Emily refused to pay her taxes. She believes that just because Colonel Sartoris remitted her taxes in 1894, that she is exempt from paying them even years later. The town changes, its people change, yet Miss Emily has put a halt on time. In her mind, the Colonel is still alive even though he is not. When the deputation waits upon her, we get a glimpse of her decaying house. It smelled of dust and disuse?It was furnished in heavy, leather covered furniture?the leather was cracked?.On a tarnished gilt easel before the fireplace stood a crayon portrait of Miss Emily's father. The description of Miss Emily's house is very haunting. There is no life or motion in this house. Everything appears to be decaying, just as Miss Emily herself. The picture of her father is just another symbol of immobility and no sense of time. When he died, Miss Emily refused to acknowledge his death. She stopped time, at least in her mind. From this point, Faulkner makes a smooth transition to a period of thirty years ago, when Miss Emily vanquished their fathers about the smell. The plot continues in the backward direction, demonstrating Miss Emily's lack of understanding of time. A smell develops in Miss Emily's house, which is another sign of decay and death. Miss Emily is oblivious to the smell, while it continues to bother the neighbors. This town's people are intimidated by Miss Emily, and have to squeeze lime juice on her lawn in secrecy. They are afraid to confront her, just as the next generation is afraid to confront her about the taxes. Her strong presence is enough for her to surpass the law. The scrambling of time throughout the story is a great demonstration of the scrambling of time in Miss Emily's mind and in her house. As the town changes and progresses, grows and modernizes, Miss Emily's stubborn and coquettish house remains the same. Perhaps if the story of Miss Emily had been set in a different place, her life would

Free Essays on Social Construction Of Reality

Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann wrote about the social construction of reality. Within this reading, one can probably conceive that their work is probably another attempt to integrate the two social theories of Durkheim and Weber. Focusing on Durkheim’s analysis on the integrative aspects of social structure, and methodological individualism focused on by Weber, which deals with individual actions as being the basis of social actions and structure. Berger and Luckmann's idea of society can be represented by one word they use many times throughout the book; "dialectic". Humans are viewed to be engaged in the perpetual cycle of the â€Å"dialectic† of creating the objective reality socially, while internalizing these very created realities as their own subjectively. As they call their approaches the "sociology of knowledge", they pay a great deal of attention to the role of knowledge in constructing these objective and subjective realities. It is extremely critical to understand that when Berger and Luckmann talk about knowledge, they are not just discussing knowledge based upon ideology, theoretical knowledge, or a type of scientific knowledge, but rather as everything that humans take part in within their everyday lives, giving them the potential to come to know about whatever knowledge might be attainable. By taking this view of knowledge and putting it into a perspective easier to grasp, Berger and Luckmann seem to perceive knowledge as a tool for social construction of realities, which means that no meaningful creation of either subjective or objective realities would be feasible. Ultimately, where they end up conclusion-wise seems to fit along with the works of Giddens and his ideas on "structure-based analysis" and "individual-based analysis", with the idea that all realities are socially constructed as results of distinctive social actions that individuals perform. While keeping this conclusion in mind, it can be specula... Free Essays on Social Construction Of Reality Free Essays on Social Construction Of Reality Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann wrote about the social construction of reality. Within this reading, one can probably conceive that their work is probably another attempt to integrate the two social theories of Durkheim and Weber. Focusing on Durkheim’s analysis on the integrative aspects of social structure, and methodological individualism focused on by Weber, which deals with individual actions as being the basis of social actions and structure. Berger and Luckmann's idea of society can be represented by one word they use many times throughout the book; "dialectic". Humans are viewed to be engaged in the perpetual cycle of the â€Å"dialectic† of creating the objective reality socially, while internalizing these very created realities as their own subjectively. As they call their approaches the "sociology of knowledge", they pay a great deal of attention to the role of knowledge in constructing these objective and subjective realities. It is extremely critical to understand that when Berger and Luckmann talk about knowledge, they are not just discussing knowledge based upon ideology, theoretical knowledge, or a type of scientific knowledge, but rather as everything that humans take part in within their everyday lives, giving them the potential to come to know about whatever knowledge might be attainable. By taking this view of knowledge and putting it into a perspective easier to grasp, Berger and Luckmann seem to perceive knowledge as a tool for social construction of realities, which means that no meaningful creation of either subjective or objective realities would be feasible. Ultimately, where they end up conclusion-wise seems to fit along with the works of Giddens and his ideas on "structure-based analysis" and "individual-based analysis", with the idea that all realities are socially constructed as results of distinctive social actions that individuals perform. While keeping this conclusion in mind, it can be specula...

Sosial anthropology (Satanism,Youth Gang Satanists ) Essay

Sosial anthropology (Satanism,Youth Gang Satanists ) - Essay Example Satanism is commonly defined simply as devil worship, the religion of worshiping and imitating Satan, the biblical enemy of Christians and Jews. Satanists are more against Christianity than Judaism, though, condemning Christians for the censure of the Church and defiling Christian practices, specifically the Eucharistic celebration. Christians, in turn, severely oppose the satanic beliefs that man is an animal, just like the other creatures in this planet, and that man is a god of his own life (Dominguez). Among the supposed deeds of the Satanists include cannibalism, serial killings, terrorism, and witchcraft (Dawson 258). Rituals summoning the devil and prayers adoring Hell and its master are two of the usual charges hurled towards satanic cults. These rituals are said to invoke the help of the devil before performing magic and casting spells on another, usually helpless, human being. Satanists are often associated with the symbol of a pentagram with a goat’s head in its center, identified as their emblem (Dominguez). There are two kinds of Satanists, according to Dr. Jerome Dominguez, writing from his website explaining religion and cults. The first kind comprises those believers in Satan’s existence and power. They sacrifice animals and children in order to worship and gain favors from him. Their main rite is the Black Mass, a distorted version of the Catholic Church’s Eucharistic celebration, performed to obtain magical powers through sexual orgies. The other kind of Satanists do not believe in Satan’s existence, only in him as the personification of human desires. They act on these desires through drugs, promiscuous sex, murder, theft, etc. Groups based on this kind usually protest the label of Satanism. Satanists comprise only a small percentage of the world’s non-religious, usually distributed within cults and secret organizations (Domiguez). They can be categorized into seven often-overlapping categories:

Contract law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Contract law - Essay Example In the formation f contracts two elements are vital. Firstly, the "offer," an indication by one person prepared to contract with another, on certain terms, which are fixed, or capable f being fixed at the time the offer is made. Secondly, there must be an "acceptance", an unconditional assent to a definite offer.[2] These two combine to create certainty that a contract has been formed, for, as in Scammell v Ouston (1941),[3] "if an agreement is uncertain on some important issue.the courts will hold there is no contract."[4] Following this, the elements f consideration and intent provide the contract's "body and substance"[5]So, what is meant by "consideration" and "the intention to create legal relations" English law usually requires prof that the parties have made a bargain, or agreement, [6] this is known as the benefit and detriment test. (Currie v Misa (1875) [7] or "a benefit to one party or a detriment to another."[8] So, in practical terms consideration can be defined as what one party in an agreement is giving, or promising, in exchange for what is being given, or promised, by the other side. [9] This provides mutuality, making the contract enforceable. The Oxford Dictionary f Law definition states, "Consideration is essential to the validity f any contract other than one made by deed. Without consideration an agreement not made by deed is not binding; it is a nudum pactum (naked agreement) governed by the maxim ex nudo pacto non oritur action (a right f action does not arise out f a naked agreement.)"[10] English law does not rely on formalities as a way f identifying intention to create a legally binding contract. Instead it focuses on offer, acceptance and consideration. [11] If these are present, and unless rebutted by contrary evidence, courts operate on the basis f two legal presumptions, that there is no intention to be bound in domestic or social arrangements, but there is intention to be bound in commercial agreements. [12] Professor B.A.Hepple claims that there is no need f a separate requirement f intention, and that a bargain, involving mutuality is sufficient. These views are not generally accepted as it is widely agreed that identifying the parties' intentions is essential to the role f the courts when establishing if a contract was made. [13] It is useful to look at why English law has become so reliant on the consideration element f a contract, and why it has frequently been used as the "badge f enforceability,"[14] Professor Atiyah argues that "consideration" originally meant a "reason for enforcing an agreement."[15] Early forms f contract law mainly involved agreements regarding debt, covenant, or detinue ie., wrongful detention f property, and were only binding if under seal. This method, which required a degree f form such as writing or a deed, was used to prevent fraud and proved that there was an intention to create legal relations. Consideration was first used in the sixteenth century when, in order to enforce informal agreements, the law f assumsit was developed.[16] So, while that the law would, "...still not enforce merely gratuitous promises, ... the law had to develop an element that could distinguish between a proper contractual agreement, and something less that would not."[17] Due to the Law f Property Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1989, form is still required for contracts involving the sale f land. It is also used to offer consumers protection in hire purchase and consumer credit agreements. In the English Common law system, a promise is not legally binding as part f a contract except if it is made in a deed or supported by some consideration. [18] Sir Guenter Treitel Q.C.,