Varieties of Judgment in the Critique of Pure Reason Assignment

Varieties of Judgment in the Critique of Pure Reason - Assignment Example As a result, while synthetic judgments are informative, they must be justified by referring to external or outside principles. On this theme, Kant begins by supposing that both Hume and Leibniz had not properly between the two distinct forms of judgment and that, in fact, they had made only one distinction, which was the difference between uninformative truths on the basis of pure reason and factual matters on the basis of sensory experience (Kant 37). Kant argues that the two distinctions were not wholly coextensive; also stating that all four combinations that are logically possible should be taken into consideration. The first combination, analytic a posteriori judgments, is not logical because one does not need to use experience in order to support an assertion that is purely explicative. Secondly, synthetic a posteriori judgments would be considered as generally uncontroversial facts that humans come to know of because of their sensory experience (Kant & Hatfield 45). Thirdly, analytic a priori judgments are those that are necessarily true because they include all straightforward definitions and merely logical truths. Finally, synthetic a priori judgments can be considered as the most crucial case from Kant’s arguments, specifically because they can only provide necessarily true new information.

How Was Christianity Effective Spiritually to African Slaves When They Essay

How Was Christianity Effective Spiritually to African Slaves When They Were Forced Into Slavery - Essay Example ery being the darkest and most excruciating as they must have been too the period that drew the best abilities and most noble of traits among the race, a look into their spirituality during those periods must be a whole enlightening exercise that should provide truly relevant references for our present situations. This paper shall be specific to the Christian Spirituality of the African slaves during the Atlantic Slave Trade era between the 16th and the 19th century. Christianity was first introduced in West Africa by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. I have no source to indicate the extent of Christian conversions in the western coasts of Africa by the 1700’s . But that side of Africa having had trade relations with Europeans already at those times, notably with the Spaniards, the Portuguese and the Dutch, there must have been some extent of evangelization going on by those times. In the book From Slavery to Freedom, author John Hope Franklyn mentions resistance of the native Africans to the Christian Faith as the bearers of the teachings were associated with the institutions of the slave trade to the New World. "It was a strange religion, this Christianity," he wrote, "which taught equality and brotherhood and at the same time introduced on a large scale the practice of tearing people from their homes and transporting them to a distant land to become slaves." Compounding this local resistance is the deliberate and methodic eradic ation of the Africans’ identity in the slave trade. Folk religions, as were the African traditional beliefs and cultures, even their languages, were being systematically suppressed to deter organized resistance. â€Å"Slaves in the eighteenth century came from various African societies, cultures and nations, such as the Ibo, Ashanti and Yoruba on the West African Coast. Consequently, slaves from differing ethnic groups displayed little commonalities. Africans were black, but did not experience a homogenous existence they shared

Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Australia

Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Australia Non-communicable diseases (NCDs): NCDs are a group of non-infectious diseases that progress slowly from their onset and prevail for longer duration. The four main NCDs responsible for world-wide deaths are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), Cancer, Chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. According to the â€Å"World Health Organization (WHO) global statistics report†, more than 36 million deaths have been recorded in the year 2008 because of NCDs. These deaths can be prevented by reducing the risk factors such as tobacco and alcohol consumption, healthy diet with moderate to vigorous physical activity. The four major NCDs combined together are responsible for 84% of death in 2008 globally. This assignment deals with CVDs, their prevalence in Australia and the population approaches that the country has taken towards prevention and control of CVDs. This assignment also deals with the future strategies that can be followed to further decrease the prevalence of CVDS. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs): CVDs are associated with heart and blood vessels related to the heart. The most common NCD prevalent in Australia are Coronary Heart disease, Myocardial Infarction, Heart failure and Stroke. According to WHO, CVDs has become the major cause of death estimating about 17 million deaths worldwide in the year 2008 and are a major contributor towards global economic burden. Cardiovascular diseases and Australia: Even though Australia is a high income country, it is also affected because of NCD’s with 35% cardiovascular disease death rate in 2008. 2008 Australian mortality estimates: Adopted from WHO – NCD country profiles, 2011 CVDs ranks first in causing death and disability responsible for nearly 17% of disease burden in 2003. In 2008, more than 50,000 deaths have been recorded because of CVD. There is a strong linkage between CVD and other NCDs such as diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) due to their common risk factors which is also a major reason for the increase in death. Even though the mortality rates have declined over the past 20 years, CVDs are a continuous threat to the Australian population. In 2011, a death estimation of 31% was recorded which clearly denotes a decrease in death rate when compared to the 2008 death estimates of over 35%. CVDs are expensive to treat. Over $5.9 billion were spent on CVDs from total healthcare expenditure in 2004-2005. This accounts for 11% of total healthcare expenditure. Even though death rates are decreased, 482,000 hospitalizations were recorded in 2009/10 and 12% increase in hospitalization is seen from 1999 to 2010. CVDs prevalence increases with an increase in age. This increase is due to hospitalisation care for elderly and their improved life expectancy. After hospitalization and onset of CVDs, a decline in people’s life quality occurs. Long term cardiovascular diseases are reported in 35% of people between the ages 55-64 while 64% are reported in case of individuals above 75 years. Risk factors: The risk factors associated with CVDs can be classified as modifiable/behavioural risk factors and non-modifiable/genetic risk factors. Age, family history, gender and ethnicity are the genetic risk factors whereas increased tobacco and alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, socio-economic status and poor nutrition are the modifiable risk factors. There are biomedical conditions such as increased blood pressure (BP), increased cholesterol, overweight, kidney disorders, diabetes which are also risk factors for the prevalence of CVDs. The modifiable risk factors can be controlled by changing the behavioural pattern such as increased physical activity, reduction in tobacco and alcohol consumption and healthy dietary pattern. This change decreases the occurrence of CVD in all populations. Physical inactivity in Australia: Physical activity improves health and decreases the effect of CVDs and its risk factors. Increased benefit is seen when vigorous physical activity is followed compared to walking. According to National Health Survey (NHS), nearly 70% of Australian population comes under low level of physical activity. Here, the physical activity is measured based on the value obtained by multiplying physical activity in last two weeks, average time spent and intensity. Intensity is substituted by 3.5 for normal walking, 5.0 for moderate activity and 7.5 for vigorous exercise. Physical activity (PA) differs with age. There is a 57% rise in physical activity in individuals aged above 75 yrs and a reduced physical activity of 27% is recorded in 15-20 year individuals. This is due to obesity, low socio-economic status and education. 4.4% of participants from a study conducted on 2,298 Australian resulted in obesity being the reason for physical inactivity. Poor health, lack of knowledge and skills, time and use of private vehicles serve as individual factors for less PA. Low socio-economic population have reduced access to supportive environments because of high cost entry fees. Unhealthy diet in Australia: A diet with high fat, dairy products and high salt causes CVDs. Data from National Health Service (NHS) of Australia for the year 2007-08 reported that 46% of Australian population consumed whole fat milk, 49% consumed skimmed milk and the remaining 5% fell under no milk consumption category. Diet rich in fibre, fresh fruits, and vegetables are recommended as healthy dietary pattern. Diet with high fruits and vegetables are recorded as age increases. 65.7% the Australian population aged 15-24 consume low fruits while only 34.6% the population aged 75 and above consume inadequate fruits. NHS reports that a decreasing trend is seen in the consumption of healthy diet in all Australian populations from 2004. This decline in healthy diet is due to socio-economic status, ethnicity and place of living. 54% of low socio-economic individuals consume inadequate fruits compared to 47% of the individuals with high economic status due to cost. In case of welfare dependent families, a healthy diet consumes about 40% of their total income which is also a reason for increase in unhealthy diet in Australia. Based on ethnicity, 71% of indigenous population consumed low fruits compared to Australians. Tobacco consumption in Australia: Increased tobacco use is a major factor for CVDs prevalence due to the presence of toxic substance called nicotine and cadmium. According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), the percentage of tobacco consumption has been reduced in Australia from 1994 to 2007 from 29% to 19% in the age group above 14 years. It has been reported that the percentages of individuals who smoke daily were 26% in 1993 which reduced to 17% in 2003 and 16% in 2007. This decrease in smoking trend from 1980 till present is because of smoke-free environment, occupational status, increase in price of tobacco, banning the promotion of tobacco sale and restriction of tobacco availability based on age factor. Increased alcohol consumption in Australia: Excessive alcohol consumption contributes towards occurrence of CVDs. High level of alcohol intake increases blood pressure, blood triglycerides and cholesterol thus increasing the chances of cardiovascular occurrences. According to National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2010, a decrease in alcohol consumption from 8.1% to 7.2% is seen from 2007 to 2010. More than 26,000 individuals above 12 years participated in the National Drug Strategy Household Survey and their knowledge, alcohol and drug consumption histories and related behaviours were recorded. According to 2011-12 estimates, more than 29% adult males and 10% females have had more than two standards drink fixed by National Health and Medical Research Council. High blood pressure in Australia: High blood pressure increases the force on arterial walls of the heart and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The prevalence of high blood pressure among 25 years of above Australians in 1999-2000 was 30% which is similar to the prevalence in 1995 which was 31%. A 12 year follow-up of the Australian diabetes, obesity and lifestyle study, 1999-2000 (AUSDIAB) conducted in the year 2012 reported that 3% of total population develop high blood pressure every year. 50% high risk prevails among smoking men population in Australia. High blood cholesterol in Australia: High cholesterol is common among elderly Australian population aged 55-64 years. 50% of rural Australian population have high cholesterol rate than urban population (47%). Prevention strategies: Unhealthy diet, increased alcohol consumption, smoking and physical inactivity are not only responsible for the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases but also for the burden caused by other non-communicable diseases. The Australian government along with non-government organizations created population-level prevention strategies to reduce the risk factors which reduce the country’s NCDs burden. Population-level initiatives currently active in Australia: Based on WHO 2005, the following population-level strategies are followed in Australia to reduce the prevalence of the risk factors. Laws, regulations, taxation and pricing interventions Improved built environment Public awareness campaigns Tobacco control: Since 1980’s, significant improvement in public health can be seen through awareness programmes, laws and regulations. Evidence proves that promotion of tobacco encourages adolescent population to uptake smoking. So, Tobacco prohibition Act, 1992 was passed to ban any forms of advertisement. According to Quit Victoria 2008, sponsorship by tobacco companies is also banned in return for any type of publicity. From 2006, 30% of the front and 90% of the back of cigarette packets are filled with health warnings. Smoke free environment have been present in Australia from 1986. All the Australian states have smoke-free hospital campus and vehicles. With time and place restriction to smoke, decrease in amount of smokers and passive smokers have been recorded. Presence of tobacco outlets near schools has been prohibited. Laws have been passes in all the states and territories of Australia prohibiting the sale of tobacco and cigarettes to individuals less than 18 years of age. Taxation on tobacco products was introduced in 1901 and was revised between 1993 and 1995. Based on consumer index, an increase in taxation prevails. This taxation reduced the tobacco purchase among adolescents, also increasing the government revenue. Awareness and campaigns resulted in a change in attitude among Australian smokers with a significant decrease in smoking prevalence. Alcohol control: Excessive alcohol consumption on a single occasion alters the triglyceride and cholesterol level in blood resulting in intoxication. The National Alcohol strategy, 2006-09 aimed at reducing harmful effects of alcohol consumption. The National binge drinking strategy-2008 existed to reduce alcohol intoxication among young Australians aged below 25 years through campaigns and supplying grants. Every state in Australia has separate alcohol control strategy according to which alcohol is a legal drug with restrictions on its manufacture, supply, promotion and consumption. Alcohol licensing laws were established which restricts the trading hours, quantity and premises. These have been successful by reducing the hospitalization, crime and injury with public involvement. Declaring the legal drinking age to be 18, increasing the price and tax, appropriate labelling standards and mature advertising standard without appealing youths prevented increased alcohol consumption. The Good Sports program by the Australian Drug Foundation (ADF) initiates safe and healthier communities by reducing the alcohol promotion in sport clubs. Managing physical inactivity and poor diet: Regular physical activity and healthy nutrition maintains good health thereby reducing CVDs. National level population approaches such as â€Å"Healthy weight for adults and older Australians 2006-10† focuses on weight management through social-marketing campaigns and education on physical activity as well as healthy food preferences. The â€Å"Health Weight, 2008† is another national level approach that focuses on youths and their family’s health management. The â€Å"Australian physical activity† guidelines are established by the Department of Health (DoHA) for 5-12 years as well as 12-18 years. The National Heart Foundation of Australia recommends minimum 30 minutes of physical activity for individuals with stable CVDs and a progressive physical activity for people with advanced CVDs (Briffa et al. 2006). Physical activity depends on built environment. The Australian Local Government, Heart Foundation of Australia and Planning Institute of Australia pro vide guidelines on how to develop built environment with physical activity sites. According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ 2002), appropriate labelling of foods specifying the nutritional standards is necessary. The â€Å"Healthy Weight† is an Australian government managed website on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. â€Å"Get set 4 Life – Habits for Healthy Kids† targets physical activity and healthy eating among 4 year old kids. Future strategies and goals: Even though 35% mortality is seen because of CVDs, the possibility of reducing it even more in Australia is challenging since a progress to control CVDs has already been achieved. Measurement data’s such as incidences for the risk factors are important to prevent future cardiovascular mortality rates. Currently, limited data exists regarding CVDs. Most of the data’s are from the AusDiab cohort studies. Further studies should exist to measure incidence as well as to determine the efficiency of prevailing population level strategies. The impact of these prevention strategies on health outcomes are also to be measured. Clinical guidelines are present to monitor the CVDs events (NHMRC, 2005) but extra studies are required to find whether the guidelines are active in all states. International guidelines from other countries (example, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in United Kingdom) can be useful. It is necessary to concentrate more on the social and e nvironment factors as well as in-depth analysis to verify the success rate of population-level initiatives. WHOs targets for control of NCDs and the likelihood of these targets happening in Australia include: Decreasing the NCDs mortality rate: 25% relative reduction in the overall mortality rates within a time span of 15 years. This is possible by preventing the premature deaths through the control of risk factors. By 2018, the Australian government also aims at increasing the life expectancy in indigenous children population under 5 years. Smoking tobacco: 40% relative reduction from the current prevalence by 2025. From the 2010 National Drug Strategy Survey, 15.1% of individuals aged 14 years and above smoke daily. By this target, a daily smoking percentage of 10.6% can be achieved. Alcohol consumption: 10% relative reduction of alcohol consumption by 2025. Physical Activity: Inclusion of 30 minutes moderate physical activity per week in the adult population. A target of 15% increase in the proportion of individuals participating in such physical activity by 2015. Healthy diet – reduction in salt and trans-fat: Reducing the mean population consumption of salt to 5gms per day. This is hard to achieve since it requires laws and legislation to completely eliminate trans-fat. Instead of a total elimination, reduction in usage of fatty acids in foods can be achieved. Conclusion: Australia has already achieved a target to reduce the burden caused by NCDs. Considering the present situation, it is possible to reduce the risk factors rather than eliminating them completely. The above mentioned targets along with effective medication and lifestyle changes successfully will reduce the current prevalence of risk factors and NCDs burden in Australia.

Losing Free Speech -- Freedom of Speech

â€Å"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.† These words were spoken by Franà §ois-Marie Arouet, more well known by his pen name, Voltaire (Quotes About Censorship, #36). A French philosopher from the seventeen hundreds, Voltaire is believed to have influenced the Founding Fathers of America. As a matter of fact, this quote makes up the backbone of the First Amendment from the U.S. Constitution, which states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. While these words were originally written as a kiss-off of sorts to Great Britain, they were also crafted in a way that would transition throughout generations. However, what exactly do these words mean today? How far can someone go and still be able to defend their actions with the phrase â€Å"freedom of speech?† A general rule of thumb that has been used was the fire in a crowded theater example, (it is unlawful to yell â€Å"Fire!† in a crowded room, due to the endangerment of those inside) but society has reached an age where there are more ways than just word of mouth to cause panic. Nowadays, a rapper can send subliminal messages about spousal abuse through a popular song. Nowadays, a simple Facebook conversation between friends on a social networking sites can cause suspension, or in some cases, expulsion. Nowadays, a simple wardrobe malfunction on live, network television can launch a federal investigation spanning five years over whether or not a pop starâ₠¬â„¢s nipple can be deemed â€Å"offensive.† Pop culture has effectiv... .... â€Å"PERSON OF THE YEAR: THE SHORT LIST: JULIAN ASSANGE.† TIME: 90-94. PRINT. HARRIS, MARK. â€Å"CENSOR AND SENSIBILITY.† ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: 36. PRINT. â€Å"FAQ’S ABOUT THE PARENTS TELEVISION COUNCIL.† PARENTS TELEVISION COUNCIL. THE PARENTS TELEVISION COUNCIL, N.D. WEB. 1 FEB 2011 . â€Å"INTERNET QUOTES, SAYINGS ABOUT THE WORLD WIDE WEB.† THE QUOTE GARDEN. N.D. WEB. 3 FEB 2011 . â€Å"H.S. TEACHER LOSES JOB OVER FACEBOOK POSTING - BOSTON NEWS STORY - WCVB BOSTON.† THE BOSTON CHANNEL. WCVB TV 5, 18 AUGUST 2010. WEB. 12 FEB 2011 . â€Å"CENSORSHIP QUOTES, FREEDOM OF SPEECH SAYINGS.† THE QUOTE GARDEN. N.D. WEB. 7 FEB 2011 .

Cultural Influences on Love

But when Is love ever true and committing? That Is why American tradition values marriage; the supposed full-term commitment of love and care. B) Sexual intercourse between partners is usually considered as love. Sex is valued as a freedom, and anyone could participate in sexual relationships. Even when someone isn't married or together, our American tradition views it as a natural incident. I believe love could just be caring deeply for someone and supporting them. Though someone once told me that love doesn't exist; it's just a made-up hooch!C) Transition: Consequently, people can catch sexually transmitted diseases and the false assumption that sex is love, and can destroy a persons life. That assumption is usually obtained from the mass media. II. American culture also influences love by mass media. America is known for its mind-shaping media which includes television, newspapers, music/radio stations, and especially the internet. A) It is a fact that the American society has alw ays been influenced by the mainstream media. We see or hear opinions and facts on TV or radio that others eave broadcasted.Most people give information that is most likely based on unfounded assumptions or unreasonable views. Love Is a topic that Is controversial In terms of how we should go about It. B) The media has portrayed love In many different aspects. In movies and TV shows love might be shown as a sacred and personal relationship between a husband and wife, or that special night for a teen couple on the mountain peak. Sex Is often mistaken as true love In the media. For example, I never had sex with my ex- relined and I truly loved her.Today, our views on love can be Influenced by networking such as Namespace, Twitter, or Faceable. C) Transition: However, all of these Influences and Ideas are biased, and can prove to be misleading. Society shouldn't believe everything In the media (or others). That is why American culture is based on individual freedom. America. We have the right to decide and think for ourselves on any topic or any action we choose. A) Today, American citizens have the right to choose who they can love or have sexual intercourse with.Whether it be a husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend, we can decide. B) Individual freedom also gives us the right to decide if a loving relationship isn't so loving. For example, a chaotic marriage. Couples can file for a divorce if agreed upon. Transition: Definitely, No matter how you view it, love should be honest and true. It should be pure, whether in a sexual relationship, marriage, or friendship. Love is a valued term and emotion that American culture has influenced by tradition, freedom, and the mass media.

“Bennett’s main intention in The History Boys is to make the audience laugh” How far do you agree with this statement? by Keeran Rajan Essay

In this essay, I will be analysing the various themes in the play ‘The History Boys’ and analysing the specific focus Alan Bennett places on trying to make the audience laugh, through the theme of comedy. Firstly, I agree with the statement in question that Bennett’s primary focus in the play ‘The History Boys’ is to try and make the audience laugh. I will use the example of the French lesson to support my statement; the French lesson demonstrates multiple techniques aimed for the purpose of making the audience laugh, one of these techniques is stage business in this scene. Timms plays the role of a prostitute and alters his mannerisms to mirror those of a feminine woman which is humorous because Bennett casts a character that is very unsuitable in multiple ways such as he is overweight and an adolescent boy, this situation clearly demonstrates Alan Bennett’s intent to make the audience laugh as the role of Timms is almost oxymoronic. Dakin plays a client who is trying to acquire the services of Timms character’s services; a role he takes very seriously as does Timms with his role, this adds to the comical nature of the scene because of the irony of t aking seriously a scene where the characters are clearly fooling around. From the French scene we can already see that Bennett has tried to incorporate numerous techniques to make the audience laugh such as in regard to stage business, slapstick comedy has been incorporated by trying to create exaggerated comedy from unrealistic situations. As the French scene progresses we see Bennett create further comedy by making the headmaster walk in on the funny situation which has already arisen prior to the addition of the headmaster to the scene. ‘Vei-uille. Enough of this†¦silliness’ we see the headmaster struggle and demonstrate a poorer grasp of the French language than the group of students in the room, the dash shows the headmaster stutter which underlines the struggle the headmaster has with the French language, this once again shows Bennett using significant effort to make the audience laugh; by being coerced into a humiliating situation as an authoritative figure he is made to look foolish by the students, which is again ironic as teachers are supposed to be more intellectual than their students in every aspect. Another example of Bennett proving his main objective, to make the audience laugh is through the portrayal of two completely conflicting characters in Irwin and Hector thus creating a clever juxtaposition between the two of them. This is humorous as they are two teachers charged with the same task are completely contrasting people, the list of personality traits include : Hector is an older gentleman whereas Irwin is youthful, Irwin is also a physically healthy and fit man as opposed to Hector whom is clearly overweight and although both characters have a homosexual tendency, Hector demonstrates a greater degree of acceptance of these feelings but Irwin is much more cautious in his approach to his sexual preferences and lifestyle. Caricature is also a pivotal way in which Alan Bennett tries to make the audience laugh; Alan Bennett provides caricature of numerous characters by exaggerating certain characteristics of characters in the play. Hector is in my opinion, embodies the most ex aggerated performance, as he is a teacher who also is a paedophile who has a peculiar infatuation with specific students. The headmaster provides another example of caricature as his appearance is stereotypical but his mannerisms portray him as a robotic orientated character. Caricature portrayal of characters once again demonstrates that Bennett’s main intention was to make the audience laugh. However, I disagree that Alan Bennett’s main intention is to make the audience laugh, as I believe Alan Bennett’s play can be seen as a tragedy. As the play reaches a climactic ending, the play ends on a sour note; which could mean to some that Bennett’s primary focus he hoped to achieve with the play was to create a tragedy through numerous tragic incidents concluding the play, which include Hector’s death, Irwin being subjected to a wheelchair both the result from the same motorbike crash and further negative emotion is cast onto the play through finishing the play on a sad note on the account of Lockwood’s death after it is stated that he died as a result of friendly fire at the age of twenty-eight while serving in the York and Lancaster regiment. Alan Bennett also places a lot of emphasis and effort on the theme of education, it can be argued more so than he does in trying to make the audience laugh because he creates juxtaposition between Irwin and Hector in one more way which was not aforementioned in the list I previously stated, through Irwin representing pragmatism and Hector representing idealism. Alan Bennett tries to make his audience question whether education and the process of learning is precious or are you only interested solely because it helps you achieve your goals. In regards to Hector’s mind set of idealism, this makes him focused on enriching students with a passion for books, literature and art, firstly his views are peculiar which ties into other aspects of his life, his unique mind set can be demonstrated through the quote ‘why does he lock the door’ this can be analysed to show that Hector in his methods is symbolically locking out social normality and by doing this Hector explains how he wants the boys to think and further develops his character to the audience. ‘The open road, the dusty highway’ is one of the many quotes where we see Hector reference books and this compounds his views on education at this particular time we see Hector make reference to a children’s book about a Mr Toad following an exciting open road’. Irwin’s pragmatic view is one that simply focuses on getting ahead at any cost which is what creates juxtaposition with Hector’s educational views. ‘History nowadays is not a matter of conviction it’s a performance, its entertainment. And if it isn’t make it so’. Alan Bennett uses Irwin’s pragmatic, utilitarian mind set to explain the happiness which originates from learning is being replaced by just the need for constant progression on an individual’s educational path. So we can see Alan Bennett places a large degree of effort into the theme of education and it can be argued more so than he does on the theme of comedy and trying to make the audience laugh. Also, I disagree that Bennett’s main intention in the play was to make the audience laugh because an argument can be main that Bennett’s primary focus throughout the play was lust. This is primarily because of a homosexual love triangle that plays out between the three characters of Posner, Irwin and Dakin, furthermore Hector has a constant desire for physical contact with his students. ‘I love Dakin’ this demonstrates Posner’s well known lust for Dakin, but Dakin is an arrogant adolescent who is exploiting his charm to seek numerous romantic adventures. Irwin who is clearly attracted to Dakin also does not act upon his attraction which is most likely due to him being in a position of trust at the school as his teacher, but both Irwin and Posner have romantic feelings for Dakin. ‘The heart of a man has long been sore’ Hector here conveys his emotion in his conversation with his headmaster where it is stated he had ‘his hand on a boys genitals at 50 miles per hour’ and by saying his heart is sore, the importance of referencing the heart is important as it is the organ that is generally perceived to be affiliated with love and through this quote he expresses his feelings of lust to the student in question. Lastly, I believe that Bennett’s main goal was to not make the audience laugh but to create a portrayal of himself in the play because due to historical context, the character of Posner is likened to Alan Bennett himself. In the introduction of the play, Bennett explains his goal was also to gain acceptance into Oxbridge, just like the students and we can see Bennett claims the character of Posner is based on him ‘I had fallen for one of my colleagues with a passion as hopeless and unrequited as Posner’s is for Dakin’ Bennett explains that he had fallen for a classroom colleague and that it encouraged him to gain a scholarship as he thought it would impress him, just as Posner did. So in conclusion, I believe that there are many key focuses of ‘The History Boys’ but I believe that Bennett’s main focus was not to make his audience laugh, I believe his main focus was to portray difference in educational views and make a representation of education in the 1950’s and the juxtaposition between Hector and Irwin. 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