How Does Hitchcock Manipulate the Audience in the Shower Scene in the Film, Psycho Essay

Sir Alfred Hitchcock was an English film maker in the 20th century. He was well known for his techniques in engaging with the emotions of the audience and maximizing the feelings of anxiety and fear. Hitchcock, (also nicknamed as the master of suspense) directed more than fifty feature films of which the majority had twisted endings and thrilling plots, including violence, murder and crime. His iconic feature was to always appear in the movie. He was most likely to be seen walking through a busy crowd or across a street in some part of the film he was regarded as the greatest British film-maker and an iconic cultural figure. Psycho was one of Hitchcock’s most famous films. It was made in 1960 and although it originally received mixed reviews it was later re-reviewed resulting in 4 academy nominations. The story is about a young woman who steals a sum of money from her boss and when hiding in a motel she is brutally murdered by the psychotic hotel owner. The film is in black and white to add to the suspense with the music which originally Hitchcock wasn’t going to have. Psycho was considered Hitchcock’s best movie and is an inspiration to most horror films today. In this essay I will be describing the techniques Hitchcock uses to emphasize the fear and manipulate the audience during and leading up to the shower scene. The lead up to the shower scene starts with Marion, (who so far is thought of as the main character) driving down a highway in the busy rain making it almost impossible to see ahead of her. Whilst Marion is driving you soon come across a small lit up sign saying ‘Bates Motel’ Hitchcock uses the effect of the light to make it almost suggest it’s heavenly, this is a reassurance to the audience that Marion will be safe because she’s found somewhere to stay. However when we reach the motel it appear to be deserted until the camera zooms up to a big old fashioned house, with a small shadowed figure on the second floor, that appears to be in the shape of a woman, this at the time is a reassurance to Marion because someone is there who can help her. During this the only sound we hear is the heavy rain which fills the emptiness of the scene. A young man then appears to help her book a room, although he tries to create conversation Marion’s sentences are short, as if to portray she is in a hurry. Hitchcock then zooms in on her when she is writing her signature. We notice that she writes a different second name, this makes the audience shifty, because she’s lying. The cameras zoom onto the man who is introduced as Norman, he hesitates before picking a key, this arouses curiosity in audience as you wonder why he would pick a different room. When Norman is showing Marion the room he opens the windows and is hesitant to go into the bathroom or even say its name. He appears shifty and awkward which once again perks up interest in the audience as to why he is so shifty, you can help but feel a little worried as to why he can’t go into the bathroom. The conversations between Marion and Norman are short and awkward. As soon as Norman leaves the music starts to fill the silence and Marion wraps the money up in a newspaper to hide it, the music rises when this happens which suggests tension which makes the audience feel uncomfortable, as if she were taking a risk. Norman comes back with food for Marion and takes her into a small room behind the office to eat, as soon as you see the room stuffed birds fill the screen giving a creepy affect as if they were all watching you. As Norman talks to Marion he is constantly fiddling with his fingers as if to show that he is nervous, he also stutters some words to add to the effect. The conversation is awkward and Norman seems to be leading most of the conversation. The camera then moves to a low angle where a stuffed bird appears to be looking at Norman as he speaks, he compares the emotions of feeling empty and the light inside to go out to a damp grave which puts his emotions into context. When Marion recommends he takes his mother to an institution Norman leans in and the camera focuses on his showing his facial expression appear as anger, the music starts and his voice starts to rise as he gets angry. He then quotes, â€Å"She just goes a little mad sometimes. † This sentence sends a shiver down the audience’s spine because they assume the worst of that sentence. Questions are asked as the sentence can be interpreted in many ways. At this sentence Hitchcock zooms in on Marion’s face which appears uncomfortable and a little scared. She then rises to appear at a low angle which makes her look bigger and leaves. The camera returns to Norman who is now at a high angle shot, he appears small and desperate when he asks her to stay, you can tell from the camera angle what the answer is going to be. As soon as Marion leaves the music starts and we watch as Norman takes a painting off a wall to reveal a spy hole. We watch as Norman spies on the unsuspecting Marion as she undresses, to the audience this may appear as a typical thing for a man because they can’t help that they’re attracted to women. He then leaves to go back to the house, the music rises and builds up with tension to suggest that something is going to happen, however when the music reaches the highest pitch, Norman turns away, with his hands in his pocket as if to show his anger and energy has gone. At the beginning of the shower scene you see Marion writing calculations for her money however she later rips it up and throws it away. This almost gives the affect of a cliff-hanger which expresses the empty silence. As no-one is speaking Hitchcock emphasizes every sound possible, the opening of the shower rail, the unwrapping of the soap and the sound of the water coming from the shower, he does this to build the tension. For the next minute you see Marion happily enjoying a shower and for this reason you don’t expect anything bad to come after it, the camera moves from different angles and shots to show that she is happy. It then leads onto a wide shot where you are in full view of the shower and the curtain behind her. We see that Marion is at the bottom right hand side of the shower which almost gives the idea of vulnerability and her being trapped at one side because there is no way out if anything were to happen. Although Marion is the only moving thing in the shot you soon see a shadow appearing through the shower curtain, all the sounds are blocked as the water fills the silence and hides any other sounds you might be able to hear. As you see the shadow getting closer and darker tension and curiosity builds the camera slowly zooms into the looming shadow. (This is used by a retractable camera on the back wall. As the camera zooms in closer to the shape you can start to make out a human figure, you can feel your heart racing as you see a hand reach out to draw back the curtain. As soon as you hear the sound of the curtain being ripped back high pitched minor key music starts to reveal a terrifying figure of a women holding a break knife raised in her hand ready to kill. Hitchcock cleverly uses lighting and a low angle camera shot to shadow the face of the murderer so you don’t know who it is that kills Marion, this also adds curiosity to the fear as you don’t know who the murderer is. However the audience can assume that it is Norman’s mad mother. The next 45 seconds involve a brutal murder with sounds affect of stabbing and screaming as you watch the mad mother attack Marion. Hitchcock uses various camera shots and angle to add to the fear by constantly changing the views so you are not fully clear of what is going on, it also adds to Marion’s emotions as she struggles to prevent herself from being stabbed by the woman. At the same time you can also feel the emotions of the mother who portrays anger and revenge through the desperation of her stabbing and how she carries on to stab Marion even though she knows that she would die anyway. Hitchcock also uses a low angle shot which makes the murderer appear bigger and more superior to Marion as if to portray that she has won, and Marion won’t survive, he also uses the high angle shot to make Marion appear smaller and vulnerable. The mother then makes a swift exit leaving Marion to die as the music slows down. The camera zooms in onto Marion’s hand as it slides down the titles, Hitchcock then cleverly adds to the effect of putting Marion at the side of the shot, this almost adds effect to the fear because placing Marion in the centre of the screen may have appeared as quite tacky. The camera shows Marion put all her effect into reaching out to the shower rail as if she’s motioning for someone to help her, but then as the music stops she grabs the hand railing and falls to the floor motionless. The music almost signifies her death and murder, because when the music starts she’s frightened and screaming, thus meaning the music is high pitched but as she slowly sinks to her death the music deepens and slows down, then when she finally dies, the music stops. After that the only sound you are left with is the shower still running, the camera zooms into the drain as you see the darker shades of the water, which is the blood run down the drain. Hitchcock then cleverly zooms right into the drain, then when he zooms out, it reveals the eye of Marion as the camera rotates to reveal her motionless face. This could suggest that Marion’s life has gone down the drain, because she has nothing left. Her body appears motionless and innocent. The scene then ends with a shot viewing the money that was left behind, and the only sound is the shower running in the background. This leaves us at a cliff-hanger because Hitchcock as killed off what we though would be the main character and the $40,000 has been left, and we do not know what will happen to it. In conclusion to the evidence found we can see that Hitchcock used techniques uch as lighting, camera positions and angles, shots and sound to create suspense. He mainly uses music and silences to build the tension in the scene. The silences make the audience feel uncomfortable because this makes them expect something is going to happen. Hitchcock makes the audience expect the unexpected but then does the opposite. For example, he kills the main character off a third of a way through the movie. This adds more fear to ‘Psycho’ because unlike most horror films today, you don’t know what’s going to happen next.

Progressive Education Essay Example

Progressive Education Essay Example Progressive Education Paper Progressive Education Paper According to Gribble (1985) in progressive schools, there is this sense of social equality between adults and children which is one of the progressive ideals. Where the staffs are violent, pupils could also use the same method as a defence mechanism. Gribble further opined that just as machines are used by people so teachers should be used by children too and not children being directed by teachers. In line with progressive education, childrens learning should be purposeful, not tied to a particular curriculum usually entrusted on them with series of examinations and tests/assessments. The teachers moral responsibility is to help the children, guiding them to explore their talents and interests. It is however, important to avoid instilling irrational beliefs that children might not understand. The child must learn how to develop independency. Anything that has the tone of moral compulsion is against the principles of progressive education, which uniqueness rests firmly on the refusal to impose a particular set of values not only the ones contained in the curriculum (Gribble 1985). The philosophy of progressive schools has no room for any dictated creed. Children in progressive schools are allowed to make a choice and to express their opinions freely. The extent to which this is practiced depends on each school because children are helped to see learning as something they should enjoy. Progressive schools discourage competitiveness (Gribble 1985). Since children make their own choices and work at their own pace and not according to the dictate of anyone, it means that the individual pupil does not need to compete with anyone. This helps to relax the learning environment making it conducive for learning. A child neither measures his/her own achievement with any other childs nor does the OFSTED that would normally pressurise a state or public school present. There is usually no necessity for progressive school authorities to put pressure on the teachers who in turn pass the pressure on to the children through series of tests/assessments in order to be on top of the performance league table. There is usually no punishment in progressive schools and no inclination to any religious dogma or denomination. However, no matter how ideally progressive education is portrayed as panacea for traditional or conventional form of education as obtains in public, independent and state schools, it is obvious that some of them are not truly and completely progressive. There have been changes in the application of the original philosophy as propounded by pioneers of progressive educational methods some of whose contributions are mentioned and discussed next. Progressive thinkers There are some famous thinkers on childhood whose work are so vital in the history of child-centred education. Some of these writers in the early years did not categorically call their work progressive education, but what they did was catalytic to the formulation of body of knowledge that is called progressive education today to which a lot of acknowledgement is owed. This essay will briefly talk about their ideas, principles and ethos. One of these early writers was Jean Jacques Rousseau whose writings and progressive tilt brought about a fundamental change in the education of children. According to Darling J. ( ) in Rousseaus book Emile (1762), it is stressed that man should not disturb child growth but leave it the way nature has provided for it. Child-centred education came as an alternative due to dissatisfaction about the traditional education of that time. This rejection helped to fashion out current progressive education thought. In Emile, Rousseau asserts that the progressive idea took its root against the background of obligation and child depravity attached to children in those days where strict discipline and moral training for children was the norm. Rousseau rejected this idea and believed that children are good; that the evil seen in children is from a corrupt society. His ideas were that children should not be trained in such a way as to repress their natural tendency. When juxtaposed to modern progressive education concepts it translates to not imposing any particular learning style on children but rather allowing them to discover things by themselves Young childrens educational programmes should in Rousseaus view be confined to those things in which they have natural interest (Darling1994: 8 ). Rousseau promoted the fact that children learned from direct experience and opined that feeling is always learning, which can be understood to mean- learning from environment and not from a book. Rosseau is of the opinion that children should not be taught how to read until they are ready. He imagined that they would understand by learning from the environment and from feeling things around them. In addition to that he was of the belief that there has to be little information from a book. This is echoed by Calydon [ed] (1969:50) when it is said that Experience goes before instruction. However Rousseau did not clarify when learning from a book should set in but children should also seek information from books. This opinion is true because looking at teachers for instance, they had to learn from books and not only depend on experience. In modern progressive education students learn largely from experience as well as from books. Rousseau also advocated cordial relationship between a child and the teacher and that the child should learn from their actions. As discussed earlier progressive education does not see the teacher in authority like the teacher is seen in public schools; progressive education is therefore more of a child- centred approach to teaching. According to Darling ( ) Rosseau divided childhood into stages of human growth and development. He contended that different stages of growth require specific techniques. Therefore in progressive education pupils are given individual attention because each child has their own needs and peculiarities depending on their stages. Friedrich Froebel who established the first kindergarten at Keilhau, Germany in 1837 contributed immensely to the progressive idea of education. He believed that everyone has a spiritual value. Like Rosseau, he believed that every child had within themselves what they were to be at birth. He also believed that the appropriate educational environment would encourage the child to achieve optimum development.

Building Positive Relationships in Children Essay Example for Free

Building Positive Relationships in Children Essay To help your child understand feelings you could do a feeling chart or make a feeling tree in your home. To make a feelings chart just draw out faces with how there expression might be when they are feeling that way an do the expressions yourself when showing them. This will give your child a better understanding of their feelings and how they can express them through facial expressions. For a feeling tree its much the same idea as a feeling card but you just take in a branch from a tree and stick the faces with the expressions on it. this will help a child express themselves when they can’t do it through facial expressions. Buy them some books with plenty of colourful pictures with the theme of friendship and them to them.this will help show them how nice it is to have friends and how to make them and keep them. It is only after the age of three that children can incorperate other children into their playtime activities so at around this age ask other parents if they would like to make a playdate for their child and yours n a regular basis.this will get your child used to other childrens company.you can also talk about what they did together at dinner or quiet time alone and encourage them to do it again. To help your child with communication you need to be a good example to them.talk to them as much as you can about your day and ask how theirs was.even talking about their favourite tv programme would be good as they will be more likely to talk about something that they’re interested in. To teach them about respect you need to set a good example for this as well. Giving them boundaries will also help and treating them with respect will encourage them to do the same to you. Factors that impact/Motivate children Tou tourself have a major impact on your child.they learn from how you react to situations and other peaople and will use this as a guide for themselves. Also the tv programmes that they watch will make an impact on them and can also motivate them to try new things that they wouldn’t of thought of themselves. . Building Positive Relationships in Children. (2016, Dec 08). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Movie review--photography Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

--photography - Movie Review Example Fashion is something that defines a generation or a culture. That is why, during different time in history of humanity, there have been a variant in fashions trend. It is this fact that influenced Bill’s career and fascinates him. While on the street, Bill never minds being hit by car. This is depicted in the film where at some point he is in between traffic, which endangers him. He realizes this and admits that it is never easy to capture fashion in New York City. Again, Bill says he is never interested in celebrities free dresses neither is he a paparazzi. In the film, it is clear that the females have a rich orientation of fashion in their dress code than male. This is so because in Bill’s photo gallery, he has more females’ pictures than males’ (Bill, 46-51). In conclusion, Bill act of photographing and reporting to public influences the fashion trend of the day. Whenever Bill shared a new fashion, it could be noted afterwards that people could adopt the new fashion. Undoubtedly, bill had passion of his career since in several occasions he turned down monetary offers from

Homework26 27 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Homework26 27 - Coursework Example urned out to be the most severe problem in the early postwar years; Truman failed to turn his election victory into success for his Fair Deal agenda; His civil rights measures and proposals were rejected by the congress; Truman blamed political opponents for defeating his Fair Deal. The program also suffered from a wave of anti-Communist hysteria that weakened both left and liberal forces; Republicans who had attacked the New Deal as a plot radical now jumped on revelations of Soviet espionage Cold War setbacks to accuse Democrats of fostering internal subversion. Eisenhower pledged to end the Korean War, and he made good of his pledge as he left Korea divided at the thirty-eighth parallel, with the North and south separated by 2.5 mile-wide demilitarized zone; The Truman administration judged the war a success for containment as the United States had supported its promise in aiding the resisting communism countries; The war had an enormous effect on defense policy and spending; the National Security Council Report, NSC 68, warned that the survival of the nation required military buildup, steered a huge increase in defense spending and a tripling of the armed forces; The war also convinced the Truman administration to expand its role in Asia by increasing help to the French (James et al 23). The general dissatisfaction with Truman’s involvement in the war gave Republicans a decided edge in the 1952’s election. Truman decided not to run for reelection. Voters enumerated their confidence in Eisenhower’s ability to end the war and this gave him a 55 percent win of the popular

History AND IMPACT OF COMPUTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History AND IMPACT OF COMPUTING - Essay Example 546). First Generation (1940-1955) Vacuum Tubes These first computers utilized vacuum tubes in their circuitry and their memories comprised of magnetic drums. These first computers were often massive, taking a lot of space. They were expensive to run and, in addition to consuming enormous amounts of electricity these computers generated immense heat, which often led to their malfunctions. The first generation computers depended on machine code language; a low-level programming language only understood by computers, to execute their operations, and hence they were able to solve a single problem at a time. The computers input used paper tapes and punched cards while their output was presented on printouts. ENIAC and UNIVAC computers are some of the first generation computing gadgets. The UNIVAC was the earliest commercial computer distributed to a business client, the United States Bureau of Census in 1951. Second Generation (1955-1963) Transistor Computers In the succeeding generation of computers, transistors replaced vacuum tubes in the computers circuitry. Transistors were initially invented in 1947 but received minimal use in computers until late 1950s. Transistors were far more superior compared to vacuum tubes, allowing the computers to be smaller, cheaper, faster, reliable, and with increased energy efficiency as compared their former generation predecessors. Although the transistors also generated plenty of heat which exposes the computers to the damage, they were a significant improvement in comparison to the vacuum tubes. The second generation computers also used the punched cards for their input and printouts as their outputs. The second generation computers shifted from obscure binary machine code language to symbolic, an assembly language that allows programmers to stipulate instructions in the form of words. FORTRAN, COBOL, and other High-level Programming language were also under developed during this period. These were the first computers which s tored instructions in their memories, which had also moved from magnetic drums to magnetic core technology. The initial computers in this generation were meant for the atomic energy industries. Third Generation (1964-1970) Integrated Circuits Computers Integrated Circuits (ICs) development was the essential characteristic of the third generation computers. Miniaturized transistors were installed on silicon semiconductor chips, which increased efficiency and speed of computers. The third generation computers interacted with their users through monitors and keyboards interfaced through an operating system instead of the printouts and punch cards. These new features allowed the computers to run different applications at the same time with an inner program which monitored the memory. The third generation computers became handy to a mass of the audience since they were cheaper and smaller than their predecessors. Fourth Generation (1970- Present) The fourth generation computers were brou ght by the development of microprocessors. Microprocessors allowed thousands of integrated circuits to be built on a single silicon chip. A device that consumed the whole room in the first generation computers could be now developed on the palm of a hand. Intel 4004 chip, created in 1971, allowed all the components in a

State Of Nature Would Be State Of War

State Of Nature Would Be State Of War Thomas Hobbes set out to account for political authority with the use of the State of Nature. He illustrated what life outside of society without any overall authority keeping anyone in check would be like. Hobbes identified the State of Nature with a State of War but used war in an extended sense, to include not just armed hostilities but any situation where there is no reasonable expectation that hostilities will not erupt. He argued that the known readiness to engage in acts of aggression amounts in itself to a State of War. Specifically there are three principal causes of quarrel (lev) which throw people into hostilities. These causes are competition, diffidence and glory (Lev p. 88) and together they ensure that the State of Nature is a State of War. The State of Nature put simply is a situation in which human beings have no government, no political institutions and the feelings that they engender and no executive forces such as a police force or army in other words, it is a condition of anarchy. The State of Nature is an idealisation, a model. (Engaging P.19) Hobbes uses the State of Nature to justify political authority, or as Hobbes calls it, the commonwealth. He does not describe literally everything that would be the case in the absence of political arrangements, but only those things that matter for explaining political authority. What Hobbes did, was to identify features of human nature and the human condition that are universal, that in no way depend upon political authority relations, and that are relevant to explaining political authority causally. The State of Nature can be considered as a condition from which people are to escape if political authority is to be justified. So the sole alternative to political authorit y is the State of Nature, however according to Hobbes, the State of Nature is unbearably nasty as what is crucial to the state of natures justificatory role is the fact that life in it is pretty grim. Therefore the sole alternative to political authority is unbearably nasty, hence imposing political authority is justified. Hobbes attempted to illustrate that subjection to authority is vastly preferable to anarchy the State of War; he held the view that if we had reasons to believe that political authority is much better than the State of Nature, then imposing political authority is justified. Hobbes attempted to demonstrate that the State of Nature is a State of War in order to justify political authority. He depicted the State of War as a place full of insecurity and uncertainty in order to further substantiate his claim. The State does not necessarily consist in actual fighting, but a known disposition thereto, during which there is no assurance to the contrary. (page 86 Leviathan). Hobbes depicted the State of War as a condition in which civilisation and its benefits are absent. Only through the organisation of society and the establishment of the commonwealth can civilisation be attained. One thing that Hobbes recognised about the natural condition of mankind was the relative equality of individuals within it. When Hobbes spoke of equality he did not mean equality in a moralised sense, but more the distribution of physical and mental endowments. Nature has made men so equal that, although some humans are manifestly stronger in body or of quicker mind, these endowments are distributed in such a way that even the weakest, slowest and dumbest among them can kill the strongest, fastest and smartest. Hobbes claimed that when all is reckoned together, the difference between man and man is not so considerable, all human beings are, in other words, vulnerable to assault at the hands of all others. Equality, for Hobbes, is based upon the equal ability to kill or conquer others so inevitably equality leads to conflict, a State of Nature will be a war of all against all.(leviathan p. Vii) In the State of Nature, there are three causes of conflict: competition, distrust and the desire for glory. Competition leads to fighting for grain, diffidence to fighting to keep what has been gained and glory to fighting for reputation. These sources of conflict arise from what Hobbes calls the equality of ability (lev) in men. This natural equality of men is not equality of rights or of worth but an equality of ability, which leads to equality of hope in attaining ones ends and so to competition. The right of each to all things invites serious conflict, especially if there is competition for resources, as goods -are in relatively short supply in the State of Nature.(Stamford) So if any two men want a single thing which cannot be attained by both, they will become enemies (page 84 Leviathan) Conflict can occur for example when someone has come to possess a better piece of land. If an invader would have nothing to fear but that one mans individual power, then it is more than likely that someone will choose to invade this estate and attempt to deprive the owner of his possessions. But then the successful invader will then be in similar danger from someone else. It is an endless cycle of conflict in the State of Nature, which inevitably creates hostile conditions. However, Hobbes claim that all men are equal is false. The very young, the very old and the infirm generally pose no mortal threat to able bodied persons in the prime of life and therefore there would be no competition in some circumstances. Whilst it was not Hobbess aim to describe what is literally the case, this does demonstrate that not all of his reasons were convincing when explaining why the State of Nature would be a State of War. Hobbes further illustrated a State of as a State of War as it is a place where nobody feels secure, each person has a reason to attack any other person, for fear of being attacked first; this is what Hobbes referred to as diffidence. Because of this distrust amongst men, the most reasonable way for anyone to make themselves safe is to strike first, so attack can be seen as the best form of defence in a State of War. And, because each person has roughly equal killing power, everybody is both a potential killer and a potential victim. The fact that each of them is liable to aggression from others means that each person has to treat every other person as an enemy. People dont just regard everyone as possible enemies, in the State of War everyone is an enemy. Hence diffidence makes people invade one another for safety. Hobbes quite rightly held that the State of Nature would be a State of War therefore as people would fear that others may invade them, and may rationally plan to strike fi rst as an anticipatory defense, a natural human instinct to preserve their own safety. Hobbes also said that The State of War arises from the nature of some people, mainly those who want others to value them as highly as they values themselves. Glory drives people to attack others to raise their value in the eyes of others. Glory is therefore a source of unwarranted aggression and when there is no common power to keep people at peace, conflict will occur which Hobbes quite rightly said. Hobbes had a particularly good reason for believing that the State of Nature would be one of war as morality has no place in this pre-political world that Hobbes created. Everyone has an interest in killing everyone else pre-emptively, whenever possible, and this is acceptable as nothing holds any individuals back from committing any immoral acts, humans would merely act as their interests dictate. In a State of Nature, by definition there are no rules, not even unenforceable ones that might deter some from committing such acts. Therefore even moral restrictions to do or withhold from doing certain things for example, not to kill have no effect in a State of Nature. Hobbess view was that in the natural State of War there are no objective moral distinctions. In this State of War of every man against every man nothing can be unjust. The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice, have n place. Where there is no common power, there is no law, where no law, no injustice. Hobbes assumed that the state of nature would be a state of war as taking people as they actually are, if you were to remove all political institutions, the natural proclivities that would ensue would lead to a state of war. Notably, without political institutions, the natural impulses to self-preservation are doomed to failure. In the state of nature, that is our unhappy predicament. Natural right of self-preservation (ch. 14): the liberty each one has to use her/his own power for self-preservation. A central claim of Hobbes: It is rational to give up ones right to self-governance to a sovereign, if everyone else agrees to do the same. (See chapter 17, section 13) The natural state of war, therefore, is the state of affairs in which the individual is dependent for his security on his own strength and his own wits. In such conditions there is no place for hard work, because there is no assurance that it will yield results; and consequently no cultivation of the earth, no navigation or use of materials that can be imported by sea, no construction of large buildings, no machines for moving things that require much force, no knowledge of the face of the earth, no account of time, no practical skills, no literature or scholarship, no society; and-worst of all-continual fear and danger of violent death, and the life of man solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Perhaps we would imagine that people might fare best in such a state, where each decides for herself how to act, and is judge, jury and executioner in her own case whenever disputes arise-and that at any rate, this state is the appropriate baseline against which to judge the justifiability of political arrangements.