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MAGIC IN THE TEMPEST
Ly 1
Man H Ly
Professor Petty
ENGL 100A
26 October 2020
Discipline Investigation
Introduction
Biochemistry is a field that I have wanted to work in since I was a child. When I studied in high school, I was interested in chemistry and biology. At the same time, I saw a movie called Forensic Heroes, and it was an interesting movie. It discussed the ways people use different chemical techniques to solve many criminal cases. I was interested in the way that they use the chemical technology to investigate crime. They have to collect some evidences and make experiments with them. After that, they will figure out the ways people commit a crime, so they can arrest offense. I chose the Biochemistry major at SJSU, and I wanted to become a biochemist. Like me, my best friend, Nhi, was also interested in biochemistry. Therefore, she had studied in Biochemistry at the University of Science for 4 years, and she graduated with a bachelor’s degree. Now, she works as a quality control technician at Stem-cell Institute in Ho Chi Minh City. I made an interview with her to discover more information about biochemists. In my interview with Nhi, I have learned the requirements for the jobs related to biochemistry such as the responsibilities, the communications skills, and the degree.
Background and Career Path
Biochemistry is one of the hard majors to many students because there are many courses that they have to take. Moreover, it is an expansive major that students could divide into many specific subjects to study such as genetics and pharmacy. According to the Environmentalscience website, this field of study can be applied in medicine, agriculture, and the environment. It depends on how people are interested in their jobs. During the interview, Nhi said that she is interesting in working in the labs and investigating human genes. Therefore, she just focuses on developing the experience working in the labs and studying human genes. Moreover, there are many places where people can work in this field. According to the section “Where does a biochemist work?” in the “Biochemist” article, biochemists can work for the U.S. Environment Protection Agency or Department of Agriculture. Besides that, if they are interested in the effects of drugs or food, they can work for the National Institutes of Health or the Food and Drug Administration. However, Nhi claims that I should have a bachelor’s degree before getting the jobs because those jobs of this field require the knowledge from school. Nhi was trying to get knowledge as much as possible from taking courses in bio-chemical field. She learned some lessons about cells in humans, and some animal culture techniques. The knowledge in school was helpful for her job, but she still needs to have many experiences before getting her job. After taking many research, I realized that the jobs in this field are going to be developed in the future, and I was pleased with this information. In the “learn.org” website, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has reported that “job opportunities for biochemists and biophysicists were projected to increase faster than average at 11% during 2016-2026”. In the other words, there are many chances students in this field will have after graduation. Besides that, people work for this field will get a high salary. In section “Biochemist Jobs Outlook” in the “learn.org” website, it reported “biochemists and biophysicists earned an annual median salary of $93,280 in 2018”. With the high salary, people have to take more responsibilities for their jobs.
Roles and Responsibilities
Nhi said that biochemist have many roles such as researchers, dentists or pharmacies. Nhi was interested in biochemistry major because she could make many researches by making experiments. After that, she will write a report to show what she discovered during the experiments. During the interview, Nhi told me that biochemist could work inside or outside, and it depends on what kind of the environment people want to work. If they want to work inside, they can work in the lab or office. Otherwise, they can also work outside by going out anywhere to discover many things in the world. In general, her jobs are very open, so it is flexible for her. According “What is a Biochemist” article, a biochemistry will require a lot of skills such as making experiments and researching information. Furthermore, based on what they can find during their research, they need to write some academic reports and present them to others such as their partners and customers. There are many responsibilities that biochemist have to have to do their jobs. They have to manage their workplace such as laboratory. If they work in a group, they should cooperate and manage the quality of their work. Nhi stated that she wants to work in a group because they can help each other. Moreover, they also can learn from each other. In Nhi’s opinion, the challenges for the jobs are to understand the concepts and take the experiments exactly. Nhi told me that I should take many experience as much as I can before getting real job. According to the interview, Nhi used to be worry about her job because she thought that those jobs in this field had not increased yet. However, she still tried her best and believed that they will be developed in there future.
Communication Skills
Nhi uses many materials to communicate with others in her jobs such as presentation, conversation, readings or writings. She told that using academic readings and writings are necessary devices to communicate with others. She has to write many reports for her experiments. Moreover, she also needs to explain her experiments clearly to others. According to Nhi, her audience should be colleagues, professors or even students, so she has to everything in a formal way. Furthermore, everything she wants to delivery should be clearly and easily to understand. When others read her reports, they should be able to analyze whatever she writes in the reports. In Nhi’s opinion, the most important communication skill is to be patient, and helpful. She should be willing to do anything for her customers. Her customers should be patients, or they could be someone who wants to get the information about biochemistry. Furthermore, she can also work at hospital, so she should take care her patients carefully. Moreover, Nhi told me that she has to share her knowledge with her customers or patients. She is happy when she works with them. The reason is that they will trust whatever she said because she has much knowledge about it. Furthermore, she has to make sure that all information is reliable. The goal for the communication is to give the information to other, so it has to be clear and be able to understand easily.
Conclusion
After the interview, I did not change my mind about my major. Moreover, it helped me confirm that Biochemistry majors will improve in the future. Nhi gave me many recommendations for this career, and she also showed that how this major will be needed in the future. The careers in this major are not developed for now. However, there are many careers will require this major in the future. Therefore, my expectations have been strengthened day by day. She states that many opportunities will come to me after graduating. However, I should focus on my study and get a bachelor degree in biochemistry major. The knowledge I got in school in school is very important. Besides that, she also mentions that I should get some experience before getting a job such as taking an internship. Finally, I hope I can finish my degree as soon as possible, so I can find the job that could suitable with me.
References
What is a Biochemist? (October, 2016). Retrieved October 21, 2020, from
https://www.environmentalscience.org/career/biochemist
What is a Biochemist? (2016). Retrieved October 21, 2020, from
https://learn.org/articles/Biochemist_Career_Profile_Occupational_Outlook_and_Education_Prerequisites.html
Prof. Sitter
ENL-200
July 11, 2021
Application Essay
The are many analytical lenses through which we can view the representation of magic in The Tempest by William Shakespeare. For this assignment, I have chosen the theory put forth by Alan Moore in 2017 in a video excerpt from his documentary describing his views on the topic of magic. Moore’s idea of magic is interesting, as it works on several different levels when applied to The Tempest. Our protagonist, Prospero, wields his art (magic) as a weapon throughout most of the play, only to (apparently) walk away from magic once situations become resolved in his favor. There is a parallel thread at work though, the author, Shakespeare, seems to equate himself with Prospero by the end of the play, hinting that he may be pondering laying aside his magical pursuits.
Alan Moore, a celebrated author of graphic novels and fiction (as well as a self-professed magician), believes magic (initially referred to as “the art”) to be the process by which the magician employs their artistic skills to reshape the perceptions of their audience. Moore states, “I believe that magic IS art, and that art, whether it be writing, music, sculpture, or any other form, IS literally magic. Art is, like magic, the science of manipulating symbols, words, or images, to achieve changes in consciousness (Moore).” It is a point of view on magic that gains heft when we consider that literacy was a commodity reserved for a privileged and powerful few for much of human history. A treasured illuminated text would seem a powerful magical artifact to someone with no hope of understanding or interpreting the words within for themselves. A masterfully constructed tale or song could invoke images and ideas in the audiences’ minds that may seem like sorcery to those who lack the essential tools to grasp the process. These highly skilled practitioners of the art were to be feared by others in positions of power who sought to maintain their places. The elites of Ancient Rome could be stripped of their public sway and respect if they found themselves in the crosshairs of a skilled satirical poet with a following (or, say, a famous Elizabethan playwright with his own theatre and a solid following). In considering a well-crafted criticism penned by a bard, Moore muses, “If it were a clever satire, it might not just destroy you in the eyes of your associates, it would destroy you in the eyes of your family. It would destroy you in your own eyes. (Moore).” As the saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword.
Moore’s theory of magic is wholly applicable to The Tempest. Prospero does not appear to possess any practical magic abilities, per se. He cannot create the storm himself, or make himself invisible, or confuse the sailors on his own. Instead, in Shakespeare’s creation, physical magic abilities are reserved for the spirits. The magic that Prospero (a human) possesses is the magic of words and persuasion (and a fair number of shrewd instincts). Prospero uses his powers in a few different ways, the first being to enslave others or bend them to his will.
We first encounter Prospero’s manipulation of other’s consciousness in Act 1. Prospero convinces his daughter, Miranda, to sleep so he may speak with Ariel privately; “Here cease more questions. Thou art inclined to sleep. ‘Tis a good dullness, And give it way. I know thou canst not choose. (Tempest 1.2.219-221)”. Prospero uses manipulations to shape Miranda’s thinking throughout the play.
We next meet Ariel, who is the spirit gifted with powerful physical magic skills. Ariel does just about all of Prospero’s heavy lifting in the play. Even though Ariel is arguably the most potent being we meet in the story, he is convinced that he is subjugated to Prospero. A captive of sorts, compelled to do Prospero’s bidding. Prospero had freed Ariel from a wooden imprisonment, and since then, Ariel has been forced to be Prospero’s “magical muscle.” At the same time, Prospero dangles the prospect of freedom in front of Ariel. Although Ariel seems to be strong enough the incapacitate Prospero or not return to him, Ariel continues to toil in hopes of being magically freed: “Ariel- master. I will be correspondent to command And do my spiriting gently; Prospero – Do so, and after two days, I will discharge thee. (Tempest 1.2.352-356).”
Prospero takes another magical tract with his other slave, Caliban (the non-magical, unsophisticated son of the island’s previous mistress). Caliban’s term on the island predated Prospero and Miranda’s, and as such, provided Prospero with the essential information for surviving on the island. In turn, Prospero enslaves Caliban and relegates him to doing physical labor. It is worth noting that Prospero first tried to initiate Caliban into his magic, according to Moore; “…with magic, being in many respects a science of language….” Prospero attempted to give Caliban his language; “(I) took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour One thing or other. When thou didst not, savage, Know thine own meaning, but would gabble like a thing most brutish, I endowed thy purposes With words that made them known. (Tempest 1.2.425-430).” Essentially, Prospero attempts to “civilize” Caliban to make him like himself. When this does not work, and Caliban tries to attack Miranda, Caliban is relegated to the role of a detested slave. Caliban seems to be somehow predisposed to being dominated and attempts to find a new master to kill Prospero. Caliban never tries to overthrow Prospero himself physically, only attempts to find others to act on his behalf.
Yet another example of Prospero using his art to reshape the perception of others towards the ends of attaining his goals appears in the overriding story arc of the Play. Prospero employs Ariel to strand all of his enemies on the island; he misrepresents the truth to weaken them emotionally, manipulates Miranda and Ferdinand (the son of the Duke of Naples) into an engagement, and asks the spirits to stage a play. All of these, combined with Prospero’s machinations, secure his return as Duke of Milan AND his heir to rule Naples. In the epilogue, Prospero announces his intent to turn his back on his magic (conveniently once he has attained what he wanted), acknowledges this wrong, and asks the audience for absolution. Prospero’s speech is essentially conveying the role of the magician to the audience. He asks; “Let me not, Since I have my dukedom got And pardoned the deceiver, dwell In this bare island by your spell, But release me from my bands With the help of your good hands…” he continues, “As you from crimes would pardoned be, Let your indulgence set me free.” (Tempest 5.epilogue.5-10, 19-20).” Of all Prospero’s “magical manipulations” of the consciousness’ of others throughout the play, this is by far the grandest. Prospero admits to it all that he did it all to get what he wanted, and now he compels us, the audience, to take up the mantel of the magical manipulator to allow him to move on, essentially unrepentant. Moore’s theory of magic explains this lack of personal responsibility; “that every human soul is in fact One human soul. It is the soul of the Universe itself, and as long as you are doing the will of the Universe, then it is impossible to do anything wrong (Moore).”
In an interesting parallel, the epilog of The Tempest (Shakespeare’s last solo written play) can be read as veiled retirement speech. If we accept Moore’s theory as artists (especially authors) are, in fact, magicians due to their sway over the hearts and minds of others, then we would be hard-pressed to name a more powerful magician than William Shakespeare. This supplemental speech would be read as a pronouncement that the literary magician is setting aside his magic, not an apology, as Shakespeare would have seen it as the will of the Universe.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Tempest, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. Simon & Schuster, 2015.
Moore, Alan. “Alan Moore – On Magic (Transcript).” Gbowdenivsite, 12 Mar. 2017, gbowdenivsite.wordpress.com/2017/03/12/alan-moore-on-magic-transcript/. Accessed 6 July 2021.
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