China And The Climate Change Debate - 995 Words

Many know that China does not have the most positive background towards climate change, and being one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases, something has to be done. Furthermore, their initiative to this negative title and better their carbon footprint is questionable. With a substantial population, countless factories, and unfathomable waste disposal, it may be difficult to regulate or attempt to improve their ecological standpoint; however, little efforts have been presented. Recently, China has addressed their impact on climate change and plan to make drastic measures in order to, literally, clean up their act; however, have they dug a hole too deep to get out of? Firstly, I will address the article written by Richard Brubaker, ‘China and the Climate Change Debate’. During Copenhagen’s 2009 summit, China shone in its reluctance to agree to any binding commitments, especially commitments assessing carbon emissions. However, China is using its resources to act in other areas such as investing in newer and cleaner technology. It is pursuing economic, environmental, and social stability, campaigned as a ‘harmonious society’, though its ability to create balance while maintain stable growth has proven limited. Sustainability is China’s biggest and most complex issue dealing with air pollution to manmade droughts. However, China does not seem to grasp the suitable meaning of sustainability, it simply means the population having sufficient nutrition. China reliesShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming : Fact Or Fiction? Essay1395 Words   |  6 Pagesfrom both sides of a raging debate that has encompassed the political landscape of America and much of the world. This raging debate concerns Global Warming or preferably Climate Change. Each side trying to convince the populace one way or the other. On one side the liberal ideology is convinced that the rapid change in the temperature of the earth is caused by extensive human Carbon Dioxide emissions. On the other side, the conservative ideology is certain that the change in the temperature of theRead MoreClimate Change Has Become The Most Pressing Issue Of Our Time1448 Words   |  6 Pagesput bluntly: climate change has become the most pressing issue of our time. It is a concern so urgent that many say we have already passed a point in which we cannot recover; we can merely hope to minimize the damage. It is an issue that has found its way to the forefront of many governmental platforms, regardless of political affiliation. Most recently, APEC - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation – held its yearly summit in Beijing, the capital of the world ’s greatest polluter: China. 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A Reuters article from AprilRead MoreChinese Economic Expansion And Increased Air Pollution1729 Words   |  7 PagesName Professor Engl 108-006 11/03/2014 Chinese Economic Expansion and Increased Air Pollution In recent years, China has been experiencing unprecedented economic growth. Chinese prosperity has had negative side-effects, including extreme environmental pollution (Wong, 2014). What researchers call â€Å"ambient particulate matter pollution† was the fourth-leading risk factor for deaths in China, contributing to 1.2 million deaths in 2010. Construction, industrial waste and greenhouse gasses are the majorRead MoreChina Case Study988 Words   |  4 Pagescountrys large population and economic growth, China is the 2nd largest contributor of GHGs in the world. However, the government originally perceived climate change as a scientific issue rather than an issue that could be handled through policy (Zhou, 2008). The country began its efforts to combat climate change after feeling pressure from other nations to reduce its emissions. As such, China established the National Coordination Committee on Climate Change (NCCCC) to help achieve its targets of 20%Read MoreConstrain ts On Nations And Individuals1677 Words   |  7 PagesIndividuals in Combating Climate Change Course and code Date Name of student Name of Institute Constraints on Nations and Individuals in Combating Climate Change For many years, the issue of climate change has been thorny mostly because it affects the whole world yet a few countries are the greatest contributors. Climate change has led to global warming that has affected many countries in terms of weather variation, flooding, poverty, and desertification. While the great debate rages over whetherRead MoreThe Climatic Changes And Global Warming Essay1659 Words   |  7 PagesThe climatic changes have been an issue of controversies around scientists, politicians, and people in general. Indeed, there are many aspects in which climatic changes and global warming step in, being sources of controversies and disagreements. In this opportunity, the discussion about climatic changes will be divided into two different aspects, the first one involves how scientists think about the main cause of climatic changes while analyzing the question â€Å"Are humans responsible for climaticRead MoreThe Climatic Changes And Global Warming Essay1650 Words   |  7 Pagesclimatic changes have been a controversial issue over scientists, politicians, and people in general. Indeed, many aspects in which climatic changes and global warming step in are being sources of controversies and disagreements. 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The Twilight Saga 3 Eclipse Chapter 13. NEWBORN Free Essays

string(117) " our history that will always be remembered, though there were very few witnesses left to speak of what it was like\." â€Å"THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAND,† Jasper answered in a quiet voice. â€Å"Repeated a thousand times.† He laughed a little ruefully and brushed at his arm. We will write a custom essay sample on The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 13. NEWBORN or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Our venom is the only thing that leaves a scar.† â€Å"Why?† I breathed in horror, feeling rude but unable to stop staring at his subtly ravaged skin. â€Å"I didn’t have quite the same . . . upbringing as my adopted siblings here. My beginning was something else entirely.† His voice turned hard as he finished. I gaped at him, appalled. â€Å"Before I tell you my story,† Jasper said, â€Å"you must understand that there are places in our world, Bella, where the life span of the never-aging is measured in weeks, and not centuries.† The others had heard this before. Carlisle and Emmett turned their attention to the TV again. Alice moved silently to sit at Esme’s feet. But Edward was just as absorbed as I was; I could feel his eyes on my face, reading every flicker of emotion. â€Å"To really understand why, you have to look at the world from a different perspective. You have to imagine the way it looks to the powerful, the greedy . . . the perpetually thirsty. â€Å"You see, there are places in this world that are more desirable to us than others. Places where we can be less restrained, and still avoid detection. â€Å"Picture, for instance, a map of the western hemisphere. Picture on it every human life as a small red dot. The thicker the red, the more easily we – well, those who exist this way – can feed without attracting notice.† I shuddered at the image in my head, at the word feed. But Jasper wasn’t worried about frightening me, not overprotective like Edward always was. He went on without a pause. â€Å"Not that the covens in the South care much for what the humans notice or do not. It’s the Volturi that keep them in check. They are the only ones the southern covens fear. If not for the Volturi, the rest of us would be quickly exposed.† I frowned at the way he pronounced the name – with respect, almost gratitude. The idea of the Volturi as the good guys in any sense was hard to accept. â€Å"The North is, by comparison, very civilized. Mostly we are nomads here who enjoy the day as well as the night, who allow humans to interact with us unsuspectingly – anonymity is important to us all. â€Å"It’s a different world in the South. The immortals there come out only at night. They spend the day plotting their next move, or anticipating their enemy’s. Because it has been war in the South, constant war for centuries, with never one moment of truce. The covens there barely note the existence of humans, except as soldiers notice a herd of cows by the wayside – food for the taking. They only hide from the notice of the herd because of the Volturi.† â€Å"But what are they fighting for?† I asked. Jasper smiled. â€Å"Remember the map with the red dots?† He waited, so I nodded. â€Å"They fight for control of the thickest red. â€Å"You see, it occurred to someone once that, if he were the only vampire in, let’s say Mexico City, well then, he could feed every night, twice, three times, and no one would ever notice. He plotted ways to get rid of the competition. â€Å"Others had the same idea. Some came up with more effective tactics than others. â€Å"But the most effective tactic was invented by a fairly young vampire named Benito. The first anyone ever heard of him, he came down from somewhere north of Dallas and massacred the two small covens that shared the area near Houston. Two nights later, he took on the much stronger clan of allies that claimed Monterrey in northern Mexico. Again, he won.† â€Å"How did he win?† I asked with wary curiosity. â€Å"Benito had created an army of newborn vampires. He was the first one to think of it, and, in the beginning, he was unstoppable. Very young vampires are volatile, wild, and almost impossible to control. One newborn can be reasoned with, taught to restrain himself, but ten, fifteen together are a nightmare. They’ll turn on each other as easily as on the enemy you point them at. Benito had to keep making more as they fought amongst themselves, and as the covens he decimated took more than half his force down before they lost. â€Å"You see, though newborns are dangerous, they are still possible to defeat if you know what you’re doing. They’re incredibly powerful physically, for the first year or so, and if they’re allowed to bring strength to bear they can crush an older vampire with ease. But they are slaves to their instincts, and thus predictable. Usually, they have no skill in fighting, only muscle and ferocity. And in this case, overwhelming numbers.† â€Å"The vampires in southern Mexico realized what was coming for them, and they did the only thing they could think of to counteract Benito. They made armies of their own. . . . â€Å"All hell broke loose – and I mean that more literally than you can possibly imagine. We immortals have our histories, too, and this particular war will never be forgotten. Of course, it was not a good time to be human in Mexico, either.† I shuddered. â€Å"When the body count reached epidemic proportions – in fact, your histories blame a disease for the population slump – the Volturi finally stepped in. The entire guard came together and sought out every newborn in the bottom half of North America. Benito was entrenched in Puebla, building his army as quickly as he could in order to take on the prize – Mexico City. The Volturi started with him, and then moved on to the rest. â€Å"Anyone who was found with the newborns was executed immediately, and, since everyone was trying to protect themselves from Benito, Mexico was emptied of vampires for a time. â€Å"The Volturi were cleaning house for almost a year. This was another chapter of our history that will always be remembered, though there were very few witnesses left to speak of what it was like. You read "The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 13. NEWBORN" in category "Essay examples" I spoke to someone once who had, from a distance, watched what happened when they visited Culiacn.† Jasper shuddered. I realized that I had never before seen him either afraid or horrified. This was a first. â€Å"It was enough that the fever for conquest did not spread from the South. The rest of the world stayed sane. We owe the Volturi for our present way of life. â€Å"But when the Volturi went back to Italy, the survivors were quick to stake their claims in the South. â€Å"It didn’t take long before covens began to dispute again. There was a lot of bad blood, if you’ll forgive the expression. Vendettas abounded. The idea of newborns was already there, and some were not able to resist. However, the Volturi had not been forgotten, and the southern covens were more careful this time. The newborns were selected from the human pool with more care, and given more training. They were used circumspectly, and the humans remained, for the most part, oblivious. Their creators gave the Volturi no reason to return. â€Å"The wars resumed, but on a smaller scale. Every now and then, someone would go too far, speculation would begin in the human newspapers, and the Volturi would return and clean out the city. But they let the others, the careful ones, continue. . . .† Jasper was staring off into space. â€Å"That’s how you were changed.† My realization was a whisper. â€Å"Yes,† he agreed. â€Å"When I was human, I lived in Houston, Texas. I was almost seventeen years old when I joined the Confederate Army in 1861. I lied to the recruiters and told them I was twenty. I was tall enough to get away with it. â€Å"My military career was short-lived, but very promising. People always . . . liked me, listened to what I had to say. My father said it was charisma. Of course, now I know it was probably something more. But, whatever the reason, I was promoted quickly through the ranks, over older, more experienced men. The Confederate Army was new and scrambling to organize itself, so that provided opportunities, as well. By the first battle of Galveston – well, it was more of a skirmish, really – I was the youngest major in Texas, not even acknowledging my real age. â€Å"I was placed in charge of evacuating the women and children from the city when the Union’s mortar boats reached the harbor. It took a day to prepare them, and then I left with the first column of civilians to convey them to Houston. â€Å"I remember that one night very clearly. â€Å"We reached the city after dark. I stayed only long enough to make sure the entire party was safely situated. As soon as that was done, I got myself a fresh horse, and I headed back to Galveston. There wasn’t time to rest. â€Å"Just a mile outside the city, I found three women on foot. I assumed they were stragglers and dismounted at once to offer them my aid. But, when I could see their faces in the dim light of the moon, I was stunned into silence. They were, without question, the three most beautiful women I had ever seen. â€Å"They had such pale skin, I remember marveling at it. Even the little black-haired girl, whose features were clearly Mexican, was porcelain in the moonlight. They seemed young, all of them, still young enough to be called girls. I knew they were not lost members of our party. I would have remembered seeing these three. â€Å"‘He’s speechless,’ the tallest girl said in a lovely, delicate voice – it was like wind chimes. She had fair hair, and her skin was snow white. â€Å"The other was blonder still, her skin just as chalky. Her face was like an angel’s. She leaned toward me with half-closed eyes and inhaled deeply. â€Å"‘Mmm,’ she sighed. ‘Lovely.’ â€Å"The small one, the tiny brunette, put her hand on the girl’s arm and spoke quickly. Her voice was too soft and musical to be sharp, but that seemed to be the way she intended it. â€Å"‘Concentrate, Nettie,’ she said. â€Å"I’d always had a good sense of how people related to each other, and it was immediately clear that the brunette was somehow in charge of the others. If they’d been military, I would have said that she outranked them. â€Å"‘He looks right – young, strong, an officer. . . . ‘ The brunette paused, and I tried unsuccessfully to speak. ‘And there’s something more . . . do you sense it?’ she asked the other two. ‘He’s . . . compelling.’ â€Å"‘Oh, yes,’ Nettie quickly agreed, leaning toward me again. â€Å"‘Patience,’ the brunette cautioned her. ‘I want to keep this one.’ â€Å"Nettie frowned; she seemed annoyed. â€Å"‘You’d better do it, Maria,’ the taller blonde spoke again. ‘If he’s important to you. I kill them twice as often as I keep them.’ â€Å"‘Yes, I’ll do it,’ Maria agreed. ‘I really do like this one. Take Nettie away, will you? I don’t want to have to protect my back while I’m trying to focus.’ â€Å"My hair was standing up on the back of my neck, though I didn’t understand the meaning of anything the beautiful creatures were saying. My instincts told me that there was danger, that the angel had meant it when she spoke of killing, but my judgment overruled my instincts. I had not been taught to fear women, but to protect them. â€Å"‘Let’s hunt,’ Nettie agreed enthusiastically, reaching for the tall girl’s hand. They wheeled – they were so graceful! – and sprinted toward the city. They seemed to almost take flight, they were so fast – their white dresses blew out behind them like wings. I blinked in amazement, and they were gone. â€Å"I turned to stare at Maria, who was watching me curiously. â€Å"I’d never been superstitious in my life. Until that second, I’d never believed in ghosts or any other such nonsense. Suddenly, I was unsure. â€Å"‘What is your name, soldier?’ Maria asked me. â€Å"‘Major Jasper Whitlock, ma’am,’ I stammered, unable to be impolite to a female, even if she was a ghost. â€Å"‘I truly hope you survive, Jasper,’ she said in her gentle voice. ‘I have a good feeling about you.’ â€Å"She took a step closer, and inclined her head as if she were going to kiss me. I stood frozen in place, though my instincts were screaming at me to run.† Jasper paused, his face thoughtful. â€Å"A few days later,† he finally said, and I wasn’t sure if he had edited his story for my sake or because he was responding to the tension that even I could feel exuding from Edward, â€Å"I was introduced to my new life. â€Å"Their names were Maria, Nettie, and Lucy. They hadn’t been together long – Maria had rounded up the other two – all three were survivors of recently lost battles. Theirs was a partnership of convenience. Maria wanted revenge, and she wanted her territories back. The others were eager to increase their . . . herd lands, I suppose you could say. They were putting together an army, and going about it more carefully than was usual. It was Maria’s idea. She wanted a superior army, so she sought out specific humans who had potential. Then she gave us much more attention, more training than anyone else had bothered with. She taught us to fight, and she taught us to be invisible to the humans. When we did well, we were rewarded. . . .† He paused, editing again. â€Å"She was in a hurry, though. Maria knew that the massive strength of the newborn began to wane around the year mark, and she wanted to act while we were strong. â€Å"There were six of us when I joined Maria’s band. She added four more within a fortnight. We were all male – Maria wanted soldiers – and that made it slightly more difficult to keep from fighting amongst ourselves. I fought my first battles against my new comrades in arms. I was quicker than the others, better at combat. Maria was pleased with me, though put out that she had to keep replacing the ones I destroyed. I was rewarded often, and that made me stronger. â€Å"Maria was a good judge of character. She decided to put me in charge of the others – as if I were being promoted. It suited my nature exactly. The casualties went down dramatically, and our numbers swelled to hover around twenty. â€Å"This was considerable for the cautious times we lived in. My ability, as yet undefined, to control the emotional atmosphere around me was vitally effective. We soon began to work together in a way that newborn vampires had never cooperated before. Even Maria, Nettie, and Lucy were able to work together more easily. â€Å"Maria grew quite fond of me – she began to depend upon me. And, in some ways, I worshipped the ground she walked on. I had no idea that any other life was possible. Maria told us this was the way things were, and we believed. â€Å"She asked me to tell her when my brothers and I were ready to fight, and I was eager to prove myself. I pulled together an army of twenty-three in the end – twenty-three unbelievably strong new vampires, organized and skilled as no others before. Maria was ecstatic. â€Å"We crept down toward Monterrey, her former home, and she unleashed us on her enemies. They had only nine newborns at the time, and a pair of older vampires controlling them. We took them down more easily than Maria could believe, losing only four in the process. It was an unheard-of margin of victory. â€Å"And we were well trained. We did it without attracting notice. The city changed hands without any human being aware. â€Å"Success made Maria greedy. It wasn’t long before she began to eye other cities. That first year, she extended her control to cover most of Texas and northern Mexico. Then the others came from the South to dislodge her.† He brushed two fingers along the faint pattern of scars on his arm. â€Å"The fighting was intense. Many began to worry that the Volturi would return. Of the original twenty-three, I was the only one to survive the first eighteen months. We both won and lost. Nettie and Lucy turned on Maria eventually – but that one we won. â€Å"Maria and I were able to hold on to Monterrey. It quieted a little, though the wars continued. The idea of conquest was dying out; it was mostly vengeance and feuding now. So many had lost their partners, and that is something our kind does not forgive. . . . â€Å"Maria and I always kept a dozen or so newborns ready. They meant little to us – they were pawns, they were disposable. When they outgrew their usefulness, we did dispose of them. My life continued in the same violent pattern and the years passed. I was sick of it all for a very long time before anything changed . . . â€Å"Decades later, I developed a friendship with a newborn who’d remained useful and survived his first three years, against the odds. His name was Peter. I liked Peter; he was . . . civilized – I suppose that’s the right word. He didn’t enjoy the fight, though he was good at it. â€Å"He was assigned to deal with the newborns – babysit them, you could say. It was a full-time job. â€Å"And then it was time to purge again. The newborns were outgrowing their strength; they were due to be replaced. Peter was supposed to help me dispose of them. We took them aside individually, you see, one by one . . . It was always a very long night. This time, he tried to convince me that a few had potential, but Maria had instructed that we get rid of them all. I told him no. â€Å"We were about halfway through, and I could feel that it was taking a great toll on Peter. I was trying to decide whether or not I should send him away and finish up myself as I called out the next victim. To my surprise, he was suddenly angry, furious. I braced for whatever his mood might foreshadow – he was a good fighter, but he was never a match for me. â€Å"The newborn I’d summoned was a female, just past her year mark. Her name was Charlotte. His feelings changed when she came into view; they gave him away. He yelled for her to run, and he bolted after her. I could have pursued them, but I didn’t. I felt . . . averse to destroying him. â€Å"Maria was irritated with me for that . . . â€Å"Five years later, Peter snuck back for me. He picked a good day to arrive. â€Å"Maria was mystified by my ever-deteriorating frame of mind. She’d never felt a moment’s depression, and I wondered why I was different. I began to notice a change in her emotions when she was near me – sometimes there was fear . . . and malice – the same feelings that had given me advance warning when Nettie and Lucy struck. I was preparing myself to destroy my only ally, the core of my existence, when Peter returned. â€Å"Peter told me about his new life with Charlotte, told me about options I’d never dreamed I had. In five years, they’d never had a fight, though they’d met many others in the north. Others who could co-exist without the constant mayhem. â€Å"In one conversation, he had me convinced. I was ready to go, and somewhat relieved I wouldn’t have to kill Maria. I’d been her companion for as many years as Carlisle and Edward have been together, yet the bond between us was nowhere near as strong. When you live for the fight, for the blood, the relationships you form are tenuous and easily broken. I walked away without a backward glance. â€Å"I traveled with Peter and Charlotte for a few years, getting the feel of this new, more peaceful world. But the depression didn’t fade. I didn’t understand what was wrong with me, until Peter noticed that it was always worse after I’d hunted. â€Å"I contemplated that. In so many years of slaughter and carnage, I’d lost nearly all of my humanity. I was undeniably a nightmare, a monster of the grisliest kind. Yet each time I found another human victim, I would feel a faint prick of remembrance for that other life. Watching their eyes widen in wonder at my beauty, I could see Maria and the others in my head, what they had looked like to me the last night that I was Jasper Whitlock. It was stronger for me – this borrowed memory – than it was for anyone else, because I could feel everything my prey was feeling. And I lived their emotions as I killed them. â€Å"You’ve experienced the way I can manipulate the emotions around myself, Bella, but I wonder if you realize how the feelings in a room affect me. I live every day in a climate of emotion. For the first century of my life, I lived in a world of bloodthirsty vengeance. Hate was my constant companion. It eased some when I left Maria, but I still had to feel the horror and fear of my prey. â€Å"It began to be too much. â€Å"The depression got worse, and I wandered away from Peter and Charlotte. Civilized as they were, they didn’t feel the same aversion I was beginning to feel. They only wanted peace from the fight. I was so wearied by killing – killing anyone, even mere humans. â€Å"Yet I had to keep killing. What choice did I have? I tried to kill less often, but I would get too thirsty and I would give in. After a century of instant gratification, I found self-discipline . . . challenging. I still haven’t perfected that.† Jasper was lost in the story, as was I. It surprised me when his desolate expression smoothed into a peaceful smile. â€Å"I was in Philadelphia. There was a storm, and I was out during the day – something I was not completely comfortable with yet. I knew standing in the rain would attract attention, so I ducked into a little half-empty diner. My eyes were dark enough that no one would notice them, though this meant I was thirsty, and that worried me a little. â€Å"She was there – expecting me, naturally.† He chuckled once. â€Å"She hopped down from the high stool at the counter as soon as I walked in and came directly toward me. â€Å"It shocked me. I was not sure if she meant to attack. That’s the only interpretation of her behavior my past had to offer. But she was smiling. And the emotions that were emanating from her were like nothing I’d ever felt before. â€Å"‘You’ve kept me waiting a long time,’ she said.† I didn’t realize Alice had come to stand behind me again. â€Å"And you ducked your head, like a good Southern gentleman, and said, ‘I’m sorry, ma’am.'† Alice laughed at the memory. Jasper smiled down at her. â€Å"You held out your hand, and I took it without stopping to make sense of what I was doing. For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope.† Jasper took Alice’s hand as he spoke. Alice grinned. â€Å"I was just relieved. I thought you were never going to show up.† They smiled at each other for a long moment, and then Jasper looked back to me, the soft expression lingering. â€Å"Alice told me what she’d seen of Carlisle and his family. I could hardly believe that such an existence was possible. But Alice made me optimistic. So we went to find them.† â€Å"Scared the hell out of them, too,† Edward said, rolling his eyes at Jasper before turning to me to explain. â€Å"Emmett and I were away hunting. Jasper shows up, covered in battle scars, towing this little freak† – he nudged Alice playfully – â€Å"who greets them all by name, knows everything about them, and wants to know which room she can move into.† Alice and Jasper laughed in harmony, soprano and bass. â€Å"When I got home, all my things were in the garage,† Edward continued. Alice shrugged. â€Å"Your room had the best view.† They all laughed together now. â€Å"That’s a nice story,† I said. Three pairs of eyes questioned my sanity. â€Å"I mean the last part,† I defended myself. â€Å"The happy ending with Alice.† â€Å"Alice has made all the difference,† Jasper agreed. â€Å"This is a climate I enjoy.† But the momentary pause in the stress couldn’t last. â€Å"An army,† Alice whispered. â€Å"Why didn’t you tell me?† The others were intent again, their eyes locked on Jasper’s face. â€Å"I thought I must be interpreting the signs incorrectly. Because where is the motive? Why would someone create an army in Seattle? There is no history there, no vendetta. It makes no sense from a conquest standpoint, either; no one claims it. Nomads pass through, but there’s no one to fight for it. No one to defend it from. â€Å"But I’ve seen this before, and there’s no other explanation. There is an army of newborn vampires in Seattle. Fewer than twenty, I’d guess. The difficult part is that they are totally untrained. Whoever made them just set them loose. It will only get worse, and it won’t be much longer till the Volturi step in. Actually, I’m surprised they’ve let this go on so long.† â€Å"What can we do?† Carlisle asked. â€Å"If we want to avoid the Volturi’s involvement, we will have to destroy the newborns, and we will have to do it very soon.† Jasper’s face was hard. Knowing his story now, I could guess how this evaluation must disturb him. â€Å"I can teach you how. It won’t be easy in the city. The young ones aren’t concerned about secrecy, but we will have to be. It will limit us in ways that they are not. Maybe we can lure them out.† â€Å"Maybe we won’t have to.† Edward’s voice was bleak. â€Å"Does it occur to anyone else that the only possible threat in the area that would call for the creation of an army is . . . us?† Jasper’s eyes narrowed; Carlisle’s widened, shocked. â€Å"Tanya’s family is also near,† Esme said slowly, unwilling to accept Edward’s words. â€Å"The newborns aren’t ravaging Anchorage, Esme. I think we have to consider the idea that we are the targets.† â€Å"They’re not coming after us,† Alice insisted, and then paused. â€Å"Or . . . they don’t know that they are. Not yet.† â€Å"What is that?† Edward asked, curious and tense. â€Å"What are you remembering?† â€Å"Flickers,† Alice said. â€Å"I can’t see a clear picture when I try to see what’s going on, nothing concrete. But I’ve been getting these strange flashes. Not enough to make sense of. It’s as if someone’s changing their mind, moving from one course of action to another so quickly that I can’t get a good view. . . .† â€Å"Indecision?† Jasper asked in disbelief. â€Å"I don’t know. . . .† â€Å"Not indecision,† Edward growled. â€Å"Knowledge. Someone who knows you can’t see anything until the decision is made. Someone who is hiding from us. Playing with the holes in your vision.† â€Å"Who would know that?† Alice whispered. Edward’s eyes were hard as ice. â€Å"Aro knows you as well as you know yourself.† â€Å"But I would see if they’d decided to come. . . .† â€Å"Unless they didn’t want to get their hands dirty.† â€Å"A favor,† Rosalie suggested, speaking for the first time. â€Å"Someone in the South . . . someone who already had trouble with the rules. Someone who should have been destroyed is offered a second chance – if they take care of this one small problem. . . . That would explain the Volturi’s sluggish response.† â€Å"Why?† Carlisle asked, still shocked. â€Å"There’s no reason for the Volturi -â€Å" â€Å"It was there,† Edward disagreed quietly. â€Å"I’m surprised it’s come to this so soon, because the other thoughts were stronger. In Aro’s head he saw me at his one side and Alice at his other. The present and the future, virtual omniscience. The power of the idea intoxicated him. I would have thought it would take him much longer to give up on that plan – he wanted it too much. But there was also the thought of you, Carlisle, of our family, growing stronger and larger. The jealousy and the fear: you having . . . not more than he had, but still, things that he wanted. He tried not to think about it, but he couldn’t hide it completely. The idea of rooting out the competition was there; besides their own, ours is the largest coven they’ve ever found. . . .† I stared at his face in horror. He’d never told me this, but I guessed I knew why. I could see it in my head now, Aro’s dream. Edward and Alice in black, flowing robes, drifting along at Aro’s side with their eyes cold and blood-red. . . . Carlisle interrupted my waking nightmare. â€Å"They’re too committed to their mission. They would never break the rules themselves. It goes against everything they’ve worked for.† â€Å"They’ll clean up afterward. A double betrayal,† Edward said in a grim voice. â€Å"No harm done.† Jasper leaned forward, shaking his head. â€Å"No, Carlisle is right. The Volturi do not break rules. Besides, it’s much too sloppy. This . . . person, this threat – they have no idea what they’re doing. A first-timer, I’d swear to it. I cannot believe the Volturi are involved. But they will be.† They all stared at each other, frozen with stress. â€Å"Then let’s go,† Emmett almost roared. â€Å"What are we waiting for?† Carlisle and Edward exchanged a long glance. Edward nodded once. â€Å"We’ll need you to teach us, Jasper,† Carlisle finally said. â€Å"How to destroy them.† Carlisle’s jaw was hard, but I could see the pain in his eyes as he said the words. No one hated violence more than Carlisle. There was something bothering me, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. I was numb, horrified, deathly afraid. And yet, under that, I could feel that I was missing something important. Something that would make some sense out of the chaos. That would explain it. â€Å"We’re going to need help,† Jasper said. â€Å"Do you think Tanya’s family would be willing . . . ? Another five mature vampires would make an enormous difference. And then Kate and Eleazar would be especially advantageous on our side. It would be almost easy, with their aid.† â€Å"We’ll ask,† Carlisle answered. Jasper held out a cell phone. â€Å"We need to hurry.† I’d never seen Carlisle’s innate calm so shaken. He took the phone, and paced toward the windows. He dialed a number, held the phone to his ear, and laid the other hand against the glass. He stared out into the foggy morning with a pained and ambivalent expression. Edward took my hand and pulled me to the white loveseat. I sat beside him, staring at his face while he stared at Carlisle. Carlisle’s voice was low and quick, difficult to hear. I heard him greet Tanya, and then he raced through the situation too fast for me to understand much, though I could tell that the Alaskan vampires were not ignorant of what was going on in Seattle. Then something changed in Carlisle’s voice. â€Å"Oh,† he said, his voice sharper in surprise. â€Å"We didn’t realize . . . that Irina felt that way.† Edward groaned at my side and closed his eyes. â€Å"Damn it. Damn Laurent to the deepest pit of hell where he belongs.† â€Å"Laurent?† I whispered, the blood emptying from my face, but Edward didn’t respond, focused on Carlisle’s thoughts. My short encounter with Laurent early this spring was not something that had faded or dimmed in my mind. I still remembered every word he’d said before Jacob and his pack had interrupted. I actually came here as a favor to her. . . . Victoria. Laurent had been her first maneuver – she’d sent him to observe, to see how hard it might be to get to me. He hadn’t survived the wolves to report back. Though he’d kept up his old ties with Victoria after James’s death, he’d also formed new ties and new relationships. He’d gone to live with Tanya’s family in Alaska – Tanya the strawberry blonde – the closest friends the Cullens had in the vampire world, practically extended family. Laurent had been with them for almost a year previous to his death. Carlisle was still talking, his voice not quite pleading. Persuasive, but with an edge. Then the edge abruptly won out over the persuasion. â€Å"There’s no question of that,† Carlisle said in a stern voice. â€Å"We have a truce. They haven’t broken it, and neither will we. I’m sorry to hear that. . . . Of course. We’ll just have to do our best alone.† Carlisle shut the phone without waiting for an answer. He continued to stare out into the fog. â€Å"What’s the problem?† Emmett murmured to Edward. â€Å"Irina was more involved with our friend Laurent than we knew. She’s holding a grudge against the wolves for destroying him to save Bella. She wants -† He paused, looking down at me. â€Å"Go on,† I said as evenly as I could. His eyes tightened. â€Å"She wants revenge. To take down the pack. They would trade their help for our permission.† â€Å"No!† I gasped. â€Å"Don’t worry,† he told me in a flat voice. â€Å"Carlisle would never agree to it.† He hesitated, then sighed. â€Å"Nor would I. Laurent had it coming† – this was almost a growl – â€Å"and I still owe the wolves for that.† â€Å"This isn’t good,† Jasper said. â€Å"It’s too even a fight. We’d have the upper hand in skill, but not numbers. We’d win, but at what price?† His tense eyes flashed to Alice’s face and away. I wanted to scream out loud as I grasped what Jasper meant. We would win, but we would lose. Some wouldn’t survive. I looked around the room at their faces – Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Rose, Esme, Carlisle . . . Edward – the faces of my family. How to cite The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 13. NEWBORN, Essay examples

Ragtime Essay Example For Students

Ragtime Essay In the novel Ragtime there are many relationships. There are relationships between parents, and children, husband and wife, friendship, and lovers. Many of these relationships in Ragtime are sexual relationships. In Ragtime there is both intense, and subtle sexual relationships. A clear reason for these relationships is the interesting effects of them that make the novel, and characters so interesting, as well as a further more significant meaning for them. There are two main relationships within Ragtime that sexual activity takes place. These relationships are between Father and Mother, and Younger Brother and Evelyn Nesbit. The sexual activity between Father and Mother is used to describe their relationship, and the sexual activity by Younger Brother is used as a substitute for his violence, and force. The sexual activity that is greatest related to the theme happens in the relationship between Father and Mother. While these scenes between Mother, and Father certainly suggest sexual relations, they are certainly not as intensified as the passionate scenes between other characters such as Younger Brother and, Evelyn. After Mother, and Fathers relationship has been examined, one can see that the relationship between them is one that appears to be held together totally by sexual desire. The first mentioning of this is at the beginning of the novel. The author writes, On Sunday afternoon, after dinner, Father and Mother went upstairs and closed the bedroom door(p 4). Mother, and Fathers marriage is a happy one as long as they carry on to have a good, healthy physical relationship. Although in the beginning of Ragtime Mother and Fathers relationship was good, and healthy, by the end of Ragtime Mother had lost all feelings of love for Father, and Father I feel knew so. Mothers despite for Father is shown when he tells her that he will be taking their son to the baseball game on the following day. Doctorow writes, she was checked in her response, which was to condemn him for an idiot, and when he left the room she could only wonder that she had had that thought in the first place, so separated from any feeling of love(p 190). Mother clearly has lost all her love for Father. The reason for this is defined in the next quotation when Father comes back from his journey to the Artic. Doctorow writes, At night in bed Mother held him and tried to warm the small of his back, curled him into her as she lay against his back cradling his strange coldness. It was apparent to them both that this time hed stayed away too long(p 91-92). Mother and Fathers sexual encounters are comparable representation of their all-around relationship. When sex is good, their relationship is good; when sex is bad, their relationship is bad. This comparison is shown before Father leaves for his journey. Doctorow writes, He was solemn and attentive as befitted the occasion. Mother shut her eyes and held her hands over her ears. Sweat from Fathers chin fell on her breasts(p 10-11). Just as their sex is conventional, their relationship is, at this time, conventional. The clearest case of a violent sexual act is when Younger Brother falls out of the closet while watching Emma Goldman give Evelyn Nesbit a massage. He was clutching in his hands, as if trying to choke it, a rampant penis which, scornful of his intentions, whipped him about the floor, launching to his cries of ecstasy or despair, great filamented spurts of jism that traced the air like bullets and then settled slowly over Evelyn in her bed like falling ticker tape(Doctorow pg. 54). In this very detailed scene, the author displays Younger Brothers juvenile, almost adolescent side, by displaying his inadequacy to compose his sexual urges, and sexual behaviors. .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4 , .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4 .postImageUrl , .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4 , .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4:hover , .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4:visited , .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4:active { border:0!important; } .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4:active , .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4 .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9b16e3f85564558bbfa86e42e1a346a4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Brave New World Novel EssayIt is almost as if he had discovered a recent toy that did not want to be awakened from deep down inside of him. Now that he has discovered it, he must appease it. Once he fails to appease it, violence, and fury takes over him, and he joins Coalhouse Walkers gang. This relationship between sex and violence is first referred to in the beginning of Ragtime. The author writes, Across America sex and death were barely distinguishable(p 4). When he pleasures his bodily appetite, he has power over his life. As soon as he is cannot appease his sexual desires, he loses control and starts making bombs. He restores his sex drive with violence, and rage. In Ragtime the relationships I have discussed between Mother, and Father, and Younger brother, and Evelyn are both quite different as you can see. Both these relationships are used in Ragtime for different reasons. As one can see these relationships in Ragtime were weak ones. By the end of the novel Mother is married to Tateh, and has found real love. I think Mothers loss of love for Father was due to him always putting his work, and journeys first. Father in the end of the novel is dead due to his obsession with his work. Younger Brother is also dead due to his violence, which was stemmed from Evelyn and his relationship that had gone bad, and Evelyn is a washed-up has been who had her fifteen minutes of fame. I feel that both these relationships are important factors in Ragtime in making the characters the people that they are in the beginning of novel as well as the people they become, or the end results for these characters by the end of novel.

Prime Minister free essay sample

Second to the Governor General of Canada, the position of the Canadian Prime Minister is the single highest power a public servant can obtain. The residual power that the Governor General holds under the monarchy of Britain gives the Governor General the ultimate and final say in all major matters concerning Canada’s intergovernmental affairs. An example of this is Michelle Jean proroguing the parliament by the request of Steven Harper to delay a potential vote on the motion of non-confidence during 2008-2009 Canadian parliamentary disputes (CBC News, 2008). In a fair democratic process, the Prime Minister has a variety of powers that he or she can enforce while maintaining constant checks and balances within caucus, various opposing political parties and the very influential media. Here in Canada, under the constitutional monarchy of Britain, citizens are fortunate that the Prime Minister often acts rationally with the powers he or she has. Similar to the United States of America, they share the same standards under a democratic state that the Presidential role is held under check by other potential powers to be. We will write a custom essay sample on Prime Minister or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The ultimate right of a Prime Minister is to make the call for a general election; a very important and significant power. One of the most important calls a Canadian Prime Minister can make is to dissolve a government simply by seeking the consent of the Governor General of Canada. More recently with the move toward fixed election dates, the Prime Minister has limitations on his or her ability to call an election when they want; however, under specific and certain anomalies in parliament, this power can still be exercised. Expected requirements are the Prime Ministers right to appoint members to the cabinet, appoint civil servants, judges and senators. The Prime Minister has to keep constant communication with his Members of Parliament with daily/weekly cabinet meetings. This allows for the Prime Minister to stay on top of current and ongoing issues, and execute decisions. While the cabinet is a powerful group in itself, the ministers are responsible for their respective tasks, any poor judgment or efficiency issues can reflect poorly on the Prime Minister and may result in a cabinet shuffle which the Prime Minister can do whenever he or she pleases. In the British North America Act of 1867, section 91 outlines the powers and responsibilities of government, with a significant division of responsibilities between the provincial and federal governments (The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2013). An example of this would be: all issues pertaining to national defense are federal matters and all issues applicable to healthcare, for the most part, are provincial matters. This also allows for the Prime Minister to maintain checks and balance with provincial premiers to report to him frequently. The Council of the Federation ensures unity amongst all provinces and territories. All thirteen premiers meet with the Prime Minister to allow issues to be addressed, from health care, economic development to inter provincial trade. While under watch from each of the provinces premiers, they are always keeping the Prime Minister in check. This close monitoring goes both ways; there is most certainly federal pressure on provincial premiers; for example, when Pierre Trudeau implemented the Anti-Inflation Board in 1975 (The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2013). This bill froze wages, with the ultimate goal of stopping the high inflation in Canada at the time. This bill ultimately caused finance minister John Turner to resign over the issue. This issue was the result of numerous displeased Canadian citizens, who ensured their Premier was well aware of the anger this caused. This led to Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal government’s collapse, resulting in a Progressive Conservative minority. From Pierre Trudeau’s implementation of the War Measures act in 1970, and Jean Chretien’s refusal to take part in the Iraq war in 2003, are evident examples of the ultimate use of Prime Ministerial powers in Canadian political history. Looking back, these two specific cases were the right decisions; but at the time were extremely controversial because of the non-democratic manner in which they were executed. The Prime Minister can only effectively run a government with the confidence of the House of Commons, and in the past Canadians have seen governments fall before us because of non-confidence within the house. In the case of minority governments, they are often faced with having to â€Å"chew the fat† on certain issues in order for the house to support budgets. Depending on the issue, the Prime Minister will generally educate his party on how to vote on certain bills, which ultimately influences his or her MP’s, is a power in itself. However on some controversial topics such as The Civil Marriage Act in 2005, a bill focused on allowing members of the same sex to get married, Prime Minister Paul Martin permitted his MP’s to vote how they pleased, and p rovided no insight on how they should vote, avoiding the concept of â€Å"towing the party line†. In an ideal setting, for a Prime Minister to efficiently run government without uprising is to have a majority government, as we saw Jean Chretien’s eleven years as Prime Minister go without major backlash. The Canadian Prime Minister finds he or she holding a government which posses all powers for the entire duration of the term. Unlike the United States of Americas system, the government faces midterm elections every two years, and is subjected to a mandatory election every four years, as well as only being able to hold his or her position as Head of State for up to a maximum of eight years. In Canada’s parliamentary system, they show control over elections. Since May 2007, the Canada Elections Act states that a general election is held on a fixed date: â€Å"the third Monday of October in the fourth calendar year following the previous general election† (Canada Elections Act, 2007). Canadians are lucky in the sense that they are constantly able to gather information to what is happening on Parliament hill. Question period is open for the public to see and are alerted about various issues due to the heavy media coverage on Canadian politics. The coverage is so powerful that it keeps the Prime Minister in check by the tough questions and issues he or she is faced with on a regular basis. One major issue that allows the Prime Minister to execute such a high degree of ministerial power is the Cabinets ability to use party discipline to ensure it has its party’s support. MPs of the party are expected to â€Å"tow the party line†, to assist in guaranteeing the will of the PM is carried out. If any elected member of the Prime Ministers’ party were to vote against the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister has the technical executive power to expel the person from party if he or she pleases. As a result of this, the MP will then run as an independent Member of Parliament with limited resources for his or her own work and has no procedural rights to raise any issue in the Parliament. Jean Chretien demanded loyalty from his party and did not hesitate to punish MPs, which were affiliated to the same party they opposed (Granatstein Hillmer, 2000: p. 222). The Prime Minister has too much ministerial power in the sense that he or she is allowed to fire and hire any cabinet member at anytime. A clear example would be Brian Mulroney signing the North American Free Trade Agreement without informing other members of the cabinet (Hillmer Granatstein, 2000:p. 199). Although the Prime Minister does hold this position of power, intraparty politics can often be as intense as party vs. party politics (Samuels Shugart, 2010: p. 95). Party discipline diminishes Canadian democracy to an extent and goes against the ideology of a responsible government (Savoie, 2013; p. 252). The MPs can often find themselves afraid of performing and making motions based on their own personal beliefs because of the consequences the PM will impose on them, ultimately undercutting the abilities of MPs. Some argue to defend the current system that not all MPs disagree with the party leadership. There have been many cases in the political history of Canada where dissent had been voiced behind the doors and have caused policies or government initiatives to be dropped or amended. Compared to the US model, the elected representatives have a greater independence from their political party and results in a rather slow legislative processes. Some argue that if the Prime Minister had more power, he or she would be able to execute polices faster without going through all the procedures in the policy making process. Another major factor that dictates the power of the Prime minister is composition of the House of Commons. A Majority government consists of a minimum of 155 seats. When this is the case, the Prime Minister is able to push agendas without any resistance due to the Prime Ministers power that is derived from the party members of the House. The Prime minister is free to pick and choose any file he or she wants to deal with, giving the sense of a one party-state. Jean Chretien had three majority governments and this shows how serious the political powers are centralized within the Prime Minister and governing party. However under a Minority Government, the Prime Minister must make compromises by passing different pieces of agendas in exchange for confidence. Because of party discipline, the PM concentrates on obtaining support from opposition members to pass his legislations (Bickerton Gagnon, 2009: p. 145). The Members of Parliaments are no longer â€Å"nobodies†, as Trudeau has called them before (Leduc, 2010: p. 132). There is a shift of power from the Prime Minister and Cabinet to the elected members of the House. There are different strategies in which the Prime Minister can deal with a Minority Government. One way was to set up a coalition government of two or more parties to secure a majority of seats in the House. Steven Harpers opposes the idea of a coalition government. He seeks the opposition support for his legislative program and makes adjustments to satisfy other party’s requirements. A minority government maintains checks and balances for the party and Prime Minister in control, ultimately limiting the amount of power he or she has, and ensuring they exercise their power in a reasonable, democratic way. In conclusion, there are many factors that come in to play on whether the Canadian Prime Minister has too much power. In a majority government, the Canadian prime minister can exercise too much power if they feel the need to. They have the majority of the seats in the House of Commons, where they can ultimately manipulate their parties to act in the best interest of the Prime Minister. The prime minister can act irrationally if he or she pleases to do so, despite the implications his or her actions may have. Although, if the Prime Minister exercises too much power in an irrational way, there are things that can be done, by the Governor General in particular, to remove the current Prime Minister from their position. In the case of a minority government, the Prime Minister still has a significant amount of power, but not nearly as much in the case of a majority government. A minority government keeps the Prime Minister and the ruling party in check. The house is made up of a more even balance of MP’s from various parties, ultimately making the Prime Minister work on issues that pertain to both parties; otherwise nearly nothing will get done in Parliament. The reason for this is that the opposition parties will not support the Prime Minister only acting in the best interest of his or her own party, as the opposition holds enough power and voting right to make it so bills get shut down. Many factors reduce the Prime Ministers likelihood of acting irrational and overusing their power, which ultimately keeps them in check. Although they often exercise their power fairly, the Prime Minister in a majority government does hold too much power, and in all cases, they hold too much power over their party members, through mild, indirect coercion. The Prime Minister holds a lot of power, more than he or she should be able to exercise if they please, but this only becomes an issue if they act irrationally using those powers, in which case there is potential they can be forced out of their position ((Samuels Shugart, 2010: p. 96).

Depiction of teenagers in magazines Essay Example

Depiction of teenagers in magazines Essay Example Depiction of teenagers in magazines Essay Depiction of teenagers in magazines Essay The media is a very powerful way in which one persons view can be shown to millions of people. Writing, film making, art, music and journalism can challenge your views about being part of British society and the roles the people play in it. Theres a little Quote I like to add The medias the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and thats power. Because they control the minds of the masses Introduction Do the media paint a true picture of teenagers? Teenagers are very impressed by actors on the T.V or Pop stars and peer pressure is also huge factor. Adverts shows on the T. V, impress teenagers to buy expensive and design clothes or sport wear or make up for girls. All the teenagers want to look cool, fashion style and try to impress boys or girls. The teenagers come across Media e. g. T. V, Internet, Radio, Magazines, Bill boards and Leaflets and they are shown them by violence, powerful, strength, disrespectful, distracting schools or college, breaking the law, get drunk, get involve in illegal things and most things that they have got lots of confidence. Teenagers think that they are most powerful in Politics and they can make the teenagers to be good citizens in the country and also they think that can do anything they want, especially the boys because they are sporty, they want to be a gangster to impress or to get the girls. The boys think that they must have a girlfriend at the age of 15. Main body In my opinion in media I think that teenagers are misrepresented because in the Magazine they give opinions on how you should look and how you can attract boys and girls. When the teenagers read it, they wont follow what the book or magazine says and they just follow their own way and in their daily lives, youll see none of them like what the Magazine article says. Bob Geldof is the one who hits out at teen magazines, he doesnt want a magazine about how to get girls/boys, flirting and more. He wants these sorts of magazines to stop because he has a 3 teenagers daughters and he said, Its too sexual information for young teenagers children. Bob Geldof compares these magazines to pedophiles because of the sexual content. Two of the quotes that Bob Geldof said, Are they any less offensive than a 22 year old man going to and 11 year old and saying I am going to talk to you about sex, And If such a conversation happened, you would view it as sold, probably illegal and certainly Predatory. The news reporters or the media suppose Bob Geldof is known for being outspoken. Bob Geldof went tot the media itself to tell his opinion, once he went to BBC programmer Grumpy old men, in this programmed he admitted that he had not banned the magazine from his home but he was still outraged to see their contents. The good things about the magazine are they tell lots of advice s that you dont want to talk to your family about sex. It also has a child helpline with them, so when ever they need help about sex they can ring this child helpline, so they will give good answers to teenagers to understand about sex. The bad things about the magazine are its too sexual information and its not appropriate for teenagers. It has the words that the teenagers dont want to learn. Theres no useful idea or advice for teenagers. They were talking about how to be hot or how to do sex and also they made the teenagers to think about sex. In Cosmo girl front cover the sort of writing it had for girls. You can tell by the words, fonts (different variety of writing) in bold colour and finally the layout, when I mean layout 1 mean is what sort of fonts they use. Fonts like bold, Italic, size of writing and the different varieties of fonts e. g. Times new roman. They also use informal language e. g. EEK! Thats for the girls who wear a lot of clothes, put a lot of make up and girls is who try to attract boys and flirt with them. Straight away you can say this magazine for girls. (You can tell this by the title: Cosmo girl) and also on the front cover there is a signature saying Rachel Bilson that isnt really her signature because like I said theres different varieties of fonts. Finally that I can tell this front cover its for girls I that the colour they use blue and pink, theyre both primary colour inside the Cosmo Girl it will just talk about fashion, how to attract the boys and more. In Channel U video, the teenagers were wearing some attractive clothes (gangster or style) to impress the girls. Like e. g. the way they sing and move their moves like a really bad guy, some of their moves were sexually to the girls. Its like a gangster; they were tired to be a gangster. They were getting close to the girls by Dance, touching them. The teenagers would really enjoy this because its got a rap which is look like a gangster, when the teenagers watch gangster sort of rap/songs they all go hyper and act like theyre cool and strong and also its sexually explicit, revealing clothing for the girls, provocative, subservient, very aggressive style of shooting, violence, the way they move, body language, gangster attitudes and confrontational. In the Sketchers adverts there were two sorts of teenagers who were aimed at female and male. When the girls looked at the adverts they would think if we buy these trainers we will feel like the girl on the picture. The girl on the picture looks comfortable, good looking, relaxed and passive. On the other side boys point of view about the sketchers adverts is totally different from the girls point of view. When the boys look at the advert theyll think that theyll turn all active, strong, good looking, ready for anything and is control of themselves and other people. The body language is like aggressive, tough and strong and shape body. The body language shows you that they showing off their body and strengths. The stereo types are not all true because not all the boys in the world arent like that and also it makes you look like youre more active.

First Day Jitters Picture Book About Starting School

First Day Jitters Picture Book About Starting School First Day Jitters is an excellent book for an elementary school student (or first-time teacher) who is apprehensive about starting school. This humorous picture book was written by Julie Danneberg. Artist Judy Love created the comic and colorful illustrations in ink and watercolors. This is a funny book, with a surprise ending that will cause the reader to laugh out loud and then go back and read the entire story again. Kids starting middle school also find First Day Jitters amusing. A Story With a Twist Its the first day of school and Sarah Jane Hartwell does not want to get ready because she will be going to a new school. In fact, Sarah doesnt even want to get out of bed. When Mr. Hartwell tells her its time to get ready for school, she says, Im not going. Sarah complains that she hates her new school, I dont know anybody, and it will be hard, and...I just hate it, thats all. After much discussion, and no help from the familys feuding dog and cat, Sarah gets ready for school. By the time, Mr. Hartwell drops her off at school, she is terrified, but the principal greets her at the car and walks Sarah to her classroom. It is only on the last page  when Sarah is introduced to the class that the reader discovers that Sarah is not a student but the new teacher! The Author and Illustrator Author Julie Danneberg and illustrator Judy Love have continued the story of new teacher Sarah Jane Hartwell in the picture books First Year Letters (2003), Last Day Blues (2006), The Big Test (2011) and Field-Trip Fiasco (2015). First Day Jitters is also available in a Spanish edition Que Nervios! El Primer Dia de Escuela Julie Danneberg is a graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is a middle school teacher and the author of picture books for younger children and nonfiction for older children. Her other picture books include: ​​Monet Paints a Day, Cowboy Slim and Family Reminders. Her nonfiction books for middle-grade readers include: Women Writers of the West: Five Chroniclers of the Frontier, Women Artists of the West: Five Portraits in Creativity and Courage and Amidst the Gold Dust: Women Who Forged the West. In addition to illustrating Julie Danneberg’s books about Judy Love, a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, has illustrated childrens picture books for a number of other authors. The books include: Can I Bring My Pterodactyl to School, Ms. Johnson?, Can I Bring Woolly to the Library, Ms. Reeder?, Prickly Rose and I’d Choose You! (Sources: Julie Danneberg, Charlesbridge: Judy Love, Charlesbridge: Julie Danneberg) My Recommendation I recommend First Day Jitters for children ages 4 to 8. I have found that children get a kick out of the surprise ending and also find it reassuring to know that they are not alone in being apprehensive about the first day of school. I have also discovered that the book appeals to kids making the transition from elementary to middle school because of the humorous situation it portrays. First Day Jitters also makes a good gift for new teachers. Teachers who want to share the book with their class will be pleased to find that the publisher has provided a First Day Jitters Discussion Activity Guide to download. (Charlesbridge, 2000. ISBN: 9781580890540) More Recommended Books About Starting School See my article Best Children’s Books About Starting School for an annotated list of 15 good books about starting school, including books about starting kindergarten or preschool, going from kindergarten to first grade and changing schools.   For kids going to kindergarten who want details on what school is like, see my article Childrens Books About the First 100 Days of School.

Characteristics or habits of an effective political leader Essay

Characteristics or habits of an effective political leader - Essay Example This debate has been going on, ever since different forms of governance and political representation evolved. What Sima Qian, a second century BC historian, Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor of the second century AD, and Niccolo Machiavelli, a fifteenth century political philosopher have in common is their observations on the leadership qualities that a political leader ought to have. And the most interesting part of this comparison is that all these three political historians, in spite of them being very remote to each other in history, many times do prescribe the same qualities for a political leader. Aurelius has focused on the eternal and philosophical virtues that a leader needs to have. He has also advised an emperor to have a clear thought process, a good sense of reason, a composed mind and control over one’s emotions, especially, anger (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks). He has commanded, â€Å"look always at the whole. What is it that has made this impression on your senses ? Analyze it by breaking it down into cause, matter, purpose, and duration† (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks, 139). Aurelius (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks) has also stressed that â€Å"the character of reason and justice is one and the same† (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks, 123). ... Aurelius (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks) has reminded this by saying, â€Å"purge your mind of all aimless and idle thoughts, especially those that pry into the affairs of others or wish them ill† (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks, 34). Instead it is declared that â€Å"enjoyment is meant to be found in work too and that those who enjoy their work become totally absorbed in it, often forgetting to eat and drink and seek other forms of enjoyment† (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks,53). Controlling anger has been a recurring theme in Sima Quin, Aurelius and Machiavelli. It is suggested that a leader can become a success only when he/she has â€Å"unshakable composure, even in the midst of acute pain† (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks, 20). But Quin has revealed that his emperor, the first emperor of China, had a habit of getting angry for small reasons and acting upon it (78). But still he had been a success because he had his own effective means to make people fear or love him irrespective of his anger. His character is reflected in what Aurelius said almost 4 centuries after: Be like a rocky promontory against which the restless surf continually pounds; it stands fast while the churning sea is lulled to sleep at its feet. I hear you say, â€Å"How unlucky that this should happen to me!† Not at all! Say instead, â€Å"How lucky that I am not broken by what has happened (51). A prince should be able to win people over to his side (Machiavelli, 60). But he (Machiavelli) has also prescribed to rule by evoking fear rather than love because he believes that â€Å"men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared† (90). Sima Quin has also expressed faith in the effectiveness of fear and elaborated upon how the

Dream for Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Dream for Case Study - Essay Example Once I am up, everything in the room appears in miniature, and perhaps even gets smaller as I struggle to find my school uniform. When I eventually find my school uniform it is, of course, too small. I tuck it under my arm and leave my bedroom - only just managing to fit through the door. I call out to my mother, telling her that my clothes have shrunk. I feel as though my mother must have done something wrong the last time she washed my uniform, and expect her to somehow be able to fix the problem. As I walk down the hallway of the house that leads to the dining room, the hall begins to shrink, and it seems to get longer and longer. The hallway stretches out for about 800 metres, and at different times I feel tired and disillusioned and feel as though I may never reach the end. As I walk I continue to call out to my mother. At first I am angry, then sad, then pleasant, trying different strategies that I feel might get her attention. I feel aware that she can hear me - but is just ignoring me. There are wild cats running back and forth across the hallway in front of me, going from rooms on one side of the hall, into rooms on the other. The cats are mangy and feral and look very startled to see me. At one time I can see around five of them gathered at the end of the hallway in the distance - but by the time I am near to the end they have scurried away. I am glad they are gone because, even though they seemed afraid of me, I was equally wary of them. I notice clumps of cat hair on the floor and think that the cats must have had a fight in the hallway. I feel even more relieved that they are gone. Eventually I reach the dining room door and squeeze through. Once inside the dining room, everything appears relatively normal. I am still fully grown, but the room is its normal size, and so are my parents, who are both at the table eating their breakfast. I hold up my tiny school uniform and try to tell my mother it has shrunk - but can't speak. She looks up and sees me holding the uniform and looks angry. She stands up and slams her hand down on the table, saying "What have you done, mister" My father looks up disapprovingly and shakes his head, then returns to eating his breakfast. He is eating sausages and eggs, and I notice he is trying to cut them up using a tiny, miniature knife and fork. I look down and notice his right hand shrinking. I think: 'Oh no, he's shrinking too - it's starting again.' I look away and try to pretend I didn't see it. I am scared my mother will blame me for shrinking him. My mother grabs the uniform off me and throws it in the garbage disposal. When she turns on the garbage disposal it makes a loud shriek - like a woman screaming in agony - but noone seems to notice the sound except me. My mother says: "You will just have to go to school naked - again." I look down and realise that I have no clothes on and panic and feel embarrassed, then I notice that she said 'again' - and feel even more humiliated. I start struggling to recall when I had previously been to school naked - but can't remember any such incident. I start to feel compelled to correct my mother, and explain that I had never been to school without my clothes on - but she refuses to listen and gets angry - telling me to hurry up and eat my breakfast. I steal a glance at my father and his hand is back to normal, I feel relieved and start to eat my breakfast - which is also sausages and eggs. As I start to eat, it

Carl Gustav Jung Essay Example for Free

Carl Gustav Jung Essay Carl Gustav Jung, (26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961), was a Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist, and the founder of analytical psychology. His work and influence extends way beyond understanding personality, and he is considered to be one of the greatest thinkers to have theorised about life and how people relate to it. However, for the purpose of this assignment I will concentrate on Jung’s theory of Psychological Types. In this essay I aim to demonstrate an understanding of Jung’s personality types by describing and evaluating his theory and to show how they might useful in helping a therapist to determine therapeutic goals. Jung (1990, p.531) states that’ from earliest times, attempts have been made to classify individuals according to types, and so bring order to the chaos. The oldest attempts known to us were made by oriental astrologers who devised the so-called trigons of the four elements air, water, earth, and fire. The air trigon in the horoscope consists of the three aerial signs of the zodiac, Aquarius, Gemini, Libra; the fire trigon is made up of Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. According to this age old view, whoever is born in these trigons shares in their aerial or fiery nature and will have a corresponding temperament and fate.‘ In the same paragraph, Jung states that ‘the astrological type theory, to the astonishment of the enlightened, still remains intact today,’ which is true. Closely connected with the astrological type theory is the division into the four temperaments which corresponds to the four humors (Jung, 1990, p.531). A Greek physician, Claudius Galen (AD130 200), distinguished four basic temperaments: the sanguine, the phlegmatic, the choleric, and the melancholic. Galen’s theory goes back to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates’ (460 370BC), who described physical illness as being caused by the balance of bodily fluids, or humors as he labelled them’ (Maltby, et al, 2007, p.159). These bodily fluids are blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. Galen expanded on Hippocrates’ theory and applied it to describe human personality, stating that when the humors were in balance, an equitable temperament was the result, however, if the humors were out of balance, then physical illness and mental disturbance occurred (Maltby et al, 2007, p.160). However, ‘by the time of the Middle Ages, scholars dismissed the idea that bodily fluids were directly implicated in personality traits. But the behavioural descriptions associated with the four humours lived on’ (McAdams, 2000, p.256). Galen’s four temperaments provided much inspiration and historical reference for Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types. According to Jung’s theory we are all different in fundamental ways and each psychological type has a different idea of what it means to achieve personal success. However, www.personalitypage.com states that, ‘so many people are hung up on somebody else’s idea of what it means to be successful, that they are unaware of what is truly important to them‘. I agree, because for many years, I wanted to be somebody else as that person’s life seemed so much better than mine, or so I thought at the time. Jung was one of the few psychologists in the twentieth century to maintain that development extends beyond childhood and adolescence through mid-life and into old age (Stevens, 2001, p.38). Jung insisted that ‘we never finish the process of self-examination and growth that charts our journey towards individuation.’ (Snowdon, 2010, p.86). In my case, I believe I am on that journey of accepting myself as I truly am, becoming my true ‘self‘. Stevens (2001, p.38) claims that ‘it could be brought to the highest fruition if one worked with and confronted the unconscious,’ and for me, it is and has been important to face the ‘monsters that lurk’ (Snowdon, 2010, p.86) in my unconscious, even when it has been uncomfortable to do so. According to Jung, like Freud, there are three levels of consciousness in the psyche (mind);- conscious, personal unconscious and collective unconscious. Snowdon (2010, p.56) states that ‘the individual psyche is always changing as it seeks growth and wholeness.’ Jung referred to the ego when describing the more conscious aspect of the personality, the part of the psyche that selects perceptions, thoughts, feelings and memories that may enter our conscious awareness. Stevens (2002, p. 62) states that ‘the ego is then centre of consciousness and is responsible for our continuing sense of identity.’ The personal unconscious comprises of ‘all the acquisitions of personal life, everything forgotten, repressed, subliminally perceived, thought, felt’ (Jung, 1990, p.485). This is an aspect of the unconscious that Freud also emphasized and these forgotten experiences are accessible to consciousness, and for both Freud and Jung, ‘the exploration of the unconscious is the key to personal insight’ (McAdams, 2000, p. 135). Conscious attitudes within the psyche should always be balanced by unconscious attitudes, and Snowdon (2010, p.56) claims that ‘if a conscious attitude grows too strong then the unconscious will always seek to restore equilibrium,’ by means of dreams, fantasies, slips of the tongue and so on. However, if the unconscious message is ignored, then ‘neurosis or even disease may result’ (Stevens, 2010, p.57). Where the personal unconscious is unique for each individual the collective unconscious is not an ‘individual acquisition but rather the functioning of the inherited brain structure, which in its broad outlines is the same in all human beings (Jung, 1954, p.117). Therefore, the collective unconscious represents the shared experiences, emotions and memories we have inherited from previous generations. Jung believed that we were born with a built-in human developmental programme, which is buried deep within the collective unconscious (Snowdon, 2010, p. 80). According to Jung, the personal unconscious contains various complexes, while the collective unconscious contains archetypes (see Fig 1) ‘Complexes are related groups of emotionally charged ideas, thoughts and images’ (Snowdon, 2010, p.61), and can exert a strong influence on the thoughts and behaviour of a person. Some complexes may be beneficial and others may be potentially harmful, and Jung (1990, p.529) states that ‘complexes do not necessarily indicate inferiority. It only means that something discordant, unassimilated, antagonistic exists, perhaps as an obstacle, but also as an incentive to greater effort, and so, perhaps to new possibilities of achievement.’ Therefore, a therapist may use this knowledge to bring to the forefront of the client’s consciousness, a situation which they may be finding difficult to overcome. Complexes can be related to a particular archetype, Stevens (2001, p.48) states that ‘complexes are personifications of archetypes; they are the means through which archetypes manifest themselves in the personal psyche.’ An archetype is a universal thought form or predisposition to respond to the world in certain ways (Jung, 1936), and Jung believed they appeared to us in dreams, myths, religions, art and symptoms. Engler (1991, p.86) claimed that ‘it is helpful for us to get in touch with them because they represent the latent potentially of the psyche.’ The widely recognised archetypes are the persona, the shadow, the anima and the animus, and the self. The persona archetype is the mask that a person wears to hide their true nature from society. The shadow is an unconscious part of the personality that contains weaknesses and other aspects of personality that a person cannot admit to having’ (Snowdon, 2010, p.68). The anima is the unconscious feminine aspect of a man’s personality, and the animus is the masculine aspect of a woman’s personality. The self is the central archetype and true midpoint of the personality (Engler, 1991, p.89). A criticism of Jung’s theory was his lack of empirical research, in which his theory has been attacked as being non-falsifiable and unscientific (Hergenhahn, 1994, p.93). Jung based his psychology on explorations of his own inner world, as well as his work with people ranging from ‘normal’ to those with neurotic problems and even those suffering from psychosis (Snowdon, 2010, p.XXVI). Eysenck (Engler, 2009, p.316) believed that from the point of view of science, Jung’s contribution to the study of personality types was primarily negative as he permitted mystical notions to override empirical data. However, Jung was unconcerned claiming that he ‘cannot experience himself as a scientific problem. Myth is more individual and expresses life more precisely that does science (Stevens, 2001, p.156).’ Jung’s description of personality states that in order to identify a psychological type, it is necessary to determine whether a person’s psychic energy (libido) is turned inwards towards the subject (introversion), or outwards towards the object (extroversion). Introverts are people who prefer their own inner world of thoughts and feelings, whilst extroverts prefer the external world towards external relationships and objects. According to Jung (1990, p.415) ‘the presence of two attitudes is extremely frequent,’ although one is generally dominant and conscious and the other is subordinate and unconscious. However, McAdams (2000, p.310) claims that ‘Eysenck, a British psychologist of German origin, rejected the idea that conscious extroversion is connected to unconscious introversion, and vice versa.’ Unlike Jung, Eysenck linked extroversion and introversion to differences in brain activity, however this theory is speculative and Eysenck acknowledged that his hypotheses ‘must stand and fall by empirical confirmation’ (Eysenck, 1965). Introvert and extrovert dimensions are now found in several theories, one of those being Hans Eysenck’s theory of personality. Although Eysenck expressed considerable disdain for Jung’s approach to psychological types, some of his ideas were rather similar, for example, ’both defined the concepts by making reference to the direction of a person’s approach to life’ (McAdams, 2000, p.309). However, in other ways Eysenck’s concepts were quite difference, for example, whilst Jung believed that a person can be classified as either extroverted or introverted, he believed that most people fall somewhere between the two attitudes, ‘combining qualities of both the extroverted and introverted poles’ (McAdams, p. 310). Like Jung, Eysenck examined historical approaches to personality as well as conducting various methods of research, to uncover the underlying structure of personality. Eysenck suggested that the basic dimensions of personality may be summarised in the diagram below (see Fig 2), which show the two main dimensions of extroversion-introversion and stable-unstable, with the traits associated with each personality type. The diagram also shows how the four temperaments are related to these types.

bloodmac Shakespeares Macbeth - Images and Imagery of Blood and Sleep

Blood and Sleep Imagery in Macbeth  Ã‚   Macbeth screams imagery!   Shakespeare uses imagery of blood and sleep   to create an atmosphere of horror, during the killing of Duncan, which contributes to our sense of Macbeth's growing insanity.   Eventually Lady Macbeth's final scene is enhanced with the use of blood imagery which reflects her guilt.   Shakespeare's use of imagery connects the feeling of horror from audience to play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Macbeth held such potential for himself. He was honoured Thane of Cawdor,   and who knows what else Duncan had in store for him.   Unfortunately he chose not to find out, by murdering the king.   The scene of Duncan's murder (II, ii) demonstrates the guilt and feeling that the blood diffuses into the air.   When he returns to his chamber Lady Macbeth notices that he has brought back the blood covered daggers with him.   She persuades him to bring them back to the scene of death, but he refuses by saying  Ã‚   " I'll go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on't again I dare not. " Lady Macbeth responds ruthlessly to her husband, " Infirm of purpose!   Give me the daggers.   The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures. 'Tis the eye of child hood that fears a painted devil.   If he do bleed, I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal, for it must seem their guilt."   Lady Macbeth tells her husband that he was acting like a child and went by herself to smear blood upon the kings grooms so it will seem like they did it.   Lady Macbeth returns from Duncan's chamber telling Macbeth that her hands are covered in blood just like his.   She encourages Macbeth to wash the blood from his hands to remove the evidence from their presence.   " My hands are of your color... I hear a knocking...A little... ... come, come, give me your hand!   What's done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed!"   Lady Macbeth is haunted by her guilt.   The blood that was shed disturbs her conscience so much that she can't hide from it. Works Cited and Consulted: Campbell, Lily B. "Macbeth : A Study in Fear." Readings on Macbeth. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1999. 126-35. Foakes, R.A. "Images of Death in Macbeth." In Focus on Macbeth. Ed. John Russell Brown. Boston: Routledge, 1987. James IV of Scotland. "Daemonologie." In Minor Prose Works. Ed. James Craigie. Edinburgh: Scottish Text Society, 1982. Muir, Kenneth. "Introduction." In Macbeth. Ed. Kenneth Muir. New York: Routledge, 1992. Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Kenneth Muir. New York: Routledge, 1992. Truax, E. "Imagery in Macbeth" Comparative Drama 23. 1990:359-76.

Paradise Road Notes Essay

Bruce Beresford first gained wide critical success as director of Breaker Morant (1980), a landmark film about three Australian soldiers wrongfully executed for alleged war crimes during the Boer War. Like Breaker Morant, Paradise Road (1997) is based on a true story. Beresford again takes up the theme of Australians’ involvement in war – this time during World War II. This film, however, is not about the exploits of soldiers; it’s about the resilience of women prisoners of war. Beresford researched the story extensively, studying the diaries of prisoners and Japanese historical material to understand the events from both points of view. On The Movie Show (http://www.sbs.com.au/films/movie/3156/Paradise/Road) in June 1997, Beresford explained that there were many ‘prison camp’ films about the heroism of men. What he wanted to convey in Paradise Road was the heroism and resourcefulness of women, and he wanted also to celebrate their ability to create beauty in the dreadful conditions of the jungle prison camp. After the film’s release, some American critics accused Beresford of being anti-Japanese and argued that these things were best forgotten, but Beresford insisted that the story needed to be told. He tried to play down the atrocities and to portray events as he believed they had happened. Encountering Conflict in Paradise Road Paradise Road explores ideas about conflict and examines the many ways in which people encounter conflict. For example: †¢ The historical setting of the film is the global conflict of World War II. †¢ This conflict is a military one, fuelled by political conflicts which, in 1939, finally erupted into the violent conflict of global warfare. †¢ The geographical setting is the tropical island of Sumatra, where the prisoners are often in conflict with the hostile physical environment. †¢ Compounding the political conflict are deeply embedded cultural and racial tensions. As Mrs Tippler points out, the people the Japanese most dislike are ‘Europeans, prisoners and women’. The guards’ treatment of the women highlights the cultural divide between the Western female captives and their Asian male captors. †¢ Inner (personal) conflict is also encountered by the women who are often pushed to breaking point by the cruelty of the Japanese soldiers, such as when they are forced to witness the injustice of Wing’s execution in silence. †¢ The prisoners sometimes find themselves experiencing interpersonal conflict as the hardships they encounter make them edgy and vulnerable. Discussion questions †¢ What are the consequences of conflict for individuals, communities and society as a whole? †¢ Can conflict be the catalyst for positive social or individual changes? †¢ Does inner conflict lead to external conflict? †¢ Will cultural differences always result in conflict? †¢ Why do acts of cruelty seem to be part of wars that arise from political conflicts? Conflict can have tragic consequences for ordinary people The women in Paradise Road are quintessentially ‘ordinary’. The characters in the film are based on real people: nurses or wives of prominent officials and civilians. These women are caught up in the global conflict of World War II and those who manage to survive are, despite any positive outcomes, dreadfully damaged by their encounter with conflict. Beresford makes the point that innocent people too often become caught up in, and suffer from the effects of, conflicts that are not of their own making. The audience is strongly positioned to identify with the three main characters, Adrienne, Margaret and Susan, as they come to terms with the harsh and often tragic conditions of their situation. In the film’s opening scene, we see a glimpse of the sheltered and ordinary lives led by women who were somewhat peripheral to the conflict of war. Now, plunged into a frighteningly violent and unfamiliar world, they encounter the tragic consequences of the conflict. On the journey to the camp, Beresford highlights the ordinary qualities of the women as they struggle to retain their meagre possessions or endeavour to help each other endure the long walk. Fearful, hungry and exhausted, the women are herded like cattle. On their arrival in Sumatra they see the severed head of a political prisoner displayed on a pole in the public square. The victim, a local man accused of spying, was also an ordinary person. His wife, Wing, is perhaps the film’s most tragic figure. Having risked her life to procure black-market quinine tablets for Mrs Roberts, Wing is caught. She is set alight and burns to death as the assembled prisoners are forced to watch in horrified silence. The effect on them is profound; nothing in their previous experience could have prepared them to cope with such utter cruelty. The tragedies that befall the prisoners become part of their daily lives, as some succumb to the effects of untreated illness. The scene with the two children making simple wooden coffins for dead babies clearly highlights the tragedy of war in the lives of ordinary people, and suggests that no cause could justify the terrible consequences of violent conflict. Children are a symbol of innocence in the film. The death of the child whom Adrienne tries to protect on the Prince Alfred encapsulates Beresford’s key contention: that the innocent suffer most in situations of extreme conflict.The camp cemetery, with its rows upon rows of white crosses, is shown as the camera pans across the prison compound during a performance of the vocal orchestra, revealing the large numbers of prisoners who died during the course of their internment. In deliberately avoiding a heroic narrative about death in battle in defence of ‘king and country’, Beresford asks us to be aware of the shattered lives of ordinary people caught up in violent global conflict. Rosemary Leighton-Jones is another of the film’s tragic figures. Her kindness and beauty evoke the audience’s sympathy and we see, in Singapore, her love for her husband Dennis, as they discuss their plans for a future together. This sustains Rosemary through her ordeal in the camp and gives her the strength to support others. When she sees that Dennis has been captured whilst trying to escape from the men’s prison camp, and realises that his execution is inevitable, Rosemary loses the will to live. The tragedy of Rosemary’s death is rendered all the more bitter as it occurs during the removal of the women prisoners to a more remote camp where she glimpses Dennis under heavy guard. Ironically, the women are moved because of the advance of the Americans and the impending defeat of the Japanese in the Pacific. Mrs Roberts and Margaret also die – tragically – just as their liberation is imminent. The damaging effects of conflict are also evident in other relationships. Rosemary’s supportive relationship with the shy Dutch girl, Helen, crosses the cultural boundaries that divide some of the other prisoners, and the friendship strengthens Helen. Her grief at Rosemary’s death reinforces Beresford’s condemnation of war on the grounds that too many innocent people become its tragic victims. Adrienne is similarly devastated by the death of her friend and fellow-musician, Margaret. In a relationship that crosses class boundaries, Margaret and Adrienne unite and inspire the other women. In doing do, they convey another of Beresford’s central messages – that in times of conflict, ordinary people can do extraordinary things. This positive outcome, however, does not significantly diminish the tragic consequences of war; the ultimate deaths of such characters as Margaret and Rosemary are rendered the more poignant for the strength and wisdom they demonstrated in an extreme situation. The film also shows how extreme conflict situations place ordinary people under unusual pressure, provoking and exacerbating conflicts on a personal level, both between and within individuals. Stressed, sorrowing and deprived, some of the women in Paradise Road find themselves placed in a morally and politically compromised situation when confronted with the choice as to whether to remain at the Japanese ‘officers’ club’, providing sex in return for food and comfort, or to return to the camp. Those who elect to accept the bribe of the officers are not only prostituting themselves but are also consorting with the enemy. Similarly, Adrienne is placed in a compromising position when she’s asked if the orchestra will perform a Japanese folk-song for Colonel Hirota. She refuses, risking severe punishment. While she makes a different choice to that of the women of the officers’ club, Beresford emphasises that war, and the struggle for survival, places severe and unusual pressure on individuals, which can cause them to behave in ways they would not ordinarily behave; as Sister Wilhelminia wisely acknowledges, it is not fair to judge the actions of others in times of extreme conflict. Similarly, the extreme conditions under which the women must live also results in interpersonal conflict. Mrs Tippler, the outsider, tries to undermine the solidarity of the group through criticism of the orchestra. There is also tension between the Dutch and the English-speaking women, which erupts in an argument over soap. This incident illustrates the corrosive effects of conflict on ordinary people, who can be not only physically harmed by violent conflict, but who are also prey to subtler damage. Beresford positions us to consider how we ourselves might respond in circumstances of similar hardship and, while he celebrates the general resilience and courage of the women, he ultimately condemns the brutality and the futility of war. Discussion questions †¢ Ordinary people can respond in surprising ways to conflict situations. What factors do you believe can affect the way we react to conflict? †¢ In order to survive conflict, we need a reason to live. Do you agree? †¢ Does self-interest determine people’s actions when they encounter conflict? †¢ To what extent can we condemn people for making decisions based on their need to survive? †¢ Is it ever justifiable t o sacrifice your principles in order to survive? Conflict can bring out the best and the worst in people The responses of the women prisoners to their encounters with conflict are very different. The character of Adrienne Pargiter is the main vehicle for the exploration of ideas about courage and resilience in the face of conflict. Adrienne emerges as a natural leader in the prison camp. Her response to conflict is to maintain her dignity and to resist, as far as possible, the unjust authority of the Japanese guards. In forming the vocal orchestra, Adrienne responds to the tragedy of Wing’s death through her belief in the healing power of music and her desire to draw the women together. They have all been traumatised by Wing’s execution and the racial and class boundaries which divide them lead to conflict with each other, which must be resolved if they are to survive. Adrienne is determined to assert something of her own Western cultural heritage at a time when it is under attack. She is also   courageous enough to defend herself from a physical attack by a drunken Japa nese soldier, despite the fact that striking him is an offence punishable by death. Conflict brings out the best in Adrienne and, through her courageous challenge to unjust authority, she emerges as a symbol of hope for oppressed and disempowered people everywhere. In the midst of conflict Adrienne forms a close relationship with Margaret Drummond, recognising the humane qualities they share. Margaret draws strength from her religious faith and provides a focal point for the group when they need spiritual comfort. Her words at Wing’s funeral help ease the shock and pain they all feel. Margaret’s quiet determination is evident when she stands up to ‘The Snake’, whose terrifying visit to their quarters to recruit volunteers for the officers’ club is met with her calm and polite question: ‘What can we do for you, Sergeant Tomiashi?’ She also defies the authority of Colonel Hirota when she attempts to take water to Susan. Margaret’s encounter with conflict strengthens her capacity for Christian charity – as she explains to Adrienne, she can’t hate the Japanese, only pity them. Margaret epitomises the comfort and strength drawn by many from religious belief during times of bitter conflict. Susan Macarthy finds an unexpected inner strength in response to conflict. She stands up to Mrs Tippler, the destructive and divisive presence among the prisoners, and angrily accuses Colonel Hirota of human rights violations. She also finds the strength to endure a horrifyingly cruel punishment and unites the other women in their support and admiration of her. These three characters embody the most positive ways of responding to conflict. Sergeant Tomiashi also ultimately discovers inner reserves of compassion as a result of his experience of conflict. Despite his cultural predisposition to despise women, foreigners and prisoners, he is so moved by the music of the vocal orchestra that he humbles himself before Adrienne, singing to her alone in the forest. Tomiashi’s encounter with conflict, and the opportunity it gives him to observe and understand a group of people he has been conditioned to dislike, changes him for the better, as demonstrated by his respectful removal of his cap as Margaret’s funeral procession passes. By contrast, a highly negative response to conflict is exhibited by Mrs Tippler, who becomes even more critical and pessimistic as the women’s stay in the camp goes on. She grows spiteful and resentful, exacerbating racial tensions with her accusations against the Dutch, and accusing Adrienne of endangering their lives with the vocal orchestra. Mrs Dickson and Mrs Pike initially side with her but eventually see how destructive her attitude is. By the end of the film, her negativity has completely isolated her. Her eating of potentially toxic snails reveals a selfdestructive impulse, exemplifying her refusal to make positive changes in the face of conflict. Through the unsympathetically constructed character of Mrs Tippler, Beresford shows us that if conflict situations can bring out the best in some individuals, for others the strain induced by high conflict situations can be corrosive, provoking anger and resentment, to the detriment both of the individual and those around them. While Beresford suggests that Mrs Tippler’s negative attitude ultimately harms herself more than it does others by his unflinching portrayal of the horrors of the prison camp, he also positions the viewer to understand how extreme situations can provoke extreme reactions in people. Discussion questions †¢ Do you agree that people’s response to conflict reveals who they truly are? Is this what the film shows us? †¢ Why do some people choose to be outsiders in times of conflict? †¢ Why are some people able to make positive changes as a response to encountering conflict, while others are not? Conflict can unite families and communities As a response to conflict, the community of women prisoners is very much united by the vocal orchestra (with the notable exception of Mrs Tippler). The orchestra firstly unites Adrienne and Margaret across the divisive boundaries of class, which have previously prevented women from the upper ranks of colonial society (like Adrienne) from associating with missionaries, like Margaret. Through her encounter with conflict, Adrienne becomes aware and ashamed of her snobbery and apologises to Margaret. Adrienne is distraught when Margaret dies, recognising her as a genuine friend and a woman of strength, courage and integrity. Mrs Roberts is another snobbish woman who expresses concern about the kinds of people she might be mixing with if she joins the orchestra. Her racial prejudice against the Malayan prisoners is condemned by her daughter, Celia, who bluntly informs her of the reasons for Wing’s black market dealings. Mrs Roberts is mortified and reassesses her values – a very beneficial outcome of her encounter with conflict which enables her to develop in positive ways. She joins the orchestra as a sign of her participation in the community of prisoners. The Dutch and the Anglo-Saxon prisoners initially regard each other with suspicion that sometimes erupts into hostility. The conflict over the soap shows how easily something trivial can ignite a conflict when underlying tensions have not been resolved. It takes the intervention of Sister Wilhelminia (the voice of wisdom and tolerance) to defuse the conflict and restore order. However, it is the participation of Dutch prisoners such as Mrs Cronje in the vocal orchestra that most effectively breaks down racial barriers and diffuses residual tensions. Susan’s reluctance to join, based on her dislike of classical music, is overcome by Adrienne’s gentle persistence, showing that generational boundaries can be dissolved by music, and also by uniting in a worthwhile common purpose, whatever it might be. The smiling, shining faces of the singers as they perform works by Dvorak and Ravel amidst the squalor of the prison camp show not only how strongly they are united by their participation in the orchestra, but also how the beauty of the music can transcend the appalling conditions of prison life. The music also symbolically unites the living and the dead, as suggested by the camera panning across the graves in the cemetery as the orchestra sings. Even some of the orchestra’s strongest critics have, by the end, joined and become part of the community. Mrs Dickson, a supporter of the unpleasant Mrs Tippler, admits that joining the orchestra was the best thing she’d ever done. As well as establishing strong bonds between the prisoners, the vocal orchestra goes a long way towards making tentative connections between the prisoners and the guards through their shared appreciation of classical music. Sergeant Tomiashi’s wistful expression as he listens to the orchestra, and his angry dismissal of an  interruption from another soldier, suggest his feelings of connection with the music, and thus with the women who provide it. Colonel Hirota, too, enjoys the music. Despite the ban on congregating or writing imposed on the prisoners, the vocal orchestra is permitted to continue practising and performing and the Japanese officers attend as guests. This is an endorsement of the music (and, implicitly, of Western culture). Colonel Hirota’s gift to Adrienne is an affirmation of her creative spirit and her courage, both of which have been instrumental in forging bonds in the community of which all the characters are inescapably a part. The one exception to this is Mrs Tippler, who resolutely distances herself from the orchestra and all it represents. She is perhaps the only character who gains nothing positive from her encounter with conflict. Discussion questions †¢ Are groups able to resolve conflict more effectively than individuals? †¢ Does the strength of a group always depend on excluding those with differing values? Violence is never an effective means of resolving conflict The Japanese prison guards and officers exemplify the violence wielded by the powerful in order to assert their authority. The physical violence in the film is very explicit and deliberately shocking, from the violent deaths of innocent children to the savage beatings inflicted on Rosemary and Mrs Dickson. Indeed, the film opens with a scene that quickly becomes violent, with the sound of exploding bombs disturbing the festive atmosphere of Raffles Hotel. The violence escalates with further explosions as the evacuees hurriedly board ships bound for safety. The response to the violence of the Japanese is retaliatory violence from Britain and America and their allies; the women are caught up in this conflict as their ship is attacked and sunk. The suggestion is that responding to violence with more violence only worsens the situation and increases the likelihood that innocent victims will become caught up in the escalating conflict. At the camp, the guards’ use of violence effectively intimidates the prisoners but it does not resolve conflict; indeed, tensions are exacerbated by the brutal suppression of basic rights and freedoms. The prisoners respond to their captors’ brutality with resistance, subversiveness or bitter resentment. The vocal orchestra is a symbol of resistance, while the black-market dealings are acts of subversiveness. The deep resentment engendered by gratuitous and brutal violence is not always made explicit in the film, except perhaps by Adrienne, whose conversation with Margaret implies her hatred. She says, ‘You don’t hate them, do you?’ to which Margaret replies that she pities them. It is perhaps Adrienne’s hatred of the brutality of her oppressors which drives her to defy them by establishing the orchestra. Her hatred is again suggested in the final scene and is directed at the most unsympathetically constructed character in the film, the sadistic Captain Tanaka, who seems to take pleasure in the fact that there is no music from the women at Margaret’s funeral. Adrienne’s defiant response conveys her deep dislike of the man and reinforces Beresford’s point about the destructive effects of violence. The inability to forgive is testament to the unresolved conflict that results from extreme violence. With his depiction of brutal violence and his unsympathetic portrayal of many of the Japanese soldiers, Beresford encourages the audience to empathise with the bitterness engendered in Adrienne and some of the other women by the violence of their captors. When Adrienne hits the guard who attempts to rape her, it is presented as a justifiable act of self-defence. However, ultimately Beresford suggests that responding to violence with violence can never resolve conflict. While acknowledging the discrimination experienced by the Japanese by the Western world, Beresford implies that the violent response of the Japanese soldiers to the women and children in their care only increases the distance between the two groups. The film shows that genuine connection between people of different races, genders and backgrounds is possible as, for instance, when Sergeant Tomiashi sings for Adrienne in the forest. But violence inhibits the possibility of such connections. Instead Beresford invites us to contrast the violence of the guards with the peaceful and positive responses of the women, and to admire the latter. Music, for instance, is shown to have the power to unite disparate groups and individuals, and to (at least temporarily) bring about a truce between enemy factions, in a way that continued violence never could. Likewise, we are encouraged to celebrate the non-violent protest led by Adrienne at Margaret’s funeral, which is both an expression of defiance against the soldiers and a demonstration of the genuine love and regard for Margaret felt by the women. Such moments affirm the possibility of an effective, nonviolent response to violence. Discussion questions †¢ Is violence ever justified as a response to conflict? †¢ Is violence used more often by men than women to resolve conflict? †¢ Can you think of a conflict which had the potential for violence but which was resolved peacefully? †¢ Is it possible to effectively deal with physical violence without resorting to violence yourself? SAMPLE SCENE ANALYSIS This section shows you how to identify Context ideas in a key scene from Paradise Road. Raffles Hotel, Singapore: scene summary The opening scene is set in the majestic ballroom of Raffles Hotel, an extravagant monument to British imperialism. The conversation of the guests reveals racial prejudice against the Japanese, who are described as needing thick glasses because they ‘can’t see’ and being unable to fight because they can only make ‘tin toys and cameras’. Adrienne Pargiter denounces the racist sentiments as a ‘load of poppycock’ and points out that the Japanese have conquered most of Asia. Key characters are introduced in order to highlight the dramatic effects of their subsequent encounters with conflict. Suddenly a bomb falls nearby and an Australian officer arrives to announce the imminent fall of Singapore. Bombs continue to fall as women and children are hurriedly loaded onto ships. The urgency of this ‘last-minute’ departure highlights the arrogance of the British, whose notions of their own cultural and military superiority have left the m vulnerable to attack. Questions for exploring ideas †¢ Is violent conflict the most effective way for the powerless (such as pre-war Japan) to challenge the powerful (such as Britain)? †¢ Can a lack of understanding lead to conflict? †¢ How significant are divisions of class and social status in causing conflict? †¢ Does strong loyalty to one group inevitably lead to conflict with other groups? Focus on text features As well as drawing on ideas from Paradise Road in your writing about Encountering Conflict, remember that the language and style of your writing may also be inspired by the structure and features of the film. For example, the following aspects of Paradise Road may influence how you respond to ideas in the text. †¢ Settings (physical, historical or cultural) can be used to place characters in situations of conflict, such as the prison camp where the women are in direct conflict with their captors, or a natural landscape which is (at times) a temporary refuge from conflict. †¢ Dialogue is instrumental in revealing a character’s state of mind and a useful way of ‘showing’ (rather than telling) the effects of conflict. In the opening scene, Adrienne’s comment that the stereotyped views of the Japanese are a load of ‘poppycock’ shows that she is a straight-talking and independent thinker, well-informed on current political events. Her common sense and outspokenness, which set her apart from the other women in her social group, exemplify her attitude throughout the film. †¢ Contrasts such as peace and war, and the past and the present, are built into characters and settings. They are an effective way for the creator of a text to sway audience approval or disapproval. The elegant setting of Raffles stands in strong contrast to the bombs falling outside and even stronger contrast to the squalor of the prison camp, suggesting a step-by-step descent into hell for the women. †¢ Humour, in times of conflict, can show the resilience of a character or create dramatic irony. For example, Margaret’s comment about Thomas Beecham being unavailable to conduct the vocal orchestra and Topsy’s complaint about the inadequate room service in the camp show how effective humour can be in lifting people’s spirits in times of conflict. †¢ Recurring motifs work in subtle but powerful ways. ‘Showing’ something significant through character, theme or music can be an effective vehicle for conveying ideas about resistance, resilience and hope. Significantly, the film opens with beautiful music in the ballroom of Raffles Hotel and its continuation, despite the bomb, makes a clear statement about the capacity of music to transcend the effects of conflict. Points of view on the Context These discussion questions and activities are designed to help you reflect on and refer to ideas raised by the Context in your chosen text. For further discussion/writing †¢ In times of conflict, ordinary people can do extraordinary things. †¢ Conflicts are only resolved through compromise. †¢ By dissolving the boundaries which separate and divide people, conflict can be avoided. †¢ Conflict is sometimes necessary to bring unresolved tensions to the surface so they can be dealt with. †¢ Forgiveness is necessary to satisfactorily resolve conflict. †¢ Differences between people will always lead to conflict. Activities †¢ Write a diary entry for one of the characters who has returned home and is reflecting on the importance of the vocal orchestra in helping her to survive the conflict. †¢ Sergeant Tomiashi gives an interview on Australian television ten years after the end of the war. He reflects on what he learned from his encounter with conflict. Write down some questions the interviewer might ask and the answers that Tomiashi might give. Consider the ways in which conflict might provide the opportunity for growth and reflection. †¢ Construct a scene for a film script that extends the narrative of one or more of the characters to include their return home. Has the encounter with conflict changed them? Can they readjust to a normal lifestyle? What does this suggest   about the lasting effects of conflict on ordinary individuals? †¢ In a small group, research and prepare material for a blog or wiki on the reasons for Japan’s involvement in World War II, focusing on the historical and cultural factors which contributed to the conflict. Explore the main crises and turning points (especially involving relations between Japan and countries such as Russia and the US) to show an awareness of how the conflict developed. In your piece, reflect on what your research suggests about common causes of political conflict and what factors seem to aggravate it.