The Droughtlander – Essay

Name: Abeir Wasim Teacher Name: Mr. Ferguson Course Code: ENG-2D1 Due Date: Friday, December 2nd, 2011 Carrie Mac’s novel The Droughtlanders, is about twin brothers Seth and Eli Maddox. They are Keylanders brought up within the privileged and protected Eastern Key. Keylanders, the boys are told, must keep within their walls to avoid the filth and disease spread by the Droughtlanders-those who struggle to survive on the parched land between the Keys. But when Eli is introduced to an underground rebel group, Triskelia lead by his own mother, his whole world falls apart.To find truth in all lies he has been told, he ventures out into the Droughtlands. Seth, on instinct, prepares to follow Eli and bring him back dead or alive, earning him glory and honour. Throughout the experiences in the Droughtlands, Eli and Seth Maddox change socially, mentally, and physically which leads to new self-recognition. Eli and Seth discover they both change socially through the course of their time in the Droughtlands. At first, Eli shows his disgust to the Droughlanders when he says to his own mother, â€Å"Aren`t you going to explain?Aren`t you going to report that you touched a Droughtlander? I saw you, Maman! You kissed her! † (10) After time in the Droughtlands Eli gets used to the people and realizes how bad they suffer because of them. He helps Nappo’s little brother Teal recover from the skin-eating sick and develops a close relationship with Zari. This proves how Eli’s attitude toward the Droughtlanders changes by the end of the novel. Eli portrays his anger at his mother just for touching a Droughtland woman. He does not even know why his mom is with one but demands a full explanation.When Eli is faced with leaving the Keys to find the rebel group Triskelia, he realizes how wrong his attitude was. Eli’s own lost sister, Sabine, is a Droughtlander. As he spends time in their land he discovers a new and more homely family. Before, Eli though t of them as objects worse than filth. Yet after new experiences his feelings for the Droughtlanders turn him against his own father, which pushes him to join the rebels. On the way to Triskelia Eli aids two Droughtland brothers dying of hunger and thirst. Eli helps them by providing water, which is very scarce, and allows them to accompany him on his journey to find Triskelia.Along with his rebellious behaviour, Eli finds himself talking to people that he never imagined, he even develops an interest in a Droughtland girl named Zari. Eli considered himself as a person open and kind to everyone. So because he changes socially with his experiences and meets the outsiders, it leads him to self-recognize himself as a person who is racist and does prejudges people. Seth having to confess his sins in front of Triskelia admits, â€Å"I bought my way onto the Droughtland regiment so that I could hunt down Eli myself. I raped six Droughtland women. I stole from many Droughtlanders, I donâ⠂¬â„¢t know how many.I resented the girl who saved my life. I thought she was beneath me. When I started to love her, I didn’t tell her and that was very, very wrong of me. †(314) Seth demonstrates how his social status was before he was out casted in the Droughtlands. He was able to buy his way in to the high military rank. Seth shows that he thought of himself as being better than everyone else. As a Keylander he was able to openly rape six Droughtland women. This passage also shows Seth’s relationship with his brother. He risks his own honour by buying his way into the military just to hunt Eli down by himself.As Seth admits his wrongs he starts to really recognize everything he did. Seth came to love Rosa, even though she was a Droughtlander. A month before he used Droughtlanders as target practice in training. This shows how the worth of them changed in his mind. Seth was someone to never regret what he did, especially what he did to a Droughtlander. His tim e in the Droughtlands changed his social feeling and how he expressed himself. Eli and Seth’s experiences in the Droughtlands changed the way they interacted with the Droughtlanders as well as the way they showed loyalty to their own land.You can only change the way you act or interact with other humans when you actually face them. Eli and Seth find this the hard way as they grew up learning that all Droughtlander were worthless. But, because of their want for the truth, that led them to change what they thought of their own people. Eli and Seth recognize that they themselves were wrong. It was because of their people the Droughtlands were even formed. Because of what they experienced in the Droughtlands, Eli and Seth change socially which leads them to self-recognize themselves as being completely different.Seth who thought himself to be courageous, heroic, and powerful learns when he is faced with reality outside the protection of his father and land, he is really scared an d has no real power. Seth and Eli change mentally due to their experiences in the Droughtlands. Riding in the wake of his regiment Seth â€Å"could not stop thinking about the girl and her baby. Were they lying dead on the dirt floor of the shabby hut? Had they died because of him? He hadn’t expected the Droughtland to be like this. He hadn’t expected that he’d care about them at all. What was happening to him? What was wrong with him?Was he even cut out for this at all? (167) Seth thinks back to what he was trained about, â€Å"These people were the enemy, or so he’d been taught. And his father was his hero. Right? And the Guard was the bastion of justice. But it just wasn’t that clear anymore. † (315) Before actually stepping into the Droughtlands, Seth has dreams of dominance and blood spill of Droughtlanders. After three days training in the Droughtlands, Seth realizes his mind is not giving in to what he is assigned to do. For him, bei ng a part of the Guards was honouring, now he considers it punishment from his father.Seth becomes confused as he battles with his mind trying to confirm to himself what he was taught by the Keylanders was right. It ends as a losing battle, the murder and cruelty he sees makes Seth question his once thought inevitable courage. This leads him to recognize the truth about his father and himself. He realizes what he knew about the Keys was all a lie and the truth was before him. Eli watches Seth cry in pain and confusion of what was going on, Eli forwardly says, â€Å"It’s all making sense now, isn’t it? And you didn’t believe me!Look at you, you stupid bull-headed†¦ Eli tried to remember Seth ever crying before, but he couldn’t. †(307-308) Eli again shows his new found confidence, â€Å"He’d worked hard to look like this. He wasn’t about to let Seth deflate him now. He steeled himself. Afraid I might beat you up now? †(329) Eli shows that he mentally changes with the comfort of new friends and newly found courage. Eli develops confidence that he never had before. At home, Seth could do anything he wished to Eli, hit him, or almost shoot him. Eli never had the mental strength to stand up for himself.He always thought of himself to be below Seth. With the challenges Eli faces in the Droughtlands he became confident of his ability to survive on his own. As Seth always saw Eli cry, now in reverse Eli was seeing Seth cry. Eli finds that Seth is nothing to be scared of; he develops strength in his mind to face him when he needs to. With the difficulties adjusting to the Droughtlands Seth and Eli find they change mentally. Eli becomes more confident in his abilities and does not allow Seth to further deflate him. Eli learns that only he can put himself below Seth.Seth changes mentally as he goes through states of confusion. He loses his own self-esteem because he realizes that Eli was right about their father . The time he spends as a Guard only confirms that he was in fact wrong to believe Keylanders were good. Due to the mental change Eli and Seth go through they find parts of themselves they never knew existed. Eli thought of himself as being small, powerless and without courage to face anything. But he proves himself wrong as he changes mentally which leads to the new self-discovery of him actually having bravery, intelligence and realization of the truth.Seth also has a moment of self- recognition; his mental change causes him to realize himself to be caring, considerate and conscious of unjustness to those around him. Before, with the structured set up of the Keylands, Seth thought good of his arrogance and believed it didn’t matter how others were treated. Eli and Seth change physically from the harsh environment of the Droughtlands. As the twin brothers get dressed for the final circus performance Seth stares at Eli’s image and says, â€Å"Where did you get those m uscles? † Eli reply’s â€Å"It’s all the circus stuff, probably. Go for it, Seth. Hit me with your scathing wit. Seth blankly reply’s, â€Å"No. I’m not†¦you don’t have to†¦it’s just that I have to admit, is you had bet me, before everything, that you’d ever be stronger than me, I would’ve bet everything I had that that would never happen. Now look at me. I’ve been scrawny ever since the sick. † (329) This shows how much the two characters change from the beginning of the book. Eli was always considered small no matter how much he resembled Seth who was muscular. With their time in the Droughtlands, Eli became strong as he trains for the circus. He unlocks his full potential without Seth agitating him constantly.Seth converts to become weak, non-muscular and scarred on his body because of the sick he faces. Eli, with his new physical body almost feels superior to Seth now because he knows that he is now stronger. Seth, on the other hand, accepts that he would lose to Eli in a fight. No matter how much Seth regrets this, he knows he cannot change the way he is now. Eli notices his change in appearance, â€Å"As far as looks went, his skin was tanned despite his efforts to stay out of the sun, the filth that went along with his daily life in the Droughtlands. His hair was still shorter than most Droughtlanders. † (127) While Rosa admires her skills in ealing Seth as a lifeminder she notices â€Å"Seth had been very muscular, never mind heavy, the day the Guard had left him behind. He’d since wasted away from the sick, and the wounds had ravaged his skin. He looked more like a Droughtlander now, or almost. His hair was still too short. † (207) As Eli finally meets up with Seth he has â€Å"another look†¦ He hardly looked like himself, the greasy hair, the scars, and the pale blue pallor of shock. †(302) The twins both notice how their physical a ppearance changes from their life in the Keys to the Droughtlands. Eli finds he can easily pass for a Droughtlander.With the limited access to water, filth stains him like a bad sun tan. Seth’s entire body changes as the sickness of the Droughtlands embodies him and leaves his skin bathed in scars. The once dashing and attractive Seth melts away like a body that decays. Besides the scars, Seth’s hair is drenched in grease and face still in shock of how he changed. Without the water that their own land stole they realize how unlucky the Droughtlanders were, and it was their fault. Without the luxuries of just bare necessities, Eli and Seth find the difference between themselves and the Droughtlanders is defined by one month of time.The twins both physically change in ways that they never could have bet on. Eli finds he changes for the better as he became physically stronger. Seth finds his arrogance is not of any help when he deals with hardship. He physically becomes w eaker than Eli, but learns to accept it. It is because of the challenges they faced in the Droughtlands that Eli and Seth changed physically. This also led them to self-recognize there true abilities and resistance. Eli thought he was physically weak but realized after working hard he had the ability to become strong and also realized his own appearance to be attracting.Seth discovers he is not as strong, muscular, and good looking as he thought he was. With the disease that he endures he finds he has the physical ability to barely survive. He recognizes his self-esteem has shrunk greatly due to his physical change. The Droughtlander novel shows how two ordinary kids can change so much from experience. Eli and Seth Maddox are proof of exactly that. They changed socially, mentally and physically as their journey in the Droughtlands continue. This leads them to recognize themselves to what they really are as either being stronger or weaker than the expected.The Keylanders and Droughtl anders are demonstrative examples of how countries like America and Afghanistan are in terms of power and order. Americans have power over countries like Afghanistan. They are very similar to the Keylanders as they have more access and provision of good health care, clean water and better education. While Afghanistan is more like the Droughtlanders who are lacking in those basic needs. It is clear that Carrie Mac meant to send a message of how these two societies resemble countries on our world today. How do two places both on Earth manage to bring such a gap of difference?

America’s War in Iraq Essay

War, as it is defined to be is a conflict amid two or more nations, which results in organized violence between each of their military units in order to gain national sovereignty. It is a â€Å"universal phenomena,† whose intensity is defined by those who wage it. War has been seen to exist in the world since prehistoric times, where first it was only small scale raiding, today it is pronounced as an exhibition of military power, whose magnitude is on a constant surplus as the technology grows and is lead by a more modernized warfare. However, I would define war as unimaginable suffering of innocent people who are forced to become its victims, with no fault lying at their own sides. It is the not the politicians and policy makers who have to suffer its magnitude and the phase of its aftermath but rather it’s the soldier, the children, the elderly, the woman who pay off their decisions through the sacrifice of their homes, their families and their lives. The results that it webs to achieve are never obtained, whereas it only brings torture, corrosion of souls of the soldiers, fear to the citizens, destruction of the environment, uncontrollable expense, while it takes the war struck country decades back from its present growth and development. What our leaders forget to explain is that how they would be able establish peace and prosperity upon a graveyard of innocent martyrs and the blood of innocents. Iraq similarly is another such story of violence, sacrifice and blood brutally shed. It was a continuation of the revenge of America after the airplane crashes in New York, marking the 9/11. The actions of someone else’s were paid off by the innocents, who after Afghanistan were targeted as the next victims, the first bombardment starting from Baghdad, on March 20, 2003; and continues till now. A report published by the Washington Post in 2006, estimates that according to the death counts made by American and Iraqi epidemiologists, over 650,000 citizens have died in Iraq in the 3 years period of time. This according to the count defined by George W. Bush in 2005 is about 9 times more, and 10 times more than the count of the British research group. And as to why this war was waged, many reasons could be linked to it. More importantly it was America’s war against terrorism and its search for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The US army is believed to have made over 300 inspections by now, but has unfortunately not been able to find any such weapons, and even if there was any existence of such weapons then the army would have used them against the army when they firs attacked, however it was a rather peaceful conquer of the entire country which was claimed by the politicians to be a major threat to their country and the war just a mere act of self defense. As a Canadian site in an article on â€Å"An introduction to the Iraq War† reports Hans Blix, the UN Chief Weapons Inspector to have said that â€Å"It is sort of fascinating that you can have 100 percent certainty about weapons of mass destruction and zero certainty of about where they are. †(Green, 2008) And even if the war was about the WMD then why is it still lingering when no proof of the weapons has been found? However if America claims that the war was initially waged in order to eliminate Iraq from its tyrannical ruler Saddam Hussain, who was captured more than 5 years ago, then why is the war still continuing. And even if it was to eliminate the dictatorship from the country, to remove unjust rulers then why is it that civilian areas are the targets of American bombardment, that innocent children are being killed, and the Us army is rather planting American flags in the Iraqi soils. What sort of liberation does their presidency talk about? Book Review An answer to all these queries is found in the book â€Å"Blind into Baghdad: America’s war in Iraq† written by James Fallow. Print and radio journalist, working for the Atlantic Monthly since years, James Fallow is also the author of seven more books. His more pronounced works revolve around military and its policies, making assumptions and then predicting the future of action, if they are to be taken up by the government. Similarly is this book Fallow had previously made predictions of the outcome of the war if it was brought up by America and what were the flaws and where the government lacked behind in this war. It is a compilation of basically five articles which he wrote for his magazine the Atlantic Monthly, which he later assembled in the form of a collected book which even won the National Magazine Award in 2005. Elaborated with an introduction and a foreword, the 5 articles which it contains are: The fifty-first state, blind into Baghdad, Bush’s lost year, Why Iraq has no army, and Will Iran be next? Fallow calls the entire Iraq war a big failure for the US, blaming it onto the policy implementers that is the few leaders handling the orders rather than the administration itself which handled the situation. He states in his book that, â€Å"The U. S. occupation of Iraq is a debacle not because the government did no planning but because a vast amount of expert planning was willfully ignored by the people in charge. The inside story of a historic failure. † (Fallow, 2006) The book clearly identifies the fact that immediately after the attacks of 9/11, (the very next day), plans were being towards attacking Iraq and abducting Saddam Hussain from his throne, and a year before the war the future of the country was decided with positions and posts within the â€Å"to be occupied country† already given out. However, hat is not known to the media is that the day of the starting and ending of the war were prefixed then already, plus seventeen working groups were formulated who were to take matters such as Oil and Energy, Legal Framework, infrastructure rebuilding of the country in hand with $5 million at their disposal. However, why it all remained to be secretive was because of the ongoing Afghanistan war which kept both the media and the people enough occupied to notice this planning. The war was estimated to cost around $50 to 60 billion which the military refused to later agree to, while a 135 item checklist of postwar duties was circulated among the army under the title â€Å"Mission Matrix. † James also raises the question as o why the government wasn’t able to plan into the future of the occupation, when no WMD were found, hadn’t the regime of Bush thought of what negative effects such an unplanned and reasonless terrorism would have upon the country’s international image and the party’s political position. He further points out the president’s attraction towards the action of bigger actions responsible for â€Å"American prestige, fortune, and lives,† which constantly ignored all the warnings predicted by the officials, how Donald Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz continued to ignore all these warning reports and put everything up on stake with the preceding of the war. The â€Å"Bush’s Lost Year,† talks about the postwar position of the US in Iraq, of how it further declined its status in Afghanistan and its stance over the â€Å"war on terror. † â€Å"Why Iraq has no army,† refutes the very reason of US’s invasion into Iraq which was to get held of the WMD, no matter the army wasn’t able to recover the imagined weapons but also failed its estimation to such a high level that Iraq was so defensively weak that it didn’t even hold an independent army of its own. While lastly in â€Å"Will Iran be next? † he highlights further predictions of Iran being the next potential target. He explains it through the analysis of experts and various interviews taken from soldiers, spies, and diplomats who further explain the effects of an Iranian war and reasons towards it. James Fallow, like many other elite journalists through his writing explicitly shows his opposition towards the Iraq war and openly describes it as US’s stance towards terrorism, â€Å"If [the United States] did not have to attack, then it should not go ahead, not simply because of the complications within Iraq itself but because the way a war would inevitably suck time, money, and attention from every other aspect of a ‘war on terrorism’. † On the other hand, no matter James’s writings show are an insight towards the situation of the US leaders and their incompetence towards the wars proceedings and planning, many journalists such as Michael Gordon and General Bernard E. Trainor, blame him for being less skeptic towards his work. It is believed that no matter he kept a strong view against the war he did not prove his point through facts and true research but merely based them upon anecdotes and assumptions, which made him a big candidate of the blame game. Conclusion War in Iraq as believed by many intellects could have been easily avoided, through the accepting the surrender of Saddam Hussain, sending search teams for armaments of Mass Destruction, international supervision of elections and even if a matter of oil, by signing a treaty with Iraq, not a drop of blood could have been lost, and even the objectives could have been attained. Thus war is not the only solution to political and economical issues, as at present the consequences can be seen of the war where today political parties are running for election the blame of Iraqi war holds grave consequences for the initial policy makers who so ever are responsible would not to be forgiven by the public in the end. References Fallows, J. (2006). Blind into Baghdad. America’s War in Iraq. New York: Vintage Books.Brown, D. October 11, 2006. Study Claims Iraq’s ‘Excess’ Death Toll Has Reached 655,000. Washington Post. Retrieved on November 2, 2008, from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/10/10/AR2006101001442. html Green, R. Introduction to the Iraq War Essays. Canadian Mind Products. Retrieved on November 2, 2008 from http://mindprod. com/politics/iraqintroduction. html .

What does Hou Hsiao

What does Hou Hsiao One of the foremost features of realist editing in cinema is directors’ utilization of particularly long takes, which are meant to ensure the spatio-temporal unity of the explored themes and motifs.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on What does Hou Hsiao-Hsien achieve through the use of the long takes in the film? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Apparently, by choosing in favor of long takes, as the integral element of realist movies’ spatio-temporal structure, directors are able to achieve a number of aesthetic objectives, such as ensuring the plausibility of movies’ semantic content, providing viewers with the in-depth insight into the workings of characters’ psyche, and allowing viewers to gain a better understanding of the explored themes and motifs’ significance. Moreover, according to Bazin, viewers’ exposure to the realistically edited movies, which feature an abundance o f long takes, helps them to address their innermost psychological anxieties, concerned with viewers’ strive to preserve the spatial three-dimensionality of existence.1 As it was noted by Nitzan, ‘The long deep-focused take, enhancing †¦ three-dimensionality of objects shot in close-up†¦ satisfies spectators’ craving for the mummification of being while positioning them in such a way that they could aesthetically experience the flowing passage of objective time’2 In this paper, I will aim to explore the validity of an earlier suggestion at length, while analyzing what appears to be the significance of utilization of long takes in Hou’s 2001 film Millennium mambo. The foremost aspect of how Hou went about providing the in-depth portrayal of film’s characters is the fact that, in Millennium mambo he refrained from emphasizing these characters’ singled-out psychological traits, while allowing viewers the liberty of interpreting t hem on their own, within the context of how the characters are being shown in the process of tackling life’s challenges. In its turn, this endows Millennium mambo with the spirit of intellectual honesty. After all, unlike what it is being the case with formalist/expressionist directors, in this particular movie Hou had made a point in treating audience’s members as such that are being fully capable of defining the semiotic significance of film’s themes and motifs, without a director needing to actively ‘assist’ them, in this respect. In its turn, this leaves very little doubt as to the fact that the specifics of Hou film’s editing are indeed being consistent with Bazin’s idea as to what accounts for the extent of a particular cinematographic work’s spatio-temporal unity, which according to this French movie-critic is being reflective of the extent of director’s willingness to treat viewers as ‘existential sovereigns ’, fully capable of relying on their own sense of rationale, when it comes to defining the essentials of film’s aesthetic/semiotic appeal.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This, of course, reveals Hou as a devotee of realist editing, concerned with the absence of ‘expressionist tricks’, such as back-in-time flashbacks, the presence of abstractionist close-ups, and the deliberately undermined integrity of film’s temporal spatiality. As Totaro pointed it out, ‘Expressive editing invents meaning through juxtaposition of the images†¦This is trickery; it removes the freedom on the part of the spectator†¦ If the scene has only one simple meaning why insult the audiences intelligence with needless and obvious close-ups? Contrarily, if the scene is complex why presuppose only one meaning?’3 Nevertheless, even though there are no traces of expressionist editing in Millennium mambo, in this film Huo did succeed with revealing the whole scope of characters’ psychological traits – mainly, by the mean of ensuring the spatio-temporal soundness of characters’ ‘in-action’ representation. For example, the beginning of the movie features a rather prolonged take of Vicky walking down the sidewalk (00.02.06 – 00.04.37). Yet, despite the fact that this take is not being formally concerned with director’s intention to provide viewers with the better understanding of Vicky, as a character, by being exposed to the earlier mentioned scene spectators do in fact gain a certain insight into Vicky’s psychological constitution. The reason for this is simple – the manner in which Vicky walks (with the cigarette in her hand) implies her being a rather spontaneous person, who take life as it comes, while trying to enjoy it to the best of her ability. The watching of movie’s consequential parts does confirm the soundness of the initial insight into the essence of Vicky’s existential mode, provided by this particular scene. After all, throughout movie’s entirety, Vicky never ceases to position herself as an easy-going individual, who is being quick enough to forgive her boyfriend’s (Hao-Hao) verbal and physical abuses. As it was mentioned earlier, the realist editing, closely associated with directors’ willingness to utilize long takes, often results in endowing realistic movies with the spirit of perceptional authenticity/genuineness. The reason for this is apparent – by representing characters’ act in a spatially prolonged manner, directors encourage viewers to draw parallels between the ‘cinematographic reality’ on the screen and the reality of their every-day living.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on What does Hou Hsiao-Hsien achieve through the use of th e long takes in the film? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Given the fact that the reality of people’s every-day living often appears rather unsightly, in aesthetical sense of this word, it does not come as a particular surprise that many of realistically edited movies’ long takes represent reality ‘as it is’, even if such reality’s cinematographic representation appears to be detached from movie’s main idea. The scene, in which Vicky and her friends socialize in the bar (00.04.49-00.10.07), illustrates the legitimacy of an earlier suggestion. After all, the main feature of this scene is that the conversations, which take place between the partying individuals, do overlap to the point of being unintelligible to the viewers. This, however, does not lessen scene’s cinematographic appeal because, by being exposed to this particular take, viewers do get the genuine sensation of how they would feel, had they found themselves among the partying young people. Just as it is being the case in Orson Welles’s film Citizen Kane, which contains a number of spatially prolonged scenes, in which characters’ conversations can hardly be heard, due to the loudly played music in the background, the ‘bar scene’ in Millennium mambo cannot be referred to as being particularly appealing, if assessed through the lenses of classical editing-methodology. As Martin suggested, ‘Hou films his dinner-table or restaurant scenes (and bar scenes, we may add) with a kind of maximum suppression of expository, explanatory information, and by the same token a maximum openness to all the instant possibilities of interrelation, of reshuffling of intersubjective identities’.4 Yet, when analyzed within the context of what represents this film’s overall semiotic significance, the spatially prolonged take of Vicky and her friends being shown in the bar appears indispen sible, as it does provide audiences with a comprehensible insight into characters’ positioning in life. Moreover, viewers’ exposure to this particular take does convince them (on unconscious level) that, unlike what it is being often the case with expressionist directors, the ideologically-charged manipulation with the specifics of their psyche’s functioning never accounted for Hou’s subtle agenda.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the earlier mentioned take, director had left it for the audience’s members to define their own attitude to what they get to see on the screen – those who are being no strangers to socializing in the bar will be most likely to find the spirit, emanated by this take, appealing. Alternatively, moralistically minded viewers will be most likely to find the ‘bar scene’ as an implicit proof of characters’ moral depravity. However, the earlier outlined different categories of viewers will still find the ‘bar scene’ representationally honest. Apparently, Hou never ceased being aware of the foremost principle of realist editing, which presupposes the full appropriateness of cinematographic representation of reality proper. As it was noted by Wilson, ‘There is no reason why film presentation should not reflect certain aspects of the normal perceptual position. This alternative style would respect the complexity of the purely spatio-tempo ral integration of a field of action while being willing to leave, e.g., the psychological and causal integration of the action less articulated’.5 In Millennium mambo, the ‘actual reality’ appears to be the focal point of director’s attention – in full accordance with Wilson’s suggestion. The soundness of this suggestion can also be illustrated in regards to the film’s scene in which Vicky comes homes, undresses, spends some time in the shower, lights up a cigarette and ends up being annoyed by Hao-Hao’s trying to have sex with her (00.10.54-00.16.25). The whole earlier mentioned plot’s developments take place in a clearly consequential manner, with no montage cutting being applied, whatsoever. Moreover, while shooting this particular take, Hou had made a point in applying the ‘perceptually deep’ shooting-technique, made possible by director’s choosing in favor of using the camera with deep-focus lens es. In its turn, this allowed Hou to provide a clearly defined aura of three-dimensionality to the scene – even though that for duration of this scene, Hao-Hao mostly remains in Vicky’s background (in another room), viewers get to perceive him in a manner as if they happened to be physically present in Vicky’s apartment. This, of course, does add to the extent of take’s authenticity rather immensely. The same can be said about this scene’s sheer duration (6 minutes), which emphasizes the spatial particulars of a continually deteriorating relationship between Vicky and Hao-Hao. After all, as it appears from Millennium mambo, there were no many objective reasons for both characters to decide in favor of breaking up with each other for good (this is why the off-screen narrator tells that it has never taken too long for Vicky and Hao-Hao to reconcile, after having had a particular break-up). Yet, it also appears that the idea of breaking up with each o ther never ceased affecting both characters’ existential modes. The reason for this is simple – just as it is being shown in the earlier mentioned take, both: Vicky and Hao-Hao continued to co-exist in the state of an extreme psychological tension. And, it was namely by exposing viewers to the long take of Vicky and Hao-Hao dealing with their mutual annoyance of each other that the director was able to provide watching audiences with the clue as to where this tension had originated out of, in the first place. There can be little doubt as to the fact that, had Hou resorted to the classical or the expressionist editing-methodology, while striving to reveal the hidden roots of psychological incompatibility between Vicky and Hao-Hao, he would not be able to achieve the same effect. The reason for this is quite apparent – it is only when the essence of a relationship between both characters is being revealed to the viewers in a spatially plausible manner, that they c an grasp what amounted to the objective preconditions for this relationship to begin deteriorating. A good illustration to the legitimacy of an earlier statement can also serve the long-take scene in which Hao-Hao begins to grub in Vicky’s wallet and finds a long-distance calling bill, which in turn causes him to suspect her of having some affair on a side (00.33.15-00.37.38). Even though that, throughout this scene’s entirety, Hao-Hao continues to act as nothing short of a mentally deranged individual, viewers do not find Hao-Hao’s act as being utterly implausible, simply because scene’s spatio-temporal unity does help to accurately portray the subtleties of a process of an individual becoming gradually filled with the irrational anger. The foremost aspect of this process can be defined within what represents the conceptual framework of cause-effect dialectics, when one thing leads to another. After having found a long-distance calling bill in Vicky†™s wallet, Hao-Hao begins to grow ever more suspectful of his girlfriend – yet, there is a whole spectrum of emotions to this process. As it can be seen in this particular scene, Hao-Hao does try to prevent his irrational anger from taking over his rational being. However, at the scene’s conclusion, he fails at that rather miserably, while becoming enraged to the point of being ready to hit Vicky with his fist. The conversation that takes place between the two characters, heard in the scene, is helping to facilitate the extent of scene’s authenticity even further, ‘Hao-Hao: Who were you calling? Vicky: I told you, I called home! Hao-Hao: Who did you call? Vicky: I said, I called home†¦ Hao-Hao: You’d better not be lying†¦Vicky: Crazy! Why would I lie to you? Hao-Hao: I’ll fucking beat you, you know’ (00.35.48). It is needless to mention, of course, that Hou’s utilization of a continuous take (in this scene) was diale ctically predetermined, as it was the main contributing factor to ensuring scene’s spatio-temporal unity – hence, the heightened measure of this scene’s overall semiotic credibility. Nevertheless, it would be quite inappropriate to refer to Hou’s tendency to take advantage of long takes in Millennium mambo as such that is being solely concerned with director’s strive to emphasize the spatial realness of the explored themes and motifs. It appears that, by having an abundance of long takes in this particular movie, Hou also aimed to highlight the metaphysical significance of a theme of existential alienation, which is being integrally interwoven into plot’s very unraveling. There is a memorable scene in the movie, formatted as a single take, when Vicky is being shown sitting in front of the window, with viewers being exposed to the sight of passing trains outside (01.33.36 – 01.35.30). While referring to the significance of this particu lar scene, Hasumi states, ’All that is visible is a constant stream of trains passing back and forth outside the window by which she (Vicky) stands. Nothing tells her where he has gone. All she can grasp for in this foreign city is the absent shadow of his (Jack’s) treasured presence, but it has vanished into the distance’.6 It is understood, of course, that just as it is being the case with the earlier discussed movie’s scenes that feature a clearly defined spatio-temporal integrity, this particular one does help viewers to gain a better insight into Vicky’s state of mind. This, however, is not only the scene’s purpose. Apparently, while focusing camera on hotel’s window, so that viewers would get to see passing-by trains, Hou wanted to emphasize that the very passage of time results in ‘objectualization’ of people’s subjective desires and anxieties. Hence, tragic undertones to this particular scene – the p assage of time remains irrespective of how people position themselves within the reality’s spatial framework. Therefore, it will only be logical to assume that there is also a symbolical quality to how Hou went about incorporating long takes in Millennium mambo. The validity of this suggestion can be illustrated in regards to the movie’s final scene, which features a prolonged take of Yubari’s snowy street (01.38.36 – 01.39.42). Even though that there is no cinematographic action can be seen in this particular scene, it does convey the idea that the very subtleties of time’s passing naturally predispose people to continually revise their emotionally-charged attitudes towards the surrounding reality. In its turn, this idea correlates with the spirit of spontaneity, emanated by Hou’s film. The fact that Hou’s movie Millennium mambo appears to be extremely realistic may very well have to do with the particulars of director’s ethno -cultural affiliation. After all, Confucian (Apollonian) tradition does encourage its affiliates to reflect upon reality’s ‘vanishing’ emanations, as opposed to be contemplating upon how these emanations reveal the essence of some fixed ‘metaphysical’ reality, as it is being the case with Christian (Faustian) tradition, for example. Nevertheless, it would be much more appropriate to discus Hou’s cinematographic realism as such that is being reflective of his endowment of intellectual honesty and of his innate dislike of artificially sophisticate pretentiousness (the foremost feature of avant-gardist/formalist movies). In Millennium mambo, Hou positioned himself as an individual who firmly believes that, regardless of what accounts for the ethical undertones of objective reality’s manifestations, these manifestations represent the aesthetic value of ‘thing in itself’. Such Hou’s cinematographic positioning, of course, is being fully consistent with Bazin’s belief that the actual purpose of a cinematographic art is to help people to realize the full extent of reality’s aesthetic beauty ‘as it is’, without depriving this reality of its spatio-temporal unity, ‘A film form†¦ permits everything to be said without chopping the world up into little fragments that would reveal the hidden meanings in people and things†¦ without disturbing the unity natural to them’.7 Thus, it would only be logical, on my part, to conclude this paper by reinstating once again that it is namely the fact that in Millennium mambo, Hou succeeded rather marvelously in ensuring a spatial integrity of the explored themes and motifs, which accounts for this movie’s foremost aesthetic value. I believe that this conclusion is being fully consistent with paper’s initial thesis. Moreover, I believe that is namely the realist methodology of film editing, which will be inc reasingly resorted to by movie-directors in the future. The fact that, as of today, the genre of ‘auteur film’ (associated with directors’ utilization of the expressionist editing-methodology) continues to fall out of favor with the majority of moviegoers, leaves very little doubt as to the full validity of this suggestion. Reference List Adrian, M, ‘What’s happening? Story, scene and sound in Hou Hsiao-Hsien’,  Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, 2008, pp. 258-270. Bazin, A, ‘The evolution of the language of cinema’, in What is cinema?, University of California Press, Berkley,1967, pp. 23-40. Hasumi, S, ‘The eloquence of the taciturn: An essay on Hou Hsiao-Hsien’, Inter   Asia Cultural Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, 2008, pp. 184-194.  Millenium mambo, [film], Palm Pictures, New York/Taipei, 2001. Nitzan, B, Film: The key concepts, Berg Publishers, Oxford GBR, 2007. Totaro, D, ‘Andrà © Bazin: Part 1, Fi lm style theory in its historical context’, Off  Screen, 2003, retrieved https://offscreen.com/view/bazin4 Wilson, G, ‘Film, perception, and point of view’, MLN, vol. 91, no. 5, 1976, pp. 1026-1043. Footnotes 1 A Bazin ‘The evolution of the language of cinema’, in What is cinema?, University of California Press, Berkley,1968, p. 36. 2 B Nitzan, Film: The key concepts, Berg Publishers, Oxford GBR, 2007, p. 13. 3 D Totaro, ‘Andrà © Bazin: Part 1, Film style theory in its historical context’, Off Screen, 2003. 4 M Adrian, ‘What’s happening? Story, scene and sound in Hou Hsiao-Hsien’, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, 2008, p. 263. 5 G Wilson, ‘Film, perception, and point of view’, MLN, vol. 91, no. 5, 1976, p. 1031. 6S, Hasumi, ‘The eloquence of the taciturn: An essay on Hou Hsiao-Hsien’, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, 2008, p. 192. 7 Bazin, p. 38.

Parenting Disabled Infants essays

Parenting Disabled Infants essays Raising a disabled child is a difficult task, and it is accompanied by many trials and tribulations for the individuals parenting the child. Reproductive technology now allows humans to see the future that lies a head for their fetus. Abnormalities can be detected by different types of prenatal diagnostic testing (PDT) methods including such tests as amniocentesis and chronic villus sampling (Lawson, 2001). The majority of women who do discover that their fetus carries an abnormality after undergoing PDT decide to abort (Lawson, 74). The lack of desire to continue the growth of a disabled fetus by the participants of Lawsons study will be explained by examining the personal goals that individuals have surrounding parenting and the affects of the type of disability. Lawson argues that the underlying motives behind prenatal testing are often that disability can reduce quality of life to an extent that non-existence is preferable to living with a disability, and or that the burdens of parenting a disabled child outweigh the joys (Lawson, 2001, p. 74). A recent study reports that mothers of disabled children were shown to report significantly more physical health complaints, and higher levels of depression, stress, anxiety, and emotional distress than mothers of non-disabled children (Pelchat, Richard, Bouchard, Perreault, Saucier, Berthiaume, et al. 1999, p. 378). This directly explains the reduced quality of life that the participants in Lawsons study describe. Lawson states that many theories which deal with raising disabled children contain a cost benefit analysis factor (Lawson, 2001, p. 74). Individuals weigh the advantages and disadvantages of having children in order to make a reproductive decision (Lawson, 2001). When evaluating the cost benefit analysis of raising a disabled child it was found that rewarding aspects of raising a disabled child ...

Email Etiquette

Email Etiquette Email Etiquette Email Etiquette By Ali Hale If you work in an office, you probably write emails every day – to colleagues, to your boss, to clients. Even if you’re still at college, you’ll need to email your lecturers once in a while (maybe to plead for an essay extension, or to ask for help) – and many employers now expect resumes and cover letters to be sent by email. So, being able to write a professional, business-like email is a crucial skill. Daily Writing Tips has already covered the email subject line, but the body of your message also matters. 1. Start with a salutation Your email should open by addressing the person you’re writing to. Sure, you can get away with leaving out the salutation when you’re dashing off an email to your friend, but business-like messages should begin with: Dear Mr Jones, or Dear Professor Smith, (for someone you don’t know well, especially if they’re a superior) Dear Joe, or Dear Mandy, (if you have a working relationship with the person) It’s fine to use â€Å"Hi Joe†, â€Å"Hello Joe† or just the name followed by a comma (â€Å"Joe,†) if you know the person well – writing â€Å"Dear Joe† to one of your team-mates will look odd! 2. Write in short paragraphs Get straight to the point – don’t waste time waffling. Split your email into two to four short paragraphs, each one dealing with a single idea. Consider using bullet-points for extra clarity, perhaps if you are: Listing several questions for the recipient to answer Suggesting a number of alternative options Explaining the steps that you’ll be carrying out Put a double line break, rather than an indent (tab), between paragraphs. 3. Stick to one topic If you need to write to someone about several different issues (for example, if you’re giving your boss an update on Project X, asking him for a review meeting to discuss a payrise, and telling him that you’ve got a doctor’s appointment on Friday), then don’t put them all in the same email. It’s hard for people to keep track of different email threads and conversations if topics are jumbled up. 4. Use capitals appropriately Emails should follow the same rules of punctuation as other writing. Capitals are often misused. In particular, you should: Never write a whole sentence (or worse, a whole email) in capitals Always capitalise â€Å"I† and the first letter of proper nouns (names) Capitalise acronymns (USA, BBC, RSPCA) Always start sentences with a capital letter. This makes your email easier to read: try retyping one of the emails you’ve received in ALL CAPS or all lower case, and see how much harder it is to follow! 5. Sign off the email For short internal company emails, you can get away with just putting a double space after your last paragraph then typing your name. If you’re writing a more formal email, though, it’s essential to close it appropriately. Use Yours sincerely, (when you know the name of your addressee) and Yours faithfully, (when you’ve addressed it to â€Å"Dear Sir/Madam†) for very formal emails such as job applications. Use Best regards, or Kind regards, in most other situations. Even when writing to people you know well, it’s polite to sign off with something such as â€Å"All the best,† â€Å"Take care,† or â€Å"Have a nice day,† before typing your name. 6. Use a sensible email signature Hopefully this is common sense – but don’t cram your email signature with quotes from your favourite TV show, motivational speaker or witty friend. Do include your name, email address, telephone number and postal address (where appropriate) – obviously, your company may have some guidelines on these. It makes it easy for your correspondents to find your contact details: they don’t need to root through for the first message you sent them, but can just look in the footer of any of your emails. Putting it all together Compare the following two job applications. The content of the emails are identical – but who would you give the job to? i’ve attached my resume i would be grateful if you could read it and get back to me at your earliest convenience. i have all the experience you are looking for – i’ve worked in a customer-facing environment for three years, i am competent with ms office and i enjoy working as part of a team. thanks for your time Or Dear Sir/Madam, I’ve attached my resume. I would be grateful if you could read it and get back to me at your earliest convenience. I have all the experience you are looking for: I’ve worked in a customer-facing environment for three years I am competent with MS office I enjoy working as part of a team Thanks for your time. Yours faithfully, Joe Bloggs Have you ever received a really badly written email? Or have you ever been told you need to brush up your own email writing? Share your email etiquette horror stories – and any of your tips – in the comments! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Legs, Feet, and ToesThat vs. WhichDrama vs. Melodrama

The ancient Egyptian culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The ancient Egyptian culture - Research Paper Example The two deserts bordering Egypt on both sides is seemingly a drawback in the lush land near the river banks but the two land types were ideal to nurture one of the oldest civilizations in history. The Egyptians regarded the two land types as two different regions. The first type, the Kemet or â€Å"black land† (6), is where the ancient Egyptians grow crops. The land is literally black as a result of the flooding of the Nile leaving silt deposits on the soil. Favorable amounts of silt in soil improve water retention and aeration which are the best conditions for growing crops. The second type is the â€Å"red land† or the Desheret (6) which is the vast stretch of desert on both sides of the Kemet. Unlike the â€Å"black land†, the sand and heat of the Desheret was not beneficial for crops. The â€Å"red land† instead yielded precious stones, copper, gold and other minerals that are made into jewelry and tools. The desert was also the hunting grounds for the ancient Egyptians, rabbits, gazelles and antelopes were the usual prey of the hunters. The Nile River with its fertile soils and desert lands rich in minerals and precious stones provided the ideal environment and adequate resources for a society to thrive. The earliest Egyptian settlers were nomadic hunters who decided to live permanently on the banks of the Nile. The beginning of the Nile River civilization started between 3300 B.C. and 332 B.C. (5) prior to the establishment of a recognized government system. Evidences of the existence of the early occupants were unearthed in tombs. Polished semi-precious stones crafted into jewelry, pottery, clay sculptures and copper ornaments were obtained from the excavations and found to date back to the Pre-dynastic era of the Egyptian civilization. Prior to the beginning of Dynastic Egypt, Nile-dwellers are classified into two cultures with separate government systems. The Upper Egypt situated in the south of the Delta occupying the strip of land between the deserts. The Badarian and Naqadan culture flourished in Upper Egypt cultivating the land and crafting pottery (Hayes 14) that later became important archaeological artifacts. The state head in Upper Egypt dons the white hedget and believed to be the personification of their god. Lower Egypt’s culture was also influenced by Upper Egypt the government form however, is more bureaucratic and ruled by families. Rulers of Lower Egypt wear the red deshret. Pre-dynastic settlers in Egypt were growing wheat, barley and flax (Bell, Quie 40). The sowing season starts in October when the floods subside leaving the silt-rich soil ready for planting. Harvest season is from March to May just before June when the flooding occurs due to the overflowing of the Nile caused by heavy rains and the melting snow from Ethiopia. The inundation period starts from June and lasts until September (Deady 14). Animals were also domesticated during the Pre-dynastic period. Cattle, sheep , goats, pigs, and dogs (Trigger 17) were among the animals the ancient Egyptians tamed. Donkeys were also domesticated and later utilized as a means of transportation. At the onset of the Early Dynastic Period in ancient Egypt, the unification of the two ancient Egyptian regions also brought on the maximized use of the entire stretch of the Nile for transportation and irrigation systems. Ancient Egypt had its first dynasty under the first pharaoh Narmer or Menes. Egypt became the largest nation under one ruler

Law Legal Research and Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Law Legal Research and Research Methods - Essay Example Palestinians on the other hand alleged Israel of continuously breaching Palestinian rights. There is nothing like a separate Palestinian people who are different from other Arabs were the conventional Israeli outlook. This was in the least assumed to be historical. The boundaries of historic Palestine and bordering countries were randomly fixed and there are already a number of Arab nations. Consequently it is irrational to stipulate that Israel should have any liability or part in instituting a nation for them. The Israeli Prime Minister (1969-74) Golda Meir in his famous statement summarized as: "There was no such thing as Palestinians ... It was not as though there was a Palestinian people in Palestine considering itself as a Palestinian people and we came and threw them out and took their country away from them. They did not exist." Some Arab leaders also expressed the same views. In addition to this evidence shows that during the British era when restriction on Jewish colonization to Palestine prevailed, unrestricted Arab migration/immigration to Palestine had taken p lace. Many Arabs have backed up and some carry on affirming the formation of a united Arab state covering all Arab peoples which includes Palestine. This would result in the non-existence of a separate Palestinian state. But this view became a minority perspective among Palestinians during the British Mandate, and began to disappear after 1948 However this opinion is still conveyed often in the Arab states outside Palestine particularly in Syria due to its adhesion to the Greater Syria Movement, launched in 1944 to constitute a "Syrian Arab" state which would include Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine. But this view and its development has become improbable under present political reality. Even those who wanted to favour it in some situations back up an independent Palestinian state as the most