Crime films Essay Example

Crime films Paper The focus of this essay is to show how genre and narratives are established in two crime films and the textual analysis of the title sequence. In main crime films we see typical signifiers to show the genre. Specifically in crime films we seem to see objects such as guns and torches, as well as objects we see dark colors, unique fonts, serious facial expressions. Crime films also use close ups to show the characters facial expressions, as from expressions we can tell what kind of genre the plot is based on. There are three types of genres; they are sub genre, major genre and hybrid genre. A sub genre is a minor category closely related to a major genre, a major genre is a dominant important category, which is easy to identify, and finally hybrid genre, which is a combination of major genres that create another type of film. A signifier is a particular object that gives away what genre it is going to be e. g. guns, torches. A convention is typical ingredients of a film. The main conventions and their signifiers are: romantic subplot- male and female characters; tension- isolated location, shadow figures and dark colours; threats- facial expressions weapons threatening villains; violent crime- murderers, serial killers and mafia; urban settings- New York, Washington and L. A. Another five examples of signifiers for a crime film are; car chases, dodgy business, detectives, killer and involves money. Examples of successful crime films are: Oceans Eleven (2001), The Bone Collector (2000), Seven (1995), Traffic (2000) and Minority Report (2002). We will write a custom essay sample on Crime films specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Crime films specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Crime films specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer There are two types of audiences a film can relate to, they are: target audience which is a targeted age group for a particular genre or film and secondly a mainstream audience which is a large audience which covers a wide variety of different types, example age and gender. Crime films are considered as a mainstream appeal, I will be exploring how and in which ways it is known as this. Introduction 2 Crime films are mostly considered as a mainstream appeal as well as a mainstream genre. Most of the crime films are aimed at a mainstream audience. Crime is classified as a mainstream genre as it has a well known studio example Hollywood Pictures and New Line Cinema. Crime films also are associated with a mainstream audience as it applies to all genders male and female and all ages. The use of hybrid genre in crime films makes it a mainstream appeal as it uses to genres in one film, which will then create a bigger audience. Examples of different hybrid genres are crime detective, crime romance, Crime comedy and crime detective. An example of a film that did well in the box office which consisted of a mainstream appeal is Oceans Eleven, this film did particularly well at the cinemas at it had a well known star Brad Pitt, it had a well known studio Warner Brothers it applied to males and females (males as of Julia Roberts and females as of Brad Pitt and Matt Damon) and lastly it is a Hybrid genre as it uses to genres to make one film, the two types of genre they use are crime with gangster. Paragraph 1 Crime films are mostly aimed at a mainstream audience as they aim it at all ages and genders. The uses of stars in films makes big differences in the audience example if they had a well-known; good-looking and popular star it would create a larger audience. Denzel Washington is a famous well known actor, who has been previously nominated five times in the Oscars. He is well known for the crime film Training Day (2001). Training day did particularly well as it uses hybrid gene, it consisted of crime and action adventure. It also did well as it had two famous singers who are well known which are Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre. In the academy awards Denzel Washington won best supporting actor and Angelina Jolie won best supporting actress. Researching the top five crime films of all times and the genres used are:- 1. Godfather, The (1972)- crime and drama 2. Godfather part, The (1974)- crime and drama 3. Memento (2000)- crime, thriller and mystery 4. Usual Suspects, The (1995)- crime and thriller 5. Pulp Fiction (1994)- crime, action and thriller All these films did well as they are in the top five, they all had at least one well known star and they all used hybrid genres. Paragraph 2 The first film I will be looking at is The Bone Collector (1999), which is rated 15. The bone collector used hybrid genre; they put crime, detective and thriller together to create one film. The director of this film is Phillip Noyce; he also directed the crime and thriller film The Quite American that was released in 2002. The famous studio, which made The Bone Collector, was Colombia pictures with Universal Pictures. This film had an award winning actor Denzel Washington and the famous actress Angelina Jolie that stared in the film Interrupted girl (1999), which was a crime drama. We can tell this a high concept film as it did well at the box-office, we can also see this as it had actors, which are known by most people. I this film was rated with 6. 5 stars, which is not that bad. Overall the audience would have great expectation of this film as it has been talked about a lot and it has famous people, and also as the actors have won awards they are expected to be high quality. As the studio has produced other successful films the audience would have high expectation of other films produced by this certain studio. Paragraph 3 The next film I will be analysing is Oceans Eleven (2001). Which is rated 12. This film also included two genres; the genres were crime with gangster. The director of this film is Steven Soderbergh. Steven Soderbergh also produced the famed film Traffic (2000). This film was released before Oceans Eleven and was also a crime film. Oceans Eleven was rated 7. 5. I believe the audience expected a high-quality film. The reason for high expectations is because it had a lot of advertising, it consisted of popular; good-looking; well known stars, which made the film more successful and more noticeable to all the audience. Paragraph 4 All films have an opening sequence the reason for this is so that they create tension in the audience, so they audience get basic background information, so they can give out credits to people involved with the film production and so that the audience know the genre of the film and so that they know who is involved and who the stars are in the film. The narrative structure theory is the underlying structure of a story: the way in which the events of a story are put together.

When the Was Titanic Found

When the Was Titanic Found After the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912, the great ship slumbered on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean for over 70 years before its wreckage was discovered. On September 1, 1985, a joint American-French expedition, headed by famous American oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard, found the Titanic over two miles below the ocean’s surface by using an unmanned submersible called Argo. This discovery gave new meaning to the Titanic’s sinking and gave birth to new dreams in ocean exploration. The Titanic’s Journey Built in Ireland from 1909 to 1912 on behalf of the British-owned White Star Line, the Titanic officially left the European port of Queenstown, Ireland, on April 11, 1912. Carrying over 2,200 passengers and crew, the great ship  began its maiden voyage across the Atlantic, headed for New York. The Titanic carried passengers from all walks of life. Tickets were sold to first-, second-, and third-class passengers- the latter group largely consisting of immigrants seeking a better life in the United States. Famous first-class passengers included J. Bruce Ismay, the managing director of the White Star Line; business magnate Benjamin Guggenheim; and members of the Astor and Strauss families. The Sinking of the Titanic Only three days after setting sail, the Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, somewhere in the North Atlantic. Although it took the ship over two and a half hours to sink, the vast majority of the crew and passengers perished due to a significant lack of lifeboats and improper use of those that did exist. The lifeboats could have held over 1,100 people, but only 705 passengers  were saved; nearly 1,500 perished the night the Titanic sank. People around the world were shocked when they heard that the â€Å"unsinkable† Titanic had sunk. They wanted to know the details of the disaster. Yet, however much the survivors could share, theories about how and why the Titanic sank would remain unsubstantiated until the wreckage of the great ship could be found. There was just one problem- no one was sure exactly where the Titanic had sunk. An Oceanographers Pursuit For as long as he could remember, Robert Ballard had wanted to find the wreckage of the Titanic. His  childhood in San Diego, California, near the water sparked his life-long fascination with the ocean, and he learned to scuba dive as soon as he was able. After graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1965 with degrees in both chemistry and geology, Ballard signed up for the Army. Two years later, in 1967, Ballard transferred to the Navy, where he was assigned to the Deep Submergence Group at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Research Institution in Massachusetts, thus beginning his illustrious career with submersibles. By 1974, Ballard had received two doctoral degrees (marine geology and geophysics) from the University of Rhode Island and had spent a lot of time conducting deep-water dives in Alvin,  a manned submersible he helped design. During subsequent dives in 1977 and 1979 near the Galapagos Rift, Ballard helped discover hydrothermal vents, which led in turn to the discovery of  the amazing plants that grew around these vents. Scientific analysis of these plants led to the discovery of chemosynthesis, a process in which plants use chemical reactions rather than sunlight to get energy. However many shipwrecks Ballard explored and however much of the ocean floor he mapped, Ballard never forgot about the Titanic. â€Å"I always wanted to find the Titanic, Ballard has said.  That was a Mt. Everest in my world- one of those mountains that had never been climbed.†* Planning the Mission Ballard wasn’t the first to try to find the Titanic. Over the years, there had been several teams that  had set out to find the wreckage of the famous ship; three of them had been funded by millionaire oilman Jack Grimm. On his last expedition in 1982, Grimm had taken an underwater picture of what he believed to be a propeller from the Titanic; others believed it was only a rock. The hunt for the Titanic was to continue, this time with Ballard. But first, he needed funding. Given Ballards history with the U.S. Navy, he decided to ask them to fund his expedition. They agreed, but not because they had a vested interest in finding the long-lost ship. Instead, the Navy  wanted to use the technology Ballard would create to also help them find and investigate the wreckage of two nuclear submarines (the USS Thresher and the USS Scorpion) that had been mysteriously lost in the 1960s. Ballard’s search for the Titanic provided a nice cover story for the Navy, who wanted to keep their search for their lost submarines a secret from the Soviet Union. Amazingly, Ballard maintained the secrecy of his mission even as he built the technology and used it to find and explore the remains of the USS Thresher  and the remains of the USS Scorpion. While Ballard was investigating these wreckages, he learned more about debris fields, which would prove crucial in finding the  Titanic. Once his secret mission was complete, Ballard was able to focus on searching for the Titanic. However, he  now had only two weeks in which to do it. Locating the Titanic It was late August 1985 when Ballard finally began his search. He  had invited a French research team, led by Jean-Louis Michel, to join this expedition. Aboard the Navy’s oceanographic survey ship, the Knorr, Ballard and his team headed to the likely location of the Titanic’s resting place- 1,000 miles due east of Boston, Massachusetts. While previous expeditions had used close sweeps of the ocean floor to search for the Titanic, Ballard  decided to conduct mile-wide sweeps in order to cover more area. He was able to do this for two reasons. First, after examining the wreckage of the two submarines, he discovered that ocean currents often swept lighter pieces of the wreck downstream, thus leaving a long debris trail. Secondly, Ballard had engineered a new unmanned submersible (Argo) that could explore wider areas, dive deeper, stay underwater for many weeks, and deliver crisp and clear pictures of what it found. This meant that Ballard and his team could stay on board the Knorr and monitor the images taken from Argo, with the hopes that those images would capture small, man-made pieces of debris. The Knorr arrived in the area on August 22, 1985, and began sweeps of the area using Argo. In the early morning hours of September 1, 1985, the first glimpse of the Titanic in 73 years appeared on Ballard’s screen. Exploring 12,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, the Argo relayed the image of one of the Titanic’s boilers embedded within the sandy surface of the ocean’s floor. The team on the Knorr was ecstatic about the discovery, although the realization that they were floating atop the graves of nearly 1,500 individuals lent a somber tone to their celebration. The expedition proved to be instrumental in shedding light on the Titanic’s sinking. Prior to the discovery of the wreckage, there was some belief that the Titanic had sunk in one piece. The 1985 images did not give researchers definitive information on the ship’s sinking; however, it did establish some basic foundations that countered early myths. Subsequent Expeditions Ballard returned to the Titanic in 1986 with new technology that allowed him to further explore the interior of the majestic ship. Images were collected that showed the remains of the beauty that so captivated those who had seen the Titanic at its height. The Grand Staircase, still-hanging chandeliers, and intricate  iron-work were all photographed during Ballard’s second successful expedition. Since 1985, there have been several dozen expeditions to the Titanic. Many of these expeditions have been controversial since salvagers brought up several thousand artifacts from the ship’s remains. Ballard has been widely outspoken against these efforts, claiming that he felt the ship deserved to rest in peace. During his two initial expeditions, he decided not to bring any discovered artifacts to the surface. He felt that others should honor the sanctity of the wreckage in a similar fashion. The most proliferate salvager of Titanic artifacts has been RMS Titanic Inc.  The company has brought many notable artifacts to the surface, including a large piece of the ship’s hull, passenger luggage, dinnerware, and even documents preserved in oxygen-starved compartments of steamer trunks. Due to negotiations between its predecessor company and the French government, the RMS Titanic group initially could not sell the artifacts, only put them on display and charge admission to recoup expenses and generate profit. The largest exhibition of these artifacts, over 5,500 pieces,  is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Luxor Hotel, under the direction of the RMS Titanic Groups new name, Premier Exhibitions Inc. Titanic Returns to the Silver Screen Although the Titanic has been featured in numerous films through the years, it was James Cameron’s 1997 film, Titanic, that stimulated massive, worldwide interest in the ship’s fate. The movie became one of the most popular films ever made. The 100th Anniversary The 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic in 2012 also fueled renewed interest in the tragedy, 15 years after Cameron’s film. The wreckage site is now eligible to be named a protected area as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Ballard is also working to preserve what remains. An expedition in August 2012  revealed that increased human activity has caused the ship to break down at a faster rate than previously expected. Ballard came up with a plan to slow the process of degradation- painting the Titanic while it remains 12,000 feet below the ocean’s surface- but the plan was never implemented.   The discovery of the Titanic was a momentous accomplishment,  but not only is the world conflicted about how to care for this historical wreck, but its existing artifacts could also now be in jeopardy. Premier Exhibitions Inc. filed for bankruptcy in 2016, asking permission from the bankruptcy court to sell the  Titanics artifacts. As of this publication, the court has not made a ruling on the request.

Virtual time capsule Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Virtual time capsule - Assignment Example Moral values, respect, love, culture traditions are all taught by our forefathers and we follow them by our own will. It is, however, debatable to question the imposition of any idea on us. We live in the age where laws, regulations and rules are made to protect our independence We experience some irrational activities, violence, over exposure to negative aspects of life and gather knowledge via media basically. It is one of the popular advancements available to the people of our age. Media is the best source of information for people around the globe. We experience the role of technologies, education, social interaction and political agendas in our daily life which affects us in one way or the other. However, our families help us in every possible manner and protect us. We have a strong relationship with our family members and friends. Socialization, either face to face or over internet, is one of the activities that we carry out on a daily basis. Physical activities usually include involvement in some sport like football, table tennis, cricket, swimming etc. Our habits are all influenced by the people we are associated to and the society at large. We respect our elders and tend to help them wherever possible. Our customs are affected by other people’s customs as the concept of globalization and diversity has merged the people of different ethnic backgrounds. Decisions in our age are greatly influenced by the moral teachings by our families, educational teachers, friends, media and society. We are given the opportunity to live the way we want after we step in our adulthood. We have certain legal duties as well as some moral responsibilities to follow. The decisions we make are all affected by these factors discussed. A decision to start an awareness program to uphold the sustainability of environment is ethically and morally correct for the people of our age. The decision to stop using products which are made at the cost of the life of any species or th e environment is also morally correct and fair. Our values, hence, weigh how the environment, society and other creatures are affected by our decisions to judge them to be morally or ethically right and acceptable. Happiness is the feeling of being mentally relaxed and satisfied keeping the comfort of others in view. I reached to this definition as I moved on with my life and realized that I feel happy or contended only when things, people and environment around me is stable, in order and sound. Happiness, hence, lies in the greater good of the society. If the society or people around us are stable and the environment is not at risk, we feel comfortable, relaxed and happy. Having read this poem â€Å"Lost sister† I realized the importance of moral values, culture and tradition. Here the poet describes two types of women. Both are brought up in same culture but one of them chooses her life to spend in her native culture but the second chooses American disrupt culture. the ston e that in the far fields could moisten the dry season, could make men move mountains for the healing green of the inner hills glistening like a slice of winter melon. In my opinion the well cultured and traditional women desire more respect and honor than the one who is running in the social race of life with man because cultural lady can be seen but cannot be heard. On the other hand, the other women prefer freedom over respect. This poem enhances our traditional inclination towards the traditional and cultural ladies, who spend their whole lives for the sake of family. This poem will be of help in exposing the views and cultural priorities of our age to the future generations. The most important thing is the reputation and overwhelming

Antonio Vivaldi Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Antonio Vivaldi - Research Paper Example He is also an innovator, and also a contributor to music, with program music as an example. Baroque music is a style of music that began in the period of 1600 to 1750, the time when Bach died. It follows the Renaissance and it is followed by Classical era. It is characteristically ornate. This is the period where operas began, especially in there early stages of it, on 1600-1640s. The text with extreme emotions with homophony was employed. The middle phase was from 1640 to 1680, and in this phase, baroque music was spread all over Europe. The influence of the church is evident in this phase, as the musicians used the major and minor scales. The late phase is the most famous, as the music that is popularly Baroque usually come from this phase. In this phase, the instrumental music became as important as the vocals and elaborate polyphony was the norm. It should be noted that the music prior to the Baroque era is homophonic and the Baroque era gave way to elaborate ensembles. This movement also produced functional tonality and developed new ways of playing with instruments. Pictorialism is evident in music as there are words that are emphasized through the use of notes. It should also be noted that the Baroque orchestra is based on the violin. This is the reason why, even though there are a lot of Baroque musicians, Vivaldi is exceptional. He is a master violinist and he influenced other Baroque musicians like Bach, who is one of the more prominent Baroque musicians. Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice, Italy in March 4, 1768. He had five siblings. His father was a barber-turned-professional violinist. He was the one who taught Vivaldi how to play the violin, and then they toured Venice together as father and son. Vivaldi’s father was the founder of the musical association called  Sovvegno dei musicisti di Santa Cecilia. It has been theorized that this is where the young Antonio Vivaldi learned how to make compositions with the help of the

Identity Theft Privacy Matrix Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Identity Theft Privacy Matrix - Research Paper Example In addition, e-commerce providers also face the risk of losing information they acquire from customer to threats that may breach their information systems. With many companies have fewer strategies to combat identity theft, against a backdrop of continued collection of personally identifying information, there is need to develop effective weapons to combat identity theft. Laws, regulations, and policies are the most effective weapons. The issue of identity theft presents ethical challenges that continue to challenge the success of e-commerce industry. While the industry has transformed commerce through practices that do not require face-to-face interactions, the danger of consumers losing their personally identifying information has far reaching consequences that could erode gains in privacy protection. Notably, the existing challenge of identity theft has created many concerns about the loss of personally identifying data and its impact on stakeholders involved in the e-commerce ind ustry (Camp, 2007). From the privacy matrix in this paper, it would be vital to note that identify theft has created varying influence on various elements that define the e-commerce industry. ... The e-commerce environment has brought together various organizations and entities that co-exist and have various forms of interaction. With many players working interacting in the electronic environment, there are concerted efforts to develop strategies that help reduce the challenge of identity theft. More specifically, there is a need to strike a balance between choosing strategies that enhance protection of personal identity while creating less burden on e-commerce systems. With the e-commerce built on a system that relies on personally identifying information, enhancing safety of personally identifying information has never been this important. The privacy matrix in the paper outlines several channels where identify theft can occur within the e-commerce industry. E-threats can compromise personally identifying information when consumers visit the e-commerce websites of their choice. During such visits, the consumers can provide website with information such as phone numbers, pas swords, credit card numbers, and in some cases their social security numbers. This information is critical for various e-commerce processes, but e-threats can capture them. At the front door, organizations that collect this information could be at risk of front door e-threats. These e-threats may include spyware, phishing and active or passive collection of personally identifying information. With regard to these threats, the use of laws and policies are essential in combating the loss of information at this point (Roberson, 2008). With consumers being at risk of losing information when these e-threats strike, laws could be effective in mandating the companies provide information about the security of user data to enable consumers take appropriate action about their

Qualities of a Good Humanitarian

Qualities of a Good Humanitarian This autobiography Three Cups Of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin goes through the life experiences of Greg Mortenson in his quest to build schools for disadvantaged children in the desolate parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. This essay investigates the qualities that Mortenson possesses that have helped make him a contemporary symbol of humanitarianism. How does Mortensons story show the qualities necessary for a good Humanitarian? To answer this question, this essay makes a thorough analysis of this autobiography by analyzing the things that Mortenson has done and what persuaded him to do them. With that in mind this essay is intended to try and decipher which qualities or traits have guided him thus far, qualities which seem extremely beneficial to his quest. In the essay, each trait has been explored in depth, looking at the ways Mortenson has demonstrated that particular trait and how it helped in the end. This autobiography has been supported by some secondary sources from the internet that include book reviews that have been posted along with interviews that have been conducted with him. Therefore with these sources, I have made generalizations as to what qualities make a good humanitarian. Upon conclusion, I discovered that with the right amount of compassion, desire to succeed and being able to blend into different cultures then one can be a good humanitarian. INTRODUCTION Power is the ability to achieve purpose. Power is the ability to effect change; these were words spoken by the legendary Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King and from these words, one can gather that there is some extraordinary power that any individual can possess, as long as they have the ability to make a difference in the lives of others, it does not matter whether on a large scale or not. Throughout history there have been great men and women who have been known to possess this extraordinary power, such as mother Teresa who dedicated her life to helping the poor but amongst these people is Greg Mortenson, a man who from being a mere nurse has risen above all odds and has become a world renowned humanitarian who has done development work in Central Asia (Pakistan and Afghanistan). Most of his work has been the construction of schools for both the Pakistani and Afghani children but it also extends to giving a helping hand at refugee camps in these areas. To date, Mortenson has built over one hundred and thirty schools and some of them catering to just girls. Greg Mortenson, along with the award winning journalist David Oliver Relin have written an autobiography of Mortensons life Three Cups Of Tea one mans mission to promote peaceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦one school at a time from the time he discovered his true calling through all the ensuing events, sharing in detail how he tackles every obstacle that comes his way. How does Mortensons story show the qualities necessary for a good humanitarian? For most people it has been a mystery as to what qualities must be possessed for an individual to become a humanitarian and exercise charity. I think Mortenson is one of the best people to help illustrate these qualities because he started from nothing but has now become a man to whom even the US Military looks to for advice. How is it that this ordinary man who failed to climb K-2 has achieved so much in life? This topic is significant in that as much as most people might want to help the needy, they may not know where and how to start and the qualities that may help them in their quest. Even universities have started offering courses that help create great humanitarians and aid projects, courses like development work and development theory finance. Just the mere prospect of having these courses offered at universities shows that this is a booming industry and observing people like Greg Mortenson can help a lot of people who are interested in helping others. Other humanitarians like Sir Edmund Hilary have seen this advancement in humanitarian efforts coming, and in his book School House In The Clouds, Hilary spoke of the need for aid projects in the worlds poorest places he says, Slowly and painfully we are seeing worldwide acceptance of the fact that the wealthier and more technologically advanced countries have a responsibility to help undeveloped ones (pg 53). Mortensons philosophy is also that of Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen whose idea is that, You can change a culture by giving its girls the tools to grow up educated so they can help themselves (pg 234). In Mortensons case, these schools were not built overnight; Mortenson encountered problems but he persisted and in the end the results were very rewarding. Mortenson has shown that an ordinary person like himself can make a difference in the world by having the right amount of compassion, determination and the ability to rise above prejudices and work within another culture. COMPASSION The poor do not need our sympathy and pity: the poor need our love and compassion. These were words spoken by the Nobel Peace prize winner, Mother Teresa, one of Mortensons idols. From the beginning, our introduction to Mortenson is of a man who doesnt pity the needy but tries to help them as much as possible. The source of this good-heartedness can be traced back to his parents who were also generous people. Irvin Mortenson (Gregs father) was an army veteran-turned schoolteacher in Tanzania who while there threw every molecule of himself into the great achievement of his life-raising money for and founding Tanzanias first teaching hospital, the Kilimanjaro Christian medical center (36). Also, his mother, Jerene Mortenson, laboured with the same single-mindedness to establish the Moshi International School (36). With such parents, it is no wonder Greg Mortenson turned out the way he did. Mortensons compassion is easily noticeable in the sacrifices he has undertaken for the sake of his family. The Mortensons lived in Africa for most of Gregs childhood and although they had done so much for the Tazanians, when they went back to America they were struggling financially and Greg Mortensons compassion is well illustrated when after graduating from high school, he enrolled himself in the army just so he could bring in some money. To show how rare this trait is Mortenson says: The kids at my school were amazed Id even consider the military. But we were broke (40). Christa, Mortensons sister, was epileptic and for the sole purpose of finding a way to help her, Greg studied neurology (42). Not only that but when they were growing up, Mortenson made sure that no one made fun of Christa. After college, Mortenson wanted to start working as soon as possible but because he wanted to spend time with his sister, he took a year off-not many people could do that which is why when Christa died, Mortenson took it really hard but wanted to honour her memory by climbing K-2, a mountain in central Asia infamous for being one of the toughest to climb in the world (42-43). Another clear depiction of Mortensons compassion is when he offered to quit school when his father was dying of cancer so that he could take care of him in his last days (42). Mortensons compassion can also be seen in the sacrifices he makes for others and his desire to satisfy everyone. This whole idea of building schools started in a village called Korphe where Mortenson was taken after he had been lost on K-2 Mountain and had seen about eighty children trying to teach themselves on the ground without a teacher and had made the promise to build them the school (33). While there, Mortenson distributed all he had to the people of that village and had gone out of his way to help their sick, hence earning his name Dr. Greg (30). On his way to fulfill his promise, the people of other villages were trying to bribe him into opting for their village and not Korphe and the guilt that Mortenson felt knowing that he could not help them frustrated him which is why he ended up promising to one day build the school for them, no matter what it took and this signifies his compassion to the extreme (91). Also, going out of his way to organise teachers and paying salaries along with calling in an eye specialist for the children and elderly of refugee camps that strained to feed, shelter and educate hundreds of thousands of people is an extreme act of compassion that clearly shows his big heart (208). Further, whenever there was a war happening, Mortenson was usually robbed of sleep worrying about those poor people (214). He used to spend nights reading about Pakistani history and trying to learn more and this shows a man whose good-heartedness made him even forget the necessities of life like sleeping. Perhaps the best way he has demonstrated his compassion is by fulfilling most of his promises; he promised to build a school for the Korphe people and he did that and even more, he also built them a womens vocational center fully equipped with sewing machines (193). He also promised to build a school for the people of the villages who were trying to bribe him and he did; not only for them but for many other villages. DETERMINATION It is usually said that a leader has a clear idea of what she or he wants and he would do anything to get it regardless of any obstacles that he may face and likewise, Mortenson was a leader who, in his cause to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, has come across a lot of setbacks that would make most people give up but because he had a lot of determination Mortenson just pushed on and can now be identified as a well respected humanitarian. His determination is easily portrayed in the sacrifices he makes in order to raise the necessary funds for the construction of the schools. These acts include struggling to write many requests to as many potential sponsors as possible so that he could build the first school (47). We learn that, he wrote to every U.S. senator. He haunted the public library, scanning the kind of pop culture magazines he would never otherwise read, in search of sponsors and this just shows his eagerness to succeed ( 49). To save money while he was trying to raise funds for the school, Mortenson decided not to rent an apartment and chose to live in his car and to take showers in the bathrooms of a climbing club that he was a member of ( 49). At night he would be bothered by the police so he had to hunt for parking places where the police would not find him (49). What person in their right mind would do something like that, especially for people he did not have exceptionally strong ties with, unless they were really determined to succeed and even going to the extremes of starving himself (51)? In like manner, while he was in Pakistan with the necessary funds for the school, he lived in an eight-by-eight-foot glassed in cubicle on the hotels roof that seemed more like a garden shed than a guest room (57). Here again the image is of a man who is prepared to endure all the hardships that come his way (57). He could have just used the money he had on him and checked into a proper hotel but no, he had to try and save as much as possible. Before he had left America, Mortenson converted everything else he owned into enough cash to buy his plane ticket(56). What if everything in Pakistan did not work out and when he got back, what would he have? Nothing, but because he knew what he wanted he did it anyway. Mother Teresa once said: We ourselves feel like what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean but the ocean would be less without that drop. Mortenson believed in this saying and strived in every way to make sure that the drop he was adding was at its best hence why he even started reading books on development theory finance so that he could be a better manager and along with this he even flew to Southeast Asia so that he could learn more from other programs that did the same job that he did (234). Only a man who really wanted to make things work would go this far. In the time that Mortenson has been in Central Asia, he has taken great risks, risks that had he been somebody else, he would have left without any delays and these risks include exposing himself to the conflicts that are taking place there. In 1996, Bin Laden (a leader of the Talibans Islam extremist) called for an armed struggle against any Americans, and when this happened Mortenson was still there and ended up being held hostage for some time before he was released; but the terrifying prospect that he kept delaying leaving Asia although he knew how dangerous it was, shows his pure determination along with his love for these people (156). Patience is a prevailing attribute that Mortenson seems to possess and in physics; a spring can be stretched and return to its original place, but there is a limit to that stretching (elasticity limit), and when this point is reached then the spring will never go back to its original position. Greg Mortensons patience is synonymous to this spring and the similarities are easily noticeable because throughout, his patience has been tried at different turns and this patience helps to eloquently demonstrate his determination. The fact that Mortenson only received a single reply from the letters he wrote and all his grant applications had been turned down after waiting over six months; the fact that Mortenson still continued even after this major setback is a clear indication of his determination (52) As with the physics analysis, however, at some point Mortenson almost had a mental breakdown because after struggling for over two years to get a hold of the funds required to build the first school, when he arrives at Korphe to begin the building project, he discovers that before they can begin they have to build a bridge to carry across the necessary building materials. This required him to go back to America to get more money for the construction of the bridge. Looking back at the way he had struggled to get the first twelve thousand dollars, obviously it wasnt going to be easy to get the extra funds. Predictably, he did struggle and this failure led to him almost giving up hope. He was just on the brink of giving up but the words of a fellow mountaineer, Dr. Louis Richardt brought him back: Pull yourself together, Greg. Of course youve hit a few speed bumps but what youre trying to do is much more difficult than climbing K2(106). These words gave him the strength to continue. Thi s pure act showed a lot of determination on his part. Again, Mortensons determination can be seen in the problems he faces and the way he overcomes them. After the formation of the Central Asia Institute (CAI) which was founded by a single sponsor Jean Hoerni who covered all the expenses, Mortensons work in Pakistan advanced extremely, but following the death of the sponsor, the company started having monetary problems. Mortenson refused to hire an assistant because of fear of dipping into CAIs funds (228); he also refused an offer of a salary increase along with refusing to hire office space. All these things show a man who is determined to continue in his cause and was desperate to save as much as possible so that his work can continue. During this time of hardships in the company, Mortenson started to hold seminars where he tried to raise awareness for his work and get funding, but sometimes he faced a sea of empty seats (228) but the fact that he still continued to go to every state in America as planned shows that he had hope that at some point he would get lucky and the message would be out and his determination is enormously conveyed in this way. Now, some rich people wanted to flaunt Mortenson to their peers and look good with the promise that they would fund his company and because Mortenson was desperate, he had no choice but to play along. At some point he even went to Canada with one of them but in the end he got nothing in the form of funds from him. He tried everybody, even the people whose legitimacy he doubted. An old lady who said she had money to give called Mortenson over and he obliged because of his desperation but this woman turned out to be just a lonely old lady who just yearned for company (231). A person who would do all this is indeed determined to get to his destination. ABILITY TO RISE OVER PREJUDICES AND WORK WITHIN ANOTHER CULTURE It has been said that Good intentions and money are great, but it is partnerships and great personal relationships at the grass roots level that gets things done in a third world country and from the onset Mortenson has proved himself to be one of those people who are extremely sociable and form partnerships quickly. Throughout his quest, what Mortenson has been doing the entire time is building his rapport and trying to gain the trust of the natives of the countries he was trying to aid. His individualism and non-affiliation with both big NGOs and the political systems in any country are the factors that may have helped him reach so far as compared to all other development charities that have tried to help these people. Of course there were a number of barriers that hindered his progress and these include the language barriers because at first he had not learned their language; the custom barriers that also hindered his progress because if he went against custom, his work may be cut-off; and lastly the religious beliefs. The education of girls in that part of the world is taboo and people in Pakistan and Afghanistan believe it goes against their religion. According to BBC News, when parents were asked why they didnt pay for their female children to go to school, the parents would say Because its wrong, its irreligious, its improper they should stay at home and prepare for their real lives, their married lives. Mortenson was going against this taboo in every way and this caused a lot of problems for him. I have heard that an infidel has come to poison our Muslim children, boys as well as girls; with his teachings. Allah forbids the education of girls. And I forbid the construction of this school. (152) These were words spoken by one Haji Medhi who, along with his men went to Korphe and were trying to stop Mortensons work. Also, Greg learned that the Sher of Chakpo had declared a fatwa against himà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Pakistan is ruled by civil law, but also by Shariat, which is a system of Islamic law (184) . It wasnt only this once that a fatwa was issued against him but twice. After an issue of a fatwa has been made, the courts have to decide what to do, but luckily on both counts he was not implicated but rather the courts saw his work as a gift to their children. From the onset, we see Mortenson as a man who is able to quickly gain the trust of the people around him. George McCown, a board member of the American Himalayan Foundations once said: Greg is a guy you immediately like and trustà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦watching all those people work with himà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦It was obvious they loved him. He operated as one of them and I wondered how in the hell an American had managed that (122-123). How indeed has he managed that? The answer to that mystery might be that Greg has an eagerness to learn peoples ways, he tries in every way not to offend them and he does not distinguish himself from them but sees them as his equals, he sees everybody as his equal. His eagerness to learn their ways is easily noticeable when during his second visit to Pakistan, he asks the tailor who was putting together his outfit to teach him how to pray (62). What business of his was it how these people prayed? This eagerness to pray is also accentuated when he tries to pray with the religious leader of Korphe (67). For him to even enter the compound where the Korphe religious leader lived was a problem because he did not want to offend him; he understood that he was a non-Muslim (infidel) trying to educate the children of Korphe and he didnt know how the religious leader would take it (67). This trait of not wanting to offend is also signified with the guilt he felt when he had worn their traditional dress inappropriately and was therefore scolded for it (62). Again, unlike big organizations that just throw in millions without requesting anything from the locals, Mortenson required that each village donate land and labour and this is one of the things that might have helped him gain the trust of these people involving them. Mortenson says: Ive driven past dozens of schools in Northern Afghanistan that have been set up by conservation Corps or USAID(United States Agency For International Development), and you see a beautiful school building but no one in it Also, although Mortenson was offered large sums of money by the US Military, he had to refuse because he understood that his credibility in that part of the world depended on not being associated with the American government, especially the military (295). Had the people thought he was associated with them, they would shut him out. The American military never really stopped to ask what the people of Pakistan or Afghanistan wanted but just did what they wanted without consulting with their elders. In an interview for MSNBC(a television network), Mortenson says that following an earthquake in Pakistan in 2005, tens of thousands of tents were sent over and most of them implosive and the people would huddle in them with kerosene lanterns for light and hundreds of tents imploded and hundreds of people died and some were burned. But had anybody asked what they wanted they could have said they could make their own canvas tents if they send over canvas and sewing machines Mortenson on the ot her hand asks what they need and he would rather supply them with that than anything they did not ask for. CONCLUSION When investigating this research question How does Mortensons story show the qualities of a good humanitarian? it is easily discernable that by showing the qualities that Mortenson possessed, this story Three cups of tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin clearly shows that it all begins with the amount of compassion that one possesses. If one does not have a desire to help the needy then they would not succeed because how could one do something they do not really have the desire for? Then comes the degree to which they are willing to bend their will in order to help make that particular act a success. They need to be ready to make a lot of sacrifices along the way, sacrifices that could mean they have to live differently from the way they are used to. Mortensons experiences show that in most cases the journey will not be easy but with the correct amount of determination and eagerness to succeed, eventually you will get there. Usually the people who require most help are the people in remote parts of developing or undeveloped countries and most of the time these people have customs that most outsiders are not familiar with and may even be a whole different ethnic group all together and most of the time aid organizations or humanitarians are going to have to try and learn their ways. Finally, listening to them, incorporating them in the decision-making process is also a wise move because that way, their needs are catered for. There have been great humanitarians like Mortenson who have possessed these qualities: Mother Teresa, Fred Cunny, Per Anger, Dalai Lama many others. By reading autobiographies of such people, these artifacts of our culture can give aspiring humanitarians the necessary qualities for being great humanitarians.

Andrea Del Sarto- How Browning?s Poetry Can Be Linked To When It Was W :: essays research papers

Robert Browning’s poem, ‘Andrea del Sarto’ presents the reader with his views on the painter’s life, an artist who has lost faith in the Parnassian ideal of living for art, and now has to use art as a living. The poem looks at the darker side of the painter when he was older, and expresses a lot about Browning as well, and how he thought his work was perceived, and the context of his life and times. The poem covers many ideas and themes, which not only create a powerful poem, but also create commentary from Browning’s prerogative of his own situation. The poem epitomizes Browning’s work, looking at a real figure in history, from Browning’s own perspective, in a real state of affairs. Although ‘Del Sarto’ might have been regarded as ‘The Faultless painter’ in his time, on the inside he had to repress a struggle. As historian Vasari pointed out, a ‘certain timidity of spirit’ that stopped him from g aining true recognition as one of the greats alongside ‘Leonard, Rafael, Agnolo’. This could be said to express Browning’s view of audience, since his wife was much more successful than him. In this essay I will be looking at the poem, and how it relates to Browning and the time it was written in. The poem has a very melancholy tone throughout, expressing the feelings of Browning’s ‘Del Sarto’, and to an extent Browning himself. It deals with the artists demise, or recline, that he thinks is slowly starting to destroy his life, and the freedom he once had as an artist. He makes references to the ‘autumn in everything’ that he now sees, and the sin of him being ‘tempted’ by ‘Francis’ coin’, which he ‘took’. It is clear from the beginning of the poem that ‘Del Sarto’ that he has to live with his resolve, and although he tries to outline his plight, he doesn’t change it, as he says to Lucrezia ‘do not let us quarrel any more’. He is succumbing to what he has to now do. He has to work now for the money he will gain, which destroys the ethos of art. Hi reference to the recipient of the piece as a ‘friends friend’ emphasizes how distant he has got from his art , and his audience. It is not a particular audience, and neither does the picture convey much, as it is just for money.

Henry Iv – Moral Centre

Hanh-Thy Chau 2M N. Wittlin February 25, 2003 ENG2DB-02 A Revision of Morality in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part One Who is the moral centre in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part one? This will ceaselessly be a question challenging the intentions of Shakespeare’s literature. However, [didn’t Wittlin say don’t start with however else its after a semi-colon] the question in this revision of morality in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part one is, is there even a moral center in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part one? Humanity is incapable of absolute goodness; therefore, there is no moral centre in Henry IV, Part one since the three major characters, King Henry, Prince Hal, and Sir John Falstaff, are all somewhat morally flawed. Shakespeare reveals the imperfection of human nature through the behaviour of his [these] characters. First of all, King Henry sets a presumed reputation as the religious, loved and strong leader of England in Henry IV, Part one for his subjects. However, his supposed virtues are only results of his concealed faults. Ironically, the King can be quite blasphemous, despicable, and pathetic. Throughout the play, Henry is evidently repenting for his conduct in his acquirement of the British thrown. This is shown in his belief of â€Å"whether God will have it so, /†¦To punish my [King Henry’s] mistreadings† (III. ii. 4-11) and that â€Å"God pardon† (III. iii. 29) Hal for his unpunished sins of his bad company. Furthermore, King Henry’s disgraceful conduct clearly reveals the false reception of love from his subjects. This is especially revealed in his relationship based on conditional love with Prince Hal. His opinion of Hal, which changed from a state of â€Å"riot and dishonour† (I. i. 4) to one of â€Å"charge and sovereign† (III. iii. 161), is only established on restricted affection and Hal’s social image, rather than a personal benevolence between parent and child. In addition, another of King Henry’s loathsome features is again shown through his attainment of the throne: deceitful behaviour. Furthermore, the King’s pathetic nature is revealed by his insecurity. The play begins with the King expressing his paranoid worries, being â€Å"so shaken† and â€Å"wan with care† (I. i. 1-2), accordingly presenting the audience with its first impression of the supposedly strong leader. King Henry deceitfully attempts to use the â€Å"chase† of the â€Å"pagans in these holy fields/†¦for our [England’s] advantage† (I. i. 24-27) to distract the â€Å"civil butchery† (I. i. 13) back home in England. Overall, the life events of King Henry IV’s does not present a very moral reputation for a man of worthy of such power and prestige. Secondly, Prince Hal clearly shows both positive aspects and negative aspects, as his character undergoes great change in Henry IV, Part one. Hal gives the audience the impression of his intentions to â€Å"throw off† (I. iii. 05) his uncouthly behaviour moral to please the King, the alleged victim in Henry IV, Part one. Hal believes he can â€Å"find pardon on† his â€Å"true submission† (III. ii. 28) by satisfy his father’s expectations for the throne’s heir and discard the values of his loving surrogate father, Falstaff. As revealed in the previous quotation of pard oned submission, one of Hal’s admirable aspects is his open ability to accept his faults; however, it seems his judgement regarding the class, justice, and honour system remains stereotyped by knightly tradition. Although Prince Hal’s resultant persona is traditionally considered positive, Hal’s most commonly shown qualities in the play are characterized as manipulative, superficial and unemotional, all of which further reveal his immoral faults. Hal’s manipulative nature is exposed throughout Henry IV, Part one. Prince Hal’s manipulative intelligence is first revealed in his soliloquy, where he vows to â€Å"falsify men’s hopes/ and†¦so offend to make offense a skill† (I. iii. 205-211). Hal’s aptitude for manipulating is further proven in his sudden abandonment of Falstaff and his low class company, as foreshadowed when Hal symbolically states that â€Å"by breaking through the foul and ugly mists†¦my [Hal’s] reformation†¦shall show more goodly† (I. ii. 196-). In this quote, the clouds represent Falstaff and company and the beauty in reference [to†¦] is the reformed Hal. An addition to Hal’s [im] amoral traits is his superficiality. Hal’s superficiality is shown in his judgement of physical image. This is shown in his constant vulgar references to Falstaff’s obesity: a â€Å"fat-witted with drinking of old sack† (I. ii. 2) and his abandonment of Falstaff’s role in his life after his reformation. Hal’s commitment [to] the traditional expectations of honour results in the betrayal of Falstaff’s hedonistic approach on life and his only endeavour is to please the man who had offered a pitiful excuse of love incomparable to what Falstaff had to offer: unconditional love. These examples of Hal’s superficiality also support Hal’s lack of sympathy for others. Hal’s cold behaviour towards others is shown in his hypocritical approach for Falstaff’s hedonistic [maybe use self-gratifying] attitude. Hal is unaware of his own form of intemperance: he strives to improve his own self-image at the expense of others. Despite Hal’s admirable traits as a respectable member of court, as a human being, Prince Hal’s amorality is quite apparent by the distinction of his actions. Lastly, despite Sir John Falstaff’s self-gratifying lifestyle, he seems to be the most moral character in Henry IV, Part one, although not wholly moral because as previously addressed, human nature is inept of utter goodness. Due to Sir John Falstaff’s philosophies, many have claimed to be fond of his self-indulging ways but admit the ridicule behind paying formal respect to such a person. Falstaff cleverly manipulates others for his own welfare; however, it is only in good nature. This is proven in Act III scene iii, when Falstaff distorts the situation of his debt to Mistress Quickly into one of an accusation of her being the thief of his â€Å"picked†¦pocket† [wasn’t he really pick pocketed? ](III. iii. 53), and more wittingly forgives her in the end as she goes to prepare his meal, intending no spite upon the hostess. Falstaff deceives, cowards [not an action; cannot be used in this senctense], drinks â€Å"of old sack† (I. ii. 2) and commits virtually every sin. Shakespeare masterfully moulds these negative aspects into unusual forms of virtue in Falstaff’s character by showing that Falstaff means no harm. In doing this, Shakespeare cleverly twists the faults upon the regal members of society by building the play upon the disputes between themselves; thus, showing the power of such subtle issues, barely considered sinful, causing â€Å"civil butchery† (I. i. 13), whereas the sinful ways of â€Å"Old Jack Falstaff† (II. iv. 72) has no such effect. Although Falstaff’s pleasure priorities may be rather farfetched, his â€Å"gift†¦is youthful irresponsibility, which must be cherished even though it cannot last† (p. xx). Falstaff’s commonly repeated idea that â€Å"young men must live† (II. ii. 90) emphasizes his belief in the value of youth ful irresponsibility and luxury. Shakespeare grants Falstaff the embodiment of human nature itself, excluding extreme wicked sins, leaving Falstaff’s childlike benevolence untouched; this is shown as he pompously states, â€Å"I have more flesh than another man, and therefore more frailty† (III. ii. 167-169). Falstaff serves as a bringer of human nature as he serves to foil all other characters therefore revealing everyone moral flaws yet remaining the most moral character due to his youthful benevolence. In conclusion, Shakespeare brilliantly provokes the audiences’ involvement in his plays by presenting them with intellectual trials to the mysteries of life. Because [r u sure that u want to start a sentence with that] absolute morality is unachievable, Shakespeare does not put forward a definite moral center in Henry IV, Part one. There will always be a balance of both positive and negative forces as the faults and virtues of King Henry, Prince Hal and Sir John Falstaff were discussed. This is very good. You explained your points well just a couple of minor mistakes but I think you’ll get a good mark. Sorry for not responding I was eating dinner sorry. Talk to you later ok. Bye Word Count: 1 189 Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Henry IV, Part one. Toronto: Bantam Books, 1988

Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning After reading her poems for the first time, Robert wrote to her: I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett- I do, as I say, love these verses with all my heart. With that first meeting of hearts and minds, a love affair would blossom between the two. Elizabeth told Mrs. Martin that she was getting deeper and deeper into correspondence with Robert Browning, poet, and mystic; and we are growing to be the truest of friends. During the 20 months of their courtship, the couple exchanged nearly 600 letters. But what is love without obstacles and hardships? As Frederic Kenyon writes, Mr. Browning knew that he was asking to be allowed to take charge of an invalids life- believed indeed that she was even worse than was really the case, and that she was hopelessly incapacitated from ever standing on her feet- -but was sure enough of his love to regard that as no obstacle. The Bonds of Marriage Their subsequent marriage was a secret matter, taking place on September 12, 1846, at Marylebone Church. Most of her family members eventually accepted the match, but her father disowned her, would not open her letters, and refused to see her. Elizabeth stood by her husband, and she credited him with  saving her life. She wrote to Mrs. Martin: I admire such qualities as he has- fortitude, integrity. I loved him for his courage in adverse circumstances which were yet felt by him more literally than I could feel them. Always he has had the greatest power over my heart because I am of those weak women who reverence strong men. Out of their courtship and those early days of marriage came an outpouring of poetic expression. Elizabeth finally gave her little packet of sonnets to her husband, who could not keep them to himself. I dared not, he said, reserve to myself the finest sonnets written in any language since Shakespeares. The collection finally appeared in 1850 as Sonnets from the Portuguese. Kenyon writes, With the single exception of Rossetti, no modern English poet has written of love with such genius, such beauty, and such sincerity, as the two who gave the most beautiful example of it in their own lives. The Brownings lived in Italy for the next 15 years of their lives, until Elizabeth died in Roberts arms on June 29, 1861. It was while they were living there in Italy that they both wrote some of their most memorable poems. Love Letters The romance between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett is legendary. Heres the first letter that Robert Browning sent to Elizabeth, who would eventually become his wife.   January 10th, 1845New Cross, Hatcham, SurreyI love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett,and this is no off-hand complimentary letter that I shall write,whatever else, no prompt matter-of-course recognition of your genius and there a graceful and natural end of the thing: since the day last week when I first read your poems, I quite laugh to remember how I have been turning again in my mind what I should be able to tell you of their effect upon mefor in the first flush of delight I  thought  I would this once get out of my habit of purely passive enjoyment, when I do really enjoy, and thoroughly justify my admirationperhaps even, as a loyal fellow-craftsman should, try and find fault and do you some little good to be proud of herafter!but nothing comes of it allso into me has it gone, and part of me has it become, this great living poetry of yours, not a flower of which but took root and grew... oh, how different that is from lying to be dried and pressed flat and priz ed highly and put in a book with a proper account at bottom, and shut up and put away... and the book called a Flora, besides! After all, I need not give up the thought of doing that, too, in time; because even now, talking with whoever is worthy, I can give reason for my faith in one and another excellence, the fresh strange music, the affluent language, the exquisite pathos and true new brave thoughtbut in this addressing myself to you, your own self, and for the first time, my feeling rises  altogether. I do, as I say, love these Books with all my heart and I love you too: do you know I was once seeing you? Mr. Kenyon said to me one morning would you like to see Miss Barrett?then he went to announce me,then he returned... you were too unwell and now it is years agoand I feel as at some  untoward  passage in my travelsas if I had been close, so close, to some  worlds wonder  in chapel on crypt,... only a screen to push and I might have entered but there was some slight ... so it now seems... slight and just-sufficient bar to  admission and the half-opened door shut, and I went home my thousands of miles, and the sight was never to be!Well, these Poems were to beand this true thankful joy and pride with which I feel myself. Yours ever faithfully Robert Browning

Study of the key elements of the new right ideology and the conservative approach to welfare The WritePass Journal

Study of the key elements of the new right ideology and the conservative approach to welfare Introduction Study of the key elements of the new right ideology and the conservative approach to welfare IntroductionBibliography;Related Introduction â€Å"Recent news from a government white paper released on the 10th of November 2010 states that,   Today, five million people are on out-of-work benefits in the UK, and 1.4 million of them have been receiving out-of-work benefits for nine out of the last ten years. Not only have that, but we now have one of the highest rates of workless households in Europe, with 1.9 million children living in homes where no one has a job†. (official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm79/7957/7957.pdf) The welfare state of the past has been accused of creating a ‘welfare dependency culture’. Therefore this essay aims at outlining the key elements of the ‘New Rights’ ideology by exploring the theories, values, beliefs and mainly their attitudes towards the welfare state. Following with a critical examination of the relationship these views had in the development of a ‘New’ style of conservative approach to welfare. In order to explore the correlation of conservative and ‘New Right’ perspectives the first ever woman prime minister Margaret Thatcher of the conservative government is briefly mentioned to perceive a better understanding of how the ‘New Rights’ ideologies   influenced the decisions made. The key elements and values of the New Right’s ideology were developed in the early eighties and took a pessimistic view of human nature and the nature of society, a belief in natural inequality, a belief in the inevitability and desirability of political and economic inequality combined with the equality of opportunity.They were ideologically committed to neo-liberalism as well as being socially conservative. Key policies included deregulation of business, a dismantling of the welfare state, privatization of nationalized industries and restructuring of the national workforce in order to increase industrial and economic flexibility in an increasingly global market. (Lund.2002). Many theorists of recent ‘Neo Liberal’  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   draw directly on the writings of Hayek, who had been consistently developing the case for market liberalism. (Alcock, 2003) Libertarian conservatives or neo-Liberals have adopted liberal ideas, and those from this perspective are commonly referred to as ‘New Right’. Theorists of the new Right such as C.Murray argue that the welfare state creates a ‘Culture of Dependency’ eradicating independence, self help and individual responsibility. Murray went further to add that welfare state is the major cause of family breakdown as it stops women being dependant on men to earn their living, thus leaving the creation of the underclass amongst single women and fatherless children. (Murray 1990). Hence, there is a complete contrast in the belief of the paternalistic Conservative Tradition that believes in social duty and obligation whereas the New Right stresses self help to the state. Supporters of the neo-liberal elements of New Right ideology argued that a greater emphasis on individualism especially in economic affairs was necessary to secure greater economic efficiency which ultimately would generate rising living standards for all (Lund 2002). Therefore nationalised industries were to be privatised as a means of securing greater reliance on the market mechanism; rates of income taxation were to be reduced in order to increase incentives; rates of unemployment benefit were to be reduced in order to increase self –reliance and restrict the growth of the so-called welfare-dependent underclass; trade union power was to be reduced and Keynesian policies were to be discarded and the goal of full employment encouraged. (Lund, 2002.George and Wilding.1994). Furthermore, as individual responsibility is fundamental of the New Right’s ideology on human behaviour, according to George and Wilding (1994; pg 22)  Ã‚   â€Å"Individuals are seen to need clear incentives for good behaviour and punishment for failure. Risk and uncertainty are the real danger of failure it is necessary to human and social functioning†. The New Right‘s assumption of individual responsibility is that of looking after the family first, being self interested and obtaining personal acquisition of wealth. The idea being that people are naturally individualistic in their inspirations and that they respond to the expectation and possibility of individual recompense. However, New Rights view on human nature as rational and self seeking is in contrast with the view of traditional conservatisms mistrust of human reason. In addition, the New Right state the realism of human nature is that uncertainty, risk and failure are clear inducements for individuals to behave appropriately. As Pratt (2001:35) made clear â€Å"the Individual pursuit of self interest only makes sense if individuals act rationally †¦ For if individuals do not always behave in a rational fashion in all circumstances, what should we conclude about the nature of the outcomes of such behaviour†. Other fundamental values of the New Right include freedom (negative) as the most desirable value; described as a freedom to act without any coercion. As Thatcher notably said â€Å"There is no such thing as society, only individuals and families†. (George and Wilding 1994).Which again links back to freedom and individual responsibility of creating your own opportunities. The anti state, pro market ideology of the ‘New Right’ gained spectacular support in the 70’s and 80’s. With many observers contributing their own information at that time made the ‘New Right’   ‘New’. On the other hand, it can be said that the ‘New Right’ in fact wasn’t that ‘New’ it was clearly trying to adopt the ideas and broader perspectives of the classical nineteenth century â€Å"laissez- faire† liberalism. However, it could also be argued that the neo-liberal policies and led to a decline in working class communities in inner city areas and mining communities and   have resulted in the declining quality of family life, declining support for traditional social disorder all of which are abhorred by neo-Conservatives (Alcock 2003). Furthermore, the main plank of neo liberal thinking on welfare is its opposition to extensive state intervention to provide public services, in effect, opposition to the very ‘idea of a welfare state. The welfare state is undesirable, Neo Liberals argue, on economic, ideological and political grounds and also because it is undesirable in theory, it is unworkable in practise. (Alcock; 2003 pg 199). According to Hayek and Friedman, left to their own devices the market over state would naturally protect individuals. Therefore it can be seen that the New right believe that the idea of social inequality should be treated by individuals and the state should limit its help or as Thatcher put it â€Å"Roll Back the State† (Alcock 2003). Quasi markets or welfare ‘mix’ is a very important element of the conservative approach to welfare. One of the most significant examples of this was the distinction of ‘purchaser’ and ‘provider’ within the NHS. Spending cuts, increase in dental charges, large increase of prescription charges and a system of competitive tendering for support services was set up. (Lund 2002). According to Bartlett and Le Grande, (1993; 10) cited in Lund. â€Å"Quasi markets are markets because they replace monopolistic state providers with competitive independent ones but they are ‘quasi’ because they differ from conventional markets in a number of key ways†. Once in power Mrs Thatcher along with New Right Conservatives argued that the private sector is the fundamental source of economic growth and that One Nation Conservatives and labour governments undermined its efficiency of the capitalist economy (Page and Silburn 1999). In the United Kingdom, New Right more specifically refers to a strand of conservatism that the likes of Margaret Thatcher influenced. Again Thatcher’s work was highly influenced by the work of Freidrich Hayek.   â€Å".. The most powerful critique of socialist planning and the socialist state which I read at this time [the late 1940s], and to which I have returned so often since [is] F. A. Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom† (British Prime Minister, 1979-1990 Margaret Thatcher 1995; 50). One of the primary aims of the Thatcher government was to reduce the provision of welfare services. For instance, the selling of council houses (the right to buy scheme) was introduced under the 1980’s Housing Act, in return this would ideally make people more responsible for their own property and paying for their own repairs would stimulate the market.(Gerry Mooney cited in Pratt 2001) The 1970s saw the growing significance of New Right conservative thinking and Mrs Thatcher’s version of New Right ideology has involved a combination of neo-liberal and neo-Conservative ideology in that as well as accepting the importance of the market mechanism she and her supporters have believed that a strong state would be necessary to re-establish law and order, to maintain law and order in the face of significant industrial disputes such as the miners’ strike of 1984 -85, in the provision of state education which was believed to be failing to meet the needs of the capitalist economy. Consequently Andrew Gamble has argued, very importantly, that Mrs Thatcher’s beliefs may be summarised as involving a belief in the free economy and the strong state. (Gamble 1993). Furthermore, Mrs Thatcher also believed that it was necessary to strengthen the private sector through the privatisation of previously nationalised industries, therefore implying that she rejected all of the arguments which socialists have traditionally used in support of public ownership. She further emphasised the conservative belief in private property by encouraging individuals to buy shares in privatised industries and as mentioned previously by enabling council house tenants to purchase their council houses at a reduced rate, which alone can guarantee rising living standards for all (Gamble 1993). Hence,  Ã‚   â€Å"Wage demands from trade unions, according to monetarist doctrine, do not by themselves raise or lower the rate of inflation and the involvement of unions in discussions about general economic policy are entirely unnecessary â€Å"(Gamble.1993; 244). However, there are some disputes within conservatism in that, within a capitalist system traditional institutions should be respected and the state should play a significant role in the management of gradual social change. Whereas the New Right adopts a more radical and less traditional approach to social change in which the role of the government should be more limited. (George and Wilding 1994).   Currently the coalition Government are planning a welfare reform, in an interview with Andrew Mars from the BBC David Cameron was asked his intentions with the welfare state for the future,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   † If you take welfare reform, what we are putting forward is the most radical reform of the welfare state since Beveridge for sort of 60 years. I think it will have a transformative effect on making sure that everyone is better off in work and better off working rather than on benefits. And thats a great thing we can do for our cou ntry and for the very poorest people in our country too†. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/andrew_marr_show/9055402.stm). In Conclusion, as it has been shown Liberalism and Conservatism have a strong correlation in their values, theories and overall dubious attitudes towards the welfare state. In respect of their relationship their ideas had in the development of a new style conservative approach to welfare, it is evident that the ‘New Right’ sees individual responsibility and limited interference from the state as their major targets. A reoccurring theme of New Right ideology is that the Market should be neutral, left to run itself (laisze faire) and this should protect the individual from unsuitable living conditions. As Page and Silburn(1999) quoted,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The main beneficiaries of the welfare state are the unemployed, long-term sick, families with dependent children and the elderly but such is the illogicality of the system that neo liberals argue is that it is difficult to distinguish the deserving Poor (who should be the concern of our altruistic sentiments) and the undes erving poor, who must be presented with an incentive structure that discourages them from becoming a welfare claimant†. Bibliography; Alcock, P. 2003. The student’s companion to social policy. Oxford; Blackwell publishing. BBC News, (2010). David Cameron.   Interview on the Andrew Mars Show. [Online] [Accessed on 20th November 2010] Available form World Wide Web.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/andrew_marr_show/9055402.stm, 03/10/10 Gamble, A. (1994) The Free Economy and the Strong State; The politics of Thatcherism, 2nd Edition. Basingstoke: Macmillan. George, V.and Wilding, P. (1994). Welfare and Ideology. Hertfordshire; Harvester Wheatsheaf. Hayek, F.A. (1994) The Road to Serfdom. London: Routledge. Lund, B. (2002) Understanding State Welfare: Social Justice or Social Inclusion? London: Sage. Margaret, Thatcher. 1995.  The Path to Power, New York:   Harper Collins Margaret Thatcher (British Prime Minister, 1979-1990 Margaret Thatcher 1995; 50) Murray, C. (1990) The Emerging British Underclass.   London: IEA Health and Welfare Unit Page, R. M.   And Silburn, R. (1999) British Social Welfare in The twentieth Century. Hampshire: Palgrave. Pratt, A.   And Lavalette, M.   (2001). Social Policy: A Conceptual and Theoretical Introduction. London: Sage. White Paper.(2010).Great Britain. Government Department. Universal Credit. A Welfare That works. London. CM 7957. (official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm79/7957/7957.pdf)

Evaluation Report on Oil & Gas Producing nations Essay

Evaluation Report on Oil & Gas Producing nations - Essay Example The trade policies help in enhancing trades for the benefit of economies. Oil and gas industry mainly ties up with the government for the development with the help of monetary and fiscal policies (Mitchell & et. al., 2012). The objectives of Oil and Gas industry is to expand and enhance security of energy and economic, re-distribution of wealth, economic development, which can be achieved by applying the policies of government of Oil or Gas producing nation. With the help of political influence, the government of the Oil or Gas producing nation indulges into commercial practices for increasing the revenues of the nation as well as the economies of scale. For improvement of the Oil or Gas producing nation the government should take the advice of the outsiders for greater expansion (Petroleum Council, 2013). Government are taking relevant advices from the outsiders to seek advice regarding the policies that are implemented by nation. The government implements various taxes and with the help of the advisers, assistance is taken regarding its applicability. The advice from the outsiders can help the government to obtain the new idea as well as strategy of the outsiders and obtain the knowledge of the new technology along with policies relevant. The new idea along with new technology can be beneficial for the economic development of Oil or Gas producing nation. Exploration and development investment is an important concept for the industry and thus considering outsiders view to a certain extent might prove to be effective in this context. Advice from the outsiders can also be helpful for the Oil or Gas producing nation for developing innovative new ideas by incorporating the same for a better market position in the global market based on the trade policies and tax system (European Communities, 2008). With the advice from outsiders, the government of Oil or Gas producing nation can obtain knowledge

Read a case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Read a - Case Study Example The objective was to encourage as many people as possible to refer their friends and family such that they could have a significant number of free customers. They were hoping that since on average 20 percent of free customers turn premium, they could increase the potential customer base. The method was immensely successful in and in 2010; there was an increase 2.8 users who were referred by the 4 million paying customers. It is approximated that the Dropbox accounts each yielded a 12% referral rate, which was likely understated given the fact that many people target even non-acquaintances. In 2013, the company’s conversion from free to premise rose from 1.4 to 4%, which boosted the revenue to between $200 and $240 million dollars of annual income. The success rate was so high that other internet firms began to copy the freemium model as a way to get new clients without significant cost in their marketing budget. Another positive impact of the strategy was that it was copied by other firms outside the cloud storage business with the 100 top rating apps in Apple store using it in 2013. While there are no precise figures for how many of the firms using the technology were successful, there is no doubt that many of those that did have substantively grown their cu stomer base. In fact, the model was so successful that some firms like Spotify, an online radio channel had a conversion rate of 20%. There were nevertheless some disadvantage to this strategy; some of the companies that tried to model it ended up going bankrupt since the bulk of their clients did not convert to the premium service. In addition, given that Dropbox’s clients were mostly free, it means that much of their attention had to go to them while they may have been better off servicing the paying ones. Moving forward, it is hard to determine if the company can expect to make any more progress from the method since the firm is already a market giant and