Monday, September 30, 2019

Historical Evolution and Development of the Various Mass Media

Throughout history there have been several factors that contributed to the historical evolution and development of the various mass media in the United States. Print, broadcast, and electronic media have changed drastically since man was first introduced to them. The speed of these changes are occurring more rapidly now, altering the different forms of media along with it. Though these changes have brought forth many benefits, a few negative impacts have been brought along as well. Print media has been used by people to spread information for centuries, dating all the way back to 59 B.C. by Julius Caesar. Caesar created the â€Å"newspaper† to tell the public about important events. During this time news was written on large white boards, which were located in places where people would usually go. Later the Chinese created the first hand-written newspapers. In 1447, Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press. Gutenberg’s creation made the exchange of people’s i deas much easier. Newspapers did not start having publications on a regular basis until the beginning of the 17th century. Print media completely transformed after the creation of the telegraph in 1844.Then finally in the 19th century, newspapers have became the primary source of news. Since the introduction of broadcast media in the 1900’s, print media has had to reevaluate their position as an information provider. Broadcasting media started with wireless telegraphy which was dots and dashes carried by radio transmissions. Audio broadcasting services that traveled through radio waves sent from a transmitter to an antenna became very popular quickly. People all across the world tuned into their radios regularly to hear current events.Television eventually began to take the place of radio in the 1950’s. During the cold war, shortwave broadcasting played an important role in keeping people informed. FM radio changed younger Americans interest in radio in the 1970â€℠¢s. Many stations would play entire record albums instead of just the top songs. In the 2000’s digital radio and satellite broadcasting became extremely popular. Electronic media is a form of media that uses electronics or electromechanical energy in order for its viewer to receive the content.Electronic media sources most commonly used by most people are audio and video recordings, multimedia and slide presentations, disk, and online content. The newest and most common form of electric media is in the form of digital media. The rise in electronic media can be dated back to the 1960’s. In 1968, the U. S. Department of Defense created a network to where different computers could communicate with one another. A student at the University of Minnesota developed the internet years later. The Web included images, audio and video features, and hypertext links.People can gain unlimited sources of information whenever and whenever through the internet. In the early 1990’ s local and national newspapers became based online. By the early 2000’s most magazines were even located online. Now, electronic media has almost completely taken the place of print media. In my opinion, broadcast media tends to have a uniting influence and it also niches audiences based on demographic consumer needs. People begin to feel a connection with the individuals they watch on television or regularly hear on the radio.This connection makes that or those particular individuals opinion have as huge impact on most of their viewers. MSNBC is known for being more democratic in nature, using social networks as an outlet to promote its cultural hegemony. Broadcasting medias such as MSNBC, Fox News, and PBS are visibly more diversity exemplified as opposed to other stations. They focus on politics and are mainly just concerned with showing their belief in a positive light, while putting a negative spin on other beliefs. Americans should be concerned about this, because it i nfluences people on terms that may not be truthful.Strategies media professionals from different industries have historically used to adapt to societal and technical changes include changing from print media to being online based, business developing pages on social networks, and interacting with its viewers. Certain changes have been made by the different forms of media in order to keep up with the latest trends in technology. I believe in the future, print media will be extinct and electronic media will be the main and maybe even only form of media.When attempting to prosper in the American marketplace, media professionals face the challenges of keeping up with the growing requirement for owners of content to arrange multi-format content in order to fully maximize new forms of digital technology. Legal challenges media professionals face include privacy, advertising, agreement terms, security concerns, and ensuring people with disabilities are able to access their content. In conc lusion, several events have had to take place in order for our several medias to be where they are today.This paper displayed some of the influences broadcasting and print media had on people. Print media has been used to spread information to people since the B. C. years. Digital media had virtually taken the place of print media, causing a drastic decrease in actual newspapers making them and magazines mainly online based. Electronic media continues to dominate all other forms of media and appears to grow even more powerful throughout the years.WORKS CITED Barber, Phil. â€Å"A Brief History of Newspapers†, Historic Newspapers and Early Imprints. 2002. . Bethelsen, John. Internet Hacks: Web News Cashes In†. Asia Times Online, April 2003. . B. L. Yates, . â€Å"History of Broadcast media. † . N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Apr 2012. . Mathew, Roy. â€Å"Technology Advances in Journalism. † Cyber Journalist: Technology, Tools, Ethics. N. p. , 25 S. Web. 15 Apr 2012 . Middleberg, Donald & Ross, Steven. (March 1996). â€Å"The Media in Cyberspace. † Paper delivered at Columbia University. â€Å"Newspapers: A brief history. † World Association of Newspapers. N. p. , 2004. Web. 15 Apr 2012. . â€Å"Newspapers: The Continent† Columbia Encyclopedia, 6 Ed. , 2003.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Group Decision Making Essay

Abstract Group decision making is imperative for deciding what action a group should take. This paper aims to define the process of group decision making and examine the discipline, theory, paradigm, and methodology that dominate approaches to group decision-making research. Furthermore, it provides an outline of the research’s perceptual process and endeavors to address an appropriate alternative approach to this research problem, and an evaluation of qualitative and quantitative research designs for this area of research. These are discussed in connection with selected empirical data. Critical Review of Group Decision Making Research Group decision making is one of the most significant and methodological ways of overcoming and/or resolving certain conflicts with the aid of other individuals. It becomes a more controversial in deciding what action a group should take due to the varieties of systems, which are acknowledged in order to solve a particular conflict. Decision making in a certain group is frequently evaluated in a separate manner, as the issue with regard to the process and outcome is concerned. While such a process of group decision making refers to how every member of a group interacts with the others, the outcome is the result of preferred method or action that the entire group has taken. A number of masters from prestigious universities have been arguing with regard to the critical review of group decision-making research since the 19th century. One of the world-renown masters of that time was James Stoner who observed that group decisions are more speculative than the earlier exclusive decisions of the members of a particular group or organization (Stoner, 1961). During the period subsequent to the time when he released his masters’ thesis and scholarly articles concerning the critical review of group decision-making research, numerous researched studies with empirical bases have shown that such a perilous modification is omnipresent or ubiquitous occurrence. Moreover, there is the presence of judiciousness on certain group decisions than the members (Moscovici & Zavalloni. 1969; Myers & Lamm, 1976). However, the tendency of people to make decisions, which is extreme when they are in a group as opposed to a decision made alone or independently, will take place as a commencing disposition of an individual group members toward a specified way is increased subsequent to the given group decision. For instance, a group of pro-feminist women will be more powerfully pro-feminist subsequent to the given group decision (Myers. 1975). Therefore, on decisions that present to every individual group and/or member, a reasonable disposition in a specified way comes along with a group decision, which belongs to a more reasonable disposition in the same way. Critical Review on a Group Decision Some other conceptualization with regard to the tendency of people to make decisions, which is extreme when they are in a group as opposed to a decision made alone or independently, will be superfluous due the number of outstanding reviews and/or conceptualization until 1970s (Myers & Lamm, 1976). Throughout this time, the arguments concerning such a conceptualization have become remarkable. Hence, numerous researchers contributed various ideologies and significant contributions to produce group decisions, which are more speculative than the earlier exclusive decisions of the members of a particular group or organization. In latter years, vehemence for group research with regard to disposition has begun to lessen; it has believed that a thorough retrospective view or survey will contribute to the reorientation of research in such a field. In addition to this view, reassessment will also incorporate the tendency of people to make decisions, which is extreme when they are in a group as opposed to a decision made alone or independently, with other gregarious or communal imaginary and cognitive phenomena. Thus, this research concludes by proposing a few significant matters of desegregation. Moreover, basic cognitive process will be involved in obtaining and storing more knowledge and insights upon demonstrating convincing disputation and communal distinction intervening the doctrine that all natural phenomena are explicable by material causes and mechanical principles within the bounds of group decision making. Study of this consequence shows that subsequent in time of taking part in a discussion group, every member tends to propose greater whereabouts; the demand for more perilous procedures of exploit than individuals who do not take part in any such discourse becomes inevitable. This incident has given birth to the perilous modification of group decision making. Moreover, the tendency of people to make decisions, which is extreme when they are in a group as opposed to a decision made alone or independently, is used in order to explicate and give light to the decision making of a panel or a group of people legally selected to hear a case and to decide what are the facts. Contemporary studies of world-renown scholars and savants show that subsequent in time to meditating into a single group, simulated panel of experts frequently determines retaliatory impairment prior to deliberation. Hence, the studies showed that when the favor of the panel of experts is given to an individual that bears insufficient facts and/or explications with regard to the extant issues, matters of argumentation might lead to a more compassionate outcome. While the panel of experts is influenced to ordain an efficacious or disastrous treatment, such contemporary discourse could yield severe and arduous circumstances to cope with. Progress in Analysis of Group Decision Making Brown’s (1965) innovative discourse of such a perilous modification, one of the vital vindications of selected changes, has been a communal juxtaposition. Based on the entire view of this conceptualization, people are regularly encouraged both to identify and to introduce themselves in a gregarious suitable illumination. To do this, every individual should be constantly preparing knowledge and insights with regard to how other groups of people introduce themselves, and changing his/her personal investiture. Some adaptations of social comparison theory shows that the number of people wishes to be understood as more advantageous than what other groups of people comprehend to be the standard movement. In one case that every individual distinguishes how most other people demonstrate and/or introduce themselves, he or she present him/herself in a reasonable illumination or awareness. Whenever all members of a colluding group involve in the same examination of such a methodological or systematic procedure, the outcome, therefore, is a mean modification in a way of valuable community. There is the presence of two fluctuations of the said temporal arrangement; one is that highlights the displacements of cognitive contents, which have multiple numbers of aspects, while the other one concerns the practice of keeping one jump ahead of a friend or competitor. Based on the studies of such a pluralistic ignorance, every individual or group of people introduces itself and/or its own positions as a settlement of differences in which each side makes concessions in the interval of two different proclivities—the petition to be bound by mutual interests, loyalties, or affections to an individual’s own conception of absolute perfection. In addition to this view, the desire not to be aberrant from the notion of the inner direction of a certain group is also acknowledged. Thus, prior to group discussion review or argument, every member of a particular group trivializes the standards of the group ab initio. Evaluation from the primary valuations of their personal standards becomes distant to some extent or degree. Throughout the argumentations, which are unfolded by the entire group, every individual or member of the group is acknowledged nigh to the right standards; hence, an instance of divergence or disagreement by the common action of how good a group member is and how he or she likes to be ostensible. On delving into the second set of options, a group member directly changes to a more idealistic thought or matter of argumentations. As such, the strategic method of group decision making with most group members is acknowledged. Therefore, the theory concerning pluralistic ignorance is that it prevails for the mere reason of precise exchange of information with regard to the true beliefs of most members of the group in spite of the fact that it might be due to the preconception, which has a basis in or reducible to empirical factual knowledge (Jones & Nisbett, 1972). Other evaluators made a thorough explication concerning the possible outcomes of procedures in relation to the social comparison. These evaluations have become a more controversial along the issue concerning such matters of argument in which the group of people are encouraged by an aspiration to be unique from the other groups of people in a more precious and significant way or direction of feelings and/or thoughts (Fromkin, 1970). Moreover, these people are also encouraged to introduce themselves in a more advantageous way than the other groups of people. Briefly, such a group of people desires to be unique and become better than other groups of people. As an analogy, Brown expresses his own feelings by acknowledging the fact that when creating pre-valuations in a certain aspect, every individual member of the group gives him/herself a valuation, which is moderately advantageous than the valuation that he or she takes for granted—the norm or standards the mean group member will share. For a better comprehension with regard to this conceptualization, when a member directly or indirectly deducts the precise standards, he or she then develops his or her personal valuations; hence, making the general options with regard to the perilous modification becomes inevitable to acknowledge. Inasmuch as the technical aspects of making the perilous modification in cognitive contents, which have multiple aspects, the technical aspects concerning a current or fashionable trend is a settlement of differences in which each side makes concessions by the common action of self-enhancement and self-abasement. Indeed, however, it may be quite arduous to acknowledge these two technical aspects theoretically. Nevertheless, there are respective imbrications on the pluralistic ignorance and current or fashionable trends. To support such an argument, the general reference for social comparison comes from presentations that coherent knowledge and insights with regard to the standards of other group members is able to make conformation bias. It takes place when combined or neutral vestige is used to reinforce an already made and intelligibly one-sided point of view. Consequently, every member of the group on both sides may therefore make an action or any movement farther apart, when he or she is presented with the same combined vestige. Such e strategic effect is called ‘mere exposure’ effects in which numerous researched studies have tried creating this terminology for further explication of the denotations of the perilous modification within the group decision making. Processing the Information that Affects the Group Decision Making A number of scholarly studies with regard to the group decision making from different pats of the world have been published; now, it remains one of the global contemporary issues. The original perilous modification research of Stoner (1961) has been globally recognized upon the use of certain outlines of the summary with a dramatic or literary work—the scenario, which shows the value of perils that a group member thinks what action he or she should take. For a better comprehension, it is explained with the best example, which Stoner used. He shows such a perilous modification through playing with a chess—the moves, careers shifts, professional shifts etc. In addition, other studies concern the probability of such a perilous modification. It is showed through the frequent exposure of conditions in which it is more likely to be substantial than any moderate exposure of such conditions; mixed with non-significant. Some studies argue that a certain member’s option or a standard on the matter of argument is methodological function of numerous pro and con debates. It is acknowledged as an individual calls back the memory when hypothesizing his or her personal thought or standards. Therefore, in forming an opinion or estimation of the guilt or innocence of an accused person after careful consideration, a body of citizens sworn to give a true verdict according to the evidence presented in a court of law comes to pre-deliberation decisions in accordance with the respective number and strength of the pro-guilt and pro-innocence statements. Consequently, a formal discourse on a topic or an exposition becomes the cause of an individual’s modification of his or her thought with regard to the running skepticism in the court. During the period subsequent to the time when the conceptualization of the power to induce the taking of a course of action or the embracing of a point of view by means of argument or entreaty is acknowledged, a number of studies distinguish the characteristics of statements, which lead them into being convincing. Moreover, some studies express the denotations of perilous modification. They show this through presenting deputations on the statements within the group members. For a better comprehension concerning this ideology, a specified group may or may not change the way, which has given to it. While every member thinks of producing a good outcome, the arguments take place from the other members of the group. Thus, the function of originality is certainly and specifically determined. However, if such statements or arguments are given from the fact that the individual member is already acquainted with such matter of argumentations, he or she then cannot modify or change his or her position or standards of thinking or sharing his or her thoughts with the other members of the group of choice (Kaplan, 1997). Evaluating Qualitative and Quantitative Research Designs As such, if new convincing arguments are given, but opposing the way that has been pre-approved by the group member, their standards will be modified reversely. Hence, a body of citizens sworn to give a true verdict according to the evidence presented in a court of law who pre-approved one who is justly chargeable with or responsible for a usually grave breach of conduct or a crime will come to regard a more guilty opinion or treat him or her with favor. This occurrence takes place only if he or she is liable to the new statements, which give favor to the fact of having committed a breach of conduct especially violating law and involving a penal. The condition of being peculiar to a particular individual or group, as the issue with regard to the process by which other studies or scholarly researched articles produce, accommodates two general empirical bases. One is that concerns the given correct information. To understand better, such studies or scholarly articles anticipate the methodological system and extent of selecting the thought to be unfolded on the matters of argumentation whether they are breaking up into opposing factions or grouping, or causing to become partially or wholly unbroken up to opposing factions. In addition to this statement or argument with regard to the critical review of group decision making, the number of studies make it easier to bring out the conceptual coordination of mental processes into a normal effective personality or with the individual’s environment, or the operation of finding a function whose differential is known and/or solving a different equation. In view of that fact, the fundamental technical aspect is the same for statements, which have been processed in a more advanced and secure system, or in a mutual or reciprocal action or influence with the other people or group members. Therefore, to support the entire conceptualization of this view, the vestige for the proposition that convincing statements alone may yield choice modification and a position of polarization, which has been assumed for a specific purpose—boldly supported by advanced explications of polarization (Pruitt, 197la. 1971b). Conclusion I have learned substantially from the said research and conceptualization of contemporary argumentations with regard to the critical review of group decision making and it impelled me to seek various means to learn the more advanced and methodological process of critical thinking and evaluation on the group decision-making. First, I have learned to perceive more contemplatively. This means, prior to making decisions or establishing beliefs, a group member must be aware that he or she has personal biases about certain things and he or she should not let this get in the way of arriving at an accurate perception and wise decision. Second, I have learned that by being more involved and by listening to and observing people a particular member of the group, who joins the arguments while discussing the best things to gain favorable outcomes, would be able to gain a broader perspective, if not a holistic view, of people and circumstances as a whole. This means that he or she should not only be satisfied with what he or she sees or wants to see but endeavor to look further and probe deeper into what is actually happening that he or she could not directly sense. Moreover, he or she should also verify his or her perceptions and the conclusions he or she has reached through critical thinking by communicating and learning more about the entities involved. These helpful hints have caused substantial improvement in my critical thinking process relative not only to the office works but to all the other daily activities as well. They have led me to perceive accurately, think critically and gain greater understanding of people and contemporary events. References Brown. R. (1965). Social psychology. New York: Free Press. Fromkin. H. (1970). Effects of experimentally aroused feelings of indistinctiveness upon valuation of scarce and novel experiences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 16. 521-529 Jones, E. E.. & Nisbett R. E. (1972). The actor and the observer: Divergent perceptions of the causes of behavior. In E. E. Jones, E. E. Kanouse. H. H. Kelley. R. E. Nisbett, S. Valins. & B. Veiner(Eds. ). Attribution. Perceiving the causes of behavior. Morristown. NJ: General Learning Press. Kaplan. M. F. (1977). Discussion polarization effects in a modified jury decision paradigm: Informational influences. Sociomeir): 40, 262-271 Moscovici. S. , & Zavalloni. M. (1969). The group as a polarizer of attitudes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 12. I25-135. Myers, D. G. (1975). Discussion-induced attitude polarization. Human Relations, 28, 699-714 Myers. D. G. , & Lamm. H. (1975). The polarizing effect of group discussion. American Scientist, 63. 297-303. Pruitl, D. G. (197 la). Choice shifts in group discussion: An introductory review. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 20, 339-360. — (197lb). Conclusions: Toward an understanding of choice shifts in group discussion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 20. 495-510. Stoner, J. A. F. (1961). A comparison of individual and group decisions involving risk. Unpublished master’s thesis. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, MA.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Business Ethics - Essay Example The article, â€Å"Yours, Mine or Ours?† by Lisa Bertagnoli throws light on a disadvantageous aspect of this sharing of technological equipments, by narrating a little incident, before she goes on to talk about one of the topics gaining fast reputation---Business Ethics and its subsidiary, Intellectual Property Rights. She addresses this new practice, as a â€Å"new way of working†. Employees bring in their personal commodities and gadgets, to workplaces, while some others use company equipments for personal usage. These occurrences has been creating chaos when an employees is shown the door or resigns from job, since one does not know, whether he has been using his own equipment or the company’s, as it is very difficult to track down such minor problems, when there are numerous employees involved. This new practice has led to many chaotic occurrences, as when an employee leaves a workplace, he might carry away some of the internal business communication and information, in his personal equipment, thus exposing certain confidential matters. Sensitive information and secrecy are destroyed, since the employee in question could share the information with competitive ventures or sue it for his own benefits. This is termed as the abuse of Intellectual Property and in an workplace where thousands of employees work in tandem, it is extremely difficult to pin point a particular person. Thus, this article relates to problems involved in protecting Intellectual Properties and privacy issues of a company. The main ethical problem, dealt with in this business ethics related article, is that of Intellectual Property and the Rights in its fold. One

Friday, September 27, 2019

Listening Response Beatles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Listening Response Beatles - Essay Example In short, the song is appropriately recognized as one of the most complex recordings by the Beatles and the extensive overdubbing and editing has not weakened the effect. On the contrary, as Brennan remarks, it has created "the right setting for a very good song." (Brennan) The overall magical effect of the song is intensified by the sound pattern and the most appreciable feature of the song is the creation of a kind of 'sound picture' in the composition which reflects the feelings of the composer. The other chief characteristics of the song includes its orchestral music, the unusual instruments in lieu of the traditional vocal and musical styles, and sound effects such as cymbals recorded and played backward. According to Roberts, "Strawberry Fields Forever," written by Lennon, evokes the feeling of the flower shows in the Salvation Army Camp, conducted every summer. "His words and music are like a lighthearted walk through a summer garden." (Roberts, 67) Unlike any other rock 'n' roll song of the past, "Strawberry Fields Forever" exploited the recording technology as well as creativity to the maximum. To speak specifically about the composition of the song "Strawberry Fields Forever," it is important to note that Lennon was particular about the lyrics to be like a conversation.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Staffing Technologies in Chern's Company Case Study

Staffing Technologies in Chern's Company - Case Study Example This paper will give recommendations on how to improve Chern’s staffing systems and later give some reflections on the entire Chern’s case study. Chern should employ additional technologies in order to ensure that human resource management personnel concentrate on the essential and critical tasks only. The organization should consider utilizing such technologies in the entire human resources management process (Philips & Gully, 2009). Chern can use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), automated employee training system and a human resource information system. The three above will basically automated various human resource management functions and bring in efficiency and save time. The ATS is a system mainly used for recruiting purposes and it can handle the entire hiring process depending on its level of sophistication. An ATS will be used to post online vacancy advertisements, screen candidates for the required qualifications and perform online interviews with shortlisted candidates. The different scores for the different candidates can then be put on a dashboard for easier and quicker decision making (Philips & Gully, 2009). An ATS will make hiring easier and will make it possible for Chern to interview as many candidates as possible and increase chances of hiring the best and talented candidate for any position (Philips & Gully, 2009). The employee training system is application or system that is used to induct new employees into their roles as well as monitor their performance. This system is commonly referred to as learning management system can be used to develop employees’ skills and competencies by facilitating training. This system can be a great asset to Chern as it will determine the training needs of individual candidates, recommend training materials and generate a training schedule for the new staffs (Schuler &Jackson, 2008). Chern should also adopt a human resource information system that will assist  the human resource manager in performance evaluation as well as carrying out some tasks such as payroll production and determining hours worked daily. This system can be used as a decision-making tool in planning for promotions and successions.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The Novels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Novels - Essay Example But The Underdogs was the one & only exception. The reader experiences Azuela’s heartbeat & his emotional pathos while reading this mind boggling work of fiction. The novel is highly pragmatic as it depicts the misery of a war ravaged Mexico, while concentrating on the pivotal character of ‘Demetrio Macias’. Azuela attempts to scrutinize the traits of the revolution as a magnamous social event & an unstoppable force which is so strong that it drags all the folks around it within its gravitational order-defining the actions of each of the characters. The novel as per its subtitle represents a chronology of ‘pictures of the revolution’ that displays its force & human qualities, as they shattered the age old static character of the Mexican social infrastructure. The dynamism & the influential idiosyncrasies of the lead character Demetrio motivated large numbers of dreamy individuals who pondered over the idea of an egalitarian social structure post revol ution (Azuela, 15-25). But unfortunately, all the dreams were not destined to become true. The aftermath of Mexican revolution was equally sordid. Gross disruptions, anarchy, & statelessness became the order of the day. Several novels were framed on the morbid atmosphere of the post revolutionary era, which contradicted the very ‘idealistic approach’ of Azuela. Nevertheless, Underdogs can be estimated as a burning memento of the revolutionary history of Mexico (Azuela, 18-29). It can be easily concluded that Azuela was statistically the first Mexican novelist who grasped the ‘reality of the revolution’. The distinguishing characteristic of Underdogs is that reality & fiction comes together as an inseparable force to cast away the reader. The naturalistic fatalism in this novel remains as an intoxicating quotient. The protagonist Demetrio Macias is coerced into the revolution as a means of defending his own existence. He ends his life story where it began,

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Recording music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Recording music - Essay Example Technology has today simplified the work in the music industry. It is easier for a producer to produce high-quality music without the use of instruments. Music producers in most cases are competent composers or songwriters who can constantly inject new ideas into a project (Landy, 2013). He or she will often select and suggest to the mixing engineer what to record, edits and modifies the songs with software tools. This creates a stereo of all the artists’ voices and instruments to produce a high-quality soundtrack. The composers must be, therefore, communicative and meaningful in their music. She talked about Nyman’s process music, an audible or concealed process to the listeners. This is a very dynamic and highly complex process that involves audible structures in musical performance. The chance determination limits the composer’s powers in determining the materiality. This means that one can take an idea, put it through the process and wait for the outcome, which the ideas will generate by itself (Nyman, 2000). The process gives the performers a chance to move through the suggested or given material at their speed, useful for the in-depth understanding of the whole idea.It also helps in the detailed understanding of what was not understood during the first listening thus making recording more relevant. The presenter also encouraged the use of technology to capture or record musical ideas with an aim of repeated listening to manipulate, recreate, recycle and cannibalize these ideas in order to produce quality stereo.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Can china solve Taiwan problem using one country under two policy Research Paper

Can china solve Taiwan problem using one country under two policy - Research Paper Example Furthermore, I would also discuss various factors that contribute to the conflict between China and Taiwan. â€Å"China cannot gain Taiwan by force before the end of this decade.† (McCready, 8) Basically, the research paper examined if China can solve the dispute with Taiwan using one country under two policies. However, many questions still arise regarding this conflict if China would give up on Taiwan and let them enjoy their sovereignty? Why is United States not supporting China considering their recent super power status? Why does the Nationalist Party want to rejoin the People’s Republic of China? Nevertheless, the independent state of Taiwan in the eyes of China or Taiwan merging with China once again seems like a never ending conflict. It is said that Taiwan â€Å"Should pass the point of no return in asserting its independence and end the prospect of rejoining mother China.† (Tsang, 10) The government of Taiwan has multitude of reasons for not merging bac k and not giving up their independence from China. Taiwan has the right to enjoy its freedom and to prosper, thus depriving them of their rights is no excuse. China and Taiwan hold a very dainty and fragile relationship with each other. â€Å"China, Taiwan, the United States, and Japan have national interests in how the conflict is resolved, and these interests will be difficult to reconcile.† (McCready, 5) Therefore, China should end their efforts and give up on Taiwan as the Taiwanese currently are very happy with their independent state both personally and economically. As the time passes on, these conflicts will cool down. To sum it up in the most effective manner, Taiwanese are satisfied with their present state so there is no room for negotiations in this regard. At some point, China will show maturity and leave Taiwan so that they can enjoy their freedom. Also, the number of people visiting Taiwan from China has also tremendously increased with the passage of time and Taiwan has wholeheartedly increased its quota for Chinese visitors. Hence in a nutshell, Taiwan is quite happy with their independent state and they are economically stable and happy as well, which leaves China in no condition to negotiate merging them back with China, although it is said that the economical relations between Taiwan and China are quite stable and they are active trade partners. In my opinion China cannot solve this China-Taiwan conflict by using a single country under two policies. Prospectus Template:   1) My research topic: I had to analyze that whether China can solve Taiwan problem using one country under two policies. 2) I have learned the following:  I have learnt through my research that China and Taiwan have been in the state of unrest since Taiwan separated from China. I have to consider the factors that contribute to the conflict and what else needs to be done in order to overcome the conflict. 3) These observations lead me to ask the following questio ns:   Whether China would give up on Taiwan and let it enjoy their sovereignty? Will this conflict ever end? Why is the United States not supporting China, considering their recent super power status? Why does the Nationalist Party want to rejoin the People’s Republic of China? 4) This question has several plausible answers: Many factors contribute to the conflict, thus, there are numerous reasons. Some believe that the conflict will carry on, while others are optimistic about the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Employment Law College Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employment Law College - Case Study Example Mary has the behavioral control wherein the facts are shown because Little Lamb Company has the right to direct and even control Mary for doing the task wherein the instructions were given by Little Lamb to Mary such as requiring her to use the company materials including the equipment while adhering to the schedules of company work. Mary is subject to the instructions of the company such as when, where, and absolutely how to work wherein this is a proof that Mary is really the common law employee rather than independent contractor because Mary is not using her own methods. As the common-law employee, the training with regards to the company, financial control and the extent for Mary has the unreimbursed company expenses and the independent contractors are said to be more likely to be able to reimburse the said business expenses. The fixed costs that are ongoing are said to be incurred not considering whether the said work is performed currently classified as specifically important. In defining the contract of employment, i

Saturday, September 21, 2019

“The Seventh Seal” by Ingmar Bergman Essay Example for Free

â€Å"The Seventh Seal† by Ingmar Bergman Essay This paper is devoted to the film by Ingmar Bergman â€Å"The Seventh Seal† – a tale about the journey of a medieval knight. The form of the story is very difficult: realistic details were blended with religious and mythic overtones. The main hero was traveling with the target to find manifest of God, his journey was physical and at the same time spiritual one. The title of the film was related to the Book of Revelation, it was used at the beginning of the film and at the very end: â€Å"And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour (Revelation 8:1). Bergman studied the themes of death and mortality, existential and apocalyptic fears and finally â€Å"silence in heaven† – the silence of God in the world. There was an idea that the whole film was in reality an allegory for the modern disquiet among people after they lost medieval faith, â€Å"with one character embodying tortured doubt, another simple faith, still another defiant unbelief.† (Greydanus, 2001). The film can not be considered an absolutely philosophical or purely religious one; it dealt with religious issues in the society and human souls, reflected the fear of people, that there was probably no afterlife and no God if he was so silent. One of the main messages of the film was not to search for concrete answers, as at any rate they could be absolutely different from the initial expectations. Most of the film scenes were based on the balance between drama and comedy, at the same time the themes of revenge, anger, freedom, fear interchanged. The optimistic moments of the film were significant, due to them, the inevitable end of the world could not make people give up. There was a strong contrast between the disappointment of the knight and his squire and the exasperated crowd, claiming that a girl was a witch and ought to be burnt, it is clear that the girl was innocent, but the process of burning helped the mob to deal with their fear of death. It was easer for them to believe that they annihilated evil, when burning the girl, than looking for the evil inside of themselves. This heart-rending scene was reinforced with the constant impression that the Judgment Day was inescapable and was coming closer and closer. The most evident reminding of it could be seen, when the leader of the procession of the self-torturing people was shouting about the God’s punishment and inevitable perdition waiting for all humans. The film was rich in symbols as well as existentialist themes death, religion, and metaphysics. The plague was not a simple disease, but embodiment of the intrinsic destructive forces of people; it was supposed to verify the inherent values and strength of individuals. One of the key themes of the film was contrast: between reality and illusion, between faith and skepticism, between intellect and emotions, between courage and cowardice, between love and lust.   Death was a character in the film along with the others – from time to time he seemed to reveal some human feelings, like for example sympathy with the Knight;   at the same time a phantom and a force. The main controversy about Death was either his freedom or obedience to an omniscient God. In reality he didn’t help the Knight to find answers to his questions. The family of the actors: Jof, his wife Mia and their son Mikael, met by the Knight were also in a way contrasted to his religious doubts and anxiety. The names of the man and woman as diminutive forms of the names Joseph and Mary, contribute to building the association with the Holy Family (Marshall, 2004). Also at the beginning of the film Jof had a vision of the Virgin Mary when she was teaching Jesus to walk. Later in the film Antonius saw Mia teaching her son in the similar way. This parallel however seemed to be rather strange for the overall skeptical tone of the film.   It was never clear why Death left Jof and his family alive, when Antonius helped them, distracting Death for the moment, to run away through a bore in their wagon, as nobody was supposed to escape from Death. We don’t know whether this was their destiny to die later or some other reasons.   For the other heroes Death played various roles: Plog met Death with modest dignity, the Girl, who probably had a lot of suffering during her life, met Death as salvation, associating it with Jesus. The main reason why the Knight didn’t want to die was his hope to conduct one meaningful act before dying and to find the answer to his question about God’s existence. Probably after doing this significant act the Knight expected to get the proof, that the universe was not absolutely absurd and there was a force controlling the lives of people, however this would be also in a way ambiguous proof.   Within the whole film he was not able to find piece and conciliation, he was the prisoner of his doubts and fantasies, apart of the meal with Jof and Mia; even cheating of Death didn’t bring the desired satisfaction. The main internal conflict of the Knight rooted from the fact that he lost pure faith and could not find the meaning of life and death without it. He started his fight with shadows not wanting to accept the absurdness of the universe. He saw the main problem in the absence of proofs of God’s existence, but in reality his intellectual confinement caused it. Overall, the film is very profound and controversial, there are no answers, and there are only new intricate questions about life and death, about faith and science, about eternal values and nihilism. References: Greydanus D. S. (2001). The Seventh Seal (1957).   1-4 Marshall. B. (March 5, 2004). The Seventh Seal, Movie Review. 2-5

Friday, September 20, 2019

Effectiveness Of The Post Sentence Supervision Provisions Criminology Essay

Effectiveness Of The Post Sentence Supervision Provisions Criminology Essay This essay will examine whether the effectiveness of the post sentence supervision provisions for dangerous offenders are adequate. The changing attitude towards the treatment of dangerous offenders will be explored showing that in the twenty first century, the term dangerous offender includes sexual and violent offenders. Most public attention is focused on those who commit sexual and predatory acts against children; hence paedophiles are often associated with such dangerous people. It is a subject which has interested me particularly as the stakes are so high if things do not go to plan. My interest arose due to the adverse publicity surrounding high profile cases where dangerous offenders reoffend and it spurred me into examining whether the post sentence supervision orders worked. The term dangerous offender can also be extended to include potential terrorists, the socially excluded as well as other violent and sexual offenders who carry out offences with a varying degree of seriousness. More controversially dangerousness is also applied to the mentally ill who commit grave offences. At one time the punishment had to fit the crime and although this is still true it has to be looked at in tandem with the risk to society of permitting an offender back into the community. The Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) arrangements were introduced to deal with those dangerous offenders who exist in the community, managing them so that they do not pose a threat to society. MAPPA is a multi agency approach consisting of the police, local authorities, schools, probation service and similar entities. What is the main aim of MAPPA; is to reform the conduct of previous offenders so that through their treatment and rehabilitation they no longer wish to re-offend; or is their aim to merely be preventative and reactionary stopping any re-offending by close supervision? The issue of releasing dangerous offenders into the community is highly controversial because the repercussions of re-offending can be horrendous. It only takes one case where another heinous crime is committed for a public outcry to ensue with the press claiming that the MAPPA system is not working. In addition the effects on the victims is acute with claims that the re-offender should not have been released early or at all, as clearly they still pose a great risk to society. Carefully balanced against the publics desire to be protected is the human rights aspect of the offender. In recent years there has been a tendency for home secretaries to get involved in what are perceived as lenient sentences given to dangerous offenders. In a couple of instances the respective home secretary has intervened to increase the recommended minimum sentence before an offender can be considered eligible for parole. The House of Lords, following an earlier decision, has recently ruled that such intervention by the home secretary is incompatible with the offenders human rights. I will use both qualitative sources with a lesser amount of quantitative material, some extracted at primary sources. Proposed chapters at this juncture are: Chapter 1 The concept of dangerousness will be explored to highlight the type of offenders under discussion. We will look at the controversial area of mentally incapable dangerous offenders and their treatment. An analysis of the legislation including relevant guidance and the views of some academic commentators will be undertaken. Chapter 2 The functioning of the multi-agency public protection arrangements will be examined in detail including a look at one particular police force. Their methodology and data will be examined to ascertain if they are successful or adequate and what is meant by adequate. Government and academic commentaries will be considered Chapter 3 Some high profile publicised cases causing concern will be examined which will lead the press and others to condemn the post supervision orders of dangerous offenders. The issue of dangerous foreign offenders committing serious offences in the UK will be examined. Chapter 4 Analysis of MAPPA data will be examined which will highlight the successes and failures of post sentencing initiatives and suggest possible reforms. Dangerous offenders have human rights and the cases of Anderson and more recently, Whiting, will be explored looking at the aspect of political intervention in minimum recommended sentences. Conclusion will tie all material together with my thoughts on the adequacy of post supervision of dangerous offenders. Literature Review A wide range of literature has been examined including secondary sources comprising eminent academic commentators and also primary sources including court judgments and published reports of the managing agencies have been examined. Other original sources under scrutiny include newspaper articles and commentaries of various public sector personnel. There is an inherent bias built into the views of the MAPPA agencies and government ministers who seek to justify the effectiveness of their respective areas of work. Chapter 1 The modern day criminal justice system in Britain is geared at the rehabilitation of offenders so the prison system is not only a means of incarceration to remove the offender from posing any danger to the public, but also a vehicle for preparing the offender for release and re-integration into society. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 (which has been amended by the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008) sets out the criteria for dealing with dangerous offenders and is important to the court for sentencing purposes. Dangerous offenders are identified by reference to the commission of specified violent and sexual offences set out in Schedule 15 of the Criminal Justice Act. That Act says that a court must determine whether there is a significant risk to members of the public of serious harm by the commission by him of further offences (Criminal Justice Act, S 229). In a recent case the Court of Appeal held that in determining dangerousness the court was not confined to considering only admissible evidence and could consider, as it did in the case, an alleged history of violence although the offender did not have convictions (R v Considine and Davis, 2007). Public protection was enhanced under the Criminal Justice Act by the introduction of a sentence of imprisonment for public protec tion which ensures that certain offenders are not released until the Parole Board determines that it is safe to do so. Problems arise because although the term dangerous offender is used in a general way it is in fact extremely difficult to predict who is dangerous as individuals vary in their behaviour. Not only do individuals vary as between each other so that there are differing degrees and shades of dangerousness but also, on an individual basis, the scope for carrying out dangerous and violent acts may vary on a daily basis. The notion of dangerousness is therefore extremely complex in itself and is capable of shifting on an individual basis whereby assessing and predicting future behaviour can be compared to attempting to mould soft sand into a permanent form. Human nature can be fundamentally and inherently unpredictable even among stable law abiding individuals, so when mentally unstable people are added to the melting pot, the decision as to assessing their dangerousness becomes more complex. In the UK, policies addressing those with dangerous and severe personality disorders (DSPD) has expanded considerably in recent years against a background that people with personality disorders should not be precluded from accessing services available to the rest of society. The DSPD programme deals with patients who have the most severe personality disorders. The DSPD programme offers an intensive multi disciplinary treatment programme based on individual need and comprising a cognitive-behavioural group-based intervention approach with opportunities for social interaction, in ward-based community meetings for example. Specific treatment includes offence-specific groups, such as sex offender group and violence reduction programmes. There has been a shift of policy from placing people with DSPD in prisons into secure hospitals with the National Health Service taking a more active role in providing treatment. A smaller number of medium secure and community places have been programmed, but so far the implementation has fallen behind target and the rehabilitation of DSPD patients back into the community remains extremely challenging. Evaluation of the DSPD programme is a work in progress and the impact of this policy on reoffending rates remains to be deduced. Persons assessed as having DSPD must be detained for treatment and discharge from detention is dependent upon a test of public safety as against favourable responsiveness to treatment. The link between dangerous behaviour and mental illness remains embedded in public opinion despite the attempts of mental health practitioners to highlight the absence of such a connection. A study of public opinion towards schizophrenia found that 70% of respondents view this group as dange rous (Crisp et al, 2001). Regarding treatment in the community following release from prison or hospital, Leung cites the European judgment of W v Sweden 1988, in which compulsory medication on discharge from hospital was not a deprivation of liberty and would not impinge Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (Leung, 2002). Prison population has increased dramatically over the last fifteen years from circa 43,000 at the start of the 1990s (Home Office, 2005a) to in excess of 80,000 today. Although there are numerous reasons given to explain this startling increase, the focus of the public on dangerousness is one such explanation. In 2006 a review was conducted which claimed that prison was the best place for dangerous offenders as it stopped them from re-offending (Home Office, 2006a, p. 32). In 2007 with the creation of the Ministry of Justice the preceding approach to detaining dangerous offenders for a long time did not change. On the contrary, the newly formed Ministry reiterated that prison places are available to protect the public from dangerous offenders (Ministry of Justice, 2007, p 4). The 1990s preoccupation with public protection shaped the policies of protecting the public from the risk of serious harm arising from violent offenders and the aim of responding more effectively to the risk of paedophiles and the increase in child sex abuse (Grubin, 1998) Within the UK the population is generally extremely fearful of the level of violent and sexual crime (Ditton Farrell, 2002; Kemshall, 2003). The focus on this type of crime has been exacerbated by the media and even when crime rates are shown to be falling, the public perception is that they are living in a more violent society. Dangerousness has therefore been widely used to describe an increasing amount of offences and has been accompanied with an expectation of more punitive sentences to deal with the increase. Barbara Hudson asserts that there has been a significant shift from doing justice to controlling risks as the goal of law and order and penal strategies (Hudson, 2002; p 101). The modern society is characterised by the increasing scope and influence of the mass media. The far reaching scrutiny of the global mass media means that the negatives of modern society are reported and in terms of criminal justice, its failings can be exposed. Such exposure is accompanied by cynici sm towards expert opinions and the positive effects of legislation (Garland, 2000). Garland (2001, p178) has described the space between the community and prisons as having become more strictly enforced stating that Those offenders who are released into the community are subject to much tighter control than previously and conditions that continue to restrict their freedomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.the community into which they are released is actually a closely monitored terrain, a supervised space, lacking much of the liberty that one associates with normal life. Commenting on a Panorama programme broadcast in 2006, HM Chief Inspector of Probation said he thought the programme made a fair point when he said that general talk of close supervision and monitoring of offenders can give a misleading impression to the public of the extent of measures taken to prevent them (Bridges, 2007). It is clear in the early stages of this essay that there are different views on the nature and extent of monitoring to which dangerous offenders are subjected on their release from prison. Academics like Garland above consider the measures stringent, tantamount to imprisonment within the community, whereas the enforcers of those measures, probation workers, maintain that it is unhelpful to make it sound as if community service is prison in the community which it plainly is not (Bridges, 2007 p 4). Chapter 2 Violent sex offenders Once prisoners reach the end of their sentence but are still considered dangerous, measures are put in place to manage them in the community. The Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) is managed by the National Policing Improvement Agency of the Home Office. It comprises records stored on a database of those obligated to register with the police in accordance with the Sexual Offences Act 2003; those jailed for more than 12 months for violent offences and people not convicted of any crimes but who are deemed to be at risk of offending. It was rolled out to every probation area and prison establishment in England and Wales in 2008 with police, probation and prison services using the same IT system for the first time. This co-ordination should ensure that the quality and synchronisation of risk assessments are improved leading to effective interventions to prevent re-offending. In 2009 Greater Manchester Police responded to a freedom of information request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In complying with the request the police reported that of 16 people within their jurisdiction who were on the ViSOR since 2007, 4 had not been convicted. So 25% of those on the ViSOR had not yet been convicted of a crime in a court of law yet they were subjected to the reporting and other requirements placed on individuals who are so registered. Sexual Offences Act The notification periods for offenders are also contained within the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Where offenders are subject to imprisonment for life or for more than 30 months; imprisoned for public protection; admitted to hospital under a restriction order or subject to an order for lifelong restriction the notification period is indefinitely. The question of the legitimacy of lifelong registration has been subjected to challenge in recent years. It was successfully challenged in the High Court and the appeal against the decision was dismissed in the Supreme Court which stated that lifelong registration was incompatible with human rights (European Convention on Human Rights, Article 8). Recent Challenge and human rights The ViSOR database holds name and address records, photographs, risk assessment, offenders modus operandi, and an audit trail. The Police National Computer is linked to ViSOR. According to the National Policing Improvement Agency 77,000 records of named individuals are maintained on the database. [7] Sex offenders subject to the register must inform the Police within 3 days [8] of becoming subject to the notification requirements, or within 3 days of various changes occurring [9], including moving home, changing their name, changes of passport details. Offenders must confirm their registration annually [10]. Failure to comply is an offence, subject to a penalty of up to five years imprisonment. The importance of the ViSOR is that providing registered offenders comply with its provisions, then they can be monitored by the appropriate agencies. Although failure to comply has a penalty of up to 5 years imprisonment, this is of little comfort or assistance to people who are subjected to attacks by offenders who have failed to comply with the notification requirements. In this respect the adequacy of the registration provisions are an end in themselves and do not prevent further offending. Generally speaking the public will derive some comfort from the fact that registered offenders are on the radar of the police and are or should be at certain addresses. Problems ensue when the registered offender is not where he should be so that the supervision and monitoring duty on the agencies breaks down. Of course it may be that the offender has forgotten to register a change of address or he cannot be bothered or he has a genuine reason for not complying and that he has no intention of re-offending. The problem is that with the genuine fear of violent crime within the community, the public are alarmed if they should become aware of such failures. Even worse, if a registered offender does re-offend, the public will see this as evidence of the inadequacy of the supervisory arrangements of the ViSOR. If the non compliant registered offender does not reoffend it may be that the public is kept in oblivious ignorance and it does not come to their attention. Multi Agency Partnership Protection Agencies The MAPPA measures were put in place nine years ago in an attempt to improve the effectiveness of the management of offenders who are in the community. MAPPA has statutory force as the arrangements were first set out in the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 and re-enacted and further strengthened in part 13 section 325 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 imposing a legal duty on agencies. The measures mainly comprise information sharing and the views of professionals who come together pooling their expertise in order to ensure the public is protected from future offending of dangerous offenders. There are 3 levels of cases under MAPPA. Level 1 can be managed by one agency (usually probation service); level 2 requires more than 1 agency and level 3 requires co-ordination among various agencies. The legal duties placed on the police, prison and probation services acting jointly as the responsible authority to establish arrangements for assessing and managing the risks posed by relevant sexual and violent offenders or other offenders who may cause serious harm to the public; to review and monitor those arrangements; and as part of the reviewing and monitoring arrangements, to prepare and publish an annual report on their operation. Other agencies also under a legal duty to co-operate with the responsible authority include local authority social services, primary care trusts, jobcentre plus, youth offending teams. Local housing providers, local education authorities and electronic monitoring providers. Thus MAPPA involves a wide range of bodies which in itself is good but the effectiveness of its measures lie in the ability to co-ordinate responses across all spectrums of the agencies by the responsible authority. In most cases the offender will be managed by the agency with supervisory responsibility but several offenders require multi-agency management and their risk management plans will be compiled and monitored at MAPPA meetings in which various agencies are present. MAPPA is primarily concerned with managing risk. David Hanson, Minister for Justice said Putting in place thorough systems to ensure high level vigilance of serious sexual and violent offenders on their release from prison is vital in our work protecting communities from crime and he also acknowledges that the introduction of the MAPPA have been successful in reducing risk (Ministry of Justice, 2008). Offenders released into the community following a period of imprisonment of 12 months or more will be subject to a licence with conditions (under the supervision of the probation service. If the offender does not comply with the set conditions, breach action will be taken whereby the offender may be sent back to prison. Sexual offences prevention orders can be made with a full order lasting for a minimum of 5 years and a requirement that the offender registers as a sexual offender. Conditions can be imposed restricting the offender from frequenting school playgrounds for example. Again if the offender breaches the order he can be taken back to court and may be imprisoned for up to 5 years. Foreign travel orders prevents offenders with convictions for sexual offences against children from travelling abroad so as to prevent children from the risk of sexual harm. In 2008, the Home Office began pilots which increased the amount of information about certain child sex offenders which was available to the public. People were able to ask for information about a person who has contact with their children. The pilots took place throughout 4 police areas and were completed in September 2009. Although the pilots were to be evaluated with a view to being implemented nationwide, regardless of the outcome of that evaluation, there is already an obligation to consider during a case review, whether there is a need to disclose information about the offender as part of the risk management plan. This would appear to be duplication and there does seem to be a necessity for MAPPAS to be seen to be continuously evolving as the offender is always one step ahead. Polygraph tests In October 2009 the Ministry of Justice announced that it was piloting mandatory polygraph tests for sex offenders in the community. The polygraph test is being scrutinised to ascertain whether it might be another useful tool for the effective management of sex offenders. The governing legislation is the Offender Management Act 2007 which authorised the mandatory use of polygraphs on sex offenders who are subject to licence upon their entry into the community following their imprisonment. The polygraph test would be used together with, and not instead of, other management offender tools. Castration Chapter 3 As can be seen there are a wide variety of management tools available under the MAPPA arrangements but their effectiveness and adequacy will now be examined. In October 2009 the Daily Telegraph reported that dangerous foreign criminals are remaining in Britain despite strenuous efforts by the Government to remove them. The paper reports that immigration judges have overturned attempts by the Home Office to remove at least 50 foreign criminals from the country in the past year with their defence lawyers arguing that deporting them would breach their human rights. Examples of such cases are Mark Cadle from Berlize, jailed for having sex with a 14 year old girl who judges said would have his human right to family life infringed if deported because his family lived in Britain. A Somali who had been convicted for manslaughter and robbery was allowed to remain in the country after the court said he would be at serious risk of persecution if deported as he was from a minority clan. Of the 50 cases involved 15 include criminals with convictions for serious violent crimes, 4 sex offenders and 13 with drug convictions. In most of the cases lawyers argued that deporting them would breach their human rights to a family life because many had families in Britain. In some instances like the Somali case, the issues were that the person would be subjected to torture if returned to his homeland in breach of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. On the 2 November 2009 the bleak headlines of the Guardian newspaper read probation service failing to learn lessons over murder of French students, inquiry finds (Travis, 2009). In 2008 two French students were tortured and murdered in London by Dano Sonnex. He was found guilty of their murder and was a violent drug addict who was meant to be under supervision and should have been in jail as he had earlier breached his conditions for release. The case raised fresh anxiety and concerns over the manner in which dangerous offenders are monitored in the community. The parents of the two students were so infuriate that they were preparing to issue proceedings against the probation service and the police. The massive public outcry prompted the chief inspector of probation, Andrew Bridges to look at 276 cases across 10 London boroughs. The findings did not make palpable reading for the relevant MAPPA responsible bodies. Bridges said that the results were disappointing particularly when com pared to 2008 and he deduced that only 54% of the public protection work examined was of sufficiently high level of quality we were looking for. ( ). In 2008 the figure was 63% for the whole London sample so this heralded a poignant deterioration. Another high profile case was the murder of Naomi Bryant in Winchester by Anthony Rice. Rice had served 16 years in prison and had committed several sexual attacks including rape and attempted rape. At the time of the murder he was on life licence and was under the supervision of Hampshire Probation Area alongside numerous other agencies via MAPPA. Following the murder of Bryant an independent report was undertaken which concluded that there were serious shortcomings in the way Rice had been managed prior and since his release from prison. The report revealed that the failure to properly manage Rices risk of being a danger to the community was not the fault of one particular person or agency but was a collective failure of measures both within the prison and the community. Upon his release there was no clear indication of who took the lead responsibility for Rice and there followed transfers of key responsibilities which made for inconsistencies and lack of co-ordination. The conditions on the Licence were vague; for example one condition stated that Rice should not misuse substances and the hostel staff where he was staying interpreted this as meaning that he could consume alcohol. The report criticised the MAPPA panel for allowing them to be distracted by human rights consideration at the expense of public protection. The report highlighted lack of communication and errors of judgment and reinforced the importance of the three responsible agencies having clarity and consistency in their practices and procedures. The next notorious case concerns the murder of John Monckton and the attempted murder of his wife by 2 young men both under the supervision of London probation. When Hanson was 17 years old he received a sentence of 12 years for attempted murder and conspiracy to commit robbery, and it was during his licence period for this offence that he committed the murder of Monckton. Hanson ought to have been referred to MAPPA but he was not, despite being assessed as a high risk of causing harm. So despite being branded as a high risk he was not treated as such. The parole board failed to appreciate the relevance of Hansons predeliction for using instrumental violence and his recorded included utilising violence for financial advantage. Hanson was placed on a CALM programme which does not address this type of violence. After his release he was to report to an office which was within the exclusion zone from which he was banned; clearly a mistake. His residency was also an issue resulting in him living in a hostel which had not been approved by the parole board because the approved hostel in Essex had refused his application. The interpretation of licence conditions caused problems and the risk of harm posed was not assessed or managed adequately and there was a lack of co-ordination with the partnership arrangements. The inspectorate report concluded there was a collective failure to describe the failure in practices of all those managing Hanson and White and acknowledged the considerable organisational constraints in their management (HM Inspectorate of Probation, 2006) Positive Aspects There are however some positive aspects to the work of MAPPA (HM Inspectorate of Probation, 2006). The report decided that in the vast majority of cases MAPPA had been very effective and produced good work although there was still room for improvement. The report concluded that the risk of harm assessments had been accurate in a high proportion of cases. The probation and prison services worked closely in order to identify appropriate offender programmes and appropriate tools were activated to manage the risk of harm posed by particular offenders. The public protection arrangements which existed in 2001 and found wanting (Maguire et al 2001) had greatly improved by 2005. In 2001 apart from the probation and police few of the other agencies bothered to attend meetings. The introduction of the Criminal Justice Court Services Act 2000 had made real and major improvements to the management of high risk cases. In 2005 most agencies were attending meetings and recording decisions and the evidence used to reach their conclusions with all areas having regular case reviews and information sharing protocols in place. Procedures were in place to manage offenders at all the levels including appropriate risk classification tools and gate keeping through the system. However resources were a problem as were the IT case management systems. But in the 4 years since 2001 a more structured and clear approach to managing high risk offenders was in place throughout England and Wales (Madoc-Jones, 2006) The lifelong restrictions on sex offenders living and travel arrangements were recently judged to be a breach of human rights (R (JF(by his litigation friend OF) ) Anor v SSHD). Section 82 Sexual Offences Act requires all persons sentenced to thirty months imprisonment or more for a sexual offence to tell the police where they reside and if they travel abroad for the rest of their lives. Importantly there is no right to review the operation of the requirement. Both respondents were sex offenders and they challenged the lifelong notification requirement on the basis that it was a disproportionate requirement and breached their human rights under Article 8 CONCLUSION The important precis from which to start is that unless all dangerous offenders are imprisoned with maximum security so that escape is virtually impossible, it is impossible to guarantee that there is no risk to the public of harm from these offenders. As such measures are impractical, too costly and in breach of human rights legislation, then the present system is the one which exists and in which improvements can be made. In fact the present MAPPA system is a way of protecting the public with measures which do not affront human rights legislation. Unfortunately government policy has in the past been influenced by public outcry with the press wielding influence with its sometimes sensational headlines. The fact remains that the MAPPA and other arrangements involve many people who are capable of making errors of judgments which can have tragic consequences for victims should offenders reoffend. Every time one person is subjected to a sexual or violent attack, there is a public outcry and a condemnation of the release into the community of dangerous offenders and that the measures are inadequate. However MAPPA in itself does comply with the requirements of the human rights legislation Bib Garland, D. (2001) The Culture of Control:Crime and Social Order in Contemporary Society, Oxford: Oxford University Press HMPS (2005 b) Public Protection Arrangement: Working Together to Defend Communities, 17 October 2005, available at: http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/resourcecentre/pressreleases/index.asp?id=4193,230,608,242,0,0, (accessed on 21 June 2010) HM Inspectorate of Probation 2006. An Independent Review of a Serious Further Offence Case: Damien Hanson and Elliot White. Retrieved on 2010 from http://inspectorates.homeoffi

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Alien Attack :: essays research papers

It was a day like any other day in Decatur, except for the constant rumble coming from the sky. Nobody knew what it was. After awhile the rumble had turned into a low, discrete roar. A little girl named Emma, who lived in a ranch home heard these noises as well, and woke her mother up. Both being terse, not talking a lot, new something bad was about to happen. Emma was trying to be diffident, hoping nothing bad happens, about this unusual situation. After all of the confusion of the sounds, the town went quiet and nothing happened. Although later that night a UFO disembarked from the dark and dreary sky. This UFO landed in manure, animal excrement used to enrich land, of a farm. All of the towns people including Emma and her mother reconnoited, scouted out, around the crash sight. Starring at this gigantic structure, a flap came down on the fresh manure, and coated every body. Through the smoke came out an imp, a small demon, who stood on the ramp for an extended period of time. The alien made a sibyl, lispy sound, screeching sound that was extremely loud. Out came hundreds of aliens from the UFO. More of them came out as the people ran. Some of the aliens were scintillant, things that sparkle, and others were grandiose, uncommon size, and freighting to look at. When the chase was over Emma arrived back home without harm, but her mother she could see was supine, lying on her back. To Emma, her mother was very devoted, sincere, and gave care to Emma. Emma’s grandmother came over to care for Emma, and to bring her over to her home. The towns people started a cabal, group of people joined in a common cause, about this â€Å"alien attack.† This cabal was started because there was a decry, strong disapproval, about how aliens will not take over. One day two people approached the UFO, the flap came down, and out came the same alien as before. The alien wanted one of them to step forward. a detarded, one who commits a cowardly act, man pushed the woman f orward. The woman was comatose, state of non-responsiveness, about what to do. That alien turned out to be a surrogate, person appointed to act in place of another. The woman walked in, and a minute later walked out.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Meaning of Slavery Essay -- literary Analysis, Ayn Rand’s Anthem

As a teenager, I have come across recent discoveries of myself and the world, the thirst to gain more knowledge, new responsibilities, and orders from elders. It is the overwhelming combination of these things that occasionally hit me with the feeling of being enslaved, chained to the world, my home, and my family. These expectations and dictations are restrictions, but they do not represent true slavery. True slavery controls every aspect of a man; the dictator must enslave the man’s body and destroy his mind. This effort to completely subdue humanity is exemplified by the leaders and society of Ayn Rand’s Anthem. In this novel, the leaders try to suppress the actions, emotions, and thoughts of the people in an attempt to destroy both mind and body. Anyone can instruct another person to act in a certain way, but a dictator forces action upon others making it impossible to follow one’s passion. The leaders in Anthem governed the citizens’ lives; they gave each person a job and selected his or her mates. Equality 7-2521, the main character of the novel, wanted to grow in his knowledge of the earth and the Scholars’ inventions. In order to do this, Equality needed to become a Scholar himself. His life’s work depended on his vocation assignment, for in his society, â€Å"You shall do that which the Council of Vocations shall prescribe for you† (pg. 22). When the Council of Vocations declared him as a Street Sweeper, it prohibited him to study science and to create inventions. Equality loved the â€Å"Science of Things†, but he was unable to follow his passion because of the law (pg. 23-26). The leaders of this world controlled the mating process too. Producing offspring can only be done at one time, the â€Å"Time of Mating†. â€Å"T... ...dependently did not change when Equality became older. When he discovered the hidden tunnel with International 4-8818, Equality made the decision to explore the unknown by himself, a thought that is rarely imagined in a society where there is â€Å"no transgression blacker than to do or think alone† (pg31/17). The laws regarding the separation of a person from the other people gave the leaders the authority to enforce the uniformity of thoughts. Through thoughts, emotions, and actions and Any Rand’s Anthem shows that dictators must control every part of a man to ultimately defeat him. It is nothing but laws, leaders, and society that destroy the man. The laws are established to support the destruction, the leaders enforce it, and the society allows it. How can we allow the enslavement of an individual? How can we allow the obliteration of a mind and body?

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Digital Fortress Chapter 118-122

Chapter 118 â€Å"It's proof,† Fontaine said decidedly. â€Å"Tankado dumped the ring. He wanted it as far from himself as possible-so we'd never find it.† â€Å"But, Director,† Susan argued, â€Å"it doesn't make sense. If Tankado was unaware he'd been murdered, why would he give away the kill code?† â€Å"I agree,† Jabba said. â€Å"The kid's a rebel, but he's a rebel with a conscience. Getting us to admit to TRANSLTR is one thing; revealing our classified databank is another.† Fontaine stared, disbelieving. â€Å"You think Tankado wanted to stop this worm? You think his dying thoughts were for the poor NSA?† â€Å"Tunnel-block corroding!† a technician yelled. â€Å"Full vulnerability in fifteen minutes, maximum!† â€Å"I'll tell you what,† the director declared, taking control. â€Å"In fifteen minutes, every Third World country on the planet will learn how to build an intercontinental ballistic missile. If someone in this room thinks he's got a better candidate for a kill code than this ring, I'm all ears.† The director waited. No one spoke. He returned his gaze to Jabba and locked eyes. â€Å"Tankado dumped that ring for a reason, Jabba. Whether he was trying to bury it, or whether he thought the fat guy would run to a pay phone and call us with the information, I really don't care. But I've made the decision. We're entering that quote. Now.† Jabba took a long breath. He knew Fontaine was right-there was no better option. They were running out of time. Jabba sat. â€Å"Okay†¦ let's do it.† He pulled himself to the keyboard. â€Å"Mr. Becker? The inscription, please. Nice and easy.† David Becker read the inscription, and Jabba typed. When they were done, they double-checked the spelling and omitted all the spaces. On the center panel of the view wall, near the top, were the letters: QUISCUSTODIETIPSOSCUSTODES â€Å"I don't like it,† Susan muttered softly. â€Å"It's not clean.† Jabba hesitated, hovering over the ENTER key. â€Å"Do it,† Fontaine commanded. Jabba hit the key. Seconds later the whole room knew it was a mistake. Chapter 119 â€Å"It's accelerating!† Soshi yelled from the back of the room. â€Å"It's the wrong code!† Everyone stood in silent horror. On the screen before them was the error message: ILLEGAL ENTRY. NUMERIC FIELD ONLY. â€Å"Damn it!† Jabba screamed. â€Å"Numeric only! We're looking for a goddamn number! We're fucked! This ring is shit!† â€Å"Worm's at double speed!† Soshi shouted. â€Å"Penalty round!† On the center screen, right beneath the error message, the VR painted a terrifying image. As the third firewall gave way, the half-dozen or so black lines representing marauding hackers surged forward, advancing relentlessly toward the core. With each passing moment, a new line appeared. Then another. â€Å"They're swarming!† Soshi yelled. â€Å"Confirming overseas tie-ins!† cried another technician. â€Å"Word's out!† Susan averted her gaze from the image of the collapsing firewalls and turned to the side screen. The footage of Ensei Tankado's kill was on endless loop. It was the same every time-Tankado clutching his chest, falling, and with a look of desperate panic, forcing his ring on a group of unsuspecting tourists. It makes no sense, she thought. If he didn't know we'd killed him†¦ Susan drew a total blank. It was too late. We've missed something. On the VR, the number of hackers pounding at the gates had doubled in the last few minutes. From now on, the number would increase exponentially. Hackers, like hyenas, were one big family, always eager to spread the word of a new kill. Leland Fontaine had apparently seen enough. â€Å"Shut it down,† he declared. â€Å"Shut the damn thing down.† Jabba stared straight ahead like the captain of a sinking ship. â€Å"Too late, sir. We're going down.† Chapter 120 The four-hundred-pound Sys-Sec stood motionless, hands resting atop his head in a freeze-frame of disbelief. He'd ordered a power shutdown, but it would be a good twenty minutes too late. Sharks with high-speed modems would be able to download staggering quantities of classified information in that window. Jabba was awakened from his nightmare by Soshi rushing to the podium with a new printout. â€Å"I've found something, sir!† she said excitedly. â€Å"Orphans in the source! Alpha groupings. All over the place!† Jabba was unmoved. â€Å"We're looking for a numeric, dammit! Not an alpha! The kill-code is a number!† â€Å"But we've got orphans! Tankado's too good to leave orphans-especially this many!† The term â€Å"orphans† referred to extra lines of programming that didn't serve the program's objective in any way. They fed nothing, referred to nothing, led nowhere, and were usually removed as part of the final debugging and compiling process. Jabba took the printout and studied it. Fontaine stood silent. Susan peered over Jabba's shoulder at the printout. â€Å"We're being attacked by a rough draft of Tankado's worm?† â€Å"Polished or not,† Jabba retorted, â€Å"it's kicking our ass.† â€Å"I don't buy it,† Susan argued. â€Å"Tankado was a perfectionist. You know that. There's no way he left bugs in his program.† â€Å"There are lots of them!† Soshi cried. She grabbed the printout from Jabba and pushed it in front of Susan. â€Å"Look!† Susan nodded. Sure enough, after every twenty or so lines of programming, there were four free-floating characters. Susan scanned them. PFEE SESN RETM â€Å"Four-bit alpha groupings,† she puzzled. â€Å"They're definitely not part of the programming.† â€Å"Forget it,† Jabba growled. â€Å"You're grabbing at straws.† â€Å"Maybe not,† Susan said. â€Å"A lot of encryption uses four-bit groupings. This could be a code.† â€Å"Yeah.† Jabba groaned. â€Å"It says-‘Ha, ha. You're fucked.' † He looked up at the VR. â€Å"In about nine minutes.† Susan ignored Jabba and locked in on Soshi. â€Å"How many orphans are there?† Soshi shrugged. She commandeered Jabba's terminal and typed all the groupings. When she was done, she pushed back from the terminal. The room looked up at the screen. PFEE SESN RETM MFHA IRWE OOIG MEEN NRMA ENET SHAS DCNS IIAA IEER BRNK FBLE LODI Susan was the only one smiling. â€Å"Sure looks familiar,† she said. â€Å"Blocks of four-just like Enigma.† The director nodded. Enigma was history's most famous code-writing machine-the Nazis' twelve-ton encryption beast. It had encrypted in blocks of four. â€Å"Great.† He moaned. â€Å"You wouldn't happen to have one lying around, would you?† â€Å"That's not the point!† Susan said, suddenly coming to life. This was her specialty. â€Å"The point is that this is a code. Tankado left us a clue! He's taunting us, daring us to figure out the pass-key in time. He's laying hints just out of our reach!† â€Å"Absurd,† Jabba snapped. â€Å"Tankado gave us only one out-revealing TRANSLTR. That was it. That was our escape. We blew it.† â€Å"I have to agree with him,† Fontaine said. â€Å"I doubt there's any way Tankado would risk letting us off the hook by hinting at his kill-code.† Susan nodded vaguely, but she recalled how Tankado had given them NDAKOTA. She stared up at the letters wondering if he were playing another one of his games. â€Å"Tunnel block half gone!† a technician called. On the VR, the mass of black tie-in lines surged deeper into the two remaining shields. David had been sitting quietly, watching the drama unfold on the monitor before them. â€Å"Susan?† he offered. â€Å"I have an idea. Is that text in sixteen groupings of four?† â€Å"Oh, for Christ's sake,† Jabba said under his breath. â€Å"Now everyone wants to play?† Susan ignored Jabba and counted the groupings. â€Å"Yes. Sixteen.† â€Å"Take out the spaces,† Becker said firmly. â€Å"David,† Susan replied, slightly embarrassed. â€Å"I don't think you understand. The groupings of four are-â€Å" â€Å"Take out the spaces,† he repeated. Susan hesitated a moment and then nodded to Soshi. Soshi quickly removed the spaces. The result was no more enlightening. PFEESESNRETMPFHAIRWEOOIGMEENN RMAENETSHASDCNSIIAAIEERBRNKFBLELODI Jabba exploded. â€Å"ENOUGH! Playtime's over! This thing's on double-speed! We've got about eight minutes here! We're looking for a number, not a bunch of half-baked letters!† â€Å"Four by sixteen,† David said calmly. â€Å"Do the math, Susan.† Susan eyed David's image on the screen. Do the math? He's terrible at math! She knew David could memorize verb conjugations and vocabulary like a Xerox machine, but math†¦? â€Å"Multiplication tables,† Becker said. Multiplication tables, Susan wondered. What is he talking about? â€Å"Four by sixteen,† the professor repeated. â€Å"I had to memorize multiplication tables in fourth grade.† Susan pictured the standard grade school multiplication table. Four by sixteen. â€Å"Sixty-four,† she said blankly. â€Å"So what?† David leaned toward the camera. His face filled the frame. â€Å"Sixty-four letters†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Susan nodded. â€Å"Yes, but they're-† Susan froze. â€Å"Sixty-four letters,† David repeated. Susan gasped. â€Å"Oh my God! David, you're a genius!† Chapter 121 â€Å"Seven minutes!† a technician called out. â€Å"Eight rows of eight!† Susan shouted, excited. Soshi typed. Fontaine looked on silently. The second to last shield was growing thin. â€Å"Sixty-four letters!† Susan was in control. â€Å"It's a perfect square!† â€Å"Perfect square?† Jabba demanded. â€Å"So what?† Ten seconds later Soshi had rearranged the seemingly random letters on the screen. They were now in eight rows of eight. Jabba studied the letters and threw up his hands in despair. The new layout was no more revealing than the original. P F E E S E S N R E T M P F H A I R W E O O I G M E E N N R M A E N E T S H A S D C N S I I A A I E E R B R N K F B L E L O D I â€Å"Clear as shit.† Jabba groaned. â€Å"Ms. Fletcher,† Fontaine demanded, â€Å"explain yourself.† All eyes turned to Susan. Susan was staring up at the block of text. Gradually she began nodding, then broke into a wide smile. â€Å"David, I'll be damned!† Everyone on the podium exchanged baffled looks. David winked at the tiny image of Susan Fletcher on the screen before him. â€Å"Sixty-four letters. Julius Caesar strikes again.† Midge looked lost. â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"Caesar box.† Susan beamed. â€Å"Read top to bottom. Tankado's sending us a message.† Chapter 122 â€Å"Six minutes!† a technician called out. Susan shouted orders. â€Å"Retype top to bottom! Read down, not across!† Soshi furiously moved down the columns, retyping the text. â€Å"Julius Caesar sent codes this way!† Susan blurted. â€Å"His letter count was always a perfect square!† â€Å"Done!† Soshi yelled. Everyone looked up at the newly arranged, single line of text on the wall-screen. â€Å"Still garbage,† Jabba scoffed in disgust. â€Å"Look at it. It's totally random bits of-† The words lodged in his throat. His eyes widened to saucers. â€Å"Oh†¦ oh my†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Fontaine had seen it too. He arched his eyebrows, obviously impressed. Midge and Brinkerhoff both cooed in unison. â€Å"Holy†¦ shit.† The sixty-four letters now read: PRIMEDIFFERENCEBETWEENELEMENTSRESPON SIBLEFORHIROSHIMAANDNAGASAKI â€Å"Put in the spaces,† Susan ordered. â€Å"We've got a puzzle to solve.†

Monday, September 16, 2019

Beowulf and Illiad Essay

Stories like Beowulf and the Iliad seem hard to believe, far-fetched, and exaggerated even though they can relate to a cultures past. Even so, both stories have great examples of fighting, victory, and glory. â€Å"Now though I may win my perfect glory†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Line 64 Homer) This quote helps show the desire Achilles has for glory. â€Å"I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old, now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me. (Line 607-611 Beowulf Poet) This quote shows Beowulf has a similar desire for fame and glory, along with the confidence to be victorious. Both relate the tales of a hero, and as we follow them, we learn about them in the process. The story of Beowulf seems too good to be true in a sense. As you read, you notice that every woman is beautiful, every warrior is good and every cause is worth risking life and limb for. What is realistic is that every human being wants to be loved and accepted while also being the hero. King Hrothgar is a fatherly example that deserves the love that Beowulf has for him. Hail, Hrothgar!†¦ My youth have been filled with glory. Now Grendel’s name has echoed in our land: Sailors have brought us stories of Herot, the best†¦When the moon hangs in skies the sun had lit, light and life fleeing together. † (Line 140-148 Beowulf Poet) This quote shows the fondness that the king and Beowulf have for each other, and it shows a comparison of light and life. In the case of Achilles in the Iliad, everything is a bit more believable. The theme of life and death is brought to the reader’s attention when Patroclus is killed. As a result, Hector is also killed because of Patroclus’s death. Achilles isn’t perfect, along with other characters such as Hector and King Agmemmon. These faults make this story more realistic and believable, while also adding truth to the story. Bad decisions are made, such as Achilles allowing his good friend, Patroclus, to enter battle and be killed. â€Å"My greatest friend is gone: Patroclus, comrade in my arms, whom I held dear above all others- dear as myself – now gone, lost; Hector cut him down, despoiled him of my own arms, massive and fine, a wonder in all man’s eyes. (Line 13-18 Homer) In this quote is an example of life and death and how it made Achilles wants revenge on Hector. This also gives Achilles a type of â€Å"power† to choose whether to take Hector’s life. Beowulf is humble, and although he has the personality of a hero more than Achilles, he does not see his own value or his own significance. Achilles, on the other hand, could not be more proud. His awareness and consideration of his own skills and his own value are an obvious difference to the humility and mildness of Beowulf. Do not attempt to keep me from the fight, though you love me; you cannot make me listen. † (Line 70 Beowulf Poet) This quote shows an example of Achilles attitude toward himself and others when it comes to a fight. This also shows how Beowulf has more good in him then Achilles. Beowulf having a personality with great goodness, makes the decision to fight the greatest evil (Grendel) with only his hands. â€Å"My hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster God must decide who will be given to deaths cold grip. (Line 172-175 Beowulf Poet) This quote supports Beowulf’s fight against evil, and how the fight will determine life and death. Beowulf and the Iliad are stories of great heroes. They take us through their stories and battles while teaching the reader about them along the way. The Iliad is easier to believe, while Beowulf seems too good to be true. Both stories relate to the cultures past and teach us about each character. Beowulf and the Iliad battle through evil and relate to each other through life and death.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Passage from Lolita Essay

Childhood is a time of freedom, excitement, new sensations, and joy. The sensations of childhood are experiences everyone on the planet goes through, and naturally some people find themselves wishfully reminiscing on these feelings. Such sensations are examined in depth in Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita. The provided passage poignantly addresses this issue. While on its surface it appears to be merely a mellifluously worded memoir, it is actually a cleverly disguised commentary on the desire for the childhood experience. Though this is not immediately obvious, close examination of the diction of the passage reveals the central message. Nabokov includes words that accomplish several things, including evoking the magical, beautiful nature of childhood, making emotional sensations such as desire more tangible, and implying the finality of events past. Ultimately, Nabokov shows that although the sensations of childhood might be desirable, they are trapped inaccessibly in the past , no matter what one’s feelings might be. The first thing Nabokov sets out to do is establish the fantastical, magical, exciting, wonderful nature of childhood. He achieves this most notably through his careful word choice. The passage is sprinkled with words that call to mind innocence, magic, and excitement. Some words and sections, such as â€Å"nervous,† â€Å"low stone wall,† â€Å"tender,† â€Å"slender,† and â€Å"playing cards,† serve merely to establish a tone of a childish nature. â€Å"Nervous† calls to mind the tentative, curious nature of a child, while â€Å"tender,† and â€Å"slender,† both describe certain aspects of childhood that are relatively omnipresent throughout society. â€Å"Low stone wall,† and â€Å"playing cards,† each serve as examples of those things which children might enjoy. This idea of childhood is evolved further through the use of such words as â€Å"magic,† â€Å"glitter,† â€Å"fateful,† â€Å"co mplex,† â€Å"boundless,† â€Å"arabesques,† and â€Å"colored inks.† These words imply the fantastic, beautiful, and wondrous world a child experiences. The combination of these two related categories serves to demonstrate the breathtaking, brilliant set of experiences that childhood comprises of. In addition to describing childhood’s emotional makeup, Nabokov also characterizes more adult emotions such as regret, longing, and desire bordering on lust. He does this also through his diction. The eventual effect of this is a perception of the desire Nabokov’s narrator has for childhood, those ephemeral, magnificent, awesome years of everyone’s life. Significant words used to achieve this are â€Å"miserable,† â€Å"desire,† â€Å"cravings,† â€Å"motives,† â€Å"actions,† â€Å"visualized,† and â€Å"sensitive.† The words â€Å"desire† and â€Å"cravings† both serve to almost literally describe the emotional attachment Nabokov’s narrator has to childhood, while â€Å"miserable,† â€Å"sensitive,† and â€Å"visualized† tend to bring to mind a feeling of dejection and regret. In essence, the combination of these words implies the desire the narrator feels for childhood a nd its sensations; it is deep, longing, and regretful. Indeed, the regret stems from the sensation that it is something lost, locked away in the past; this is the final major connection Nabokov uses diction to communicate. To complete the statement of his message, Nabokov, through his diction, also evokes knowledge of the sensation of something that is irrevocably, impossibly, inaccessibly in the past. The ultimate effect of this final metaphorical revelation is the communication of Nabokov’s true message; that although the sensations of childhood may be good and desirable, they are forever locked in the past, inaccessible to those in the present. The words Nabokov uses to demonstrate this include â€Å"memories,† â€Å"remote,† â€Å"retrospective,† â€Å"past,† and â€Å"memory.† All of these words, particularly when taken together, rather vividly demonstrate the inaccessibility of the past. â€Å"Memories† are that which we know but are in some fundamental way lost forever, always â€Å"remote† and viewed only as â€Å"retrospective.† They are locked in the â€Å"past.† When this image is combined with the other two Nabokov so cle arly integrates into the passage, we obtain the final, big picture; that although one might experience desire for their or others’ childhood, the past is gone and ultimately cannot be regained. Childhood represents a time in every person’s life when they can be carefree and happy. Nabokov has made childhood and the desire for such sensations the central theme of his novel Lolita. This is particularly apparent in the passage provided through his use of diction to imply sensations such as childhood at its base, the magical, fantastic nature of childhood, desire and longing, and the inaccessibility of the past. His central message is simple, but sad; although one might desire the sensations of childhood, childhood is ultimately past; forgone and totally, completely inaccessible.