Analysis and Review of Source Code Movie

Source Code with it's unique twist on the classic time-loop scenario, brings mystery, action and a refreshing sci-fi structure for the audiences amazement. This film, like many sci-fi thrillers of the past, plays on societal issues with technology and it's potentially dangerous implications to the world. The plot, although minimalistic at a glance, unfolds with twists and turns that carry this sci-fi thriller to places never before seen by the sci-fi genre. As film reviewer, Peter Bradshaw, put it, â€Å"with twists and turns, and at breathtaking speed, this film runs on rails. [1] Science Fiction is a genre that is almost entirely based upon societies complicated relationship with technology and it's potential implications on society. In the film, the main technology presented is a program unsurprisingly called â€Å"Source Code. † The program allows our lead character, Colter Stevens', brain to access the body of a man who is already dead. The technology works by accessing the last eight minutes of person's memory and turning it into an alternate reality. It is described by its creator, Dr. Rutledge, as a tool for revisiting rather than revising time. Through source code, Colter Stevens becomes Sean, a victim of a train-bombing outside Chicago. Although the train-bombing has already occurred, other acts of terror are imminent in downtown Chicago. If Stevens is to use source code as expected he is to find out who is responsible for the train bombing and relay his findings to the people of the present so they may prevent further incidents. Each time his eight minutes are up, Stevens finds himself within a pod wired with a video screen. This screen is his only link Dr. Rutledge's unit and Stevens' commanding officer, Colleen Goodwin. The pod is a metaphysical set created to explain Stevens' thoughts and feelings. The room is essentially his mind and all that is going within it. The environment of the pod changes as Stevens' comprehension of the situation increases. The metaphysical nature of this set seems extremely intentional as there are essentially only three different sets used throughout the films entirety. The use of this â€Å"pod like† set is very similar in nature to that of the sets from 2001: A Space Odyssey in the sense that they are combining wholly human elements nto technological environments. [2] Each time Stevens returns to the train, he gathers more information about the bomb, the bomber, and the other people on the train, including Christina, the love interest. Once Stevens returns with the name of the bomber his mission is over. At this point in the film, Stevens learns that he died in the helicopter over Afghanistan and now only exists within the source code. After learning this, he c onvinces Goodwin to allow him back in one more time to save everyone on the train and die knowing they were all saved. However, once everyone has been saved, he does not die and will live as Sean for the rest of his life. Source Code is similar to many movies from the 1950s and '60s because of its use of relevant political issues to strike fear within the viewer. Much like how the Cold War paranoia permeated science fiction through features like War of the Worlds (1954) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), the current fear of terrorism trickles through Source Code's plot. [3] An obvious manifestation of this fear is the bomber himself. Derek Frost appears to be a young, white, suburban male and because his appearance is not that of a stereotypical terrorist, Stevens overlooks him as a suspect initially. By using the least likely suspect as the antagonist, Source Code is challenging our current beliefs on terrorism that only non-American's can be classified as terrorists. By creating this unlikely villain, source code creates relevance to the disaster, and realism to the situation. The unlikely villain shows that through technology anyone can really become a threat to society. The introduction of this average citizen villain prompts us to question our responsibility with technology. Here technology's power is illustrated because it transforms our â€Å"average† Derek into a super-villain capable of catastrophic events. On the other hand, we are also confronted with the potential life saving ability of the source code. Dr. Rutledge believed source code was only capable of saving lives that had not been already lost. However, the program enabled Stevens to not only save lives on the train, but also his own. Stevens doesn’t just jump through action-flick hoops, he also confronts some Big Questions — Are we alone? Are we free? Do we have free will? — the importance of which become clear as the outlines of Stevens’s true circumstances are revealed. †[4] The implication of this notion is very apparent as Stevens becomes more aware of his situation. His initial experiences within source code are consumed by selfish tasks s uch as trying to locate his father and find out what has happened to him. However, as he begins to understand source code and believes that his life no longer exists, his motives quickly change. Once Stevens begins to use source code for the greater good, he himself is also freed. This is a direct commentary on our usage of technology itself in that we need to use technology for the greater good and not for selfish means. It is this notion that we the audience is left to ponder. Will technology bring humanity to a never before seen existence or destroy our being entirely? Bibliography Cook, David A. A History of Narrative Film. New York: W.W. Norton. 498-499, 925-927. Bradshaw, Peter. â€Å"Source Code Review.â€Å" The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/mar/31/source-code-review (accessed April 12, 2011). Dargis, Manohla. â€Å"Don't Know Who You Are, but Don't Know Who I Am.† The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/movies/jake-gyllenhaal-in-source-code-review.html (accessed April 12, 2011).

Kohlbergs Theory Essay

PSYCHOLOGY 112 Table of contents: * Introduction * Definition of Kohlberg’s Theory * Advantage in Kohlberg’s Theory * Disadvantage in Kohlberg’s Theory * Opinion * Recommendation Introduction Lawrence Kohlberg’s stages of moral development constitute an adaptation of a psychological theory originally conceived by the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. The theory holds that moral reasoning, the basis for ethical behavior, has six identifiable developmental stages, each more adequate at responding to moral dilemmas than its predecessor. Kohlberg determined that the process of moral development was principally concerned with justice, and that it continued throughout the individual’s lifetime, a notion that spawned dialogue on the philosophical implications of such research. For his studies, Kohlberg relied on stories such as the Heinz dilemma, and was interested in how individuals would justify their actions if placed in similar moral dilemmas. He then analyzed the form of moral reasoning displayed, rather than its conclusion, and classified it as belonging to one of six distinct stages Kohlberg’s six stages can be more generally grouped into three levels of two stages each: pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional. Following Piaget’s constructivist requirements for a stage model, as described in his theory of cognitive development, it is extremely rare to regress in stages—to lose the use of higher stage abilities. Stages cannot be skipped; each provides a new and necessary perspective, more comprehensive and differentiated than its predecessors but integrated with them. Kohlberg’s Theory The stage of Moral Development/Moral Reasoning 1. Pre-conventional level 2. Conventional level 3. Post-conventional level ..Psychologist, studied the reasoning ability & recognizing where a child is at according to stages can help identify how child may feel about illness ,moral reasoning & cognitive stages of development. LEVEL| STAGE/YEARS| CHARACTERISTICS| Pre conventional| Stage 1(2 to 3 y/o)Stage 2(4 to 7 y/o)| Obedience and punishment orientation(How can I avoid punishment?) A child tell him the right thing because he was told to do so to avoid punishment.–Self-interest orientation(Paying for a benefit)Child caries out actions to satisfy his own needs rather than the society’s.The child does something for another if he gets something in return.| Conventional| Stage 3(7/10 y/o)Stage 4(10/12 y/o)| Interpersonal accord and conformity(The good boy/good girl attitude)A child follows rules because of a need to be good person in own eyes & in the eyes of the others†¦Authority and social-order maintaining orientation(Law and order morality)A child follows rules of authority figures as well as parents to keep the system working.| Post conventional| Stage 5(older than 12y/o)Stage 6(older than 12 y/o)| Social contract orientation(Utilitarian Law Making Perspective)A child follow standards of society for the good of people†¦Universal ethical principles(Principled conscience)A child follows internalized standards of conduct.| Advantages of the Kohlberg’s theory The ability to empirically test the individual for where they are in their moral development, along with offering a basic structure for creating â€Å"just communities† applicable both within and outside student affairs. Moreover, Kohlberg’s model offers insight as to why an individual may be seeking out justice based on what stage they are in. 2. Kohlberg’s theory essentially provides a roadmap for moral thinking that otherwise did not exist. 3. It inadvertently offers benchmarks for where one might be in their moral development based on their life situation. 4. Offering a structure for â€Å"just  communities.† It was Kohlberg’s hope that he would employ his theory to create communities that were collaborative, held each other accountable, and had philosophical and educational discussions to further both the individual and the group in their moral development (Kohlberg, 1971, 1972). It offers a venue for individuals to discuss a number of hypoth etical or moral dilemmas while simultaneously furthering development through cognitive dissonance. Disadvantages in Kohlberg’s theory Gender differences that affect moral reasoning; cultural differences in regards to the Western cultures versus the non-Western cultures; the model being a hard stage model; the focus of justice over care and finally the use of hypothetical decision making over real life dilemmas in the assessments. 2. Gender differences in moral reasoning. Carol Gilligan (1982/1983) was strongly opposed to Kohlberg’s model mainly on the basis of gender. As stated, Kohlberg originally based his theory on a study of young male individuals excluding women. Gilligan (1982/1983) argued that Kohlberg’s theory incorporated a gender bias directly into the theory as well as the assessment tools. Moreover, she argued Kohlberg ignored a women’s moral orientation to a response of care. Some studies have shown that looking at responses to the Rest’s Defining Issues Test (DIT) (Rest, 1986a) and Moral Judgment Interview (MJI) (Colby, et al, 1987), men tend to be more justice oriented and women more care oriented, and especially so when they take on the traditional gender roles (Rest, 1986b; Walker, 1984). This is concerning since Kohlberg’s theory is truly justice oriented. It may be more difficult to get an accurate answer about where a woman is in moral development in regards to Kohlberg’s stage model than a male. 3. Cultural and Religious. Religion can play a major factor in an individual’s personal and moral development. Both Rest (1986) and Dirks (1988) found that a number that religion was a factor in moral decision making. Rest (1986) found that those coming from a liberal perspective tended to score higher in moral development than others. Dirks (1988) found that those with an evangelical belief system are less likely to enter into the post conventional stage. In terms of cultural differences there is likely a difference in moral reasoning in Western cultures versus non Western cultures. The value systems  often differ vastly and as such may not be able to fit in to one particular stage in Kohlberg’s theory. Western cultures tend to be more indivi dualistic (Miller & Bersoff, 1992). While this problem may seem minute, the validity of a theory must be tested across gender and culture. In this regard, Kohlberg’s theory is not as applicable to other cultures because it is based off a values system that is very much Americanized. Ironically, a theory that seeks to promote universality is not as universal as it should be. Opinion Kohlberg’s Theory covers the moral development stages of an individual and I think this theory is a huge help for a person, especially those who have children. Kohlberg’s theory may serve as guide on how a parent would treat their child’s behaviour. Parents would understand why their child is behaving in such manner and they can make disciplinary action or decision on how to correct or improve unpleasant behaviour. And guide them in developing their sense of morality. And make them an honest and morally mature person. By knowing this theory we can also examine ourselves. Reflect and think of situation we encountered in our life and how we reacted to it. By doing so, we will know what level of morality we fit in. I think morality depends on a person’s point of view. We can only say it’s wrong if it’s against the law but the morality issue of the person really depends on what his conscience tell him. Recommendation Lawrence Kohlberg theory of Moral Development gives a detailed explanation on how a child develops morally. This theory is remarkable because we now have an overview about morality and we now have guidance if we are on the right track or not. We can now assess our level of morality. And we can now choose what level we want to be. Report by: Mr.Dennies Dela Cruz Ms.Iris Vi P.De Jesus BSC â€Å"Morality is the ability to see an issue from points of view other than just your own.† — Lawrence Kohlberg—

Factors Influencing Leadership Styles Essay

Personality Traits A leadership style may become an extension of a leader’s personality. If an individual is outgoing and assertive, he may prefer to communicate directly with subordinates through face-to-face interaction or confrontation, either on a group or individual basis. If he is more reserved, he might choose to lead by example or rely on written communication. Rather than addressing a group as a whole, the reserved leader is probably more comfortable meeting with subordinates on a one-on-one basis to provide individual direction. Level of Control The level to which a leader wishes to maintain control also influences leadership style. Some leaders want to be involved in all aspects of day-to-day operations and decision-making processes, which requires the need for micromanaging. Others may be more trusting of their subordinates or may not want the heavy burden of making all decisions, so they tend to take a more hands-off approach by delegating responsibility. Leaders who choose to delegate may need to create an additional layer of management. Organizational Structure An organisation’s structure and operating methods may dictate the type of leadership style that managers must adopt. Some organisations place heavy emphasis on encouraging contributions or ideas from their members, requiring an open style of leadership where members have a large say in determining their own roles and functions. Other organisations operate with more of a â€Å"my way or the highway† mentality, where leaders dictate direction and deviation or innovation is frowned upon. Experience A leader’s level of experience, both as a leader and with a particular organisation can have an impact on his style. Someone who is new to a leadership role may be more inclined to lead â€Å"by the book† to avoid potential mistakes, while a more experienced leader will often feel more confident in following his own interpretation of rules and regulations. A leader who has been part of an organisation for many years will likely have a better understanding of the organisation’s nuances than a new member, so she may be more comfortable when making decisions.

Write a letter to Obama on the national defense authorization act and Research Paper

Write a letter to Obama on the national defense authorization act and how it is not constitutional - Research Paper Example Section 1021 and 1022 of the National Defense Authorization Act allow and grant authority to the counter-terrorism unit and the Armed forces to detain any individual (more so a United States citizen) who is suspected of being involved in terrorism. This section is against the first ten amendments of the US constitution which are in accordance with the Bill of Rights. The rights of the detained person are infringed upon and especially the rights to movement and liberty (www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights.html). The above information is also supported by the American Civil liberties Union (ACLU) whose main aim and objective is protection of individual’s human rights and liberties according to the US constitution. This human rights group has been in the forefront to support in supporting the constitution and where the constitution is breached it has also to complain and demand for an amendment (www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html). According to the courthouse news service which reports on all court activities (http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/05/16/46550.htm), on the 16th of May 2012, a US District court Judge Katherine Forrest passed a ruling blocking the implementation of this statute. According to her ruling, the Act was contrary to the first and the fifth amendment of the United States Constitution and therefore did not protect the citizens of US against unlawful detention by the military on suspicion of being involved in terroristic acts. Judge has taken an oath to rule governed by the constitution and hence anything that is against the constitution should not be put to action. The constitution is a powerful tool and protector of the citizens of US and therefore any Act or declaration going against it is deemed as unfriendly and threatening the security offered by the constitution.

The Nature of the Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The Nature of the Industry - Essay Example This paper purports to determine the nature of the engineering and construction industry in UK. The engineering and construction is considered as one of the most complex and hazardous form of industries. This involves various workforces from skilled to unskilled since it entails different and numerous ranges of activities starting from the design to construction stage as well as during the productive use of the built environment. Basically, engineering and construction involves complex and critical operation process. Hence, it includes various construction personnel who works together in order to complete a built structure based on client’s specifications, costs, time and building standard quality. Usually, the team is consists of the following personnel: Architect, Mechanical and Electricity Engineer, Site-Based Cost Control Surveyor, Site Engineer and Site-Based Environmental manager. As cited in APUC, these personnel have their own specific tasks and responsibilities to per form in every stage of the built environment projects and they are the ones accountable and liable to these tasks in case errors or defects emerged. In engineering and construction, the architect plays a very crucial and important role because he/she will lead the design and planning team of the built environment project. The architect is the one accountable in the conceptualization of the design up to the provision of detailed floor plans and sets of building construction drawing designs which is necessary to start the actual construction of the project. The purpose of the design stage of building construction is to integrate the requirements specified by the client according to the project budget and timescale as well as to assess the possible occurrence of design risks. In addition, it is also the responsibility of the architect to look the overall coordination of the built environment design including space planning, appearance, and materials/equipment used in construction and t he furniture to be placed in the built structure upon its completion. The architect will work hand-in-hand with the site engineer during the construction phase to ensure that all the requirements specified in the design are properly installed and able to meet the client’s design preferences (APUC, 2007). Mechanical and Electricity Engineer The mechanical and electricity engineer is the one responsible in ensuring that the electrical and mechanical facilities and equipment to be installed in the built environment are environmentally sustainable which features energy efficiency use. The purpose is to minimize the consumption of energy to lessen/reduce carbon emission. In addition, the M & E Engineer is also the one responsible in the estimation of cost related to his/her specific task, which in turn forwarded to the Cost Control Surveyor for cost planning. The M & E Engineer will closely work with the Architect and Site Engineer in order to ensure that the

Cloud Computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Cloud Computing - Essay Example Given the close linkages between financial services firms and cutting edge technology, it makes for eminent business sense to remain on top of the â€Å"convergence† that is happening between IT and financial services. Cloud computing is altering the way business is done and the way business services are provided by bringing about a paradigm shift in the way excess computing power and storage space can be used. Cloud Computing works by aggregating the computing power of individual computers and then centralizing the same so as to derive maximum advantage for the users. Since UVW does not have to invest in additional capacity whenever it takes on more users, we stand to gain from the double benefit of efficiencies from economies of scale and cost savings because of outsourcing our requirements to providers of cloud computing services. For UVW to remain competitive in the financial services market, we need to embrace next generation IT services like what other global financial conglomerates like Goldman Sachs are doing by renting out cloud providers to host their data and provide them computing power. The use of offshore datacenters by these financial services firms has helped them to cut their IT costs significantly. In the context of the financial services firms undergoing an era of rapid change in the way they do business, it is necessary for UVW to embrace innovation and be at the forefront of emerging technologies. By embracing cloud computing in its business, UVW can thus remain competitive as well as ride the wave of change that is sweeping the financial services

Designing for organizational Effectiveness Essay

Designing for organizational Effectiveness - Essay Example Companies can adopt organization effectiveness technique as a parameter to assess growth and the rate at which goals are attained. There are numerous methods that can be used to conceptualize how organizations work. For instance, Gareth Morgan described a model that can be used to study organization effectiveness. In the model, Gareth uses metaphors to study organizational effectiveness; that is, machine, organism and brain (Morgan 17). Machine in used as a metaphor for explaining the mechanical aspect of organizational effectiveness. It seeks to investigate issues such as complexity in structure, competition and random changes that take place in the organization’s external environment. It is important to identify that the system of command within an organization influences its effectiveness. In addition, the functioning of an organization is dependent on its structure. Complex structures and systems of command are sometimes confusing and, therefore, result in dismal performance of an organization (Daft 79). Structures within an organization should be simple and easy to work with in order to boost efficiency and performance. In essence, research has shown that bureaucracy in organizational structure is a core determinate of performance in any enterprise. Organization structures that facilitate good customer relations and conducive working environment have proved to be the best in management. However, different organizational structures fit different organizations. In this regard, enterprises should conduct comprehensive research when deciding the type of structure to adopt. Competition in the market highly influences the performance of an enterprise. For an organization to survive in a competitive environment, certain measures must be put in place to ensure that operations are not interrupted. It is essential for an organization to study the surrou nding environment cognitively in order

Data Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Data Analysis - Assignment Example Using the Sharpe ratio, the mutual funds for FLCSX are still the best when comparing the risk and return for the investment. JFMAX is the stock that has been greatly diversified. This is because it sells in many countries in different countries. That will ensure that the risk of loss is reduced because it will be subject to a few issues and hence it will have a high probability of doing good as compared to the other investments. Beta is a measure of the volatility of an investment towards market forces. That measures the rate at which an investment is affected by changes in the market. An investment that has a beta greater than one is very volatile to market forces and it is affected highly by market forces. That ,means that they are relatively risky and usually associated with high risk and returns. For investments that have a bet lower than one, they are less risk and also associated with lower rates of returns. From the 1990’s, china has become a huge player in the industrial area. This is because the country has emerged as a super power in business. The country has been giving stiff competition to the prior year super powers that included the united states. That made the country a super power in businesses. The other thing that made china develop tremendously was its ability to come up with new products that could be sold in different countries at a lower cost. China also took advantage of FDI. FDI is a system whereby a country or business relocates to regions where there is availability of low cost goods or labor. That ensures that the cost to the company are low and the company is able to supply the products to the target market. That means that the availability of cheap labor and raw products will make the supply and production of goods relatively cheaper. China also takes advantage of the countries whereby there is a huge target market. In that case, the target market becomes l arge and it is able to make more profits as compared to

The Role NGOs Play in Poverty in Developing Countries Essay

The Role NGOs Play in Poverty in Developing Countries - Essay Example As the essay declares the presence of poverty adds to these factors and makes the economic scenario worse for the developing nations. Thus one of the essential reforms in the developing nations is reducing the level of poverty.From the paper it is clear that  strategies for poverty reduction in a country include the various macroeconomic policies and social programmes that help in reducing poverty and stimulating economic growth. The social and structural programmes for reducing poverty in developing countries are designed after analysing the multidimensional effects of poverty. The ultimate objective of these policies is raising the quality of life of the poor. Generally such policies are associated with a deep involvement of the civil society. The civil society’s participation in the policies promotes the national ownership of the poverty reduction strategies. Poverty is a deep-rooted problem for any nation. Hence the strategies taken for its eradication also involve a lon g time horizon. This is the reason for the long-term perspective of poverty reduction strategie.   Various strategies are followed for poverty eradication in developing nations. The most popular among them is Ownership strategy. One of the most significant factors that contribute to the problem of poverty is the unequal distribution of economic resources, since this unequal distribution denies the access of economic resources to the poor. The ownership strategy of poverty reduction aims at an appropriate distribution of economic resources in the developing countries.   

W3 Disc Incentive Programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

W3 Disc Incentive Programs - Essay Example ling to leave for boot camp as soon as possible, for advanced civilian skills, electing to defer their enlistment and more† (Army Bonus and Incentive Overview, 2010, p. 1). According to Cokins (2009), the three components of an effective incentive system are as follows: (1) involvement of employees; (2) setting SMART objectives; and (3) recognition of performance of employees according to well-designed standards. As such, after evaluating the incentive program of the U.S. Army, it could be deduced that the three components are duly integrated. For instance, the Partnership for Youth SuccesS (PAYS) ensures future employment to those who joined the Army through the partner organizations (Partnership for Youth Success (PAYS), n.d.). This program ensures involvement of the members; setting objectives of gaining employment after the service; and giving due recognition to those who served the Army through the provision of ready employment to partner organizations. Overall, the U.S. Army has designed effective incentive programs to those who serve their country, through the presence of the three components, as above noted. As such, a continued supply of qualified and competent recruits and soldiers are being developed and maintained with the provision of monetary and non-monetary awards to them and to their family

To What Extent Did Public Opinion Shape International Politics in the First Half of the Twentieth Century’ Essay Example for Free

To What Extent Did Public Opinion Shape International Politics in the First Half of the Twentieth Century’ Essay The first half of the twentieth century was indeed a time in history in which things such as two of the most deadly wars, the Russian Revolution, the Great Depression, the foundation of the UN and the start of the Cold War took place. But, were these events at any point influenced by the views expressed by citizens?. This essay is going to discuss public opinion during the first half of the twentieth century. To do so, the essay uses a journal article on public opinion written by Hans Speier as a guideline of the essay. In order to understand the impact of public opinion on international affairs, we must firstly define what we mean by public opinion. According to Slavko Splichal, ‘the concept of public, publicness, publicity, public sphere and public opinion are among the most controversial, ambiguous and nontransparent concepts in the social sciences, that have been used consistently since the eighteen century’. ‘Public opinion’ he adds ‘supposedly developed into a â€Å"inner-media† of political system, a mirror â€Å"generated by mass media to regulate the watching of the observers’. Then, ‘who precisely were the decision makers? Monarchs, presidents, foreign ministers, staff chiefs, or a combination of these?’ In the early twentieth century, public opinion did not have much of an impact in foreign politics. Speier says that public opinion ‘in its early phase [†¦] showed a marked preoccupation with domestic affairs, i.e., with issues of immediate concern to the life of citizens’. On the other hand ‘foreign policy issues appeared less relevant, but they were expected to be ultimately relegated from the realm of power to that of discussion and agreement, as governments would become more enlightened’. And Speier emphasised that public opinion would only support going to war if that was something that ‘were in the interest of enlightened mankind’. As Mike Sharp, Ian Westwell and John Westwood say: ‘In most European countries public opinion in the years preceding 1914 had accepted the likelihood, to some extent even the desirability, of war’. Talking about the interest of enlightened mankind, Woodrow Wilson stated: ‘National purposes have fallen more and more into the background; and the common purpose of enlightened mankind has taken their place’. Moreover he added that ‘this is a people’s war, not a statesman’s’. But Speier states that it was just after the First World War, when the ‘faith in the power of public opinion to render world politics reasonable’ was called into question. Speier argues that this was due to a series of events. The first of these was the demise of the League of Nations, which failed to fulfill its purpose, namely to prevent the outbreak of a new world war. Moreover, US President Woodrow Wilson was an advocate of the League of Nations, yet his country refused to join the organisation. Despite Wilson’s description of the Great War as a ‘people’s war, not a statesman’s’ and his intentions to join the League of Nations, the Senate refused to join the organisation. This action showed that public opinion did not have much influence in fact; it appears that statesmen still played a big role in deciding issues of internal relations. Secondly, Speier mention the ‘disillusionment concerning the lofty war aims of the Allies and the general distrust of propaganda which spread between the two world wars’, as a large section of the public thought that the Allies’ aims were overly idealistic and, more importantly, those aims were not fulfilled. The human cost of the World War was enormous. People had lost their families from the trenches and the reports from the soldiers were awful. War wasn’t glamorous and against this perception, idealism could do very little. Thirdly, Speier talks about the rise of fascism and National Socialism as the main events for which people all around the World dismissed any chance that public opinion could had a possibility to change politics or at least to have a say. On the one hand the emergence of Benito Mussolini’s fascist dictatorship in Italy was the beginning of a fascist era around Europe. This was followed by the establishment of the Nazi party in Germany, which led to the outbreak of the Second World War. In these systems everything was under the control of the state. That means, that all media coverage, either, radio, newspapers or books were censored by the government in power, to make sure that nothing against the government could be said. Censorship was the biggest attack against the public opinion. People could not give their own opinion and demonstrations were forbidden. In a form of state like that, the only presumptions that one can make are that public opinion was almost defunct. People could only see what the people in power wanted to show them. Apart from that, we need to bear in mind that the systems in these countries went further than censorship but rather they believed in the power of propaganda defined by Garth S. Jowett Victoria O’Donnell trying ‘to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist’, made public opinion disappeared. Hitler for example said: ‘ â€Å"Propaganda, propaganda, propaganda. All that matters is propaganda† ’ and it worked, the public bought into the idea of a perfect race in Germany. And again in the Soviet Union, millions of kulaks were exterminated under the death silence of the State in 1918. Fourthly, another factor is ‘the absence of inspiring peace aims during the Second World War’. Hitler had in mind two main objectives for the Second World War, which were ‘ first, to established German control in Europe, and the second (which might well come after his lifetime) to wrest control of the seas and world domination from Britain and the USA’. Both aims were quite demoralising. In practice this meant that the war was prolonged more than expected, which caused a delayed in the freedom of the public opinion. Throughout the war, Hitler made the German people think that the war was about to be won; ever-new levies of recruits were needed for the last effort. Fifthly, another factor is ‘the sterility of the resistance movements in the realm of political ideas’. In Germany for example there was no Parliament and therefore parliamentary opposition was not possible. In Europe during the Second World War both sides had different successes, Germany, for example, had not one because of the great power of the GESTAPO. On the other hand, France had some success through the famous sabotage, and this made that some news were filtered in by the media in the West. Finally Speier mentioned, ‘the use of weapons of mass destruction in the attainment of victory’. A clear example of this was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 that left ‘up to 140,000 reported dead by the end of the year’ an event which did not help to show people the end of the war and to convince the Japanese public that they faced annihilation if they continued the war. Those events mentioned above were the cause of ‘demoralization [†¦] in the power of public opinion’ just after the First World War. To sum up, at the beginning if the twentieth century public opinion had a role in International Politics but it was just after the demise of the League of Nations, the disillusionment concerning the lofty war aims of the Allies, the rise of Fascism and National Socialism, the absence of inspiring peace aims during the Second World War, etc. that the World lost its confidence on public opinion as a way to change politics.

Key features of Spies in the opening chapter Essay Example for Free

Key features of Spies in the opening chapter Essay The key features of Spies are introduced and highlighted by the use of different narrative techniques which occur throughout the novel. One of the most important features in the novel is mystery; this is created largely due to the fact that Stephen is not a reliable narrator. His uncertainty means that we are not told the truth at times. This very aspect portrays Spies as a modern novel. By creating ambiguity there is no certainty or clarity in the plot, despite the narrator having lived through the story. This enables Frayn to comment on perception, an important theme in the novel. Childhood is also a vital aspect in this novel as it helps readers discover Stephens past and acknowledge the way in which he has grown up. It also assists readers in drawing differences between Stephen as a youth and an old man narrator; furthermore it helps Frayn to comment on identity which is another key feature. Relationships are also significant as they are either made or broken in Spies. Moreover the structure of the novel in itself is fundamental and acts as a key feature, largely because it creates suspense and helps introduce the key features. The opening chapter is written in two different tenses; the present in which we establish the effect the smell of a plant has on the narrator who is an old man, the past tense in which memories are introduced by the old man narrator and again the present tense as the old man narrator travels back in time and recounts some of those memories. Mystery is something which cannot be explained or understood, and often leaves the reader confused. This is instantly accomplished in the very first sentence of the opening chapter: The third week of June, and there it is again: the same almost embarrassingly familiar breath of sweetness We are introduced to the novel in the present tense which draws the reader in and acquaints them with the same knowledge as the narrator. June helps establish a time. Moreover it is an unknown factor which is introduced with the third person pronoun that helps create intrigue by giving it an importance. again: suggests that the narrator has formally been acquainted with this unknown factor but is withholding this information from the reader. The use of a colon in the quotation allows readers a moment to pause and so the pace gathers suspense. It also acts as a qualifier as after the colon the it is disclosed, almost embarrassingly familiar breath of sweetness We are left to question why a familiar breath of sweetness is embarrassing. Frayn reveals that a smell is the subject of the sentence, but in doing so he creates further intrigue. This however is subsequently revealed to be the smell of privet. The privet is a shrub and it is the smell of this shrub which conjures embarrassing memories. This is explored in Chapter Five of the novel when we come across Stephen and Keiths mother in the privet: Im too embarrassed to watch her You cant look at her face Theres nowhere left expect the bit in between and that part of a lady, as Ive known for at least a year now, is her bosom This creates humour; something which is consistent throughout Spies as Frayn describes Stephans naivety as a child. It also solves the root of Stephens embarrassment. Mysteries continue to be featured in the opening chapter as a key feature which is subsequently developed in the novel. for a moment Im a child again and everythings before me all the frightening, half-understood promise of life. In this quotation we witness a time shift from the present to the past in which the first person narrator is an adult reflecting upon his childhood. The key words used within this quotation are: frightening, half-understood, and promise of life. These words conjure a sense of negativity and leave the reader questioning why the smell is frightening and half understood. The word frightening introduces us to suspense, and leaves us to question the uncertainty of this intriguing smell. Furthermore, frightening, half-understood promise of life, illustrates that the narrators upbringing was distorted, as a childs future, the promise of life is a positive reference, but Stephens recollection of his has negative connotations. This is reflected in Chapter 9 where Stephen is faced by Mr Hayward. I follow him across the street to the Haywards house, holding the basket with both hands, sick with apprehension. This quotation reinforces the fear felt by Stephen as a child. Sick suggests that Stephen is distressed. In addition apprehension illustrates the fact that Stephen is in fear and extremely terrified of Mr Haywards actions. The second paragraph of the opening Chapter continues in the present tense to allow us as readers to learn more about the intriguing smell. It draws the readers awareness to every detail and makes us want to read on. It must come from the gardens. Which one? I can never trace it. Frayns use of a question and the short sentence reflects the old man narrators confusion. I can never trace it, confirms the uncertainty and mystery over the smell as well as reflecting the narrators state of mind of confusion and agitation. Frayn develops this theme of confusion and perception, throughout Spies. In Chapter Five Stephen does not know the meaning of x. What is the value of x, I struggle to calculate, over and over again through the long confusions of the night Here it is evident that Frayn is withholding information which intrigues the readers. The value of x is unclear this leaves it open to interpretation as x highlights mystery. To the readers x can emphasize numerous factors. This may include birthdays, anniversaries, bank associated dates and so forth. Returning to the second paragraph of the novel Frayn writes, Its not like the heartbreaking tender sweetness of the lime blossom The use of an oxymoron reinforces the old man narrators confusion as he tries to identify the source of the smell. This creates mystery and suspense. One critical evaluation of this is argued by Max Watman, in which he states, If we are not to benefit from the older mans perspective until the last dozen or so pages, why introduce him at the start? Max Watman, The New Criterion, (May 2002) I strongly disagree as without two narrative voices the difference between appearance and reality cannot be achieved. This creates mystery which ties in with the fact that Frayn often withholds information until the next paragraph or chapter to create anticipation. The old man narrator continues with, What is it, that terrible, disturbing presence in the summer air? The words, terrible and disturbing create an ominous tone. The narrator is giving it a physical representation by referring to it as a negative presence; this gives it a nightmarish quality; something which haunts the narrator and which will inevitably haunt us. This reinforces the sense of mystery. The smell continuous to be described with negative imagery, Theres nothing clean about the reek The word reek suggests an unpleasant, powerful smell and creates a negative tone. Insinuating itself so slyly, Suggests that the smell is somewhat sneaky and creeps upon him unexpectedly. Its evident that the smell is frustrating him; furthermore the word insinuating suggests that it is reminding the old man narrator of unpleasant memories. The smell acts as a catalyst and prompts Stephen to remember Keiths mother, Shes sitting in the dust in front of me, weeping seeping unnoticed into the deepest recesses of my memory, to stay with me for the rest of my life, is that sweet and luring reek. The use of assonance among, seeping, deepest, weeping portrays to us the lingering painful memories. The memory off the past is finished of negatively with the repetition of reek. The hard k sound at the end makes it sound harsh. Childhood plays another key feature in the novel seen in the opening chapter where Frayn uses another oxymoron to present the contradiction of a, Far-off nearby land. One interpretation of this is that the narrator is physically distant from his home but nevertheless, it is nearby in his memories again this reflects the narrators confusion and agitation concerning the smell, as it reminds him of his childhood. You cant go back, everyone knows that So Im never going then Im getting old. Frayn gradually reveals information concerning the narrators persona; here we can establish that the narrator is an old man who should have a better understanding of his past then appears to be the case. The use of ellipses: everyone knows that portrays that the narrator is hesitant about what he is going to do. Childish hesitation, in contrast, is to be expected as part of the process of growing up, Keith? I query, trying not to sound as frightened as I am. What are you doing? Where are you? I climb reluctantly back through the hole in the fence. Reluctantly shows that Stephen is unwilling and not keen to climb back through the fence. This proves his hesitation and dependency on Keith and the fact that he doesnt want to pursue anything without him because he doesnt have the confidence to do so. The fact that the old man narrator seems to be equally hesitant creates suspense as the reader wonders what terrible events must have occurred in his childhood. Then the laughters gone I dont know what to do or what to say. Here again we witness the dilemma faced by the narrator as a child and his inability to deal with the complications set before him. By introducing the key feature of childhood in the opening chapter, we are able to witness how Stephen grows up as portrayed in Chapter Eight: Do I feel alright? I have a sense of freedom, as if Im no longer bound by the rules and restrictions of childhood. This shows Stephen growing up and slowly moving away from depending on Keith. As part of growing up, comes the awakening sense of romance and sexuality: Its name breathes itself through the perfumed air as slowly and softly as a sigh: L a m o r n a The use of personification within this quotation of Chapter Eight helps portray the idea that L a m o r n a is alive by giving it a long vowel sound as though it is breathing; a type of human quality. This ultimately shows Stephens increased awareness of his senses which suggests his sexuality and him growing up. Identity in Spies is another key feature and ties in significantly with childhood. Firstly the identification of the smell is vitally significant. The fact that the narrators daughter identifies it as Liguster, which is the German name for the shrub, reveals more about the narrators identity: Liguster No. And yet, as another wave of that shameless summons drifts over us, everything inside me stirs and sifts. The personification within this quotation illustrates a persistent sense demanding Stephens attention. Liguster The use of ellipsis shows the control that the smell has over him; it stays with him and has settled on his conscience, Liguster And yet its whispering to me of some thing secret, of some dark and unsettling thing at the back of my mind, of something I dont quite like to think about This portrays the smell as devious. Liguster is a catalyst within Stephens memories; it is the Liguster that makes him remember his childhood. The words dark and unsettling, are both very negative. They suggest the unknown and ooze a lack of understanding where Frayn is deliberately trying to block out this secret. Furthermore it leaves readers to question why Liguster is dark and unsettling. We wonder what awful event or events must have occurred. In addition, the quotation: whispering to me is personification which reminds us of something surreptitious that is devious and cunning and suddenly creeps up on him. This can be linked to the key theme of perception, which is the difference between appearance and reality allowing insight on a matter. There was a German spy in the Close that summer. It wasnt his mother it was me. This quotation creates irony as throughout Spies, Stephen related German people to germs, as in Chapter Ten: Hes an old tramp, filthy and bearded. And hes a German! His Germanness lingers in the air This reinforces his childhood and the immaturity attached to it; whereas the quotation within Chapter Eleven reveals the real identity of the old man narrator: this old man is Stefan Weitzler.

Social Issue: Sex Work

Social Issue: Sex Work Sex work is a complex social issue that has historical and current underpinnings. It is perceived and performed differently with regards to different periods that construct it. Various perspectives that pertain to violence used, social perceptions, different ways sex is understood while different factors that shape it are examined. Current and future literature and research consider the way sex work is socially constructed and used as commodity. It is such perceptions that shape the way prostitution is performed and the way it influences society. Through methods employed involving research on literature pertaining to sex work further research has been conducted that unveils pertinent factors that shape sex work and its industry. Perceptions on sex as work in literature Literature on sex work pertains mostly to the nature and consequences that is stimulated by political agenda. It has been influenced to a high degree by feminist perceptions that view sex work as a form of male domination. It is not only exhibition of violence but violence itself. There is no forced or voluntary prostitution that is always coerced in certain way even if there is lack of awareness. The motivation behind prostitution has been explained as the expression of hatred towards female body although empirical studies fail to confirm this. Various publications view prostitution as oppression, violence, impinging human rights (Weitzer p. 212, 2005). Even though violence towards women is found to be less likely committed by customers feminist writing rejects terms that describe sex work as prostitution as politically motivated to enforce lack of choice that is exerted. Rather than prostitutes workers should be called survivors. Some women claim certain economic control they can exert through sex work. The oppressive values of society are part of cultural and legal production as part of marginalization and degradation that leads to its oppressive characteristics (Weitzer, p. 213, 2005). According Weitzer, it is the way prostitution is viewed in legal terms as not entirely legitimate that allows for marginalization and social discrimination. With reduced police protection, oppressive values can be maintained and culturally approved (Weitzer, p. 214, 2005). Research is needed in terms of dynamics of recruitment, socialization, surveillance, exploitation, coercion, and trafficking. Such research would shed light on power relations, types of workers who experience more domination than those who experience less domination (Weitzer, 2005). Perspectives on coercion Violent behaviour is exhibited physically, sexually, through intimidation, psychologically, intensly, infrequently, impulsively, sustainability, planning, rituals, verbally, cognitively, emotionally, linguistically, visually and through representation. Its purpose is to control the victim cognitively, verbally, and their interaction. The consequences can be life long. Its effects are apparent in anger, world-views, future endeavours, self-worth, the ability to deal with success and failure, to grow and develop growth. Violence may have effects that last throughout the entire life while they can also be reproduced when dealing with others. Most frequent perpetrators of violent behaviour are men but women may also exhibit violence under pressure. Males develop attitudes toward violence to exhibit their masculinity in sport, society, and military. Also Western organizations remain predominantly managed by men. Violence can also involve the denial of promise, cancellation of a project, theft, or destruction of something of value (Brewis Linstead p. 22, 2000). Organizational pressure that enforces certain behaviour organized around certain organizing principle so that sentiment, passion, and unpredictability are banished (Brewis Linstead p. 23, 2000). According to Marx and Weber organizations are constructed in such a way as to impose domination, where violence is adopted through authority and command. Sex work definition Prostitution unveils human desire while it can also be part of exploitation of victims. Some views propose feminist views opposing prostitution while others emphasize the importance to improve conditions that influence prostitution including patriarchal masculinity. Moral ethical positions incorporate views that stem from sex education and AIDS prevention programs. Some views reflect complexity of sex work, where those engaged in it may be ethical and moral while breaking social norms. Prostitutes as a diverse group are perceived differently in modernity and differently in post-modernity, where uncertainty, changing culture, lack of predictability leads to the fragmentation of desire as part of counter force to capitalist coercion towards uniformity and control (Brewis Linstead p. 190, 2000). To understand sex work relates to the way sexuality is understood along with masculinity and femininity. According to Foucalt, the Ancient Greeks regarded healthy existence as dependent on the way humans engaged in sex. Through self-mastery, such as that of senses mastery of others could be achieved (Brewis Linstead p. 190, 2000). Sexuality only became important around the eighteenth century. For the Ancients it was the diet that was the main focus of maintaining healthy human existence. The Western culture transformed the way we viewed our bodies, individuality and history. Sexuality changed through different conceptualization and forms in different periods and cultures (Brewis Linstead p. 191, 2000). The male sexual drive has been considered to have been formed through the perception of the male sexual drive as need and drive as part of biology, patriarchal expression of family, where male fidelity is not that important, and where sex is viewed in a permissive way that can incorporate two men and two women (Brewis Linstead p. 191, 2000). Since the late eighteenth century visiting prostitutes was permitted as part of male behaviour. Finding desire and love in different than married relationships was pathological according to Freud who thought that married men engaged in sex with prostitutes as it allowed them to respect their wives better as perverse tendencies were expressed in other contacts (Brewis Linstead p. 192, 2000). Women engaging in prostitution were seen as fallen while also being demonized. Post-modern view of sexuality encompasses the meaning of transaction rather than romance in sexuality while permissive space is established. It is also more than the exercise of p ower, where both parties play equal role. Prostitution reflects transactional nature as part of social consumption, where emotional and moral constraints are rejected. In this way prostitution is part of commodification of relations (Brewis Linstead p. 195, 2000). Current research There are various considerations involving sex work, such as criminal, moral, and legal aspects, including health risks. Other aspects also involve diversity, social determinants, stigma, and social exclusion on life chances. Critical issues that also concern government interest moves from social inclusion and harm reduction aspects. There is need to reduce harm, such as violence against those working in sex industry. The research deals with them more as one dimensional rather than people with lives of various dimensions. There are different regions, different sectors, and different sellers and buyers and various aspects of sex as work or exploitation (Benoit Shaver, 2006). Prostitutes that work on streets have been found to suffer greater exposure than those that work in massage parlours due to drug use. They suffer greater health problems, vein thrombosis, chest infections, hepatitis B and C, anxiety, and depression. Sex workers in sex parlours suffered only half as much as those that worked on streets and had different health needs (Anonymous, 2007). Media has been found to contribute to the construction, reproduction, and social stigmas associated with sex industry. Historical and spatial variability along with examination of roots is important in understanding the way stigmas are socially constructed. Stigmas reproduced in media narratives, where it concentrates on the way individuality is lost (Benoit Shaver, 2006). The complexity of issues involving sex work pertains to the diversity of people that are part of the industry, where different ways of participation and diverse relationships are formed. Various perspectives incorporate prostitution and its exploitative aspect in terms of work, slavery, and freedom. Previous research may have included certain flaws in the way it was conducted through standardization. Social-legal environments may encourage sex work access to resources (Benoit Shaver, 2006). A research in Netherlands showed the level of burnout reached three dimensions involving emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal competence. The reasons given included lack of choice, negative social interactions including violence, and lack of control in interaction with clients. Depersonalization was used to handle interactions with clients and was part of handling negative experiences. High level of emotional stress led to depression, anxiety, and hostility. Depersonalisation is common among sex workers who have to act in a way that is false, transforming feelings, and using personality as an instrument. Indifference and distancing help with handling difficult situations. Depersonalisation is used as part of emotion work (Vanwesenbeeck, 2004). Literature on sex work indicates that victimization and negative social interactions are part of stigma that involves burnout factors. Role-conflict, lack of social support, excess workload, lack of control, insufficient rewards as part of the burnout literature are most important. Literature also claims that there are higher levels of burnout in addition to age factors, duration of sex work, use of drugs, as well as the site of work, nature of interaction and the type of clientele influence also the levels of burnout. Sex workers that engage in window work deal with less affluent clientele but face more risks. Other symptoms involved lack of appetite, sleeplessness, tiredness, palpitations, dizziness, and headaches (Vanwesenbeeck, 2004). In the last year frequent bullying and pestering were experienced. Motives were negative for half of the studied group, and positive only for a quarter. Female indoor sex workers showed similar level of work-related emotional exhaustion to female health care workers, such as nurses. There were higher scores on depersonalization or cynicism than that of nurses and similar to those of patients. They showed a clinical level of cynicism, and the younger women suffered higher depersonalization and less personal competence. The main factors were lack of job autonomy, social support, role conflict, and negative social reactions (Vanwesenbeeck, 2004). Men who purchased sexual services displayed certain sex-buying behaviour. A significantly low proportion of buyers were responsible for violence towards sex workers. They rarely robbed, raped, and murdered sex workers although the research may have also been empirically inadequate (Benoit Shaver, 2006). Strip clubs induced income generating activities through a certain type of atmosphere created. The most attractive part of the job was claimed to be economic benefits. The evidence also showed that it was careful decision rather than coercion that led them to pursue their career choices. Attempts to organize were mostly unsuccessful while competition led to the deterioration of working conditions. Hence through sex wars in Canada, confusion led to distorted judgments although certain concerns were identified (Benoit Shaver, 2006). Coercion in sex industry Prostitution as part of psychological repression is difficult to ascertain as it can stem from ideology or individual features. Desire and need for certain type of experience can stimulate the demand for such an experience (Brewis Linstead p. 196, 2000). Even though prostitution reflects certain imbalance, it is unlikely to disappear along with the disappearance of such imbalance. Freud implicated desire as the desire for the desire of another person rather than the desire of such person only. Such perspective incorporates a symbolic aspect rather than the expression of domination. According to Lyotard, there are two forms of desire, where its central aspect is wish and when it is based on lack and represents coercion. In a similar way to Freud, Lyotard also perceived desire as the outcome of energy that is part of psychic means leading to the expression of energy flow. Along with Deleuze he conceives of postmodern desire as part of sensation rather than signification (Brewis Linstead p. 199, 2000). For Lyotard, through the fragmentation of desire the experience can be intensified along with authorization of existence (Brewis Linstead, p. 203). As emotions become part of pleasure leading to imaginative hedonism expressed through modern consumption. For Baudrillard, modern consumerist society adopted hedonistic morality based on pleasure in place of previous puritan morality (Brewis Linstead p. 208, 2000). Drug use is a way of coping with sex work. Under the influence of drugs, workers can alter their conception of their own self, adopting also a different identity. Hard drugs can also numb the awareness of the act. Through the use of drugs the work itself can be handled better along with better management of safer sex negotiation (Brewis Linstead p. 212, 2000). Another manner of coping involves psychological barrier. For a prostitute, work involves selling herself rather than just the product. Selling skills involves also certain right to the person of the worker during employment in a similar way to gaining control of the body when having sex. Prostitution incorporates the person and the body as opposed to profits that result from certain activities executed by employees although prostitutes receive money for the use of their body in a more real way (Brewis Linstead p. 227, 2000). Some prostitutes experience victimization through the lack of control over their bodies and what is being done to them. They feel anger due to their powerlessness that often can be result of coercion through those who are close to them, such as their boyfriends who are pimps. Threats that drive women on the streets encourage fear, forcing them to follow what they are told (Brewis Linstead p. 228, 2000). According to Vanwesenbeeck (2001), the reasons behind engaging in sex work stemmed from early victimization as part of the literature in the 20th century, where a high number of prostitutes were victims of abuse. Childhood abuse and prostitution were part of coping behaviour as part of stress work while others indicated that stagmatization along with various factors that involve institutionalization, association with pimps, drug abuse, and low employment possibilities led to engaging in prostitution. Childhood sexual abuse and prostitution were also linked through the above factors. Sexual victimization has been connected with prostitution in the Western world. Physical and sexual abuse, difficult family upbringing, and sexual precocity encouraged engaging in sex work. Lack of family attachment in females led to the association with older and a larger number of partners. Also running away would lead to prostitution. Such backgrounds would facilitate engaging in sex work. Sexual victimization during childhood was a higher determinant behind getting into prostitution than running away that was higher even than drug use. In non-Western countries it is economic situation that forces engaging in sex work rather than abuse. In some Taiwanese families the sense of obligation forced certain women to engage in prostitution or debt repayments, lifestyle satisfaction, while fraud or force constituted only a small proportion. There has also been migration as part of prostitution although due to lack of documented research it is difficult to estimate the actual number of those that engage in prostitution in this way (Vanwesenbeeck, 2001). Economic necessity along with sex work illegality enables traffickers to exploit the situation although there is insufficient data that can provide insights on patterns and exact numbers. Research concerning victimization data on the part of prostitutes indicates that sex work is traumatizing (Vanwesenbeeck, 2001). Motivating factors Literature pertaining to motives behind seeking sexual activities differ at different time periods. Before 1990, sexual activity was desired because of its variety and freedom to experiment while certain features, such as lack of emotional involvement seemed attractive. There have been less shame, pregnancy fear, more mystery, excitement while also being part of ego-boosting made it attractive. There have also been certain activities involved in such pursuit, such as business trips, army service, wifes pregnancy, or even seeking companionship. The participation of men in prostitution as clients has been viewed more favourably than that of women who have been perceived in a more degrading way than men retaining some of their identity. Although a relatively low proportion of men visiting prostitutes has been noted in Netherlands, the UK, and New Zealand, they tended to represent a diverse group. Literature indicates that in Thailand it is the influence of other men that leads them to buying behaviour, along with the desire for certain sexual acts, and the limited nature of contact. Among German men one distinguishing feature was a higher aggressive behaviour tendency, lower reactive behaviour while being dissatisfied with their lives (Vanwesenbeeck, 2001). Zimbabwean men tended to exhibit lower achievement, be more impulsive, seeking pleasure, exhibitionism and defensiveness. In Australia clients were less socially effective and sensation seeking while for Dutch men sexual sensation was most desirable among those seeking transsexual and transvestite sex. In New Zealand, relaxation, reluctance to engage in game playing and obligations were behind engaging in commercial sex (Vanwesenbeeck, 2001). Sex work perceptions Only a small number of American population perceived prostitution as legal. They included mostly Catholics, men, and Whites. Western feminists attach stigma to sex workers while receiving a paradoxical view due to its different attitude as work. Prostitution is considered to represent certain power exerted by men over women. Prostitution in this way can be part of double standards. Male prostitution received less interests as based on power relations to a lesser extent. In Thailand, sex workers are viewed with acceptance (Vanwesenbeeck, 2001). When prostitution is voluntary it is treated with particular criticism as forced prostitution encourages certain exonerating. When occurring without force its ill effects can be justified. It is more common that policies that are part of prostitution are more restrictive to the point of infringing on the rights of sex workers (Vanwesenbeeck, 2001). In Netherlands prostitution has been legalized and licensed although leading to the exclusion of migrant workers as legal advantages failed to be realized. Its only advantages seem only to be part of institutional arrangements, such as tax office, immigration, and police. In other countries, such as Germany, where prostitution is legal, it results in low insurance protection in terms of social security or health insurance. Legal status thus fails to guarantee that sex workers rights are protected (Vanwesenbeeck, 2001). One of the main factors that inhibits assuring adequate conditions in sex work is their ignorance on the part of the state. As part of structural economic inequalities, improvements in the way sex work is treated are limited. Such improvements as part of social stigma attached are impeded. Through the illegal status and social stigma sex workers are forced to endure the treatment they receive. It is through gender discrimination hence that adequate policies cannot be e ffected (Vanwesenbeeck, 2001). While Lyotard views sex work as an inner expression of certain unfulfilled desires that are manipulated by society itself, Vanwesenbeeck perceives is legal status and socially constructed behaviours responsible for the way prostitution is effected. The lack of acceptance of sex and race that are viewed negatively leads to the lack of acceptance also in the public life. According to Morgan, cited by Sojourner, it is the lack of acceptance of desires and their perception as troublesome that allows for the ability to be controlled. In this way society can impose certain wants and desires, where society accepts certain desires as its own even though they are exerted externally (Sojourner, 1988). Future research According to Weitzer, inadequate findings so far result from the concentration of research on street sex workers where different factors are involved as part of such work. Less research has been conducted in relation to indoor prostitution, male and female clients, transgender workers, and managers. Addressing such perspective can lead to a better view on work experience, power relations involved, gender inequality as part of different types of prostitution. It would also provide a more balanced view than the radical feminist view that is one-dimensional (Weitzer, p. 230). Management of prostitution exercised those who control workers while deriving profit from them. Although pimps most frequently promote prostitution and have almost complete control of their workers their protection is often viewed as inadequate while they themselves engage in rape and assaults. A small minority of sex workers admitted that their pimps offered them protection while engaging most frequently with fighting other pimps and competition. Different practices employed different pimps, in the same way that different establishments treat differently their sex workers (Weitzer, p. 228). Sex at work poses problems pertaining to sexual harassment or gender discrimination. There can be various manners and means employed that can deal with these issues, such as admitting any affairs taking place at work, where consensual agreements are reached and pertinent rules can be specified (Brewis Linstead, 2000). Conclusion There are various factors responsible for the way sex work influences society. Apart from motivating factors that drive participation, different means of coercion transform the way sex work is conducted. Viewed previously as the expression of prohibited desire, prostitution evolved into commodification of such desires. Socially constructed perceptions of sex work at the same time stimulate its participation. Although the radical feminist view perceives sex work as the expression of male domination, there are also other pertinent issues that are part of complex issues as well as relationship, including power relations involved. Sex coercion as part of human trafficking is another outcome of the social dilemma that involves sex work, constituting a serious although insufficiently documented issue. REFERENCES: ANONYMOUS, 2007. Street sex work takes its toll. New Scientist, vol. 194, iss. 2608 BENOIT, C. SHAVER, F., M., 2006. Critical issues and new directions in sex work research. The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology. Vol. 43, iss. 3. BREWIS, J. LINSTEAD, S., 2000. Sex, work and sex work: eroticizing organization. London: Routledge. SOJOURNER, S., 1988. Sex work: prostitution. Off Our Backs, vol., 18, iss. 5. VANWESENBEECK, I., 2001. Another decade of social scientific work on sex work: a review of research 1990-2000. Annual Review of Sex Research, vol., 12 p. 242. VANVESENBEECK, I., 2004. Burnout among female indoor sex workers. Archives of Sexual Behavior, vol. 34, no 6. WEITZER, R., 2005. New directions in research on prostitution. Crime, Law Social Change, vol. 43, p. 211-235 Available through Springer database.

Raising the Friving Age to 18 :: essays research papers

McDonald’s Gone Country   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McDonald’s, the most successful and well-known fast food chain in the world. One of which is located in Coshocton, Ohio. Most McDonalds’ consist of three main colors blue, yellow, and red. McDonald’s has different themes among their many restaurants. However, the main goal is to stick with the main colors throughout the restaurant. In the Coshocton restaurant there is a country style theme. The inside, outside, menus, and even the workers uniforms relate to each other; they all consist of the main colors dealing with the theme.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The interior of the McDonald’s has the theme of a country style home. The walls consist of wood panels with a wood strip half way up the wall. The wood strip runs horizontally throughout the restaurant. McDonalds wants to make you as comfortable as possible to ensure the comfort of eating at home. Wallpaper covers from ceiling to the wood strip. The wallpaper is of a gold color with a diamond pattern. The amount of wood used in Coshocton’s McDonald’s gives it the very country, homey feel. The country theme reflects our community in the way of our environment. Coshocton County is a very country setting. There is a lot of farming, country style homes, and historical sites. When customers eat at McDonalds they feel very comfortable taking their families there for a sit down meal with a home setting. McDonalds makes the effort to blend in with the community because by doing so their residents will feel at home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The uniforms at McDonalds consist of a pair of pants, hat, black shoes, name tag, and a polo shirt. Managers at McDonald’s wear a light blue dress shirt, a tie of their choice, a pair of blue dress pants, a black hat with McDonald’s golden arches emblem on the front, and all employees are required to wear all black shoes. The crew trainers wear a red polo shirt with a yellow pinstripe that runs vertically down the right side, black pants, black hat, their name tag, and their black shoes. The regular crew members wear blue polo shirts with one yellow pinstripe down the right side of the shirt. It is a must that the crew members wear the black pants, name tag, and their hat. The significance of the uniforms is that they all have the three main colors, and these colors are used to distinguish the rank of the employees.

Sports Injury :: essays research papers

Alcohol use and behaviors in women long-distance race participants reporting a history of bulimia and/ or anorexia nervosa   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  women long-distance racers were more likely to report a past history of an eating disorder than the control population and that reported in the general population. We cannot say that running was responsible for the development of the eating disorder. It may be that running can prevent or control eating disorders. High achieving, disciplined, organized women with a history of an eating disorder may be attracted to long-distance running. The method of defining a case was based simply on the respondent replying affirmatively to the questions â€Å"Do you have a history or bulimia/† and/or â€Å"Do you have a history of anorexia nervosa?† This method of case definition is based on a history of such a disorder and does not necessarily reflect an active problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Researchers found that women reporting a past history of bulimia and a history of problem alcohol behavior as noted by other investigators and were more likely to report a biologic family member with a history of problem drinking. Even with their history of problem alcohol behavior, the runners reporting a history of bulimia did not differ from other runners or the control population in their drinking patterns in a recent two-week period. Total amount of alcohol consumed, occasions of drinking and occasions of binge drinking were not significantly different among any of the women. Researchers were unable to ascertain if running helped control alcohol consumption in a person prone to problem alcohol consumption in a person prone to problem alcohol behavior or if the decreased alcohol consumption predated the onset of running.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those women reporting a past history of a mixed type of eating disorder, perhaps reflecting severity, ran more days of the week and more miles per week than other runners. These women also had the lowest weight and desired weight of any group. The drive for thinness is a hallmark of anorexia but anorexics with bulimia generally are more prone to use vomiting and/or laxatives for weight control than intense exercise or severe food restriction. This subtype of anorexia is also more likely to be prone of problems with alcohol. This was not true for the women in this study.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A limitation of the study is the small numbers in the eating disorder groups. With a larger series of cases, the small differences in alcohol consumption could be significant.

International Laws Essay -- International Law

First coined by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham, international law is customarily recognized as the law that regulates the affairs between sovereign states, the foremost issue of international law. Public international law only concerns itself with the issues of rights involving a number of nations, or nations and its people, or matters of other nations. It differs from private international law, which deals with dissimilarity between private individuals, natural and/or juridical, by developing from circumstances that have a noteworthy relationship to more than one nation. (Brownlee, 2008) International law contains the necessary and typical notions of law in the national legal systems – â€Å"status, property, obligation, and tort.† (Hall, 2010) According to Ian Brownlee, this also incorporates substantive law, procedure, process and remedies. (2008) International law is deep-seated with the agreement of the nation states which represents the system. There are six major essential sections of international law: international economic law, international criminal law, international environmental law, international security law, international humanitarian law (or law of war), diplomatic law and international human rights law. (Hall, 2010) However, conventional and customary laws are the primary sources of international law. Customary law and laws that are set by an international understanding have an equivalent authority just as international law. (Schmidt, 2008) Political parties may allocate a higher precedence to another source by way of agreeance. Conversely, various rules of international law are acknowledged by the international population as â€Å"authoritative, allowing no exemption from the rule.† (Brownlee, 2008) Such rules... ... multilateral agreements that govern the interactions of nations and international businesses and the nongovernmental organizations worldwide. Without such laws and organizations, many societies would end up with extremely corrupt governments and the risk of being in a continuous war with other nations would be highly probable. Works Cited Brownlee, I. (2008). Principles of public international law. Birsfelden: Oxford University Press. Hall, K. (2010). Jus gentium- law of nations. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Law, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Retrieved from http://www.law.harvard.edu/index.html Schmidt, S. (2008). What are the causes of international conflicts?. Mason: Cengage Learning Publications Un public administration programme. (2010). Retrieved from http://unpan.org/DPADM/Home/tabid/420/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Breaking the Rules, Wrong or Right

Ismayrani Olmos October 20, 2015 English 2. Peeples. 1st period Breaking the Rules, Wrong or Right? Is it ever okay to break the rules to get what you want? Well it is never okay to break the rules to get what you want. Do you know what that is called? Greed, acquisitive, avaricious, self-seeking. You become so caught up in winning or getting what you want that to satisfy your desires that you disobey the rules. Regulations that have been set so that things run smoothly or fairly for that matter. The unimaginable depravity it requires to commit such a wicked perverse act is unbelievable.It is wrong, unfair, and disrespectful to the other person who of which you are cheating. Take this for example, lying on your food stamps application. You are cheating the government and actually stealing. There are people, families that apply for food stamps and are truly in need of them and they are rejected. And if you really sit down and think about it you are taking away that opportunity from th ose who are really do need that extra help, but don’t get to receive it all because you don’t want to have to pay with your money.Money that comes from your pocket. Money that you do have. Instead you are taking advantage of the governments money. That is to loathe, it is unfair to the other people who are rejected but need it. Another example to take into consideration is not paying your taxes. When you do not pay your taxes to the IRS, for starters it's wrong and at the end you come out loosing because they will find you and you will pay all that you have been holding back on. There are people who do pay their part.What makes you think that you are anymore special to feel you have the liberty to no pay just because you don't feel like it. Nobody in their right mind has the authority to say they won't pay taxes. If the case is that you just want to save a little more money well then cut back on extra things that you really don't need to be buying or start couponing. Y ou can even go looking for sales. There is nothing wrong with saving money but there is a lot of wrong doing when you decide you are not going to pay the IRS.Paying your do's is a must. There are thousands and thousands of people who work extremely hard for what they want, whether if it's a position at the office, a higher title in a business, or even a spot on the team. What ever it may be, and then for some stranger to come along one day and cheat his or her way in without doing any sort of backbreaking work to have received what you so desperately put all your blood and sweat in.To want something just doesn't cut it. You have to work even fight if it's necessary to get what you want. When and while you do it the right way, meaning you don't play dirty, throwing people under the bust. Then when that day comes you will be recognized as worthy of what you are receiving and not seen as an egoistic person. So next time you see something that yo want are you going to think twice about how you are going to obtain it.

The Hummer Campaign: An Overview

OVERVIEW When General Motors Corporation (GM) acquired the commercial marketing rights to the Hummer truck, the civilian version of the U. S. Army’s Humvee, it faced the challenge of promoting a vehicle that was never intended to be sold in high numbers. Part of the solution was to design smaller, less-expensive versions, the H2 and H3, but much of the success would have to depend on the marketing. Rather than turning to a roster of ad agencies it usually worked with, GM hired a young Boston creative boutique, Modernista! , in 2000. The initial goal of the $35 million campaign, begun in August 2001, was to establish Hummer as a luxury brand. Thus, images ofmud-splatteredHummers that played up the vehicle’s off-road capabilities were scrapped in favor of shots that made it seem jewel-like. Once the brand was repositioned, the marketers’ goal was to pitch the lower-priced H2 and H3 to a wider market, hopefully to more women. Factors such as rising gas prices and the perception that the Hummer was oversized for most consumers proved to be major hurdles for the marketers. However, by the end of 2003 the campaign had succeeded in redefining the Hummer brand, and with the introduction of the H3 in 2005, the marketers took on a new challenge: selling the Hummer to a mass market. HISTORICAL CONTEXT The Humvee was designed for the U. S. Army in 1979 by AM General Corp. , based in South Bend, Indiana. The 3. 5-ton vehicle became a star of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, spurring consumer demand for a civilian version, which was introduced in 1992 as the Hummer. It catered to an exclusive market, as demonstrated by the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the first buyers. The vehicle never received much advertising support; AM General spent less than $1 million on marketing the Hummer in 1999, when it sold about 700 of the trucks. Nevertheless, AM General did enough business to attract the attention of General Motors, and in the end bought the Hummer brand in late 1999. GM signed a seven-year contract with AM General to produce the next generation, GM-designed version, the Hummer H2 sport-utility vehicle (SUV). The agency Modernista! was hired to promote the brand. Prior marketing efforts had played up the military connection and the Hummer’s off-road capabilities, billing the vehicle as ‘‘the world’s most serious 4Ãâ€"4. ’’ Modernista! won the account because it was the only agency that attempted to fashion a wider appeal by going beyond the tough-guy, army-truck image. The principals involved in the campaign did not lack experience in selling cars. Modernista! ’s cofounder, Lance Jensen, had worked with Hummer’s advertising director, Liz Vanzura, when she was at Volkswagen of America and he was with the Boston-based ad agency Arnold Communications. Both played key roles in developing Volkswagen’s award-winning ‘‘Drivers Wanted’’ campaign. Vanzura commented that, while the Volkswagen ads were aimed at ‘‘cool, young people,’’ her new mission was to sell Hummers to ‘‘cool, rich people. ’’ TARGET MARKET Even before hiring Modernista! , GM had done a great deal of market research. According to Ted Evanoff, writing for the Indianapolis Star, ‘‘In 1999 researchers stumbled across the notion that an unlikely cross-section of America—surgeons, dot-com millionaires, rock stars, high school students, corporate execs—prized their individuality. And they regarded the rugged Hummer as a symbol of individuality, especially compared with the typical sport-utility common in suburbia. ’’ Modernista! was given 2,200 pages of market data to distill into an advertising message. The agency was also handed a brand that skewed very much toward males, averaging 50 years in age and with an annual household income of more than $200,000. The target buyer for the less-expensive H2, while still male, was 42 years old on average and had a household income above $125,000. Vanzura told Chris Reidy of the Boston Globe that the coveted audience included ‘‘rugged individualists, adventurous entrepreneurs, and adrenaline junkies. ’’ In other interviews she described the target market as ‘‘successful achievers’’ and ‘‘style leaders. ’’ She also told Evanoff that Hummer had to vie with other purchases the well-to-do might consider, such as yachts or vacation houses, stating, ‘‘We’re really not competing in an automotive category. ’ COMPETITION The yacht, vacation house, and other status symbols notwithstanding, Hummer competed in the luxury-SUV category against other SUVs, including the Lincoln Navigator, Land Rover’s Range Rover, and the Lexus LX 470. But Hummer’s chief opponent was DaimlerChrysler’s Jee p Wrangler. Boasting similar military roots but extending back to World War II, Jeep had defined the SUV category and at its height in 1993 controlled nearly 30 percent of the traditional SUV market. Over the following several years, however, the brand failed had to introduce new models, and its lessexpensive ones faced increasingly stiff competition, resulting in a severe erosion of sales. As long as Hummer was not a direct competitor, DaimlerChrysler took little notice of it, but as soon as GM acquired the right to mass-market the Hummer, DaimlerChrysler recognized the threat at the high end of the SUV category and became determined to hold on to Jeep’s reputation as the premier heavy-duty, off-road brand. The two vehicles had slightly different target markets, however. Jeep appealed to consumers who loved the outdoors and might attend one of the dozens of Jeep Jamboree off-road events held throughout the year. Typical Hummer customers, on the other hand, wanted the off-road capabilities the vehicle had to offer but were more interested in the image it created. They were as likely to drive their Hummers to an upscale mall as up a mountain. MARKETING STRATEGY In preparation for marketing the lower-priced H2, Modernista! instituted a bridge campaign, paid for by AM General, to sell the H1 while repositioning the brand. As Will Uronis, an associate creative director at Modernista! , explained to the Boston Herald ’s Greg Gatlin, ‘‘Hollywood had defined what Hummers stood for—war, explosions and arrogance . . . We just took a look at another facet of the truck. ’’ Jensen added, ‘‘We went out and talked to guys that drove them . . . they don’t all hunt and kill things. ’’ Nevertheless, Hollywood movies had done a good job of making consumers aware of the Hummer. Market research conducted in 1999 indicated that as many as one in five buyers of full-size SUVs considered purchasing the Hummer. The bridge campaign was intended to play to the ‘‘rugged individualists’’ who, research revealed, were attracted to the Hummer and to set the stage for the launch of theH2 by creating an emotional attachment to the brand that transcended the hard-edged image fostered by Hollywood. According to Evanoff, writing in the Indianapolis Star, the promotion of the H1 was intended to create a ‘‘halo’’ over the brand, providing ‘‘the foundation for a brand image that will carry the smaller H2. ’’ The first national ads for the GM-owned Hummer began appearing on August 13, 2001. It was an all-print campaign that featured photographs of the vehicle in lush locales in Chile. Not only did the pictures suggest where the H1, with its off-road prowess, could take the viewer, but they also made the big truck look small. It was the first time Hummer was not portrayed covered in mud or linked to the military. Reinforcing the visual message of the ad was the text, which included the headline ‘‘How did my soul get way out here? ’’ and the concluding text ‘‘Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere. And sometimes in the middle of nowhere you find yourself. The legendary H1. ’’ Hummer’s longtime tagline, ‘‘World’s most serious 4Ãâ€"4,’’ was replaced by ‘‘Like nothing else. ’’ The four ads ran through the rest of 2001, appearing in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Esquire, Spin, Wired, and Red Herring. Hummer’s 50 dealers were also encouraged to use the ads created by Modernista! to bring continuity to the brand’s makeover, with some of their media costs being reimbursed by a cooperative advertising program. The H2, based on GM’s Chevrolet Tahoe full-size SUV, was introduced in July 2002. A second model featuring a small pickup bed and a cargo door was supposed to be offered at the same time, but the launch was pushed back, partly because the vehicle needed more work but also as a way to extend the marketing buzz the brand was creating. The new H2, with a base price of $48,000, was about half the price of the H1 and, despite being called the ‘‘baby Hummer,’’ essentially the same size. But it featured a smaller, less noisy gas engine rather than a cumbersome diesel one, and it had comforts and customizable options the H1 lacked but that were expected in a luxury SUV. The introduction of the H2 was supported by another print campaign developed by Modernista! While the ‘‘Like nothing else’’ tagline of the previous ads was retained, the look of the new ads was markedly different, relying on dramatic close-ups set against bold, sky-blue backgrounds. Like the first ads, the new ones ran in a wide range of magazines, with the text tailored to the publication. For example, in the Robb Report, which covered all things luxurious, the text read, ‘‘Excessive. In a Rome at the height of its power sort of way. ’’ The Vanity Fair text read, ‘‘Threaten the men in your office in a whole new way,’’ part of an effort to increase the number of women buying the vehicles. Another ad proclaimed, ‘‘Perfect for rugby moms. ’’ About 10 percent of H1 owners were women, and one goal of the H2 campaign was to increase that number to 25 percent. Outdoor ads were also produced, running in 14 major markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit. Print and outdoor ads were made available for the use of dealers. The first Hummer television ads aired in mid-August 2002. The initial three 30-second spots, intended to romanticize the truck, were shot in Iceland and in Vancouver, British Columbia, and featured both natural and urban locations. They showed friends in a Hummer speeding over the tundra of Iceland or a professional woman weaving through traffic in a city. Set to rock music, the only words in the spots were text statements such as ‘‘Maybe if you can, you will. ’ A second phase of the television campaign played on people’s perception of the Hummer as a gas-guzzling road hog. In one spot a young boy constructed a small wooden version of the Hummer to enter in a soapbox derby, while The Who’s ‘‘Happy Jack’’ played in the background and the little girl next door looked on. At the start of the big race the other boys scoffed at little Jack and his less-than-streamli ned racer, but he prevailed by abandoning the asphalt course, breaking the rules to go cross-country and win the race and the girl. Through the humor of the spot Jack was portrayed not as a blatant cheater but as a heroic iconoclast, offering subliminal reassurance to potential Hummer customers who might feel guilty about buying a vehicle that got about 13 miles to a gallon of gas on the highway. A second Hummer spot, also displaying a tough side, hearkened back to the Asteroids video game of the 1980s, with a spaceship blasting boulders only to confront an indestructible Hummer, which chased the ship off the screen. OUTCOME GM and Modernista! ucceeded in introducing Hummer to a wider market, but after a strong showing in 2003, sales began to tail off, partly because of high gas prices. To regain lost ground, in 2004 GM introduced the H2 SUT (sport-utility truck). This was followed by the unveiling in 2005 of the H3, a midsize Hummer priced from $29,500 to $32,000. Almost 17 inches shorter, 1,700 pounds lighter, and more fuel-efficient at 20 miles per gallon, it was a vehicle GM hoped women and younger drivers wo uld find more appealing. In pitching the vehicle to a mass market, Hummer and Modernista! aced a new task. Putting a positive spin on the challenge, Jensen told Jeremy W. Peters of the New York Times, ‘‘The brand has a lot of different personality levels . . . You can do the serious capability stuff, the real rough-and-tumble rock climbing stuff, the peaceful back-to-nature stuff. ’’ Industry analyst Mary Ann Keller disagreed, telling the New York Times that it was impossible to sell Hummer to the masses: ‘‘How in the world can you possibly fathom that something that looks like a military vehicle is practical for the average driver? ’’

Theology in the Chronicles of Narnia the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

RELAMPAGOS, Nicola Liane C. POSADAS, Klarizze FINAL PROJECT: The Chronicles of Narnia The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia series written by CS Lewis. The book series was such a great success that in 2008, the first book was turned into a film. What many people may not realize is that CS Lewis wrote the book series with a specific goal in mind: to showcase the word of God to different parts of the world through an artistic lens. This paper will focus on the theological nature of CS Lewis’ book based film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.This will include a number of noticeable parallelisms, allusions and symbolisms found in said work. Although The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was originally a published book, this paper will focus on the film adaptation of the book. One of the noticeable symbolisms in the movie would be found in the main character s of the film: Aslan, the Witch and the children. Aslan was portrayed as the original king of Narnia and when Narnia was held deep in the clutches of the White Witch, Narnias looked to Aslan as their redeemer.Aslan was also the one who died so that Edmund may live. He was the only one who was capable of defeating the White Witch. Aslan in the film was an artistic representation of Jesus Christ. The parallelism found in the resurrection of Christ, his absorbing of our sins and overcoming death is seen in the depiction The Witch, on the other hand, represents Satan. It was the White Witch who covered Narnia in snow: no sign of life, simply cold and dead. The Witch is consumed in her own vanity and the longing to fully overcome Aslan and rule over Narnia forever.It isn’t clearly stated, but it is seen in certain parts of the movie that The Witch feared Aslan: when the Witch spoke out of turn after their agreement and Aslan roared at her and she quickly sat down in fear of him. M uch like the Witch, Satan will always be inferior to God but will always try to put himself about Christ but will never achieve such. Lastly, the four children (Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Suzan) are human beings. They represent four different kinds of people who have different encounters with God.For Peter, he is the skeptical type of Christian. One who is doubtful by how God can use him to help build God’s kingdom, yet at times he forgets that it is only Christ who can defeat evil and not by his strength alone. Edmund is the type of Christian who has sinned and fallen short many times along the road before choosing to love and follow Christ. While Suzan is the type of Christian who has consistently doubted whether or not Christ, even really exists before fully trusting God with the things that don’t seem to make sense.Lastly, Lucy represents the Christians who just love, follow and dedicate their lives to Christ without hesitation and without doubt. Lucy’s childli keness showcases how Christians should love and trust Christ with our lives. Since the four children can be seen as symbolisms of human beings, their relationship with Aslan shows a lot about the grace, mercy and overall character of God. One of the main examples where this is seen is the grace that Aslan showed to Edmund who was a traitor.Despite Edmunds’ choice to prioritize Turkish delight over his family and his right as one of the king of Narnia, Aslan still accepted Edmund into his army and not only that Edmund still inherited the kingdom of Narnia not by his own works but by Aslan’s choice. Much like the plot of the movie, Christ will continue to accept sinners into his family despite what they have done in the past. As Aslan said, â€Å"What’s done is done, we need not speak to Edmund about what has happened anymore† this has a similar message in Philippians â€Å"I focus on all my energy on one thing: Forgetting what lies behind and focusing on what’s ahead†.Also, Edmund’s choice to pursue Turkish delight over his unmerited right to be a king of Narnia, is similar to the story in the Bible of how Esau gave up his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew. Both Edmund and Esau’s common mentality was the seeing the situation only at the present and forgetting the eternal value and purpose of their lives. But despite Edmund’s decision, Aslan accepted his presence with open arms, which is a similar characteristic to the story of the Prodigal Son.True sacrifice is an act that any human being can never really fathom, due to the only considered true sacrifice that was only made by God Himself by offering his own son to the world that is bound to perish in eternal debt of sin. In the movie, true sacrifice was first depicted through the following event, which was the acceptance of Edmund despite of his treason towards Aslan and his own brothers and sisters. Without the mistake that Edmund committed ea rlier in the movie, true sacrifice would have not been clearly depicted.The scene where Edmund was enticed by the Witch’s offer of Turkish delight and then the throne shows a great parallel of how the world committed the very first sin, the original sin. Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil, who took the form a snake and they were blinded by the temptation of knowledge that was offered by the apple. Same goes to Edmund, he succumbs to the lavish offers of the Witch that led to his treason towards his siblings. In the end, Aslan accepts Edmund despite his betrayal and also became the emancipator from the Witch.This selfless act then led to the suffering and supposed death of Aslan. The altruism that Aslan performed is an exact parallel to the suffering of Christ, which was the crucifixion. With such altruistic acts of both Aslan and Jesus Christ, it is believed that their sacrifices are yet to be unvarnished. No one in this world is capable of such because only the savior ca n absorb the sins of the world. In the movie, Aslan was put to death and was humiliated in front of the presence of many followers of the Witch by cutting off his mane, which is parallel to Christ’s crown of thorns.The Witch wanted to show her iron fist by showing the execution of Aslan in public, which only goes to show that she fears Aslan. She needs the approval of many, for her to feel superior over him. Although she thought she had succeed with the humiliation and execution, little did the Witch know that Aslan was to come back to life and save his followers despite their treason. The representation of Christ’s suffering and resurrection was fairly accurate; the breaking of the stone table which Aslan’s body was left behind is aligned to the opening of Christ’s tomb.In addition, Aslan was first seen back to life by the girls, which in the film were Susan and Lucy, and just like Christ who appeared to the women first (Mary and Mary Magdalene; found in Matthew 28:9). The movie then proceeds to the war between good and evil, which illustrates the consistent internal battle inside every human mind. When Aslan came back to life, he did not eradicate the battle between the Narnians and the forces of the Witch. But instead, the battle continued on even to the point that the Narnians began to face defeat.This shows that although the Jesus Christ overcame death, there will still be an internal battle between good and evil within us. In the film, Peter and Edmund try to lead the battle against the forces of The Witch and even tried to kill her but their attempts only would lead to death. It is only when Aslan comes into the picture, that he is not only able to breathe life back into the dead but also defeat the Witch. This is an artistic depiction of how human beings cannot overcome death by their strength alone. It is only Christ’s power that Satan is fully defeated.Therefore during spiritual battles within humans, one was surren der and acknowledges that he cannot do it by themselves and it is only by God’s help that we can overcome evil. Lastly, Aslan’s words after he defeated the Witch were a direct parallelism to the words that Jesus Christ utters when he defeated death on the cross: â€Å"It is finished†. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe film holds a great number of theoretical references but the major and more obvious events would be the characterization of Asaln, the Witch and the three children, Aslan’s sacrifice and battle between the two forces.