Cindy Sherman and Representation

Untitled Film Stills by cindy Sherman presents the ideas about the female identity Sherman is after. On each of the images, Sherman photographs herself as a cliche of this identity as if she were an actress in a B-movie ,as the product of domesticity, the object of sexual desire exc. Critic Arthur Danto points out that none of Sherman’s images is of herself. They are of The Girl, for whom Cindy Sherman posed.The Girl appears in every photograph, and though she is familiar in each (because the model is Sherman), she is never expressing the same idea as The Girl. She is being-there and she is not there at the same time, like a performer, and all the while she is able to convey these figurative portraits of femininity. Modeling in several roles, she reveals gender as an unstable and constructed position, which suggests that there is no innate biological female identity. On the contrary, women adopt several roles and identities depending on their circumstances.Perhaps sherman is m aking a gender statement through critiquing women in representation. This is however questionable as she is willingly engaging in the subject she is critiquing. According to Mulvey the women is made into an object of male gaze. Thus making the man the spectator and the woman the spectacle. The man looks at the woman, and the woman is being looked at. This contributes and supports the stereotypical idea that men are to activity as woman are to passivity.Her work also encourages self-reflection in the spectator. As Sherman argues. Sherman encourages viewers to create their own narratives when looking at her work. Perhaps by doing so, we become conscious participators in the story, or in the society that created these stereotypes in the first place. Depending on the narrative we create, her photographs could possibly help us to question our own ideas about gender and how it is represented in photography.

Beneath the Pipes Essay

When Ralph’s teacher Mrs. Pitt announced that his class was going on a field trip he felt a surge of happiness and there was an immediate buzz of excitement throughout the class of thirteen and fourteen year old children. However, the following words which escaped the teacher’s mouth did not engender the same kind of enthusiasm. The class were disappointed that visiting the brand new Monster Valley theme park, was not on the agenda. A curly ginger boy, whose surprisingly tall figure appeared to be made solely of knees and elbows, stepped off the bus as his eye caught the sign that read ‘NORTH HELLWITH SEWAGE WORKS’. Ralph sighed in chorus with his only friend Callum. Callum’s frame was stout and his pale face was painted with spots and freckles. The class was approached by a man who wore an unpleasant grin. â€Å"Good afternoon children†, his words penetrated like when a wooden chair is dragged across a gym floor. Ralph gave Callum a profound curious look and then turned his attention back to the leering man. â€Å"I am your guide for this tour of the sewage works, my name is Mr. Red†. On a closer inspection, it came to Ralph’s attention that the man had a tail which spouted from the back of his trousers. ‘Nobodies perfect’ thought Ralph. It seemed that Ralph was not the only pupil losing interest on the subject of how many light bulbs were in the various rooms of the works. Callum was trying to reach his attention. â€Å"Ralph, I’m bored† â€Å"Me too† came the reply. â€Å"I’m off† â€Å"No you’re not†, as Ralph said this he recalled memories of Callum achieving other inappropriate feats and began to wonder if this statement would stand. â€Å"Perhaps you are, but I’m not†. Callum glanced around him and when his teacher had turned her back he strolled away purposefully. Ralph moaned and darted after him like a lion that had its favourite luncheon snatched from under its nose. Ralph followed Callum into a pitch black room. â€Å"Callum, get here now!† â€Å"Are you scared?† â€Å"Of course not† â€Å"Come on then† there was a patter of feet and then Ralph heard a sudden, â€Å"AAAARRRRGGHHHH†. Ralph fell on the floor in terror and confusion. He began searching on hands and knees for his glasses which had fallen off his head. As he crawled he felt his hand squelch into something soft – without pausing to consider what this mess could have been he scampered on with an unpleasant smell surrounding him amidst the dark. â€Å"Callum?† he waited for three or four seconds to pass and then â€Å"Callum? Callum?† still there came no reply, Ralph’s stomach slipped past his trembling knees. In a dazed panic he darted upright and sprinted for the exit to find the rest of his class. What Ralph didn’t know, is that he was running the opposite way from which he entered†¦. Ralph fell with a thud and glanced back at the stairs he had fallen down. It was still very hard to see but there was an eerie red glow leaking from the walls. He began to whimper and it was not too long before his whimpers became tears. Ralph pulled himself together and dried his eyes with a chewed sleeve. He looked up at the stairs and remembered those dark rooms, so he took the alternative route and continued along the boardwalk he found himself on; he convinced himself that he would find someone – anyone to help him. But he didn’t. Finding the boardwalk spiralling downwards, Ralph broke into a sweat and started to run. A dim red glow lost itself in a mysterious humid fog. The walls began to deconstruct and develop to a cave wall. The red glow started to get brighter and brighter still as he tunnelled further beneath the ground. After what seemed like a lifetime, Ralph gratefully found himself at the opening to a huge chamber and he could hear faint voices in the distant. The first thing he noticed about the room was the disgusting smell of raw sewage. He ran to find the owners of the voices but as he got closer he realised the talking was exceptionally deep and croaky. He launched himself round several corners to the increasingly loud sounds until, â€Å"OOOFFFFF† he was stopped dead in his tracks and fell to the cold hard floor. When he opened his eyes he screamed, â€Å"AAAARRRGH† he was staring into the eyes of a completely red demon which had two horns and a massive nose. Ralph was tall but it towered over him; it must have been three times his size and twenty times stronger. â€Å"LOOK WHAT WE GOT ‘ERE!† the beast snarled and beckoned to others just as threatening. â€Å"WHAT WE GONNA’ DO WITH ‘IM? BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE HAD ONE OF THESE†. â€Å"EAT ‘IM† said a second, Ralph squealed. â€Å"RIP HIS BONES APART† a large drop of saliva let go of the demon’s face onto Ralph’s leg. â€Å"NO, WE ‘AVE TO GIVE ‘IM TO THE KING, HE’D HAVE OUR TAILS IF HE EVER FOUND OUT WE ATE ‘IM WITHOUT SHARING†. Murmurs of understanding and self pity were heard amongst the gathering demons. Ralph felt himself hoisted up and they carried him off, he fought desperately with flying legs and arms. Ralph was launched into a cave walled cell with long iron bars at the front. A rusty door slammed shut behind him. He looked around the cell and to his terror; in the shadows he saw the shape of a demon. â€Å"RELAX†, it croaked, â€Å"THE NAMES GODFREY, GODFREY JONES – AND YOU ARE?† Ralph moved across the cell so a red beam of light fell on the demons face. It looked like he had been crying and for some reason, Ralph pitied him. â€Å"Ralph Marving† came the reply. And so the conversation continued for some time, of course, time was not an important factor in the demon world. Ralph became to like and admire Godfrey. Godfrey had been locked up because he was one of the rebels who did not believe in feeding and building houses out of human waste. They were living amongst the hills in caves, hiding from the regular demon society. The deep talk with Godfrey was not to last too long, they were interrupted by the wailing of a child. Shouts and curses were heard everywhere as the boy was thrown in the cell. Ralph smiled. It was Callum. They rejoiced when they saw each other and then the introductions began. â€Å"We’re getting out of here† â€Å"How?† â€Å"These demons may be powerful, but they’re not likely contenders for brain of Britain.† â€Å"OI!† â€Å"No offence meant† â€Å"He’s watching us†, the huddle shifted further away from the guard standing at the door. â€Å"So?† â€Å"Callum, you’re going to wind up Godfrey. Godfrey you’re going to hit Callum, only you’re not really hitting him. Okay?† â€Å"I SUPPOSE† â€Å"The guard will hopefully open the door and try to stop the fight and I will hide and launch myself on his back and grab the keys from his belt.† â€Å"Sounds easy enough† â€Å"Meanwhile, you two run past the guard and make for the exit I will let go of the demon and run. When I get past you, slam the door shut and I will lock it, right?† â€Å"Right† â€Å"RIGHT† Callum and Godfrey began their argument. It was clear that neither of them were natural actors. Yet sure enough, the door opened and in walked the guard. The next part of the plan, however, did not go accordingly. Ralph made a leap for the keys but the demon was too tall. It turned its unwanted attention towards Ralph, who backed off. Godfrey threw himself courageously at the demon the two of them fell plundering to the ground with a loud thud. The stout figure of Callum darted in and grabbed the keys. â€Å"YOU MUST GO! I CAN’T HOLD HIM DOWN† â€Å"No!† â€Å"THE HUMAN WORLD IS NOT MY WORLD, GO! I BELONG IN THE HILL CAVES†, Ralph would argue no more, he was grabbed by Callum and they ran and ran for an exit. He turned to look back and saw demons flooding into the cell and his heart felt heavy. After minutes of running they were exhausted but the way was clear. Fortunately, it was easy to find their way to the corridor that led upwards. Callum and Ralph paced themselves up the spiralling corridor with the red ambience growing thinner. The shouts behind them diminished. They eventually reached the boardwalk and were too tired to continue running so they came to a halt. â€Å"What time is it?† Callum lifted his chewed sleeve and his battered watch read, â€Å"Two minutes past three† they looked at each other in astonishment. The six hours which had passed seemed to have stretched to days. â€Å"If we’re quick we may just make the bus back to school† so the two of them, once again, heaved their bodies forward. When they arrived at the entrance to the sewage works, Callum heaved a sigh of relief. The air was cooler, fresher and moist, it strew itself on their faces gratefully. They spotted the class lining up next to the bus, it was apparent that a head count was being done. They tried to mingle into the group unnoticed but Mrs. Pitt was aware of their presence. â€Å"Callum, Ralph, where on Earth have you been?† she snapped. â€Å"Well -â€Å", Ralph begun, then he considered the reality of his adventure. â€Å"We – got lost†. The class boarded the bus and Ralph and Callum landed themselves on a tattered seat. Ralph breathed on the window and wiped it. Just for one moment, he thought he saw a distant red object, disappearing over the valley towards the hills which stood boldly above the landscape.

Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 29-30

29 RIVERA Right in the middle of the interrogation Detective Sergeant Alphonse Rivera had a vision. He saw himself behind the counter at Seven-Eleven, bagging microwave burritos and pumping Slush-Puppies. It was obvious that the suspect, Robert Masterson, was telling the truth. What was worse was that he not only didn't have any connection with the marijuana Rivera's men had found in the trailer, but he didn't have the slightest idea where The Breeze had gone. The deputy district attorney, an officious little weasel who was only putting time in at the D.A.'s office until his fangs were sharp enough for private practice, had made the state's position on the case clear and simple: â€Å"You're fucked, Rivera. Cut him loose.† Rivera was clinging to a single, micro-thin strand of hope: the second suitcase, the one that Masterson had made such a big deal about back at the trailer. It lay open on Rivera's desk. A jumble of notebook paper, cocktail napkins, matchbook covers, old business cards, and candy wrappers stared out of the suitcase at him. On each one was written a name, an address, and a date. The dates were obviously bogus, as they went back to the 1920s. Rivera had riffled through the mess a dozen times without making any sort of connection. Deputy Perez approached Rivera's desk. He was doing his best to affect an attitude of sympathy, without much success. Everything he had said that morning had carried with it a sideways smirk. Twain had put it succinctly: â€Å"Never underestimate the number of people who would love to see you fail.† â€Å"Find anything yet?† Perez asked. The smirk was there. Rivera looked up from the papers, took out a cigarette, and lit it. A long stream of smoke came out with his sigh. â€Å"I can't see how any of this connects with The Breeze. The addresses are spread all over the country. The dates run too far back to be real.† â€Å"Maybe it's a list of connections The Breeze was planning to dump the pot on,† Perez suggested. â€Å"You know the Feds estimate that more than ten percent of the drugs in this country move through the postal system.† â€Å"What about the dates?† â€Å"Some kind of code, maybe. Did the handwriting check out?† Rivera had sent Perez back to the trailer to find a sample of The Breeze's handwriting. He had returned with a list of engine parts for a Ford truck. â€Å"No match,† Rivera said. â€Å"Maybe the list was written by his connection.† Rivera blew a blast of smoke in Perez's face. â€Å"Think about it, dipshit. I was his connection.† â€Å"Well, someone blew your cover, and The Breeze ran.† â€Å"Why didn't he take the pot?† â€Å"I don't know, Sergeant. I'm just a uniformed deputy. This sounds like detective work to me.† Perez had stopped trying to hide his smirk. â€Å"I'd take it to the Spider if I were you.† That made a consensus. Everyone who had seen or heard about the suitcase had suggested that Rivera take it to the Spider. He sat back in his chair and finished his cigarette, enjoying his last few moments of peace before the inevitable confrontation with the Spider. After a few long drags he stubbed the cigarette in the ashtray on his desk, gathered the papers into the suitcase, closed it, and started down the steps into the bowels of the station and the Spider's lair. Throughout his life Rivera had known half a dozen men nicknamed Spider. Most were tall men with angular features and the wiry agility that one associates with a wolf spider. Chief Technical Sergeant Irving Nailsworth was the exception. Nailsworth stood five feet nine inches tall and weighed over three hundred pounds. When he sat before his consoles in the main computer room of the San Junipero Sheriff Department, he was locked into a matrix that extended not only throughout the county but to every state capital in the nation, as well as to the main computer banks at the FBI and the Justice Department in Washington. The matrix was the Spider's web and he lorded over it like a fat black widow. As Rivera opened the steel door that led into the computer room, he was hit with a blast of cold, dry air. Nailsworth insisted the computers functioned better in this environment, so the department had installed a special climate control and filtration system to accommodate him. Rivera entered and, suppressing a shudder, closed the door behind him. The computer room was dark except for the soft green glow of a dozen computer screens. The Spider sat in the middle of a horseshoe of keyboards and screens, his huge buttocks spilling over the sides of a tiny typist's chair. Beside him a steel typing table was covered with junk food in various stages of distress, mostly cupcakes covered with marshmallow and pink coconut. While Rivera watched, the Spider peeled the marshmallow cap off a cupcake and popped it in his mouth. He threw the chocolate-cake insides into a wastebasket atop a pile of crumpled tractor-feed paper. Because of the sedentary nature of the Spider's job, the department had excused him from the minimum physical fitness standards set for field officers. The department had also created the position of chief technical sergeant in order to feed the Spider's ego and keep him happily clicking away at the keyboards. The Spider had never gone on patrol, never arrested a suspect, never even qualified on the shooting range, yet after only four years with the department, Nailsworth effectively held the same rank that Rivera had attained in fifteen years on the street. It was criminal. The Spider looked up. His eyes were sunk so far into his fat face that Rivera could see only a beady green glow. â€Å"You smell of smoke,† the Spider said. â€Å"You can't smoke in here.† â€Å"I'm not here to smoke, I need some help.† The Spider checked the data spooling across his screens, then turned his full attention to Rivera. Bits of pink coconut phosphoresced on the front of his uniform. â€Å"You've been working up in Pine Cove, haven't you?† â€Å"A narcotics sting.† Rivera held up the suitcase. â€Å"We found this. It's full of names and addresses, but I can't make any connections. I thought you might†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No problem,† the Spider said. â€Å"The Nailgun will find an opening where there was none.† The Spider had given himself the nickname â€Å"Nailgun.† No one called him the Spider to his face, and no one called him Nailgun unless they needed something. â€Å"Yeah,† Rivera said, â€Å"I thought it needed some of the Nailgun's wizardry.† The Spider swept the junk food from the top of the typing table into the wastebasket and patted the top of the table. â€Å"Let's see what you have.† Rivera placed the suitcase on the table and opened it. The Spider immediately began to shuffle through the papers, picking up a piece here or there, reading it, and throwing it back into the pile. â€Å"This is a mess.† â€Å"That's why I'm here.† â€Å"I'll need to put this into the system to make any sense of it. I can't use a scanner on handwritten material. You'll have to read it to me while I input.† The Spider turned to one of his keyboards and began typing. â€Å"Give me a second to set up a data base format.† As far as Rivera was concerned, the Spider could be speaking Swahili. Despite himself, Rivera admired the man's efficiency and expertise. His fat fingers were a blur on the keyboard. After thirty seconds of furious typing the Spider paused. â€Å"Okay, read me the names, addresses, and dates, in that order.† â€Å"So you need me to sort them out?† â€Å"No. The machine will do that.† Rivera began to read the names and addresses from each slip of paper, deliberately pausing so as not to get ahead of the Spider's typing. â€Å"Faster, Rivera. You won't get ahead of me.† Rivera read faster, throwing each paper on the floor as he finished with it. â€Å"Faster,† the Spider demanded. â€Å"I can't go any faster. At this speed if I mispronounce a name, I could lose control and get a serious tongue injury.† For the first time since Rivera had known him the Spider laughed. â€Å"Take a break, Rivera. I get so used to working with machines that I forget people have limitations.† â€Å"What's going on here?† Rivera said. â€Å"Is the Nailgun losing his sarcastic edge?† The Spider looked embarrassed. â€Å"No. I wanted to ask you about something.† Rivera was shocked. The Spider was almost omniscient, or so he pretended. This was a day for firsts. â€Å"What do you need?† he said. The Spider blushed. Rivera had never seen that much flaccid flesh change color. He imagined that it put an incredible strain on the Spider's heart. â€Å"You've been working in Pine Cove, right?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Have you ever run into a girl up there named Roxanne?† Rivera thought for a moment, then said no. â€Å"Are you sure?† The Spider's voice had taken on a tone of desperation. â€Å"It's probably a nickname. She works at the Rooms-R-Us Motel. I've run the name against Social Security records, credit reports, everything. I can't seem to find her. There are over ten thousand women in California with the name Roxanne, but none of them check out.† â€Å"Why don't you just drive up to Pine Cove and meet her?† The Spider's color deepened. â€Å"I couldn't do that.† â€Å"Why not? What's the deal with this woman, anyway? Does it have to do with a case?† â€Å"No, it's†¦ it's a personal thing. We're in love.† â€Å"But you've never met her?† â€Å"Well, yes, sort of – we talk by modem every night. Last night she didn't log on. I'm worried about her.† â€Å"Nailsworth, are you telling me that you are having a love affair with a woman by computer?† â€Å"It's more than an affair.† â€Å"What do you want me to do?† â€Å"Well, if you could just check on her. See if she's all right. But she can't know I sent you. You mustn't tell her I sent you.† â€Å"Nailsworth, I'm an undercover cop. Being sneaky is what I do for a living.† â€Å"Then you'll do it?† â€Å"If you can find something in these names that will bail me out, I'll do it.† â€Å"Thanks, Rivera.† â€Å"Let's finish this.† Rivera picked up a matchbook and read the name and address. The Spider typed the information, but as Rivera began to read the next name, he heard the Spider pause on the keyboard. â€Å"Is something wrong?† Rivera asked. â€Å"Just one more thing,† Nailsworth said. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Could you find out if she's modeming someone else?† â€Å"Santa Maria, Nailsworth! You are a real person.† Three hours later Rivera was sitting at his desk waiting for a call from the Spider. While he was in the computer room, someone had left a dog-eared paperback on his desk. Its title was You Can Have a Career in Private Investigation. Rivera suspected Perez. He had thrown the book in the wastebasket. Now, with his only suspect back out on the street and nothing forthcoming from the Spider, Rivera considered fishing the book out of the trash. The phone rang, and Rivera ripped it from its cradle. â€Å"Rivera,† he said. â€Å"Rivera, it's the Nailgun.† â€Å"Did you find something?† Rivera fumbled for a cigarette from the pack on his desk. He found it impossible to talk on the phone without smoking. â€Å"I think I have a connection, but it doesn't work out.† â€Å"Don't be cryptic, Nailsworth. I need something.† â€Å"Well, first I ran the names through the Social Security computer. Most of them are deceased. Then I noticed that they were all vets.† â€Å"Vietnam?† â€Å"World War One.† â€Å"You're kidding.† â€Å"No. They were all World War One vets, and all of them had a first or middle initial E. I should have caught that before I even input it. I tried to run a correlation program on that and came up with nothing. Then I ran the addresses to see if there was a geographical connection.† â€Å"Anything there?† â€Å"No. For a minute I thought you'd found someone's research project on World War One, but just to be sure, I ran the file through the new data bank set up by the Justice Department in Washington. They use it to find criminal patterns where there aren't any. In effect it makes the random logical. They use it to track serial killers and psychopaths.† â€Å"And you found nothing?† â€Å"Not exactly. The files at the Justice Department only go back thirty years, so that eliminated about half of the names on your list. But the other ones rang the bell.† â€Å"Nailsworth, please try to get to the point.† â€Å"In each of the cities listed in your file there was at least one unexplained disappearance around the date listed – not the vets; other people. You can eliminate the large cities as coincidence, but hundreds of these disappearances were in small towns.† â€Å"People disappear in small towns too. They run away to the city. They drown. You can't call that a connection.† â€Å"I thought you'd say that, so I ran a probability program to get the odds on all of this being coincidence.† â€Å"So?† Rivera was getting tired of Nailsworth's dramatics. â€Å"So the odds of someone having a file of the dates and locations of unexplained disappearances over the last thirty years and it being a coincidence is ten to the power of fifty against.† â€Å"Which means what?† â€Å"Which means, about the same odds as you'd have of dragging the wreck of the Titanic out of a trout stream with a fly rod. Which means, Rivera, you have a serious problem.† â€Å"Are you telling me that this suitcase belongs to a serial killer?† â€Å"A very old serial killer. Most serial killers don't even start until their thirties. If we assume that this one was cooperative enough to start when the Justice Department's files start, thirty years ago, he'd be over sixty now.† â€Å"Do you think it goes farther back?† â€Å"I picked some dates and locations randomly, going back as far as 1925. I called the libraries in the towns and had them check the newspapers for stories of disappearances. It checked out. Your man could be in his nineties. Or it could be a son carrying on his father's work.† â€Å"That's impossible. There must be another explanation. Come on, Nailsworth, I need a bailout here. I can't pursue an investigation of a geriatric serial killer.† â€Å"Well, it could be an elaborate research project that someone is doing on missing persons, but that doesn't explain the World War One vets, and it doesn't explain why the researcher would write the information on matchbook covers and business cards from places that have been out of business for years.† â€Å"I don't understand.† Rivera felt as if he were stuck in the Spider's web and was waiting to be eaten. â€Å"It appears that the notes themselves were written as far back as fifty years ago. I could send them to the lab to confirm it if you want.† â€Å"No. Don't do that.† Rivera didn't want it confirmed. He wanted it to go away. â€Å"Nailsworth, isn't possible that the computer is making some impossible connections? I mean, it's programmed to find patterns – maybe it went overboard and made this one up?† â€Å"You know the odds, Sergeant. The computer can't make anything up; it can only interpret what's put into it. If I were you, I'd pull my suspect out of holding and find out where he got the suitcase.† â€Å"I cut him loose. The D.A. said I didn't have enough to charge him.† â€Å"Find him,† Nailsworth said. Rivera resented the authoritarian tone in Nailsworth's voice, but he let it go. â€Å"I'm going now.† â€Å"One more thing.† â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"One of your addresses was in Pine Cove. You want it?† â€Å"Of course.† Nailsworth read the name and address to Rivera, who wrote it down on a memo pad. â€Å"There was no date on this one, Sergeant. Your killer might still be in the area. If you get him, it would be the bailout you're looking for.† â€Å"It's too fantastic.† â€Å"And don't forget to check on Roxanne for me, okay?† The Spider hung up. 30 JENNY Jenny had arrived at work a half hour late expecting to find Howard waiting behind the counter to reprimand her in his own erudite way. Strangely enough, she didn't care. Even more strange was the fact that Howard had not shown up at the cafe all morning. Considering that she had drunk two bottles of wine, eaten a heavy Italian meal and everything in the refrigerator, and stayed up all night making love, she should have been tired, but she wasn't. She felt wonderful, full of humor and energy, and not a little excited. When she thought of her night with Travis, she grinned and shivered. There should be guilt, she thought. She was, technically, a married woman. Technically, she was having an illicit affair. But she had never been very technically minded. Instead of guilt she felt happy and eager to do it all again. From the moment she got to work she began counting the hours until she got off after the lunch shift. She was at one hour and counting when the cook announced that there was a call for her in the office. She quickly refilled her customer's coffee cups and headed to the back. If it was Robert, she would just act like nothing had happened. She wasn't exactly in love with someone else as he suspected. It was†¦ it didn't matter what it was. She didn't have to explain anything. If it was Travis – she hoped it was Travis. She picked up the phone. â€Å"Hello.† â€Å"Jenny?† It was a woman's voice. â€Å"It's Rachel. Look, I'm having a special ritual this afternoon at the caves. I need you to be there.† Jennifer did not want to go to a ritual. â€Å"I don't know, Rachel, I have plans after work.† â€Å"Jennifer, this is the most important thing we've ever done, and I need you to be there. What time do you get off?† â€Å"I'm off at two, but I need to go home and change first.† â€Å"No, don't do that. Come as you are – it's really important.† â€Å"But I really†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Please, Jenny. It will only take a few minutes.† Jennifer had never heard Rachel sound so adamant. Maybe it really was important. â€Å"Okay. I guess I can make it. Do you need me to call any of the others?† â€Å"No. I'll do it. You just be at the caves as soon as you can after two.† â€Å"Okay, fine, I'll be there.† â€Å"And Jenny† – Rachel's voice had lowered an octave – â€Å"don't tell anyone where you are going.† Rachel hung up. Jennifer immediately dialed her home phone and got the answering machine. â€Å"Travis, if you're there, pick up.† She waited. He was probably still sleeping. â€Å"I'm going to be a little late. I'll be home later this afternoon.† She almost said, â€Å"I love you,† but decided not to. She pushed the thought out of her mind. â€Å"Bye,† she said, and hung up. Now, if she could only avoid Robert until she could think of a way to destroy his hope for their reconciliation. Returning to the floor of the cafe, she realized that somewhere along the way her feeling of well-being had vanished and she felt very tired.

A Closer Look Into the Works of Wolfgang A. Mozart Essay

A Closer Look Into the Works of Wolfgang A. Mozart - Essay Example In all of Mozart's supreme expressions of suffering and terror, there is something shockingly voluptuous."Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is considered one of the musical genius who produced various masterpieces during the classical period. Being a prolific composer during his life, he has composed a wide array of musical masterpieces which are widely acknowledged as "pinnacles of symphonic, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music. These output became closely identified as parts of the standard concert repertory and are regarded as "masterpieces of the classical style (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1)."Mozart was born in the city of Salzburg to Leopold and Anna Maria Pertl Mozart. When he was about three years old, Mozart's father noticed his unique musical ability.Through his father, one of Europe's leading musical teachers that time, Mozart received his intensive musical training. His father taught him to play the clavier, violin and organ. This began the famous composers' musical career wher e his formative years were spent in successful journeys throughout Europe--beginning with an exhibition in 1762 at the Court of the Elector of Bavaria in Munich and another at Imperial Court in Vienna during the same year. Afterwhich a long concert tour spanning three and a half years followed, taking him with his father to the courts of Munich, Mannheim, Paris, London, The Hague, again to Paris, and back home via Zrich, Donaueschingen, and Munich. However, they went back to Vienna during 1767 (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 2-6). It was in Vienna where Mozart encountered huge successes in opera. This paper will further examine the musical style utilized by Mozart in his famous compositions. As his works are generally classified as "classical masterpieces" a good starting point will be a general description of the characteristics of classical music. The next part will then tackle his works and musical style as well as Morton's characterization of the "Mozart's Musical Trademark." Social factors and other composers styles and influences which are incorporated in his works will also be examined. This report will conclude with its findings. Mozart Musical Style: Archetypal Example of Classical Style The musical style of Mozart, like that of the other Austrian composer Haydn, are considered as "archetypal example of the classical style." Accordingly, the classical period is characterized by the proliferation of music which generally has gradual and sudden contrast in mood, flexible rhythm, homophonic texture, and folkish melody. The type of music during this period can also be identified as having a more orderly and symmetric musical design compared to other eras. It should also be noted that the classical period marked the rise of amateur musicianas the the popularity of piano over the hapsichord. Accordingly, the musical style of Mozart closely paralleled the development of the classical music as a whole. This musical style was applied to his compositions which spans almost all musical genre including symphony, opera, the solo concerto, chamber music which includes string quartet and string quintet, and the piano sonata. While none of the aforementioned genre are new during his period, Mozart is regarded as having single-handedly developed and popularized the solo concerto. The composer is also famous among religious sects as he composed a great deal of religious music known as masses. His versatility as a composer also enabled him to venture into other musical forms like dances, divertimenti, serenades and other forms of light entertainment (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 23-24). Mozart's compositions greatly embody the

Intercultural Communications Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Intercultural Communications - Research Paper Example From the day of its discovery until today, coffee has been a part of many nations’ customs and occasions. With a considerable market share, coffee, regardless of its kind, proves to be an interesting part of every culture, and that is why it is an important subject of research in the field of social studies. Tracing back the roots of coffee culture leads to rediscovering history, particularly how customs and traditions have evolved with the presence of the famous beverage. Coffee  is one of the most popular beverages in the world (Villanueva et al. 20-40). It would be difficult to find a restaurant, hotel, or any place that is not serving coffee. The popularity of coffee makes it an important part of human culture. Likewise, people cannot easily ignore its popularity due to its marketability and health benefits. A brief background of coffee, its origin and evolution is beneficial to know how it has become a part of human culture. Coffee is sourced from roasted  seeds of th e  coffee plant commonly known as coffee beans. The earliest trace of coffee dates back to the ninth century A.D. in southern Arabia (Weinberg and Bealer 75). Then from Ethiopia, it spread to Egypt and Yemen, then to Persia, Northern Africa, Turkey, and Armania, then to Italy and the rest of Europe; to Indonesia; and to the Americas (Meyers). Aside from being a part of many households’ breakfast, coffee has taken part in important historical occasions. For instance, it was employed in religious ceremonies in Africa and Yemen. Likewise, coffee has attracted much global attention as it was banned in  Ottoman Turkey in the 17th century due to political reasons (Hopkins). Moreover, it was also implicated in revolutionary political activities in Europe (Hopkins). These incidents associated with coffee make it a controversial beverage, a really important part of human history and culture. As a commodity, coffee is one of the most important agricultural products in the world. Mo re than 80 countries cultivate coffee (â€Å"Coffee Drinking Culture†). Likewise, coffee was at the top of agricultural export for 12 countries in 2004 (FAO Statistical Yearbook, 24) and was the world's seventh-largest legal agricultural export by value in 2006. To date, its production amounts to US$14 billion yearly (FAOSTAT Core Trade Data). The important role that coffee has played throughout history asserts the practice of drinking coffee as part of the universal culture. Due to its flavor, aroma, and energizing effects, coffee has become a popular beverage to complement home meals, and also serves as a socializing medium among people of different cultures. The role of coffee as a socializing medium may be referenced to the Les Deux Magots, a cafe formerly located in Rue de Buci in France. This cafe used to be the social hub of many literary writers in the 1900s. The place served as a venue for their meetings, literary sharing, and story telling. Indeed, in his book title d, â€Å"A Movable Feast† Ernest Hemingway (72), a world-acclaimed writer recalls his memories of Les Deux Magots as it used to be a rendezvous for all literary enthusiasts in the early 1900s. in Hemingway’s story, he and his friends used to go to Les Deux Magots for coffee before going home finally. Moreover, other literary authors such as Steve Matchett, Abha Dawesar, Vladimir Nabokov, and Craig Ferguson have their own reminiscences of the place in their own respective works. This shows not only the

Kinship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Kinship - Essay Example Though no material evidence suggests literacy with writing and reading, they can facilitate daily communication with composite form of language (Chagnon). Since the horticulture-inclined Yanomamo have become accustomed to waging village warfare, it is a normal tendency to form political allies and functions which, by the systematic principles of kinship, decide for the village people in the aspects of shelter, tribal relationships and other social issues, as well as the manner of adjusting with the environment. The Yanomamo, due to arranged violent encounters, have in a way manage to shape their culture by following certain behavior acquired in response to the sensitive call for survival (Chagnon). Through the system of kinships that constitute their living, social and familial ties are further enhanced as Yanomamo natives conduct frequent and periodic occasions of feasting and trading (Kittelson & Stafford). Arranged intermarriages via the kinship ruling are based upon the fighting skillfulness of a male relative after each combat with triumphant results.

Innovation is the HVAC field - Thermoelectric cooling components Research Paper

Innovation is the HVAC field - Thermoelectric cooling components - Research Paper Example The technology has since been used to cool temperatures of devices by creating heat sinks for different electronic materials. The most recent applications of this type of technology are the â€Å"wristify† cooling system invented by four MIT students. The â€Å"wristify† is used for maintaining the body temperature at a personal level. This they managed through the use of two different conductors and a very small battery. In order for the cooling to take place, the then a DC current is applied so as to initiate the movement of electrons. The efficiency in thermo-electric cooling, depends on materials be selected keenly. Many thermo-electric coolers made today are from an alloy of Bismuth Telluride (Bi2Te3). Thermo-electric cooling poses very advantages like lack of mechanical maintenance and ability to be used in very small places. The technology has a place in the future since there is a possible use of the technology in marine engineering of submarines, night vision a nd many more others. Prototype wearable 'air-conditioning' device According to fox news, In the MIT, four engineering students have been able to develop a wrist worn body cooling device that is based upon the Peltier Effect and theory. The device code named wristify employs a series of two different conductors that are referred to as the Peltier cooler. The device is powered a very small battery and then attached to a wrist wrap so as to hold it in place. For the device to reduce the body temperature, it starts by reducing the wrist temperature in degree fractions every second for a specified time period. However, the students have not arrived at the correct time calculations, but they say that a reasonable cooling effect is achieved when the wrist is cooled by 0.4 degrees Celsius for five seconds. After this session, the device goes off for 10 seconds and maintains the interval. However, the four students are still on the process of calculating for optimal timings so as to perfect the device. The Wristify is one of the major breakthrough in human attempt to thermo-electric cooling (Balmer, 2011). With this device, a different person will be able to customize their own temperature ranges without affecting others. This is an aspect that many will appreciate. This rate of success is a sign that with the rise in advance technology and availability of resources, thermo-electric cooling can be utilized in areas that people had never imagined before. Thermo-electric cooling Definition Thermo-electric cooling refers to an application of the Peltier Effect to create a difference in temperature between two materials of different type. A thermo-electric cooler is usually a solid stated active that is able to transfer heat from one side of a device to the other. This is possible based on the following physical theories. First, when two different conductors are under electric contact, there is an electron flow out of the conductor that is less bound into the other conductor in which electrons are more. This is possible because of the dif ference in Fermi level between the two devices used as conductors. The Fermi level shows the difference in energy levels that are contained in different conductors occupied by electrons, and those that are not occupied. Therefore, when two conductors of different Fermi levels. This can be easily compared to diffusion in which molecules move from an area of high concentration to that of low concentration. How it works In order for the cooling to take

Employers nd Collective Bargaining Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Employers nd Collective Bargaining - Essay Example Th Europen ocial charter, convention for baic right nd freedom nd th number of work of convention from International 87,98 nd 151 nd 154 are mot importnt. Th traditional model of th ocial relation of public ervice however wa prone to deep chnge during th lat decade. Th tendency wa toward th collective bargain, put in parallel by decentralization by determining th term nd general term of employment, of a legal framework reembling that of th private ector nd th identification of th right of trade union nd th right to trike (Bach, 1999,21) n importnt matter in ocial relation of public ervice wa th point to which th collective bargain i centralized or decentralized. Th general tendency i the lat year toward decentralization. n importnt argument in favour of decentralization i that it leave more flexibility thn th ytem centralized in term of profeional ituation, regional nd local pecific of job market. (Boaert, 2001,22) while thi cn increae th effectivene nd th effectivene in public ervice, it cn alo lead to fragmentation (Dell 'Arringa, 2001; Farnham nd Horton, 2000). In practice, th collective bargain in public ervice neithr i completely centralized nor i completely decentralized in ny Member State within th EU. Centralization nd decentralization often go hnd in hnd. Th centralized apect often refer to a certain form of central order, uch a limit of budget impoed by th Britih treaure. In th countrie with ytem of public office of career, thre i a degree more raied of centralization thn in th countrie without uch ytem. However, in th majority of th countrie, of th combination of th centralized nd decentralized negotiation are found. Within th EU, three group of country cn be ditinguihed. Th firt group contain countrie where th collective bargain i mainly centralized nd decentralization i limited. Th econd group contain countrie with th decentralized collective bargain. nd th third group contain partially centralized/decentralized collective bargain, but where th mot importnt negotiation take place with ectoral or at th regional level. (Boaert, 2001,22) Centralied collective bargaining In Frnce, one centrally conclude Germny, Greece, Autria nd Portugal, pay rie for th whole public ervice. In Spain, although not truth for th civil ervnt, remuneration of th contractual employee i negotiated by each minitry or department within central adminitration. nd with RU, th wage for th public employee are mainly centrally given in th National ervice of Health (NHS) nd th local government. In Frnce, th ytem ued to determine th baic alary of th civil ervnt i th ame one for five million civil ervnt. In th French ytem, each poition in a category equalize a certain number of point on th index of wage (indicial of grill of). Th baic nnual alary of a civil ervnt cn be calculated by multiplying th index of th category of th civil ervnt with th money value of a point of index. Th negotiation of wage relate to primarily negotiation in increae in money value of th point, implying a general pay rie. (Dell 'Arringa, 2001,87) In Germny, th determination of wage for th civil ervnt alo i very centralized. Th Federal law

Demonstrating Effective Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Demonstrating Effective Leadership - Essay Example Thus, each student optimized his or her learning. In parallel, my articles in school journal triggered school management into changing some of the managerial practices making them increasingly student centric through introducing counselor services in order to relief student educational stress thus, almost eliminating the possibility of drug intake and other criminal activities in students. In the light of above discussion, I consider myself as a transformational leader because; I caused cultural change in my school that also offered variety of subjects to the students. One of my recommendations was to introduce music as a subject because, I believed in its ability to relieve humans from stress. School management, therefore initiated a musical program for the students in the summers, so that fresh talent can be pumped in the industry. On the other hand, fellow students considered me as a source of highlighting their problems in the school journal; therefore, I managed to have a signif icant influence on them. However, as I grew older my intellectual endeavors subsided due to increased educational stress. But, I nevertheless kept on motivating my juniors towards writing, thus, emplaced a culture of sharing knowledge. My leadership ended when I graduated from school. However, during composing this document, my old spirit of leadership came back to life and I am now planning to revitalize it through joining politics in future. This essay viewed my past leadership activities and designated.

Us Womens History Essay Example for Free

Us Womens History Essay The Native American women were trained to work hard in the fields and in the house. They were held responsible for over 75% of food production and the gathering of the fruits in the community. These women were responsible for making clothes for themselves and their families from the skin of rabbit and dear. The Native American women were allowed to dress in long dresses and leggings. The Native American women mostly practice agriculture when civilization of Europeans arrived and because of all their lives depends agriculture their economy grows with their own hard work spiritual role. As the women are the backbone of the community, they are given right to own land and in this they use for farming and inherit it to their descendants. In America native communities in 1600 century, women are given to have much power than European women, this is because Native American women are very hard working and they also have good feelings and near to their husbands, thus they are given equal opportunity to rest of the community. Status of Women in the Southern and Northern colonies In the southern colonies women were legally subordinate to men, politically and nonetheless improved economically in the colonial period. Southern colonies the women were view less than the men, where they took advantage for their right in the society of inheriting the land of their late husbands. The southern colonies focus was on profit while northern colonies focus on religion. The northern colonies are better in status than southern colonies because northern women are married earlier, they had larger families and they live longer than their cousins on the other side of the ocean. Living conditions in the early Northern and southern colonies Living condition in early 1600 in north and south, colonies used Americans as slaves and servants for their plantations, but in late 1600 the African slaves became the primary source of American slaves. Southern plantation used to give huge profit to the northern merchants. Colonies came to America for religion and looking for job as most of them escape war. Although they got a lot of resources, but they started colonizing Americans living condition of Americans was too poor and white colonizes took these advantage and started employing some of the Americans and some of Americans bought as servant with 25- 50 dollars. The servants were given a small grubstake and if she or he was lucky, a few acres of land. Thus, some of the servants were treated fairly. Servants or slaves who are living at southern were treated as slaves without any payment. (Kramarde, Cheris. and Spender, Dale. 107) Work cited Kramarde, Cheris and Spender, Dale. Routledge International Encyclopedia of women. Routledge. (2000).

Contrast And Comparison Of Urban And Rural Religion History Essay

Contrast And Comparison Of Urban And Rural Religion History Essay This paper explores Roman Britain Religion namely the urban and the rural religion in the Romano-British Period. The archaeological examples which are of great value in finding contrast and comparison of the rural and urban religions help us to develop the theme of the paper. The paper is organized in such a way that it touches upon the main religious trends in Roman Britain ( two main religions: Pagan and Christianity which existed in Roman Britain). Contrast and Comparison of the Urban and the Rural Religion in the Romano-British Period The religious situation in the Roman Empire was rather difficult and complicated. All the variety of cults and religions which were represented in the Roman Empire can be divided into several groups. Among them are the cults which symbolize the main idea of the Roman Empire the worship of Emperor. The other ones are the worship of traditional Olympian Gods and the religions of local people which were conquered by the Romes. (Ireland, 1986) Religion in Roman Britain is of special interest. It is known from the history of Britain that Roman Britain which occupied some part of the island of Great Britain belonged to the Roman Empire from AD 43 to AD 410. It was one of the numerous provinces of Roman Empire. (Esmonde, 1989) At that period there were such religions as pagan religion and Christianity. The goal of this paper is to find the contrast and comparison of urban and rural religions in the Romano-British period by means of different archaeological examples founded on the territory of Britain. (Hening, 1984) THE MAIN TYPES OF RELIGION IN ROMAN BRITAIN There were several types of religion in Roman Britain which are represented by the following religious trends: the Graeco-Roman and Barbaric Paganisms, Mithraism and other Eastern Cults and Christianity. (Ward, 1911) The Celtic Caste of Druids who were considered to be the first people of Britain were declared to be an outlaw by Claudius. Their defense of the sacred groves was a failure. The Romance ruined them on the island of Mona. Nevertheless, the worship of Celtic pagan Deities existed in the period of Roman rule.(Frere and Tomlin, 1991) TOWNS AND CITIES OF ROMAN BRITAIN Different towns and cities in Roman Britain appeared in different periods of Roman rule. It is very interesting to find information concerning the activities, religions and monuments by the examination of the archaeological records which were found during numerous excavations carried out on the territory of Britain. (see fig.1) Of course, these records are incomplete due to preservation and opportunity to excavate. (The Association for Roman Archeology) Fig.1 Archaeological excavations at York. York Archaeological Trust According to the research materials of the Association for Roman Archeology, the best preserved and explored Roman towns and cities are the following ones: Wroxeter, Silchester, Verulamium. (see fig.2) There are also some written sources which were found during the excavations. These sources tell about some examples of events Aurelius Victor (about death of Severus in York) and Tacitus Anales. (The Association for Roman Archeology). Fig.2 Reconstruction of the center of the town in Roman Britain Wroxeter. You can find a bath house and the basilica in this picture. Illustration by Ivan Lapper. English Heritage The Distinguishing Features of Towns in Roman Britain. In order to compare urban religion and rural religion in the Romano-British period, it is necessary to find some distinguishing features of towns in Roman Britain. They include the following elements: A great deal of houses for town dwellers A center for the government of the town Manufacture and trade buildings: shops, warehouses, workshops, markets, hospitals places for different cultural activities such as theaters, bath houses, taverns, amphitheaters a special religious places temples and statuaries.(Millet,1990) There are many streets in any town of Roman-British period. The cemeteries are situated around the town. URBAN RELIGION IN ROMAN BRITAIN AND SOME ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXAMPLES It is known that Roman rule allowed both the Romans and he local people who were conquered by them to worship numerous gods and goddesses. That is why there was a growth of temples and shrines to different deities. Before the advent of Christianity the Imperial Cult was considered to be one of the main religious aspects.(see fig.3) The Emperor was a so called mediator between the people and the gods. (Mattingly, 2000) Fig.3. Bronze Bust of Emperor Hadrian, The British Museum The town of Colchester was the most important place for the Imperial Cult. The main religious elements included temples, altars and shrines. (Collingwood, 1956) Temples were special houses for the Gods. The action of worship took place at the altars where different outdoor rites were organized. Shrines were special places of Gods presence. For example, the complex at Colchester had typically Roman style buildings. (Collingwood, 1956) It is interesting to notice that most of shrines were located in the country side and only some of them could be found in the towns. (The Romans in Britain) The experts in the sphere of archaeology confirm that there was a wide fusion and adoption of Roman Gods to the established local deities. The people venerated to several Gods with the same attributes. For example, Sulis-Minerva at Bath. (Religion in Roman Britain) A great number of temples and shrines to various deities were found in the towns and cities of Roman Britain: The Capitolium in Verulamium which represented a shrine to the Capitoline Triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. An inscription to a Serapis/Osiris temple in York Londons Mithraeum Different epigraphical sources which referred to Cult centers of Cybele and Isis found in London Altars are the places where people had an opportunity to worship outdoor. There were numerous inscriptions on the altars which named the God or Gods to whom they were sacred. The inscriptions consisted of short sentences and had abbreviations. For example, V.S.L.M. Votum solvit libens merito which means He fulfills his vow, willingly, dutifully. (FrereTomlin, 1991) Archaeological examples of altars in the towns of Roman Britain are the following: Altar to Mother Goddesses of the household by Gaius Julius Crescens, Nunnely Lane which is situated in York Altars to Fortuna, Aesculapius, Salus and Genius Loci which is located in Chester The altar which commemorates the rebuilding of the temple of Isis by Marcus Martianius Pulcher located in London Our knowledge of Christianity in the Romano-British Period is taken mainly from the literary sources. So, the archaeological examples are scarce. The only one is a Christian Church which is situated at Silchester. It was a very small building in the center of the town that means the Christian Community had no local influence. RURAL RELIGION IN THE ROMANO-BRITISH PERIOD It is known that most people in Roman Britain lived in the country side. They lived in small villages. Those who were rich built large houses in a Roman style which were called villas. (Persival, 1976) Fig.4 Reconstruction Illustration of Bignor Villa in Sussex. A villa is a large beautiful house in a roman style which has tall stone walls and fabulous mosaic floors, with a bath house and gardens.(see fig.4,5) Fig.5 View of Rockbourne Villa (Hampshire). Country Council Museum. Rural religion included religious festivals when the peasants prayed to the Gods and Goddesses for having good harvest and healthy domestic animals. (see fig.6) It was very important for agriculture in the country side. It is impossible to find some written sources about the rural religion in life in the works of British writers. Fig.6 Mosaic which shows Ceres, the Goddess of Harvest. From Broading Villa. All the data concerning the rural life we can get from the archaeological excavations. The archaeologists found the remains of farm and villa buildings, the bones of domestic cattle, seeds of crops. There are two well-known villas in Roman Britain: Chedworth situated in Gloucestershire and Bignur which is situated in Sussex. (Salway, 1993) Fig.7 Map of town and regions of Roman Britain The most important religious festivals took place each season of the year. The festival of Lupercalia celebrated in the middle of February was devoted to springs awakening. The God Pan at Lupercalia or Faunus defended domestic animals (caws and sheep) and the shepherds. (Salway, 1993) The first Christians in the country-sides of Roman Britain persecuted that is why they worshiped in houses they lived. According to some archaeological data, Lullingstone Villa had the walls of a private chapel with pictures of people who were praying. (Hening, 1984) Fig.8 The Wall picture from the Christian Chapel in Lullingstone Villa, which shows people at prayer. The British Museum The archaeologists found a mosaic at a villa in Dorset which showed Jesus Christ with a symbol chi-rho behind his head. The orange fruits stand for the symbol of plenty. (see fig.9) Fig.9 The head of Jesus Christ painted on a mosaic from the villa at Hintin St.Mary in Dorset. The British Museum The archaeologists found a lead tank of the 4-th century from Walesby in Lincolnshire. It proves the fact that in order to become a member of the Christian Community it is necessary to be baptised with water by a priest. (see fig.10) Fig.10 A small part of a lead tank from Walesby which was used for Christian Baptism which shows people who are preparing for a babtism. City and Country Museum in Lincoln. The other interesting archaeological finding represents Roman silver vessels and spoons used in communion service.(see fig.11) Holy Communion is a significant part of Christian worship in with the members of the community believe that the priest must change wine and bread into Jesus Christ blood. (Millet, 1990) Fig.11 Church plate and silver vessels found in Water Newton, Cambridgeshire, the 4th century. The British Museum. Christians began to built churches in the 4th century. It is known that they had an apse which represented a small semi-circular area at the east part where the altar was located. (see fig.12) Fig.12 Reconstruction illustration of a Roman Church in Colchester. The apse is at the end of the building. Illustration be Peter Foster. Colchester Archaeological Trust CONCLUSION In the Roman Britain towns played an important role. They were the centers of trade, culture and government. It is known that in Britain before the Romans rule there were no towns or cities. All the towns were built by the Romans in different parts of Britain. For example, such towns as Colchester, Gloucester and Lincoln were built instead of legionary fortresses. The retired soldiers lived there. The towns in Roman Britain were not large (about 10000 people). Religion in the towns and cities of Roman Britain was more idealized than in the country-side. The temples were built mostly in the towns. Speaking about the villages in Roman Britain, it is necessary to say that rural religion was represented by the local culture and worship saved from the Iron Age. Rural religion fell behind urban religion. Moreover, there was a great difference in language too. In some remote mountainous regions, the people spoke Celtic language while in the towns the soldiers and traders spoke Latin. Nevert heless, rural religion which was mostly Pagan religion, later could be replaced by the Christianity. The above mentioned archaeological examples prove the obvious growth of Christian elements in the life of country-side in Romano-British period.

The Metamorphosis- Critical Essay -- essays research papers

Frank Kafka is considered one of the most influential writers of all time. Helmut Richter would agree with this statement. Richter agreed that Kafka was a very prominent figure in world literature and was amazed by his mechanics and word usage. I feel that his essay is supportive of Kafka’s writing, but also leaves out many important details in its brevity. Richter did not include Kafka’s flaws and tendencies in his essay. Helmut Richter analyzed the plot of The Metamorphosis in his essay. He depicts the main plot of the story to be Gregor’s failure at his work, which leads to his death. The climax of the story starts off early in the book. When Gregor wakes up one morning, he realizes that he has turned into a giant insect. Gregor was a salesman and his job required that he was very determined in his work. Kafka proves to us that Gregor did not do a good job as a salesman by transforming into a bug: a strong work force. Kafka’s use of this metaphor stresses the poor work that Gregor does as a salesman. Many people would argue that Kafka reflects his personal life in The Metamorphosis. These people would describe it as an autobiographical work. Kafka’s parents were very similar to that of Gregor. He was born into a wealthy family and his father was an overbearing man. His mother was a very nice woman, as Gregor’s was in the novel, but she often took the side of his father. The striking resemblance of the families is that of Gregor’s sister. Kafka’s sister, like Gregor’s si...

Comparing and Contrasting Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus and Rita Doves The Darker Face of the Earth :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Comparing and Contrasting Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus and Rita Dove's The Darker Face of the Earth Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus can be argued that it is related loosely to Rita Dove's The Darker Face of the Earth. This comparative and contrasting characteristics that can be seen within both plays make the reader/audience more aware of imagery, the major characters, plot, attitudes towards women, and themes that are presented from two very different standpoints. The authors Sophocles and Dove both have a specific goal in mind when writing the two plays. In this paper I will take a closer look of the two, comparing and contrasting the plays with the various elements mentioned previously. Sophocles style of plot structure was usually to begin in media res. This is particularly true of Oedipus Tyrannus. When the reader or audience is first introduced to the main character, Oedipus is already a grown man and king of his country. In the first few lines, talk of a "fiery plague ravaging the city" is mentioned (Sopochles 3). In the very early stages of the play the reader begins to feel pity for Oedipus and recognizes his suffering. The time span is also another important factor to consider when analyzing the plot structure. The play in its entirety takes place within a one to two day period. The flashback scenes into Oedipus' childhood give the audience a better sense of the big picture, but can be misleading when focusing on the time aspect element. The roles of the characters are particularly useful when comparing and contrasting Oedipus to Darker Face. Oedipus can be argued to be a sympathetic ruler of his people, "my heart must bear the strain of sorrow for all..." (4). He shows a strong desire to rid the land of its despair. Yet as the reader captures a more in-depth glimpse into Oedipus' soul, we find him to be a jealous, stubborn, "blind", guilty, and sinful man. Oedipus' character outwardly seems to want nothing more than to find the guilty persons involved in the murder of Laius, yet when given obvious clues he turns a blind eye, not wanting to know the truth behind the prophecy.

Love Poems Essay -- Poems Poetry Love Emotions Essays

Love Poems Have the love poems, you have read given you a better insight into the emotion of love? The subject of ‘Love Poetry’ has given rise to some of the most beautiful and fascinating poetry. The poets illustrate their feelings, or the feelings of the people concerned with them through the use of figurative language. A love poem is not necessarily a poem about romantic love, about romance, marriage and commitment; it could be something else entirely. It seems to be Universal. Timeless. Yet, it's also very individual, filtered by our own lives and expectations. Love can be a different thing for each one of us. Not all love poems deal with happy positive sides of love but there is also the negative sides such as pain, sadness and loss. Through these poems ‘When We Two Parted’, ‘Remember’, ‘First Love’, ‘How Do I Love Thee?’, ‘A Woman To Her Lover’, and ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ we become familiar with the different emotions associated with love. Christina Rossetti’s ‘Remember’ is a poignant poem written in the 19th century about loss of love. Rossetti lived in the 19th century where people were often preoccupied with the idea of death and perhaps this is what influenced Rossetti. Rossetti shows the cruel hand of fate can interweave in love.’ Remember’, the title doesn’t reveal much about the poem but as we read the first line ‘Remember me’, we know that the poem is written in first person and when she says ‘I am gone away’ ‘into the silent land’, we come to know that she is going to die. This arouses our sympathy for her. Love has been disrupted by death. ‘of our future that you planned:’ this relation is strong and is experienced. She wants her husband to remember her even when she is not ar... ...s and what they want from women and with this we get a pretty clear idea of the Duke. In conclusion I would say that love can be of many types and it can lead to so many positive sides and negative sides. Love can also be interrupted by death, jealousy. From Christina Walsh’s poem ‘A Woman To Her Lover’, I have learnt that love should not only be service, worship, physical desires, but there is more to it. Love should be from the heart and not from the mind unlike John Clare ‘First Love’. I have also noticed that love has a spiritual and physical meaning. It is also divine as to Christina Walsh and Elizabeth Browning. Through ‘First Love’ I would be aware of the beauty of women around the world but not let loose of my self and if failed not to give up all hopes like John Clare. The emotions love in these poems has given me a different insight on love.

Research on the Effects of Media Violence

Whether or not exposure to media violence causes increased levels of aggression and violence in young people is the perennial question of media effects research. Some experts, like University of Michigan professor L. Rowell Huesmann, argue that fifty years of evidence show â€Å"that exposure to media violence causes children to behave more aggressively and affects them as adults years later. Others, like Jonathan Freedman of the University of Toronto, maintain that â€Å"the scientific evidence simply does not show that watching violence either produces violence in people, or desensitizes them to it. † Many Studies, Many Conclusions Andrea Martinez at the University of Ottawa conducted a comprehensive review of the scientific literature for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 1994. She concluded that the lack of consensus about media effects reflects three â€Å"grey areas† or constraints contained in the research itself.First, me dia violence is notoriously hard to define and measure. Some experts who track violence in television programming, such as George Gerbner of Temple University, define violence as the act (or threat) of injuring or killing someone, independent of the method used or the surrounding context. Accordingly, Gerber includes cartoon violence in his data-set. But others, such as University of Laval professors Guy Paquette and Jacques de Guise, specifically exclude cartoon violence from their research because of its comical and unrealistic presentation.Second, researchers disagree over the type of relationship the data supports. Some argue that exposure to media violence causes aggression. Others say that the two are associated, but that there is no causal connection. (That both, for instance, may be caused by some third factor. ) And others say the data supports the conclusion that there is no relationship between the two at all. Third, even those who agree that there is a connection between media violence and aggression disagree about how the one effects the other.Some say that the mechanism is a psychological one, rooted in the ways we learn. For example, Huesmann argues that children develop â€Å"cognitive scripts† that guide their own behaviour by imitating the actions of media heroes. As they watch violent shows, children learn to internalize scripts that use violence as an appropriate method of problem-solving. Other researchers argue that it is the physiological effects of media violence that cause aggressive behaviour. Exposure to violent imagery is linked to increased heart rate, faster respiration and higher blood pressure.Some think that this simulated â€Å"fight-or-flight† response predisposes people to act aggressively in the real world. Still others focus on the ways in which media violence primes or cues pre-existing aggressive thoughts and feelings. They argue that an individual’s desire to strike out is justified by media images in which both the hero and the villain use violence to seek revenge, often without consequences. In her final report to the CRTC, Martinez concluded that most studies support â€Å"a positive, though weak, relation between exposure to television violence and aggressive behaviour. Although that relationship cannot be â€Å"confirmed systematically,† she agrees with Dutch researcher Tom Van der Voot who argues that it would be illogical to conclude that â€Å"a phenomenon does not exist simply because it is found at times not to occur, or only to occur under certain circumstances. † What the Researchers Are Saying The lack of consensus about the relationship between media violence and real-world aggression has not impeded ongoing research.Here’s a sampling of conclusions drawn to date, from the various research strands: Research strand: Children who consume high levels of  media violence are more likely to be aggressive in the real world In 1956, researchers to ok to the laboratory to compare the behaviour of 24 children watching TV. Half watched a violent episode of the cartoon Woody Woodpecker, and the other 12 watched the non-violent cartoon The Little Red Hen. During play afterwards, the researchers observed that the children who watched the violent cartoon were much more likely to hit other children and break toys.Six years later, in 1963, professors A. Badura, D. Ross and S. A. Ross studied the effect of exposure to real-world violence, television violence, and cartoon violence. They divided 100 preschool children into four groups. The first group watched a real person shout insults at an inflatable doll while hitting it with a mallet. The second group watched the incident on television. The third watched a cartoon version of the same scene, and the fourth watched nothing. When all the children were later exposed to a frustrating ituation, the first three groups responded with more aggression than the control group. The children who watched the incident on television were just as aggressive as those who had watched the real person use the mallet; and both were more aggressive than those who had only watched the cartoon. Over the years, laboratory experiments such as these have consistently shown that exposure to violence is associated with increased heartbeat, blood pressure and respiration rate, and a greater willingness to administer electric shocks to inflict pain or punishment on others.However, this line of enquiry has been criticized because of its focus on short term results and the artificial nature of the viewing environment. Other scientists have sought to establish a connection between media violence and aggression outside the laboratory. For example, a number of surveys indicate that children and young people who report a preference for violent entertainment also score higher on aggression indexes than those who watch less violent shows. L. Rowell Huesmann reviewed studies conducted in Australia, Fi nland, Poland, Israel, Netherlands and the United States.He reports, â€Å"the child most likely to be aggressive would be the one who (a) watches violent television programs most of the time, (b) believes that these shows portray life just as it is, [and] (c) identifies strongly with the aggressive characters in the shows. † A study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation in 2003 found that nearly half (47 per cent) of parents with children between the ages of 4 and 6 report that their children have imitated aggressive behaviours from TV.However, it is interesting to note that children are more likely to mimic positive behaviours — 87 per cent of kids do so. Recent research is exploring the effect of new media on children’s behaviour. Craig Anderson and Brad Bushman of Iowa State University reviewed dozens of studies of video gamers. In 2001, they reported that children and young people who play violent video games, even for short periods, are more likely to behave aggressively in the real world; and that both aggressive and non-aggressive children are negatively affected by playing.In 2003, Craig Anderson and Iowa State University colleague Nicholas Carnagey and Janie Eubanks of the Texas Department of Human Services reported that violent music lyrics increased aggressive thoughts and hostile feelings among 500 college students. They concluded, â€Å"There are now good theoretical and empirical reasons to expect effects of music lyrics on aggressive behavior to be similar to the well-studied effects of exposure to TV and movie violence and the more recent research efforts on violent video games. Research Strand: Children who watch high levels of media violence are at increased risk of aggressive behaviour as adults In 1960, University of Michigan Professor Leonard Eron studied 856 grade three students living in a semi-rural community in Columbia County, New York, and found that the children who watched violent television at home behav ed more aggressively in school. Eron wanted to track the effect of this exposure over the years, so he revisited Columbia County in 1971, when the children who participated in the 1960 study were 19 years of age.He found that boys who watched violent TV when they were eight were more likely to get in trouble with the law as teenagers. When Eron and Huesmann returned to Columbia County in 1982, the subjects were 30 years old. They reported that those participants who had watched more violent TV as eight-year-olds were more likely, as adults, to be convicted of serious crimes, to use violence to discipline their children, and to treat their spouses aggressively. Professor Monroe Lefkowitz published similar findings in 1971.Lefkowitz interviewed a group of eight-year-olds and found that the boys who watched more violent TV were more likely to act aggressively in the real world. When he interviewed the same boys ten years later, he found that the more violence a boy watched at eight, th e more aggressively he would act at age eighteen. Columbia University professor Jeffrey Johnson has found that the effect is not limited to violent shows. Johnson tracked 707 families in upstate New York for 17 years, starting in 1975.In 2002, Johnson reported that children who watched one to three hours of television each day when they were 14 to 16 years old were 60 per cent more likely to be involved in assaults and fights as adults than those who watched less TV. Kansas State University professor John Murray concludes, â€Å"The most plausible interpretation of this pattern of correlations is that early preference for violent television programming and other media is one factor in the production of aggressive and antisocial behavior when the young boy becomes a young man. However, this line of research has attracted a great deal of controversy. Pullitzer Prize-winning author Richard Rhodes has attacked Eron’s work, arguing that his conclusions are based on an insignifica nt amount of data. Rhodes claims that Eron had information about the amount of TV viewed in 1960 for only 3 of the 24 men who committed violent crimes as adults years later. Rhodes concludes that Eron’s work is â€Å"poorly conceived, scientifically inadequate, biased and sloppy if not actually fraudulent research. Guy Cumberbatch, head of the Communications Research Group, a U. K. social policy think tank, has equally harsh words for Johnson’s study. Cumberbatch claims Johnson’s group of 88 under-one-hour TV watchers is â€Å"so small, it's aberrant. † And, as journalist Ben Shouse points out, other critics say that Johnson’s study â€Å"can’t rule out the possibility that television is just a marker for some unmeasured environmental or psychological influence on both aggression and TV habits. Research Strand: The introduction of television into a community leads to an increase in violent behaviour Researchers have also pursued the link b etween media violence and real life aggression by examining communities before and after the introduction of television. In the mid 1970s, University of British Columbia professor Tannis McBeth Williams studied a remote village in British Columbia both before and after television was introduced. She found that two years after TV arrived, violent incidents had increased by 160 per cent.Researchers Gary Granzberg and Jack Steinbring studied three Cree communities in northern Manitoba during the 1970s and early 1980s. They found that four years after television was introduced into one of the communities, the incidence of fist fights and black eyes among the children had increased significantly. Interestingly, several days after an episode of Happy Days aired, in which one character joined a gang called the Red Demons, children in the community created rival gangs, called the Red Demons and the Green Demons, and the conflict between the two seriously disrupted the local school.Universit y of Washington Professor Brandon Centerwall noted that the sharp increase in the murder rate in North America in 1955 occurred eight years after television sets began to enter North American homes. To test his hypothesis that the two were related, he examined the murder rate in South Africa where, prior to 1975, television was banned by the government. He found that twelve years after the ban was lifted, murder rates skyrocketed. University of Toronto Professor Jonathan Freedman has criticized this line of research.He points out that Japanese television has some of the most violent imagery in the world, and yet Japan has a much lower murder rate than other countries, including Canada and the United States, which have comparatively less violence on TV. Research Strand: Media violence stimulates fear in some children A number of studies have reported that watching media violence frightens young children, and that the effects of this may be long lasting. In 1998, Professors Singer, Sl ovak, Frierson and York surveyed 2,000 Ohio students in grades three through eight.They report that the incidences of psychological trauma (including anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress) increased in proportion to the number of hours of television watched each day. A 1999 survey of 500 Rhode Island parents led by Brown University professor Judith Owens revealed that the presence of a television in a child’s bedroom makes it more likely that the child will suffer from sleep disturbances. Nine per cent of all the parents surveyed reported that their children have nightmares because of a television show at least once a week.Tom Van der Voort studied 314 children aged nine through twelve in 1986. He found that although children can easily distinguish cartoons, westerns and spy thrillers from reality, they often confuse realistic programmes with the real world. When they are unable to integrate the violence in these shows because they can’t follow the plot, they a re much more likely to become anxious. This is particularly problematic because the children reported that they prefer realistic programmes, which they equate with fun and excitement.And, as Jacques de Guise reported in 2002, the younger the child, the less likely he or she will be able to identify violent content as violence. In 1999, Professors Joanne Cantor and K. Harrison studied 138 university students, and found that memories of frightening media images continued to disturb a significant number of participants years later. Over 90 per cent reported they continued to experience fright effects from images they viewed as children, ranging from sleep disturbances to steadfast avoidance of certain situations.Research Strand: Media violence desensitizes people to real violence A number of studies in the 1970’s showed that people who are repeatedly exposed to media violence tend to be less disturbed when they witness real world violence, and have less sympathy for its victims. For example, Professors V. B. Cline, R. G. Croft, and S. Courrier studied young boys over a two-year period. In 1973, they reported that boys who watch more than 25 hours of television per week are significantly less likely to be aroused by real world violence than those boys who watch 4 hours or less per week.When researchers Fred Molitor and Ken Hirsch revisited this line of investigation in 1994, their work confirmed that children are more likely to tolerate aggressive behaviour in the real world if they first watch TV shows or films that contain violent content. Research Strand: People who watch a lot of media violence tend to believe that the world is more dangerous than it is in reality George Gerbner has conducted the longest running study of television violence. His seminal research suggests that heavy TV viewers tend to perceive the world in ways that are consistent with the images on TV.As viewers’ perceptions of the world come to conform with the depictions they s ee on TV, they become more passive, more anxious, and more fearful. Gerbner calls this the â€Å"Mean World Syndrome. † Gerbner’s research found that those who watch greater amounts of television are more likely to: * overestimate their risk of being victimized by crime * believe their neighbourhoods are unsafe * believe â€Å"fear of crime is a very serious personal problem† * assume the crime rate is increasing, even when it is not Andre Gosselin, Jacques de Guise and Guy Paquette decided to test Gerbner’s theory in the Canadian context in 1997.They surveyed 360 university students, and found that heavy television viewers are more likely to believe the world is a more dangerous place. However, they also found heavy viewers are not more likely to actually feel more fearful. Research Strand: Family attitudes to violent content are more important than the images themselves A number of studies suggest that media is only one of a number of variables that put children at risk of aggressive behaviour.For example, a Norwegian study that included 20 at-risk teenaged boys found that the lack of parental rules regulating what the boys watched was a more significant predictor of aggressive behaviour than the amount of media violence they watched. It also indicated that exposure to real world violence, together with exposure to media violence, created an â€Å"overload† of violent events. Boys who experienced this overload were more likely to use violent media images to create and consolidate their identities as members of an anti-social and marginalized group.On the other hand, researchers report that parental attitudes towards media violence can mitigate the impact it has on children. Huesmann and Bacharach conclude, â€Å"Family attitudes and social class are stronger determinants of attitudes toward aggression than is the amount of exposure to TV, which is nevertheless a significant but weaker predictor. † Undoubtedly that th e media has an effect on our lives. The debate that rages is whether or not the media has a negative and discernible effect on us as human beings. How much does the media effect out actions, our houghts, our decisions and, in general, our lives? We live in a society which praises individuality and freedom, and therefore to most people it is a scary thought that an outside source, such as the media, has such a large effect on our lives, and therefore it is no surprise that most people do not believe that the media has a strong effect on them. But when it comes to children, the debate becomes more personal. It is common knowledge that children are very impressionable, and that the people they meet, their parents, and teachers can have a huge impact in the lives of Children.I myself can attribute much of my current interests and behavior to the effect my parents had on my when I was a child. Today, though, many children are in poor families (the child poverty rate in America is now aro und 35%), and, as a result, many children often do not have parents that reside at home. Often both parents work long hours, and the children have nothing else to occupy their time except for the media, especially television media. How does what the child sees on TV effect his or her behavior?The real question that faces society is does the increasing amount of violence and sex on TV effect children? My personal opinion is that violence and sex in the media greatly effects a child's development. The amount of sex and violence on TV today dwarfs what was on when I was little. Does a day not pass when their is a story about a child killing another child, or an even younger girl becoming pregnant? When I go an elementary or middle school I am shocked at the types of clothing that the children wear, and the way that they talk and act.Even elementary school children know about things that I did not learn about till I was in High School, and in my opinion things they should not know ab Ki ndergarten teachers in many school across the country, often in poor immigrant neighborhoods, no longer get to deal with innocent, wide eyed six year olds, but instead have to become conflict resolvers between children who see violence and intimidation as the only way to solve any problems. Teachers and Parents cannot compete with television.A study by the Mediascope Institute found that many children have already, by age six, spent more time watching TV than time they will spend talking to their fathers in their entire lifetime. Dean Geoffrey Cowan spoke in class about how the media does not effect everyone uniformly. He said that the effects of violence in the media may be stronger on some individuals than others, but that this effect is still significant. I agree with Dean Cowan, and I want to add that this effect is stronger in younger children than in any other age group.Many students in the class did not seem to believe that the media had a very strong effect on their lives an d as a result seem to assume that this effect is uniformly weak, and unfortunately I believe that it is thinking like that is making it so difficult for us as a society to tackle this problem. Studies have shown that the effect of violence in the media on children can be small, leading to more violent behavior in maybe 15% of children. But other studies have shown that this effect can be greater when children are â€Å"raised by the media†.It is hard to say whether a certain child will become more violent or aggressive due to the media, and I believe that other factors contribute to violence in children, such as problems at home, the influence of peers, or lack of a positive source of morals. But as a society we need to make sure that there are options for children in the media so that they do not have to exposed to so much mature content, and I believe that currently the protections in place are terribly inadequate. The effects of our modern media on our children is somethin g that we will not truly know for many years, if ever.History might give us a clue – the parallels between the advent of todays new media and the advent of books show that we could be in for a paradigm societal change. But no other media absorbed ones life in such a passive, complacent way as television and the Internet do to thousands of children. More research needs to be done in this field, but I believe that it is self apparent to everyone that the media does have a large impact on our lives. We determine our identity in relation to the media – our favorite television show, favorite band, favorite book, all are determined by the media to some extent.Ideally, as adults we would learn the skills to discern the effect of media on our lives and learn to control and to resist its temptations. Unfortunately most children and too many adults have not learn these skills. Everyone agrees that in today’s society, television has a significant impact on us all. How it a ffects children is of primary concern, as it is in childhood that we are given the tools we need to become successful, respectful citizens as adults. How exactly does television impact childhood, and what should we do to ensure that that impact is a positive one?Television is one of the first ways in which children learn about gender roles and stereotypes. Although family and peer groups also teach these roles, it is through television that children are inundated with the sex roles and stereotypes that reflect the ideas of a handful of people in charge of creating and programming this medium. Although these portrayals have broadened in the last ten or so years to include more diversity in gender stereotyping, there are still many television icons that denote negative gender images, such as the Bratz.Bratz are a Saturday morning cartoon and a glut of heavily marketed toys and clothing products that represent tweens and early teens as overly sexualized independent young women with att itude. Although I admire the strength and empowerment they embody, I am also incredibly concerned with the revealing clothing, heavy makeup, and defensive postures the characters all seem to take. I can’t help but wonder what a ten-year-old watching these girls would take away as being the feminine traits that they represent.Will she want to identify with the strength and independence or with the heavy-handed sexuality that she sees? Add to that television’s fascination with glamorous girl icons such as Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton, and what are young girls supposed to believe about being a girl? Boys likewise have macho images to imitate—superheroes and wrestlers and sports heroes. What does that teach them about being male? How does the repetition of these images teach boys how to respect others, cooperate, and engage with those around them?These problems with television’s sex and gender stereotypes can only make it more difficult for these children to develop socially and emotionally. Being taught these gender stereotypes may make it almost impossible for some children to break out of those roles and become comfortable with all their traits and individualities. If a boy is taught by television that men are always strong, what does he do with his own characteristics that defy that stereotype—does he continue to build his nurturing qualities or quash them in an effort to fit in?Do children learn that relationships only work when both people are behaving according to television’s ideas of their gender stereotypes, or do children learn to accept and respect people along the entire continuum of gender traits? If children are lost in this quagmire of conflicting information about who they should be and how they should act, clearly they will not be able to develop the strong self-esteem they need to be successful, either at school or in relationships. There is a strong bond between all three of these developmental area s.There are lots of arguments made that television is a bane to the moral development of children. Violent television, especially, has been examined in over 1000 studies and reviews, and has been found guilty on the charges of increasing fear and aggression in children who watch too much violent. However, in many shows and in children’s programming especially, morality is key, with the entire story line being written around one character’s moral dilemma and the healthy resolution of that dilemma, offering children a way to see how morality works in action in ways that apply to their lives.Cognitively, there is some ambiguity of the impact of television. There is the argument that television is responsible for the â€Å"dumbing down† of America, that television is responsible for shutting down our brains and acting as a tranquilizer. But there are also a great many good educational and instructional shows that teach children interactively in ways that books simpl y cannot, and a perceptive look at television programs today verses those created twenty years ago reveals that shows have actually gotten more complex, with layers of storytelling and subtle nuances that audiences have to work harder to comprehend.Clearly, television is a powerful tool that can alter a child’s ideas about the world. How those ideas change and how the child changes in response demonstrate how the tool was used. Television can be detrimental to childhood; in fact, too much television watching is strongly correlated with childhood obesity. The time spent in front of the television could often be better spent in other ways—with friends, actively playing, or doing homework—and this often has negative consequences for the child, such as poor relationships or worse performance in school content. However, television watching can also be productive for children.Television can offer children the chance to see other parts of the world and other cultures w ithout having to leave home. Children’s educational programs and documentaries can teach them about animals, science, math, reading—just about any subject the child has an interest in. The key to making the time spent watching television rewarding is the manner in which it is done. If parents take the time to choose carefully the programs they want their children to watch, and then sit down and watch the show with them, asking questions to promote understanding, then that time is highly beneficial for the child.However, if parents don’t take the time to choose the child’s programs and just sit Junior down and let the television act as babysitter, then the time spent watching television will not only probably not teach that child new things, but he will also not be participating in the powerful social interaction he craves. In a 2001 article in The Nation, author Maggie Cutler makes the point that although television viewing is a rite of passage for Americ an kids today, parents need to remember â€Å"the rule of the real†: that real life is always more powerful. A real conversation is always better for children than watching one on television.Parents don’t need to go to the extreme of keeping their children from watching television completely; they just have to keep in mind moderation and attention is best. For parents, the question of whether or not to let a child watch television is like the question of whether or not to let a child eat at McDonald’s. There are potentially good and bad effects of each, and both decisions weigh on a child’s health. A cheeseburger and fries every once in awhile won’t do any lasting damage; nor will an hour of cartoons just for entertainment every now and then.However, a menu with little more than that will cause grave damage to a child’s development physically, emotionally, cognitively, and socially. Negative Impact of Television on Children something with pl ay – dough. Since there is no scope for imaginative games in the lives of busy parents television seems to be the most inexpensive way of filling the gap and playing the role of an ideal baby sitter. Watching WWF fights, is on the other hand watching a show full of thumps, knocks, hurting an opponent, and jumping on senselessly. This program clearly sends out the message that ‘fighting is fun'.If children are constantly brought up in front of a television then reading habits are not instilled in them, and they are not encouraged to participate in outdoor activities. Only the world of television is their own private world. Of course when television replaces human companionship there is also a good chance of the child being influenced by it. Young children cannot process the information which they are imparted by the television, same way as adults. They think that whatever they are watching is true and this may lead to the corruption of their minds if too much violence is viewed by them.Parents should take strict action so they can limit the negative impact of television as much as possible. They should set rules as to what should be watched and what should be avoided. Alternative to television should be provided, for example if a parent starts spending more time with the child, reads books with him or her, indulge in creative games and indoor crafts, there is every possibility that the child will start shunning television for the better means of entertainment provided. To end it, I say that parents attitude towards the children acts as the building block of their futures.