Swing Valley Poem Analysis

Pursue of happiness Contentment can help people move forward, it is also a way of freezing time to connect to the past. To compromise to happiness is hardly possible. However in the poem Swing Valley, and the excerpt from Home Place, the speakers are able to find joy by means of nostalgia. They seem to pursue happiness by recollecting favourable memories from the past, and being in the physical reminiscence that shapes their past. Through the development of the character, Ronald, and the speaker from Swing valley, we are able to apprehend how recollection memories can lead to happiness.When it comes to ecstasy, it’s not a word in Ronald’s dictionary. Though, as he revisits his child-hood memories, everything suddenly becomes clear. As Ronald was looking for a companionship in life, he jumped from the frying pan and into the fire. â€Å"’I can’t stand it. I can’t sleep there no longer. ’† The regret and sorrow he’s feeling made h im longing for joy. Through further understanding of Ronald, we realise that he is feeling nostalgic towards his past, his childhood, and his true passion – creating model airplanes. Primarily, he pursued for happiness as he married Darlene, out of lust, and loneliness.For what seemed to Ronald was unattainable, he later discovers that joy was something that actually could be reached by recalling what he loved, rather than what he thought he loved. He found himself under the silhouettes of his model air planes that covered his walls. He found himself understanding the concept of delight. He found himself having minimal interest in anything other than the model air planes that he loved even as a young man. Simple moments such as gravitational loss can help us discover happiness in the present. Ordinary may have different meanings to different individuals.Some ordinary flashes of nostalgia have helped people renew connections of the past to the present. The descriptiveness of F rank Gaspar’s Swing Valley shows the readers how much a nostalgic event can sink so deeply to one’s memory. Even the precise description of â€Å"still sitting on the knot, his hands clutching the rope as the bitter end trailed down like a plume of smoke. † The speaker has strong feelings of the tense atmosphere that they were in, as he relates it to the moment of release. In life, this is a metaphor of that moment of finally achieving the goal you’ve trying to accomplish for years.As the speaker recalls that moment, he immediately thinks of the time when he’s free of gravity. It wasn’t just a rope swing. As Ronald finds joy, he wishes that he â€Å"should never have left. † Regretting how much happier life should have been. The speaker from Swing Valley finds happiness through remembering the wonderful memories of the past and reflects the present with it. These characters discovers the pursuit of happiness as they come across moment s of nostalgia, and as they’re longing for their past to compromise their happiness in the present.

Reducing College Tuition Essay

Abstact There is a need to reduce the cost of college tuition in America. The rising costs threaten the ability and desire of students to attend college, but there are ways for both parents and students to make going to college more affordable. The Need to Reduce College Tuition With the cost of education on the rise, students are asking that time aged question, will they be able to attend college? The answer is yes, and without taking on the burden of overpriced tuition fees and loans. Attending community college has become a trend across the country and offer continuing education with little to no direct cost to students. Dual enrollment options, where a student can take a class that counts towards both high school and college credits are becoming increasingly popular with a large proportion of these students enrolling through two-year colleges and universities. Economic downturns are also believed to attract many students to community colleges, acting as a more affordable route to higher education at a time when money is tight and jobs are scarce. In 2007, 6.3 million students enrolled in community colleges in the United States, representing 34 percent of all undergraduates, and 46 percent of all undergraduates at public institutions. (25 Ways to Reduce t he Cost of College Tuition, 2006) Community college enrollments have grown considerably over the last half-century, reflecting a general increase in demand for postsecondary degrees seen in this period. However, little attention is given to the fact that community colleges have quietly gained not only in enrollments, but in public institution market share as well (25 Ways to Reduce the Cost of College Tuition, 2006). Colleges and universities are not in a position to give you a discount on the cost of tuition. What they can do, however, is offer you gift aid in the form of scholarships, grants and work-study programs to reduce your out-of-pocket cost of attendance. Even if you’ve been awarded some gift aid from the school in your financial aid award letter, there may be additional aid available that the school can use to attract desirable candidates (Negotiating Your College Tuition, 2012). Once you’ve been accepted to a colleges or university, look at their published tuition rates and your financial situation. While public colleges will generally have a lower tuition, keep in mind that private, non-profit colleges are more dependent on tuition money, so they may be especially willing to make a deal with you – receiving less tuition money from a student is better than receiving no money at all, and you should always ask about other monies that may be available through programs and scholarships. If you do not ask, the school will not divulge this information willingly (Negotiating Your College Tuition, 2012). President Obama offered a plan Friday to reduce the costs of higher education by increasing the amount of federal grant money available for low-interest loans and tying it directly to colleges’ ability to reduce tuition (WP Politics, 2012). In an impassioned speech before 4,000 students at the University of Michigan, Obama delivered an election-year pitch to the type of youthful audience that buoyed his 2008 campaign, saying his administration was putting colleges â€Å"on notice† that they must rein in soaring prices. (WP Politics, 2012). â€Å"You can’t assume you’ll just jack up tuition every single year,† Obama said to cheers at Glick Field House (Obama, 2012), the school’s indoor football facility. â€Å"If you can’t stop tuition going up, your funding from taxpayers will go down. We should push colleges to do better; we should hold them accountable if they don’t† (Obama, 2012). With all the talk during the run for president, it will be great to see if all the plans for college tuition being lowered are true. We have thousands of students graduating from colleges across the country, and if they cannot find jobs that will pay them enough to pay back student loans, they will find themselves drowning in debt, and this will not be good for the student or the economy. These people will not be able to establish credit, buy a home or even purchase a vehicle. They will fall further in debt as the interest rate on the loan accumulates. This is why tuition fees need to be reduced, so even if a student does not come straight out of school with a high paying job, they will be able to make affordable payments on their loans without being overwhelmed. Tuition fees are scary. References 25 Ways to Reduce the Cost of College Tuition. (2006, September). Retrieved from Center for College affordability: http://centerforcollegeaffordability.org/uploads/25Ways_to_Reduce_the_Cost_of_College.pdf Negotiating Your College Tuition. (2012). Retrieved from Campus Explorer: http://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/422D4AF3/Negotiating-Your-College-Tuition/ WP Politics. (2012, November 02). Retrieved from The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-outlines-incentive-plan-to-reduce-college-tuition-costs/2012/01/27/gIQAc92fVQ_story.html

George A. Romero`s The Land of the Dead Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

George A. Romero`s The Land of the Dead - Essay Example George Romero is one such writer-director who is a political filmmaker by heart but uses his gift for satire with horror movies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This flick also tackles a political angle to it where it is shown that there is a feudal kind of Government in America. The people left alive, in the movie, have fled to the city which is protected from all four sides, with three sides having rivers and the third has an electric barricade and military might. The fourth in the series of the previous trilogy of zombie movies by Romero this had the most complex social and political backdrop. All these movies were made in style and had strong political overtones. The New York Sun wrote that it was, ‘the American movie of the year’. Romero has successfully entwined the zombie horror of the characters with political allegory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The movie which shows a feudal-like Government in Pennsylvania, here Romero tries to allegorize with the fact that there is a s upreme social hierarchy. In such systems of social hierarchy the rich remain rich and the poor remain poor and in specific times of turbulence, this system still continues with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer till the upheaval comes to turn tables.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is a movie which shows horror and also works as a commentary on the political and social situation in the country. According to Brian Wilson, a writer and filmmaker, â€Å"Land of The Dead may be seen as a necessary reaction to the present atmosphere of terrorist threat, political disillusionment and George W. Bush† (Wilson 2002).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Romero here, in this political allegory is a critic of the people of the American society who are cooped up in their holes, not wanting to face the reality. They are the apathetic citizens who close their eyes to the problems of global disturbance and terrorism, which has most affected the United States of America, and are waiting for somebody else to take that first step.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is a violent and gore movie with an edge of satire to it which showcases that the city of Pennsylvania is being attacked by zombies, who moan and groan, produce an unintelligent grunting sound and have only one basic desire – to each human flesh. They are evolving and are everywhere. Over the last three movies of Romero, the zombies have learnt to use their brains and they are firing arms. They have learnt to think and communicate and they have memories to guide them through on their path of gothic destruction. This change in the character of the zombies over the horror movies by Romero, also imply the shift in the political situation of America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Big Daddy played by Eugene Clark is the monster who gets the sympathy from the audience. He and all the zombies in the movie represent the suppressed middle class and the lowest of the lower class, which gets killed by the zombies and become o ne of them. The rich elites are holed up in a skyscraper, their bastion, Fiddler’s Green where they think they will be safe from the walkers. But unfortunately for the rich folks, the zombies strike them and ironically, the elites find that the electric barricade which they had for their safety has now turned into a solid wall, barring their own escape. The only people who stand between complete zombification of the city are a few handfuls of mercenaries led by Riley, played by Simon Baker. These mercenaries also have commercial interest

The History of Relationship between the Women and the Unions Research Paper

The History of Relationship between the Women and the Unions - Research Paper Example Historical researchers indicate that the U.S has always witnessed the tumultuous relationship between women and unions. Kessler –Harris termed the unions to be ‘agents of social closure.’ Studies by Kessler – Harris show that the unions were indifferent towards working women. Kessler – Harris says that unionists considered this available ‘nimble and cheap’ women labor as competition. Women were considered as a weak link in the labor movement as they were a part of unskilled workers and were looked upon. Unionist’s considered women a threat as they thought that the women would not be able to represent men in the union. A study by Brenner and Rams suggests that wages and graduation at work were the two aspects which made the unions exclude the women from being a part of it. As said earlier women were a part of unskilled labor and worked at a very low rate as compared to the men. So including the women into the unions meant the decli ne in the wages as well as degradation of the work which threatened the economic position of the working men. The historical, as well as the sociological literature, suggests that the relationship between the women and the unions was particularly strained because of the dual nature of the unions: commitment to small-scale bread-and-butter gains on one hand and working women own reliance on their status as different on the other. As per the studies of Kessler – Harries, women presented themselves as a â€Å"weaker† sex to obtain protective laws for short hours, better pay and better working conditions. It was particularly after World War I that the trade unions started believing that for their own economic gains they need to create â€Å"unified† front which meant women were in direct competition with the men for jobs. But however, they were conveniently excluded from the union memberships. But this did not stop women from unionizing. Women unionized in the femal e dominant trades like garment but again did not hold any position of leadership.

Political Kuwait before & after oil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political Kuwait before & after oil - Essay Example A look into the performance of the country in the eighteenth and nineteenth century shows that Kuwait was a key link between trading partners of the Mediterranean region and India. The location of the country in the Middle East allowed effective access to seaports and desert land, where merchants engaged in successful trade activities. With trade taking place all around Kuwait, mercantilism best defines Kuwait in the period prior to oil discovery and subsequent exploration. The economic condition of this city-state was subject to the influence of massive trade activities both within and outside Kuwaiti borders. Following trade developments and increase in the number of merchants in Kuwait, social and political practices became evident in the country. This realization would eventually set developmental pace for an oil rich nation. In the social context, merchants were influential people in Kuwait until after oil was commercialized. The primary social organizations in Kuwait comprised of Mariners and Bedouin. These groups closely related with the merchants and rulers of the nation. Politically, Kuwait was ruled under traditional practices until the post oil period, which saw the promulgation of the state’s constitution. Politically, Sheikhs worked closely with merchants in governing Kuwait before the oil era. Following oil discovery and subsequent exploration, Kuwait joined the richest producers of oil in the world. The commercialization of oil meant economic transformation through oil revenues and social organization in terms of the positive impacts of oil wealth. In the post oil era, Kuwait significantly shifted from trade to oil exploration in the 1950s. Government revenues, under the Sheikh-based rule, increased significantly. Political activities further heightened, thereby depicting reduced leadership collaboration between rulers and merchants/trade partners. Most importantly, mariners became organized

BHS 420 Quantitative Reasoning (Module 2-SLP) Essay

BHS 420 Quantitative Reasoning (Module 2-SLP) - Essay Example e creative process, how (or if) the depressive element constrains the artist, and how the balance of the two phases of Bipolar Disorder contribute to artistic expression. Does the manic cycle of Bipolar Disorder positively impact the artist? In dealing with famous, but dead, artistic masters, the disease was untreated. Current news headlines are full of instances where untreated bipolar sufferers engage in anti-social or even criminal behavior. I understand that the manic phase of the disease can cause people to engage in high-risk behavior and poor judgment, but it also induces a sense of euphoria and a feeling of invincibility. I think it is possible that the manic side of bipolar fueled much of the artistic expression; or at least the work it took to create the symphony, manuscript, or painting. It is not hard to imagine one of the three artistic geniuses noted above sitting over their work in the middle of the night fully charged with energy and passion. The modern bipolar sufferer would be medicated for insomnia—but what about the effect of having so much energy channeled into a creative act? I want to know how mania contributed to the pr ocess. Does the depressive cycle constrain the artist? Similarly, the depressive cycle of bipolar can render people virtually helpless; bedridden or mentally unable to be productive at all. Yet it seems to me that the â€Å"dark† side of bipolar might have contributed to the creative process. One only has to listen to â€Å"Moonlight Sonata† to recognize a bipolar cycle; the first movement is dark and slow, the second is like a ray of sunshine on a flowered field, and the third is this combination of incredible energy fused into the dark theme. Rather than being constrained, Beethoven seemed empowered by the depression. Conversely, Hemingway would have long periods of no creativity at all—often he wrote in a drunken stupor—and then burst forth with the great American novel. I would like to understand the

MGR #7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MGR #7 - Essay Example It is evident that grace contributes to transforming us from our presumed commitment to God to a condition of delight as emphasized by Joanne. Additionally, the idea that grace is at the disposal of man to utilize in establishing a relationship with God was quite liberal. The author stresses on the use of human abilities in altering their ways. According to how the author presented her thoughts, it is noted that her book reflects her aspirations for others to reform their insights into Gods grace. She aspires that people use their abilities to change their ways God. Grace is a property of the Supreme Being demonstrated in the salvation of sinners. The Christian expectations often hold that there is an action in the relationship that exists between God and people in a way that must be seen through supernatural understandings. As much as grace is available for optional use by whoever wishes, the framework jeopardizes the salvation process as it makes Christians continuously lag behind in their spiritual

Discussing Cases Concerning the Difficulties in Defining the Elements Assignment

Discussing Cases Concerning the Difficulties in Defining the Elements of Homeland Security - Assignment Example Being able to secure one’s country though is never easy, especially on the part of those that are noted as the heating point of cultures where a diversified of the human population grows, such as that of the United States. SAFETY of the nation. This is the primary aim of the application of the different procedures implied in creating a much safer society that is best to serve the values of the people living within the communities that are known for freedom and popular understanding of democracy. This, in particular, includes the United States which is understandably noted for its realization of democracy and the importance it particularly makes certain in the different laws and regulations it creates in the ways by which it reconnects itself with all the other nations around the world. Possibly, through the existence of these major elements of national status, the United States is noted for always assuring that the entire nation is under a specific level of security that nurtures its belief and upholds its dignity towards the importance of democracy among its people. This is the reason why it has naturally been debated how the nation’s governmental administration should deal with the threats to their homeland security while being able to find the right procedures needed to deal with the accused terrorists who are within the territories of the United States (Worth, et al 1999: 17). Through the laws that had been made dealing with these individuals lawfully had been naturally created to at least protect them too of their rights as humans. This is the reason why it has naturally been constantly debated how a homeland security law could actually be balanced and impartial in handling both the values of the country and the values of the accused individuals of terr orism, despite the fact that at some point, some of these accused individuals have already been proven of giving lesser  respect to the humanitarian values of those who have become their victims.

Teacher Professional Development and Student Achievement Gains Research Paper

Teacher Professional Development and Student Achievement Gains - Research Paper Example There are many options in developing the skills and knowledge of teachers. The most appropriate approaches to professional development aim at gaining high student performance. The research conducted on the professional development of teachers focus on the personal traits of teachers and classroom activities. Research helps to find the appropriate way of developing teachers so that students achieve high performance. This paper gives an analytical review of the teacher professional development, which is aim at increasing student learning and achievement. The activities and content, which must be included in teacher professional development, include student learning, skills of the teacher and the subject matter (Jogthong & Pimolbunyong, 2009). There are two categories of studies into the professional development and student achievement. The first category mainly focuses on the traditional teaching skills of teachers. The ability of a teacher in allocating adequate time for lessons is th e area of assessment so that the teacher adequately develops his or her ability to allow sufficient time for student learning (Frampton & Vaughn, 2003, p. 292). The development of the teacher therefore should focus on enabling the teacher to be able to apply critical thinking and taking all learning factors into consideration in allocating time for lessons. For example, the teacher should be able to allocate time for lessons depending on the level of education, abilities of students, and the nature of the subject he is teaching. In teacher professional development, the ability of the teacher to provide vivid demonstrations in class is an important consideration. This will enable the development of the skills of the teacher towards ensuring that he is able to provide illustrations and demonstration in class so that the understanding is a priority. This is more important in elementary education where learners require instruction aids such as photographs as a way of enhancing leaning a nd student achievement (Ross & Bruce, 2007). The content and activities, which constitute teacher professional development, also include determination of the ability of the teacher on the student comprehension or understanding during learning. For successful achievement of learning by students, learners must comprehend what the content of the lesson (Jogthong & Pimolbunyong, 2009). Assumption of the teacher that students have understood the content of the lesson may be wrong. As a result, the professional development of elementary school teachers must enhance the skills of the teacher and knowledge as a way of ensuring that he is able to know whether students comprehend the information on the topic of discussion. This will promote student learning because a professionally developed teacher will be able to know the areas of the class topic, which he should repeat or demonstrate further to enhance student understanding (Frampton & Vaughn, 2003). In professional development of teachers , the skills of the teacher in maintaining the attention are also part of the enhancement of the skills of the teacher (Spencer, 2007, 211). Students in the elementary school are easily distracted. The teacher should be able to maintain the attention of students if the achievement of the leaning objectives is to be possible. The decisions on the success of professional development should therefore emanate from the ability of the teacher to ensure that students focus on the lesson. If there are distractions, the teacher shou

Define an SLA and state why it is required in a risk adverse organization Essay Example for Free

Define an SLA and state why it is required in a risk adverse organization Essay 1. This is a closed-book, closed-notes quiz. No reference material (including assignments and labs) will be permitted for use during the quiz session. 2. The quiz contains the following types of questions: * Short essay type 3. Place your answers in the space immediately following each question. Quiz Questions 1. Define an SLA and state why it is required in a risk adverse organization. A SLA is a service level agreement, which is a contract between the ISP and the company. A SLA gives the company an idea of how much time they will be without services, should something happen with the ISP. A SLA is important to a company in making recovery plans, knowing what critical systems need to be available for a continuance of business and formulation of disaster recovery. 2. Using the user domain, define risks associated with users and explain what can be done to mitigate them. The user domain has several risk’s involved, as people are involved and there is no way employees can be monitored without the use of CCTV. Social engineering a person trying to obtain information through malicious means. The greatest tool in mitigating risk in the user domain is training and reminders for users to be aware of their surroundings. No acceptable user’s policy, AUP, or lack of training employees on the correct usage of the network. User accounts left active, if the employee is terminated, and another employee has the log on credentials. Mitigation would to be disabling all user accounts upon termination. . 3. Using the workstation domain, define risks associated within that domain and explain what can be done to reduce risks in that domain. The use of USB’s or disk, the files could contain viruses and infect other files or applications on the network. No acceptable user’s policy, AUP, or lack of training employees on the correct usage of the network. The users staying signed into their accounts when leaving their desk. Session timeout would help with this risk, but training and follow up with need to be done as well. 4. List four compliance laws or regulations or mandates, and explain them. HIPAA- covers all healthcare industries and states all patient information must be encrypted in storage, transmissions, and restrictions on access to the information. SOX- cover all publically traded companies and require auditing of the accounting procedures of the business. The reports required by SOX are reported to the SEC. Access to the financial information is restricted and based on need to know. FISMA- covers government agencies and is to ensure all assets of the government are protected. Assets like information, operations and actual machinery are protected from hackers or internal threats. Guidelines to develop a security guideline for government agencies, requires regular audits. CIPA-Child Internet Protection Act- covers federally funded entities’ than provide internet services to individuals, schools and libraries. The Act requires content filters to be used to prevent children from being exposed to harmful content, pornography and illicit sites on the internet. 5. Define risk with a formula. Explain what each variable means. Risk= Threat x Vulnerability- Threat is any compromise in the network that can be used for malicious behavior, an example worm, or Trojan horse. Vulnerability- is a weakness in the software or OS of a network that can be exploited for malicious intent. The two multiplied equals a risk to the information, assets or intellectual property of a business.

Investing in property shares

Investing in property shares http://ezinearticles.com/?Pros-and-Cons-of-Indirect-Investingid=1506834: Investing indirectly means purchasing shares of companies that hold large portfolios of securities on behalf of their share holders. Indirect investing is a great opportunity for those who are willing to start investing with a small amount, having no previous knowledge or experience of stock markets ups and downs. You can decide if indirect investing is the right choice for you after examining the following features. The advantages associated with investing in property shares is that investors gain from greater liquidity since property company shares are publicly traded and the time taken to buy and sell these shares is far shorter than the time taken to buy and sell real property. Investors can create diversified property portfolios of property company shares at relatively low costs and in most cases, buying into diversified property portfolios in acquiring those shares. Transaction costs are lower than direct purchase. Finally since the price of publicly traded shares are known at any given time, there are no uncertainties as to the value of them. This is a contrast to direct investment with the buying and selling of real property, whereby it can take a matter of days to establish the values. Possibly the biggest advantage of indirect investment is the expertise and high standard management that comes along with investing in indirect property investment vehicles, as far as someone who knows little about property investment is concerned. Property investment companies have experts specializing in investment analysis and portfolio management and these companies will always stand a better chance for positive yields as compared to a common man who barely knows about financial markets. Furthermore another advantage with indirect investment vehicles is the opportunity for the investor to capitalise on discounts and premiums, especially in the case of close-ended funds. The net asset value of investment companys share keep going up and down based on companys performance and these shares are not always traded on net asset value. If sold at a price lower then net asset value, these are said to be sold at discount and if the price is higher then net asset value, they are selling at premium. This provides an opportunity to earn, even when the Net Asset Value has not changed. Neverthless there are disadvantages to investing in property shares. Firstly, the prices of property shares move up and down with the stock market, as such they are more voliatilie. Between 1970 and 1992 the annualised standard deviation of UK property shares was 27 per cent compared to 11 per cent for direct property as measured by the Jones Lang Wooton Index (Barkham and Gelthbner, 1995). It should be noted that when the impact of gearing was removed form property share prices and when the JLW series desmoothed, the standard deviations were much clooser in magnitude. Since according to finance theory, risk-adjusted returns should equalise, property companies should offer higher average performance to compensate investors with this volatility. Secondly another disadvantage is that since property companies are taxed on their profits , their is no full tax transparency . As such tax-exempt investors such as pension funds are unable to claim back corporation tax. A notable disadvantage of investing in indirect property vehicles is that although mutual funds are managed by qualified professionals and experts, no expert can guarantee a profit on every investment made. There are many uncontrollable variables involved and then there is always a chance of unpredictable happening, normally referred to as the great unknown. Mutual funds can be divided into different categories on basis of risk, for example hybrid fund being less risky while specialized stock funds falling in the high risk high return category. Another disadvantage is the charges involved in buying into property shares, trusts and funds. Investment companies do not provide the high quality portfolio management services for free. This can off putting to the would be investor because they also have to pay additional charges associated with dealing through a broker as most property investment companies do not offer direct purchase plans. Also, most of these companies run excessive marketing and sales campaign because of competition. Some part of this expense is also charged from investors, known as sales load. In addition, another disadvantage is the lack of control that the investor has in guiding their investments. This can be off putting to a investor who wants control and they have to alternatively rely fully on the companys management decisions regarding investment. Another shortcoming is that investing in property shares, trusts and funds are not guaranteed by any government body or authorities nor do they provide any specific protection. The shareholder has little influence over the acquistion and disposal decisions made by the company, nor overfinancing decisons (the amount of borrowing -gearing or leverage and the issuing of new shares which dilute the value of existing shares). Since share prices should reflect judgements about the quality of management, the equity markets provides some form of discipline. The shareholder may also find it difficult to obtain full information on the property assets and development schemes of the company, particularly where there exist complex own ership structures with joint ventures and off balance shet holdings. The advantages of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are alike to that of property shares in terms of lot size, liquidity, public trading and price information, with the added advantage of tax transparency. As many researchers have pointed out, there has been an explosive growth of the REIT market. For example the market capitalisation of the industry has gone from $1.88 billion in 1972 to $44.31 billion in 1994 for the total index with a substaintial amount of that growth in the equity index (without healthcare). Also the breakdown between two types of REITs in the index was as follows: 205 equity REITs with a reported value if $62.06 billion (70.4 per cent of total assest value); 32 mortgage REITs with a reported value of $21.78 billion (24.7 per cent); and 23 hybrid REITs with a reported value of $4.34 billion (4.9 per cent). This boom in the market was a direct result of the 1986 Tax Reform Act that allowed greater management flexibility and established a less restrictive tax environment as such more tax transparency, creating the conditions for growth in the REIT market. However, in common with property company shares, REITs exhibit higher volatility than the direct market. The advantages of investing in Property Unit Trusts and Managed Funds is that they offer relatively low unit costs , allowing investors to acquire an interest in a diversified property portfolio without excessive commitment of capital. However there are potential disadvantages in terms of lack of management control and illiquidity. In theory, there is some liquidity in that units may be redeemed on a monthly basis. In practice, in a poor market or when a when a high proportion of units are attempting to sell, the manager may defer redemption. Furthermore, the spread (gap between unit purchase and redemption prices) tends to increase when there is selling pressure, harming performance. Finally, since selling pressure tends to occur in falling markets, sales take place in poor conditions and are, in effect, forced rather than open market sales. These disadvantages temper the benefits in terms of lot size and diversification. The disadvantages of conventional debt instruments such as mortgages, mortgage debentures and bonds is that the lender as a investor cannot benefit from any growth in rents and capital values: there is downside, but no upside risk. The risk-adjusted return will, therefore, change with conditions in the property market. Innovative forms of debt funding have similar characteristic. Deep discount bonds are sol below par (that is, at less than their face and redemption value) so that the investor obtains capital growth on redemption. A number of hybrid debt-equity instruments have been developed which enable the investor to participate in market performance. Since convertible mortgages are loans secured on a property (or, possibly, a portfolio of properties). The lender has an option to convert some or all of the loan into a direct or indirect equity interest in the property. Thus, the lender can benefit from greater than anticipated growth in the property market. The borrower can benefi t from lower interest rates or from the lender permitting a higher loan to value ratio, thus reducing the borrowers own equity input. Furthermore there are tax and accounting advantages in participating mortgage structures for both the borrower and the lender, whereby the lender receives a premium related to the sale price (or agreed valuation) at redemption. However, a legal problem the fact that the lenders call option acts as a clog the equity of redemption, preventing a borrower from clearing debt and thus owning the asset unencumbered has, at the time of writing, not been decisively resolved and has been the subject of Law Commission deliberations in the UK. The principal advantages of property derivatives relate to their low unit costs , the ability to gear up investment and the ability to gain exposure to the property market without incurring high levels of specific risk (for example, a PIC enabled an investor to track the IPD portfolio then valued at some  £40bn) for just  £250,000. However, there are a number of drawbacks. These include questions about the information content of commercial property indices, lags in the publication of the indices and the fact that the investor is buying into average performance and cannot hope to outperform the market. he key condition for successful development of property derivatives is the establishment of an active secondary market. This requires sufficient market capitalisation, investors prepared to trade actively in the market (as opposed to buying the initial offering and holding it to redemption) and, critically, differences in opinion as to future trajectories of the underlying assets o r index. There must be buyers and sellers. Once established, it is possible that price movements in the derivative market will, as in other capital markets, have implications for pricing in the underlying direct property market. The introduction of UK REITs means small investors are now able to invest indirectly in a truly diversified property portfolio, buying low cost and easily tradable units, instead of having to purchase, say, entire properties. A major advantage of UK REITs is their tax-efficient nature. Investors avoid the double taxation that any investor in property company shares faces, as tax wont be payable on rental or capital gains earned within a REIT (as the REIT organisation is exempt from corporation tax on qualifying property income and gains). Investors will only be liable for the tax due on income received as dividends. Because UK REITs pay out such a large portion (90%) of their profits in dividends, theyre also particularly attractive to small income-seeking investors. Without the challenges associated with the current double taxation regime, UK REITs may differ from existing quoted property companies in that their prime focus may be less about capital growth than maximising shareholder dividends. They are able to meet the needs of the property investment market and the small investor in that they offer regular and potentially high-yielding returns. Also access to property investment for small investors is for minimal outlay as such there is less exposure to their investments. It offers portfolio diversification for investors and as such more leverage against risk. Buying into REITs offers a more attractive form of diversification than by buying into a wider range of bonds or equities simply because they have a higher correlation with diversification than equities and bonds have (reita.org, All about REITs) Liquidity easy to buy/sell Lower transaction costs compared to buying property directly (stamp duty on direct property is up to 4%, whereas buying shares in a UK REIT will only be subject to stamp duty of 0.5%)Access to property investment in a variety of sectors and geographical locations Strong corporate governance. The major concern about investing in REITs as a means of gaining exposure to the commercial property market is their correlation to equities. Because REITs are stock market listed companies, the performance of their shares is inevitably affected by the performance of the market. In the short-term, ie over periods of less than 18 months, the performance of REITs shares is likely to be more closely correlated to that of other shares than it is to that of commercial property. Having said that, commercial property, whether direct or indirect, should be considered for long-term investment rather than short-term speculation. Like any investment, the value of a REIT can go down as well as up and past performance isnt necessarily an indicator of future performance. If you are looking for advice on where to invest, Reita would always recommend seeking independent financial advice from an investment professional.

The Use of magic in A Midsummers Night Dream :: William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Nights Dream

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The use and misuse of magic has an important role in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As a reoccurring theme, Puck’s use of magic creates humor, conflict and balance in the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The magic of Puck changes the head of Bottom into that of a donkey. Puck’s own use magic adds more humor to the already comical and over-confident character of Bottom. Puck’s magic also creates a great deal of humor in the dealings of Bottom and Titania. The contrasted humor is clearly shown as Titania weaves flowers into the hair of Bottom’s donkey like head. Titania is a beautiful and delicate creature, while Bottom is completely grotesque. Magic creates an unreal image of Bottom, which in turn creates a comical contrast between Bottom and Titania. As part of the already comical sub-plot, Bottom’s altering through magic adds even more humor to the overall play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next, the misuse of magic causes conflict among the four Athenian lovers. When Puck mistakenly applies the love potion to Lysander’s eyelids. At this point, both male characters of the main plot have fallen in love with Helena, leaving Hermia out of balance. The struggle of the four lovers is one of the more complicated conflicts in the play. The conflict could have been avoided if Puck did not misuse his magic. However, because Puck mistakenly used his magic on Lysander, conflict erupted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lastly, just as Puck’s magic caused turmoil and chaos among the lovers, it also aided in restoring balance. As the play ends, Puck no longer holds Lysander under his spell, however, Demetrius remains enchanted. It is important that Lysander is no longer enchanted. At this point, Lysander can return to Hermia. It is equally important that Demetrius remains under Puck’s magic because it is the only way that he will love Helena. The Use of magic in A Midsummers Night Dream :: William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The use and misuse of magic has an important role in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As a reoccurring theme, Puck’s use of magic creates humor, conflict and balance in the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The magic of Puck changes the head of Bottom into that of a donkey. Puck’s own use magic adds more humor to the already comical and over-confident character of Bottom. Puck’s magic also creates a great deal of humor in the dealings of Bottom and Titania. The contrasted humor is clearly shown as Titania weaves flowers into the hair of Bottom’s donkey like head. Titania is a beautiful and delicate creature, while Bottom is completely grotesque. Magic creates an unreal image of Bottom, which in turn creates a comical contrast between Bottom and Titania. As part of the already comical sub-plot, Bottom’s altering through magic adds even more humor to the overall play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next, the misuse of magic causes conflict among the four Athenian lovers. When Puck mistakenly applies the love potion to Lysander’s eyelids. At this point, both male characters of the main plot have fallen in love with Helena, leaving Hermia out of balance. The struggle of the four lovers is one of the more complicated conflicts in the play. The conflict could have been avoided if Puck did not misuse his magic. However, because Puck mistakenly used his magic on Lysander, conflict erupted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lastly, just as Puck’s magic caused turmoil and chaos among the lovers, it also aided in restoring balance. As the play ends, Puck no longer holds Lysander under his spell, however, Demetrius remains enchanted. It is important that Lysander is no longer enchanted. At this point, Lysander can return to Hermia. It is equally important that Demetrius remains under Puck’s magic because it is the only way that he will love Helena.

Salem Witch Trials :: essays research papers

The Salem Witch Trials: Fact or Fiction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American history is a collaboration of all of the wonderful events and the not so successful ones that make up this great country that we call the United States. Records of this fabulous nation date back all the way to dates way before our original founding fathers. However, few episodes of American history have aroused such intense and continuing interest ad the trials and executions for the witchcraft which occurred in Salem Massachusetts in 1692. Historians have scrutinized the event from many perspectives; novelists and playwright from Nathaniel Hawthorne to Arthur Miller have capitalized upon its inherent dramatic possibilities. The value, then, of a collection of primary documents relating to this event would seem to be clear, or would it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Witchcraft had been around long before the Salem witch trials. â€Å"Indeed by 1692 the â€Å"witch craze,† which had begun in Europe around 1500, was distinctly on the wane so that the trials in the Salem Village were among the last of the major outbreaks-if the execution of only twenty persons entitles this outbreak to be called â€Å"major† in the history of European witchcraft.† However, if this was one of the last instances of witches, why is it so famous? They are different in many ways. â€Å"Before the outbreak at Salem Village, trials for witchcraft had been fairly common events in colonial America, but they had not invariably resulted in executions or even in conviction.† The other reason the trials are so famous, is the highlight of this paper about proving that the trials were just an act put on by the children who started this outbreak. â€Å"Only in 1692 did the accusations multiply so quickly and develop an entire commun ity.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On February the 29, 1691/1692, the warrant for the arrest of Sarah Good was handed to Constable George Locker, who would go to the home of William and Sarah Good and arrest her. It was written in her warrant, that she had displayed witchcraft on the children of the village: Elizabeth Paris, Abigail Williams, Anne Putnam, and Elizabeth Hubert were the children involved. An interesting point however, is that the children did not make the complaint to the courts. It was the fathers and relatives of Joseph Hutchinson, Thomas Putnam, Edward Putnam, and Thomas Preston that went to the courts and made the complaint for the children. In addition, in the warrant for her arrest, it said that she had hurt the children several times over the past two months.

Rating Othello Essay example -- Othello essays

Rating Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Is this Shakespearean tragedy Othello at the top of the rating chart, or is it just near the top? And why? This essay intends to examine various aspects of this subject, along with critical opinion.    This play ranks near the top. The Bard’s presentation of emotions, character, of good and evil actions that are down-to-earth – these are sometimes seen as the main reasons for the high ranking of Othello. Louis B. Wright and Virginia A. LaMar in â€Å"The Engaging Qualities of Othello† maintain that the popularity of this play has been consistent for about 400 years because    it treats emotions that are universal and persistent in human nature. Its characters do not exist on a plane far removed from ordinary life; we are not asked to witness the conflict of kings and conspirators beyond the experience of everyday people; we are not involved in the consequences of disasters on a cosmic scale; what we witness is a struggle between good and evil, the demonstration of love, tenderness, jealousy, and hate in terms that are humanly plausible. (126)    The realistic aspect of the play presents a full range of characters, a full range of emotions, a full range of motivations, a full range of actions – just as are present in real society. The down-to-earth, realistic consideration is very important to Othello’s enduring popularity.    Francis Ferguson in â€Å"Two Worldviews Echo Each Other† ranks the play Othello quite high among the Bard’s tragedies:    Othello, written in 1604, is one of the masterpieces of Shakespeare’s â€Å"tragic period.† In splendor of language, and in the sheer power of the story, it belongs with the greatest. But some of its admirers find it too savage [. . .]. (1... ...d Nothing.† Essays on Shakespeare. Ed. Gerald Chapman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1965.    Heilman, Robert B. â€Å"The Role We Give Shakespeare.† Essays on Shakespeare. Ed. Gerald Chapman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1965.    Levin, Harry. General Introduction. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.    Wright, Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. â€Å"The Engaging Qualities of Othello.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Rpt. from Introduction to The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare. N. p.: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1957.      

Topics in Cultural Studies Unit 3 Group Project

Abstract India, Africa, China, and the Americas all experienced syncretism in different ways and at different levels of intensity. Some benefited economically and culturally from this exchange of cultures and goods. Some would have been much better off if left alone. We will discuss the different effects of syncretism on these countries and how they are still feeling these effects today. Syncretism: the Assimilation of Cultures By definition, syncretism is the attempted union of different principles or cultures.Syncretism is a term that can be applied to English Colonists in North and South America when they attempted to merge with various native tribes. These colonists introduced many new things to the natives including religion, weapons, medicine, and various customs. The new technology was similar to magic to these groups of people who were accustomed to living among the trees and wildlife in the wilderness. Africans were able to gain from the many technological advances of the Eu ropeans. A large portion of African culture derived from European Language, religion and customs (Sayre, 2010).On the contrary, only a small portion of African culture was adapted to European culture. The Europeans could have learned much from the seemingly primitive African Nation. Unfortunately Europeans treated Africans like commodities to be bought and sold. In America, Europeans attempted syncretism with the Native Americans with moderate success. The majority of Native Americans were peaceful and open to change. It wasn’t until the European Settlers made life altering changes like destroying herds of buffalo that syncretism became difficult and resulted in events like the Trail of Tears ( The Trail of Tears , 2012).Overall the Native American and African Cultures were open to change and made little resistance to syncretism. On the other hand the Chinese were like a boulder resisting the great force of a flowing river. Archeological Evidence suggests that China was inhab ited nearly 2. 4 million years ago (Larick, 2000). Needless to say that Chinese History is extraordinarily vast and unendingly resistant to syncretism. Europeans did manage to set up trade with the Chinese and create Silk Road. European Missionaries traveled to China on many occasions. Most Significantly the Jesuit Missionaries had a great impact on China.Missionaries like Matteo Ricci moved to China and completely assimilated with their culture in order to introduce Jesuit beliefs to Buddhists and Taoists (Dunne, 1962). Although he was welcomed by the Chinese, he still found great resistance when trying to find converts. India was very similar in its reaction to syncretism because like China, India possesses a vast history. Archeological evidence suggests that Hominids walk the immense and beautiful lands of India over 500,000 years ago (Bongard-Levin, 1979). Once sea routes were found that allowed direct commerce between India and Europe, trading posts were formed.Like the Chinese the Indians welcomed Europeans and gained economically from this agreement. Although the Europeans were welcomed economically, religiously the Indians would not be moved. Missionaries like Jordanus Catalani traveled to India to save the souls of as many non-believers as possible. As the first Bishop in India he acted as a liaison for the Pope and found many converts in India (Ricci Institute, 2012). Although many were converted to Christianity most of India remained Hindu with no desire to convert. India never changed its culture as a whole.Although influenced by Europeans, India kept its ancient culture and way of life. Both China and India welcomed European visitors but resisted change because of their long standing histories and cultures. All four cultures had their own way of life before settlers attempted to add their way of life into the recipe. Length of time as a group did play into the amount resistance each group demonstrated. Another factor that came into play was the am ount of difficulty syncretism would cause each culture. Native American found little difficulty trading with English Settler until the demands of settlers became more and more unreasonable.Eventually most of the Native Americans were enslaved, killed, or expelled from what had been their home for thousands of years. Africans were similarly taken advantage of when European Colonists enslaved and sometimes discarded many. Africa gained much from European Colonization but also found more and more difficulty with syncretism. India and China took full advantage of economic gains of syncretism but never fully gave up their way of life. Today Africa, America, India, and China all have varying levels of cultural change as a result of syncretism. All have a presence of Christianity as a religion till this day. 2. percent of India are Christian while 4 percent of China and 40 percent of Africa share this faith (Central Intelligence Agency, 2012). In Africa, unfortunately one of the most lasti ng effects of syncretism is racism and the system of apartheid. India gained its independence from Britain in 1947 and still is an independent nation. India still has keeps many influences from British Government and relations between the UK and India are friendly. Had syncretism not occurred in the Americas, I believe that Native Americans would still live the way that had been living thousands of years before European Colonists forced syncretism on them.The South America the great cities of the Amazon would still be there today. Although technology would not be as advanced as it is now, life would be much more sustainable. These native cultures survived for many thousands of years because of their ability to live with nature not attempting to control nature. If cultural syncretism had taken root during early encounters in China and India unfortunately both of these countries might have suffered the same fate as Africa and the Americas.There would almost certainly be Indian and Chi nese slaves and these countries would have been forced to assimilate as much as the European Colonists felt was convenient. Many more people in China and India would be speaking English today and would be praying to Jesus Christ. Like a priceless masterpiece being thrown into mud, these cultures would have been tarnished or even destroyed. ? References: The Trail of Tears . (2012, November 25). Retrieved from Resource Bank: http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h1567. html Bongard-Levin, G. (1979). A History of India. Progress Publishers: Moscow. Central Intelligence Agency. (2012, November 20).Field Listing :: Religions. Retrieved from The World Factbook: https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2122. html Dunne, G. (1962). Generation of Giants. Notre Dame : University of Notre Dame Press. . Larick, R. C. (2000, February). Early Homo erectus Tools in China . Retrieved from Archeology: http://www. archaeology. org/0001/newsbriefs/china. html Ricci Institut e. (2012, November 25). Jordanus, Catalani, Bishop of Columbum, fl. 1302-1330. Retrieved from Ricci Roundtable: http://ricci. rt. usfca. edu/biography/view. aspx? biographyID=1415 Sayre, H. (2010). Discovering the Humanities. New Jersey: Pearson.

Stock Options

Stock options increasingly dominate CEO pay packages. This column outlines when economic theory suggests that options-heavy compensation is in shareholders’ interests. The answer is that boards of directors are likely giving too many executive stock options. As boards of directors have sought to align the interests of managers and stockholders, executive stock options have become an ever-larger fraction of the typical CEO’s total compensation (Murphy 1999). Occasionally this practice has led to aggregate compensation payments that are so large as to mock the very connection they are supposed to encourage. What does economic theory have to say about executive compensation in a dynamic context? From a conceptual perspective, how effective is the granting of stock options in promoting the correct managerial decisions? How confident can we be that when a large fraction of a manager’s compensation assumes this form he or she will be led to undertake the same labor hiring and capital investment decisions that the shareholders would themselves want to undertake if they were similarly informed? Managerial incentives and the design of compensation contracts are the systemic implications of executive remuneration are taken into account, that is, in a general equilibrium context; one finds that for a contract to induce managers to take the correct business decisions in the above sense, it must naturally have the following three features. A significant portion of a manager’s remuneration must be based, in one way or another depending on the context, on her own firm’s performance. This concurs with the general message of a wealth of microeconomics studies. But this is not sufficient. The general contract characteristics must also be such that the manager is not, as a consequence of this first requirement, enjoying an income stream with time series properties that are too different from the time series properties of the income stream enjoyed by shareholders. This later restriction arises because, as is well known, the income and consumption position of a manager will determine his or her willingness to undertake risky projects. Optimal delegation requires that this risk attitude is not too different from shareholders’ own. The second feature may have to be modified if the manager’s risk tolerance is inherently different from that of the shareholders. The typical motivation for stock options (as opposed to pure equity positions) is precisely that the (recurrent) lack of income diversification of a manager may make her excessively prudent (in pursuit of a â€Å"quiet life†). This is the idea behind setting executive compensation according to a â€Å"highly convex† contract, i. e. ne where the upside is really good, but the downside is not so bad. This asymmetry is necessary induce risk averse managers to make the right investment decisions from the perspective of well-diversified stockholders. Are options-dominated contracts warranted? Shareholders receive both wage and dividend income, with the wage or salary component being, on average, the larger of the two. This is an implicati on of National Income Accounting. In the typical modern economy, about 2/3rds of GDP is composed of wages, with capital’s income account for only 1/3. Points 1 and 2 above therefore imply that an optimal contract will have both a salary (with properties close to those of the wage bill) and an incentive component (with properties naturally linked to the income accruing to capital owners) with the former being about twice as large as the latter. The incentive component may take the form of a non-tradable equity position (giving the right to regular dividend payments) or it may be more closely tied to the firm’s stock price itself. Furthermore, both of these components enter linearly into the manager’s compensation function. In today’s business world, the salary component appears to be too small relative to the incentive component. Hall and Murphy (2002) report that the grant date value of stock options represented 47% of average CEO pay in 1999. Equilar, Inc. , an executive compensation advisory firm, reports that stock options awards represented 81% of CEO compensation for the largest 150 Silicon Valley firms in 2006. What happens to incentives if the salary component is too small relative to the incentive component? Such an imbalance between the components of a manager’s compensation will lead to excessive smoothing of the firm’s output from the shareholders’ perspective. They typically prefer a highly pro-cyclical investment policy whereas, without further inducement, the manager will be much more reluctant to exploit the good opportunities and instead select a mildly pro-cyclical or, even, possibly an anti-cyclical investment strategy. This problem is well recognized, and it is the main justification for using highly convex managerial compensation contracts (i. e. options). Convex contracts overcome this possibility by reducing the personal (expected) cost to the manager of increasing the firm’s investment when times are good. If the manager’s preferences are well represented by a logarithmic utility function of consumption, however, then this latter argument does not apply; the manager’s actions will be insensitive to contract convexity. That is, even a compensation contract that is heavily laden with options will not induce managers to alter their behavior one whit. A straightforward application of this logic produces an even more striking result. If the manager happens to be more risk averse than would be dictated by log utility – an entirely plausible configuration – the only way to induce optimal managerial behavior is by using a highly unconventional remuneration package in which the manager’s compensation is inversely related to the firm’s operating results. This would mean a contract that pays high compensation when profits are low and vice versa. In this situation an options laden compensation package will induce the manager to behave in a manner directly opposite to what the shareholders would like. More generally, the degree of contract convexity must be related to the relative risk aversion of the manager as compared to the shareholders and if these quantities are not precisely estimated large welfare losses will ensue. From a theoretical macroeconomic perspective, the circumstances under which a highly convex compensation contract, for example, one that has a large component of options, will properly guide the manager in making the correct hiring and investment decisions are very narrowly defined. It would be surprising if these circumstances were fulfilled in the typical contract case.

Frankenstein †1931 and 1997 Essay

Horror genre, sympathy for Frankenstein’s creation and suspense Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly wrote ‘Frankenstein’ in 1818. She was only 19 at the time. She had a unique upbringing as her mother was a radical feminist and her father was a politician. She then went on to marry Percy Bysshe Shelly who was a poet and helped her to write some of her book. Shelly’s book was thought to be the first horror/science fiction novel. There have been a number of productions of Shelly’s novel on stage and in 1931 there was a black and white movie about it, directed by James Whale. Then in 1997, Kenneth Branagh did his own production of the well-known novel. Scenes showing typical horror genre, sympathy for Frankenstein’s creature and scenes that create suspense are commonly found in the two movies of Frankenstein. The directors have used different media techniques to portray the movie in the way they want it to be viewed and interpreted by their choice of music, camera angles, special effects, editing, costumes, make-up, location and settings. The use of mise-en-scene is also important because if the things in the background don’t match what’s being acted the movie becomes unbelievable. Allowances like sound, colour and a few other things have to be made for the older versions of ‘Frankenstein’ because the technology in the days it was made were very limited. By studying the birth scenes in both versions, the techniques used to create horror, drama and suspense and sympathy for the creature can be analysed. There are some similarities in both movies and some differences. First of all I’ll explain the similarities and then the differences. In the Whale and Branagh versions both use low-key lighting to create a dark and spooky feeling. This is typical of horror movies and it can also create suspense because the audience can’t tell what is around the corners. This creates suspicion, worry and uncertainty. It is also used because it connects with people’s fear of the dark. It is common to find bad weather in horror movies and this is evident in both of the ‘Frankenstein’ movies. It is used just before and at the same time of the births. Whale and Branagh have used this technique because it gives a cold feeling and it gives credibility to what is happening in the foreground because the lighting, electricity is needed to make Frankenstein’s monster come alive. The locations of the births are quite typical too. In the Whale version it’s in a castle on top of a hill. Like ‘House on haunted hill’ and it looks creepy and somewhere you would want to be. In the Branagh version it’s more like hell with cauldrons, heat and sweat. It reminds me of a witch brewing an evil poison. Both places for the birth are effective in creating a ‘horror’ atmosphere but the second choice is less obvious. Non-diegetic, parallel fast background music can be heard in the birth scene in Branagh’s version and this creates suspense because it gets peoples adrenalin going. But it is typically found in horror movies for this reason in particular. In the Whale version there is no music but this could be because of how old the movie is and it was hard to sequence the music with the scenes. In the Branagh version of ‘Frankenstein’ one of the best ways sympathy is created for the creature is by the way he is presented to the audience. He looks almost human but has scars all over his face and body. It looks like someone who has been hurt badly and we feel sorry for him. On the other hand in the Whale version though it’s harder to feel sorry for Frankenstein’s monster because he looks less human and it’s harder to connect to him emotionally. In the Whale version ‘Frankenstein’ is wearing a lab coat and his hair is gelled back. He looks more professional and like a proper doctor. This makes us feel sorry for Frankenstein’s creation because it shows that Frankenstein just sees him as an experiment and not as a human being with feelings. Whereas in the Branagh version he looks more wild and rough looking. This gives us the feeling he does care about the outcome of the monster because he has been so busy trying to make the monster alive that he has forgotten about himself and when he thinks the monster is dead he goes â€Å"No, No, No†, implying that he is saddened that it didn’t work. In Branagh’s version of ‘Frankenstein’ you feel sympathetic with the monster when he is born, as he is naked, clumsy, and unable to walk. Amniotic fluid is everywhere and we watch Frankenstein’s monster slide and slip about. He appears vulnerable, like a baby. He can’t control what he’s doing and Frankenstein has to help him. This makes us pity him. This contradicts with the Whale version as we don’t get to see the monster moving about, trying to touch or walk in the birth scene so we don’t feel for him as much as he is still covered up and still practically lifeless.

Benefits of Media Fast Essay

Most of the innovations that happened in the twentieth are extremely valuable to human kind. Advancement in technology that mostly happened in the twentieth century has other various advantages besides making machines efficient and convenient. The discovery of computers has made work easier, and in addition, computers are a substantial contribution to effective communication. With the rising population, it is easier to control and regulate people by the use of computers. Through the same innovation, creation of social networking sites has brought the world closer. Social networking sites such as Facebook provide a credible platform for interaction among people from various communities across the world. In the course of interaction, individual perception of the social, economic, political, physical and spiritual world can be significantly influenced due to the constant exchange of ideas (Vorderer, 2006). However, technology has consumed people’s time and space, making it imposs ible to live without technology. This paper is going to explore the benefits associated with fasting from media for a weekend. First, fasting from media, including all electronic gadgets reduces impulse buying and unhealthy eating habits encouraged by advertisements. Advertisements encourage people to buy things that they really do not need. Impulse buying occurs due to advertisement; this is because of the nature of advertisement content which convinces consumers. On the other hand, branding of commodities entice buyers to purchase things that they don’t intend to buy. Advertisement cost is extended to consumers, hence making products to have a top-notch price compared to the initial price. The new arrival of a gadget in the market sets a certain class and advertisement plays a great role in promoting it (Vardi, 2011). Moreover, the information given about it can be misleading, for example, when an advertisement message speaks of nutritious food, while in real sense is chemically manufactured and it contains nothing nutritional. Emerging trends of luxurious goods, mostly compromise the market diversi ty since many people will be enticed on a new commodity’s arrival rather than analyze its exclusivity quality. This affects consumerism negatively. Fasting from advertisement exposure reduces risk of eating unhealthy foods, and also impulse buying. Secondly, media fast enable one to create and build relationships with family and friends. Technology has been blamed for the elevated exasperation in youth. The usage of smart phones for texting, internet and playing games has had a negative impact on their psyche, which has increased their frustrations. The adolescents get frustrated and agitated any time they are asked to do anything, especially when they are on the internet playing games. For example, when a mother asks a child to take out the trash can, the child will get very angry instantly since he or she thinks the mother is interfering with his or her chat or playtime, and such issues have led to the deterioration of mother- child relationships (Vardi, 2011). Additionally, a media fast will enable more interaction between people, which rarely occurs due to use of technological gadgets. Fasting from media helps in family and friends’ social bonding. Abstaining from the media over the weekend helps in relaxation and better sleep. People experience difficulties everyday because of the blue light given off by TV and computer screens. This light resembles the light given off by the sun, tricking the human body into reducing the melatonin production, a hormone responsible for sleep pattern (Price, 2013). People therefore, stay up late either surfing or watching movies instead of resting at night over the weekends. However, a media fast enable one to avoid watching television and being exposed to blue light, which results to a good night’s rest. Lack of sleep issue a serious health issue that can cause serious medical problems for a person. Media fast, therefore, eliminated the melatonin production interruption, enabling the body to rest well during the night and to consequently exhibit better health and energy the following day. Lack of physical activity in many adolescents is as a result of overusing technology. Advanced technology has provided a completely alternative and unique way of communication and way of interacting with one another. The youths are using applications like the apps, social networks, online games which has hindered the physical communication and interaction the kids used to have before the emergence of technology (Prasad, 2011). Youths that spent long hours on the internet are known to be lonely. When people are mainly on the internet, TV, and cell phone, they isolate themselves, feel neglected and their senses become over stimulated leading to obesity. These problems may later translate to heart attack, stroke and Diabetes or mental retardation that causes addiction to the internet or drugs, development of pervert behaviors and also, they may become very violent (Price, 2013). Although putting down media for a weekend is not enough to start exercising, the chance provides one with tim e to take a walk, meet new people, work on the garden, visit the gym and any other activity as long as one is doing something. Media fast helps in reducing stress related issues. People have become so addicted to media such that they cannot go without it. The constant flow of information, updates, TV and internet are quite overwhelming. As a result of this, many adolescents lack patience due to overusing technology. Patience being a key virtue in one’s life, lack of it may cause a person to lose his will. In today’s life one has to be determined and you cannot achieve it without being patient, which makes the impatient individuals to find it hard to survive. Vardi (2011) attests that many adolescents are losing tolerance, due to using technology wrongfully and for a long time. When the adolescents want to view a page and the internet is taking long to load they become very frustrated and impatient and this even translates to their daily lives and they may end up stressed. For the people who are employed, it is not possible to get any rest since they carry the office back at home! Smart phones a nd computers take the time intended for family. Turning of all these updates, internet and TV provides one with a chance to relax and avoid stress. Media fast enable people to think for themselves. Overusing the internet has seen many people lose their creativity and writing skills. This is as a result of excessive use of chatting engines and shortcuts which have seen the youths lose writing skills. It is difficult for a youth to even construct a sentence without putting in the shortcuts that make it lose meaning and cannot be used in a learning environment. They rely more on communicating in a digital way that they cannot even spell certain words, proper use of grammar is an issue and they are not able to do cursive writing (Vardi, 2011). However, this opportunity can provide them with a chance to use their mind. In conclusion, technology has again consumed people’s time and space, making it impossible to live without technology. Although the human brain is capable of keeping up with the high rate of technological advances, a breather once in a while may be useful to avoid stress and help in relaxation of the mind and body. References Prasad, P. (2011). Information communication technology (ICT) – its waste and consequences. International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, 363-363. Price, R. (2013). Technology and its Consequences. Radiography, 185-186. Vardi, M. (2011). Technology has social consequences. Communications of the ACM, 5-5. Vorderer, P. (2006). Playing video games: Motives, responses, and consequences. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Source document

Freytag pyramid used in A Farewell to Arms Essay

Freytag pyramid used in A Farewell to Arms - Essay Example In a work, â€Å"Freytag’s pyramid demonstrates how rising action, conflict, and resolution follow one another to create a narrative or drama† (Thursby 24). The novel, Farewell to Arms (1929) by the famous American writer, Earnest Hemingway takes the themes; war and love. The book has been noted for its resemblance with the life of the author himself. The novel is set on the Italian battlefield in Gorizia, Italy. It portrays a deep passion of love between Frederick Henry and Catherine Barkley. It is praised for its resemblance with many of the Shakespearean Plays. The author Earnest Hemingway had compared the novel with Romeo and Juliet of Shakespeare. Just like a renaissance play it has five books in it and each book stands for each element of the Freytag’s pyramid. To begin with, the first aspect of Freytag’s pyramid is exposition. According to it a play must introduce the characters, settings and should constitute a moving incident. The novel, if analys ed in this background, gives the setting as the warfare of Italian army during the First World War, and introduces Frederick Henry, the hero of the novel, as the ambulance driver in the Italian front. Even from the very beginning some speciality in Henry is noted as he was the only soldier who has not ridiculed the priest. The relationship with Rinaldi makes Henry introduced to the heroine of the novel, Catherine Barkley, the English nurse at the military hospital in Milan. The shell attack and Henry’s knee wounds happen to be the move of the exposition in the novel. This makes the heroine attached towards Henry. Both the warfront setting and the introduction of the theme love affirm the accomplishment of the first element of the pyramid, exposition in the novel. The second book of the novel shows the development of love between Henry and Catherine. Even though there are conflicts in their characters, the aspect of love takes root in their hearts deep. The thoughts of Henry a s a lover and as a soldier show the conflict in the character and so Catherine too develop such a conflict in her mind. The pregnancy of Catherine shows the ‘rising action’ of the book second. Here the readers can find out overwhelming conflicts in his minds regarding his duty as a soldier in the Italian front. Climax of Freytag’s pyramid has been defined as, â€Å"the turning point in the action, the crisis at which the rising action turns and becomes the falling action. In a five act tragedy, this usually occurs at the end of the third act† (Lenhart, & Edgar 211). The novel witnesses the going back of Henry to service, still bewildered, whether to adopt love or war. The retreat of the Italian army at Caporetto shows Henry’s hatred towards war and its destructions. The killing of sergeant by Henry and battle police’s arrest and the final jumping into the flooded river constitute the climax of the novel. The falling action of the novel starts with the incidents that happened after the climax. Henry’s search for Catherine first at Milan then at Stressa shows his desire to denounce war completely from their life. The life at Stressa with Catherine was peaceful in the beginning but the probability of arrest by the Italian army compelled Henry move to Switzerland. The sudden escape of Henry and Catherine in a row boat and the struggle of rowing to Switzerland in a very opposing climate

Recession in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Recession in UK - Essay Example Bankruptcy and unemployment on the other hand rises (Office for National Statistics, 2010). The general belief in the cause of inflation is that recession comes after there is an extensive drop in spending. In combating the problem of inflation, governments usually adopts expansionary macroeconomic policies. These involve increasing the amount of money in circulation, decreasing taxation and increasing government spending. In looking at the case of the UK Economy, it is a good example of the whole process of the period before recession and the macroeconomic conditions prevailing then, the start of recession and the conditions then, the whole recession period and the effect of the government actions on macroeconomic parameters and finally how the economy managed to come out of the recession. The recession in UK economy began after it had experienced two quarters of negative growth in the period between June and December of the year 2008. This led to the falling of the GDP by 1.5 percent during the three last months of the year after the previous quarter had dropped by 0.6%. This is the biggest decline in GDP between two quarters ever recorded after the year 1980. This second quarter experienced the biggest fall in GDP within the same period or quarter. This recession lasted for a period of 18 months and it is the longest recession in the UK economy ever. The economy was characterized by an increased public borrowing of up to approximately 178 bn, and the GDP went down by 6%. Credit Crunch is one of the factors that have been experienced in the UK economy during the recession period. This is an unexpected shortage of money for giving out as loans. As expected this leads to a fall in the amount of loans available. This can be caused by a sudden increase in interest rates, drying up of funds in the capital markets and a control of money directly by a government (Finance Blog, 2010). In the case of the UK recession, the credit crunch was as a result of a sharp increase in subprime mortgages which originated in America but the result was felt in the rest of the world. In the UK, not many bad mortgages where given out like in the US, as it was better controlled than in the US. This however led to a serious problem for Northern Rock which had a high percentage of loans which where risky. It was not able to raise enough funds when the crisis came by in the capital market. It thus resulted to asking the Bank of England to be given emergency funds. Because of this, the customers did not have faith with the bank any more and they thus started withdrawing their funds from the bank. The credit crunch has resulted in an increase in the price for mortgages in UK where mortgages have become expensive (UK Economy Ltd). Another factor experienced due to the recession is falling in prices for houses. This is as a result of the high cost of mortgages which has led to a fall in demand for houses. As a result, the price of houses has been forced to come down and this is a show that many are met with a negative equity. When the prices for houses are low, it means that the banks are not able to get back the initial loan. This has affected the firms dealing with such business like Bradford & Bingley which had specialized in buying and letting which is affected by falling house prices. There is a collapse in confidence in the entire sector of finance. This result in loss of confidence on

Linguistics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Linguistics - Term Paper Example Coprolalia is not only in verbal situations but some of its victims also show signs of obscenities like usually sticking the middle finger to the police and public, using the hands and body parts around the genitals to give gestures of sexual obscenities the deaf could also use sign language. The condition of Coprolalia is part of a condition called the Tourette syndrome (Timothy 20). I believe that since this is more of a social than a medical problem, it is the role of the society as a whole to educate itself about coprolalia. The society includes those suffering from the condition and those not suffering from it because both sides are victims. On the side of the affected, it is the role of those they interact with on a daily basis to educate them about the condition. For the young children, it is the role of their parents and teachers to teach them on how to control themselves when exposed to certain situations. The patient should be made to acknowledge that these words are involuntary and do not depict their actual opinions on the person he might have told. Teachers should teach the students not to be involved in situations that they are likely to get annoyed as their reactions are highly explosive. Therefore, as a child grows up, they will learn that they have to know to what extent he can carry on with an argument before they lose their cool and starts talk ing obscenities involuntarily. The parents should comfort their children by assuring them that even those suffering from this condition can lead healthy normal lives. Illustrations from family members and well known professionals can help assure the child of a bright future. It is important especially for the girls to be told that the condition is not hereditary and, therefore, their children will not necessarily have a similar condition (Mitzi 99). Since coprolalia is a condition of Tourette syndrome, public awareness of the condition can be done by giving contributions to the Tourette Syndrome

Family Cultural Heritage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Family Cultural Heritage - Essay Example As Lowenfield observed, play involves application of all necessary activities in a child’s self-generated and spontaneous activities that are an end in themselves; implying that such development is best realized when a child initiates an activity out of their own interests, and leads to knowledge and development explained above. In such development process through paly, children are limited by their cultural expectations and roles; society encourages each child to play a game that is in line with their general expectations or the parent has to ensure the security of children during such games. During my childhood days, the park behind our house was always my favorite spot to play. I was a little different from other girls in my hometown because most of them played indoors due to a hostile weather. My parents knew that I was born with great energy; therefore they introduced me to playing with equipment such as a bicycle and basketball. This is in accordance with the cultural theory in play, which explains the family influence of play aimed at instilling more meaningful social interactions that individuals adopt in their social groups. With only one sibling in my family, my brother was always my best friend; I believe the interaction in our playing crated a unique configuration of individuality, leading to the strong bonds between us. He was always the one that I played with in my childhood days because we had the same interest in sport. Every afternoon after pre-school, I would go cycling around my house area and after my brother got back from school, he would ask me to pl ay basketball together. The first thing he would ask before we played was to get the rebounds after the shots that he was practicing. I was pretty frustrated as he would not let me play with him, but he made excuses such as asking me how to learn to catch and pass before I could play with him. This

How Modern Terrorism Uses the internet Research Paper

How Modern Terrorism Uses the internet - Research Paper Example The Internet provides terrorists with several advantages. For example, terrorists could operate in a clandestine manner from a distance. Such endeavors could be across national and continental borders, and could be conducted without fear of detection or regulation. The expenditure and risk involved in cyber – attacks are significantly lower than a physical attack. Furthermore, cyber – attacks tend to attract the attention of the media to a considerable extent (Why Terrorists Use the Internet, 2005). These advantages are off setted by several disadvantages. For instance, the intricacy and distributed nature of the Internet makes it very difficult to control a terrorist attack and achieve the sought for objectives. Terrorist attacks on the Internet chiefly cause economic damage, and there is very little scope for employing such attacks to cause physical harm (Why Terrorists Use the Internet, 2005). As such, a terrorist attack that does not entail death and injury attracts less attention and is therefore less effective in spreading terror. Moreover, terrorists host websites that display terrifying videos of their brutal murders. One such video showed the brutal killing of an American journalist by the Islamic terrorists. The Islamic terrorist group, Al Qaeda employs advanced communication technology in conjunction with multimedia, in order to engage in a highly sophisticated form of psychological warfare (Weimann, 2004). The al Qaeda has unremittingly declared; via its websites that its attack on the World Trade Center served to significantly damage the US economy, in addition to causing severe psychological damage to the populace. This contention has been borne out to some extent by the weakening of the dollar and the diffidence generated in the US economy, at the national and international level (Weimann, 2004). Moreover, the Internet provides a convenient means for raising funds for not only political organizations, but also terrorist groups. In a ddition, terrorist groups employ the Internet to recruit and mobilize cadres. Terrorist organizations not only use the various web technologies to enhance their allure, but they also collect information about the entities that browse through their websites (Weimann, 2004). In addition, technical information regarding the manufacture and use of explosives is readily available on the Internet. For instance, there are several websites that post The Anarchist Cookbook and The Terrorist’s Handbook. These are detailed manuals for manufacturing a vast array of explosive devices (Weimann, 2004). A major use of the Internet made by terrorist groups is for planning and coordinating terrorist attacks. The September 11 attacks were witness to the large scale use of the Internet by the al Qaeda to mount its murderous attacks. A large number of encrypted messages were retrieved by federal officials from the computer of the al Qaeda terrorist Abu Zubaydah, the monster who had masterminded t hese iniquitous attacks (Weimann, 2004). Realizing the benefit being derived from the Internet, by the terrorists, the US Government embarked upon a counterterrorism strategy. This strategy was aimed at infiltrating the message boards of the Islamic terrorists. In addition, the staunch ally of the US, namely the UK was successful in hacking an English language online magazine of the al Qaeda (Ackerman, 2011). Moreover, in the UK, the Home Office had proposed that filtering software was

Tattoos and Body Piercing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tattoos and Body Piercing - Research Paper Example It might also be acquired to represent the rebellion against the status quo or those in authority for instance teenagers worldwide get tattoos and body piercings to express their disobedience to their parents who are rarely fond of these activities. The modern day tattooing is made a lot easier, thanks to scientific development and new laser technologies. One of the forms of body art, which has descended down from ancient times and successfully transited in the cultures of modern times, is henna art. Made of natural herbs, it is used to decorate hands and feet of women in eastern cultures on their weddings and other occasions marking rites of passage. However, most people, more significantly in the west, have proceeded to tattoo culture to show their rebellion to status quo and express their opinions with more freedom and aggression (Sawyer, 97). However, as easy as it is recent times to get a piercing or tattoo, the hazards it causes to health cannot be over emphasized. First, it be ing a permanent body art, removing a tattoo may be difficult and very expensive since it involves the use of high-tech instruments. Second, the tattoos are highly prone to infections and skin allergies. The red dye used in tattoos usually causes rashes, sometimes years after getting a tattoo. The infections caused by tattoos are mainly bacterial and appear as sores and pus-like forms. Often, granulomas, a bump-like structure, form around the tattoo due to the ink dye used. In addition, and most dangerously of all, tattoos makes the immune system more prone to blood borne diseases i.e. if the tools used for carving the tattoos contains smears of infected blood, then the individual is on a high risk of developing chronic illnesses like... This essay approves that people are now adapting to the new trends and employers are learning to focus on more important things than the body art of contestants such as their expertise, additional skills, and ability to contribute to the mission of organization. This drastic change in the attitudes of people towards these once-judges practices is sometimes attributed to the globalization. The whole world has come together in a form of a global village and people from diverse backgrounds have come to know each other and learn from each other. In times like these, it is difficult to judge others in comparison to ‘self’ and not accept the diversity amongst different types of people. In addition, in such a compact atmosphere it is very likely to trade expertise, inspirations, beliefs, and practices. This report makes a conclusion that the media owes a big credit in this regard. Globalization has more or less just strengthened the bond amongst people from diverse backgrounds. It is the media and its undying influence that brought people together in the first place. The rapid progress in the world of information and technology and more importantly the internet boom is highly responsible in the conditioning of people to accept and regard other people and the differences between them. Those who were too stubborn before to give respect to individuals who had gotten themselves pierced in the tongue or forehead are now beginning to accept the differences and treat them like equals rather than being intimidated or disgusted, as before.

Berlin Wall Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Berlin Wall - Research Paper Example After the Second World War, Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union established an informal union of states which would be known later as the Eastern bloc, with Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia as its allies (Wettig, 2008).   It was a grouping of nations which he planned to maintain together with the Soviet-controlled portion of Germany.   His plans were to compromise the power of the UK over its portion and when the US would later withdraw, he then wanted to push forward with his plants to create a united communist Germany (Wettig, 2008).   In order to funnel Soviet communist ideals to Germany, Marxism-Leninism became a standard part of the German school curriculum and this prompted many students, as well as scholars to defect to the West (Wettig, 2008).   East Germany was however under close monitoring by the German police as well as the Soviet secret police, also known as the SMERSH (Wettig, 2008).   This made defection difficult, but not impossible for thousands of East Ge rmans.     With disagreements regarding the introduction of new German currency, Stalin implemented the Berlin blockade which prevented the entry of food and other supplies from the Western occupied blocs (Pearson, 1988).   The Western bloc countries then airlifted some supplied into West Berlin.   The Soviets launched their public relations campaign against the Western bloc protesting the policy changes of the Western countries (Pearson, 1988).   As 300,000 Berliners protested against Stalin’s actions in stopping the airlifts.

Pop Culture Essay Example for Free

Pop Culture Essay Throughout, history popular culture has been a common factor in everyday life. The identity of popular culture is seen through many elements of art. It was derived from artifacts and styles of human expressions developed from the creativity of ordinary people, and circulate among people according to their interests, preferences, and tastes. For example, music, fashion, people, stereotypes, and social rituals all play a role in the development of what is known today as pop culture society. These elements have shape society to behave and think a certain way, all in which are seen to have a more negative impact to the public rather than promote positive influences. Moreover, we will examine three main elements of popular culture that affect the American culture on a day to day basis. â€Å"Stereotypes, social rituals, and arts are all elements of popular culture that have been adopted and appeals to large masses of people, normally the middle class citizens† . Thus, popular culture comes from people; it is not just given to them. This perspective tears away at distinctions typically made between producers and consumers of cultural material. According to Webster stereotypes are oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment. For example, â€Å"people develop conceptions about certain groups of people because of what we see on television and use these generalizations in everyday life, such as Gender and where the media portrays ones masculinity and femininity† 2. Stereotypes can be seen with real or imaginary people or objects. For example, real icons such as expensive cars can be portrayed as a person being wealthy with luxury. Imaginary icons are things such as Bat mobiles or spaceships that are seen as a â€Å"warp speeding icon expressing in truly magical ways- faster than light travel, to demonstrate power beyond discovery† 3. Other real or imaginary stereotypes are heroes. For instances, Martin Luther King Jr. is a known for leading many Americans to freedom from slavery and racism. On the hand, Superman is an imaginary hero that saves the world from danger. These stereotypes have shaped America’s beliefs to be based on judgments of their own opinions as opposed to the truth. Social Rituals consist of â€Å"highly patterned symbolic events in which we all participate as a way of marking important passages in our individual lives or in society as a whole† 4. For example, holidays such as Christmas which is only celebrated by some who believe in decorating and exchanging gifts for the birth of Jesus Christ. However, others prefer not to engage in certain holidays or activities. Moreover, rituals integrate with heroes and icons that are built from a base structure of hierarchy. For example, voting is a common social ritual that plays a significant role in many American’s life. After voting, many constituency wear clothing to symbolize their heroic effort or support for the candidate they endorsed. Art is one the largest rooms of pop culture with a vast and diverse amount of subdivisions. Art includes; magazines, movies, television, recordings, comic books and others. Art correlates with all forms of pop culture and its affects with society. For example, books discuss heroes, icons, stereotypes, people, myth, beliefs and values. All of these elements interact with one another and result in moving to another room that leads to other possibly subcategories. Thus, arts are group together based upon shared characteristics which are known to both popular artist and the audience. Pop Culture is a trend that many learn about through film, media, music, people, fashion and others. These trends can sometime have a negative effect on the way society may behave or act to certain situations. For instances, many people use stereotypes to judge others or relate their lives to those individuals. In addition, others use heroes whether they are real or imaginary to compare and contrast their way of living. On the other hand, there are other elements of pop culture that make up these special trends. For example, social rituals is another element that allows people to express themselves based on their belief, things such as holidays, voting, and weddings. Lastly, Art is the element of diversity it relates to all subcategories of pop culture, within these categories all elements interact and form other elements.