Themes Of Full Metal Jacket essays

Themes Of Full Metal Jacket essays Film Review: Full Metal Jacket -Warner Bros. 1987 Based on the novel by Gustav Hasford The hardships of boot camp and the vigour of the battlefield, "Full Metal Jacket" follows one man through basic training and into the jungles of Vietnam to fight a war against the very people that they must also protect. The title is part of the technical description of a bullet, underlining the films focus on dehumanisation. "Full Metal Jacket" opens on a group of military trainees who've either volunteered or been drafted into serving in the United States Army. There we meet a parade of characters that range from an anti-establishment rebel, Private 'Joker' (Matthew Modine), and an overweight slob, Private 'Gomer' (Vincent D'Onofrio), to a wisecracking adrenaline junkie, Private 'Cowboy' (Arliss Howard). This part of the film is breakdown of personalities and shows the indoctrination in the ideology of the US Marine Corps. This shows to be a brutal and depressing experience inflicted by the sadistic drill sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (Lee Ermey), who was a real drill sergeant for the Marine Corps, drafted in by Kubrick. This gives the visual experience a real sense of fear and tension. One recruit is not suited psychologically or physically for the rigorous Marine training and is driven crazy. Here, Stanley Kubrick is outlining and attacking the pointlessness and the dehumanisation of military discipline. Kubrick, who has a great reputation for authenticity, claimed that there was no distortion of the truth in what he showed, and that even the abominable bad language was genuine, much of it ad-libbed by Ermey himself. Two scenes were eliminated which would have made the drill instructor a monster: one where he nearly drowns Pyle in a bowl of urine, and one where he orders a recruit who has cut his wrists to clean up the mess hes made before reporting to the doctor. Instead, due in no small part to Lee Ermeys mesme ...

3 Things You Can Like About Your Job, Even if You Hate Your Job

3 Things You Can Like About Your Job, Even if You Hate Your Job Most people just don’t like their jobs. You may think you’re in the minority, but some studies even go so far as to suggest that a measly 13% of people worldwide actually enjoy going to work. The trouble with most jobs is that we tend to look at them as instrumental. Like necessary evils. A means to a paycheck, food, clothes, eventual vacations and†¦retirement? Someday?If you’re not lucky enough to love what you do, there are still ways of deriving meaning from what it is you’re doing in a way that can help you at least love your life. Here are three things you can get from most any job and fend off  the negative vibes:1. How well you do itIt’s always possible to excel. Even when you don’t particularly feel like doing something, it is always possible to do that thing well- extremely well. Push yourself to see just how far you can go. Striving for personal excellence can be its own reward, regardless of the task. Even if you don’ t love your job, it is possible to take great pride in how well you do it. Your colleagues and supervisors will notice this and you’ll be surprised at how easily you’ll command respect for displaying this kind of integrity.2. How much you makeIt’s all well and good to talk about meaning and value and excellence and loving what we do, but for some of us, money is the motivating factor. And that’s okay! Turn your dull job into a game. See how quickly you can work your way up the ladder if you put your mind to it. How many bonuses or commissions can you rack up? How quickly can you boost your bank account and your salary demands? You might not be curing cancer, but you might be able to put a kid through college with this kind of dedication. No one else needs to know your motivation for doing such good work- as long as it’s getting done.3. How many people you helpIt doesn’t matter how small your job is, or how insignificant you feel. Maybe youâ €™re not a CEO, but you can still make the world- and the workplace- a better place. Try to do your job well and help others do the same. Mentor a well-meaning newbie or recommend a colleague for a high-profile project or promotion. Spreading the love around will make life better for more people than just you, but it can also benefit you. Kindness has a way of multiplying.These may seem like strange and radical suggestions, but any one of them can change your relationship to your job, and your day-to-day life, for the better.

Discuss and Evaluate how Teams Function Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Discuss and Evaluate how Teams Function - Essay Example They get in touch with each other, interact and basically learn the different nuances of the goal under consideration. When these teams look up to leadership, they seek help and advice from the people who are in the top management brackets. This suggests for their eventual success within the related settings and an understanding that leadership shall be the cornerstone of their attainment of tasks in the times to come. This paper helps establish the basis of teams and how these function to manifest the truest basis of leadership. The team formation domains merit quite a great amount of significance because these take into consideration the important facets of productivity and effectiveness for the organization and the people who form a vital part of the team itself. Teams function with a sense of hard work by its team mates who believe in doing their best and letting the concerned authorities to judge the final goal. It means that the processes are done the fine way and the results a re left up to the authorities who have to bring about a decision at the end of the day. The teams are therefore always answerable to people with whom they have to interact and thus culminate the processes in entirety. This marks their significance and the eventual success which is achieved over a period of time (Sims, 2002). ... Teams that bring the best use of their resources are usually the ones which are deemed as the most successful ones. However, if the teams do not manifest a good enough use of the resources, then there are dire problems that are waiting to happen for them under differential situations and circumstances (Cooper, 1999). From an organizational behavior perspective, teams have to function smoothly well to achieve success. This would mean that the organizational behavior regimes have to incorporate their due role within the functioning of the teams. This will tell the team members where they are going wrong and what new steps need to be taken on their part to bring sanity within their regimes. The corrective steps are also taken in a proactive fashion so that the team functioning does not get hindered and there is more productivity within the related ranks so that growth and development is ensured across the ranks (Bonner, 1959). The nature of teams are such that they undertake all process es together and thus commit to unite for the cause of bringing in sanity within the related ranks. It makes the entire exercise a possibility because together they achieve quite a few tasks with a sense of understanding and tolerance that comes to their folds (Robbins, 2009). However, what poses as a problem here is that they have to undergo serious lapses within some of the team members are not there or when they are not ready to undertake tasks and actions that are in line with the completion set of the same works. There are tantrums thrown by the team members in the wake of completing the task while at times there are also witnessed certain health related conditions. The bottom line is that the teams comprise of all sets of

Commission of the European Communities v. Italian Republic Essay

Commission of the European Communities v. Italian Republic - Essay Example However, the Italian government responded by their letter of 08 July 1997 and denied that it was necessary to amend their national legislation and free movement in all Member States was guaranteed only for the products which complied with Article 30. The European Commission disagreed with the response of the Italian government and sent the Italy a formal notice on 22 December 1997asking it to comply with its obligation under Article 30 of the EC Treaty within two months. However, the Italian government stood its ground and refused to oblige. The legal issue is that chocolate products containing vegetable fats other than cocoa butter up to a maximum of 5% of the total weight of the product is manufactured as chocolate in Member States such as Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, Sweden, Finland and the United Kingdom, and it is accepted under this name in all the Member States except Spain and Italy. The Commission also takes the view that the obligation under the Italian legislation to market cocoa and chocolate products containing vegetable fats other than cocoa butter under the name chocolate substitute significantly obstructs their access to the Italian market. The court's answer to the issue is based on the principle of law.

Sean O’Sullivans Critical Reflection Attempt Essay Example for Free

Sean O’Sullivans Critical Reflection Attempt Essay Critical reflective writing explores various personal experiences by analyzing the social, political and cultural context that theyre written in. They enable writers to understand their values and biases. Through a comparative study of texts I can critically analyze the mode, genre, register, structure, audience and context. The texts â€Å"Transmutations Scientist (A revolutionary bio-engineering socio-scientific role)† and â€Å"The Parrot and the Pot Bellied Pig† are two texts I have chosen to reflect on. Due to the difference in genre both of these familiar texts are excellent examples of new age pieces of writing in the English genre. In addition I have also incorporated my text â€Å"Rapunzel Shaves for Leukaemia† to express similar textual similarities and to further show my development in professional writing. Through the idea of the satirical and narrative genre incarnate, composers can introduce responders to a hyperbolized understanding of a number of themes through a comedic nature. â€Å"The Parrot and the Potbellied Pig† is a satirical, fictitious short story that is one of many from the novel â€Å"Squirrel seeks chipmunk† by author David Sedaris. Sedaris being a successful comedian and radio contributor had an intention to write to a well-educated audience who appreciates  humorous anecdotes and the absurd idea of animals in strange adult situations. Through Sedaris’ use of Animal characterization he opens up a range of ideas and themes that cannot simple be done if actual humans were to be used. Through this technique characters are decontextualized and stereotypes associated with these characters are highlighted. Sedaris’ (2010) â€Å"What really drives me is the money. That, and the free booze. † (p. 119) quote suggests the Parrot is a stereotypical alcoholic journalist, but through the metaphorical use of the ‘Parrot symbol’ rather than an actual human, the idea is suppressed and viewed as a humorous form of literature rather than a personal attack on ones profession. Author Sedaris also attempts to incorporate a range of issues into his fable. Media sensationalism and racism are two main themes expressed in the text, through the clever characterization and situation of the story; these issues are brought into the light through a different angle of genre. The author displays the characters such as the Parrot and the Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pig to mimic the personalities of authentic real world individuals. â€Å"I see the,† the parrot said, and she scratched the word â€Å"self hating in her note pad†. (Sedaris, 2010, p. 121. ) Is an example of media sensationalism expressed through the Parrot as she interprets the Pigs retort to her question falsely and with a great deal of bias. In addition the theme of racism is clearly presented through the Pig, â€Å"He had been plump all through his youth, and the years of name-calling had not just shaped his adult life but deformed it† (Sedaris, 2010, p. 123. ) although this at first glance may seem like an issue of body image, I believe it includes racial connotations, suggesting the racism of the Americans towards the Vietnamese since the days of the Vietnam War. In saying this Sedaris was able to get away this idea due to the animal characterization of the protagonists. In conclusion the writers use of hyperbole accentuates the overall theme of the text â€Å"Pot Bellied Pig† being the obvious example extends an idea to the audience, thus making the text a form of entertainment through its satirical nature. Through the use of specific language features and humorous connotations the text â€Å"Transmutations Scientist† mirrors â€Å"The Parrot and the Potbellied Pig† although each text is a different genre. This text is perceived as an advertisement although it is of a fictitious nature. Through this genre hybrid from job advertisement an individual can really see a complex thought process the author has used to create such a text. The ‘Transmutations Scientist’ uses more formal language appropriate to the genre of an advertisement. This formal language is further emphasised through the use of scientific jargon used in the piece; â€Å"mutation†, â€Å"micromanipulation† and â€Å"conditioning† are example of this type of jargon used by the author. Although the jargon demonstrates a complex register for this composition, the actual purpose is to entertain audiences in a similar way â€Å"The Parrot and the Potbellied Pig† does. Thus, using the language feature of ‘jargon’ the audience is eligible to manifest in the comedic nature of the text. Similarly in â€Å"The Parrot and the Potbellied Pig† each text are presented as satirical compositions. In addition both texts are intended for a well-educated audience who appreciate a type of humour where they would have to think critically in order to understand the authors motives. In conclusion the text â€Å"Transmutations Scientist† parallels similar language features to the first text â€Å"The Parrot and the Potbellied Pig† through this audiences are given a greater understanding of the composers motives and incentives. Through critically analyse a particular text, another creative piece can ascend into a different genre. My text â€Å"Rapunzel Shaves for Leukaemia† demonstrates a form that has similarities to â€Å"Transmutations Scientist†; each text has a fairy tale register that has been appropriated into another genre form. â€Å"Popular supermodel Rapunzel partook in the ‘Worlds Greatest Shave’ movement to raise money for the Leukaemia foundation of Far Far Away. â€Å" (Appendix 7. ) As shown in this quote, it is clear I have made a clear transition between a fairy tale and a factual real world event. In addition, I have  LEGITIMATE FACTS INTO MY TEXT â€Å"EACH DAY AN AVERAGE OF 30 INDIVIDUALS WILL BE GIVEN THE DEVASTATING NEWS THAT THEY HAVE LEUKAEMIA, LYMPHOMA, MYELOMA OR A RELATED BLOOD DISORDER† (APPENDIX 7. ) THROUGH THE USE OF THIS TECHNIQUE, I CAN INFORM READERS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF A SOCIAL ISSUE AS WELL AS ENTERTAINING THROUGH THE USE OF HUMOR. ALTHOUGH THIS IMAGINATIVE PIECE OF WRITING ISN’T as reliable a the others as it was written at my own hand It still possessed a number of credible language features allowing the piece to convey its primary message, to entertain. A text can explore many different ideas and themes, thus creating it to  be a credible piece of writing. ‘The Parrot and the Potbellied Pig’ demonstrates extreme satirical view on social issues, whilst entertaining responders. ‘The Transmutations Scientist’ incorporates language features such as jargon and mixes with fairytale connotations to create an effective advert to humour audiences. In conclusion my text ‘Rapunzel Shaves for Leukaemia’ doesn’t include the structural stronghold of credible texts it shows that the transformation of a text can lead to more possibilities of genre. Each text encompasses a wide range of aspects that can be compared and contrasted in order to  transform a composition into a credible and purposeful piece of work. APA Reference List: O’Sullivan, S. (2014). Rapunzel Shaves for Leukaemia. Appendix 7. Sedaris, D. and Falconer, I. (2010). Squirrel seeks chipmunk. 1st Ed. New York: Little, Brown and Co. , pp. 118-129 Transmutations Scientist A revolutionary bioengineering socio-scientific role. (1982). New Scientist, p. 882. Appendices 1. Freedom What is Freedom? Freedom is being able to drive whatever vehicle down to the local grocery store and buy 100 cans of coke. Freedom is being able to sail your fathers’ yacht around the Greek Islands to share  a summer romance with your lover. Freedom can be voiced through a rage of mediums, such as travelling across the world to meet infamous Cuban Dictator, Fidel Castro and bask in his Fidelity. Freedom to me is showing my warmest feelings to anyone willing to listen, and share and retort, back to me. Today my com111 Tutor didn’t want to teach me how to incorporate the word beguile into a sentence. But I guess it was her choice, which is a definition of freedom. To the ancient Mayan’s, the Flamingo represents hope and freedom in their community, so the concept of freedom dates back to early history. I thoroughly enjoyed this exercise; I think I’m going to love this class. 2. Impressions of Wiradjuri Country Wiradjuri country is a vast beautiful land that people like me doesn’t get to explore everyday. I remember the first time I entered these parts, not knowing the wonders this land could offer a person like me. Gazing out the front window of the car, the blue haze of the magnificent Great Dividing Range took my breath away. As I passed through the thick forest down into the valley of this land, I stuck my head out the window so I could take in the sweet scent of the eucalyptus gum. 3. Playground. The Playground located on the corner of Brilliant and George St Bathurst was vandalised yet again by local University Students. Approximately 2am on Wednesday the 14th of March three University students were reported causing a ruckus and lighting fire to the swings in the playground. Although the Brilliant St playground is predominantly desolate and overrun with dead leaves, it still is an important part of the community. A local elderly man heard laughter from the park, whilst in his house that night working on his paperclip collection. So he called the authorities. â€Å"I wish the community will do  something to fix this nonsense† he quoted today. The park will still be open tomorrow despite this incident. So bring the family down the weather is going to be delightful. 4. The last time I saw my†¦ Never before have I seen something so incredibly cute, sexy and beautiful incarnate. She gazed into my very soul from the other side of the glass. I had never believed in love at first sight but this truly was. Instantly I knew I would want to spend the next 10 minutes with her. I picked her up, twirled her around and was about to taste her sweet lips, until she was abruptly taken away from me. I thought I was the  only one who would ever have her. I hate Seagulls. That was the last time I saw my sandwich. 5. George Brandis Attorney General Senator splits public opinion! Attorney General George Brandis quoted in Federal Parliament recently â€Å"People do have a right to be bigots†. Many are saying the senator is a racist pig, whilst others agree with the senators’ statement. â€Å"Senator Brandis has the right to make a case for the privilege of speaking freely† said one citizen agreeing with the Attorney General. The question is. Does Brandis have the right to influence the public opinion and condone such behaviour? Today the majority of the public  understand that the suppression of race hate laws are beneficial for the Australian Public. 6. Barbie’s Eulogy To our dearly departed, Barbie Although she was made of plastic and her boobies were fake. She held a place in all of our hearts. She was a role model to all the young women out there and some men. She always lived life to the full, whether it was lounging around in her dollhouse or being attacked by the family dog, she always did it with a smile on her face. Unfortunately Barbie was abruptly taken away from us, when the boys and I were a tad bored so we sprayed her perfect, slender body with lynx and ignited her with Damos’ lighter. My condolences to my grieving sister and Barbies newly widowed husband Ken. May her legacy live on. Rest in Peace Barbie. 7. Rapunzel Shaves for Leukaemia Blonde beauty shaves for cancer Yesterday, popular supermodel Rapunzel partook in the ‘Worlds Greatest Shave’ movement to raise money for the Leukaemia FOUNDATION OF FAR FAR AWAY. EACH DAY AN AVERAGE OF 30 INDIVIDUALS WILL BE GIVEN THE DEVASTATING NEWS THAT THEY HAVE LEUKAEMIA, LYMPHOMA, MYELOMA OR A RELATED BLOOD DISORDER. OVER 50,000 PEOPLE JOINED RAPUNZEL IN THIS MOVEMENT RAISING AN AVERAGE OF 8. 4 MILLION DOLLARS THIS YEAR ALONE. AFTER GOING THROUGH 40 ELECTRIC RAZORS  AND A HAIRCUT LASTING 12 HOURS EVENTUALLY THE 15 PEOPLE TEAM FINALLY REMOVED RAPUNZEL’S OVERWHELMING 20 METRES OF HAIR. 8. BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN APPROPRIATION IF EVERYONE WERE A MIDGET IN THE LAND OF NO SIX FOOTERS YOU’LL NEVER HAVE TO JUMP YOU CAN SEE OVER EVERY COUNTER AND NEVER LOOK LIKE A CHUMP 9. Powerful Images ‘Two cultures, one beach’ What a cruel male dominated culture I thought to myself, everything covered but her eyes. How could these poor women deal with this type of oppression? I can’t imagine living in a world where you couldn’t express yourself and be the women you wanted to be. Never be able to  wear designer labels or show off how your new belly button ring you got last weekend. If my husband saw me dressing like that he would kill me. What a cruel male dominated culture I thought to myself, everything exposed for the world to see, except the tiny bit of fabric covering her privates. How could these women live in a world where any male could gawk and gaze upon any women they wished like they were a piece of steak. And look at that Coco Chanel bikini she has on, does she not have any respect. If my husband caught me dressing like that he would kill me. 10. Powerful Images Journal Article ‘The Burqa† (Non-Fiction) When you see a woman wearing a Burqa, what is your first impression of her? Do you have an ethnocentric view that forces you to believe that because of her religion, she has no free will? Is her headscarf an indicator that she is involved in terrorist activities? Or do you assume that she is suffering from the inequalities of a male dominated religion? Since 9/11, there have been many misconceptions about Muslims and Islam. The media has failed at accurately portraying the Islamic religion and way of life. Islam is presented as a barbaric, vile, and oppressive religion. Furthermore, due to crude generalizations, Muslim women who  wear Burqa are stigmatized as subdued and in need of liberation. The Burqa is viewed as a restriction to a Muslim woman’s freedom to express her views and opinions, freedom to education, and freedom to drive. For a vast majority of Muslim women, this is the furthest thing from the truth. The Burqa does not symbolize oppression or suppression. To contrary beliefs, the Burqa is not worn only to keep the illicit desires of men in check. The Burqa is not simply a scarf or a head covering. Wearing the Burqa is a symbol of modesty and dedication. It is an outer manifestation of an inner commitment.

Old Man And The Sea :: essays research papers

This part of the story has to do with Santiago against nature and the sea. In this part of the story, he goes out and fights nature in the form of terrible forces and dangerous creatures, among them, a marlin, sharks and hunger. He starts the story in a small skiff and moves out in a journey to capture a fish after a long losing streak of eighty-four days. Unfortunately his friend must desert him due to this problem and a greater force, his parents. Santiago must go out into the danger alone. For three harsh days and nights he fights a fish of enormous power. This is the second form of nature he must conquer. Earlier in the story, the first part of nature is himself, for which he must fight off his hunger. This is a harsh part of the story. He manages though to get a few bites in the form of flying fish and dolphin of which he would like to have salt on. This part of the story tells of a cold and harsh sea, that is, one that has value and mystery as well as death and danger. It has commercial value as well as the population of life in it. It is dark and treacherous though, and every day there is a challenge. A similar story tells about a tidal pool with life called `Cannery Road'. This part of the story has to deal with figures of Christ. It mainly deals with Santiago as being a figure of Christ and other characters as props, that is, characters which carry out the form of biblical themes. On the day before he leaves when he wakes up, Manolin, his helper, comes to his aid with food and drink. Also a point that might be good is that he has had bad luck with his goal for a great period of time and is sure it will work this time. Later, though, when Santiago needs him for the quest he sets out to do, Manolin deserts him, although he may not have wanted to at this time. In the novel Santiago comes upon a force bigger than his skiff, the marlin which misleads him out far past his intended reach. This is where he starts to lose his strength against something which seems a greater force. Santiago has a struggle of three days, which is significent because

Essay : Witness (Film by Peter Weir) Essay

The film, Witness, deals with characters in conflict with the world around them. Discuss the methods Weir uses to convey this idea of conflict. In Peter Weir’s film, Witness, several characters come into conflict with their environment. This is evident through the use of various techniques such as symbol, camera angle, and imagery. Samuel’s protective life as a child in the Amish community is corrupted when he comes into contact with crime and the city and experiences a loss of innocence. By contrast, John Book faces many obstacles when he leaves his life in the city for that of the sheltered life of the Amish and suffers turmoil when he falls in love with Rachel, who comes from a world in which he cannot belong. Similarly, the corrupt policemen, McFee, Schaeffer and Fergie find obstacles when they enter the world of the Amish, looking for Book. When Samuel is brought into Philadelphia it quickly becomes obvious that he is in conflict with the environment around him and we witness his loss of innocence at the railway station. Weir uses sound and camera angle as a method of showing Samuel’s confusion. From low angle shots, viewers can identify with Samuel’s perspective and can appreciate his confusion, noting that all the child can see is people from their midriff down, walking past in all directions. Weir also portrays Samuel’s confusion by having many people talking at once, thus creating contrast between the buzz of a city and the peacefulness of his home. The director uses cinematography well in this scene. Samuel’s conflict is evident when he is confronted with a huge statue. The camera slowly tilts upwards from a low angle until he can see right to the top; he is clearly not used to seeing something of this size. Aside from creating a vulnerability in Samuel, this contrast in size reveals his unfamiliarity with his surroundings, evident by the expression of awe on his face of wide-eyed innocence. The next shot is a bird’s-eye view from the top of the statue, it shows Samuel, who is dressed differently to the rest of the crowd, standing still, in sharp contrast to the constantly moving bustling city crowd. The look on Samuel’s face when he thinks he sees one of his own people is that of excitement and comfort and his disappointment is evident when, after running up to this man, he discovers that he is not an Amish, but an Orthodox Jew. His mother is aware of the dangers of this  strange world and is keeping her eye on Samuel until he wants to visit the toilet. When Samuel walks into the men’s toilets, the man washing his hands (who is later murdered in front of Samuel) turns around and gives the boy a friendly smile. He then walks into a cubicle. As this happens two men walk into the bathroom, McFee and Fergie. Mcfee nods to his partner then puts a bag over the head of the man washing his hands. The next few shots splice between Samuel’s eye peering out of the cubical in utter horror and the murderers slashing this man’s throat. This intricate camera work stresses the fact that Samuel is watching and his shock reinforces the clash in the two cultures–the violent city versus the pacifist ways of his Amish community. It is in this scene that Samuel’s life is changed forever, as he witnesses this man’s bloodthirsty murder. Viewers no longer witness an innocent child, but a boy using all his wit in his fight to survive. The scene where Rachel returns the hidden gun to Book, presents the clash of these two cultures, through the use of images and film techniques. We first witness Rachel with her back to the camera, at medium range, washing dishes–a true domestic scene. She turns as John Book enters and laughs. Viewers are then shown just how out-of-place Book is in her community, evident when we see him in her dead husband’s Amish clothes that are far too small for him (a symbol that he cannot fit into Rachel’s world, and in particular, as her husband). The camera reveals his embarrassment as it tilts to his bare ankles and then we see and hear Rachel laughing, but trying not to in empathy for Book. When Book asks for his gun, the laughter on her face vanishes.. The composition of this frame shows John looking ridiculous in clothes that are far too small for him, in contrast to the juxtaposition of Rachel looking very comfortable and laughing at how he looks. This is split right down the middle by a doorframe, which also show John’s conflict with the Amish community. Next John asks for his gun because he needs it to go to the town. Her facial statement goes absolutely dead serious and she gets it from the cupboard. She picks up the gun by the handle with her index finger and thumb with the rest of the gun dangling below. Once she handed the gun to him, he asks for the bullets that Rachel has forgotten, which she gets out of the flower jar that she has kept them in. Her change in facial statement shows her conflict to guns and the use of  guns. Her intriguing way of holding the gun displays that she thinks of them as dirty and forgetting the bullets shows her lack of knowledge about guns. Altogether this is a very uncomfortable scene toped off by leaving the bullets in the flower, flower being a symbol of life and bullets being a symbol of death. When McFee comes to get John it is very clear that he is in contrast with his surroundings through script, sound effects, character costume and cinematography. Narcotics agent McFee tries to cut off John Book by going around the back of the barn and as he does this, he steps right into a pile of dung. His curses are in sharp contrast to the Pacifist ways of the Amish. McFee is wearing a very smart suit, carefully picked to contrast to the Amish’s simple clothes. This difference is exaggerated when he steps in the dung showing just how out of place he is.

Cost Benefit Analysis Essay

When operating a business or managing a project, there are many moving parts that need to be discussed, evaluated, and/or implemented. A very effective tool that can help that can help in a business decision or project is running a cost benefit analysis. Running this analysis will help a project manager determine how well, or how poorly, a planned action will turn out (John Reh, 2014). This type of analysis relies on the addition of positive factors and the subtraction of negative ones to determine a net result (John Reh, 2014). When putting a together a cost benefit analysis for a big production company like Bubble Films, it is a big project to own. Having 150 employees spread out into multiple states makes it difficult to get all the information needed. There are many factors when you are dealing with multiple areas of operation to provide an accurate cost benefit analysis. The cost of networking equipment and the power it takes to operate them. The amount of cloud space and the security used to protect it and the power to operate. Once you start operating outside of the office, conducting an accurate cost benefit analysis. With the employees working at home, are they working the full day or a few hours here and there? Do you have to pay for their use of electricity and internet, per diem? Is it more cost effective to put everyone in an office rather than work at home? Many questions have to be answered to create and effective analysis. Cost benefit analysis is a very important tool to use when pitching a new idea or project. This will show the investor, project manager, or CEO’s exactly where their money is going to go and how they are going to make a return. It also helps identify flaws in the budget and whether a company can expand or downsize. References John Reh, F. (2014). Cost Benefit Analysis. Retrieved from http://management.about.com/cs/money/a/CostBenefit.htm

Rite, Shine, and Recognize

Rite, Shine, and Recognize Rite, Shine, and Recognize Rite, Shine, and Recognize By Maeve Maddox Here are three miscellaneous errors that cropped up in one morning’s batch of letters to the editor in my morning paper. 1. A reader responding to an editorial opposing a proposed state requirement for schools to provide compulsory instruction in cursive handwriting: Your thumbs-down reasoning on the state imposing cursive (a right of passage), and linking that to change vs. â€Å"old† ways, overlooks, as many often do, an important point. The purchase of a plane ticket might be said to confer a â€Å"right of passage.† In the context of the letter, however, the learning of cursive handwriting is viewed by the reader as a significant event in a child’s journey to adulthood. Such a transition from one phase of life to another is a â€Å"rite of passage.† 2. A reader urging the newspaper staff to scrutinize elected officials in order to make their failings public: First, I want to assure you I believe in light being shown on how our elected people are managing their responsibilities. The past form of the verb to shine is shone. The reader believes that light should be shone on elected officials. Note: Some English speakers prefer shined to shone. 3. A reader talking about the way politicians try to hurry the public into making decisions before all the facts are known: There are plenty that oppose this, but most intelligent people realize a railroad when they see one. The verb â€Å"to railroad† is a colloquialism meaning â€Å"to rush or coerce a person or thing in a particular direction or to a particular conclusion.† The noun deriving from this verb is also railroad. It means â€Å"an attempt at hurrying someone into a questionable decision.† The problem here is the use of realize in a context that calls for recognize. The intended meaning is that people are familiar enough with the practice of railroading to know an example of it when they see it. A person could â€Å"realize that they are being railroaded,† but they would â€Å"recognize a railroad when they see it.† recognize verb: to perceive to be the same as something or someone previously known or encountered. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Inquire vs EnquireOne Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . .Word Count and Book Length

An Introduction to Virtue Ethics

An Introduction to Virtue Ethics â€Å"Virtue ethics† describes a certain philosophical approach to questions about morality. It is a way of thinking about ethics that is characteristic of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers, particularly Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.   But it has become popular again since the later part of the 20th century due to the work of thinkers like Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, and Alasdair MacIntyre. The Central Question of Virtue Ethics How should I live?   This has a good claim to being the most fundamental question that you can put to yourself.   But philosophically speaking, there is another question that perhaps has to be answered first: namely, How should I decide how to live? There are several answers available within the Western philosophical tradition:   The religious answer:  God has given us a set of rules to follow. These are laid out in scripture (e.g. the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the Koran). The right way to live is to follow these rules. That is the good life for a human being.Utilitarianism: This is the view that what matters most in the world in the promotion of happiness and the avoidance of suffering.   So the right way to live is, in a general way, to try to promote the most happiness you can, both your own and that of other people– especially those around you–while trying to avoid causing pain or unhappiness.Kantian ethics: The great German philosopher Immanuel Kant argues that the basic rule we should follow is neither â€Å"Obey God’s laws,† nor â€Å"Promote happiness.† Instead, he claimed that the fundamental principle of morality is something like: Always act in the way that you could honestly want everyone to act if they were in a similar situation. Anyone who abides by this rule, he claims, will be behaving with complete consistency and rationality, and they will unfailingly do the right thing. What all three approaches have in common is that they view morality as a matter of following certain rules. There are very general, fundamental rules, like â€Å"Treat others as you’d like to be treated,† or â€Å"Promote happiness.† And there are lots of more specific rules that can be deduced from these general principles: e.g. â€Å"Don’t bear false witness,† or â€Å"Help the needy.† The morally good life is one lived according to these principles; wrongdoing occurs when the rules are broken. The emphasis is on duty, obligation, and the rightness or wrongness of actions. Plato and Aristotle ‘s way of thinking about morality had a different emphasis. They also asked: How should one live? But took this question to be equivalent to What kind of person does one want to be? That is, what sort of qualities and character traits are admirable and desirable. Which should be cultivated in ourselves and others? And which traits should we seek to eliminate? Aristotles Account of Virtue In his great work, the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle offers a detailed analysis of the virtues that has been enormously influential and is the starting point for most discussions of virtue ethics. The Greek term that is usually translated as â€Å"virtue† is arà ªte.  Speaking generally, arà ªte is a kind of excellence. It is a quality that enables a thing to perform its purpose or function. The sort of excellence in question can be specific to particular kinds of thing. For instance, the main virtue of a racehorse is to be fast; the main virtue of a knife is to be sharp. People performing specific functions also require specific virtues: e.g. a competent accountant must be good with numbers; a soldier needs to be physically brave. But there are also virtues that it is good for any human being to possess, the qualities that enable them to live a good life and to flourish as a human being. Since Aristotle thinks that what distinguishes human beings from all other animals is our rationality, the good life for a human being is one in which the rational faculties are fully exercised. These include things like the capacities for friendship, civic participation, aesthetic enjoyment, and intellectual enquiry. Thus for Aristotle, the life of a pleasure-seeking couch potato is not an example of the good life. Aristotle distinguishes between the intellectual virtues, which are exercised in the process of thinking, and the moral virtues, which are exercised through action.   He conceives of a moral virtue as a character trait that it is good to possess and that a person displays habitually.   This last point about habitual behavior is important.   A generous person is one who is routinely generous, not just generous occasionally. A person who only keeps some of their promises does not have the virtue of trustworthiness. To really have the virtue is for it to be deeply ingrained in your personality. One way to achieve this is to keep practicing the virtue so that it becomes habitual. Thus to become a truly generous person you should keep performing generous actions until generosity just comes naturally and easily to you; it becomes, as one says, â€Å"second nature.† Aristotle argues that each moral virtue is a sort of mean lying between two extremes. One extreme involves a deficiency of the virtue in question, the other extreme involves possessing it to excess. For example, Too little courage cowardice; too much courage recklessness. Too little generosity stinginess; too much generosity extravagance. This is the famous doctrine of the â€Å"golden mean.†Ã‚   The â€Å"mean,† as Aristotle understands it is not some sort of mathematical halfway point between the two extremes; rather, it is what is appropriate in the circumstances. Really, the upshot of Aristotle’s argument seems to be that any trait we consider a virtue as to be exercised with wisdom. Practical wisdom (the Greek word is phronesis), although strictly speaking an intellectual virtue, turns out to be absolutely key to being a good person and living a good life. Having practical wisdom means being able to assess what is required in any situation. This includes knowing when one should follow a rule and when one should break it. And it calls into play knowledge, experience, emotional sensitivity, perceptiveness, and reason. The Advantages of Virtue Ethics Virtue ethics certainly didn’t die away after Aristotle. Roman Stoics like Seneca and Marcus Aurelius also focused on character rather than abstract principles. And they, too, saw moral virtue as constitutive of the good life– that is, being a morally good person is a key ingredient of living well and being happy.   No-one who lacks virtue can possibly be living well, even if they have wealth, power, and lots of pleasure. Later thinkers like Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) and David Hume (1711-1776) also offered moral philosophies in which the virtues played a central role.   But it is fair to say that virtue ethics took a back seat in the 19th and 20th centuries. The revival of virtue ethics in the mid-late 20th century was fueled by dissatisfaction with rule-oriented ethics, and a growing appreciation of some of the advantages of an Aristotelian approach. These advantages included the following. Virtue ethics offers a broader conception of ethics in general.  It doesn’t see moral philosophy as confined to working out which actions are right and which actions are wrong. It also asks what constitutes well-being or human flourishing. We may not have a duty to flourish in the way we have a duty not to commit murder; but questions about well-being are still legitimate questions for moral philosophers to address.It avoids the inflexibilities of rule-oriented ethics.  According to Kant, for instance, we must always and in every circumstance obey his fundamental principle of morality, his â€Å"categorical imperative.† This led him to conclude that one must never tell a lie or break a promise.   But the morally wise person is precisely the one who recognizes when the best course of action is to break the normal rules. Virtue ethics offers rules of thumb, not iron rigidities.Because it is concerned with character, with what kind of person one is, virtue ethics pay s more attention to our inner states and feelings as opposed to focusing exclusively on actions. For a utilitarian, what matters is that you do the right thing–that is, you promote the greatest happiness of the greatest number (or follow a rule that is justified by this goal).   But as a matter of fact, this is not all we care about. It matters why someone is generous or helpful or honest. The person who is honest simply because they think being honest is good for their business is less admirable that the person who is honest through and through and would not cheat a customer even if they could be sure that no one would ever find them out. Virtue ethics has also opened the door to some novel approaches and insights pioneered by feminist thinkers who argue that traditional moral philosophy has emphasized abstract principles over concrete interpersonal relationships. The early bond between mother and child, for instance, could be one of the essential building blocks of moral life, providing both an experience and an example of loving care for another person. Objections to Virtue Ethics Needless to say, virtue ethics has its critics. Here are a few of the most common criticisms leveled against it. â€Å"How can I flourish?† is really just a fancy way of asking â€Å"What will make me happy?†Ã‚   This may be a perfectly sensible question to ask, but it really isn’t a moral question. It’s a question about one’s self-interest. Morality, though, is all about how we treat other people. So this expansion of ethics to include questions about flourishing takes moral theory away from its proper concern.Virtue ethics by itself can’t really answer any particular moral dilemma. It doesn’t have the tools to do this. Suppose you have to decide whether or not to tell a lie in order to save your friend from being embarrassed. Some ethical theories provide you with real guidance.   But virtue ethics doesn’t. It just says, â€Å"Do what a virtuous person would do† which isn’t much use.Morality is concerned, among other things, with praising and blaming people for how they behave.   But what sort of character a person has is to quite a large extent a matter of luck.   People have a natural temperament: either brave or timid, passionate or reserved, confident or cautious. It is hard to alter these inborn traits. Moreover, the circumstances in which a person is raised is another factor that shapes their moral personality but which is beyond their control.   So virtue ethics tends to bestow praise and blame on people for just being fortunate. Naturally, virtue ethicists believe they can answer these objections. But even the critics who put them forward would probably agree that the revival of virtue ethics in recent times has enriched moral philosophy and broadened its scope in a healthy way.

Report on Kingdom of Heaven ( movie review ) Essay

Report on Kingdom of Heaven ( movie review ) - Essay Example This was the start of their journey towards sharing the real meaning of knighthood and brings them across different borders. In Jerusalem, on the other hand, was utmost peace that is brought about by the efforts of a Christian king named Baldwin IV, aided by Tiberias. However, the greed and fanaticism of Baldwin shatters the truce that leads Balian’s skills in fighting to be needed by him which was especially triggered when Tiberias leaves for Cyprus and Balian stays to defend Jerusalem against their enemies who want to besiege them (Kingdom of Heaven (2005) - Plot Summary. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). N.p., n.d.). Analyzing this movie, I think that there were a lot of aspects where religious and cultural bias were being reflected. One of which would be how it bashed the Muslim point of view. This could be seen through the concept of the movie on the Crusades where prominent figures talked about Islam being incompatible with Christianity and American values as well. This is reflected in the script as well which showed offensive stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims being bombers, dangerous, stupid, and backward people. This is one of the misrepresentations of history which led the director to having this kind of perception towards Muslims. Some of the distinct scenes in the movie that demonstrated this would be when Muslims were shown attacking churches and tearing down the cross and mocking it. However, to counter all these, the film in a way depicts Muslim characters in the movie as the most honorable as they win with dignity and respect for those they vanquish. Aside from that, the movie represented religious misconceptions or careless generalizations that could be offensive to Christianity. There are a lot of scenes in the movie where Christian aggression is being emphasized that translates it to extreme tolerance to contradicting