Creative Writing A Short Story - 777 Words

Clemmie licked the spoon and her eyes lit up. Oh, yes, yummy! Its rice pudding. Who would like a cookie? They all nodded and when Clemmie took one from the tray, they were warm, soft, and had a gooey centre. ‘Thank you, Mrs Tiffin,’ Mosaic said as he walked out the door. He licked the last of the crumbs from his fingers. When they were out in the passage, Boffin whispered in Clemmie’s ear, ‘I’m sorry I was rude earlier. I wasn’t well but Doctor Pax made me better.’ ‘That’s okay. Doctor Pax sewed up my head.’ She pointed up and he stopped to admire her stitches. Boffin said in awe, ‘Cor! I bet that hurt.’ They caught up with Kipp just in time to hear him ask, What’s that door? It was a wooden door with a Private sign in brass. Kipp†¦show more content†¦Ahem! Doctor Pax laughed low in his throat. Can you pass me my coat?’ Harmonie ran out the back door and Mosaic followed at a slower pace. Clemmie looked at Doctor Pax. He bent down to do the buttons on her coat then stopped when she asked, ‘Do you think they will fall in love?’ He sighed, then said, ‘Yes, I very much think they will.’ I dont want to see you hurt. Doctor Pax blinked his eyes. Me, hurt? Look, dont you worry about me. Off you go now and find Harmonie. Clemmie did as she was told and went outside. Her nose tingled with cold so she snuggled into her thick wool coat. It felt toasty and warm. The first person she caught up with was Gilt. ‘Have you settled in yet’? ‘I’m not sure. You see, I don’t feel dead.’ Clemmie admitted. Then she asked a little nervously, ‘How did you†¦?’ ‘How did I die? It was twenty years ago. I returned home from college one night. A man attacked me and left me for dead. He stole money from my purse so he could buy drugs, but all I had on me were four shinies. The shock made my hair turn white. Oh, but it suits you. Clemmie stared at the short-haired, tawny-eyed teacher. You look like a pixie.’ They caught up with Harmonie and Gentine. ‘Did I hear you mention pixies?’ asked Gentine. The four of them huddled close as they turned into the chilly wind. ‘Gentine is good at stories,’ smiled Gilt. ‘Would you like to hear one?’ Clemmie was at a loss for words and she nodded her head. Her day was gettingShow MoreRelatedCreative Writing : A Short Story1020 Words   |  5 PagesThe girls sat seperated in two stark, cold rooms. Each of the girls was sat at a table with a clear plastic cup of water sitting at arm’s length from them, both cups untouched. How could they drink when their best friend was no where to be seen? They had been having an innocent night of fun at Mercedes’ house three weeks ago, the first of many planned for the spring break, watching movies on Netflix and eating a pizza they ordered. The night was full of rambling about how classes were, drama floatingRead MoreShort Story : Creative Writing1550 Words   |  7 PagesIn the woods when the sun was just starting to set, there was a van driving on a long-abandoned road, behind the wheel of said van was a tired looking girl who seemed to be about 19. She took a sip of the long cold coffee, and turned to the turquoise haired girl sitting next to her. Hey uhhhh Cas, Cassie? Where are we? Noting the headphones, she stopped the car and turned around to inquire of the two boys in the back, Kenny, Timmy, do either of you have an idea where we are? It seems like weveRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1281 Words   |  6 PagesSMACK! I was on my back, peering up at Josh as he laid on top me. â€Å"Gotc....† He begins to say but stopped. The look of victory slowly vanished from his face at the realization of how little space was between us. I could feel his heart hammering in his chest or maybe it was mine. Because, Josh was now searching my eyes as if he was looking for an answer to a question. His lips were only inches from mine and I could feel the heat coming off of them. Everything inside of me screamed to move awayRead MoreShort Story : Creative Writing865 Words   |  4 Pages Brrring! Brrring! Brrring! Brrring! â€Å"What is someone doing calling at 2am† whispers Dave groggily as he wipes his eyes and p icks up the phone. Yawning, somehow he manages to make something comprehendible come out of his mouth, â€Å"Hello? This is Dave speaking.† â€Å"Dave! This is Joe†¦ your old roommate from college. How are you doing?† â€Å"I am doing fine.† says Dave thinking and thinking about who Joe is when suddenly he remembers. At that moment he groans but manages to put out a polite response,Read MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1037 Words   |  5 PagesThere she goes again. Mother can’t ever mind her own business, Seriously will it kill her to just leave her thoughts to herself. Little Mike came up tugging at her sleeve, his soft little fingers grasping at the cloth, a pull then another. â€Å"Yes sweetheart.† Mike looked at her, his finger pointed forwards, just at the edge of my vision. â€Å"It’s our turn now mommy.† She looked up; Mike quickly ran forward. â€Å"Woah slow down buddy, you can’t walk away by yourself.† Mike came to a sudden stop;he turned toRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1102 Words   |  5 PagesWhen their parents entered their room, Charlie watched as Maggie walked to the window and kept her back to them. They could al l tell she was upset about something. Looking at Elliot, she pushed herself up further in the bed, as Callum grabbed Ian and took a seat on the chair next to her. Ben clasped his hands in front of him as he took a deep breath. â€Å"Ive been asked to stay here in order to help Rachel on her work supplying the Republic with power. I plan on asking Miles to let all of you andRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1148 Words   |  5 Pagesbench nearby. And that’s what she was doing now. She sighed and stood up to go home. The next day she went to school and her best friend Sarina asked, â€Å"What’s wrong?† She then told her the whole story as she didn’t know what happened yesterday because she was absent. Hearing the story she said, â€Å" It’s a good thing that I upgraded my remote few days ago. You should go to the remote shop today after school.† Then they both went to class. When Maya entered her first class she saw Tasha andRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1583 Words   |  7 Pagesforbid, if you don’t find it within two seconds, then youre most definitely an incompetent driver. Almost needless to say, Jason didn’t follow in the outlier’s footsteps, and he aced the questionnaire. Though he did take note that his examiner was creative with her questions. She was probably was deeply saddened that there wasn’t a convoluted touch screen to inquire about, Jason thought to himself. Finally all the formalities were complete, consequently, he took a second to get himself mentally, andRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1440 Words   |  6 PagesPayday arrived for both me and Patsy, giving us the opportunity to attend the luxurious cinema and a wider variety of movies. As we stand before the array of movie posters, deciding between an action or comedy, somehow, how conversation shifts over to John. â€Å"He was so excited about the other night,† says Patsy. I abandon the posters and give her a questioning look. â€Å"About what?† â€Å"Well, first of all spending the evening with you, and then because you hugged him the way you did.† She taps her fingerRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1615 Words   |  7 Pagestown to barter, we’ll ask around.† Shocked that her husband knows about Miles tattoo on her arm, Rachel clings to him in the silence, her mind racing at the possible implications. XXX Rachel sits stunned at the table, listening to Ben relay the story that he’s heard over and over in the village nearest to the house they’ve decided to ride out the winter in. â€Å"Soul Marks? How is that possible? These are just replicas of tattoos,† she replies with a disbelieving shake of her head. Ben shrugged

Social Injustices Portrayed Through Characterization And...

Social Injustices portrayed through Characterization and Imagery The Industrial Revolution of the Victorian Era was a time of development and underdevelopment. While the technology was improving, the social class structure and treatment of the underprivileged were not improving. Social injustices of the time were often overlooked, but there are many Victorian writers that wrote social commentaries regarding to these issues and Charles Dickens is one of them. Dickens sympathizes with the underprivileged of the society because he had experienced the injustice as a child. His works were a form of direct appeal to society to take action against poverty, exploitation of children, and the flaw of the judicial system. Through the use of†¦show more content†¦Such a dreadful experience at a young age led Dickens to emphasize with the wretched conditions of children in his novels, which was parallel to the actual state of the poor children in the Victorian era. Dickens’ ability to depict realistic situations was greatly influenced by his unpleasant experiences as a young man. Later on, Dickens worked as a reporter which helped him develop a more critical perception of society and enabled him to write from a realistic perspective, connecting real life experiences with his characters. During the Victorian age, England’s industry was progressing and the need for extra laborers was on high demand. Children became objectified as a form of cheap labor. In Great Expectations, Dickens created the protagonist Philip Pirrip, referred to as Pip throughout the novel, who perfectly portrays as a child that is suffering through abuse. His sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery, is often described using punishment on others and Pip knows â€Å"her to have a hard and heavy hand, and to be much in the habit of laying it upon her husband as well as upon† (Great Expectations 9). His sister’s physical abuse depicts the vulnerability of children who lack proper care and protection. Pip grew up in a home that shows no love and affection. This was very common in Victorian England, where children often considered miniature adults and only valued for their potential earning money power. Like Pip, Estella is also introduced as an orphan,

Computer Generated Imagery free essay sample

Television Movies were entirely revolutionized in the 1990s after the release of Toy Story (1995), the first feature length animation made entirely from CGI (computer-generated imagery) to be released. When it came to the drawing boards, productions companies changed the ways they had traditionally made animated movies. Movies made with CGI became easier to produce, more eye appealing, and realistic. The production of movies was entirely renovated. In the world of animation, CGI made the creating and editing of animated movies possible to change a scene in a month rather then a year. Movies have stuck to CGI majority of the time making it the new standard for most viewers, the new type competition between production companies, and the new requirement on resumes for hopeful animators. CGI gave the production of science-fiction movies the possibility to have a realistic feel. The significant differences between CGI and classical hand-drawn animations are not only the obvious; one being done by computer and one is on paper. We will write a custom essay sample on Computer Generated Imagery or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The biggest difference is time efficiency and believability. A computer-generated image can be done one of two ways: a picture that is hand-drawn and then scanned into a computer or an entirely computer produced image, with a software specially designed for computer made imagery (Abbott, Pg. 91). After this step computer animators can move images around in one thousandth of the time it would take to move a hand-drawn image. Hypothetically meaning that if a hand-drawn scene took you twenty-four hours to move images around, with a CGI it would take twenty-four seconds. That changes the entire playing field when it comes to filmmaking. The ability to go in and out of scenes and move the image or objects not wanted, without distorting the background or surrounding images, is a step that has made CGI animator friendly. The images and scenes that have been created are easily adjusted to perfection. For example in the television series The Silver Surfer which was a blending of cel and computer-generated imagery, it was possible to move him from one side of the screen to the other without distorting the rest of the image (in scenes that were completely CGI). CGI made thousands of jobs for editors and created a new field of expertise in film. With todays technology in special effects designers have walked a fine line between artist and technician. The increasing use of computer technology for special effects has made them seem more like modern day computer scientists rather then their predecessors. â€Å"Not only does the hardware and software require the highest level of computer expertise to operate, but the technicians must research, develop, and experiment with the technology in order to acquire its desired effects. † (Abbott, pg. 91) An animator today has to know not only how to draw and be creative, but also have to know how to do all of this on a computer. Therefore CGI has changed not only the production, but also the hiring and background education needed to become an animator. According to Manovich â€Å"Achieving synthetic realism means attaining two goals-the simulation of the codes of traditional cinematography and the simulation of the perceptual properties of real life objects and environments. (Bostic, Pg. 358) This is no longer just art and design of film, this is computer-programming and engineering at its very best. Movies have entirely been turned around due to the convenience and reality that CGI brings to the table. Never before have we been able to realize such fantastic imagery, blending live action with computer-generated imagery with seamless agility. † (Bostic, pg. 359) There is now a level of difficulty even for professionals in the field of special effects to determine what is reality and what is computer-generated. The imagery we see on TV and in the movie theatres has entirely changed what our expectation s are when about to watch a movie. If a movie like Godzilla (1954) came out in todays’ world, the likely hood of it being a success is not probable. Watching a rubber suited monster attack a city is not the most eye pleasing special effect. A movie with no special effects doesn’t contain the believable factor. Where as a movie such as Jurassic Park (1993) containing several CGI, is one that brings a realistic feel to the dinosaurs. Humans and creatures/animals interacting with a realistic feel made science fiction movies much more believable. For example, in hit series of movies, Star Wars: Phantom Menace (1999) Jar-Jar Binks, a Gungan that helps Qui-Gon-Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, was completely CGI created and continuously standing near humans. The combination of background, scenery and creatures mixed with humans in outer space was â€Å"mind blowing† cool. The series became one of the most popular of all time. When imagining CGI involving humans and creatures, I think of a creature of social reality as well as a possible creature of science fiction (a hybrid machine). The ability to do this has opened a futuristic and fictional possibility to movies that was never possible. To watch a human on screen mutate, transform, or travel through time and dreams, creates a world that one can only imagine. CGI has turned horror, fantasy, and martial art into a form of hybridized science fiction. According to Abbott In Terminator 2: Judgment day (1991) â€Å"No longer simply the fusion of flesh and a metal endoskeleton, the new terminator was supposedly made of liquid metal able to transform from one shape to another. † (Abbott, Pg 92) Every year fiction movies are becoming more innovative with all the possibilities CGI offers. CGI has brought so much potential to the drawing boards of the movie industry. The industry has been using CGI in majority of movies for the past 15 years since the release of Toy Story. The difference between Toy Story and Toy Story 3 in graphics is hardly noticeable. The biggest differences are within the new TV resolutions and Blu-Ray players. CGI has been some what updated and few glitches have been fixed, but it remains to be as used and as efficient as it was once Pixar mastered it with Toy Story in the mid ‘1990s. A movie such as Avatar, which is widely known for its graphics and unbelievable imagery, is setting new standards for CGI in the world of film. â€Å"After writing this story many years ago, James Cameron discovered that the technology he needed to make it happen did not exist. So, he went out and created it in collaboration with the best effects minds in the business. This is motion capture brought to a new high where every detail of the actors performances gets preserved in the final CG character as they appear on the screen. Yes, those eyes are no longer dead holes but big and expressive, almost dominating the wide and long alien faces. † (Honeycutt) James Cameron spent several years with highly trained computer-graphic engineers trying to exceed the limits of computer-generated imagery. In the end, after working so hard to bring a new level of realism to CGI, he made billions and broke more CGI barriers. It would be at the most difficulty to argue that CGI has not changed the, expectations that viewers have when entering a movie theater with, the requirements needed to be a successful animator today, the change in production of movies, and the possibilities that producers can bring to the screen. A film without CGI is typically not as good, because all of the films that come out of the cinema as blockbusters include a great amount of CGI and explosions, therefore as an audience we now expect them. Movies, television, and advertisement have been changed with CGI to please the audience and take cinema to a new possible level.

Dune Essay Example For Students

Dune Essay Dune by Frank HerbertFeb.22/97This book all started with the family Atreides landing on plant Arrakis, commonly known as Dune. The planet Dune was the centre of the universe due to its immense amounts of spice. This spice is greatly needed for all planets as fuel and for raw materials. The family Atreides were asked by Emperor himself to go and mine the spice on the planet. Their greatest enemy the Harkonnens, were also on Dune. These two families mining the precious spice on the same plant would lead to great troubles and wars. Soon after that, I was introduced to a very brave and insightful young man. The young man is Paul Atreides. Paul is medium height with short, black hair. His mother Jessica is a Bene Gesserit that means she knows the weirding way. This means Jessica is trained to kill and is also trained as a mind reader. She is very tall and beautiful and is always concerned with the actions of Paul, the future ruler of the galaxy. Jessicas teacher, the Reverend Mother heard of Paul and thought that he might be the great leader that the prophets told of. The Reverend Mother came to Dune and tested Paul to see if this was so. Paul underwent great pain and suffering but passed the tests with the highest reverence. Duke Leto, Pauls father now came into the picture. He was the leader of the Atreides Family. He seemed very established and perceptive.The Atreides family represented good and honesty while their enemies, the Harkonnens, were ruthless killers. The Harkonnen home planet, Gedi Prime was very desolate and dark. It represented the immorality and darkness within the Harkonnens. Their leader Baron Vladimir Harkonnen was very obese and inhuman. He killed his own slaves for fun and hated the Atreides with a passion. He hated their peaceful and honest ways. Most of all he despised their coming to Dune. This Harkonnen leader appeared the typical tyrant leader. Vladimir Harkonnens most trusted solider Feyd-Rautha was also like him except his physical appearance was that of ideal shape and form. Back at the Atreides base more characters are introduced to me. They are Duncan Idaho who was the personal trainer for Paul Atreides, Dr. Yeuh who was a good friend of the Duke and later was found out to be a traitor, and Thufir Hawat the security officer of the base. All these men seemed greatly trusted in the Atreides family. They taught Paul much about fighting and protecting himself from his enemies.These men along with Pauls mother and fa ther helped prepare him for the coming hardships ahead. A group of people named the Fremen also were presented. They were people who lived in the desert within the forbidden zone. The forbidden zone was where no one would ever travel. It was said that there are huge masses of Fremen there along with giant sandworms reaching a length of four hundred and fifty meters. The Fremen harvested spice, lived in the cities and in underground cities. Their eyes were bright blue on blue due to the saturation of the spice which changed their colour. The beginning of this book was very interesting and told me much about each characters background and personality. I knew there was something special about Paul and his mother right from the start just by how the author described them. The family Atreides was very strong and even feared by the Emperor himself because he knew that Paul was the prophet who was destined to stop all violence, hunger, spice mining, armies and fighting. He was to bring a new era along with his leadership. This frightened the Emperor that forced him to act against the Atreides family. .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa , .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa .postImageUrl , .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa , .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa:hover , .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa:visited , .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa:active { border:0!important; } .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa:active , .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ube8c7f35230df7e6903082ef1942c3aa:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Paleontology (9th-10th Grade Paper) EssayThe Harkonnens seemed a bit too uninteresting and average to me. They were evil and hated all that was good. The author should of added a bit more spice to their characters. This would of made the story more enjoyable. Otherwise, this science fiction novel is like it says on the cover, A world beyond your experience, beyond your imagination. Dune by Frank Herbert Feb.23/97The emperor sent the Atreides to Dune for one purpose only. Their destruction. He joined forces with the

Causes and Effects of the Crus Essay Example

Causes and Effects of the Crus Essay Towards 1071 AD, Seldjuk Turks had grown powerful and had started conquering the East. Christians began to find it difficult to reach the holy places during their pilgrimages. The military expeditions planned and fought by western European Christians that began around 1095 AD, are known today as the Holy Wars, or the Crusades. The purpose of these expeditions was to overtake and gain control of the holy land of Jerusalem, from the Muslims. Deus Vult, meaning God Wills It, was the battle cry of the thousands of Christians who took part in the event of the Crusades. It was Christian belief that fate was to gain control of the Holy Land for the glory of God. In the year of 1095 AD, Pope Urban II started the Crusades. On November 18, 1095 AD, Pope Urban II opened the Council of Clermont. Nine days later, the Pope made a speech just outside the French city of Clermont-Ferrand.During this speech, Pope Urban II had called the Christians to join a holy war Holy War to reclaim the Holy Lands as an act of Christianity. Pope Urban II stayed in France until September 1096 in hopes of providing leadership and control for the First Crusaders. Soon, his famous speech had begun to spread throughout the west, and many people of different social classes started joining the crusading army. For peasants, the crusade let them be free of feudal bonds. Everyone was also promised immediate salvation in heaven if they were killed in trying to free the holy land from non-Christians. This goaded many people to become part in this battle. Soon, Urban lost all control of the vast army that was far beyond his control. Therefore, he did not have to power to stop the slaughter of Jews in northern France, and so many other populations in the East and in Europe. At this time, and at the start of the crusades, the Pope had little real power over Christianity. Urban was hoping that the Crusades would help strengthen his power and

In Quest of a Standard American Pronunciation

In Quest of a Standard American Pronunciation In Quest of a Standard American Pronunciation In Quest of a Standard American Pronunciation By Maeve Maddox American English has many regional variants, some of them more comprehensible than others. Along with spelling rules, schools once taught a standard pronunciation. The purpose was to maintain a standard speech easily understood by people in every part of the country and by non-native speakers who learn English as a second language. No one doubted that children were capable of learning the standard speech without abandoning whatever dialect they spoke at home. Now, however, a doctrine of political correctness inhibits the teaching of standard pronunciation with the result that the media has become the final arbiter. Certain pronunciations that were once considered non-standard are catching on, even when they fly in the face of rules I imagined were still being taught in the early grades. Apparently it is now possible to get out of school without learning the most basic rules for forming the plurals of nouns. I think I knew by fourth grade that the nouns life, knife, and wife form their plurals by changing the f to v and adding es. Yet I have heard an announcer on NPR use lifes as the plural of life. Ignoring the First Rule of Silent Final e (e makes the vowel say its name). I was startled to attention one day when I heard someone on the radio talking about gas-powered micro-turbans. I figured out from the context that the intended word was turbines. Another time I heard someone pronounce finite as if it would rhyme with mine it instead of pronouncing both vowels as long is. An NPR reporter once described a scene in which people were wielding staves (plural of staff). She pronounced staves as stavs. The sounds of s, sh, and zh Ive heard the word coercion /co er shun/ pronounced co er zhun, and the word resource /re sors/ pronounced rezorse. One of the most interesting drifts Ive noticed concerns the pronunciation of the noun house /hous/ and its plural houses /houz iz/. (NOTE: When the word house is used as a verb, the s is pronounced /z/.) Until fairly recently, the pronunciation of the plural houses with a soft s /hous iz/ was a nonstandard regionalism not even mentioned in the dictionary. Now, however, the pronunciation has been spread by announcers from the eastern and northern areas of the United States. (The same ones who pronounce tourist /toor ist/ as tor ist.) TV Meltdown Because actors come from different parts of the country, their pronunciations of certain words vary. I listened in fascination one evening to the actors in an episode of Numbers. The plot required them all to say the word houses numerous times. Some of them said /houz iz/ and some said /hous iz/. If I remember correctly, one actor used both pronunciations, in different sentences! Its probably time for English teachers to take a united stand for a standard pronunciation. 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 Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:25 Subordinating Conjunctions7 Tips for Writing a Film ReviewNarrative, Plot, and Story

The use of the Alternative voting system in parliamentary elections Essay

The use of the Alternative voting system in parliamentary elections would improve democracy in the united kingdom - Essay Example These reforms are sometimes evolutionary in nature and take place gradually over a long time-period; sometimes are revolutionary in nature and takes place at the spur of a moment; while at other times are deliberately brought in through changes in the legislation. UK has seen in many such reforms that have made it a modern democracy with elected representatives, from being a monarchic state (Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, 2007, 9). My article will examine the current electoral changes that have been proposed, which signal the ushering in of the Alternative Voting system (AVs). This topic has been in debate in the UK parliament for quite some years, and is currently under review, in the House of Lords and the Parliament. My article will explore to find out whether the changes in the electoral processes that will bring in use of the Alternative Voting System or AVs in parliamentary elections, would actually work towards improving democracy in United Kingdom. Discus sion What is AV: â€Å"AV represents a very simple change to our current First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) voting system. The principle behind AV is a no-brainer: the winner in an election should need the support of a majority of the people. AV makes this happen with ‘preference voting’. ... In the present electoral process that is known as the First-Past-the–Post or FPTP, Candidate ‘A’ has garnered the maximum number of votes, and is the clearly the winner, though he hasn’t received even 50% of the total vote share, that is, majority of the voters are not backing him, yet under the present legislation, yet he must be declared the winner, thus casting aspirations on the true nature of UK democracy. However, under AV we find there are certain changes in the whole process that are certainly more democratic in nature. â€Å"With AV voters’ ‘first preferences’ are counted as before. As no candidate has 50% support the last placed candidate, ‘D’, is eliminated, and her supporters’ second preferences are transferred to the others. Still no candidate has 50% support, so candidate ‘C’ drops out and his voters’ second choices are transferred. ‘B’ emerges with majority support. She wins!†(Ibid.) Is AV more democratic in nature? A basic problem of the FPTP system that undermines the very meaning of the word democracy is that, often under this process the candidate who does not have the support of the majority of the voters, emerge as the winner. AV addresses this fundamental problem, and ensures that the winner is the person who genuinely enjoys the support of the maximum number of the voters in UK. Thus, we find we find that this system represents a more fair form of the electoral procedure, which brings forth the person who is the actual choice of the majority. The FPTPs that is in use in present day UK general elections and also used for local councils in England and Wales, is an ancient and rather outdated process, which started during the

Two Kinds and Everyday Use Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two Kinds and Everyday Use - Essay Example The mother sees being in America a tremendous opportunity to succeed in life, as when she said, â€Å"of course, you can be a prodigy too.† This is synonymous with her dreams of making it big in America and be a success in life through her own daughter. In fact, she believed anyone can be anything what one wanted in America (open a nice restaurant and be an entrepreneur or be self-employed, work in government and get a good salary and a good retirement package too, buy a house with little or no down payment at all, to get rich, or to become famous). In other words, the conflict between the mother and daughter in this story is that of the clash of cultural norms, attitudes, and values in which the mother saw the need to work hard to be successful while the daughter sees it differently. Her daughter wanted to be left alone, so to speak, to pursue her own desires and dreams, to be not dictated by anybody, not even her mother. Their personal conflict is intensified due to this cultural difference, in which the two of them are working on different paradigms (or mindset). In other words, the title â€Å"Two Kinds† could mean an entirely different thing, that of two worlds, China and the United States (Bloom, 2009, p. 2). In the case of Maggie, people would naturally be sympathetic to her because of what had happened to her. She got burn scars when their house burned down, which some readers had suspected to be set by Dee because she intensely disliked their old and run-down house of which she is ashamed to even invite her own friends over to their old house. Besides, the character of Maggie is that of a shy girl, introverted and demure to the extent she did not bother to attend the school in their area to get a proper education. In a sense, she is the epitome of what a good kind of daughter that every mother wants a daughter to be, one who is obedient and submissive. The character

A mid summer nights dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A mid summer nights dream - Essay Example You will find that the entire plot collapses, in the absence of that simple-looking character; the story has lost most of its punch and strength! What laurels did Puck bring to the play, without being an important member of the team and what are his strengths and weaknesses? The character of Puck in â€Å"A Mid Summer Nights Dream,† is falls into the above category. He is there through the entire plot of drama, as if what they call—from the cradle to the grave and from the womb to the tomb. He doesn’t occupy the front seat in the sequence of characters. Yet, he controls them all with his witticisms and tricks. There is not a single character in the play that is not affected by the tricks of Puck; some of them are ‘injured seriously,’ with the Puck’s humor blow. He hits them hard by the deft handling of the meandering situations/graphs in the drama. In the ‘politics’ of the drama, Puck is an important political worker, who pulls and controls the strings from behind the curtain. He creates confusing situations, but also has the pre-panned solutions. He articulates crisis but knows that every crisis is an opportunity to further the cause of the overall beauty of the drama. The audience falls in love with him instantly. He is perhaps aware, what all complications his pranks are going to create. He is a dynamic spirit, but at times, Puck’s dynamism proves to be destructive. Some of his actions should have invited legal actions—but unfortunately such legal provisions to govern the affairs of love, did no exist during the Shakespearean times! He commits the serious mistake of applying the love potion to Lysander instead of Demetrius, thus causing total confusion amidst the group of lovers. His transforming Bottom’s head into that of an ass is difficult to condone taking into consideration the problem s that it created for Bottom! This

Howard Becker Criminology | A Theory Analysis

Howard Becker Criminology | A Theory Analysis With close reference to a selection from your research/reading (minimum 3 references by or about your criminologist), critically assess the contribution made by your author to criminological knowledge. You should focus closely on how he /she developed critiqued or applied theory. INTRODUCTION Howard Becker is hailed as the founder of modern labeling theory. He also developed the term moral entrepreneur to describe persons in power who campaign to have certain deviant behavior outlawed (Becker, 1963). He claims that many laws are established for such purposes, and that behavior that is defined as criminal is dynamic and changes throughout time. Therefore, the actual criminal behavior is irrelevant to the theory. What really matters is which outlaws are arrested and processed by the criminal justice system (Becker, 1963). As a result of the belief that personal and societal factors do not contribute to motivations for criminal behavior there has been little study of the criminal him/herself and the aforesaid factors. As one might expect, this aspect of Labeling Theory is still being debated. There is one exception to this belief, however most labeling theorists claim that the system is biased toward the lower class, which constitutes the overwhelming majority of arrests and convictions within the American criminal justice system (Wellford, 1975). This Labeling Theory, found in Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance (1963), is perhaps his most important and influential contribution to sociology. Influenced by Cooleys looking-glass self, Meads theories on the internalization of the self, and Lemerts social constructionism, Becker explains that deviance is based on the reactions and responses of others to an individuals acts. The label of deviant is applied to an individual when others observe their behavior and react to it by labeling that person as deviant. No particular act is inherently deviant until a group with socially powerful statuses or positions label it as such (Becker, 1963). This theoretical approach to deviance has influenced criminology, gender, sexuality and identity research. This work became the manifesto of the labeling theory movement among sociologists. In his opening, Becker writes: social groups create deviance by making rules whose infraction creates deviance, and by applying those roles to particular people and labeling them as outsiders. From this point of view, deviance is not a quality of the act the person commits, but rather a consequence of the application by other of rules and sanctions to an offender. The deviant is one to whom that label has been successfully applied; deviant behavior is behavior that people so label.[8] While society uses the stigmatic label to justify its condemnation, the deviant actor uses it to justify his actions. He wrote: To put a complex argument in a few words: instead of the deviant motives leading to the deviant behavior, it is the other way around, the deviant behavior in time produces the deviant motivation.[9] INFLUENCES Beckers theory evolved during a period of social and political power struggle that was amplified within the world of the college campus (Pfohl, 1994). Liberal political movements were embraced by many of the college students and faculty in America (Pfohl 1994). Howard Becker harnessed this liberal influence and adjusted Lemerts labeling theory and its symbolic interaction theoretical background. The labeling theory outlined in Outsiders is recognized as the prevailing social reaction approach by Lemert as well as most other sociologists (www.sonoma.edu). Beckers approach has its roots in the symbolic interaction foundation of Cooley and Mead, and the labeling influences of Tannenbaum and Lemert. Charles Cooleys Human Nature and the Social Order (1902) examines the personal perception of oneself through studies of children and their imaginary friends. Cooley develops the theoretical concept of the looking glass self, a type of imaginary sociability (Cooley 1902). People imagine the view of themselves through the eyes of others in their social circles and form judgements of themselves based on these imaginary observations (Cooley 1902). The main idea of the looking glass self is that people define themselves according to societys perception of them (www.d.umn.edu). Cooleys ideas, coupled with the works of Mead, are very important to labeling theory and its approach to a persons acceptance of labels as attached by society. George Meads theory is less concerned with the micro-level focus on the deviant and more concerned with the macro-level process of separating the conventional and the condemned (Pfohl 1994). In Mind, Self, and Society (1934), Mead describes the perception of self as formed within the context of social process (Wright, 1984). The self is the product of the minds perception of social symbols and interactions (www.d.umn.edu ). The self exists in objective reality and is then internalized into the conscious (Wright 1984). The idea of shifting the focus away from the individual deviant and looking at how social structure affects the separation of those persons considered unconventional has a great influence on how Becker approaches labeling theory. Social Pathology (1951) outlines Edwin Lemerts approach to what many consider the original version of labeling theory. Lemert, unhappy with theories that take the concept of deviance for granted, focuses on the social construction of deviance (Lemert 1951). Lemert (1951) describes deviance as the product societys reaction to an act and the affixing of a deviant label on the actor. Social Pathology details the concepts of primary and secondary deviance. According to Lemert (1951), primary deviance is the initial incidence of an act causing an authority figure to label the actor deviant. This initial labeling of a deviant act will remain primary as long as the actor can rationalize or deal with the process as a function of a socially acceptable role (Lemert, 1951). If the labeled deviant reacts to this process by accepting the deviant label, and further entrenches his/herself in deviant behavior, this is referred to as secondary deviance (Lemert, 1951). Lemert considers the causes of p rimary deviance as fluid, and only important to researchers concerned with specific social problems at a certain time. In the years following Social Pathology, Lemert argues for the decriminalization of victimless crimes, advocates pre-trial diversion programs, and has backed away labeling determinism (Wright, 1984). BECKERS LABELLING THEORY Howard Beckers approach to the labeling of deviance, as described in Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance (1963), views deviance as the creation of social groups and not the quality of some act or behavior. Becker (1963) criticizes other theories of deviance for accepting the existence of deviance and by doing so, accept the values of the majority within the social group. According to Becker (1963), studying the act of the individual is unimportant because deviance is simply rule breaking behavior that is labeled deviant by persons in positions of power. The rule breaking behavior is constant, the labeling of the behavior varies (Becker 1963). Becker (1963) describes rules as the reflection of certain social norms held by the majority of a society, whether formal or informal. Enforced rules, the focus of Beckers (1963) approach, are applied differentially and usually facilitate certain favorable consequences for those who apply the label. In short, members of the rule-maki ng society may label rule breaking behavior deviant depending on the degree of reaction over time (Becker, 1963). Becker (1963) views those people that are likely to engage in rule breaking behavior as essentially different than members of the rule-making or rule-abiding society. Those persons who are prone to rule-breaking behavior see themselves as morally at odds with those members of the rule-abiding society (Becker 1963). Becker (1963) uses the term outsider to describe a labeled rule-breaker or deviant that accepts the label attached to them and view themselves as different from mainstream society. Deviants may consider themselves more outside than others similarly labeled (Becker 1963). Deviant outsiders might view those rule making or abiding members of society as being the outsiders of their social group (Becker, 1963). The final step in the creation of a career delinquent involves the movement of a rule breaker into a deviant subculture (Becker, 1963). The affiliation of the labeled deviant with an organized provides the person with moral support and a self-justifying rationale (Becker 1963). Becker (1963) describes how those involved in an organized crime may learn new forms of deviance through differential association. Becker (1963) also focuses on those in positions of power and authority that make and enforce the rules. Rules are created by a moral entrepreneur, a person that takes the initiative to crusade for a rule that would right a society evil (Becker 1963). The moral entrepreneurs motive may be to elevate the social status of those members of society below him/her (Becker 1963). The success of the crusade may lead to the entrepreneur to become a professional rule creator (Becker 1963). Becker (1963) states that the success of each moral crusade brings along with it a new group of outsiders, and a new responsibility of an enforcement agency. According to Becker (1963), the enforcement of societys rules is an enterprising act. The enforcement of a rule occurs when those that want a rule enforced, usually to some sort of gain to their personal interests, bring the rule infraction to the attention of the public (Becker 1963). The rule infraction, brought to the attention of those in positions of authority, is dealt with punitively by the entrepreneur (Becker, 1963). The enforcement of the rule may involve the mediation of conflicts between many different interest groups by those in positions of power (Becker, 1963). The enforcers themselves may have a moral crusade to stop crime, but most engage in the process strictly as a part of their occupation (Becker 1963). Rule enforcers use the process of formal enforcement to satisfy two major interests, the justification of their occupation and the winning of respect from the people he/she patrols (Becker, 1963). The enforcer is armed with a great deal of discretion and may use hi s/her power to label an innocent person in order to gain respect (Becker, 1963). The misuse of labeling powers by enforcers may create a deviant out of a person who otherwise would not be prone to rule breaking behavior (Becker, 1963). Beckers work pays particular attention to the way society reacts to people with criminal labels. He proposes that this label becomes a persons master status, meaning that this is a constant label, affecting and over-riding how others will view them. The status people use to identify and classify a person will always be that of a criminal. Any other statuses a person occupies are no longer heeded. A person could be a parent, employee, spouse, etc., but the first and major status that will come to mind to other people and themselves is that of the criminal (Becker, 1963). Beckers Outsiders (1963) uses two cases to illustrate his approach to labeling theory. Becker (1963) analyzes the history of marijuana laws in the United States and how individuals progress into the recreational use of the drug. Becker (1963) chooses to analyze marijuana because the progression of use can be observed. The first time user of marijuana finds the experience as somewhat unpleasant, but as the user imitates peers he/she learns to perceive the effects of marijuana as enjoyable (Becker 1963). Becker (1963) identifies three stages of marijuana use: the beginner, the occasional user, and the regular user. The three self-explanatory categories of marijuana users can be manipulated through the use of social controls (Becker, 1963). Control of the marijuana supply has both positive and negative effects (Becker, 1963). A diminished supply of marijuana may lead to a decreased use of the drug among some people, but it may also drive a user to associate with an organized group of deviants to obtain marijuana (Becker 1963). Becker (1963) believes that while control of marijuana supply is an important social control, it does not deter use. The best way to deter a user is to control his/her individual moral view of marijuana use. A marihuana user is labelled to be deviant as it contravenes the rules and norms of the society. Becker researched on marihuana users and used it in supporting his labelling theory . Becker notes that this deviant behaviour is based on the given kind of behaviour as an end product of a sequence of social experiences during which the person acquires a comprehension of the meaning of the behaviour, the perceptions and judgements of objects and situations, all of which makes the activity possible and desirable. An individual will only be able to use marihuana for pleasure if he goes through a process of learning to conceive of it as an object where he is able to recognise the effects and connect them with drug use; to inhale in a way that produce real upshot; and learning to enjoy the sensation he comprehends. Once the ability to achieve enjoyment is acquired, he will continue to use it. (continuing usage of the marihuana is the secondary deviant) Considerations of morality and appropri ateness, occasioned by the rejoinder of society, may hamper and impede use, but use persists to be a possibility in terms of the notion of the drug. The act will only be impossible when the ability to achieve the enjoyment is vanished, through a revolutionize of users conception of the drug occasioned by certain kind of experience with it. Becker (1963) uses a participant observation study of the lives of Chicago dance musicians to illustrate the social life of a deviant subculture. Although dance musicians as a group are law-abiding, their unconventional lifestyles lead them to feel as outsiders (Becker 1963). Becker (1963) describes how being a dance musician involves a change in attitudes and opinions in order to conform to the subculture. The culture of the dance musician is rich in its own language and gestures (Becker, 1963). Many of the dance musicians live a conventional family life during the day and change into their role as musician at night (Becker, 1963). Another aspect of labelling theory in which Becker outlines as problematic, is the concept of morality. He questions a situation where the researchers sympathies should lie. He contemplates on whether one should side with the underdog or simply judge criminal behaviour as inherently wrong? He stresses the sociological difficulty of this decision. He claims that the researcher, whether taking either side, will be accused of taking a one-sided and distorted view, but how is it possible to see the situation from both sides simultaneously (Becker, 1963)? Despite many contributions, the evaluation of labelling theorists is normally considered with an excessive amount of criticism. Becker concludes Outsiders (1963) by emphasizing the need for empirical research of his approach to labeling theory. Social scientists produced a vast amount of literature in response to Beckers request. Much of the research involving labeling theory directly reflects Beckers approach, while others use Becker (1963) as a foundation for theory development. APPLICATION Gideon Fishman tests Beckers labeling theory by studying a sample of midwestern juvenile delinquents (Friday and Stewart, 1977). Fishmans research design measures negative self-perception and whether this self-perception affects future delinquency (Friday and Stewart, 1977). The results of Fishmans study show that secondary deviance is not universal and individuals react to deviant labels in different ways (Friday and Stewart, 1977). A popular application of Beckers labeling theory (1963) is in the area of mental health. Thomas Scheff embraces Beckers approach to labeling and describes how people are labeled mentally ill in order to explain certain rule-breaking behavior that society cant categorize (Holstein, 1993; www.sscf.ucsb.edu). Scheff is not concerned with occasional acts of deviance, rather it is the residual or episodic deviance that often falls under the label of mental illness (Wright, 1984; Pfohl, 1994). People labeled as mentally ill adopt the behaviors of the stereotypical mental patient as portrayed through the mass media (Wright 1984). Scheff argues that those who express the stereotypical behavior of the mentally ill are rewarded by enterprising psychology professionals (Wright, 1984; Pfohl, 1994). According to Scheff, everybody expresses the popular symptoms of mental illness at some point in their life and labels are attached to those without power (Wright 1984). Scheff provides empirical evid ence in the form of several studies of the process of mental hospital commitment (Holstein, 1993; Pfohl, 1994; Wright, 1983; www.sscf.ucsb.edu). Many social scientists challenge Scheffs arguments on theoretical and empirical grounds. James A. Holstein (1993) attacks Scheffs approach for focusing on the deviant and not the moral entrepreneurs that attach the labels. Florence Ridlon (1988) criticizes Scheffs work for being deterministic and argues for a less causal model to explain mental afflictions such as alcoholism. Walter Gove (1980), an adamant critic of Scheff, believes that Scheff should not dismiss the influence of psychopathological variables on mental illness. Gove (1980) also criticizes Scheffs empirical methodology and operations. Edwin Schur modifies Beckers labeling theory in Labeling Deviant Behavior (1971) by shifting some of the focus to the individual deviant. Schur (1971) also theorizes that as persons labeled deviant gain power and organize, they progress in social definition from an uprising, social movement, and civil war to the formation of a mainstream political party. Schur argues in Labeling Women Deviant (1983) that women in America are automatically labeled deviant by the male-dominated society. Women accept the deviant label as their master status and limit their life chances (Schur, 1983). CRITICISMS Beckers theory of labeling, while maintaining a great deal of popularity today, does encounter several criticisms (Pfohl 1994; www.mpcc.cc.ne.us ; Ridlon 1988). Many sociologists view labeling theory as untestable and, by definition, not a true theory (Ridlon 1988). Becker (1963) acknowledges that his labeling theory is a theoretical approach, not a true theory, and that sociologists should attempt to establish empirical tests for his approach. Another major criticism of labeling theory is its failure to explain primary deviance (www.mpcc.cc.ne.us). Both Lemert (1951) and Becker (1963) believe that primary deviance is influenced by many different and changing variables and the research of primary deviance causes is futile. Pfohl (1994) details the criticism of many sociologists that labeling theory is causal or deterministic. Becker (1963) qualifies his approach to social reaction theory by stating that some groups of rule-breakers may be able to choose alternative courses of action. Beckers immensely popular views were also subjected to a barrage of criticism, most of it blaming him for neglecting the influence of other biological, genetic effects and personal responsibility. In a later 1973 edition of his work, he answered his critics. He wrote that while sociologists, while dedicated to studying society, are often careful not to look too closely. Instead, he wrote: I prefer to think of what we study as collective action. People act, as Mead and Blumer have made clearest, together. They do what they do with an eye on what others have done, are doing now, and may do in the future. One tries to fit his own line of action into the actions of others, just as each of them likewise adjusts his own developing actions to what he sees and expects others to do.[10] Francis Cullen reported in 1984 that Becker was probably too generous with his critics. After 20 years, his views, far from being supplanted, have been corrected and absorbed into an expanded structuring perspective.[11] From a logical standpoint there are flaws within the main points of labeling theory. Initially the theory states that no acts are inherently criminal (Wellford, 1975). Meaning that acts are only criminal when society has deemed them as such. The implications of this being that criminal law is dynamic and ever-changing, differing from society to society. But if this is true then why are certain acts illegal within the majority of the civilized world? Murder, rape, arson, armed robbery. All these are considered crimes in any society or country one could care to name. Also the theory claims that for a criminal to be successfully labeled an audience must be present to provide a reaction to the crimes committed. Does this mean that if a murder is committed where the killer has successfully avoided anyones suspicion that the act is then not criminal and the killer will not think of him/herself as such? Its probable that the murderers socialization and/or value system could initialize self-labeling, but the theory clearly states the labeling must come from a 3rd party (Hagan, 1973). For the sake of argument, if self labeling is possible and a person has obtained a self-initialized criminal master status/label, how do they react to it? Do they become criminals or try to rationalize as stated by Foster, Dinitz, and Reckless (Foster Dinitz Reckless, 1972)? Beckers labelling theory has also drawn to a considerable criticism. One of such is that his labelling theory failed to answer the etiological question about primary deviance, for example: What causes deviance? Jack Gibbs pointed out that the theory failed to provide ample answers to three etiological questions: Why does the prevalence of a particular act vary from one population to the next? Why do some persons commit the act while others do not? Why is the act in question considered deviant and criminal in some societies but not in others? This clearly shows that labelling theory is mere humanistic-antideterministic or voluntaristic hypothesis only . Then again, recent activists of the theory beginning to shift the labelling theory into a more scientific, deterministic one, and this approach is apparent in empirical studies of the secondary deviance. Instead of describing the process of interaction between labellers and the labelled that leads to secondary deviance, these revisioni sts defined, operationalised or measure labelling as a causal variable of secondary deviation. CONCLUSION Social scientists disagree on the future of labeling theory. Pfohl (1994) recognizes labeling theory as very influential in todays studies of deviance. Some social scientists view labeling theory as declining in importance due to lack of empirical support and a conservative political climate (www.mpcc.cc.ne.us ). Becker (1963) believes the future of labeling theory lies in the widespread empirical study of deviance and kinds of deviance. Beckers analysis gives us a dynamic account of how a person can be funneled into a deviant career by labeling processes. This is also a compellingly humanistic theory of deviance. We can identify and sympathize with the deviant who has been the victim of labeling processes, even to the extent of realizing that it could happen to any of us. In this and many other respects, Beckers micro-relativistic approach to deviance theory contrasts markedly with normative theories that emphasize in a detached, objective way the fundamental differences between deviants and nondeviants. If Becker makes us understand the human implications of reactions to deviance, then he has accomplished one of his major theoretical goals. In attempting to evaluate the contribution of the labelling theorists to the study of the sociology of deviance, it can be said that it depends on how the theory is viewed. If the theory is considered as a theory, with all the achievements and obligations that go with the title, then its flaws are many. Yet if, as Backer suggests, we attempt to consider the theory as it were intended, that is, as a mere way of looking at deviance, then the contribution can be said to be weighty, as it opened up a whole new study of the individual after he has committed an act of deviance. At this point it must be mentioned that labelling theorists do not merely consider the after-effects of the deviant act, as it is sometimes suggested. Becker, for example, considers the individual and how he begins to smoke marijuana. As Schur sums up, labelling theory is not a revolutionary new approach to the analysis of social problems but rather a recording or emphasis of such analysis, a reordering that may hel p us to view deviance and control in a realistic, comprehensive, and sociologically meaningful light. As such, one can conclude that labelling theory continues in its usefulness, as long as deviant behaviour continues to exist.

Indigenous Art History and the Education System Essay -- Indigenous Ar

â€Å"His Buffalo and horses are always in motion--they're running for their lives. They can't be caught. That's real freedom†(Lee). In the American educational system the curriculum is supposedly designed to enrich the hearts and minds of all the students who wish to become enriched. Professional educators throughout western civilization compose their contributions as to what is considered to be in the best interests of the students. However, some oversights have been made apparent. The history of Indigenous American Art has been ignored, for too long, at the expense of the students who happen to be the descendants of the first peoples of this continent. Furthermore these students also happen to be the majority within the Los Angeles Unified School District; whether these students are of American, Canadian, Mexican, or Central American ethnicity they almost always have one thing in common, the indigenous blood that runs through their veins. Science has established that environment greatly influences behavior, whether that environment is a classroom, a home, or the American Continent. Subsequently, this continent is reflected within the hearts and minds of its people, and inevitably in our artistic expression. We the first people of this continent have existed here for thousands of years before the western civilization stumbled its way to this side of the planet. Indigenous American Art and its history play a vital part in our facet of the human experience. What's more, it is fundamental for fulfilling our potential and responsibilities as human beings. In addition to the contribution to our collective psyche, indigenous art is a historical and anthropological timeline of natural and supernatural phenomena. It is apparent that ... ...de as we all account for each other and ourselves with clear wisdom and responsibility before creation. Works Cited Gangel-Vasquez, Janice. â€Å"Re: Native Art History II†. Email to the author. 17 August. 2003. Lee, Jeff and Donna Hand. â€Å"2 dimensional Art-Ed Defender†. Trophies of Honor. 9 Aug. 2003. www.msstate.edu/Fineart_O...troph1.htm Martà ­n del Campo, Edgar. â€Å"Mesoamerican Deities†. Edgar†s Mesoamerican art page. 7 Oct. 1996. 9 Aug. 2003. members.aol.com/emdelcamp/edgar2.htm McMaster, Gerald R. â€Å"Towards an Aboriginal Art History†. Native American Art in the Twentieth Century. Ed. W. Jackson Rushing III. New York. Routledge. 1999. 81-96. Moreno, Lisa M. â€Å"RudyResponse†. E-mail to author. 15 Aug. 2003. Surrounded by beauty: History and Culture. 9 Aug. 2003. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. www. Artsmia.org/surrounded-bybeauty/history_culture.html

Is there water and life on mars?

Unlike Earth, since there are no oceans to obscure the planet Mars, its topography is now better explored and known than that of Earth (Australian Geographic 2003). It has the largest known volcano in the Solar System, Olympus Mons, three times as high as Mt Everest, arid the longest and deepest known canyon, Valles Marineris, 4000 km long and 10 km deep (Australian Geographic 2003).Mars has no continental plate movement, so its surface isn't constantly reworked by mountain-building processes. As a result, much of the landscape is as it was billions of years ago (Australian Geographic 2003).NASA researchers are taking lessons from the debate about life on Earth to Mars. Their future missions will incorporate cutting-edge biotechnology designed to detect individual molecules made by Martian organisms, either living or long dead (Zimmer 2005).The search for life on Mars has become more urgent thanks in part to probes by the two rovers now roaming Mars' surface and another spaceship tha t is orbiting the planet. In recent months, they've made a series of astonishing discoveries that, once again, tempt scientists to believe that Mars harbors life or did so in the past. At a February conference in the Netherlands, an audience of Mars experts was surveyed about Martian life. Some 75 percent of the scientists said they thought life once existed there, and of them, 25 percent think that Mars harbors life today (Zimmer 2005).The search for the fossil remains of primitive single-celled organisms like bacteria took off in 1953, when Stanley Tyler, an economic geologist at the University of Wisconsin, puzzled over some 2.1 billion-year-old rocks he'd gathered in Ontario, Canada (Zimmer 2005). His glassy black rocks known as cherts were loaded with strange, microscopic filaments and hollow balls. Working with Harvard paleobotonist Elso Barghoorn, Tyler proposed that the shapes were actually fossils, left behind by ancient life-forms such as algae. Before Tyler and Barghoorn' s work, few fossils had been found that predated the Cambrian Period, which began about 540 million years ago (Zimmer 2005). Now the two scientists were positing that life was present much earlier in the 4.55 billion-year history of the planet. How much further back it went remained for later scientists to discover (Zimmer 2005)?In the next decades, paleontologists in Africa found 3 billion-year-old fossil traces of microscopic bacteria that had lived in massive marine reefs (Zimmer 2005). Bacteria can also form what are called biofilms, colonies that grow in thin layers over surfaces such as rocks and the ocean floor, and scientists have found solid evidence for biofilms dating back 3.2 billion years (Zimmer 2005).Fluvial Landforms geologic features putatively formed by water were identified in images of Mars taken by the Mariner and Viking spacecraft in the 1970s (Bell 2006). These landforms included enormous channels carved by catastrophic floods and large-scale valley networks s omewhat reminiscent of river drainage systems on Earth. Over the past decade, images from the Mars Global Surveyor, which has been orbiting Mars since 1997, have revealed spectacular examples of extremely small and seemingly young gullies formed in the walls of some craters and canyons. These observations indicate the past presence of liquid water on the Martian surface or just below it but not necessarily for long periods (Bell 2006). The water from the catastrophic floods, for example, may have lasted only a few days or weeks on the surface before freezing, seeping back into the ground or evaporating.Furthermore, the networks of river-like valleys shown in the Viking orbiter images do not have the same characteristics as terrestrial river valleys when seen at higher resolution (Bell 2006). The Martian valleys could have formed entirely from subsurface water flow and ground erosion a process known as sapping-rather than from water moving over the surface. The gullies observed in th e Mars Global Surveyor's images may also be the result of water seeping underground below ice or from buried snow deposits (Bell 2006). Although these features are stunning and dramatic indicators of water on Mars, they do not firmly prove that the Red Planet once had a warmer, wetter, more Earth-like environment with long-lasting lakes and rivers.In the past few years, however, new satellite images have provided much more convincing evidence that stable, Earthlike conditions prevailed on Mars for long periods (Bell 2006). One of the most exciting discoveries is a class of features that look like river deltas. The best and largest example, photographed by the Mars Global Surveyor, is at the end of a valley network that drains into Eberswalde Crater in a region southeast of the Valles Marineris canyon system (Bell 2006). This drainage system terminates in a 10-kilometer-wide, layered, fan-shaped landform characterized by meandering ridges that crosscut one another and show varying de grees of erosion. To many geologists, this feature has all the characteristics of a delta that formed at the end of a sediment-bearing river flowing into a shallow lake.Further evidence of an Earth-like climate in Mars's past comes from high-resolution images, taken by the Mars Odyssey and Global Surveyor orbiters, of the small-scale valley networks on the plateaus and walls of the Valles Marineris canyon system. Unlike previously identified valley networks that seem to have formed largely from subsurface flow, these newly found networks have characteristics that are consistent with their formation by rainfall or snowmelt and surface runoff. For example, the networks are arranged in dense, branching patterns, and the lengths and widths of the valleys increase from their sources to their mouths. Moreover, the sources are located along the ridge crests, suggesting that the landscape was molded by precipitation and runoff. Indeed, these landforms provide the best evidence to date that it may have rained on Mars.A more exploratory possibility is that these runoff features arose relatively recently, perhaps one billion to 1.5 billion years after Mars formed. To estimate the ages of Martian landforms, researchers count the number of impact craters on the feature the more impacts the region has endured, the older it is. This dating method, however, has many uncertainties; it can be difficult to distinguish between primary and secondary impact craters and volcanic calderas, and erosion has destroyed the evidence of craters in some regions (Bell 2006). Still, if these surface runoff valleys do turn out to be relatively young, Mars may have had an Earth-like climate for as much as a third of the planet's history and perhaps longer if even younger valleys are eventually identified.Yet another piece of evidence supporting persistent liquid water on Mars is the observation of truly enormous amounts of erosion and sedimentation in many parts of the planet. Making calculatio ns based on new orbital imaging data, researchers have determined that the rate at which sediments were deposited and eroded in the first billion years of the planet's history may have been about a million times as high as the present-day rate (Bell 2006).But what process could have transported the massive amount of sediment needed to bury almost everything in the Gale Crater region? (Bell 2006) Scientists believe flowing water offers the best explanation. Studies of erosion and sedimentation rates on Earth suggest that wind could have moved some of the Martian sediment in the past (just as it is doing today, albeit at a very slow pace). No viable wind-based scenario, however, can explain the rapid transport of millions of cubic kilometers of material across large fractions of the planet's surface, which apparently occurred repeatedly during Mars's early history. Flowing water, though, has routinely moved gargantuan amounts of sediment on Earth and could have done so on the Red Plan et as well.In addition scrutinizing the shape of Martian landforms, scientists have searched for hints of liquid water in the composition of the planet's minerals (Bell 2006). One of the reasons why researchers had long believed that Mars never enjoyed an extensive period of warm and wet climate is that much of the surface not covered by wind-borne dust appears to be composed of material that is largely unweathered pristine volcanic minerals such as olivine and pyroxene. If water had flowed over the surface for a long time, the argument went, it would have chemically altered and weathered the volcanic minerals, creating clays or other oxidized, hydrated phases (minerals that incorporate water molecules or hydroxide ions in their crystal structure).The emerging paradigm is that Mars had an extensive watery past: puddles or ponds or lakes or seas (or all of them) existing for long periods and exposed to what must have been a thicker, warmer atmosphere. During the first billion or so y ears of Martian history, the Red Planet was a much more Earth-like place, probably hospitable to the formation and evolution of life as currently known. The Martian environment began to change, however, as sulfur built up, the waters became acidic and the planet's geologic activity waned (Bell 2006). Clays gave way to sulfates as the acid rain (of sorts) continued to alter the volcanic rocks and break down any carbonates that may have formed earlier. Over time, the atmosphere thinned out; perhaps it was lost to space when the planet's magnetic field shut off, or maybe it was blown off by catastrophic impacts or sequestered somehow in the crust. Mars eventually became the cold, arid planet recognized today.This new view of Mars is not yet universally accepted, however. Key questions remain unanswered (Bell 2006): How long did the waters flow in the Eberswalde delta; for decades or millennia? Where are all the sediments that appear to have been eroded from Meridiani Planum and places such as Gale Crater? And were they eroded by water or wind or something else? What is the global abundance of clay minerals on Mars, and were they ever major components of the planet's crust? And, most vexing, where are the carbonates that should have formed in the warm, wet, carbon dioxide-rich environment but have not yet been observed anywhere on Mars, not even in the older terrains where clays have been detected? Acidic water could have destroyed the bulk of the carbonates but surely not all of them!Perhaps the most important question of all is: Did water or life ever exist on Mars, and if so, was it able to evolve as the environment changed so dramatically to the present-day climate? (Bell 2006) The answer depends in large part on how long the Earth-like conditions lasted. What can be deduced is that the past decade of discoveries on Mars may be only a small taste of an even more exciting century of robotic and eventually human exploration.ReferencesAustralian Geographic, (2003 ) Life on Mars. 08161658, Jul-Sep2003, Issue 71Bell, J., (2006) The Red Planet's Watery Past. Scientific American, 00368733, Dec2006, Vol. 295, Issue 6Zimmer, C., (2005) Life on Mars? Smithsonian, 00377333, May2005, Vol. 36, Issue 2

Surprise! Good Luck With Your Raisin. Professor Ramos Blog

Surprise! Good Luck With Your Raisin. I remember going to the hospital to simply run some tests, after an appointment with my OBGYN- obstetrician/ gynecologist- showed some minor concerns. I still hear one of the nurses talking down to me because of the many glasses of strawberry lemonade I had for lunch beforehand. She told me because it’s because she was concerned with my sugar intake, she assumed I drank like that all the time. My mother -who’s a short, blond haired, blue eyed woman- had left me so that she could have a smoke break, which was not a real concern. By the time the doctor and his colleagues came in, I was annoyed and not particularly worried about the baby. As this elderly man with a routine expression and a calm demeanor stepped into the room, he proceeds to say, â€Å"I’m afraid I don’t like the baby not being as active as she should,† I froze, completely terrified within an instant, â€Å"so, me and the other doctors want to induce you.† I was all alone not rea lly registering what was being said. â€Å"Okay,† I muttered, â€Å"when?† Without hesitation, â€Å"right now.† Eighteen hours later Luna Esther-Kay, this beautiful purple little raisin was plopped into my arms. The first thing you learn as a parent is to enjoy that first moment, the surreal experience of love in its purest form. That night in the hospital I couldn’t help but wake her to check if she was still breathing, still alive, and, to this day, I still do. If only I had known what was really in store for our future, learning to be a mother and parent at a young age, because by this time so much has changed already. The Day Luna was Born At the end of my first year in college I was working thirty-nine hours, getting my soul sucked out at a dead-end job, and selling chicken to rude customers in WingStop. I was also attending classes at Crafton Hills and, at the time, I stacked my course load to thirteen and a half units. Towards the end I was exhausted, mentally and physically, and when I became homeless I wanted to give up on even wanting to try any further causing me to quit my job, and I stopped going to class, which later put me in hot water with Financial Aid. I took up work on a ranch where, to my surprise, I became pregnant. The last two years since has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions and experiences, having to learn to be a parent, a mom, to an overly upset little human being. It wasn’t until I had Luna in my arms our second night, my mom struggling to figure out how to attach the car seat, that I tasted the first hints of motherhood. Luna cried inconsolably the whole ride home from the hospital. Completely drained we arrived, only to have her go into a second fit of screams. Tears in my eyes I looked at my mom mustering the words, â€Å"mom, what- what do I do she won’t stop crying?† She responded with complete sympathy in her eyes, â€Å"She’s probably just hungry.† Even though I fed Luna before the ride home, she was starving by the time we arrived and later that night she provided even more of a challenge, as I woke every hour to her screaming. I would feed, change her diaper, put her back down and as I slowly drifted to sleep, she would wake again. It’s hard to say if I developed mother instincts where I could sense if she was waking up, or that I felt her movements and stirring in the night but, eventually, w ith time, I got so skilled at being in tune with her, that I would wake and feed her before she even began crying. Luna smiling because she distracted mommy from her homework I was on my last leg of sanity, sleep depravity wise by the sixth month because at this point, for one hundred eighty days, I had received no longer than three hours of sleep within a single stretch of time. I thought perhaps I was developing permanent brain damage, and maybe I still do. Luckily around two months, having little reward for my nightly efforts, as I snuggled my nose into Luna’s cheeks, she cracked a smile. Which was a far cry from her odd occasional cross-eyed incidents, having me run to my mom in fear that I did something wrong. Now, little by little, my little one was becoming a human being. I had a lot of help from my mom’s wisdom, she taught me how to ask for help. Eventually, with time, she was sleeping through the night, in her own crib, all it took was for me to get her in her own bed. With that my sanity came back as I finally got a full nights sleep as well. An even bigger accomplishment she made was when she started to walk and crawl. At two months she was army crawling -crawling without the use of the legs- and at eleven months she was walking. She clearly did not want to stay in one place, and I had to learn this very early on, as she showed curiosity towards all things, to observe all sounds and actions. Her adventurous personality shows to this day as she runs to anything of interest, making it very difficult to keep her safe. Somehow, she can find the oddest things to put in her mouth, even when I’ve cleaned the whole house. In our small garden there’s a chive plant, and it’s her kryptonite. She tears down the long flimsy stalks and chews away. Her skills continue to progress as she mastered coordinated crawling and, later walking, a new adventure unfolded for me and her as we began to try solid foods, which helped establish her independence. She needed me less, which opened me up to do other things while she w as eating in the highchair. Lunas First Birthday Often, I sincerely believe my daughter has inherited my picky eating and tastes. When Luna first started trying solids, she was fairly easy to tend to, she’d simply eat anything you put in her mouth! Unfortunately, by some reason, or another, she grew to throw tantrums about the kind of foods I’d give her. Specifically, she didn’t want to be fed with utensils, she wanted to feed herself by hand, and that was that. She was an independent baby and had no time to wait for you to feed her with a spoon. She’d truly get angry if she couldn’t eat her baby Cheetos, bread and fruit by herself. You should see it; if a spoon comes near her, â€Å"she fiercely shakes her head† pushing to squirm out of the highchair. Although, now I’ve learned that all she wanted was to feed herself. Slowly things have gotten easier, because of her growing independence.She’s able to learn and be disciplined because all her needs have been met. In psychology they call this a childs emotional tank. â€Å"By speaking your child’s own love language† -there are five- â€Å"he is much easier to discipline and train†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chapman and Campbell 17) I think, perhaps this is why things are easier because all her needs are constantly being met. Also, her daycare helps but with that, the difficult vice is not spending time with her as much. When Luna turned nine months old, I finally received the phone call from our local daycare center informing me of an opening. Soon I toured the center, the excitement in my chest rose as I observed the activities and amount of attention she would be receiving. I was so grateful for this help, for I was in desperate need by this point. Daycare allowed me to have a break to do other productive things like laundry, dishes and going to the store without having to lug Luna around in a heavy car seat. Luna had also turned into a grumpy, destructive, curious little shit monster, getting into everything she wasn’t supposed to. Daycare seemed to settle her curiosity enough. Despite the difficulties I still find myself feeling jealous and resentful towards her teachers, because she has bonded with them more, especially since I started working again. Lunas First Paining in Daycare I was utterly surprised when one morning I awoke to a text that read: â€Å"Hey Melissa. How’s it going, girl? I know you never thought you would hear from me again. But. Hi, I need to ask a question.† It was from my old WingStop manager. I was taken aback but happily curious as to why she was contacting me. I wrote back that the Lord works in mysterious ways, she told me that they were hiring at the place she worked. Well, to be perfectly honest I wasn’t really, at this point in time looking for work because I had signed up for summer and fall classes. Because of my past I was afraid to put myself in a situation that was too much to handle. Regardless of that fear I responded that I was interested. One week later I was working as a hostess/busser the hours long and exhausting. Especially as it just took more time from my daughter. Things were only going to become harsher when summer classes started. Proverbs 3:5-6 School, in itself, has never been particularly difficult for me. It’s the sitting on your ass for hours on end listening to a professor excitedly talk about the most –to them- amazing, but truly boring subject. Then I come home to do more homework as my daughter begs for my attention, tearing my work, crumbling it in her sweet chubby hands. I’ve had to change where and when I do my homework to try to work around spending time with Luna. Its hard to be a parent while trying to get your life together. But I remind myself that I’m doing this so I can provide for her in the future. All the moments my daughter has gifted me in the last year have truly made me grow and mature into the person Im content on being. In the last year, learning how to feed, teach, care for a child all while going back to school and work has been difficult and my attention has been on work and school so that possibly later my attention can solely be on my daughter I’m still learning on how to be a mother every step of the way. Its truly been a journey and I cant wait for more to learn. Campbell, Ross Chapman, Gary. The Five Love Languages of Children. Chicago, Moody Press, 1997.

How to Write a Book Chapter Review

How to Write a Book Chapter Review Always begin the book review assignment by critically and actively reading the chapter that is to be reviewed. This does not mean that you read merely to discover the main points that the author is trying to make in the chapter and also, does not mean that you read to discover the facts in the chapter. You should engage with the text while reading and take note of all the important points. As you do so, underline those important passages so that when you begin writing the review, you will easily remember the most important places in the chapter, that you would like to mention. It is never a good idea to begin writing the review with no preparation. You should begin by writing a rough draft, consisting of all your notes taken while were reviewing the chapter. Before writing the draft, you could also outline you future review. Right down your ideas in the order in which they should appear in paper. This should then be followed by you over viewing the chapter and asking yourself a few questions the answer to which will help you to understand the chapter better. One such question is what the title of the chapter promises it will explore and the audience that the book is targeting. It is important to know the kind of audience even if you are reviewing only a part of the book, since it will give you an idea of what kind of language to use. You should then read the chapter of the book once again and afterwards, reevaluate its content. When you are reading the chapter and taking notes, always leave some space between the lines, so you can later add ideas or correct any misunderstandings. It is also important to mention, you should remember that it a review you are writing, not a critique, and certainly not just a summary. Be careful of what information you include, and dont overload the paper with your personal opinions. Be as neutral as possible. The quality of your book chapter review strongly depends on the effort you put into writing. Understandably, to put much effort in a simple review, the book should be interesting to you. In case you do not like the book, try to pick a chapter that caught your attention. And if you have no choice in the matter and you have no idea where to start, there is always the option of ordering assistance at our web site. Complete the order form in a few simple steps and pay for your order, and we will assign a suitable writer to help you with your problems. If you need professional book review help try our paper writing service!

Ancient and Medieval Political Theory Assignment

Ancient and Medieval Political Theory - Assignment Example Aquinas in the theory hypothesized the concept of nature to help society members understand that there is a supernatural being beyond this earth. Aquinas further argues that the world is merely a resting bay after which humans move to another life. This concept outstands in the Thebes society when various characters keep invoking the punishment sinners will receive from gods after death. Creon’s wife, Eurydice commits suicide cursing the husband and expressing her wish for god’s punishment upon the death of the husband. The blind prophet Tiresias brings the supernatural concept by claiming prophesies of god’s desires and anger to the king. The concepts solve the conflict between the church and the human freedom to think. It shows that the actions of the worldly authority must reconcile with the wishes of the church for harmonious coexistence. The concept of sovereignty is the source of law. Based on political ideologies and tenets, sovereignty rests with the people’s power. Based on theological points of view, however, sovereignty originates from God. It, therefore, gives individuals the freedom to make decisions without autocracy from rulers and the church. The concept of supremacy of the church also creates harmony between the church and the government. Creon, the dictator who does not obey the will of his people, chorus later comes to lament when his son Haemon and wife commits suicide for his actions. Disobedience of sovereignty attracts heavy punishment from God irrespective of who you are in the

JAPANESE CIVILIZATION PowerPoint Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

JAPANESE CIVILIZATION - PowerPoint Presentation Example According to the historical background of the Kamakura, religion was their center of governance and all their decisions were also to run in accordance with their religious rules. Hover much they tried to keep and safeguard their religious beliefs and policies, they still faced some challenges that almost messed up their religion (Kimura 206). The monks were to give directions as they follow but due to the high rate of women seduction, they could not make it as the monks fell into women trap hence leading to direction loss. As per my perception, the development of the Kamakura was mainly based on the stability of Buddhism as a religion. This is so because they had strong belief in their religion hence giving all the powers to their religious leaders. It can therefore be assumed that at one time, the Kamakura faced a lot of difficulties in relation to governance after the parting of some monks. The adulterous also lead to religion break up and this further in turn led to group split out. The Kamakura was therefore separated into different groups based on their beliefs and trust hence leading to the formation or re-establishment of religious beliefs and policies that were to be maintained at all

Product Liability Case Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Product Liability Case - Research Paper Example However, she was subsequently diagnosed shoulder chondrolysis that caused her shoulder socket and ball to fuse, severely restricting shoulder motion. As a result, she filed a product liability suit against I-Flow Corp, which manufactured the â€Å"PainBuster† device. In this case, she asserted that the device had not received FDA approval for use in such cases, arguing the product’s manufacturer was liable for the sale of this product despite not giving adequate warning and was, therefore, unreasonably dangerous (Moylan, 2015). There is no mention of the insurance company in the article, which might be explained by the fact the case was initially thrown out and the insurance company was not needed. The Courts of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found that, for medical devices, negligence of instruction was grounds for product liability, stating that this finding was not in contravention of the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 or the underlying intent of the US Congress in making these amendments to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (Moylan, 2015). The suspected reason for Christina’s disorder was a â€Å"pain pump† that her doctors used to directly administer painkillers to her shoulder joint following the surgical procedure. Normally, this device is used to deliver different types of pain medications to the surgery site quickly and directly. However, the procedure involved in using the device has been linked to development of chondrolysis, which is a debilitating condition of the joints. This disorder causes the depletion of cartilage that separates and connects bones and, as a result, the joints become fused and lose all mobility. In majority of cases, the discov ery and diagnosis of this condition happens too late for any effective treatment or cure (Moylan, 2015). Before submitting her product liability case to court, Christina requested the court to instruct the jury on the negligence theory per se.

Gun Control Essay Example for Free

Gun Control Essay Ultius is the trusted provider of academic content solutions for college students around the world. Our online platform connects qualified freelance writers with customers who are looking for rich, custom-written content. We provide essays, research papers, term papers, dissertations and other writing assignments. HomeSearch Research Paper on Gun Control Posted byUltius onSaturday, 16 March 2013 in Sample WorkBuying a Research Paper on Gun Control from UltiusRecently, President Obama and other Democratic members of Congress have strongly pushed for a critical discussion on gun control. Around the country, many teachers and professors are pushing their students to think about this subject and write at length about ways to limit gun violence. By no means are these papers easy to write; due to the emotional ramifications of this issue, writing a paper on gun control must be done in a very professional manner. So buy a research paper on gun control with Ultius and feel at ease knowing your work will be completed by a professional. Before doing that, though, feel free to check out this sample research paper on gun control. It was written in support of President Obama’s policy suggestions, and may be helpful to those of you interested in learning more about this increasingly important subject. Ultius writers are familiar with a wide variety of writing styles and have written argumentative papers for years, so keep in mind that we offer custom written research papers on both sides of every ideological spectrum. Don’t hesitate to contact our sales department to buy a research paper on gun control today! The Second Amendment: A Threat to Civilized People? Gun control has recently created a massive uproar throughout the United States because of the recent, and sincerely unfortunate, Sandy Hook school shooting that occurred last December. In response to this tragedy, Democratic leaders have been attempting to capitalize on the incident and push forward their respective agenda of limiting gun rights. As one can imagine, there are a surfeit of opinions on the subject, but despite this fact, I have come to affirm that I am strong believer in strengthening gun control. Although the right to bear arms should continue to be guaranteed by the Second Amendment, our nation’s need for heightened security in school classrooms and other public places is something that should no longer be ignored. The Gun Problem: Why an Unlimited Right to Bear Arms is Bad Since becoming a staple of American society, guns have been instrumental in altering contemporary warfare. The dangers of these weapons are not a secret; it is simply their mere nature. Some argue that guns were created to protect, while others suggest that they were built to destroy and cause the death of one’s intended target. Frank Zimring, a University of Chicago Law scholar, stated in his piece The University of Chicago Law Review, â€Å"The rate of knife deaths per 100 reported knife attacks was less than 1/5 the rate of gun deaths per 100 reported gun attacks† (Zimring 722). This statistic expresses the sincere lethality of guns compared to other forms of weaponry. One of the main reasons for this data stems from the misuse of guns, which unlike other weapons, can cause death to the user and those around him or her even on accident. If this unfortunate probability can be decreased, how can we stand around as the leader of the free world and let nothing be done? In the American political system, gun control has been a debate for many years; however, recent shootings have forced it into a large spotlight. The problem that splits gun control proponents from their opposition is the language of the second amendment of the constitution. The founding fathers of this nation believed that, â€Å"A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed† (U. S. Constitution). This multifaceted sentence from the Bill of Rights brings many quarrels to life with its simple diction. It is very open to interpretation, which is what causes both sides of the debate to have â€Å"legal stances† on the matter. The National Rifle Association (NRA), which is the nation’s largest gun advocacy organization, is led by the philosophy that it, â€Å"[hosts] a wide range of firearms-related public interest activities of the National Rifle Association of America and other organizations that defend and foster the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans. † What gun advocates in the NRA often fail to understand, however, is the conscionable limits to the Second Amendment. As 27-year serving Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia stated in the majority opinion of the District of Columbia V.  Heller decision, â€Å"like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited† (Scalia). This lead Scalia to also state that, â€Å"it is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose. † These sanctions are legal proof that the second amendment allows for the government to regulate the distribution , ownership, and use of weapons. On top of that, Scalia, regarded as the most conservative justice, clearly highlights that gun control is useful and at times necessary.