Lost in a Forest

Katrina Pham Ms. Leang English 1 HP, Period 1 3 October 2012 Lost in a Forest â€Å"It’s too dark, Katrina. I can’t see! † cried Christopher, my baby cousin. â€Å"Slow down! If I lose you, the monsters are going to swallow me whole. † I heard him, but his whimpers only exacerbated the situation, which was already worsening by the second. The sun had nearly disappeared behind the mountain, and the darkness was quickly claiming the night. Out of instinct, I grabbed his hand and we ran as quickly as we could wherever there was a path.Not even in my wildest dream could I have imagined how easily our pleasant afternoon stroll could turn into the chilling experience of my life, the night Christopher and I got lost in the forest by ourselves. With each of us and our crazy schedules, summer was the best time for my entire family to unwind and enjoy a delightful vacation together. It was quite the struggle trying to agree on the perfect destination. â€Å"I think we should go to Africa and see that fat giraffe I saw on Tumblr,† I suggested as my family listened to my silly reasoning. â€Å"Be quiet, weirdo.Deciding because of tumblr is just foolish. Let me and Percian decide, so we’d at least have a better reason,† Leon, my 16-year-old brother, retorted back almost instantaneously. â€Å"If you like animals so much, what about going to the Brazilian Amazon? There’s nice scenery and pretty animals, I think,† My 17-year-old brother, Percian, said excitingly. â€Å"Oh really? Like that’s a better reason! † I giggled, pointing at Leon. â€Å"Let’s hope no one gets lost in that forest,† Percian chuckled and glared at me. Surely, he should have knocked on wood after that, but no one could have seen what was in store for us.Nevertheless, it was settled; my parents decided to go with Percian’s idea, and to bring Chris along while his parents were on a business travel. We stayed at the Tropical Manaus, a hotel that was just 50 yards from the forest. Tropical Manaus had a beautiful pool centered between two tall buildings, with a coffee shop nearby. The suite we stayed in had a warm element that reminded us of home. From the patio, you could see a forest of palm trees bordering a stunning yard that housed a mini zoo packed with colorful parrots, playful monkeys, and even frolicking baby leopards. Tropical Manaus was truly an exquisite resort of the Amazon.My parents unpacked as I ran to find Chris. My mom yelled for both Leon and Percian to look after me, but they were busy with their own exploration. Chris chased me around the lobby, filled with excitement since we knew Brazil would be the perfect place to play hide and seek. We ran and laughed nonstop, as we found different places to hide. Caught up in the moment, I could not care about anything more than our simple chasing; much less realize how far we were from our protection of our guardians. And, it was that neglectful and irresponsibility that would lead to the greatest terrifying experience of my life.After nearly an hour of playing, Chris and I decided that this was the last round of hide and seek. So, I ran to find the ultimate hiding place. I hid under behind one of the palm trees, and heard my cousin’s footsteps. Not wanting to get caught by him, I swiftly dashed away from the zoo towards the farther palm tree. Although little did I know by then, we were unintentionally running into the Amazon Forest. I thought afterwards what a poor job my brothers had done looking after me. When my cousin and I cooled off, we looked around for a way back to the hotel.Eventually, none of scenes around appeared familiar. There was a moment when I thought we had walked into a maze that did not lead you near the final destination even if you strolled back to your previous traces. â€Å"Oh My God! I am so not going to sleep here! We got to find our way back before it is dark,† I de clared to my cousin. But, the insistent breeze blew the trees back and forth relentlessly, yielding eerie noises and creepy shadows throughout the forest. My cousin looked as pale as the fog surrounded him. My head kept twirling back and forth to search for any hint back to the hotel.We wanted to search back to the place where we started, but it seemed impossible. I suspected the trees itself for hiding the right path. My cousin and I lost track of time while we circled around the forest like vagabonds. â€Å"It is already pitched black! I’m sleepy. Let’s stop somewhere and sleep,† Chris whined. â€Å"Are you crazy? Sleeping in the middle of a forest? Bugs will bite without mercy! † â€Å"Whatever, you’re just over thinking it because you’re scared of animals and insects! † We walked around nowhere until the discord work of the night creatures began soon after the sky became entirely dark blue.The cacophony of the birds could make me stay up all night. I told myself however people symbolize birds, their singings are not even delicately close to a harmony. I could still see the animals flawlessly flying above the sky either to end their day or to start it. It was quite bizarre to know that birds never stopped for one moment and pondered how alluring their home is. About an hour later, we stopped to rest on the biggest tree we could find, since it offered more protection. The tree was probably a hundred feet in height, and each branch was as massive as a king-sized bed.I helped Chris climb up to the tenth branch, while I climbed after, afraid that I might lose balance and fall from such height. My stomach growled angrily and my throat left completely dry. For some time, I thought I was about to die from hunger and dehydration, not counting numerous poisonous bugs and flies might be wandering somewhere around. My feet felt funny and tickled, so I looked down to my feet. Under there was a lengthy line of ants that w ere one inch in length. In front of me appeared six spider webs (but good thing the spider was not found). Behind me, I saw a long, about seven inches scorpion-looking creature.It was skinnier than a scorpion, but had eight extended, stick looking legs with a pale peach color. The legs moved around slowly similar to crab speed and it had huge black pepper eyes larger than three inches in diameter. On the right was a smelly crow with strange color eyes staring back at me. On the left were three earwigs three centimeter in size with pale yellow wings and cricket’s legs. The earwigs had oily dark brown skin and hard armor bodies like a flying cockroach. The fact that I could perceive the nature directly in the Amazon had virtually gave me an opened eye nightmare. Aaaaahhhh! Oh My Freakin’ God! What are these sickening things!? † I shouted more than talk and started jumping up and down to kill as much ants as possible. I deeply had abhorrence for animals and insects since I was a child. And now they were creeping right on my feet. â€Å"Calm down! I brought a mini Raid with me! † My cousin screamed after me and took a Raid and started spraying everywhere. I closed my eyes and still jumping around. The thump-thump-thump of my heart was beating at the same time as the thump-thump-thump of the creatures that were running away from us barbarians.I could now feel the dead animals lying on my feet. At least I was wearing socks. Thankfully my throat stopped me from puking. My senses came back after I tortured myself with my own ear-splitting screaming. I was more tired from shouting than walking a thousand of miles. Swiftly, I set back the moment when my cousin started spraying the insects on the branch and thought: What the hell? He brought a mini Raid? This boy literally had severe problems. â€Å"Why do you have mini Raid in your pocket? † I asked my cousin while we settled down on each side to sleep. I found it in the lobby and took it away for fun,† my cousin replied, laughing at the same time. What a strange kid! I thought to myself. We dozed off while gossiping about our family. From what I could recall, I had an undisturbed, peaceful sleep. My cousin held my hand tight like superglue that was spread all over his palms. I felt safe and less naked in this hard king sized branch bed. All the same, the image of fear still cleverly crossed my mind and his in every course of the way. I sluggishly opened my eyes when the sun shined agitated directly at me, reminding myself the earsplitting alarm clock at home.It seemed almost too odd to wake up in such a beautiful, mild morning. Around my views were little teardrops of sunshine squeezing through the limited space of the leaves. Suddenly, I heard noises of footsteps and then someone cried out, â€Å"We found them! † I was tired and dizzy to care. Someone shook my shoulder hard and yelled out my name. I began to wipe eyes, regained my strength and memor ies from yesterday. My eyes landed on the person that was calling my name. It was the hotel manager. He looked relieve and in some way seemed to be expert in finding people, especially when they were on the tenth branch.How many people had gotten lost in this forest? I began asking myself nonsense questions. For a moment, I did not want to come down due to the firing wrath of my parents I predicted when I got off the tree. Eventually I came down because I thought of my brothers and they must have gotten a worse punishment than me. â€Å"Are you crazy? Why did run in this forest? † My dad asked, in a quite calm tone. My mom, however, â€Å"Your cousin just might disappear with you! What were you thinking? Did you know how concern we were!? † She sounded like she could scream at any moment.She scolded me some more while my dad held my cousin, although I was too tired to hear anything. My brothers sat next to me back in the hotel, looking very guilty. After an hour of lec ture, we acted like nothing happened. I did not want to speak of my adventure in forest anyways. â€Å"You know you should have knocked on wood when you said, ‘let’s hope no one gets lost. ’† I told Percian when we were at the hotel’s pool. â€Å"How old school could you be? † He said, laughing hard. Being lost in a forest was a lot different than being lost in the streets. There was no corner to be indecisive whether to turn left or right.It was just a vast space of plants and animals. I recalled some memories when I imagined myself living for eternity in this forest and kidnapped by an Indian tribe. I recognized more about responsibility, thanks to the petrifying journey in the Amazon. I no longer depended on the thought that someone would always be there for me. My life lesson taught me to be careful with too much â€Å"fun. † I hated the moment when I, alone, had caused a chaos for not just myself, but also the people that are clos e. It gave me a natural instinct of thinking before anything and opening my eyes at all time.

East-Midland English

A project in theoretical phonetics of English Shcherbakova Natalia, group 01 Contents: 1. Introduction 2. English in East Midlands 1. Vowels 2. Consonants 3. Word Stress 4. Sentence rhythm and intonation 3. Conclusion 4. List of references Introduction East Midlands, general facts The East Midlands, in its broadest sense, is the eastern part of central England (and therefore part of the United Kingdom as well).The East Midlands covers three major landscape areas: The relatively flat coastal plain of Lincolnshire, the river valley of the Trent, the third largest (and longest) river in England, and the southern end of the Pennine range of hills in Derbyshire. The second of these contains several large cities: Nottingham, Leicester, Derby and Doncaster, historically centres based around coal mining and heavy industry. This is one of the drier regions of England. ?The East-Midland dialect is very interesting. The northern parts of its dialect area were also an area of heavy Scandinavian settlement, so that northern East-Midland Middle English shows the same kinds of rapid development as its Northern neighbor. But the subdialect boundaries within East-Midland were far from static: the more northerly variety spread steadily southward, extending the influence of Scandinavianized English long after the Scandinavian population had been totally assimilated.In the 13th century this part of England, especially Norfolk and Suffolk, began to outstrip the rest of the country in prosperity and population because of the excellence of its agriculture, and — crucially — increasing numbers of well-to-do speakers of East-Midland began to move to London, bringing their dialect with them. ? By the second half of the 14th century the dialect of London and the area immediately to the northeast, which had once been Kentish, was thoroughly East-Midland, and a rather Scandinavianized East Midland at that.Since the London dialect steadily gained in prestige from that time on and began to develop into a literary standard, the northern, Scandinavianized variety of East-Midland became the basis of standard Modern English. For that reason, East-Midland is by far the most important dialect of Middle English for the subsequent development of the language. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? The English written and spoken today owes its origins to a mix of the East Midlands and London dialects. The East Midlands dialect was important because it came from the centre of the country and was intelligible to most people.Great numbers of traders, pilgrims and others passed through towns such as Leicester and Nottingham. During the 13th and 14th centuries, large numbers of East Midlanders migrated to London, in turn influencing the standard form of English The East Midlands dialect was a mixture of English and Scandinavian, with a smattering of French. The impact of the Vikings can still be seen today in our version of English that was born on the borders of Mercia and Danelaw. As Dr Elai ne Treharne from Leicester University points out, â€Å"It is fair to say that the Queen's English has its roots in the towns of the Midlands as much as the palaces of Whitehall! 1) Fading of old traditions and huge shiftsin how we. communicate globally. Much of the dialect developed in rural communities and in the industrial heartlands of the region. Mining communities in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire were renowned for their use of dialect. At a time when regions are losing some of their traditional dialect, the East Midlands is keen to retain its cultural identity and linguistic style. Although some words are dying out, East Midlanders are keen to celebrate their local language 2) 3) ? ? Examples of pronunciation: ? ? ? ? In Leicester, words with short vowels such as up and last have a northern pronunciation, whereas words with vowels such as down and road sound rather more like a south-eastern accent. The vowel sound at the end of words like border (and the name of the city) is also a distinctive feature. [ In north Nottinghamshire ee found in short words is pronounced as two syllables, for example feet being , sounding like â€Å"fee-yut† (and also in this case ending with a glottal stop). Lincolnshire also has a marked north south split in terms of accent.The north shares many features with Yorkshire, such as the open a sound in â€Å"car† and â€Å"park† or the replacement of take and make with tek and mek. The south of Lincolnshire is close to Received Pronunciation, although it still has a short Northern a in words such as bath. In Northamptonshire, crossed by the North-South isogloss, residents of the north of the county have an accent similar to that of Leicestershire and those in the south an accent similar to rural Oxfordshire. The town of Corby in northern Northamptonshire has an accent with some originally Scottish features, apparently due to immigration of Scottish steelworkers.It is common in Corby for the GOAT set of words to be pronounced with . This pronunciation is used across Scotland and most of Northern England, but Corby is alone in the Midlands in using it ? East Midlands accents are generally non-rhotic, instead drawing out their vowels, resulting in the Midlands Drawl, which can to non-natives be mistaken for dry sarcasm. Old and cold may be pronounced as â€Å"owd† and â€Å"cowd† (rhyming with â€Å"loud† in the West Midlands and â€Å"ode† in the East Midlands), and in the northern Midlands home can become â€Å"wom†.The West Midlands accent is often described as having a pronounced nasal quality, the East Midlands accent much less so. ? ? Next ? As in the North, Midlands accents generally do not use a broad A, so that cast is pronounced rather than the pronunciation of most southern accents. The northern limit of the in many words crosses England from mid-Shropshire to The Wash, passing just south of Birmingham. ? Midlands speech also generally uses the northern short U, so putt is pronounced the same as put.The southern limit of this pronunciation also crosses from mid-Shropshire to the Wash, but dipping further south to the northern part of Oxfordshire. Next Other features of Derbyshire dialect are: 1) the use of words like â€Å"thee† and â€Å"thou†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ 2) the shortening of words for more economical speech 3) the use of very unusual words like â€Å"scratin'† (crying) deriving from old Norse or Viking The dialect of the East Midlands has been investigated in notable texts such as the affectionately titled Ey Up Mi Duck series of books by Richard Scollins and John Titford.These books were originally intended as a study of Derbyshire Dialect, particularly the distinctive speech of Ilkeston and the Erewash valley, but later editions acknowledge similarities in vocabulary and grammar which unite the East Midlands dialects and broadened their appeal to the region as a whole. â€Å"Ey Upâ €  (often spelt ayup / eyup) is a greeting thought to be of Old Norse origin (se upp) used widely throughout the North Midlands and South Yorkshire, and â€Å"Mi Duck† is thought to be derived from a respectful Anglo Saxon form of address, â€Å"Duka† (Literally â€Å"Duke†), and is unrelated to waterfowl.Nonnatives of the East Midlands are often surprised to hear men greet each other as ‘Mi Duck. ‘ I, the man with the red scarf, Will give thee what I have, this last week's earnings. Take them and buy thee a silver ring And wed me, to ease my yearnings. For the rest when thou art wedded I'll wet my brow for thee With sweat, I'll enter a house for thy sake, Thou shalt shut doors on me. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Ay (or ey) up mi duck – hello there! Aya gorra weeya? – is the wife with you?It's black uvver Bill's mother's – it looks like rain Coggie – swimming costume Croaker – doctor Duck's necks – bottle of lemonade Gorra bag on – in a bad mood Laropped – drunk Nesh – cold Old cock – friend or mate Page owl – single woman out alone at night Skants – pants The rally – the railway line Thiz summat up wee im – I think he may be ill Who's mashing? – who's making the cups of tea CONCLUSION East Midlands English is a dialect traditionally spoken in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland and Northamptonshire.It came from the centre of the country and was intelligible to most people. It includes special pronunciation, grammatical rules and has variations within the political region. East Midlands takes great pride in its distinctive dialect. In Lincolnshire local people are going back to the classroom to reclaim their linguistic roots. The English written and spoken today owes its origins to a mix of the East Midlands and London dialects. They have a lot of common and it is really hard to distinctive one dialect from another without knowing peculiarities of both dialects.LIST OF REFERENCES & EXTERNAL LINKS Wiki Travel (2012) – England, East Midlands (http://wikitravel. org/en/East_Midlands) Penn Department of Linguistics – Dialects of Middle English (http://www. ling. upenn. edu/) Peter Gill (2009) – Dialect Poems (http://dspace. dial. pipex. com/) BBC Inside Out (2005) – Dialects and accents (http://www. bbc. co. uk/) Bell M. (1996). Teaching pronunciation and intonation to E. F. L. learners in Korea. Retrieved on 14 October, 2004. – p. 255 Tutorgipedia – English language in England (http://www. tutorgigpedia. com)

Establish the genre and themes of the film Essay

How does the opening sequence of â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† try to capture audience interest and establish the genre and themes of the film? â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† has a very effective opening sequence, the first four minutes set the story of the movie, giving you an idea of what’s to come. â€Å"Romeo & Juliet† is believed to have been written around 1595 by William Shakespeare. The story is about a pair of star-crossed lovers. Two teenagers pursue their love for each other despite the fact that their families have been at odds with each other for decades. It is directed by Baz Lurhman who immediately captures the audience’s attention whilst establishing the film’s genre and themes using different methods. Baz Lurhman uses lighting and colour to capture the audience’s interest. â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† starts with a black background and a Television coming closer to the camera with a newsreader. The black focuses the audience’s attention onto the newsreader and what she’s saying. Colour symbolism plays a key part in this film and is already demonstrated by the newsreader. The reporter wears red perhaps signaling love, danger and passion. Behind the newsreader is a sky blue screen, giving a feeling of coldness. Also Capulet and Montague are associated with red and blue. Colour symbolism is also demonstrated a lot in the opening sequence with grey, white, black, blue and red being the most common colours used. The colours grey, white and black are used in the clips of the newspapers with the black and white perhaps used as a contrast showing good versus evil or opposing sides. The grey can be interpreted as the families merging as white mixing with black makes grey or showing that the battles between the families isn’t as straight forward as it may seem. Another frequently used colour is red, the cross between Romeo and Juliet’s name is red maybe indicating that there is blood shed, tragedy and passion between them. Romeo and Juliet’s names are white on a dark background, which in a way could be emphasizing their innocence in a dark corrupting world. The different family names (Capulet and Montague) are coloured as red and blue. Different lighting techniques are used alternate between day and nighttime adding dramatic effects to the beginning, in the daylight the consequences of the feud can be seen e. g. people fighting, with guns etc. Strobe lighting is used to create the effects of police lights on the family’s faces of Romeo and Juliet, which is extremely effective and realistic reflecting modern day life. The next tactic used by Baz Lurhman to attract the audience’s attention is sound. The sounds helps set the atmosphere especially the music which keeps up with the images displayed on screen, the more dramatic the shots the more dramatic the music. For example when violent pictures are being shown the music becomes louder and faster. The music is exceptionally effective as the change of pace/dynamics in the music engages the audience’s attention. The sounds used are both diagetic and non-diagetic, the voiceover and music is diagetic and the helicopter, newsreader are non-diagetic which adds to the realism of the opening sequence. The voiceover featured in â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† is very realistic, serious and atmospheric. The man reads out a phrase from â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† summing up the story of the film, the extract is portrayed in three ways in the form of dialogue and writing. The repetition of the prologue may be for emphasis, the director would have seen this as an important extract for the audience so portrayed it in different ways as, different things appeal to different people. Another important part of sound is when the imagery of the guns are shown a choir boy sings a high note which could be interpreted as a scream, perhaps subtlety implying the hurt that has been caused by the feud. In the opening scene Baz Lurhman sets a lot of narrative clues and themes by showing different clips. A theme of violence is apparent with a lot of imagery of guns and police. In a way Baz Lurhman may have been trying to reflect modern day American society with guns being a common object on the streets as the film is also set in modern day New York. Another clear theme is religion; the film is Christian based (catholic), this is apparent by the statues of Mary and Jesus placed between the two families, the cross between the name’s of Romeo and Juliet as well as the person shown in the clips wearing a veil. It is noticeable that there is rivalry between the two families, both businesses on the opposite sides of the street and that there is a war/conflict going on not just involving the family indicating that both families have power and authority as they have influenced people to take their sides. Editing is an essential part of the opening sequence to attract the audience’s attention. The director Baz Lurhman edits the opening shots of the movie so the audience are introduced to the plot and characters (apart from Romeo and Juliet) before the film even begins. Jump shots are used at a very fast pace to reflect the speed of events in the play. There are variable scene lengths used to focus the audiences attention e. g. some scenes are long like when introducing characters compared to the shorter scenes when fast clips are shown of violence. Shots are interchanged very quickly e. g. shots of the statues which are then relegated to the background in a way the director is setting themes in context for the audience. Scenes of pure text and visuals are also used to reinforce messages through different perspectives e. g. dialogue, newspaper or action etc. as different people take in information in different ways. In a way it is the directors way of getting people to keep up with what is happening in the film. Baz Lurhman also uses mis-en-scene to help capture the audience’s attention and establish genres and themes of the film. Shots are often straight and centered to emphasise things clearly e. g. the statue of Jesus in closed into but is shown dwarfed by skyscrapers maybe showing a theme of religion versus business. This is a trend throughout the opening scene helping to classify major themes in the film such as police versus crime and Capulets versus Montagues. The use of news and media in the starting scene highlights how big a scale the feud has. The news and media are used to set the scene and to tell the audience what has happened so far in the film. Newspaper headlines are thrown into view of the camera with text from the original play, this may interest people in different ways gaining attention from them. Another tactic used with the media to gain the audience’s attention is right at the start of the film. The newsreader’s voice begins minimalist and muted but getting louder to focus the audience on language. Whenever text is used in the beginning it is always put in it’s own frame to emphasise importance. Frames of later scenes in the film, which are violent and disturbing, are juxtaposed with shots of e. g. a choirboy in a church singing maybe signifying that innocence is evil, corruption and danger. The majority of shots are filmed at night perhaps Baz Lurhman was being symbolic emphasizing darkness. Fireworks are also caught in one frame symbolizing passion, fury and anger in the plot. When the director is introducing the characters, there is one freeze frame for each character all in time with the music to focus the audience’s attention. Introducing each of the characters and unwinding their lives in the opening scene is helpful to gain the audience’s attention and to keep them interested. The audience is given clues to the current family situation e. g. the skyscrapers at opposite ends of the street with the family names written on them- â€Å"Capulet and Montague† hinting at opposing sides. Also when the voice over is talking about â€Å"two foes† the images of the parents come across the screen. It is shown in the newspapers that the two families are the centre of media attention, leading the audience to understand what extraordinary and special lives they must live. It is also interesting the way Romeo and Juliet are portrayed in the newspaper picture, it is the only real time that you see them properly in the opening scene and they are shown as children. This may be a tactic used by Baz Lurhman to emphasise to the audience how innocent and victimized Romeo and Juliet both are. The only other real time you see Romeo in the opening scene is him hiding and shying away from the outside world, again emphasizing him as a victim of his families feud. The parents of Romeo and Juliet when introduced, all seem to be in the middle of the action yet not included perhaps indicating that the feud has got so out of hand not even the Capulets or Montagues can control the situation. When all the characters are introduced they all seem very solemn and not portraying any emotion. But this isn’t the case for Dave Paris. When he is introduced he is happy, well dressed and purposely made different by Baz Lurhman to make him stand out to look like the hero of the film. Mercutio is also made different when introduced, he is a different race from everyone else indicating his uniqueness as he is showing true emotion at the same time. He is shown on a dry, isolated landscape demonstrating his distant from the involvement of the feud taking place in the city. Another key character in the introduction is the police officer; he is shown involved in the middle of the action, but is wearing a uniform signifying authority and discipline. There is also colour symbolism involved in the characters, Romeo’s mother has red hair, which may be an indication of her personality as people with red hair are said to be more passionate and quick tempered. This is also the case with clothing, the father’s of Romeo and Juliet show no emotion and are dressed normally, but with the mother’s of Romeo and Juliet although they show no emotion on their face but it is portrayed through their clothing. The mother’s clothing tends to be more flamboyant and colourful indicating to the audience distress. Baz Lurhman effectively captures the audience’s attention throughout the opening scene using all these different methods. At one point in the opening scene you are shown an aerial view of the city and I feel that this is an essential scene. After the aerial view of the city is shown a violent, busy, intimidating clip of modern street life within the city is shown demonstrating that the city is complex and dangerous. Even though â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† is four hundred years old, it still relates to modern society.

How effective was the Israeli air-land itegration during the Six Day Essay

How effective was the Israeli air-land itegration during the Six Day War - Essay Example The short clash was of far larger implication in strengthening the unique relationship between Israel and the earths supreme superpower than Trumans identification of the Jewish territory in 1948. The actions surrounding the war carried together the injuries of a cultural recognition that strengthens one of the most lasting, effective and inconsistent coalitions of the twenty-first century (Stephens, June 2007). The decade between Sinai-Suez and Six Day Wars perceived the intensifying of several of the drifts in the Egyptian martial instated by the Free Officers after their attainment to authority in 1952. Field Marshall ’Amr and his associates turned the Egyptian militias into their confidential fiefdom, methodically restoring all of the zenith military leaders with men trustworthy to themselves. Although the Egyptian militias continued to have an inner safety role, the task progressively gave way to external security contemplations as the attachment in Yemen pulled in and as Nasser transferred his internal control base away from ’Amr’s more and more suspect militias. Cairo also sped up its drive to get rid of its persistent dependence on U.K. and the West by purchasing ever better quantities of armaments from the USSR and even launching the fundamentals for a domestic armaments industry to finish its dependence on foreign weaponry on the whole. But this proposal prove d a bottomless disappointment, and by 1967, Egypt’s armament plants could not even fulfill the requirements of the militias for undersized quality ammunition (Pollack, 2002, 58). Six Days of War illustrates how the Israeli-Arab clash was rapidly got closer to the Cold War, with the Soviet Union aggressively sustaining certain territories (particularly Syria and, more obliquely, the Palestinians) and the United States holding up other nations-Israel and Iran. This debate is mainly helpful, for it emphasizes how much the earth

Reading Respond Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Writer's choice - Essay Example The theme of the program revolves around love, music, and friendship both in school and outside. Relationship building is one thing that I struggle with on a daily basis. Issues such as betrayal by a friend are some of the challenges that people of my age get every day and having a program that illuminates such is very important. I feel like the situations. What I go through is also experienced by others. The norms and values portrayed in Make it Pop are exactly those that real youth culture provides. There is a specific ay in which different genders are supposed to behave or respond to certain situations in the environment. For example, the program shows how young ladies typically behave in the presences of men and vice versa. The program, as seen, profoundly serves to magnify me as a young adult whose behaviors corresponds those that are shown. It goes beyond and provides some healthy tips on how to maneuver certain

Devolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Devolution - Essay Example Regional or local governments who get the power of home rule may also get some legal powers to have their own legislative framework and legal rules which they can apply to their region exclusively. In the United Kingdom, a case of devolution in seen in the 1997 referenda in Wales and Scotland when a devolved or regional government was created and this was followed by the establishment of Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales, Northern Ireland Assembly and Greater London Assembly in 1999 (see O'Neill 2004; Trench 2004). The proposals for a devolved state in Wales and Scotland were made in 1979 although the actual implementation of such a proposal could only be made two decades later. However there have been no devolved governments or devolution within England as the Labour government faced defeat in their proposals for a devolved regional government in North East England in 2004. Since then there have been no successful plans of devolution or formation of local and regional governments within England and all are failed plans. Apart from Wales and Scotland, there has been a system of home rule in the US as District of Columbia represents a regional and devolved government and is under the sole control of the United States Congress and the district government was created by statute. ... Fothergill discusses three government reports to argue that the new directions set by the Labour government do not take account of the accumulated knowledge or even the long history and background of the UK regional policy, Thus the regional policies which are already existing have serious lessons to impart which the new approach of Labour government seems to be overlooking or ignoring. The paper further states that, 'The new approach (of Labour) also prioritizes the devolution of decision-making over positive discrimination from the centre in favour of less prosperous areas'. Thus devolution has become not just a means of constitutional settlement but a dynamic process of change with possible uncertain consequences. In the later part of the analysis we will consider the process of devolution using case studies, examples and research reports. Implications of Devolution Even following devolution, there are many issues and concerns that are applicable to devolved governments. Elliott et al (2005) write that public sector pay is of critical concerns to governments of Westminster and Edinburgh. Public sector pay accounts for the major part of the government's expenditure and when not controlled by the central government, may have to be controlled according to budget in case of regional or devolved governments. The quality and range of services provided by the public sector is largely dependent on this pay controlled by the government. Within the UK, there is a national rate of pay that may not be sensitive to labour market conditions. However many recent changes have been made and consequently in Scotland there have been pay scale revisions and "public sector

The United States should intervene in the Syrian Civil War to Essay

The United States should intervene in the Syrian Civil War to overthrow the Assad regime - Essay Example ed out not to be the case because, despite its repressive nature, the Assad government still has a lot of support from the military as well as some of the Syrian population. This is the reason why the United States is duty bound to intervene in this conflict on the side of the rebels and overthrow this regime to end it. It is estimated that more than sixty thousand Syrians have lost their lives since the beginning of the conflict and such a high number of deaths is not reasonable. This number of deaths for the sake of a few men holding on to power is unacceptable and the United States, as the defender of democracy, should lead the way in overthrowing them (Friedman). Syria is one of the countries of the Middle East whose stability and strategic position is essential for the maintenance of stability in the region. The conflict that is currently going on in this country is likely to destabilize the region due to the influx of refugees from Syria to its neighbors as well as the spilling over of the conflict to such volatile countries as Lebanon. In order to prevent such an occurrence in a region where it has many interests, it is essential for the United States to intervene this early in the conflict to establish stability. The promotion of democracy has always been one of the reasons why the United States has seen fit to intervene in the affairs of other states. In this case, Syria should not be an exception mainly because its government has for the last fifty years, been among the most repressive in the world. It is only logical for the United States to intervene because this opportunity promotes its democratic ideals to a part of the world that has until recently, experienced little of it (Friedman). Among the most important reasons for the intervention of the United States in Syria is to ensure that a government, which is friendly to the West, is put in place. The Assad regime has proven itself to be against the strategic interests of the United States and its

Video assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Video assignment - Essay Example From the film, the United States is brought out as one of the most individualistic society in the world. They tend to put more emphasis on individual achievement, equal rights, informal communication as well as little dependence on authority. The US employees are seen consulting with each other frequently and sharing information openly. They are also extremely comfortable interacting with people they don’t even know, and they aren’t shy doing so. On the other hand, the Japanese managers are more of collectivists. They seem to value harmony and loyalty to both the group and company. The movie successfully brought to light the clash between individualist and collectivist cultures in the most beautiful way. For instance, the Japanese workers performed their duties without complaint and a lower salary and higher production rate consistently. On the other hand, the American auto workers depicted less loyalty to the company compared to the Japanese employees. This is evident when Stevenson (role played by Keaton) tried to convince his American workforce to meet the 15000 production quota. Rather than make concessions to accomplish the company goals like their Japanese counterparts had, the US plant employees immediately started talking themselves out of achieving the goal and further looking for ways to lower the quota. In the beginning, Stevenson thinks that he can get them to push the quota nevertheless. However, he discovered that in the absence of the same level of loyalty, the American workers weren’t as motivated and driven to make the set goal a realit y. Quick advancement and reward appear to be the norm in America and is usually based on merit. On the other hand, Japanese culture values dedication and long service are always rewarded. The expectation of rapid reward by the Americans is depicted in the movie when the plant employees ask if they will receive a reward even if they don’t meet the production quota. This means that they

Analysis of Family Guy Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Family Guy Essay Back in the eighth grade at the Pierce elementary school, a few of my friends and I sat around the circular lunch room tables, the same ones where we sat every day of the year. Our discussion shifted to our favorite TV. shows. At the time, I was a big Simpsons fan and I didnt really watch too many other shows regularly. We would go around blurting out funny lines and quotes from our favorite episodes or recall hilarious incidents. This was when two of my friends were talking about this show Family Guy. Even though I had never seen it, I could tell from their impersonations that it was a funny show. It had the same general theme as The Simpson, but had even crazier and funnier plots and adventures. When I finally saw my first episode in ninth grade, it was an instant classic in my list of favorite shows. From then on I would watch it as mush as it was on and I even got a collection of DVDs which I watch regularly. This show goes into the life of an average family in Rhode Island. The characters include a mother and father, three children including two awkward and socially challenged teenagers and a talking baby, as well as the talking family dog. It makes fun of things we do every day that may not seem stupid, but really they are unnecessary and pointless. This show is filled with hilarious flash backs to past events, and includes lots of sarcasm as well as some dumb comments and actions by the unintelligent father, Peter. One of my favorite episodes is Pre-Retarded, where Peter finds out hes retarded and goes around doing stupid, but hilarious things. He wins a game of Trivial Pursuit because his wife gave him ridiculously easy questions from the childrens version including What color are fire trucks? Peter struggles, but eventually gets it right and wins the game, convincing himself that hes a genius. When he takes the test, he finds out that not only is he not a genius, hes actually mentally retarded so he bulldozes the house in celebration. This episode is similar, but better than the rest of the episodes, because the plot is typical, but it is filled with more funny comments and random instances. Although this show may seem just like a basic comedy, meant to entertain children, it is really targeted at teens and young adults. The comedy makes fun of other stereotypes and gets away with things that may be considered racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic. It portrays these groups of people in the way they are supposed to be seen in society, but shows that the stereotypes arent true, by making the stereotypes seem stupid and exaggerated. In another episode when they are trying to get away from a bunch of southerners, the dog, Brian screams Look, its a newly-married, interracial, gay couple burning the American flag. It shows how ridiculous they look when they all scream, Oh lets getem!, and this way it makes fun of the stereotypes against southerners, and the group of people described in his remark, because the people would never actually do this. The reason I like Family Guy is because it is really one of the funniest, and most genius shows on television. The writers of the show are very intelligent, and smart about what they write. Although this show is hilariously funny, that is just one of its good qualities. It also sends an important ideas about how people are supposed to be seen, and tells us that stereotypes arent always true. It makes fun of average things and has long awkward pauses to show how funny our daily routines can be. Although this show may be offensive to some, I believe it is all in good humor. I am Jewish and in some episodes they do make fun of Jews reinforcing the stereotypes, that all Jews are rich accountants, lawyers, or doctors. This is just to make a point, and the writers do not really believe the things they show, because they exaggerate the stereotypes to make them look silly. In a way, this show is a lot like me. On the outside I really enjoy comedies, and basic entertainment that I can laugh about. There are also real issues that are important to me, and other things in my life that I care about besides just humor. This show is very provocative, but I believe it to be very funny as well as important, even if others may not share these same views. This program shows that I am a caring person and I am aware of the realities in life. Like Family Guy, I may be funny and joking on the outside, but we both go deeper on the inside.

Femme Fatale in Early Silent Cinema and Classic Film Noir

Femme Fatale in Early Silent Cinema and Classic Film Noir Introduction The quintessential ideal of the femme fatale was a woman who was mysterious, manipulative, and desperate with a male protagonist that in following the dangerous, yet desirable wishes of these women, would submit themselves as victims that evolved from a twisted form of love. The femme fatale grew out of earlier literature and other genres of artistic composition. Although the prototypical representation for the femme fatale dates back much earlier than the beginning of the 20th century, spanning backwards in time many centuries (Thorpe), research and examination for this paper takes place during later early silent cinema circa 1910-1919 and classic film noir 1940-1959. The paradigm of the femme fatale made its appearance by way of American cultural ideology at the time of their appearance in film, and two movies, A Fool There Was, and, Mildred Pierce, provide evidence for psychological disorder due to the progressive, ideological reforms that were fought for during these time periods, whether through mental illness, or personality disturbances. The embodiment of the components evident in the character makeup of the femme fatale characters in these films manifests themselves onscreen and showcases the intense fear that men had of a liberated and independent woman, and results in the repudiation of patriarchal oppression by the infringement of the boundaries for what was considered proper behavior for a woman by being independent, smart, and/or having menacing actions. Women and the 1910s The women that were a product of World War I did not have a good life, initially. At the beginning of the war, women were viewed as second class citizens, a view that had been held of women for many years prior. Women were the recipients of restrictions on most of their basic rights, such as not being allowed to vote, and because of this there was an infringement upon their right of choice, as they had no say in what leaders would be chosen to represent their country. Additionally, a division of socioeconomic classes was evidenced, as lower class women were employed in areas of education, nursing, shop clerks, seamstresses, secretaries, and most of all, domestic servants. On the other hand, women of upper class stature were mostly confined to their homes as domestic tradeswomen taking care of the children and looking after the home, in what most would term, the cult of domesticity. Also, upper class women would participate within the realm of charitable work, and be an overseer to a household of servants since employment that took place outside of the domesticated way of life that these women were used to was still reserved predominately for upper class men. With the arrival of World War I, opportunities became available for women to work outside of the home by giving them the chance to take over the jobs of men who were engaged in the war, which up to this point was something that women were not allowed to do. The Journal of Magazine and New Media Research published an article in Spring 1999 titled, Destructive Women and Little Men: Masculinity, the New Woman, and Power in 1910s Popular Media, that outlines the decade of the 1910s by making an argument about the Progressive-era womens reform work that was taking place at that time and how the womens suffrage movement was in its final chapter. Carolyn Kitch from Northwestern University acknowledges that there was an expansive effort underway at that time to give women more opportunities for social, political, and economic growth. Upon evaluation of the research conducted there is evidence verifying Kitchs claim of these opportunities for social, political, and economic growth slightly pr ior to, and during the period of World War I, leading into the period of classic film noir. Women in the workplace during the war gave women a vehicle upon which to showcase their talents, and this in turn brought them to the forefront of social reforms such as the right to vote, working outside of the home, and demand for better working conditions, wages, and higher education. Women of the 1910s started to see their lives change because of industrialization and technological change, and this fabricated a scenario where there was a resistance to reform, a situation that occurred where women were trying to break away from their traditional roles as domestic engineers but were met with opposition from all levels of society, including other women, who believed that women should remain in their traditional roles as wives and mothers. Although the Victorian era was finished around 15 years before World War I, the passive, innocent Victorian ideal of the fragile, pious, domestic, and sexual innocent (Sharot, 73) woman and her role in the domestic sphere had not changed. During this period of progressive reform there was a radical change in the image of the woman as the female body was starting to become freed from the 19th century constraints of dress that had kept a woman shackled to her domestic roles within the household. This reform fostered a rebellion against the traditional forms of dress: long dresses, long skirts, and long hair. This level of independence among women started showing up in cinema, too, because at that time the entertainment industry started to revere the female body and it became one of its primary attractions. Women during the decade of the 1910s were taking control of their lives, destinies, fortunes, and even their sexualities. The combination between the liberation of the female and the potential erotic components of cinema in the 1910s gave rise to a new kind of woman, The Vamp. The Vamp of Early Silent Cinema and Psychological Disorders The Vamp character of early silent cinema provides evidence for psychological disorders that come in the form of mental illness. The radical progressive ideological reforms that women were fighting for at the time made its way into cinema and appeared, and played out, as The Vamp character, and the social ideals that she personified were disordered because vamps were feminist revolutionaries and this was delineated as mental illness. Martins mentions that the Vamp cast by Theda Bara is a symbol of equal rights activism and the suffrage movement of the 1910s, and this was the showing of progressive ideals by a movie icon in a conservative film industry (95). Because the first wave of feminism was starting to take shape at that time, sexual and reproductive matters were at the forefront, but also women had this idea that they had the ability to make contributions to society at rates equal to, if not more than men. Mental illness during the period of the 1910s developed in women because of the lifestyle that the domestic sphere thrust upon them, as seen by oppression and societal expectations from the Victorian ideals that came before. Imprisonment of the kind related to the oppression of women is portrayed as madness because of the nature of the societal role in which she inhabits, leaving her prisoner in her own body (SigurÃÆ' °ardà ³ttir, 9). This discouraged women from looking to new roles because of the lens in which they are viewed. Women who were found to be in rebellion of the proper codes of conduct were deemed mad because the behavior was considered to be unnatural, and not very womanly, and was seen in some aspects as masculine behavior, where women, like their male counterparts, could display deviant behavior. By regulating a womans body, one could also regulate her mind. This sexual deviancy was seen as psychologically abnormal. As women started to become liberated, deemed demo nic by the social and cultural institutions within the middle and upper classes because of the fears of social mobility that is felt will take place, they have no hope of surviving the societal boundaries upon which they crossed, and this makes these women appear as if they are mad women. The character of the Vamp shows similarity to Dracula movies where the vampire is a terrible monster, and Dracula himself turns women into vampiresses and by doing so, releases their sexuality and carnal desires, and once this sexuality is unleashed and embraced by women it gives them power over men. The new vampiress, resurrected from the bite of Dracula, bears a direct similarity to the Vamp character in early silent cinema. World War I, symbolically, becomes the bite of Dracula that unhinges this unleashed sexuality that is viewed as dangerous for men. One example, Theda Bara, who played the character of Vampire (Dirks) in the 1915 film, A Fool There Was spoke her most famous line of all, Kiss me my fool (Dirks). The term the Vamp came into existence because of the predatory nature of the character, but also because the character construction was that of a sex goddess. This is evidenced in the cinematic production whenTheda Bara plays the part of a scheming vampire, a seductress f amous for luring men, and using them; leaving them ruined. On a business cruise to England, a man, John Schuyler, traveling without his wife and daughter was easily fooled and targeted by the irresistible Vampire aboard the ship and became her willing victim when he becomes addicted to Theda Baras character in the film by allowing her to spend all his money and driving him to drug addiction which makes him lose everything. Despite the drug addiction that John Schuyler himself experiences because of the manipulative ways of Theda Baras vamp character in, A Fool There Was, the evidence presented illustrates vampirism, a metaphorical characterization for addiction, and provides confirmation for mental disorder, a component of psychological disturbance. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, in the film, A Fool There Was, John Schuyler was driven to drug addiction by this vamp character that takes his money and makes him lose everything. Drug addiction is considered a mental illness by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which states: Drug addiction is centrally responsible for the altered states of the brain in which the addiction changes the brain so that a person no longer has needs or desires of a non-drug addict. The addiction creates new priorities that are affiliated with the use and procurement of using the drug in question. This results in behaviors that are compulsive that do not allow the addict the ability to control impulses despite the consequences. Love, in and of itself, is a drug and the Vamp character compares to a physical drug that causes addiction. By the end of the movie, Schuyler is a physical wreck and loses everything. He is powerless to turn away from the vamp, even at the expense of losing his wife and daughter, much in the same way that a drug addict loses everything and cannot pull away from his fix. The attraction of a male victim to a vamp is like the attraction of the addict to his drug. Both are destructive, and the vamp can command the loyalty of those male victims under her spell, controlling any man she encounters. Once she marks her prey she will change the life of all that she consumes, leaving the male victim in the clutches thinking about nothing but her. This hold that the vamp has on her male victims can be so consuming to the male prey that it takes over their life because of their need for more. Vampirism mirrors, in its entirety, the fundamental processes involved with addiction. This metaphor for addiction, vampirism, shows that by awakening the carnal desires and sexuality of women, which was the case during World War I when women realized their potential and what they had to offer in comparison to men, that they had power over men. Tom Pollard argues in his book, Loving Vampires: Our Undead Obsession, that the analysis of sexuality in vampire culture reveals changes to the societal dynamic and evolving issues that were currently taking place (60). These changes to the societal dynamic frightened men because the perception of women, as characterized through Theda Baras character of the Vamp onscreen, provides substantiated affirmation for not only a psychological disorder in the form of a mental illness, but emerging attitudes and beliefs about sexuality. In SigurÃÆ' °ardà ³ttirs essay titled, Women and Madness in the 19th Century: The Effects of Oppression on Womens Mental Health, she talks about Bram Stokers book, Dracula, which was published in 1897. Her interpretation was that all victims of Dracula have symptoms resembling depression, or even hysteria. Then she goes on to mention that the first victims of Dracula are male, and Jonathan Harker, the male character in the book shows symptoms of nervousness and depression, but that it was interesting how the male character, Jonathan Harker, suffers a far worse mental breakdown than the women of the story (22-23). This aligns with the ideology of the men having a fear so great that it aligns with the appearance of a hysteria which stems from the fear of a liberated and independent woman, and this fear was even greater than the fear brought about by the threat of opposing nations in World War I. Sigmund Freuds perspective on Dracula would be that the symptoms suffered by women were caused by the repression of sexual feelings and this was a threat to the pious and angelic woman that eluded Victorian society. In her thesis, Annelise Difilippantonio, discussed about Freuds psychoanalytic theory on Dracula, and argued that Freud had theories about sexuality that showed the fear of expressing sexual feelingsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦but that psychoanalysis is central to the examination of the unconscious and the powerful role of the sexuality in human beings, both in females and males (4-5) Also, she goes on to say that the repression of these desires inherent in individuals cannot be brought to a conscious state because it is seen as unacceptable behavior (5). Theda Baras character in, A Fool There Was, was a cinematic production that showcased the unleashed sexuality that some women of the decade of the 1910s started experiencing, which was seen as unacceptable. Theda Baras character was a symbol of the unrecognizability of women because of the change of image of women at that time from pious, domestic women to that of madwomen. Theda Bara as a Vamp represents the paradigm of the femme fatale because she is a danger to men because men become victim to her madness and sexuality, which was the case of John Schuyler whose whole life got destroyed because he became victim to her manipulative ways. The portrayal of the Vamp onscreen, most specifically Theda Baras vamp character in, A Fool There Was, has the lips of crimson which look like fresh blood, and a certain look to her clothing, which almost has this death robe appearance to it. The purity of the clothing goes along with her whole being: stained, but she is changed. As women of the 1910s were viewed by their men as angelic in nature by displaying piety, their death was replaced by a demonic looking figure; a madwoman, which is symbolic of a female rebellion which must be silenced. This awakening of female sexuali ty was the moral undoing of society and was considered evil because a liberated and independent woman potentially held the key to declaring their equality with men, therefore repudiating patriarchal oppression. Additionally, important to the argument of the archetype of the femme fatale is the feminine part of a mans personality called the anima, which was first coined by modern psychologist, Carl Jung. The anima is the female personification of all psychological tendencies in the male unconscious (Jung, 177) and the anima is normally ruled by the influence of the mother. Any negative anima could result, using Carl Jungs argument, in a man being lured to commit suicide because the anima will present itself as an insecurity or depression, and in this case this anima becomes the equivalent of a death demon. This is frequently the description given to the paradigm of these femme fatales. However, sometimes this anima can be positive because of a good experience with his mother and this will result in his anima that gets preyed upon by women leaving the man the inability to cope with his hardships as they come along in his life (Jung, 179). This binding effect of a dangerous female figure whose sexuality dooms the male, regardless of his negative or positive anima, mirrors the prototype of the femme fatale. The decade of the 1910s, and World War I, forever changed the economy going forward into the future from that point because it lifted many women out of the realm of domestic service. Because of this, women were transformed and were seen by many as madwomen upon the awakening of their sexuality. This slowly led to the era of the rising middle class of the 1940s and 1950s and the femme fatale of classic film noir that was birthed from the independence that World War II afforded women when it came to their place in the workforce to fill the vacancies that the men left behind when they went off to fight in the war. Women of the 1940s and 1950s Like World War I before it, World War II also had women called upon by the government to fill the traditionally male jobs and roles that were available while the men went off to war. Women joined everything from nurse corps to jobs in defense. Women became a crucial part of the war effort and the workforce and because of this they reshaped the prescribed gender norms and roles that were taking place at this time in history. The job opportunities offered during World War II were targeted for fulfillment by married women that lived in the cities, and those women who had experience that came from the domestic sphere because they never worked outside of the home. The war provided women with an opportunity to learn job skills that they may have otherwise never been able to learn, and by providing women with employment, job training, and skills, women became liberated and this led to the deviation of women from traditional roles in the domestic realm. During this time, women outnumbered me n in the workforce and men began to have problems with the idea of women as wage laborers because they saw it as a threat to the traditional marriage and family roles that had women as the iconic representation of piety, submissiveness, and stay at home wife and mother. Melissa A. McEuen, argues that there was a certain social stigma attached to women working and that a challenge would ensue in getting it removed (2). World War II for a lot of women during this time was about gaining strength, and as more men were leaving their homes and families to be deployed away from home to fight in the war, women gave up their roles as domestic engineer to take on traditionally male roles as wage earners. Femme Fatale of Classic Film Noir The women who took part in the workforce while the men went off to war were seen as placeholders and attempts were made to push these women back into the traditional roles they held prior to the war. The femme fatale of classic film noir was birthed as a result of this push back into traditional roles. In the journal article, Female monsters: Horror, the Femme Fatale and World War II, Mark Jancovich contends that at the end of the war the femme fatale makes its appearance and is demonstrative of a historical reconstruction of an economy based on a division of labor in which men were the sole means of production (133). Approximately 18 years after the end of World War II, Betty Friedan, wrote the book, The Feminine Mystique, which outlined the main ideology that was associated with women, not only before the war, but after as well, due in part to media exposure at the time that pressured women into taking subordinate roles. This fit under the concept of the feminine mystique because c ultural domesticity in women at that time was the societal ideal (20). While womens roles were in a period of expansion, the level of domesticity within the feminine domain was influenced by American culture and media and was in the instrumental stages of collapsing under patriarchal oppression. Jancovich contends that after World War II the patriarchal order starts to fail and in order for it to be reconstructed women have to give up the jobs they held and return to the domestic sphere (135). This caused women to fight to keep their jobs, and men, feeling threatened by their independence, started to view these women as harbingers of deviant behavior because men were always the head of the household, and the primary breadwinners. This freedom afforded to women made men feel emasculated and they became fearful of a reverse of patriarchal control. It was at this point that dissatisfaction starts to flare up in regards to the domestic roles to which these women were expected to take part in as confusion surrounding the roles of men and women starts to shape the workplace and the home. The femme fatale in classic film noir was a representation of the bewilderment of women in society at that time in history and was a threat to the status quo. The cinematic representation of, Mildred Pierce, is a film from the 1940s that shows us what anxieties there were for working women, in this case the protagonist (Mildred), and how she was viewed as a threat to the society in which she lived. Throughout the film Mildred constantly passes back and forth through two different worlds: domestic realm as a mother, and public sphere as a career business woman. Like many other mothers of post-World War II America, Mildred occupies both spheres. This fostered the development of psychological conditions that were showcased onscreen that surround the femme fatale of classic film noir, as she was a product of the shifting cultural ideals, and a change in the role of American women after the period of World War II. This was reflective of a large amount of frustration within women because o f the label their gender carried as some kind of traditional domesticated servant within their households, in addition, there was a search for their own autonomy and self-sufficiency. At this point, there is a turning of the tides where women start challenging their place within society and there is a transformational shift that takes place that changes how women are seen in the future. Psychological Conditions surrounding the Femme Fatale of Classic Film Noir Psychological conditions that drive my argument deals with personality disorder, which is a deeply ingrained pattern of behavior where the person acts counterproductive to their environment where it can cause difficulty in the functioning of society (Mayo Clinic). Specific personality disorders would be those in the cluster B group because the femme fatale of classic film noir withstood various cinematic productions where this fatal woman who manipulates men into these dangerous or compromising situations was created. In the Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, Scott Snyder, affirms in his article, Personality Disorder and the Film Noir Femme Fatale, that film noir depicts this societal view of American culture that is in degradation, full of crime and corruption, and this leads to this view of humanity as disparaging and meaningless, but at the same time is unprincipled and has this mysterious existence. The cinematic quality that is representative of some form of charac ter pathology in classic film noir is the femme fatale herself. Mark Jancovich agrees with this claim when he argues in his article, Vicious Womanhood: Genre, The Femme Fatale and Post War America, that there was a shift that took place in these films that present these vicious women as the sufferers of psychological disturbance and compulsion (107). This eccentric woman is like a black widow spider, as her bite is fatal, and like the black widow, lures the male into dangerous situations that mostly result in harm, and sometimes death. The nature of these femme fatale women leads to the destruction of the male (prey) and challenges the integrity of his morality, if not destroying it altogether. Her behavior exemplifies these hidden symptoms of psychological conditions that present during Cluster B personality disorders. The first Cluster B personality disorder, histrionic, is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as a personality disorder characterized by a pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking, including an excessive need for approval and inappropriately seductive behavior, usually beginning in early adulthood. These individuals are lively, dramatic, vivacious, enthusiastic, and flirtatious. One example of histrionic personality disorder is evident in the movie, Mildred Pierce. In this movie, Mildred Pierce, a middle-class housewife, has a difficult relationship with her manipulative and greedy daughter, Veda and becomes a waitress but does not tell Veda because it would make her ashamed. Mildred works hard to please her ungrateful daughter who appreciates none of it. Veda constantly is the attention seeker who works hard to acquire the worship of others through her beauty, and later through her ability to sing. Veda controls the men in her life, including her mothers l overs, with her sexuality because of her constant demands for more luxury (Cook. qtd in Jancovich, pg. 144). As the definition from the American Psychiatric Association outlines, these behaviors normally take place beginning in early adulthood, and this is when the film takes place, while Veda is 17 years old. Veda has sexual relationships with men as an attempt to seek more admiration. Veda demonstrates the lively, dramatic, seductress that comprises histrionic personality disorder. Jancovich argues that the women in question oftentimes are a product of domesticity, in which case they are in direct opposition to women that were viewed as independent. These women were women that were sluggish and lazy (134). In, Mildred Pierce, Veda is a product of domesticity and is the antagonist to her own protagonist mother. Mildred, who opened her own restaurant business and, therefore, was considered independent, was viewed as a monster to those from the domestic realm, including her own daughter Veda. The femme fatale that was displayed in the cinematic productions of classic film noir have been viewed as some kind of force that exudes energy, intelligence, and power, but are able to receive strength from the sexuality that they display. American filmmakers at that time tried to depict the femme fatale as some kind of genuine, yet mildly harsh sexually overcharged women that has the potential to murder, engage in corruption, and take part in greed, just like any male actor counterpart in film. The persistent effort to push women back into their culture of domesticity resulted in a demonization of independent working women (Jancovich, pg 100) who would not surrender their jobs they held during the war. The femme fatale decides on the course of her own sexuality, which sets her (femme fatale) apart from the patriarchal system that previously had suppressed her. Snyder argues: There was this cultural ideation concerning the femme fatale in classic film noir that allowed women to break away from the traditional power structures of the ruling patriarchal authority. The vision of a woman that wraps her finger around the trigger of a pistol erases the idea of the genetic predilection that women were a product of cultural repression. For the femme fatale, she becomes every mans most mistrusted fantasy, and exemplifies histrionic personality disorder. The second personality construct of the disordered femme fatale of classic film noir is that of narcissism. With narcissism there is likely to be a need for an increased level of sexual coercion that is brought on by the femme fatales own cognitive distortions that emanate from her need to preserve her self-esteem and keep the perception of herself in high regard. Normally, with narcissism there is an excessive need for self-admiration, and a deep lack of empathy. In the case of Veda in Mildred Pierce, the deep lack of empathy shows its face in the scene where Veda feigns pregnancy to funnel money from her soon to be ex-husband: the son of Mrs. Forrester, in an attempt to get away from her mother (Mildred) and shows no shame for doing so. With the femme fatale, the narcissism can also be demonstrated by the appearance of mirrors throughout the film, whether the mirror is used for her own gaze, or as a means to showcase a double identity. The woman becomes totally self absorbed into her own self. Femme fatale women are often in scenes that use some type of involvement with mirrors. This may personify the deviousness, as well as, the cunning nature of these women, where nothing and no one is what it seems (Snyder). In film noir, mirrors are a technique that is prevalent in cinema that show the visual caricature of this idea of the self indulged narcissist. In, Mildred Pierce, there is a mirror that was used in the film and it was a crucial part of the narrative for moving Mildred back and forth, as mentioned earlier in this paper, through the domestic and public sphere. This mirror gives evidence for narcissistic behavior throughout the film. Veda is the shadow that illustrates Mildreds dark double. Veda is the femme fa tale of the story who is a deadly woman that hinders Mildreds ability to be a good mother. Veda preys on everyone who is close to her for her own selfish gains and , although she sees her mother working outside of the domestic realm as evil, she has no problems in spending all of the money her mother earns. Veda steals her mothers husband and then murders him. Mildred and Veda are so intertwined with each other that it takes the detectives at the end of the film to separate the two. This separation is foreshadowed by the pierced mirror (Mancini, 24) in the beach house that was hit by the bullet of Veda when she shot and killed Monty. Mildred herself, although mild mannered and hard working in the restaurant business, also displays narcissistic behavior, but unlike her daughter Veda, hides it extremely well. Mildred, too, in her own way is just as manipulative and exploitative. In an article, The Ultimate Femme Fatale? Narcissism Predicts Serious and Aggressive Sexually Coercive Behavior in Females, Blinkhorn et al quote Morf and Rhodewalt, 2001 as saying that when it comes to narcissism that women can sometimes use more indirect and discreet ways of fulfilling their narcissistic goals (220). That becomes evident during an argument that took place between Mildred and Veda in the film when Veda insists that her mother has no right to criticize her for trying to get what she wants because she (Veda) argued that her mother Mildred really is not that much different than she is because, Father, Monty, Wallyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦you take what you need. There is some truth to Vedas claims because Mildred does not care at all fo r Wally and uses him to do her legal bidding, and Monty does not appear to garner her interest even though she is fascinated by him. Mildred uses Monty to fulfill her sexual needs and to chauffer the younger Veda around, but later to lure her back home. Snyder argues that the femme fatale have wishes and receive those wishes by becoming the growth on the side of men who are rich, but also those they believe to be powerful. These women marry to achieve financial freedom or social advancement but in the process they manipulate the very desire that men hold for them (161). Despite her drive to be successful, as well as, the inner strength that she carries within her, Mildred does not have no real ingredients for self-respect, rather she ascribes to a form of desperate narcissism that wants to be privy to an ideal, yet glamorous life, even if it is for her parasitic, unappreciative daughter. Conclusion The paradigmatic representation of the femme fatale c

Effects of Violent Video Games | Essay

Effects of Violent Video Games | Essay Violent computer games, and their possible effect on players. Introduction The Problems Social Effects of Playing Computer Games Conclusion Bibliography Introduction Feeding childrens passion for computers, billions of dollars in both public and private funds are being spent to give children access in school, at home, and in the community. Nearly every school is now equipped with computers, (Fisch, 2004, p. 2) and over two-thirds of our nations children have access at home. (Fisch, 2004, p. 4) But is computer technology actually improving their lives? Computer technology has transformed society in a number of profound ways. For better or worse, the increasing pervasiveness of computer technology is a reality no one can ignore or stop, not that one would. Computers are fast becoming integrated into nearly every aspect of daily living, from school to work, to banking and shopping, to paying taxes and even voting. They provide access to a wide range of information without a trip to the library. They convey personal messages in place of the post office or telephone. And they compete with newspapers, radio, and television in providing entertainment an d news of the day. Computer technology also has a profound effect on our economy. Not only are computers changing the way goods and services are manufactured, distributed, and purchased, but they are also changing the skills workers need to be productive and earn a living. This climate sets the stage whereby we encourage our children to utilize a computer, as such represents not the world of tomorrow, but the world of today, and thus they need to be computer literate. The public generally agrees that for children to participate socially, economically, and politically in this new and different world, they must acquire a certain level of comfort and competence in using computers. National polls indicate widespread support for providing children with access to computers to enable them to learn adequate computer skills and improve their education (Trotter, 1998, pp. 6-9). In surveys, most parents and children report that they view computers and the Internet as a positive force in their lives, despite conce rns about exposure to inappropriate commercial, sexual, and violent content (National School Boards Foundation, 2000). Most parents believe that the Internet can help children with their homework and allow them to discover fascinating, useful things, and that children without access are disadvantaged compared to those with access. The scenario’s described above represent the current generation of parents, as opposed to their children. A generation that grew up on computer and video games that their parents had no idea of what they were playing, or even what the technology was. Thus, there was a real understanding and involvement gap (Brougere et al, 2004, p. 1-4). Those basically unsupervised children are now adults. Adults that grew up selecting their own video and computer games while developing their own culture without guidance to determination as to what was good for them or bad, as they were just interested in the experience of a new technology changing the world of play and relaxation. Thus it was the game, almost regardless of what it was, and not the content that ruled (Brougere et al, 2004, p. 1-4). When discussing violence in computer games, as a result of this foundational background understanding, there are three standards from which to choose, the children of parents who grew up playing games and basically picking them out themselves, those whose parents supervised what they played and purchased, which is a small minority, and lastly, those adults who either didn’t have either video games or computers in their home. The assumption is, that almost all of today’s adults played video and or computer games when they were children, if not their own, then on a friends console or computer. Children of a generation whose parents were maybe exposed somewhat to computers at work, but more often than not, were not. Thus, the problem of violence becomes one that rests on the shoulders of game developers, manufacturers and designers based upon industry research, educational and emotional findings, as well as studies concerning the effects of violence on children. The parents of today’s adults knew about the creeping violence on TV, that they grew up with and which was publicized when they were children and teenagers. But, the circumstances are different today, as there is no television standards board making noise about PC and video game content. Thus, the level of acceptable violence as well as the controls, industry oversight and general standards as to what is and is not acceptable comes into play. If you question the underlying foundation, think about the popularity of Madden football. Like it our not, that U.S. sport tops boxing for all out mayhem, violence, competitive spirit and aggression. Thus, the dilemma as represented by attempting to equate the level of violence and their effe ct is based upon a generation that really had no boundaries. The jury is still out on the subject of the effects of computer games on children, teenagers, and young adults, and it is seemingly hopelessly divided. There are â€Å"an overwhelming number of parents†, pegged at 96 percent, based upon a survey conducted by the Interactive Digital Software Association who indicate that they pay attention to video and computer game content that their children play (Business Wire, 2003). That same survey indicated that 44 percent of the parents in homes that own either video game consoles and or computers stated that they themselves used to play interactive games and that they play with their children either on a daily or weekly basis (Business Wire, 2003). The returns from that survey found that all in all over 60% of the responding parents play interactive games with their children at least once in the month (Business Wire, 2003). The parents responding at a rate of 89 percent stated that they were there when the games were purchased for chil dren under the age of 18. The survey revealed some interesting trends, as well as revealed that the children who are playing computer and or video games are the offspring of former and present players themselves. This brings to mind if these parents acceptance level of violence in computer and video games is slightly jaded in terms of what constitutes violence. In fact, the majority of gamers, as they are termed, are in fact adults, according to the Interactive Digital Software Association survey (Business Wire, 2003). The survey revealed that the entire universe of game players is getting older. The percentage of players who were under the age of 18 made up just 30 percent of the gamer population, which is down from the 34 percent recorded in 2002 (Business Wire, 2003). However, the survey avoided the critical issue, the extent of violence in the games the parents indicated that they were supervising the buying for, as well as playing with their children. The survey did state that 36 percent of the games pla yed on computer were action oriented, which tied with puzzle, board, and card games for the top spot (Business Wire, 2003). In fact, the preferences were almost evenly divided across the four categories, with driving and racing games scoring at 36 percent, and sports at 32 percent. Excessive, unmonitored use of computers, especially when combined with use of other screen technologies, such as television, can place children at risk for harmful effects on their physical, social, and psychological development. Children need physical activity, social interaction, and the love and guidance of caring adults to be healthy, happy, and productive. (Hartmann and Brougere, 2004, p. 37- 41) Too much time in front of a screen can deprive children of time for organized sports and other social activities that are beneficial to child development. (Hartmann and Brougere, 2004, p. 37- 41) In addition, children may be exposed to violent, sexual, or commercial content beyond their years, with long-term negative effects (Brougere et al, 2004, pp. 8). At present, excessive use of computers among children, especially younger children, is not typical. National survey data gathered in spring of 2000 indicated that children ages 2 to 17 spent about 34 minutes per day, on average, using computers at home, with use increasing with age (Preschoolers ages 2 to 5 averaged 27 minutes per day, school-age children ages 6 to 11 averaged 49 minutes per day, and teens ages 12 to 17 averaged 63 minutes per day) (Brougere et al, 2004, pp. 9). Available data on computer use at school suggest that exposure in the early primary grades, at least, is relatively modest. A spring 1999 survey of 26 elementary schools in the heart of Silicon Valley, where computer use might be expected to be high, found that although 70% of teachers in kindergarten through third grade had their students do some work on computers, the students computer time averaged less than 10 minutes per day (Brougere et al, 2004, pp. 11). This data suggest that younger children in particular are not currently using computers for excessive amounts of time. In the case of video games, even their critics acknowledge that they are instructing our children. The critics just dont like the form and the sometimes violent and sexually explicit content of the instruction, which they believe teaches children aggressive behaviors (Suellentrop, 2006). Yet if such games are nothing more than murder simulators, as one critic has called them, why is it, as gaming enthusiasts never tire of pointing out, that the murder rate has declined in recent years, there are more video games, and more violent ones, than ever (Suellentrop, 2006). The important thing to find out about video games isnt whether they are teachers; The question is, as game designer Ralph Koster writes in A Theory of Fun for Game Design (2004), what do they teach? (Suellentrop, 2006). The marketing strategies of game companies links closely to Hollywood action movies as a means to reach more gamers. The Cinema has emerged as the most prominent influence on games. Both cinema and games are superficially alike, in that they are relatively modern media that deliver audio-visual content to paying audiences. The similarities that the media share have meant that some artistic strategies can be transferred between the two. However, there is a limit to the extent that artistic techniques can be taken from one and used in the other. Game designers are increasingly using unsuitable cinematic conventions in the creation of their games. Activision, a Santa Monica based game manufacturer generated the Fantastic 4 game in agreement with its studio, whereby you can â€Å"assume the persona of Mir. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Invisible Woman/Sue Storm, Human Torch/Johnny Storm, or Thing/Ben Grimm and master their individual attributes and unique powers to solve puzzles, overcome obstacles, and defeat enemies. Another option is to control the Fantastic 4 together as a team and dynamically switch b etween characters during their adventures, and combine super powers in order to level more devastating attacks and accomplish missions† (Society for the Advancement of Education, 2005). And the trend includes almost any Hollywood movie that can be converted to action, with the Fantastic 4 representing a mild version of what the industry has to offer. The basic theme is the ‘good guys, against the ‘bad guys’ in such re-creations as â€Å"X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, the rival X-Men and Brotherhood† where you are â€Å"†¦ bonded by a common enemy, fight side by side for the first time, allowing players to switch instantly between super-power wielding teammates as they overcome obstacles, solve puzzles, and defeat more than 100 types of enemies† (Society for the Advancement of Education, 2005). Violence is a popular form of entertainment â€Å"a crowd of onlookers enjoys a street fight just as the Romans enjoyed the gladiators, and wrestling is a popular spectator sport not only in the United States, but in many countries in the Middle East (Centerwall, 1989, p. 23). Local news shows provide extensive coverage of violent crimes in order to increase their ratings. Technological advances have dramatically increased the availability of violent entertainment. The introduction of television was critical, particularly in making violent entertainment more available to children. More recently, cable systems, videocassette recorders, and video games have increased exposure. Hand-held cameras and video monitors now permit filming of actual crimes in progress. Economic competition for viewers, particularly young viewers, has placed a premium on media depictions of violence, as their attention translates into store sales. The Problems The level of acceptable violence of computer games, as well as violence in itself thus represents the question, as the top selling computer and video games all were violence based. And while the non-violent ‘Sims’ simulation game proved to be the top seller at 16 million copies, the next four games totaled 32 million (Wikipedia, 2007). Of those games Starcraft, 9.5 million copies sold, is a strategy war game played in space, whereby one can get a good idea of its content by the name on its expansion pack, ‘StarCraft: Brood War’ (Blizzard Entertainment, 2007). Half-Life (Planet Half-Life, 2007), 8 million copies, is a first person shooter game featuring blood spatters and other effects. Of the top ten computer games four are violence based, and of the next ten, 11 through 20, 5 are violence-based games (Wikipedia, 2007). Thus the ethics are sales, as well as creative foundation and premise from which the games are fashioned. The differing themes represent dir ections in terms of game development, what the manufacturer has build their reputation on, and the gamer profile they appeal to. Based upon the preceding the industry is split down the middle, with half gong for violence, and the other utilizing non-violent content. There is considerable evidence that violence on television, in video as well as computer games is harmful to children (Hope, 2005). And just as the current parents became adjusted to certain levels of violence in their exposures decades ago, such has magnified for their offspring according to lecturer Lesley Murphy of Robert Gordon University (Grant, 2006). The preceding calls for a scientific psychology concerning the effects violence games had on the parents to understand the level their children are being exposed to. Such should not only help us to understand our own the parent’s violence level, it should help to determine where this all stands in the realm of what is normal, speaking in relative terms. Playing computer games can be an important building block to computer literacy because it enhances childrens ability to read and visualize images in three-dimensional space and track multiple images simultaneously and there is also limited evidence available also indicates t hat home computer use is linked to slightly better academic performance. (Alington et al (1992, pp. 539-553). Dominick (1984, pp. 136-147) expresses concern there are the findings that playing violent computer games may increase aggressiveness and desensitize a child to suffering, and that the use of computers may blur a childs ability to distinguish real life from simulation. Compared to girls, boys spend more than twice as much time per week playing computer games (Funk, 1993, pp. 86-89) and are five times more likely to own a computer game system (Griffiths and Hunt, 1995, pp. 189-193). In a study of self-reported leisure time activities of 2,200 third and fourth graders, computer games topped the list of activities among boys: 33% of boys reported playing computer games, compared with fewer than 10% of girls (Harrel et al, 1997, 246-253). Initially it was thought that this disparity was the result of the games violent themes and lack of female protagonists (Malone, 1981, pp. 333-370). A more likely reason, however, is the difference between the genders in their play preferences: boys ten d to prefer pretend play based on fantasy, whereas girls tend to prefer pretend play based on reality, a rare theme for computer games, even those designed specifically for girls. Social Effects of Playing Computer Games As mentioned earlier, game playing has long been the predominant use of home computers among childrenespecially among younger boys. Although the available research indicates that moderate game playing has little social impact on children, concerns nonetheless have been raised about excessive game playing, especially when the games contain violence. Research suggests that playing violent computer games can increase childrens aggressive behavior in other situations. Existing research indicates that moderate game playing does not significantly impact childrens social skills and relationships with friends and family either positively or negatively. Studies often found no differences in the sociability and social interactions of computer game players versus non-players, (Phillips et al, 1995, pp. 687-691) but a few studies found some mildly positive effects. For example, one study found that frequent game players met friends outside school more often than less frequent players. (Colwell et al, 1995, pp. 195-206) Another study of 20 families with new home computer game sets explored the benefits and dangers of playing games and found that computer games tended to bring family members together for shared play and interaction. (Mitchell, 1998, pp. 121-135) Less is known, however, about the long-term effects of excessive computer use among the 7% to 9% of children who play computer games for 30 hours per week or more. (Griffiths and Hunt, 1995, pp. 189-193). It has been suggested that spending a disproportionate amount of time on any one leisure activity at the expense of others will hamper social and educational development. (Griffiths and Hunt, 1995, pp. 189-193) Indeed, one study of fourth- to twelfth-grade students found that those who reported playing arcade video games or programming their home computer for more than an hour per day, on average, tended to believe they had less control over their lives compared with their peers. (Wiggins, 1997) In addition, some evidence suggests that repeated playing of violent computer games may lead to increased aggressiveness and hostility and desensitize children to violence. (Provenzo, 2001, pp. 231-234) Although educational software for home computer use includes many games that encourage positive, pro-social behaviors by rewarding players who cooperate or share, the most popular entertainment software often involves games with competition and aggression, and the amount of aggression and violence has increased with each new generation of games. A content analysis of recent popular Nintendo and Sega Genesis computer games found that nearly 80% of the games had aggression or violence as an objective. (Dietz, 1998, pp. 425-442) One survey of seventh- and eighth-grade students found that half of their favorite games had violent themes. (Funk, 1993, pp. 86-89) Yet parents often are unaware of even the most popular violent titles, despite the rating system from the Entertainment In a 1998 survey, 80% of junior high students said they were familiar with Duke Nukema violent computer game rated mature (containing animated blood, gore, and violence and strong sexual Content), but fewer than 5% of parents had heard of it. (Oldberg, 1998) Numerous studies have shown that watching violent television programs and films increases children and adults aggression and hostility (Friedrich-Cofer and Huston, 2000, pp. 364-371) thus, it is plausible that playing violent computer games would have similar effects. The research on violent computer games suggests that there is, indeed, an association between playing such games and increased aggression, and that the critical variable is a preference for playing aggressive games, rather than the amount of time spent playing. (Friedrich-Cofer and Huston, 2000, pp. 364-371). Several experimental studies suggest that playing a violent game, even for brief periods, has short-term transfer effects, such as increased aggression in childrens free play, (Friedrich-Cofer and Huston, 2000, pp. 364-371) hostility to ambiguous questions, and aggressive thoughts. For example, one study of third and fourth graders found that those children who played a violent game (Mortal Kombat II) responded more violently to three of six open-ended questions than did children who played a nonviolent computer game (basketball) (Friedrich-Cofer and Huston, 2000, pp. 364-371). Furthermore, it has been found that children who have a preference for and play aggressive computer games demonstrate less pro-social behavior, such as donating money or helping someone. (Friedrich-Cofer and Huston, 2000, pp. 364-371). Studies of television have found that continued exposure to violence and aggression desensitizes children to others suffering, (Rule and Ferguson, 2001, pp. 29-50) but studies of computer games have not yet explored such a link. At least since the 1980s, however, both the U.S. and British military have used violent video games for training, reportedly to desensitize soldiers to the suffering of their targets and to make them more willing to kill. (Kiddoo, 2000, pp. 80-82). Conclusion The foundation of violence in computer games stems from the fascination with violence as spawned by the movies as well as television. These mediums have become an overbearing influence in game development and its expressive methods are being applied in game context. A look at the graphics of any video game reveals the similarities as well as attempt to capture as much realism as possible. Such is a natural evolution of the product and technology, but such also is continually blurring the fantasy atmosphere that used to be clearly delineated. The violence that exists in over 50 percent of computer as well as video games is not so much a product of the designers and manufacturers; it is a product of society in that the function of their businesses is to fulfill a need. And since the foundation for that need is there, they continue to create the games to fill it. The problem starts and exists with the consumer market, one that is a product of television and cinema culture that has been at work long before computer and video games arrived. There is now a sincere understanding that the effects have become deeply rooted facets of industrialized cultures, and games can not be blamed, yet they, along with other entertainment medium are contributing to the problem. Youth violence affects us all, and thus a reversal of the process is going to be a difficult undertaking as a result of the historical context from which it came. A look at the top selling video game categories reveals the extent of the problem: Table – Top Games Genres (Wikipedia, 2007) Rank Genre 1 Strategy / RPG 2 Action 3 Sport Games 4 Racing 5 All Shooter Games 6 Simulations 7 Family Entertainment 8 Children’s Entertainment 9 Fighting 10 Other Games 11 Edutainment With the following games rated as all time favorites, based on violent content: Donkey Kong, 1981, Nintendo Co. Ltd, Nintendo of America, Inc., Arcade. Doom, 1993, id Software, id Software, P.C. DOS. Dragon’s Lair, 1983. Magicom Multimedia, Cinematronics, Arcade. Duke Nukem, 1991, Apogee Software Ltd., Apogee Software Ltd., PC DOS. E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, 1983, Atari, Inc., Atari Inc., Atari 2600. Final Fantasy series I – IX, 1990 2003, Square Enix Co., Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc., Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, PlayStation, PlayStation 2. Final Fantasy VII, 1996, Square Co., Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc., PlayStation. Grand Theft Auto III, DMA Design Ltd., Rockstar Games, PlayStation2 Half-Life, 1998, Valve Software, Sierra On-Line, Inc., P.C. Win. ’95. Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, 2003, Nintendo Co. Ltd, Nintendo of Europe, Inc., GameCube. Mario Bros I-VII, 1983 –2003, Nintendo Co. Ltd, Nintendo of America, Inc., Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, GameCube. Max Payne, 2001, Remedy Entertainment Ltd., GodGames, Win. ’95. Metal Gear Solid, 1998, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan Co., Ltd., Konami of America, Inc., PlayStation. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, 1998, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan Co., Ltd., Konami of America, Inc., PlayStation 2. Myst, 1994, Broderbund Software, Keyboard Mouse, Macintosh. Pac-Man, 1980, Namco Ltd., Midway Mfg. Co., Arcade. Perfect Dark, 2000, Rare Ltd., Rare Ltd., Nintendo 64. Pokemon, 1998, Game Freak, Inc., Nintendo of America, Inc., Game Boy. Pong, 1973, Atari, Inc., Atari Inc., Arcade. Resident Evil, 2002, Capcom Co., Ltd., Capcom U.S.A., Inc., GameCube. Rogue Leader, 2001, Factor 5, Lucas Arts, GameCube. Silent Hill, 1999, Konami Computer Entertainment Kobe (KCEK), Konami of America, Inc., PlayStation. Space Invaders, 1978, Taito Corporation, Taito America Corp., Arcade. Spacewar, 1962, Russell, S. Street Fighter II, 1991, Capcom Co., Ltd., Capcom U.S.A., Inc., Arcade. Super Mario Bros., 1985, Nintendo Co. Ltd, Nintendo of America, Inc., Nintendo Entertainment System. Tekken 3, 1998, Namco Ltd., Namco Hometek, Inc., PlayStation. Tennis for Two, 1958. Higinbotham, W. Tetris, 1989, Pajitnov, A., Nintendo of America, Inc., Game Boy. Tomb Raider, Core Design Ltd., Eidos Interactive, PlayStation. Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, 2003, Core Design Ltd., Eidos Interactive, PlayStation 2. Winning Eleven 6: Final Evolution, 2003, Konami Computer Entertainment Kobe (KCEK), Konami Computer Entertainment Japan Co., Ltd., GameCube. Wolfenstein 3D, 1991, Apogee Software Ltd., Apogee Software Ltd., PC DOS Zelda I –VI, 1987-2003, Nintendo Co. Ltd, Nintendo of America, Inc., Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, GameCube. As a business, the economics of a return on investment figures importantly into the reasons as to why so many violent games are produced. Simply speaking there is a market for them! The high cost of producing games engenders a desire within the companies financing games production to ensure a return on their investment. In most popular mass culture, this has seen a cautious approach to creating content. There has been a streamlining of the creation of content, be it music, films or games, that has seen the removal of as many variables as possible in order to produce content that can be easily quantified and accounted for. Companies are reluctant to take risks and the simplest way of avoiding them is to repeat previously profitable formulae, or in the case of a developing medium, such as games, to adopt the techniques of the more developed and superficially similar medium of cinema. Designers are reliant upon the finance provided by publishing companies to create games. This has seen the production of numerous games based on Hollywood films and characters, or the construction of games that can be marketed and sold on the strength of their cinematic aesthetics and sensibilities. Computer and video game companies base their strategies of what to produce based upon careful market research and raw numbers, and the fact is, since 50% of the market has been and continues to be buying violent game content, they will continue to design and market these types of games! And while the problem is deep seated, there is a logical and easy solution, if only the adults will play along. The survey conducted by the Interactive Digital Software Association (2001), indicated the following statistics: adults purchase 90% of all games sold And that is the only statistic that will be utilized to make the point. As the controlling variable in the purchase, it is the adults that need to be reached. The problem is how? Educating Adults to the problem is the logical answer. But as the primary buyers of games overall, they are also heavy buyers of violent game content themselves. The preceding is more than an ethical dilemma, it is a cultural one. One whereby the cycle needs to be broken with the same vigor and force that instilled it in the first place. But, that took decades and billions in advertising and marketing dollars to put into place. Thus it seems that the only force large enough to impact upon this situation are governments. Therein lies the ethical problem, for this speaks of another regulation is a world that is fast becoming over regulated in order to save ourselves from ourselves! The solution that the preceding is leading up to is the same as has been done in the instance of cigarette smoking, warning labels on each box as a mandated action. Could the foundation for this approach be similar to the health risk utilized in the instance of cigarettes, only in this instance as a societal risk? That represents an extremely touchy subject as it seemingly broaches upon freedom of choice. The warning labels and legislation to curtail smoking has achieved success as a result of the non-smokers who did not wish to inhale second hand smoke in restaurants, offices and other public indoor locales. These restrictions did not and do not restrict smokers for smoking. Thus, why would it curtail violent game players from playing. Thus, could a violent game tax be the solution. This would or might represent a choice in that the extra money so charged would be put into a victims and marketing fund to fuel additional education on the dangers of violence. Seemingly, that might create an outcry as well, however, as is the case with any type of social change, the majority wins out, thus the non-violent lobby would have to organize itself for a long