Riters explore control in The Rivals Essay Example for Free

Riters explore control in The Rivals Essay Although written centuries apart, ‘The Wife Of Bath’ and ‘The Rivals’ both effectively embody the desire for control. By presenting their respective protagonists as sly and deceptive, Sheridan and Chaucer allow their characters to dominate and manipulate both their fellow characters and the audience to their liking. Likewise, the qualities of verbal wit presented among the female protagonists by Chaucer and Sheridan allow these female characters to assert their influence, intellectually and comically. Despite the presence of male patriarchal forces restoring the domineering women to their inferior social status; the constant shift in control amongst the characters permit Sheridan and Chaucer to draw parallels with the changes in their own societies. In particular, the deception demonstrated in the texts enables certain characters to take control over traditional sources of power. With regards to ‘The Wife Of Bath’, although Medieval society condemned women to eternal servitude of their husbands; critic Marsh’s view that the Wife depends upon â€Å"Deceit as a defence against male domination† portrays her as willing to deceive her (dominant) male counterparts in return for self-control. In fact the proud and boastful tone evokes by the Wife in reference to her first three husbands, â€Å"How piteously a-nyght I made hem swynke† emphasises how her manipulative skills during sex have successfully transferred dominance over to the Wife herself , as reiterated by Chaucer’s use of the personal pronoun â€Å"I†. Similarly, Lucy’s lower class status in ‘The Rivals’ does not impede her from taking advantage of her peers, as demonstrated by her cunning tone here, â€Å"Commend me to a mask of silliness, and a pair of eyes for my own interest under it! † In fact, Sheridan, like other contemporary writers, Goldsmith and Foote, wrote ‘The Rivals’ to follow the structure of a Comedy of Manners, whereby a contemporary, sophisticated class was mocked through the medium of a play. Therefore, Lucy’s deception in refusing to disclose the identity of ‘Delia’ to Sir Lucius and accepting bribes, indeed places her in a position of control as Sheridan relies on Lucy to provide the mockery of the seemingly flawless upper classes. Overall, the deceptive skills of Lucy and the Wife provide them with the utmost control over those supposedly superior than themselves. Additionally, the verbal wit of the Wife and Mrs Malaprop allows them to convey their intellect in male-dominated spheres. Mrs Malaprop in ‘The Rivals’ undeniably becomes powerful as a result of her ‘Malapropisms’, that is, her comical verbal errors. The comedic effect of the exclamation marks and bold tone from Mrs Malaprop here, ‘An attack upon my language! Sure if I reprehend anything in this world, it is the use of my†¦nice derangement of epitaphs! ’, conveys how the power she gains over the audience and fellow characters stems from humour. Therefore, critics Loftis’ view that Mrs Malaprop’s ‘Fault arises from intellectual rather than social affectation’ refers directly to Mrs Malaprop’s impact through her language. Although ‘fault’ seems critical of Malaprop, it could also emphasize the humorous and powerful effect her verbal blunders have in the play. Meanwhile, the Wife adopts examples of textual authority to empower her arguments against those who attempt to undermine her, like the Church. Despite Medieval women not receiving an education due to their believed inferiority, the Wife calls on ‘The wise astrologien, Daun Ptholome’ to validate her controversial arguments. This unusual intelligence among Medieval women indisputably places the Wife in a position of superiority over men, notably in her Prologue. Therefore, although verbal wit is used by Mrs Malaprop and the Wife for opposite purposes, the reaction provoked by other characters and the audience enable Sheridan and Chaucer to present these women as very powerful. Despite the dominance of the female characters, Chaucer and Sheridan also convey control via male patriarchy. When recounting Jankyn’s violence, the Wife uses derogatory language to insult Jankyn, ‘O!hastow slayn me, false theef? ’. Although the Wife subsequently gains his sympathy, the notion of her being abused demonstrates how Jankyn, according to Medival custom, controls the Wife and can therefore attack her if he wishes. In fact, according to critic Ellis, through the Wife making Jankyn feel guilty about attacking her; she commits ‘An act little short of symbolic castration’ by obtaining the power a Medieval husband typically held over his wife. However, patriarchy remains dominant in ‘The Rivals’. During a quarrel with Faulkland, the pity gained by Julia from the audience here, ‘It lost you the love of one, who would have followed you in beggary through the world’, reflects how men retain total control in the play as Julia’s emotions have been repressed by Faulkland’s temper. Interestingly, in Sheridan’s era, the notion of Julia breaking off an engagement with Faulkland would have been seen as outrageous by society. In Georgian times, only men were able to dissolve such engagements instead of women; indicating how men remained totally dominant, even as far as ove was concerned. Therefore, while the Wife manages to overcome the limitations of patriarchy; Julia’s inability to control Faulkland represents how the urge to control is often unsuccessful among characters. In conclusion, via an endlessly-shifting dominance between male and female characters; Sheridan and Chaucer effectively encapsulate the complex nature of control. In particular, despite the social restrictions placed on the Wife, her ability to deceive and argue her way into control regardless of opposition represents how her desire for dominance not only ‘drives’ her life; but the progression of the text. Similarly, the dominance obtained by the lower-class Lucy and the repression of the upper-class Julia indeed embodies the comedic elements of ‘The Rivals’, yet symbolises the difficulty of becoming dominant with such gender and social limitations. For this reason, only Lucy and the Wife gain control due to their wise but cunning manipulation of the expectations imposed on them by society and their counterparts in the texts.

Explication Of Seamus Heaneys Digging English Literature Essay

Explication Of Seamus Heaneys Digging English Literature Essay Seamus Heaneys Digging is free verse poem about a mans observations and reflections of his father and grandfather and his place in the family tradition. The poem is traditionally separated into nine stanzas, but from another viewpoint it can be separated into four parts: the speaker, his father, his grandfather, and then the speaker again. This separation effectively illustrates that the poem forms a circle and at the end of that circle lays self-discovery. There are various poetic devices used throughout the poem to effectively complete the circle and strengthen the theme of the poem. The title of this poem is fitting because in the poem there are three generations of diggers. The speakers father and grandfather dug up potatoes and the speaker is digging up the past. Interestingly, the word digging is repeated three times within the poem. The first stanza of the poem is about the speaker about to write something. This is illustrated by the pen in his hand à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦rest[ing]; snug as a gun. In line two, the words snug as a gun illustrate that the pen fits naturally in his hand. Also, in the simile snug as a gun the word snug if spelled backwards is guns. Furthermore, the comparison of the pen to a gun, at first glance, seems awkward and makes little sense. However, when taking a moment to digest the words one can start to draw connections. A gun is a device that relies on precision to hit its target, and the precision is reliant upon the operator of the gun. Similarly, the pen is in need of a good writer to target ideas to put to paper. Rather than bullets, h e shoots with words. In addition, the semicolon between rests and snug creates a short pause. The second stanza breaks from the first and begins describing things, particularly his father, outside of the room that the speaker is in. The speaker describes the sound coming from outside his window as a clean rasping sound where the words clean and rasping serve as an oxymoron to precisely describe the sound. In the second line of the stanza there is alliteration with the words spade sinks and gravelly ground. The gr- sound which is repeated has a scraping tone to it which is highly relevant to the context of the poem. The words rasping and gravelly also serve as onomatopoeia to effectively give sound to the descriptions. It isnt until line three of the stanza that the reader learns that these sounds are coming from the speakers father digging. The comma in this line creates a pause which gives the sense that digging is something his father is accustomed to doing. Also, he both literally and figuratively look[s] down upon his father. This stanza ends midsentence to create a journ ey through time, which we learn to be twenty years. Stanza three picks up midsentence, right where stanza two left off. When examining his fathers straining rump in line four, the speaker projects a condescending tone towards his father. The word straining also shows the reader that his fathers work is backbreaking labor. In line five, the phrase comes up twenty years away tells the reader that the speaker has transplanted himself twenty years in the past. The next line is very musical. The long u of the word stooping sets the tone for the rhythmic line. In the following line, the repetition of the word digging at the end of the stanza creates emphasis upon that action and reinforces the theme of the poem. The fourth stanza continues on with the musically rhythmic actions from the previous stanza, but with more detail. The first line is packed with details. The process by which his father digs is discussed step by step in great detail. During the step by step description the speaker uses alliteration, tall tops and buriedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ bright to continue the musical flow started at the end of the previous stanza. In addition, the repetitions of the words with the long u sound, such as, stooping (from the previous stanza), boot, and rooted provide reinforcement to the musical flow. In line four, the word we tells the reader that the speakers father is not alone in the potato farm, the speaker is there with his father. This also illustrates that a child in this time has close relations with his fathers work, confirming the idea that a persons livelihood will continue within the family through generations. In the next stanza, the speakers tone towards his father changes from that of the second; the speaker now finds himself in awe of his father. The exclamation By God, is evidence of this. The fifth stanza also introduces the speakers grandfather, an excellent digger himself. In stanza six, the descriptions switch from being about the speakers father to his grandfather. The first two lines serve as character development. The reader learns that the speakers grandfather was a very efficient digger and one of, if not, the best in his profession. The next line shows the admiration the young speaker has for his grandfather, Once I carried him milk in a bottle, the fact that the speaker remembers the trivial task of bringing his grandfather a drink shows the respect he has for him. The next few lines shine light on the grandfathers character. He has his mind set on the task at hand and refuses to waste time doing anything else. In stanza seven, the speaker reignites his widespread use of sound. He uses the word Nicking which sounds like the spade going into the soil. Then, he uses the word slicing which has a repeating s sound and sounds like the soil is being carved out by the end of the spade. Furthermore, he throws in the word neatly to show that the grandfather was very methodical about his work. His use of the word heaving rather than throwing or lifting describes the grandfather as being a strong person. The repetition of the word down shows that this is a repetitive motion that the grandfather endures for a long period of time. This stanza ends with a one word sentence, Digging. This places great importance on the word and the d and g sounds make it even more noticeable. The next stanza, stanza number eight, switches gears once again. This stanza switches back to being more about the speaker than his father or grandfather. The use of assonance with the words cold and mould The use of alliteration continues with squelch, slap, soggy, and curt cuts. There is also some onomatopoeia with the words squelch and slap. In line three of the stanza the words living roots is a metaphor for the memories that are still alive within the speaker. This also shows that he is getting back to his roots, that is, finding his identity and gaining appreciation for his family. At the end of this stanza the speaker has made a complete one hundred and eighty degree turn. He began by look[ing] down on his father and probably his grandfather, but now he feels unworthy and inadequate having no spade to follow men like them. The final stanza is much the same as the first. The only differences are the punctuation and the final line. The use of a period in this stanza creates an even longer pause than the semicolon used in the first stanza. The omission of the snug as a gun simile and in its place Ill dig with it shows that he no longer compares his pen to a gun, but now compares it to a spade. This shows the journey that he has made to self-discovery. He has pride in his heritage and admiration for his father and grandfather. All three uses of digging are used on his father or grandfather; it is not until the final line of the poem that the speaker digs.

The Popularity Of Hollywood Movies Media Essay

The Popularity Of Hollywood Movies Media Essay It is believed that Hollywood is the greatest national source of entertainment for many people of all ages, races, sexes, and ethnicities. Hollywood movie industry depicts numerous images of a variety of races throughout its films for more than nine and a half billion dollars in 2002 (U.S. Census Abstracts, 2002). Despite the wide variety of shows, movies and images produced by Hollywood, audience of various backgrounds are allowed to generate thoughts, views, and opinions that go a long with their own perceptions. Therefore, many films appear to be non-redundant and convenient though they implicitly include wide variety of repeated plots, characters, and specific characteristics. Regardless of the quality level of movies, they last for long times as they are hard to be imitated or changed. Plato states, in the Republic, those who tell the stories also rule society (Shaheen, 2001, p. 5). The most effective images are those left behind contributing in shaping audiences beliefs, opinions and attitudes toward certain events and nations. Arab and Muslim culture was a main target and content for Hollywood movie industry. Savage (2002) believes that Hollywood films have a major influence on the American public, and millions of people have grown up believing that they know Arab and Muslim culture through what they view on the big screen (Savage, 2002, p. 8). Hollywood movie industry has strongly established its popularity in the United States and worldwide. According to Shaheen (2001), Hollywoods motion pictures reach nearly everyone. Cinematic illusions are created, nurtured, and distributed world-wide, reaching more than 100 countriesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦No sooner do contemporary features leave the movie theaters than they are available in video storesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Shaheen, 2001, p. 5). Teenagers and children were one of the most affected audiences by the sustained popularity of Hollywood movies. Shaheen (2001) remarks that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦teenagers are avid moviegoers and nowadays purchase four out of ten movie tickets (Shaheen, 2001, p. 5). It is also noted that Hollywood movies and American media are consumed by 150 nations worldwide (Shaheen, 2002). However, the meanings of images conveyed by Hollywood movies to audiences play a crucial role in shaping various stereotypes of peoples. Paul (1998) comments on research findings saying lat erally, Studies indicate that stereotypes are automatically or unconsciously generated in the mind, and that categorizing is an important part of the mental process of evaluating the world (Paul, 1998, p. 52). Hollywood filmmakers employ various stereotypes as an effective tool that establishes protagonists and antagonists; however, frequent appearance of Arabs in antagonistic roles affects audience to believe that such shows are real and true. The stereotypical myths about Arabs reach beyond ordinary audience to become self-perpetuating when more films adopt the same premises. El-Farra (1996) states, it is the myths about Arabs which often inspire directors, producers and screenwriters to develop a product which is then based on stereotypes (El-Farra, 1996, pp. 4-5). Stereotypes Existence and Harm According to Paul (1998), the stereotypes explain why things are the way they are. Other scholars believe that A person develops stereotypes about a groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦from information and disinformation, distortions, and/or opinions made available through family, friends, and the media (Abreu, Ramirez, Kim, Haddy, 2003, p. 693). Generally speaking, stereotypes can negatively affect any race, ethnicity, or a group of people if the negative implications about such groups are synonymous with their members. Abreu et al ( 2003) say that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦when one perceives an individual as a member of a particular stereotyped group, the perceivers mind activates the group-relevant cognitive structure and processesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦judgments and attitudes within the framework of that particular stereotype (Abreu et al., p. 693). Crocker and Major (cited in Pitner, Astor, Benbenishty, Haj-Yahia, Zeira, 2003) report, holding negative beliefs about other groups is functional in that it could bo lster the image and esteem of ones own group. Therefore, Hollywood movie makers can portray some races as favorable for audience whereas others cultures are placed in the negative side of audiences awareness. Several of Hollywoods most blatant patterns of bias fall within the categories of race, ethnicity and/or national origin included in this group are negative and/or stereotypical portrayals of Arabs and Arab-Americansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Cones, 1998). All races may be shown as negative groups at certain times; however, some races such as Arabs and Arab-Americans are featured negatively all the time. Seen through Hollywoods distorted lenses, Arabs look different and threatening. Projected along racial and religious lines, the stereotypes are deeply ingrained in American cinema. From 1896 until today, filmmakers have collectively indicted all Arabs as Public Enemy #1- brutal, heartless, uncivilized religious fanatics and money-mad cultural others bent on terrorizing civilized Westerners, especially Christians and Jews. (Shaheen, 2001, p. 2) Several terroristic events which took place before September 11 had been exploited by media and Hollywood movie makers to show Arabs as terrorists in spite that Arabs were not involved in those events. For example, Arabs were blame for the bombings of Oklahoma City and World Trade Center even before investigations launched, and all Arabs were blamed for the invasion of Kuwait by only one Arab country (Iraq). These events were used to convey a message to public saying that Arabs cannot be trusted since they support crimes and mass destruction against humanity as a whole. Popular culture of any people is formed in part through their knowledge and experiences which are mostly acquired by mass media. Shaheen (2001) believes that individuals are influenced by a continuous flow of seen one, seen em all headlines (Shaheen, 2001, p. 28). Therefore, Hollywood movie industry depends upon current evets and headlines to influence their desired perception for purposeful goals when producing new movies. According to Goodstein (1998), Each set of villains reflected headlines and anxieties of its eraà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦with Soviet pretensions shattered and aliens from outer space passà ©, the new cinematic enemy is the Muslim extremist. Stereotypes and Myths About Muslims, Arabs and Arab-Americans El-Farra (1996) defines a stereotype as the creation of a biased opinion or view- an individual will take the behavior of one person and state that all people belonging to that particular group, be it an ethnic, religious or social group, behave in the same manner (El-Farra, 1996, p.1). In this sense, Hollywood portrays target groups stereotypes as absolute truths ignoring the fact that there is only some truth born by these stereotypes. However, focusing on and encouraging positive portrays of certain stereotypes make audience view all related members positively. It is believed that in spite of many procedures have been taken to improve stereotypes of certain racial and ethnic stereotypes, Shaheen (2001) thinks that Hollywoods stereotype of Arabs remained the same. Over the last three decades stereotypical portraits have actually increased in number and virulence (Shaheen,2001, p. 28). Portraying Arabs in negative roles all the time even through fictitious stories rather than factual ones whether in movies or TV shows leaves audience more likely to view Arabs as if they really act the roles portrayed in movies and shows and thus public think that all Arabs can only behave accordingly. Therefore, such negative portrayals of Arabs enhance the publics biased judgments, views or attitudes toward Arabs nation and culture. After years of virtual invisibility, Arab-Americans are finally finding prominence in Hollywood movies- as terrorists and villains. They are only the latest in a long line of ethnic groups and nationalities cast in stereotypical bad-guy rolesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Goodstein, 1998). According to Shaheen ( 2001 ), there are four types of myths that pertain to the Arabs and Arab-Americans stereotypes: They are all fabulously wealthy, they are barbarians and uncultured, they are sex maniacs with a penchant for white slavery, and they revel in acts of terrorism (El-Farra,1996, p. 2). Such myths about intentionally imagined Arabs stereotype encourage all participants of Hollywood movie industry including directors, producers, and screenwriters to make their films and TV shows accordingly. In fact, scholars find it hard to explain these representations of Arabs. For example, Shaheen admits such dilemma stating, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I cant say the celluloid Arab has changed. That is the problem. He is what he has always been-the cultural other. In fact Arabs are not the only group that is exposed to negative portrayals of Hollywood. Some critics remark that other minorities stereotypes such as African-Americans and Latinos have been characterized as offensive. Shaheen (2001) stated that History reminds us that the cinemas hateful Arab stereotypes are reminiscent of abuses in earlier times. Not so long ago-and sometimes still-Asians, American Indians, blacks, and Jews were vilified (Shaheen, 2001, p. 4). On the other hand, Cones (1998) believes that there is no such constraint on depicting Arabs as oily and oversexed or shifty-eyed and violent (Cones, 1998). Therefore, it is noted that in spite of the sufferings Arabs and Arab-Americans face as a result of untrue images in the public eyes, Hollywood does nothing to improve or change the current situation of Arabs image in public eyes. This view can be understood and interpreted appropriately if one considers how Hollywood plays a crucial role in directing hatred against Arabs and Arab-Americans. To achieve success in this regard, Hollywood has employed its pre-identified image of Arabs as evils and enemies of humanity in many related media productions (Savage, 2002, p. 7). However, the frequent work of portraying certain stereotypes negatively may not achieve the expected profits for Hollywood movie industry since they would exclude those races and ethnicities members from lists of consumers. Those ethnicities would view such negative images of their cultures as offensive which may reduce their interests in Hollywood productions. Therefore, Hollywood movie makers may think that audience of various backgrounds particularly Arabs would be open-minded enough to view such media campaigns against them as entertainment rather than vicious anti-Arab propaganda. In case that such audiences were not up to Hollywood expectations, Hollywood may have done serious and critical risks in that it would not only threaten its industry but would also contribute to the creation of national and international political struggles that are based on racism and religious discrimination. (Cones, 1998). A group of factors underlie the exposure of Arab stereotype to negative images in Hollywood. These factors include political reasons, profitable box offices, apathy, and the absence of Arab-Americans in the industry. However, Shaheen (2001) ironically says: the fact remains: You can hit an Arab free; theyre free enemies, free villains, where you couldnt do it to a Jew or you cant do it to a black anymore, affirms Sam Keen(Shaheen, 2001, p. 6). The negative image of Arabs in Hollywood productions could also be attributed to what other minorities experienced along the course of forming their cultural awareness and experiences in that Hollywood aims at founding a bad-guy whom exists as battle fuel in movie industry. This is certainly easier for movie makers than attempting to establish other stereotypes in the mentality of the mainstream society. Hollywood audience especially American people have little knowledge about Arabs and Arab-Americans. The main sources of knowledge about Arabs multi-culture are represented for Americans through depictions provided by Hollywood movies and mass media. Convenience of audiences in what is portrayed for them regarding Arabs images may be the most important factor that support the frequent negative productions of Arabs and Arab-Americans. Shaheen believes that convenient stereotypes make it easier for movie producers to create and recreate negative images of Arabs including making good joke of Arabs and inserting a stumbling and bumbling sheikh or an Arab terrorist. Levesque (2002) states, We all know what they look like from watching movies and TV without any thought required. (Levesque, 2002). Reviewing the state of art may reveal that there is a need to create a balance of stereotypes depicted by Hollywood; however, it is believed that such notion is not insistent or pressing since there is no real action to support or at least to reduce the impacts of what is going on in Hollywood movie industry. According to Cones (1998), Hollywood movies involving Arab characters demonstrate that the U.S. film community portrays Arabs in a stereotypical manner and that little or no effort has been made by Hollywood filmmakers to balance portrayals of Arabs with positive portrayalsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Cones, 1998). Historical, Cultural, and Religious background of Muslims, Arabs and Arab-Americans Hollywood industry may have misrepresented most information about Arabs background. It is believed that this industry associate Arabs history with negative attributes such as terrorism and violence which contributes to the process of demonization and dehumanization (Savage, 2002, p. 4). In Fact Hollywood defines the term Arab differently. For example, the word Arab is used to describe any person who is originally from the Middle East countries regardless of their diverse cultures, beliefs and religions El-Farra (1996, p.1). The term limits individuals and countries within a distinct target that is open to stereotypes and bias. However, Shaheen thinks that the term refers to the 265 million people who reside in, and the many more millions around the world who are from the 22 Arab states (Shaheen, 2001, p. 2). Historically speaking, a mixed ethnicity have existed in the Arab world which from 5000 BC to the present. According to Shaheen (2001), The Scots, Greeks, British, French, Romans, English, and others have occupied the area (p. 3). In fact, Arabs have crucially contributed to the development of human civilizations. For example, Shaheen (2001) says that Arabs have developed essential sciences that are considered bases of modern technologies including algebra and the concept of zero, for instance. He adds that many English such as algebra, chemistry and coffee are of Arab roots. Arabs proved to be pioneers in several sciences in the middle age. For example, they created and used astrolabes for navigation, star maps and celestial globes in astronomy. In addition they are the first who used the concept of the center of gravity. Moreover, the water clock is one of their conventions; besides inspired the European Gothic style in architecture. In Agriculture, the Arabs were the first nation to introduced oranges, dates, sugar and cotton and to use water irrigation nets. According to Shaheen (2001), 70 percent of the population is under the age of 30 (p. 3) who are mostly share common language, cultural heritage, and religion (Islam). That does not mean that there is non-Muslims in the Arab world as it has been thought by some. Shaheen states that Though the vast majority of them are Muslims, about 15 million Arab Christians reside there as well (Shaheen, 2001, p. 3). The same can be claimed regarding the Arab-Americans who reside in the United States. Shaheen claims that the majority of the United States Arab-American population is also Christians; about 40 percent are Muslim (Shaheen, 2001, p.3). In spite that mass media keeps attempting to show Islam as a religion of terrorism, Muslims are Americas fastest growing religious group, and they include immigrants from more than 60 nations, as well as African-Americans(Shaheen, 2001, p. 4). Hollywood movie industry and other American media prefer to show all Arabs as Muslims. Shaheen thinks that A majority of the worlds 1.1 billion Muslims are Indonesian, Indian, and Malaysian, but only 12 percent of the worlds Muslims are Arabs. Shaheen indicates that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Moviemakers ignore this realityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Repeatedly, they falsely project all Arabs as Muslims and all Muslims as Arabs. As a result viewers tend to link the same attributes to both peoples (Shaheen, 2001, p. 4). On the other hand, the religion of Islam does not go untarnished. As a result of the representations of stereotypically fanatic Arabs that are bent on destruction, Islam is assumed to be linked with acts of mass destruction and violence. Todays image makers regularly link the Islamic faith with male supremacy, holy war, and acts of terror, depicting Arab Muslims as hostile alien intruders, and as lecherous, oily sheikhs intent on using nuclear weapons (Shaheen, 2001, p. 9). It is noted that portraying Arabs and Arab-Americans by using such negative characteristics has, similarly, led to presenting Islam to most movie viewers. Shaheen (cited in El-Farra, 1996) says, In an attempt to place Islam in a category that Americans can understand, the media portrays images of Muslims as belonging to a faith of 800 million people, consisting of strange, bearded men,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in robes and turbansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. According to El-Farra, the distortion of Islam leads audience to think that it is a mysterious religion prone that encourages acts of terrorism, violence, and fanaticism. These themes are maintained by movies industry (El-Farra, ). On the other hand, the majority of Hollywood movie makers and other mass media ignore basic facts about Islam including its message that calls for equality and peace. In order to show respect and appreciation for Muslim religious leaders, arabs call them as. Shaheen defines the word sheikh literally as a wise elderly person, the head of the familyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Shaheen, 2001, p.19). However, it has completely misuded by Hollywood and moviemakers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in the 1920s he was a swarthy sheikh, wiggling his eyebrows and chasing the Western heroine around a tiled courtyard. After the 1973 oil crisis producers revitalized the image of the fabulously wealthy and slothful sheikhà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Shaheen,2001, p.19). instead of showing sheikhs as wise men or leaders of society, screenwriters often present them as stooges-in-sheets, slovenly, hook-nosed potentates intent on capturing pale-faced blondes for their harems (Shaheen, 2001, p.19). The negative image of the sheikh appeared to shift, by time, to one of excessive violence. Shaheen (2001) says that earlier movies would depict indolent sheikhs lounging on thrones. But, contemporary films pres ent oily, militant, ostentatious sheikhs reclining in Rolls Royces, aspiring to buy up chunks of America ( p. 21). Further, recent images have completely changed portrays of sheikh even from the Arab definition of the term. According to (Shaheen, 2001, p. 21), current movies introduce anti-Christian and anti-Jewish Arabs armed with nuclear weapons, and plenty of oil and cash. In fact these views are always produced in the context of Islam which is showed to justify violence against the West, Israel, and fellow Arabs. Movie makers have not drop arab women from their similar negative considerations. For example, shaheen (2002) notes that Arab women in the Middle East are portrayed mainly as bundles of black cloth, submissive harem maidens or carrying jugs on their heads. He adds that They have no identities whatsoever, and theyre always mute (Shaheen, 2002). Shaheen(2001) believes that image makers can make personal and political statements depending on the customes and steryptypes women are presented in. he adds that By covering the reel Arab woman in black and relegating her to silence, the costumer links her to oppression. But throughout the Arab world, women wear a variety of apparel. (Shaheen, 2001, p. 23). Shaheen (2001) states that Arab woman are usually portrayed with negative roles in Hollywoods movies. For instance, they usually appear with no effective acts wearing black dresses all time. Shaheen (2001) also emphasizes that even they do not have speaking or working roles. Such extreme negative portrays of Arab women in Hollywood images may lead audience to link Islam with negative message of oppression against women rights. The constant negative portrays of women and their ideology of Islam leave strong effect against the social and cultural life of Arabs and Muslims as a whole among audience. Therefore, Hollywood ignores the fact that Arab and Arab-American women can effectively be positive contributors to their society or humanity in general. Economically, Hollywood images keep drawing Arabs as the only owners and suppliers of oil around the world. Thisw results in making audience believe that arabs life is based on only oil fortune without having other economic resource to live on. On the other hand, Hollywood and in large world audience think that OPEC is an Arab organization despite the fact that only seven of the thirteen OPEC members are Arab nations. Moreover, According to El-Farra, 1996), of the five largest oil-producing countries, only one is an Arab nation, Saudi Arabia (p. 2). However, one may not be sure whether people around the world really believe that. For example, an economic editor states that the worlds supplies of oil and price levels are manipulated and controlled by greedy Arabs (El-Farra, p. 2). Such pre-identified ideas may only contribute to continuing negative attitudes toward Arabs and Arab-Americans. Current Events Involving Muslims, Arabs/Arab-Americans Large amounts of present worldwide events may also have contributed to drawing peoples attitudes, perceptions and feelings toward Arabs and Arab-Americans. Such events may have also affected Arabs image in Hollywoods eyes. For example, the Arab-Israeli conflict is considered one of the most important factors that is used to feed audiences attitudes toward Arabs. This conflict which extended along more than half a century period and still going on may have provided the American media with a rich source to portray Arabs as extremely aggressive while Israelis who are generally supported by west are innocent victims. Kressel (cited in El-Farra, 1996) believes that the American media which be considered the strongest around the world practiced unequal roles in covering the Arab Israeli conflict attempting to put Arab states as powerful ones depending on violence and aggressions in their conflict with Israel who, in turn, is portrayed as a small country found in the midst of aggressive large states. Arabs in this image are shown as those who attack Israel which tries its best to preserve democracy, freedom and its people lives. In this sense, Mark Twain (cited in Shaheen, 2001) says, We are all ignorant, just about different things. However, when it comes to the Middle East, many Americans are ignorant about the history and plight of the Palestinian people (Shaheen, 2001, p. 26). Shaheen thinks the repeated negative images about Palestinians which portrayed by Hollywood movie makers and mass media left a myth among audience that all Palestinians are the enemy of humanity, violent and extremely terrorists. Apart from Israeli-Palestinian movies supported by Hollywood, one notes that human dramas show Palestinians as a normal people who is characterized with universal humanistic attributes like all peoples. These incomparable art works with Hollywoods portray Palestinians as innocent victims whereas Israelis as non-merciful occupiers. One cannot find a Hollywood movie that present reality about Israeli soldiers and settlers who frequently attack Palestinians farms to uproot their olive orchards or threaten Palestinians lives as it appears in some media news. Shaheen (2001) states that there American movies does not show the everyday actual struggle of Palestinian families under the highly pressing occupation, Palestinian refugee camps which are considered the largest in the world, or how Palestinians are exposed to most difficult circumstances in their pursuant to get back to their own home land (Shaheen, 2001, p. 26). Research has indicated that showing Arabs as terrorists repeatedly directs American audiences attitudes to take them as enemies. According to Martin (cited in El-Farra, 1996), the word terrorism was used by the press in describing events and individuals they disapproved of. Yet, when describing these same acts by individuals who are not Arabs, the media was careful to appear neutral and unbiased. On the other hand, Shaheen states that news reports selectively and relentlessly focus on a minority of Arabs, the radical fringe. The seemingly indelible Arab-as-villain image wrongly conveys the message that the vast majority of the 265 million peace-loving Arabs are bad guys (Shaheen, 2001, p. 28). In the 1990s Arabs and Arab-Americans images got worse in American audiences eyes. For example, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, which led to the second Gulf War, and the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center lead some Americans to believe that all Arabs are terrorists and that Arabs do not value human life (Shaheen, 2001, p. 29). This, in turn, strengthens the ideology that Arabs are aggressive and real enemies of America. Moreover, public opinion seems to be influenced directly by the way these events were covered in mass media. Therefore, both the intentional negative use of media against Arabs and the dominant prior stereotypical judgments were the main reasons of the continual Arab-bashing according to Shaheen (2001). Further, some movie makers found that such portrays of arabs provide them with rich opportunities to justify their productions. Shaheen remarks that the news programs which are used by some producers and directors deny that they are actually engaged in stereotyping. Shaheen reports their objection literally when they say, Were not stereotyping, just look at your television set, those are real Arabs (Shaheen, 2002, p. 29). It is noted that the disappointing use of media has been occurred through a prejudicial way presented during the issue of Okalahoma City Bombing. According to El-Farra (1996), In 1995, within minutes of the event, news reporters were insinuating that the bombing was an act of terrorists. Raised with unpopular stereotypes of Arabs, the American public was quick to develop images of Arab terrorists destroying American property (El-Farra, 1996, p.1).Government officials were also quick to point an accusatory finger at Middle Eastern terrorists. An Arab-American spokesman believes that the American people were so quick to blame Arabs for Oklahomas events as a result of Hollywood movies negative influence upon them. Cones (1998) states that most Americans, including politicians and media leaders, have been affected by Hollywood propaganda. According to El-Farra (1996), even experts of terrorism (e.g. Steven Emerson) do not believe Islamic groups when they denied involvement ( p. 1). Consequently, it was hard for the American public to attribute terrorism to Americans themselves that is why El-Farra (1996) states that terrorism appear in movies mostly points out unconsciously to Arab culture and people. El-Farra (cited in Bazzi, 1995) points to the 1995 report of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee which indicates that 250% increase in hate crimes against Arabs were from the previous year (pp. 1-2). According to (Cajee, 1995), The Oklahoma Hate and Harassment Report states that along the period taken to arrest the suspect Timothy McVeigh all people of middle eastern appearance have become suspects in bombing Alfred Murrah Federal Building. Therefore, Muslims and Arabs, in particular, were the most to suffer from the bombings effects. it was also found that manifistations of arabs and American arabs of suffers i ncluded widespread fear and intimidation, commonplace verbal harassment at school, in public and in the workplace, and a significant number of physical assaults and hate crimes (Cajee, 1995). Cajee (1995) found out that reports of most serious events of hate crimes include: Reports that associated Muslims to terror bombings of Oklahoma led some angry Americans to attack an Iraqi young refugees home in Oklahoma City on April 20th and cause loss of her baby. The windows of a mosque and community center in Stillwater, Oklahoma were caused by drive-by shootings on April 19th and 20th. Using knives to attack Arabs in an apartment parking lot or beating a student in a supermarket parking lot were only some examples of physical assaults reported by students. It was reported by Local Islamic centers and some Arab or Arab-Americans that they were frequently exposed to an onslaught of hate calls. Therefore, Arabs, Arab-Americans, and similar ethnicities were the core subject of unjust and violence in a very short period of time as a result of medias aggressive influence against them. Shaheen (2001) states that Though no American of Arab descent was involved, they were instantly targeted as suspects. He adds that Speculative reporting, combined with decades of harmful stereotyping, resulted in more than 300 hate crimes against them (Shaheen, 2001, p.7). Negative stereotypes may impact the perceptions of the public particularly when they are related to their attitudes toward certain races. Moreover, such stereotypes may also affect the way some races feel about their heritage, culture, religion, and self-esteem. Repeatedly over time, movie makers in Hollywood use some images of stock caricatures to focus on. For instance, American Arabs or Muslims are frequently shown as members of isolated communities until audience believe that Muslims are entirely different from other Americans (Shaheen, 2002). Therefore, movies which include true depiction of Arabs and Islamic culture seems to be nonsexist in Hollywood most of the time. In fact, there is a big need for founding new positive images of Arabs and Muslims in American movies and mass media. However, most Arabs and American Arabs believe that they are a subject of embarrassment whenever they have to replace audiences negative attitudes towards them by more objective ones. This sociological and psychological dilemma is strongly exist among Arabs and Muslims themselves who live in America. The most affected category in this regard in the children. In order to avoid embarrassments resulted from the wide influence of media and Hollywood movies upon Arabs, one can easily note how Arabs avoid introducing themselves as Arabs or Muslims. For example, it is noted that they deny their original identities saying literally, Im not Arab, Im Spanish, or Im Italian. Therefore, the widespread of negative attitudes toward Arabs results in killing Arabic heritage and leaving feelings of shame among Arabs (Shaheen, 2002). According to Monteith (cited in Paul, 1998), by five years of age, many children have definite stereotypes about blacks, women, and other social groups. He adds, Children do not have a choice about accepting or rejecting these conceptions, since theyre acquired well before they have their own cognitive abilities or experiences to form their own beliefsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ they must compete with all the forces that would promote and perpetuate these stereotypes: peer pressure, mass media (p. 58). In the same sense, at a time Arab youth learn negative stereotypes of Hollywood movies, arab children would find it hard to go long with this image as long as they have their own Arabic heritage. According to Shaheen (2001), the persistent images of Arabs in media and movies contributes, to great degree, in shaping their perceptions towards themselves and

Teaching Children :: Education, elementary education

In my opinion, I think children that age learn best with hands on activities. Being outside the classroom learning from natures elements and their own surroundings, instead of sitting inside all day and learning from books. While learning from text books is a must, teachers can always make it fun. By doing internet activities, with the growth of technology younger children are learning how to operate computers. Also, by doing board games meant for learning numbers and letters, puzzles in order for the children to learn shapes and sizes. There are so many things available today that teachers can use to teach younger children many different of learning and having fun with it. It is important for the children to understand and use what they learn in class on a daily bases. Not only in the classroom but at home also. This is where the parents come in at. The parent and teacher relationship should be on good terms when I child is this young. Keeping the parent updated on their kids behavior and academic status in the classroom should be a key point to the teacher. if the teacher and parents do not have this relationship then the child may not be able to learn to the best of their possibilities, like the other children in the class. On the other hand the teacher and pupil relationship should also be very important for the teacher. Understanding what a child needs in the classroom and how certain children learn and interact with each. There are many different kinds of children that learn different ways. Some need visual, audio, readers, or a combination of all of these. I feel a teacher needs to learn what kind of learner a student is, and learn how to met there needs to learn. If a teacher fails to do this then some of the children may be left in the dust to say, when learning a certain way. The most important thing a child could learn while in pre-kindergarten is their social skills. These skills are a major part that everyone needs to strive in this society. Social skills that are learned early in life have a big impact on them and can take them far in life. When this skill is learned in school the children are more at ease and considerate of others. This can be found in playing with each other children, sharing their toys,and being able to control their anger that other children might cause.

Full Swing into the Revolution: The Uprisings of 1968 :: Free Essays Online

Full Swing into the Revolution: The Uprisings of 1968 The year of 1968 proved an eventful one throughout the world; it witnessed the culmination of antagonism and dissatisfaction of oppressed people everywhere, and their subsequent retaliation against that oppression. A common element of rebellion in cities around the world was its incitement against authority: "the target of rebellion was power – power over people and power over nations, power exercised on the international plane by great imperial states, by governments within nations, or by people in positions of dominance over the powerless under them." (Daniels, 5) In Paris students rose to rebel against school authority, and were later joined by a working class exploited by new government regulation of trade union leadership. In Peking, youth retaliated against China’s bureaucratic government. In San Francisco a hippie counterculture expressed defiance in myriad ways, exhibiting their disagreement to the power authority expressed over them. In Chicago, youth protested the country’s role in the Vietnam War. And in Memphis and Washington D.C., the fight for equality was one waged by African Americans, tired and enraged by their inferior status in American society. The unifying factor in each rebellion, begun for their individual causes and grievances, was the plea for equality against some dominating power (structure). Robert V. Daniels, in Year of the Heroic Guerrilla, called the events of 1968 revolutionary. His definition: "Revolution’s essence is a turnabout, whether temporary or permanent, in the basic values that hold a society or a significant segment of society together and legitimize its character." (9) Evaluating this definition, one must analyze to what extent each of the aforementioned rebellions resulted in some type of turnabout in the societies within which they existed. Rebellion of a largely student and working class population in Paris caused great changes in the values and sentiments of French society, evidenced by the wave of horror and shock the public experienced upon news of the riots. Daniels alleges that changes through these societies were temporary, and characterized by the "quick collapse of all these movements of defiance, seemingly so deeply rooted in the character of modern or modernizing society. This year of revolutionary spectaculars actually represented not the upsurge of discontent but rather the peak and downturn of the process." (241) Furthermore, Daniels specifically speaks of the events in Paris, where: "the violent acts of the radical minority only prompted reaction and repression by the conservative majority.

Thoreau’s Belief in Government

Thoreau's â€Å"Resistance to Civil Government is the conformation of his desire for a free thinking nation that knows right from wrong and is willing to fight for what they believe in. But while these ideals are true and good in moderation, they can be made wrong if followed to the extreme. I believe that while Thoreau was a great writer with great ideas, a lot of what he believed was a little too over the top. Americans, by inalienable right, have the freedom to speak their opinions without fear of persecution. It is this amendment that has led the country through some of its greatest movements and has supported its best causes.Henry Thoreau was very fond of the freedom of speech, and made this quite clear by his many essays regarding the government. However, as he says in â€Å"Resistance†, the power of speech is not enough. One must â€Å"do† something in order to get what they want. In Thoreau's case, this consisted of living alone in the woods, not paying taxes a nd rotting in jail for a night. While it is often said that actions speak louder than words, I believe that a well written speech can do a lot more good than a halfcocked action.For, Thoreau's achievement did not come from spending a night in jail, but from using the experience symbolically in a published work. Had he not written about it, no one would have known, and the statement would not have been made. Thoreau seems to have thought himself above his fellow Americans in intelligence, despite his claims to the contrary. His seclusion from his neighbors so that he could meditate on his own, his constant use of words like â€Å"ignorant† to describe his countrymen, and his refusal to pay his taxes for â€Å"a society that he has not joined† all show of his arrogant nature.Thoreau tried to save face by visiting his neighbors once in a while in order to appear sociable, and he claimed that he was okay with paying taxes for the institutions that he took part in. But if I had been Thoreau's neighbor, I would have been offended by his visits, knowing that he comes only to patronize and bombard me with his superior knowledge. I also feel that such a man of the people, as Thoreau claimed to be, should be more than willing to support a tax for an institution he freely chose not to be a part of if only to support his fellow man who does not feel the same way.Resistance† is full of Thoreau's ideals and beliefs, and while they may seem solid on the surface, they are backed by the arrogant views of a man that believes his opinion is best. Just because Thoreau's ideas work for him, do not mean that they would work for all of America. And even though he spins his words in such a pretty and convincing way, I personally can find better ways to make a difference than sitting, uselessly, behind bars.

Humans Adapted

What are some specific ways that we humans have adapted to the physical environment in which we live in? Such as plate tectonics, weathering and erosion, and the form of precipitation. How do/can we adapt to nature and its disaster? Plate tectonics causes earthquakes, which are one of the things that we have to adapt to. Earthquakes are powerful and each time it strikes it separated the land. So over time we as humans have created strategies. To keep us safe and how to remain calm as the earthquakes are coming our way. One thing we do is that we now have a machine called the seismography, that lets us know how strong the earthquake is, when it’s coming and where it’s going to hit. We have also learned how to make our homes stronger and durable, so that it will not be easy for the earthquake to take it down; California is one of those examples. Rain, sleet, hail, and snow are all examples of precipitation. Rain creates floods, it can be very dangerous depending on how much rain we falls down. We have learned how to adapt to the floods. Such as creating drain pipes so the water can go in the sewer so that the flood want create big damages but the drain pipes don’t always work. Sleet is like watery snow and if enough hit the ground and its cold outside then it can turn hard and make the grounds slippery. So we have learned that salt can unfreeze the roads and make it safe to drive on. Hail is small, sometimes big, balls of hard ice falling out of the sky. It can be dangerous and maybe even deadly if the hail is big and it hits you in the right place. We have learn just to not go out when the hail is hard, and to make sure that you are in a builder or house that can protect you if you are out and not protected. As life goes on we will always find more ways to keep our family and ourselves safe from nature’s disasters. Creating more machines and even more knowledge for years to come.