Essay on Charlie Chaplin

CHARLIE CHAPLIN ESSAY INTRODUCTION When I decided to do my research on Charlie Chaplin, I thought that it would have been quite straightforward; my plan was to introduce his life and his career, finishing off with his accomplishments. However, as my research progressed, I came to realise that Charlie Chaplin is a man who cannot be put into a few words. My research opens up (brought me into) a whole new dimension of his intriguing life thus drawing me into his world. Hence, I became more and more interested in discovering the man behind the name. Therefore, I shall try my best to glorify this human being and talented actor who was adored throughout the ages. My presentation starts with a short / brief biography of Charlie Chaplin. Then, I will continue by describing his acting career which will later build up to the main characters that he interpreted. Finally, I will present to you the wonders of his great film: â€Å"The Great Dictator†. WHO WAS HE? Charles Spencer Chaplin was born on the 16th of April 1889 in East Street, Walworth, England. His parents, both known music hall entertainers in England, divorced when he was young (around 1891). He stayed little in contact with his father. His father did not give much child support payments to his family. It was therefore up to his mother to financially support his older half-brother Sydney, Charlie Chapin and herself. Thus, he stayed quite attached to his mother. Without a father figure, he saw in his mother her determination and strength to carry on and not giving up on them by bringing them. On the other hand, his older half-brother Sydney proved to be a brother of a kind. He would be to thank later in life because he partly contributed to the early successes of Charlie Chaplin. There was a point when his mother’s willpower crumbled, she was sent into an asylum. Sydney and Charlie were both sent to Lambeth Union Workhouse (a place where abandoned children and orphans were sent) in 1896. Charlie Chaplin was then just aged seven. His mother came out of the asylum only to be admitted again a few years later. During this time, he went to live with his father and his step-mother but he preferred to live by himself, hiding during the day to avoid going to school and performing in musicals at night. At the age of ten, barely knowing how to read or write, he joined a group of clog dancers; this is one of the first signs showing that he was destined to continue in the artistic field. Indeed, within a few years Charlie would become one of the most popular child actors in England. As a performer on stage, at each time it would take a few months for Chaplin to conquer hundreds of spectators. However, it was when he went back to Vaudeville acting (energetic multi-act theatre) that he discovered his talent for comic pantomime. For a few years, he would continue performing in Vaudeville. Then at the age of twenty, Charlie Chaplin went to the United States and performed with Frederich Karno, whom Sydney was working with and introduced Chaplin to Karno. He would soon be warmly welcomed by the American audience. There he started his career as the most famous comedian that ever lived. CHARLIE CHAPLIN’S ACTING CAREER At the age of ten he started performing in musicals. At the age of 24, he became worldwide famous. In 1917, he began to become, thanks to his new found way of expression, the most famous comedian that the world has ever known. His films became more and more witty, vifs et apparemment desinvolte et de plus en plus travailles. Charlie Chaplin wanted to explore and extend his talent of comic. He always wanted to do more, not only to please the public but also to convey the good heartedness of mankind – which was manifested in films like â€Å"City of Lights†, where love is the main subject of the film. He felt the need to talk about the dehumanisation of work in the film â€Å"Modern Times† and even more of the huge menace of fascism incarnated by the monster which has many curious resemblances to Chaplin. But he had this irresistible need to be funny and to please the public and to be loved by the public by using the simplest of emotions whichwas by talking from the heart. Charlie Chaplin is probably the most accomplished show business man during his time. He was multi-talented – he was a good actor and also a successful director, script-writer and producer. Active and observant as he was, he portrayed his perception on things in his films. He remained true to his views on real life situations but never forgetting to add humour as he knew that life is never all black or all white. Throughout his career, though he interpreted several characters, Charlie Chaplin never abandoned the famous character that brought him to fame: the character of â€Å"Tramp†. The â€Å"Tramp† character made him rich and it was inspired by his poverty-stricken childhood- a man-child always hoping for the better. Ironically, he became a rich man by imitating the poorest of men. Rich as he was, he could have rejected his childhood, however, he remembered where grew up as a child: East Street, Walworth, England. Even his famous â€Å"bow-legged dance-walk†, he claims was inspired when he was in the pub ‘The Queens Head’ owned by his uncle and Charlie Chaplin saw Rummy Binks, an old waiter, do a â€Å"duck walk†. He would constantly film situations as he would observe in real life people can relate with, for example in â€Å"The Modern Times† he filmed in a factory and displayed his view of the Marxist concept of the dehumanisation effect of work.. Sound did not exist at the time of Chaplin but the actions say it all- because all is in the subtlety, all is mild, ingeniously suggested and not exaggerated. * In 1898, at the age of 9 years old, Charlie Chaplin had his first taste of show business appearing in a clog dancing musical produced by a stage company called â€Å"Eight Lancashire Lads†. In 1910, Chaplin arrived in the United States and was chosen by Mack Sennett to be in a Keystone Films silent comedy series. During this time, Chaplin created the role of the â€Å"Tramp. † It was when he left Mack Sennett to work at Essanay Studios in 1914 that he really developed the character of â€Å"The Tramp†. By the time he signed a contract with National Films in 1918, he was an experienced and well-appreciated actor who knew his value as an actor. Therefore he was not shy to ask $1,000,000 for a film. Although, he had many projects in his mind however, he needed money to invest in his ideas and bring them to the screen. Hence, at 28 years old, Charles Spencer Chaplin becomes a millionaire and his contract with the First National gave him the control and rights to his films. The United Artists was formed in 1918 with actors Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and director D. W Griffith. Their films would become their properties. Controversy would occur when the First World War starts and he does not join to fight for his country. Instead he makes a film â€Å"The Bond† in 1918 to show his support for the soldiers at war. In â€Å"Shoulder Arms† (1918), it is a film about the First World War and it is one of the most popular films of the First World War. He manages to demonstrate the horror and the ridiculousness of the war. In 1921, he notices Jack Coogan in a vaudeville act. He stars with Jackie in â€Å"The Kid†, †¦ Chaplin and Jackie Coogan in â€Å"The Kid† (1921) â€Å"The Modern Times† (1936) introduces a concept Marxist- man is reduced to something underneath him, he is just an animal fed by the machine. There is no doubt that Charlie Chaplin is a left-wing man. â€Å"Modern Times† (1936) and the Eating Machine Scene depicts the dehumanising effect of mechanization. â€Å"The Great Dictator† released in 1940 marked a new turn in terms of Chaplin’s working methods- it was to be his first talking film, and for the first time he was to begin a picture with a complete script. This satiric film on fascism came out whilst the world was devastated by two major wars: the First World War and the beginning second world war. For this reason, Chaplin's political perspective on right-wing dictatorship was not entirely accepted by the public and it led the United States government to believe that he was a communist and when asked if he was a Jew he answered admirably that â€Å"I do not have the chance to be one†. He does not deny that he is not Jewish, he thought that it would be an implicit suggestion that he was a supporter of anti-Semitism. MAIN CHARACTERS Throughout his acting career, Charlie Chaplin has interpreted quite a few characters, of which I will talk about two of them in particular. The first character is Charlie Chaplin’s principal personage which he calls â€Å"The Tramp clown† – a beggar. He displays this image in the way that he is attired: his black hair, a tight coat, oversized pants, pointed shoes, a bowler hat, bamboo cane, dark eyebrows and his signature square moustache. As I said before, Charlie Chaplin relates very well with real life situations. The gradual building up of this character can be linked to different historical situations; one of them could be the Great Depression. Historically, the Great Depression in the 1920s left the rich and fortunate in a terrible state, they were left with little dignity, like a tramp, a â€Å"vagrant with refined manners of a gentleman†. Charlie Chaplin’s original way of expressing and attempt to find the funny side in situations that are not usually made fun of; make him a true comedic icon. He does not need words to express himself as the audience can fill the words in by themselves. A quote by Charlie Chaplin personifies his character: â€Å"I remain just one thing, and one thing only — and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician. † The second popular character is Adenoid Hynkel. He is the dictator of Tomania in the film â€Å"The Great Dictator†. He is one of the few to have openly criticised Adolf Hitler through the interpretation of Adenoid Hynkel. During that period of the two world wars millions of people followed Adolf Hitler and there were also people who were scared of Adolf Hitler, it made those who were scared how stupid it was to be scared of this â€Å"monster ridiculous, venomous, pathetic who wants total control of the world. When the film came out, people immediately saw the resemblance between Adenoid Hynkel (Charlie Chaplin) and Adolf Hitler. Chaplin single-handedly reduced the monster into a ridiculous, venomous, pathetic clown. Here, Charlie Chaplin was adventurous and tried to find humour in a delicate situation: the two World Wars. For his accent he related to his past in vaudeville acting. The â€Å"Great Dictator† freed people spiritually. Charlie sent a video of â€Å"The Great Dictator† to the dictator himself. This shows us that he is always up for new challenges in the films that he creates. UNDOUBTEDLY, ONE OF CHARLIE CHAPLIN’S MOST FAMOUS FILMS: THE GREAT DICTATOR I have chosen to talk about one of Charlie Chaplin’s famous films â€Å"The Great Dictator† because of the story that lies behind it. â€Å"The Great Dictator† was a controversial film directed by and starred Charlie Chaplin. It was the first true talking picture, released on the 15th of October 1940. It is unique for its fearless criticism of Hitler and Nazism and for its portrayal of the plight of Jews in Europe. The people’s appreciation and the media’s appreciation for the film shows in its nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Actor. When interviewed about this film, Charlie Chaplin said: â€Å"Half-way through making â€Å"The Great Dictator† I began receiving alarming messages from the United Artists (†¦ ) but I was determined to go ahead for Hitler must be laughed at. † In â€Å"The Great Dictator† the physical resemblance between Charlie Chaplin and Hitler, especially with their square moustaches is astounding. Another interesting fact was that both were born just 4 days apart and grew up in relative poverty. Charlie Chaplin in â€Å"The Great Dictator†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Adolf Hitler in a Nazi Parade †¦ CONCLUSION THE IMPACT HE MADE TO THE WORLD AND HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE SOCIETY AND THE ART Charlie Chaplin was a man who dimpled millions of cheeks in the early 1900's. Despite the fact that they were silent films in black and white, he put a lot of color into everyone's life. He managed to work his magic and free minds as well as speak the minds of ordinary people, whether it is about the horrors of life as a soldier in the two world wars or the dehumanization of work or about the wonderful sensations of love in â€Å"City of Lights†. He was not afraid to clearly show what he believed in. His excellent sense of narration and subordinating the story makes him a great master of pictures. Charlie Chaplin marks me as a man who despite of great disadvantages faced when he was young, managed to transform the â€Å"nightmarish† situations that he experienced in silent comedy. He was a comedic icon of a kind. I feel that Charlie Chaplin is one of the most interesting people I have researched about. Coming from rags, he finally became a person whom everyone knows and loves. Such an impact he has made across the world that the Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom knighted him as Sir Charlie Chaplin in 1975. He died at the age of eighty-eight years old on the 25th of December 1977. BIBLIOGRAPHY Websites ?http://www. clown-ministry. com/History/Charlie-Chaplin. html ?http://www. csse. monash. edu. au/~pringle/silent/chaplin/aaronhale. html ?http://www. east-buc. k12. ia. us/00_01/100/ms/ms. htm Photos ?http://www. images. google. co. uk ?http://www. csse. monash. edu. au/~pringle/silent/chaplin/aaronhale. html ?http://www. east-buc. k12. ia. us/00_01/100/ms/ms. htm ?http://www. vauxhallsociety. org. uk/Chaplin. html ?http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin

Heritage Of India

India is blessed with a vast and rich heritage. One has only to see the various architectural marvels and cultural institutions that dot the geographical expanse of India to glimpse the richness of our heritage.The science and technology of ancient India was quite advanced. Many historians believe that most of the scientific advances believed to have been made in Europe had been achieved centuries ago in India. Such advances covered major fields of human knowledge and activities like mathematics, astronomy, physics, medicine, metallurgy, surgery, fine arts, civil engineering and architecture, shipbuilding, navigation, etc.Indian mathematicians have made important contributions to the study of the decimal number system, zero, negative numbers, arithmetic and algebra. The study of linguistics was initiated by Indian grammarians who began the trend by first attempting to catalogue and codify the rules of Sanskrit. Even today, the main terms for compound analysis are taken from Sanskrit. India is the birthplace of Ayurveda and Yoga; these systems are now finding many followers in the West. India’s rich spiritual tradition has attracted many troubled Westerners, fleeing the materialistic and spiritually empty worlds they inhabit, to her shores, seeking solace and salvation. India’s urban civilization traces its roots to Mahenjodaro and Harappa, now in Pakistan.Their planned urban townships were very advanced for their time. Metallurgy is central to most civilizations. The science of smelting was highly refined and precise in ancient India. As early as the 5th century BC, Herodotus, the eminent Greek historian, noted that iron was used in the arrows used by Indian and Persian soldiers.The idea of the atom is derived from the classification of the material world into five basic elements by Indian philosophers. This classification has been in existence since the Vedic age (c.1500 BC). Indian monuments testify to the different influences in her history â₠¬â€œ Buddhist, Indo-Saracenic, Victorian, Mughal, etc.Classical Indian music and dance have a wide fan following all over the world. Each state has its own art forms which are well documented. Imposing and architecturally splendid temples, mosques and churches embody the diverse religious and cultural influences that have made India unique. Cuisine too is an important part of our heritage.As Indians, we ought to be proud of our rich heritage and strive to preserve it for our descendants by respecting it and ensuring its survival.

Overpopulation

â€Å"Human population is growing like never before. We are now adding one billion people to the planet every 12 years. That's about 220,000 per day. † Overpopulation is one of the worst problems the world is facing today because we’re running out of resources; it’s increasing poverty and increasing pollution. At this rate of population growth, Overpopulation is excessive population of an area to the point of overcrowding, depletion of natural resources, or environmental deterioration.A huge problem that comes with overpopulation is depleting resources. As the population is now, â€Å"one out of every seven people alive, go to bed hungry. † and â€Å"About one billion people lack access to sufficient water for consumption, agriculture and sanitation. † As our population grows those statistics are going to get worst and worst and so will our quality of living. The air quality is also decreasing. â€Å"Childhood asthma rates have risen dramatically i n the past 20 years†. The more people there are the pollution and waste.Many other vital resources are decreasing such as: oil, gas, and other fuel. There are many different causes of overpopulation but one of the main ones is a decline in death rate and an incline in birth rate. If the number of children born each year equals the number of adults that die, then the population will stabilize but since our medicine has become so advanced and because of other factors people are living longer and more children are being born. It is all way out of proportion. Another cause is religious beliefs.Some religions believe that procreation is essential and therefore families have as many children as they feel they could care for. One more cause is the lack of knowledge. Facts about reproduction, protection and birth control are lacking (especially among young adults). Right now overpopulation doesn’t seem like a big problem but if it stays on the path that it is on it will be a hu ge problem that our great grandchildren will be forced to face head on. Resources could become scarce which could also lead to conflict between countries and possibly war.The amount of pollution could increase so much it could cause serious environmental destruction. Also the cost of living will go up which will cause unemployment, which will lead to more poverty! Natural habitats will disappear along with the millions of species living within them just to provide more living space for humans. The whole world could become one hugely populated, poverty-stricken, resource less, polluted city if nothing is done. There are ways people can help stabilize the world’s population.One is to better educate people about this global problem and also about reproduction. â€Å"Imparting sex education to young kids at elementary level should be must. † Also, tax benefits should be given to married couples that have single or two children. Raising awareness about the effects of overpo pulation could help lead to ZPG (zero population growth). ZPG is the main goal and if we all come together more aware we can little by little help save the world. Overpopulation is a global problem; lets start treating it like one.

Care plan of the Lungs and Thorax Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Care plan of the Lungs and Thorax - Essay Example All the terminology used should be appropriate. Correct spellings are also necessary and conclusions must not be vague. Moreover, consistency in charting the medical record is necessary. The workups should follow the accepted documentation standards. All the test results and treatment programs entail logical presentation. In addition, objectivity throughout the gathering and interpretation of facts is very important (Marcinko & Hetico, 2011). Typed notes are mostly preferred but not mandatory. The medical record should read as if the documentation was meant for a third party. Therefore, everybody should be able to read the handwriting. If there is a mistake in the records, one should struck through the error once and then initial his/ her name. The errors are not supposed to be erased, scratched out or blacked out. One should not write on the margins as well. The chart should appear orderly, clean and professional (Marcinko & Hetico, 2011). Both the art and the science of nursing is essential in conducting health assessments and physical examinations. Critical thinking and clinical reasoning are essential in physical assessment of a patient (Estes, 2013). When conducting a physical exam, noting the vital signs is important in giving clues to the individual’s overall health. The lung and thorax examination should include an assessment of any allergy symptoms experienced by the patient. Chest examinations include assessment of breathing sounds. The respiratory rate and the rhythm are also examined. The skin may be examined to find out if an allergic component is at work using evidenced by presence of a rush. Moreover, it is very important to measure the volume of air going in and out of the lungs, the speed of movement of the air and the volume of the air that is moving to identify or rule out other respiratory disease (Clark, 2011). Pre and post bronchodilator tests entail proper application to rule out more respiratory maladies. The patient completes a basic

Operating (income) statement, statement of cash flow and balance sheet Personal

Operating (income) , of cash flow and balance sheet - Personal Statement Example A ratio of more than 1 indicates that the firm is not efficient in generating revenues. The working capital position of the hospital is not good. The current ratio is 0.21 in 2004 and 0.32 in 2003. The ideal current ratio is 2:1. The current ratio of the hospital signifies that it will not be able to pay off its obligations at this point of time. The company’s financial health is not at all good and is heading towards bankruptcy. If the hospital is unable to meet its current obligations then the operations will come to a standstill or halt (Troy, 2008, p xviii). The biggest concern is the hospital’s ability to continue as a going concern. There are no adjustments made to the financial statements which could reflect the possible recovery or revival of the hospital. The working capital deficiency and recurring operating losses has created doubts on the existence of the entity. In its present form the hospital requires additional financing to meet its working capital requirements but it will take them into more of a debt trap if they take loans for that additional financing. Sustainable profits are dependent on the increase in the utilization of Hospital’s services for which the hospital has to increase awareness among consumers and this will again call for incurring cost on advertisements and promotion of their services. The working capital position of the hospital is such due to the uncollectible accounts and the unwanted loan burden. The recurring losses can be reduced by taking some strict cost cutting measures. I would recommend you to reduce contractual allowances, take some measures to curb uncollectible accounts and free care, and reduce unwanted expenses which would enhance the profitability of the hospital. If uncollectible accounts are collected and the loans are curbed then the working capital position will improve and therefore will lead to revival of the

Solar Collector mirror Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Solar Collector mirror - Research Paper Example Conduction with copper heats the water passing through the pipe. Mirror is bent by heating it. Attempting to bend mirror at too low heating would cause it to break whereas too much heating makes mirror melt and disfigure rather than being bent. Before, heating, the mirror is polished and cleaned good enough to make any dust particle invisible to the naked eye. After the mirror is cleaned, it is painted with a mix of detergent, clay, and calcium carbonate to prevent it sticking with the steel bracket when it gets hot. Exciting the silica molecules can take up to three hours before the mirror starts to bend when placed over the bracket and heated (Dinh, 2011). After the mirror has been bent, it is allowed time to cool down in a process called annealing that usually takes up to two hours to complete. If the mirror is allowed to cool down too quickly, the internal stresses built up during heating may cause it to

Canadas Amnesty International Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Canadas Amnesty International - Essay Example The international group’s basis is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as other human rights policies, statutes, and benchmarks. Canada’s AI harnesses the available global resources and ensures nations will increase implementation of the human rights of the nations’ inhabitants. The Canadian AI group espouses equality. Equality includes offering equal opportunities to persons of different classes to achieve their goals and dreams in life. Equality includes offering equal chances to individuals from different races to prosper in life. The council supervises the International executive committee. There are more than 80 AI offices strategically located in many countries around the world (Clark, 2010). Furthermore, the AI’s Canada Branch has its local executive committee. The committee oversees the Montreal branch and the Ottawa branch. The branch has more than 79,999 members. The group advocates for better treatment of prisoners. AI –Canada was able to gather more than $11,250,000 funds during 2011 alone. An estimated 44 percent of the money was funneled to the conducting of researches, missions, and reports, worldwide campaigns, trial observers, and helping other global agencies such as the United Nations achieve their own set of predefined goals and objectives. The key ingredients to AI’s Canadian branches are open membership, measurable goals, program evaluations, evolution, and efficiency-related itineraries (Clark, 2010). Race. In the workforce, one article states that the nonwhite workers greatly suffered from work discrimination policies (Baines, 2008). The work responsibilities were normally classified as white jobs and non-white jobs. AI should increase its current efforts to reduce human rights abuses. For example, the AI must focus on reversing the race issue covering up the issue of job title or job responsibilities (Clark, 2010).

The current state of HRM In Saudi Arabia.The impacts of motivation on Research Proposal

The current state of HRM In Saudi Arabia.The impacts of motivation on workers and staff, which encourage employees to work In Saudi private sector - Research Proposal Example The current state of HRM in Saudi Arabia is characterized by a number of features. HRM covers all organizational levels and functions, and has already become a definitive ingredient of the process of management within organizations (Randhawa 2009). HRM is inherently people-oriented, which means that human resource managers are concerned with employees as members of a separate organizational group and as individuals (Randhawa 2009). Finally, HRM is equally pervasive, challenging, and essential for the future of organizations (Randhawa 2009). The complexity of HRM issues is difficult to underestimate, and the current research holds a promise to clarify these issues and support the development of efficient HRM strategies and solutions. The current research into HRM is associated with numerous limitations. More often than not, scholarly research defines HRM too narrowly, leaving numerous issues beyond the boundaries of learning (Lewin, Mitchell & Sherer 2008). This is one of the reasons why the given study will explore â€Å"The impacts of motivation on workers and staff, which encourage employees to work in Saudi private sector†. The proposed research will aim at clarifying the factors that motivate workers in Saudi Arabia to work in the private sector. The proposed research will aim at clarifying the factors that motivate workers in Saudi Arabia to work in the private sector. The researcher expects that the proposed study will help private sector enterprises in Saudi Arabia to develop effective HR strategies and attract prospective workforce, which will help organizations to improve their performance and strengthen their competitive position. 2.2. Will your research be industry-based? - Industry-based approach: the proposed research will utilize the benefits of industry-based approach. The petrochemical industry in Saudi Arabia will serve the principal object of analysis. The choice of the petrochemical industry is proved by the fact that (1) it is one of the most important industrial sectors in Saudi Arabia and (2) it combines the features of public and private ownership. For example, 70% of SABIC is being currently owned by the government, with the remaining 30% distributed among private owners (SABIC 2011). As a result, the petrochemical industry exemplifies one of the most attractive objects of organizational analysis in the context of motivation and its implications for the Saudi workforce. - The organization to consider: SABIC will serve the central object of the analysis for the proposed research. The choice of SABIC is not accidental. First, SABIC is the largest non-oil company in the Middle Eastern region and is included in the list of the top five manufacturers of petrochemical products in the world (SABIC, 2011). The size of the company and its profitability provide a wealth of opportunities for researching its workforce and motivation issues in the workplace. Second, SABIC considers itself as a company, which invests heav ily in the development of sophisticated training and development strategies for its employees. According to SABIC (2011), the company is dedicated to its people, enjoys detecting and developing talents, whereas its HR department has recently undergone a serious change. Thus, the company seems to possess vast training and development potential. Ultimately, little is known of what attracts individuals in Saudi Arabia to work in private sector companies. Moreover, the body of research concerning motivation in Saudi companies and private sector organizations is increasingly scarce (Al-Eisa, Furayyan, & Alhmeoud 2009). The researcher expects that the proposed study will add to the existing

Legal Environment for Global Organizations Essay

Legal Environment for Global Organizations - Essay Example Global organizations like WTO, IMF, World Bank, UN, and WHO which must not be treated as 'insignificant actors' in the global arena due mainly to the functions they are embodied with. An understanding of the link between global organizations and global governance would push one to see this importance. As the world turns into a globalized competitive market in which nations interact according to the principles of economic liberalism, a requirement for more order is ensued. The importance of understanding the legal environment for global organizations is seen in their roles as instrument, arena, and actor in the global interaction (Archer, 2001). An example of this is the WTO, which was established by sovereign states whose power limits independent action by international organizations. Global organizations are actually used as instruments in order for states to use their ends, particularly on the areas of trade liberalism which profits first world states primarily. They serve as means for the policies of individual governments as well as instruments for diplomacy among states. The United Nations is seen to function as an instrument of US diplomacy which undertakes policies according in the global sphere. It is the rule of unanimity which is apparently carried out by global organizations, in which certain states are able to influence other states over certain decisions. As arenas within which actions take place, global organizations provide meeting places in which member states can discuss certain matters diplomatically. The term itself - arena - signifies neutrality even for nations in disagreement. Hence, international organizations serve not only as mere forums for these activities, but also as a diplomatic reinforcement for their policies (Hoffman, 1970 in Archer, 2001: 74). Even the third world states are given their own venues for discussing international economic events, through the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as well as the Group of 77 (G77) participated in by states in Southern continents of non-aligned countries (Archer, 2001). Legal environment is a necessity for global organizations since it gives them the venue and the power to govern the world politically and economically, surged by the very nations that represent them. The World Bank for example, is represented by first world nations particularly by the United States, whose legal policies govern the financial activities of poorer nations that have incurred financial debts with them. DISCUSS other legal influences which can affect business in a specified country. CONSIDER other cultural, religious, and political influences - how might these influence the business environment Legal influences which can affect business in a specified country include the policies on trade liberalization and non-tariffication which can affect the level of balance of trade and the domestic sales of goods. With a liberal importation allowed by the policies of WTO, which almost defeat the level of exports in a certain country, a probability of trade deficit is imminently seen, which may cause fiscal crisis for that particular country (Pereira, et al., 1993: 6). Non-tariffication of goods for importation, which is also embodied in the WTO, causes bankruptcy of the sale of domestic products, which have higher prices than the imported ones. In countries in which colonial mentality

Legalizing Prostitution Essay Example for Free

Legalizing Prostitution Essay â€Å"Prostitution may be the worlds oldest profession, and laws prohibiting prostitution may well be the oldest example of government regulation, government sex discrimination and overall government control. Recent research indicates that over one million women in the United States earn their living by full-time prostitution† (The Case for). Over half of the world’s population has experienced, participated or heard of prostitution. This shows that many people, buyers and sellers, are in some way a part of the prostitution profession, so for the United States government to ban prostitution for only a moral reason, and wasting hard working Americans tax dollars on fighting prostitution seems ridiculous and an overall waste of time. Since we live in a free society it makes no sense for the government to be telling people that they cannot charge a fee for harmless services. Such proof is why Prostitution should be legal. For more reasons than one, prostitution is popular in areas where the crime rates are very high, due to these police officers and courtrooms are overwhelmed with prostitution cases; which is very costly. Every other day there is a case about prostitution being brought in front of a judge and what does it do the business? , absolutely nothing. Just think about it, if prostitution were legal, police officers would have less work with trying to â€Å"eliminate† prostitution and more time protecting the community from the REAL crimes such as, murder, rape, and robbery. â€Å"It is estimated that if prostitution were legalized in the United States, the rape rate would decrease by roughly 25% for a decrease of approximately 25,000 rapes per year† (Prostitution and Sex Crimes). Other countries have already figured this out; it boggles the mind to why the U. S. just can’t get with the program. If prostitution were to become legal, it must be looked over and done in safe fashion, not just for the prostitute or employee but for the customer. Due to prostitution being illegal, it has been forced into the streets. Since most of these streets have high crime rates, this puts most of the prostitutes in danger. Prostitution thrives at night, it involves them getting into cars with strangers which is easy pickings for serial killers and other sociopaths who will cause them harm. America can look at European cities for a little bit of inspiration. In many European cities prostitution is allowed designated areas like brothels and areas called red-light districts. People who are interested in getting their â€Å"needs met† can go to one of these places where such acts are permitted. Therefore, the prostitutes can work in safer environments. Many Americans feel that allowing prostitution into society will increase the STD rates in the U. S. But in reality, it may help delete these huge statistics drastically. If prostitution was to be legalized and made a taxable business, there can be health and safety precautions made. Like mandatory STD checks and blood tests run on every single client and employee. This eliminates the fear of catching a disease slim to none. But if prostitution is still going to be illegal, then honestly the rates will continue to rise. Records show that the cities with the highest STD rates are Washington, D. C. , and New York City. â€Å"Prostitution is an institution of male domination and exploitation of women. †(Raymond) Men coming in willing to buy â€Å"favors† from these women means actually puts them on a pedestal. It shows that women still have the say so in society, in life, and in a â€Å"man’s world†. But people seem to forget the males roll in all this. â€Å"Research, programs, and legislation related to sex trafficking are often premised on the invisibility of the male buyer and the failure to address men’s role in buying and abusing women in prostitution. †(Raymond) None of this can be done without a man. But still, it seems that everyone wants to place the blame on the prostitutes who are simply just doing their job. So it’s safe to say that there is some kind of a double standard that is related to this matter. Human beings as a species always want to destroy something that they can’t really understand. The people who are trying to get rid of and/or ban prostitution do not know the person’s situation. This could be all they have left in order to supply for their family. But if the prostitute is willing to face these acts, then let them. It’s their life. A sensitive issue to some, but it’s an issue nonetheless. Prostitution is something that isn’t just going to go away. Why political leaders are trying to ban/abolish it is mind boggling. Since pretty much the beginning of time prostitution has been broadcasted to the world; it was never a secret. But the media describes it as something that is just plain wrong. But the real question is why? Many opinions are based on personal preferences and moral reasons, which shouldn’t be a deciding factor on such a broad and debatable topic. The media shows how media how prostitution is wrong, but little do they know it’s showing why it should be legalized. Prostitution is defined as the engaging in, or agreeing to engage in, sexual conduct for a fee. Women are pushed into entering prostitution for many reasons including lack of education, poverty, and personal choice. Prostitution is currently illegal, but there is much controversy surrounding this issue. â€Å"There are approximately 1. 3 million prostitutes in the United States today. However, there is only an arrest figure of about 100,000 prostitutes in 1995, and the number of arrests has been fairly consistent since then. The General consensus has shown that law enforcement has been generally ineffective in the removal of prostitution from our society. †(Prostitution Policy) There are many people involved in prostitution, seventy percent of which are female, twenty percent male, and ten percent customers. Quite a large amount of citizens are actively fighting against prostitution. On the opposed side, many are fighting to legalize it. â€Å"Legalized prostitution cannot exist alongside the true equality of women. The idea that one group of women should be available for men’s sexual access is founded on structural inequality by gender, class and race† (Argument). This is an example of something that has changed drastically. Nowadays women seek prostitution as an option to provide . Although some are forced into this lifestyle, one has to think of the â€Å"what if’s†. For example, a mother has a child that is starving and finding a legitimate job just isn’t an option for her right now; what is she to do to provide for her child. Well, it seems that the only realistic thing for her to do is to let the child starve. A bit harsh an unreasonable, but so is banning something that just isn’t going away. Different methods have been expressed to find a way to get rid of this â€Å"crime†. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Since Prostitution is single handedly the biggest slap in the face to America, how about we send every single person who knows and/or participated in prostitution to jail for life. Seems legit and fair; these people have done the unthinkable and they should be punished. Now that over a million people is in jail for sex that leaves the police to fight the real criminals. For example, murders, killer’s, thieves, and can’t forget about child molesters. We will leave these people in the streets because they just don’t compare to disgusting and vile life of a prostitute. â€Å"With the new law legalizing prostitution, it would make it easier for the government to regulate. In past centuries, it is not hard to find news about selling women to be prostitutes on the black market or minors stepping into this business before being mature enough to figure their lives out†( The Present Is). Sadly, no one could really stop the problem since all of these actions were taken underground. Setting up new laws regarding the prostitution issue, brothels would have to be licensed which would make it easier for the government to monitor and prevent forced prostitution. It may seem like a wild idea; but think about the jobs that prostitution could bring to the economy, its already booming in the underground world. An extreme alternative but a job nevertheless. That struggling mother could provide for her child or her family or he/she could do it for their own â€Å"personal† reasons, either way it’s their body. Who is America to tell them what they could do with it. It could open up more nursing positions due to the fact that a strict and mandatory STD screening will be given to each customer. It could also open up other secretarial positions because someone is going to have to keep track of who’s doing what with who. Making this a business isn’t â€Å"all† about sex; it can actually provide jobs for people who need it. For the media, prostitution never shows any pros about the matter, but always finds a way to express the cons. In figure number one, you can see a little girl with an aged face lying in a bed next to a grown man. Many would say that this is the exact reason why prostitution should stay the way it is; illegal. But think about it, if allowing prostitution to be legalized then the disgusting sex trafficking â€Å"business† would soon vanish. In figure number two, it shows an American Flag with the words, â€Å"Sex Worker Rights Are Human Rights. † This is obviously an ad that agrees with legalizing prostitution. The American Flag is displayed to show what America stands for; which is for equality for all. If a person decides to sell his/her body for money, then let them. For example, guns are allowed in America, despite what the government is trying to do right now, guns are allowed. Taking that away from users is taking away their human rights and their constitutional rights as well. Same thing with prostitution, a person may feel as if what they are doing is their personal preference which falls into human rights. In other words; let these people live. In conclusion, prostitution is an underground business that isn’t going to go away. It’s something that isn’t going to go away. The government, once again, is trying to control the way we choose to live our lives. Everyone has rights of their own and its up to them to figure out what is right and what is wrong. Prostitution goes back to the ancient times and has still been a thriving business to this day. Nothing is going to change that; nothing.

Demand and House Prices in UK

Demand and House Prices in UK Introduction: This assignment is about changes in demand and house prices over the last two years in UK. What happened in last two years in the housing market, what factors are involved to change the demand of housing and pricing? What are the benefits of this research? Before going to the factors that affect the housing market in UK, it is important to know what is housing market and also see the time series graph which shows what happened with housing market in the last three years? Definition of Demand: An economic principle that describes a consumers desire and willingness to pay a price for a specific good or service. Holding all other factors constant, the price of a good or service increases as its demand increases and vice versa. Definition of Supply: The term supply refers to the quantity of a particular product that suppliers (producers and/or sellers) will make available to the market at a particular price. The higher the price, the greater the quantity that suppliers will be willing to supply to the market. (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/demand.asp) Real estate economics is the application of economic techniques to real estate markets. It tries to describe, explain, and predict patterns of prices, supply, and demand. The closely related fields of housing economics is narrower in scope, concentrating on residential real estate markets as does the research of real estate trends focus on the business and structural changes impacting the industry. Both draw on partial equilibrium analysis (supply and demand), urban economics, spatial economics, extensive research, surveys and finance. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_market) (http://www.housingmarket.org.uk/house-prices/current-uk-house-prices-trend/08/10.8.09) If we consider the above two graphs of housing prices of UK, we come to know that the prices are going to fall from 2007, before that the prices are high. Now we analyze what happened with the housing market, and what factors are involved to change the demand curve in to the left. The factors affecting house prices and demand are as follows. Factors Affecting The UK housing market: Since the peak in July 2007, UK house prices have fallen considerable. The main reasons for falling house prices are: Difficulty of Getting Mortgage due to credit crunch. Low affordability (high house price to income ratios) Economic recession Rising unemployment Future price expectation Consumer confidence speculation Mortgage: Mortgage companies had to write off bad mortgage debts, there has been a shortage of liquidity in the banking system causing mortgages to be more expensive and difficult to get. As people defaulted on mortgages, house prices which had been booming before the credit crunch started to fall. Falling house prices means the loss of banks, because the resale value of the house was much less than the initial mortgage. Because of the bad experience with mortgage companies going bankrupt, financial institutions became much more cautious about lending money for mortgages. Also, because they had lost money, they couldnt afford to lend more. Therefore, mortgage finance was in short supply causing banks to ration mortgages by requiring large deposits and increasing the interest rates. Falling House prices exacerbate the credit crunch. Although defaults are currently low, falling house prices magnify the problem because it leaves homeowners with negative equity. Therefore, if a homeowner defaults, it multiplies the losses of banks such as Halifax. It is a vicious cycle because the shortage of mortgage funds is causing a fall in demand for houses and therefore, house prices will fall further; this makes the mortgage industry more nervous. This is why the Bank of England has extended its emergency lending to the banking system. The other problem is that peoples decision to buy a house is based on confidence. Given the unrelenting bad news, most homeowners will defer the decision to buy causing further falls in demand. (http://www.mortgageguideuk.co.uk/index.html) (http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=ensource=hpq=demand+and+supply+curvegbv=2aq=3oq=demand) The graph also shows that the demand is changing towards left, it means the prices are going down but people are not interested to buy a home, because of uncertainty, people are more conscious to buy, because the price of houses continuously fall. Future Price Expectation: According to the independent analysts Oxford Economics, prices will continue to fall in 2010.The average price in London will drop by 16.1 % this year, then a further 3.4 percent next year. Property values will then recover by 2.1 per cent in 2011, 8.9 per cent in 2012, 10.7 per cent in 2013 and 7.4 percent in 2014. The report to the National Housing Federation claims the average price will boom to 354,900 pounds. This is an overall rise of 27.7 per cent from today, but more than 40 percent up on prices expected in late 2010. An average London property bought last year for 331500 pounds will still be worth less in 2013, at 330600 pounds. It expects the2012 Olympics to provide a welcome boost. Its Chief executive David Orr said low income families would struggle to get credit. (London Lite Monday, 3 August 2009 Page 15). These two research shows that prices are still going down in the next two years, after that it is expected the prices will boom, in these circumstances people are not willing to buy house, and research also shows that due to credit crunch low income families are also struggling for getting credits. Credit Crunch: The major factor that affects the demand for houses and prices of houses are credit crunch. The credit crunch which began two year ago shows no signs of abating. With declining economic fortunes in most OECD economies, there is also the prospect of things getting worse before getting better. These are some of the problems stemming from the credit crunch. (http://www.economicshelp.org/2008/07/problems-of-credit-crunch.html) Due to shortage of credit, banks are decline in their reserves as they write off bad debts. In UK, mortgage approval has fallen, causing fall in demand of houses and prices, people lose their confidence to buy and declines of profits of banks and share value. Because of high cost of mortgage, people have less ability to buy that is also big cause that fall the demand of houses and price. Unemployment: The other big factor that affects demand for houses and prices in UK is unemployment, after the credit crunch lot of people are unemployed and in other words they lose their jobs, if we look for the last three years ratio of unemployment in UK, we have better idea and we are in better position to find analysis of what actually happened for the house market. (http://www.economicshelp.org/2008/10/unemployment-in-uk.html) If we consider both of these graphs, we come to know that in April 2007, the employment rate is higher and in April 2009 it totally fell down. Same case happened in the second graph which shows that in April 2007 the unemployment rate is very low, but after the credit crunch, April 2009 the unemployment rate is so high. In other words we say that unemployment is high or lots of people are going to benefits. This is the big factor that affects the demand of houses and price; a lot of people lose their jobs, people do not have the ability and reserve to pay high rate of deposit or high mortgage, this is the cause the demand of houses shift to left. (http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=ensource=hpq=demand+and+supply+curvegbv=2aq=3oq=demand) Interest Rate: Interest rate play a very important role of getting mortgage, If your interest rate is lower you have to give back less money if you have high interest rate you have to pay back more. But in last two years the interest rate is going down and down at 0.5%. According to general demand supply rules, the demand is high, but if we consider the factor that is directly linked with interest rate is mortgage, the mortgage companies are badly collapsed because of recession. However the interest rate is low people still not interested to buy homes. The main reason is that the mortgage demand high deposit, people do not have money to pay high deposit, this means even the interest rate is lower but mortgage deposit rate is high, that affect the directly to demand of housing and prices. If demand is less definitely the prices goes down. In this analysis, the interest rate is not the direct factor of reducing the demand, but the linked factor of mortgage affect the demand of housing and prices. (http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=ensource=hpq=demand+and+supply+curvegbv=2aq=3oq=demand) Economic Recession: Many professionals and experts around the world believe that a true economic recession can only be confirmed if GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth is negative for a period of two or more consecutive quarters. The roots of a recession and its true starting point actually rest in the several quarters of positive but slowing growth before the recession cycle really begins. Often in a mild recession the first quarter of negative growth is followed by slight positive growth, then negative growth returns and the recession trend continues. While the two quarter definition is accepted globally, many economists have trouble supporting it completely as it does not consider other important economic change variables. For instance, current national unemployment rates or consumer confidence and spending levels are all a part of the economic system and must to be taken into 0account when defining a recession and its attributes. (http://recession.org/definition). It is actually more common than you might realize for countries around the world to experience mild economic recessions. Recession (or contraction) is a natural result of the economic cycle and will adjust for changes in consumer spending and consumption or increasing and decreasing prices of goods and labor. Rarely though entirely possible, experiencing can a multitude of these negative factors simultaneously lead to a deep recession or even long economic depression. Effect Of Economic Recession: Generally, an economic recession can be spotted before it actually happens. There are ways to spot it before it actually hits by observing the changing economic landscapes in quarters that come before the actual onset. You will still see GDP growth, but it will be coupled with signs like high unemployment levels, housing price declines, stock market losses, and the absence of business expansion. When an economy sees more extended periods of economic recession, it goes beyond a recession and is declared that the economy is in a state of depression. The only real benefit of an economic recession is that it will help to cure inflation. In fact, the delicate balancing act that the Fed struggles to pursue is to slow the growth of the economy enough so that inflation will not occur, but also so that a recession will not be triggered in the process. Now, the Fed performs this balancing act without the help of fiscal policy. Fiscal policy is usually trying to stimulate the economy as much as is possible through such things as lowering taxes, spending on programs, and ignoring account deficits. (http://recession.org/definition) Consumer Confidence: During times of high consumer confidence, people are more willing to take out risky mortgages to be able to buy a house. For example, in the period 2001-07 100% mortgages and interest only mortgages were quite common. In the early 00s, people were optimistic about the housing market and so took out mortgages with a higher debt to income ratio. (http://www.uk-houseprices.co.uk/housing_market/factors_affecting_prices.html) After 2007 the recession time start, prices are continuously fall, people restricted to invest money, because they continuously fall, so the demand of houses also fall. Speculation: Everybody buy homes to live in, some people buy house for renting purposes o get more money and save the capital. But after the credit crunch the prices are going to fall, so the investors are not more interested to invest. This is bigger factor that affect the demand of houses and prices. (http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=ensource=hpq=demand+and+supply+curvegbv=2aq=3oq=demand) Prediction: From the above information about changes in house prices and demand, I did able to predict what will happen in next two years or more? The predictions are as follows. Because of recession time, the mortgage companies are still struggling for finance and banks are also struggling to get back the money from costumers, so in these circumstances prices of houses and demand will fall more in next two years. Independent analysts oxford economics shows that prices in London will drop16.1% in 2009 and then further 3.4% in 2010.After 2010 the property will recover 2.1%, 8.9%, 10.7% and 7.4% in the coming years. These figures show that the prices of houses and demand still fall in the next two years. Unemployment rate is continuously fall and expected that still fall in the coming years up to three million people are jobless in the coming two years. This also shows that the demand of houses and price will go down further. People are mostly unemployed, and others are on benefits, so average income is not compatible to mortgage deposit, however the interest rate is lower but people do not have reserve to pay deposit, so the demand is going further to fall in the next two years. The mortgage companies are still fall in finances, they are not willing to give lenders the risky loans, it has also effect the consumer confidence, these two factors indicate further fall in demand and prices of houses. Speculation about the house prices, they are further fall in future, investors are not interested to invest, so these shows that the prices and demand further fall in future. These are facts that predicts further fall in demand and prices of houses in UK, but after 2010 it hope the prices will recover and people confidence improved and demand shift to right. Conclusion: All the factors that affect demand and prices of houses shows that prices and demand further going to fall in the next two years, after 2010 it hope the prices will recover and demand of houses will be high. This is the recession time and mortgage companies and banks are lack of finance to support people to buy homes. However the Government reduces their interest rate but people do not have the ability or reserve to pay high deposit and second reason is that a lot of people are jobless or on benefits, they are not able to pay even less mortgage. These all factors that I discussed above are inter linked with each other, thats why prices of houses and demands are going to fall. After 2010 it hope the recession time will be finish , mortgage companies and banks will be able to provide more finance to costumers, the job condition is better, income is high, so people are more able to purchase houses and demand will be high, if demand is high the prices should be rise. References: (London Lite Monday, 3 August 2009 Page 15). http://recession.org/definition http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=ensource=hpq=demand+and+supply+curvegbv=2aq=3oq=demand+ http://www.uk-houseprices.co.uk/housing_market/factors_affecting_prices.html http://www.economicshelp.org/2008/10/unemployment-in-uk.html http://www.mortgageguideuk.co.uk/index.html http://www.economicshelp.org/2008/07/problems-of-credit-crunch.html (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_market).http://www.housingmarket.org.uk/house-prices/current-uk-house-prices-trend/08/24.8.09 Bibliography: http://www.uk-houseprices.co.uk/housing_market/factors_affecting_prices.html http://www.economicshelp.org/2008/10/unemployment-in-uk.html http://www.mortgageguideuk.co.uk/housing/house-price-fall.html

Blood and Debt: War and the Nation-State in Latin America

Blood and Debt: War and the Nation-State in Latin America Book Review: Miguel Angel Centeno. Blood and Debt: War and the Nation-State in Latin America. Penn State University Press 2002. Centenos book begins with the mystery of absence of interstate war-what he calls limited war-in Latin America, and then goes into the genealogy of state development in South America and the role of war on that continent. His historically contextualized analysis of warfare takes up the imbricated factors of class structure, organizational power, and international restraints in Latin America. He characterizes the Latin American states institutional and administrative capacity as not well developed as a result of divisions among dominant class structures, foreign power influence and control, which in turn have contributed to the states relatively peaceful history. He succinctly argues that they have been relatively peaceful because they dont have sophisticated political institutions to manage wars -the no States-no Wars argument.[1] Centeno contends that the lack of strong state institutions and limited state capacity accounts for these states inability to create autonomy and finance these wars through internal revenue; rather, this created dependency on foreign government loans that in turn weakened local capacity to create autonomy and thwarted the establishment of strong central institutions.[2] Foreign loan dependency created the conditions for the weakening of the possibility of creating strong central institutions that resulted in limited state capacity and the associated limited scale of war.[3] According to Centeno, limited war[4] do[es] not require the political or military mobilization of the society except (and not always) in the euphoric initial moments.[5] Foreign intervention based on trade interests also limited the scale of Latin American wars.[6] Centeno substantiates his argument with assessments of the capacity of Latin American governments to collect taxes, raise troops, and establish effective bureaucracies. Equally important is his argument about the ability of governments to galvanize nationalism, an ethos that creates a coherent concept of nation.[7] Based on comparative insight derived from North Atlantic nations, he argues that compared to Latin American states, these nations have more capacity to mobilize millions of troops to fight, financed through internally raised revenue from taxes.[8] I believe Centenos work is important as it provides a thorough analysis and critique of state-building theory based on empirical study. His work invests more attention in the Latin America region and makes a country-specific study to understand the particularities and nuances of generic state-building theory. His work draws attention to institutional analysis of states. As he writes, [This] magnificent display of institutional failure deserves further attention.[9] Centeno argues that Latin America has fought limited wars and further inquires into the meaning of this in an attempt to better understand the relationship between war and state-making. His work opens the door for deconstructing conventional nation-building theory, which is largely based on a Eurocentric account of war. Grounded in a set of empirical data and rigorous analysis, Centenos critical work illustrates how war contributed to the weakening of institutions, paying due attention to the fiscal aspect of the state, and shows how war in Latin America ruined institutions and resulted in more entrenched internal divisions.[10] He discusses the institutional capacity of the state as a central theme to explain and critique the regional history and political development, and he examines wars impact, how it has shaped state-society relationships, national identity and fiscal development. Centeno repeatedly emphasizes the fact that states in Latin America did not develop the kind of institutional strength of their Western European counterparts. The author is puzzled by the process and experience and consequences of war in Latin America and how this relates to states institutional strength and capacity to undertake war in a way that has shaped their creation. Based on multiple cases, Centenos historical development of each case and the experience of war illustrates the exigencies, contextual factors, and relational dimensions that all must be taken into account in order to determine, understand and explain variations and commonalties across the continent. This theoretical approach and these methodological insights are critical to assessing the development of the state based on European history and experience while complementing the theoretical discussion of the development of the state on both levelscapturing country-specific variations and theorizing or bringing in theoretical explanations for differences and commonalities. Understanding and explaining regional and country-specific variations using comparative methods provides relevant details to critically engage conventional state-building theory. Through this work, I learned that understanding variations and contextualizing analysis case by case is an important approach. The author uses the prism of war-state development bellicist model[11] as an important theoretical framework to problematize and further explain the nuances and regional and country-specific conditions and factors that alter and critique Eurocentric generalizations of the causal relationship between war and state development. Indeed, Centeno uses the counterfactual realties of Latin America to successfully refute the European model of state-building theory that suggests that wars created modern states and enhanced their institutions, creating the capacity for states to exploit resources, monopolize violence and make more wars. In fact, he successfully illustrates how (limited) wars in Latin America destroyed institutions and thwarted nation-state building. Here, he introduces internal factors such as class structure, internal elite divisions and the enduring impact of postcolonial chaos, noting how all contributed, along with the international factors related to how trade interest played out and to debt/loan dependence. An important lesson we can draw from this book is that the experience of war in Latin America, its role and influence on state creation (both the types and kinds of state formation) are distinct here, different from the significant role war played in the development of some European states. No doubt more cases from Latin America and elsewhere would further refute, contextualize, deconstruct and critique the conventional presuppositions, assumptions and models of state-building theory. The complex historical realties of states problematize and create an elaborated space for other factors, beyond war, providing complementary explanations related to creation of the state. Centenos central message is that the link between war and state-building is contingent on historical specificities and case-specific factors. However, his work does not help us to understand how strong states could develop without wars. The logic in Centenos theory and argument is important as it highlights important elements in appraising the link between war-making and state-making as understood in conventional theories, putting the focus on certain contingent factors-history, domestic socio-economic and political structures, and international politics. [1] Centeno, M. A. (2002). Blood and debt: War and the nation-state in Latin America. Penn State Press.p 26 [2] Ibid p 28 and Chapter 3 [3] Ibid [4] Ibid p 20-26 [5] Ibid p 21 [6] Ibid p 26 and 72-73 [7] Ibid p. 23, 7 and Chapter 4 and 5 [8] Ibid p 108- 109 191 and Chapter 5 [9] Ibid p 17 [10]ÂÂ   Ibid p 142 -145, 14, 6-7 and Chapter 3 [11] Ibid p. 19 and 266 What Makes a Teacher Effective? What Makes a Teacher Effective? What do you think it means to be an effective teacher? An effective teacher utilises aspects of their background, professional knowledge and personality to boost students academic growth (Whitton, Barker, Nodworthy, Sinclair, Phil, 2004). The favourable characteristics that follow an effective teacher are their high confidence, optimism and knowledge of the content. Effective teachers are confident in their knowledge, skills and their ability to guide students as well as feeling secure about their status as master of their subject. As well as having confidence in themselves, teachers must have confidence in their students, and believe that they will learn (Killen, 2013). The teacher should have strong beliefs that even the most complicated concept can be explained in such a way that students find it easy to learn. The teachers deeper understanding of the content should provide a means that makes it easy for them as teachers to alter known concepts to suit the students, making it easier for students to consume (Killen, 2013). Teaching is more than just presenting content, our Australian curriculum displays content that students must intake and how their academic level should be judged e.g. Tests and exams. A starting point for an effective teacher is to understand that learning is based on understanding the concept of the content, and the means of an effective teacher is to motivate learners from a state of not understanding to deeper understanding (Killen, 2013). Teachers must be able to create an environment where learners can understand the content presented. Specific techniques that are used to effectively create this environment involve the transformation of the content to something that is easier to understand, motivating learners and engaging them in learning tasks and the teachers adaptability to different students and different learning styles (Killen, 2013). Interactions with students gives teachers the chance to know what is happening around the class room so teachers have a chance to manipulat e their teaching style to best suit the students (Whitton et al., 2016). Why do teachers need to purposely plan for learning? Planning is an important technique teachers use to amplify student achievement as well as teacher satisfaction, the best teachers are able to organise and deliver the best learning experience through thoughtful planning. Overall planning put into class rooms should meet the curriculum requirements and learning needs, to further extend student academic achievement and make the learning experience worthwhile (Whitton et al., 2016). In order for students to meet the learning goals set out by the curriculum, teachers must understand the importance of effective planning. An effective plan helps students to learn purposefully with more efficiency as time is always a constraint in a class room, a developed plan also helps the teacher to clarify what goals are set for students and a step by step process on how to achieve those goals (Killen, 2013). An in-depth plan can boost the teachers confidence as it mirrors to the teacher that they understand the content the students want to learn, the increase in confidence will propel the overall teaching effectiveness. Purposely planning for learning is a must if a teacher is to grow in the art of teaching as it develops the teachers capability for effective teaching and gives a mean to reflect on their planning and effectiveness (Killen, 2013). A plan for learning needs to be effective in order to ensure the learning procedure is productive. Teaching can be simplified into a learning cycle: Planning, implementing then evaluating. Planning requires thorough knowledge of the students in the class their age, gender, interests, learning styles, academic talents and social / emotional states all come into effect when identifying the most effective techniques to be highlighted in the plan (Whitton et al., 2016). Knowledge and understanding of the curriculum must also be taken into account when setting up the plan so learning outcomes can be met. With an active and comprehensive plan the implementing of the actual teaching shows more effectiveness, evaluation of the lesson taught will provide feedback to the teacher on if the content and process was suitable for the students (Whitton et al., 2016). The purpose of the lesson taught must be clear so that students know why each lesson is important, simultaneously the lesson should al so be used by the teacher as means to guide their planning (Killen, 2013) How can effective teachers best engage students in learning? Engaging students in learning is just as important as teaching the students. In order for learners to take in the content being taught they must be focused on the objective and have a clear understanding as to why theyre being taught this. Various strategies are used together by teachers to best engage students to learn. Lesson introductions are one of the major components to involve learners and have them drawn into the learning experience, a lesson introduction should spark the students interests and have them feel connected to the learning environment (Whitton et al., 2016). Just as we discussed in the tutorial in week 3 examples to get the class interested in learning are setting up display materials, objects that students can touch and build understanding through a hands-on experience (e.g. cutting fruit into pieces when examining fractions) or reading a childrens book as audio-visual resource. The introductions should always be related to the topic and spark interests (Whitton et al., 2016). Just as lesson introductions lesson closures should also be given high amounts of attention. The lesson closure must also be relevant and involve the learners to make them aware that the lesson is over. Recapping what occurred, having groups display their work or discuss amongst themselves are good closures that give the teacher an idea if learning outcomes were met during the lesson (Whitton et al., 2016). Therere are many teaching and learning strategies, all the strategies can be broken down into 4 planning components: content, process, products and environment. The content is what is taught, process is how the content is taught, products are the teachers themselves that guide and help students (Whitton et al., 2016). Discovery learning is a strategy used that challenges students understanding and their thinking skills, this strategy of learning focuses on the students, expecting them to develop a solution and a method to the solution (Whitton et al., 2016). Discovery lessons require hands-on research activities to best engage the students. The advantages of discovery learning are that students are involved in the process of learning, the actives used in this type of learning are more meaningful and students acquire their own research and reflective skills (Westwood Peter, 2008). Why is developing positive communication skills important for effective teachers? The idea of enforcing positive communication skills upon teachers to further present in the classroom serve a clear purpose, an effective teacher will use their communication skills to create a rich and positive learning environment. Specific teaching strategies, skills and attitudes impact the learning environment as a whole and in turn these characteristics of the teacher can be manipulated and adjusted and then presented with strong communication skills to the students in order to gage their interests and create a healthy, productive classroom (Whitton et al., 2016). In an educational setting the relationship the teacher has with the students has a significant impact on the communication that occurs between teacher and student (Howell, 2014). If a teacher builds a positive relationship with their students there is a direct influence on the type of communication they will engage in, positive relationships opens a positive environment and negative relationships will generate a negat ive environment (Howell, 2014). An effective teacher will aim to promote a positive learning environment through means of displaying approachability and showing assertiveness in their communication. Assertiveness is categorised as communication style as well as aggressiveness and passivity (Howell, 2014). A good teacher will avoid aggressive and passive styles in communicating as they foster a negative learning environment but should focus on being assertive. The assertive teacher will display the capabilities to be an effective active listener; non-judgemental; able to express himself with honesty; respect others values; able to check on others feelings, all while being proactive, flexible, trustworthy and confident (Howell, 2014). All these highlighted qualities make the teacher approachable, if a student finds a teacher approachable theyre more likely to confide with the teacher and should they have a problem in the future they will feel encouraged to come to the teacher to share their concerns and feelings (Whi tton et al., 2016). By advocating positive relationships and communication, through assertiveness and approachability teachers promote a healthy and positive classroom environment for effective learning (Whitton et al., 2016 Howell,2014). References Whitton, D., Sinclair, C., Barker K., Nosworthy, M., Humphries, J., Sinclair, C. (2016)Learning for teaching: Teaching for learning. VIC, Australia: Cengage Killen, R. (2013). Effective teaching strategies: Lessons from research and practice. South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning Australia. Retrieved from http://CURTIN.eblib.com.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=1696408 Westwood, P. (2008). What teachers need to know about. VIC, Australia: ACER Press. Retrieved from http://search.informit.com.au.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/documentSummary;dn=569324157817332;res=IELHSS Howell, J. (2014). Teaching and learning: Building effective pedagogies. South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/lib/curtin/detail.action?docID=4191370

Extreme Jealousy in Shakespeares Othello, the Moor of Venice Essay

Extreme Jealousy in Othello, the Moor of Venice      Ã‚   Aristotle's Poetics laid out the definition of tragedy: unlike comedy, the purpose of tragedy is not merely to instruct and delight an audience. Rather, its aim is to allow a cathartic release as a result of the heightened emotional state caused by the events of the tragedy. This idea assumes that the average person can experience these intense emotions vicariously. In Psyche and Symbol in Shakespeare , Alex Aronson contends that the characters in Shakespearean tragedy have the power to affect us because they tap what Carl Jung called the collective unconscious , the "omnipresent, unchanging, and everywhere identical condition or substratum of the psyche per se" (14). Othello, the Moor of Venice, attempts to achieve the requisite level of harrowing emotion by treating the audience to a spectacle of passionate delusional jealousy and the murder that follows. The playwright, according to Rolf Soellner, framed his Moorish general?s fall in terms of Passion warring with Patience (both 'the will' and rationality of action) -- drawing on the prevalent Senecan and Stoic conventions of the baroque period in which he was writing (239-58). Unfortunately, the modern tendency to 'psychoanalyze' the words and actions presented in Othello reduces the audience?s experience from cathartic to metaphoric. In either case, the Moor?s over-reaction can be viewed as a lesson counseling against indulgence in the excesses of emotion without a balancing leaven of self-control. As most of Othello ?s fictional characters have been psychoanalyzed in absentia , I hoped to find a reasonable psychological explanation for Othello?s breakdown. The journal American Imago (co-founded by Freud) has publ... ...as truly such a destructive force.    Works Cited and Consulted Aronson, Alex. Psyche and Symbol in Shakespeare . Bloomington, IN: Indiana UP, 1972. Bell, Millicent. ?Othello?s Jealousy.? Yale Review 85 (April 1997): 120-136. Driscoll, James P. Identity in Shakespearean Drama . East Brunswick, NJ: Assoc. UP, 1983. Faber, M. D. ?Othello: Symbolic Action, Ritual and Myth.? American Imago 31 (Summer 1974): 159-205. Holland, Norman N. Psychoanalysis and Shakespeare . New York: McGraw, 1966. Kovel, Joel. ?Othello.? American Imago 35 (Spring-Summer 1978): 113-119. Reid, Stephen. ?Othello?s Jealousy.? American Imago 25 ( Fall 1968): 274-293. Shakespeare, William. Complete Works of Shakespeare . Ed. David Bevington. 4th ed. NY: Longman, 1997. Soellner, Rolf. Shakespeare?s Patterns of Self-Knowledge . N.p.: Ohio State UP, 1972.    Extreme Jealousy in Shakespeare's Othello, the Moor of Venice Essay Extreme Jealousy in Othello, the Moor of Venice      Ã‚   Aristotle's Poetics laid out the definition of tragedy: unlike comedy, the purpose of tragedy is not merely to instruct and delight an audience. Rather, its aim is to allow a cathartic release as a result of the heightened emotional state caused by the events of the tragedy. This idea assumes that the average person can experience these intense emotions vicariously. In Psyche and Symbol in Shakespeare , Alex Aronson contends that the characters in Shakespearean tragedy have the power to affect us because they tap what Carl Jung called the collective unconscious , the "omnipresent, unchanging, and everywhere identical condition or substratum of the psyche per se" (14). Othello, the Moor of Venice, attempts to achieve the requisite level of harrowing emotion by treating the audience to a spectacle of passionate delusional jealousy and the murder that follows. The playwright, according to Rolf Soellner, framed his Moorish general?s fall in terms of Passion warring with Patience (both 'the will' and rationality of action) -- drawing on the prevalent Senecan and Stoic conventions of the baroque period in which he was writing (239-58). Unfortunately, the modern tendency to 'psychoanalyze' the words and actions presented in Othello reduces the audience?s experience from cathartic to metaphoric. In either case, the Moor?s over-reaction can be viewed as a lesson counseling against indulgence in the excesses of emotion without a balancing leaven of self-control. As most of Othello ?s fictional characters have been psychoanalyzed in absentia , I hoped to find a reasonable psychological explanation for Othello?s breakdown. The journal American Imago (co-founded by Freud) has publ... ...as truly such a destructive force.    Works Cited and Consulted Aronson, Alex. Psyche and Symbol in Shakespeare . Bloomington, IN: Indiana UP, 1972. Bell, Millicent. ?Othello?s Jealousy.? Yale Review 85 (April 1997): 120-136. Driscoll, James P. Identity in Shakespearean Drama . East Brunswick, NJ: Assoc. UP, 1983. Faber, M. D. ?Othello: Symbolic Action, Ritual and Myth.? American Imago 31 (Summer 1974): 159-205. Holland, Norman N. Psychoanalysis and Shakespeare . New York: McGraw, 1966. Kovel, Joel. ?Othello.? American Imago 35 (Spring-Summer 1978): 113-119. Reid, Stephen. ?Othello?s Jealousy.? American Imago 25 ( Fall 1968): 274-293. Shakespeare, William. Complete Works of Shakespeare . Ed. David Bevington. 4th ed. NY: Longman, 1997. Soellner, Rolf. Shakespeare?s Patterns of Self-Knowledge . N.p.: Ohio State UP, 1972.   

Disease and Native American Demise During the European Conquest of the

Disease and Native American Demise During the European Conquest of the New World The European conquest of the new world was most commonly attributed to the superiority of the Europeans in all the facets of their confrontation. They had the superior weaponry, and were thought to have a superior intellect. After all, they were just bringing "civilization" to the new world, right? It sounds nice when you are learning about Columbus in grade school, but the traditional story is pretty far from the truth. The truth is that the Europeans, when they discovered this was a brand new world and not the spice islands, sought to rape the land for its gold and natural resources and enslave the Amerindians (native Americans), who were regarded to be less than human. One has to wonder why it was so easy for the Europeans to impose their will on the Amerindians. Was it solely because the Europeans were superior technologically and intellectually? Unfortunately the answer is not that simple. The Europeans were superior in those areas, but the bulk of the disaster they imposed was not what they knew, but what they brought with them, disease. Disease, on the epidemic level, is thought to be the major factor in the decline of the Amerindians during the age of discovery. Before I go any further, I feel that I should clarify the difference between the terms epidemic and endemic disease. An epidemic disease is a disease that enters into a population and completely ravages it. Epidemics are particularly destructive because they are usually diseases that have never been introduced into that specific population. A good example of an epidemic is the bubonic plague, or smallpox. Smallpox uncontrollably ravaged Europe for more than two hundred years.... ... the disease that accompanied an average race of people that made the difference in the conquest of the Americas Bibliography Crosby, Alfred W. Ecological Imperialism The Biological Expansion of Europe 900-1900. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1986. ---. The Columbian Exchange. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Company, 1972. McNeil, William H. Plagues and People. Garden City: Anchor Press, 1976. Verano, John, and Douglas Ubelaker. Disease and Demography in the Americas. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992. Cowley, Geoffery. "The Great Disease Migration." Newsweek Fall/Winter 1991: 54-56. Snow, Dean, and Kim Lanphear. "European Contact and Depopulation in the Northeast: The Timing of the First Epidemics." Ethnohistory Winter 1988: 15-33. Diamond, Jared. "The Arrow of Disease." Discover October 1992: 64-73.

Leukemia Research Paper Essay

PART I: I personally know of a couple of skeletal diseases. I know of Leukemia, which is a type of cancer where white blood cells multiply in an uncontrolled manner, and the cause is unknown. I have also personally met someone with Leukemia, and it is not a slow-moving disease; he unfortunately died within a few years. I know of osteoporosis from the notes. It is a disease resulting in the loss of bone tissue. The cancellous bone loses calcium, becomes thinner, and may eventually disappear altogether. I don’t know if a fracture constitutes as a bone disease, but they can be Spiral, Closed, Open, or Multiple. One of the most well-known bone diseases is Arthritis. It is a disease of the joints; victims suffer pain, stiffness, and swelling of the joints. Many athletes will also show signs of Tendonitis, a disorder involving stiffness or pain in the muscles or joints. I want to find out more about Leukemia, the most relatable disease to me, and what symptoms the victims of it suffer. PART II: I am going to choose to research the skeletal disease of Leukemia, because it has personally affected me in my life. One of our close family friend’s children died of Leukemia when he was five. He had a very advanced form of Leukemia when he was born and it was a very sad time when he passed. I will more specifically be researching Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia, the disease he suffered from. I am looking for treatment options, symptoms, and prevention abilities. PART III: I began my search by typing â€Å"Leukemia† into Google search and got many reliable sources. I chose a source from the Mayo Clinic that clearly defined the disease and had a brief synopsis of the disease. I also went to the Leukemia & Lymphoma society’s website and found a document on the specific type of leukemia I was researching. I also searched the symptoms of Leukemia and found a good source on Medicine Net. SOURCES: – http://www.lls.org/#/diseaseinformation/leukemia/jmml/ – http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/leukemia/DS00351 – http://www.medicinenet.com/leukemia/page5.htm#symptoms PART IV: I learned that Leukemia is a blood cancer that attacks the bone marrow and the Lymphatic system. I learned that many different types exist and treatment can be complex, depending on the type of Leukemia and other factors. I learned that Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia is most commonly diagnosed in infants, much like my close friend. I didn’t know, but JMML is a very uncommon type of blood cancer and it only occurs in infancy and early childhood. I learned that symptoms can be fevers, frequent infections, swollen lymph nodes, weight loss for no reason, bleeding and bruising easily, and pain in the joints and bones. I learned that doctors diagnose Leukemia by physical exams as well as blood tests and biopsies. I learned that stem-cell transplantation could be used for treatment of this cancer. My friend had this done with the help of his younger brother, and actually went into remission for two years. I really learned a lot about this disease and have an enlightened perspective on Leukemia and its unfortunate victims.

Analysis of Amores Perros

Analysis of Amores Perros The Urban Environment of Mexico City, As Presented in Amores Perros Amores Perros represents the feature film directorial debut of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and was written by Guillermo Arriaga, the craftsman behind such acclained Hollywood successes as 21 Grams and Babel. It is perhaps no surprise then that this pairing, of inspired passion and experienced creativity, resulted in a film that won 52 of the 69 total awards for which it was nominated world-wide, including the Ariel Award for Best Picture from the Mexican Academy of Film and the Critics Week Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.But it is more than exceptional filmmaking that is responsible for the critical success of this film. Depicting the social and economic stratification of life in modern day Mexico City, Amores Perros exhibits a host of cinematic techniques whose aim is to join form to content in an effort to convey the fractured nature of, and fracturing effects on, the individual a nd the family that life in this particular urban environment creates. The film takes the form of a triptych, (a composition made up of three parts).These three stories represent the three general levels of life in Mexico City. The first story explores what amounts to working class life in Mexico City. It depicts a quality of life determined by and confined within the economic limitations that are a fact of that social sphere. The second story sets itself to convey an upper class life that amounts to little more than a veneer of wealth, while the third story examines both the confined nature and the inherent freedom of the underclass of Mexico City.But, beyond a simple explication of these disparate levels of society in this capital city, the film also strives, by the ways that it intertwines these three stories, to show how these levels of society are both mutually interdependent, and, ultimately, inextricable, one from the other. Story I: The Working Class The first story opens wit h a chaotic car chase, and we’re introduced to one f this story’s two main characters, Octavio, who is driving, and his dog Cofi, who is bloody in the back seat, while Octavio’s friend Jorge desperately attempts to stem the bleeding, as the three flee from gun-toting thugs through the streets of Mexico City. Immediately, the turbulent, life-or-death nature of working class life in this city becomes evident. The chase ends with Octavio barrelling through a red light and plowing into another car. As the story unfolds through flashbacks, we learn that Octavio has decided to give up life as a high school student to enter his dog in the local dogfights.Living at home with his mother, his unstable brother Ramiro, and his brother’s wife Susana and their young infant, Octavio is driven to pursue this illicit activity by his growing infatuation with his brother’s wife, and his desire to run away with Susana and make a life for them. But with no hope that hi s education will bring him a job by which he can support a family, Octavio sees no other choice but to fight his dog for money and hope that his newfound wealth will prove to Susana that he can be the man of a household. His choice here is the clearest summation of the way working class life is depicted in this film.Unable to find a legal avenue to assure a financially stable life, a working class person’s only recourse is to step outside of the law. Octavio’s brother reaches the same conclusion only in a more extreme fashion, as dictated by his sociopathic personality. He moonlights from his job asa supermarket clerk as an armed robber whose crimes eventually get him killed. Prior to that, though, a more subtle indictment of working class life in Mexico City is explored through the burgeoning relationship between Octavio and Susana.Octavio is unable to recognize that he is misreading Susana’s need for the comfort and understanding she is not getting from her hu sband for a reciprocation of his own passion, and so he becomes increasingly attached to the immediate gratification of his desire for connection that Susana represents. Having no reason to hope for the fruitfulness of any long term goals or aspirations, Octavio’s immediate environment has shunt him off into a fixation upon what is immediately attainable—pursuing his brother’s wife and chasing the money and increased social standing that comes with ighting his dog. It comes as no surprise to the viewer, then, that these constraints placed upon him by the particular urban environment in which he lives lead to his downfall. After succeeding wildly through a number of dogfights, Octavio has earned enough money to convince Susana that they can run away together, but he gets greedy and agrees to only last, high-stakes fight against a dog owned by the local gang leader, who has been Octavio’s constant nemesis and antagonist.Octavio descends to his lowest point, though, when at the same meeting where he agrees to this final fight, he contracts with the ringleader of the dogfights to assault his brother, who, as a result, is nearly beaten to death. This choice backfires on Octavio, as Susana is now compelled to flee with her husband, taking with her all the money Octavio and Cofi had won. This shows that working class life in Mexico City often produces in people aims which will only exacerbate their situation. Learning of the betrayal, Octavio is outraged and is forced to scramble together his remaining money to fund the bet of the final fight.At the fight, Cofi once again takes the upper hand against the gang leader’s dog. The thug is prepared for him this time, and pulls out a gun and shoots the dog. As Jorge scrambles to carry the bleeding animal to their car, Octavio lashes out and stabs the gang leader in the gut, initiating the car chase that opens the film. The first story ends on the seminal car crash, and we jump back in tim e again to be introduced to the main characters of the second story, Daniel and Valeria. Story II: Upper Class Life This middle story depicts upper class life in Mexico City in a way that puts its superficiality and frivolousness front and center.If the essence of working class life—its chaotic and dangerous nature—is symbolized by the car chase that opens the film, the fact that the first scene of the second story consists of Valeria, a high fashion model, being interviewed on a morning talk show, pretending to be in a relationship with a soap opera star, is a clear indication of the artificial and cosmetic nature of celebrity life in Mexico City. The problems of the upper class, like those of the working class as explored in the first story, play a central role in the second story, but they are problems of a completely different order.Daniel, a successful magazine editor, is committing adultery with Valeria. Whereas in the first story the father is absent altogether, in this story Daniel’s relative wealth allows him to support both his family and the purchase of an upscale apartment for himself and Valeria. But, as he makes the choice to leave his family for his mistress, the facade of wealth begins to crumble. The veneer-like quality of wealth in Mexico City is conveyed in clear symbolism when, shortly after moving into their new apartment, Valeria puts her foot through the pristine-looking parquet floor.It is conveyed explicitly when, as we learn that it was Valeria who was driving the car Octavio hit in the scene that opened the film and who is now in a wheelchair with a badly fractured leg, Daniel becomes frantic over his financial situation. As it turns out, Valeria had no insurance, and so, between his mortgage, the cost of their new apartment, and Valeria’s medical bills, Daniel begins to doubt his choice to stay with Valeria. But this is where a clear difference between the upper class and the working class, as represented in this film, begins to become obvious.While the actions of the characters in the first story seem almost inevitable due to their economic situation, Daniel’s relative wealth allows him some means of freedom to choose how he is to act. His financial burdens may, and do, create great stress for him, but he has the means to make his decisions upon moral grounds instead of merely upon financial considerations. So whereas Octavio is driven to fight his dog by his need for money in order to possess Susana, Daniel, after flirting with the idea to abandon Valeria and return to his wife, in the end chooses to remain with his new love.He may have revealed his moral weakness by leaving his family in the first place, but he shows some ability to act ethically when he decides to commit himself to his decision to join his life to Valeria’s, instead of leaving her in her time of greatest need. The film conveys this choice as one allowed him, in great part, by his financial situatio n. Story III: El Chivo The third, and final, story explores the life of a member of the upper class, and transigent named El Chivo who works as a hitman for the corrupt police force.Living in squalor with only his dogs as companions, El Chivo represents, by his physical appearance, the decrepit state of members of this class of society in Mexico City. As his story unfolds, though, we learn that his tale is not one of perennial poverty—he is a fallen man. Giving him an origin of normality and respectability conveys the tragic nature of members of this underclass—their current state of abject poverty is a result of flaws in their character. On the contrary, El Chivo left his family to fight in some unnamed ideological quest—he wanted to save the world.Having failed at that, he has fallen in cynicism and exploits the freedom and lack of accountability for his actions that his life on the outskirts of society allows him to become a murderer for hire. His perspective is changed, though, upon seeing the obituary for his wife in the paper. He attends the funeral, slinking on the periphery. When he sees the daughter he chose to leave when she was only a child, he feels compelled to find some measure of redemption that would allow him to become a part of her life again.He gives up his life as a gun-for-hire, bathes and shaves for seemingly the first time in years, and, as he walks off into the proverbial sunset to close the film, the viewer gets a clear sense that El Chivo, contrary to appearances, is the one least constrained by his economic situation. While the characters of the first two stories were driven, in some part, by economic considerations, El Chivo’s greatest desire is to find the moral and ethical ground that would make him worthy of reconnecting with his daughter.While Octavio is driven by immature passion, and Daniel is led by his wandering heart, El Chivo searches for the firm ground of morality upon which to stand. His desi re is only for redemption, and by this desire he is redeemed. Part IV: Greater than the Sum of its Parts Such clear and intricately constructed depictions of the stratified layers of life in Mexico City would amount to little more than three separate stories if they weren’t connected by equally clear and intricate means.The filmmakers were interested not merely in showing these layers in isolation, but in weaving them into a cohesive whole that would mirror the actual situation in this modern city. This is done in several ways, both structurally, and through plot. First, the writer took inspiration for the structure of the film from William Faulkner’s Light in August, which is also told through three loosely connected stories. Amores Perros makes heavy use of flashbacks and flash forwards to intertwine the stories into a single film.The writer also used the technique of hyperlinking, which he exploited in his films 21 Grams and Babel as well. This technique consists of introducing one character slowly, and often mysteriously, over the course of the film, and building up his or her story until it is fully revealed in the final, climatic scenes. This is done with the character El Chivo, and the effect is further enhanced by the director’s choice to shoot the early scenes with El Chivo using a telephoto lens, so that the viewer is kept at a distance from this seminal character.He shows up in each of the first two stories, but it isn’t until it is time to tell his story that the viewer actually is allowed some intimacy with this character. These stories are intertwined through plot as well; namely, through the traumatic experience of the car crash. By the time we get to the third story, we know that it was Octavio who was driving the car responsible for the crash, that it was Valeria who was driving the car that was hit, and that it was El Chivo who was present at the scene to rescue Cofi, who had been left to die on the side of the roa d by the paramedics.As the writer said in the commentary track for the film, â€Å"Crashes are horrible, life-altering events, but they serve to bring people together who otherwise would never have met. † It is trauma that, among other things, connects all three of the layers of society as represented in this film; no one is free from pain. Finally, these three stories are linked thematically. One theme that links all three stories is that of the absentee father. For the working class family, the absence of the father makes no mention—he is just gone.In the second story, we watch as the father decides to leave his family, and in the third, we see the father’s sincere desire to return to his family. This is the most significant emotional arch of the film—the redemption of the father. First, we have the wreckage left behind in the wake of his abandonment, the bitter nature of the brothers Octavio and Ramiro, a pain whose source is buried deep under the surf ace. Then we see the crime being committed, as Daniel leaves his family, and the viewer is allowed to feel the anger and outrage produced by the father’s abandonment, and, more importantly, we can link that pain to its proper cause.Finally, we are positioned within the perspective of the father, El Chivo, and are allowed to feel his own pain and experience the authenticity of his own desire to atone for abandoning his family. It is this progression that, ultimately, drives this film. A theme closer to the surface, and more sentimental in nature, which also connects these three stories, is a love of dogs. Cofi is Octavio’s best friend and is responsible for whatever pleasure his master is able to gain from his surroundings through being forced to participate in dog fighting. The dog Richie is Valeria’s constant companion.He falls into the hole in the floor that Valeria accidently created and is trapped under the floor of the couple’s apartment for the bett er part of their story. With Valeria languishing in the hospital after having suffered a thrombosis, Daniel, in the penultimate scene of the second story, decides to tear up the floor to rescue the dog. As he pulls Richie out of the hole he has created, his is symbolically rescuing his and Valeria’s relationship. Finally, El Chivo’s dogs are his best friends and, until he rediscovers his desire to be with his family, they are the only connection he has left to his humanity.His humanity is put to the test when, after rescuing Cofi from the aftermath of the crash and nursing him back to health, Cofi kills every last one of his dogs. He moves to kill Cofi in retaliation, to act out an impotent and meaningless revenge. But, because he has seen his daughter at his wife’s funeral, his humanity has already begun to awaken and he is compelled to let Cofi live, so that he is there with El Chivo, man and man’s best friend, to walk off into the sunset that brings on the closing credits. In the American release, the film’s title was translated as, â€Å"Love is a bitch. This title is in some ways relevant to the movie—none of the characters manage to find unqualified happiness. But, according to Wikipedia, the director gave an interview to NPR where he expressed dissatisfaction with the use of this English idiom as the title for his film. For him, â€Å"Amores† expresses everything that is good about life, while â€Å"Perros† expresses life’s wretchedness. In this sense, the title could be viewed as meaning, â€Å"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,† which captures the highs and lows that each set of characters experiences.