Arabic Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Arabic Culture - Essay Example ooked the issue of gender and are very unenthusiastic to take in hand this flaming concern in view of the fact that they want to uphold their status quo. The Arabic woman’s social status has persistently remained low right from her residence, learning institutions and as a final point in matrimony. It all over again begins from marriage flipside to the social order. Discrimination and male chauvinism in Arabic world may be termed as a circular progression. Incredibly, few women have dared fighting back. The question is can they win? How is it possible? Where will they get the bravery? According to the Arabic culture, men are reputed to be superior to their female matching part. Males are alleged to be the favorite sex and enjoy immeasurable freedom even in the public. Male child is ideal than feminine and in fact, a man would be disappointed if he gets a female baby. Men are encouraged to marry as many wives as they can care for to amplify their probability of having a male child. The female sex would at times receive grave resistance even from their own husbands for bearing female children (Samovar, Porter & McDanie 64). In some cultures, such as in Iran, marriage was more of a business done by the female father and the groom without informing the bride and at times, a man would organize for dowry devoid of the daughter’s consent. Feminine youngster was offered for marriage while still young. In addition, women are not allowed to socialize, actually, women go to separate mosques and madrasas to avoid mingling with men. Women, in some Arabic cultures are not allowed to work in the midst of their male counterparts. Moreover, wives are believed to totally give in to their men. Traditionally, men are contemplated to be working as women stay behind to nature and care for the home. Women, in some Arabic culture are deemed to be sex objects (Samovar, Porter & McDanie 64). The Arabic woman code of dressing is predetermined by their culture. Although human being

Evaluative Paper Essay Example for Free

Evaluative Paper Essay The feedback for this report was manifold and required a number of things. First is the creation and rolling out of a comprehensive media policy training program then conducting trainings to include recorded modules which employees can review at any point in time. The Human Resource specific training should include industry best practices, legal compliance (Affirmative Action), and technical systems training. With regards to benchmarking competitors, this is to be done to define a social media policy that aligns with industry standard as well as creating a social media policy and vet through senior management and other applicable staff for approval. The group should establish company profiles through Linked In, Ecademy, and other professional media sites, with the sole aim of maintaining diversity in the site postings. Finally, there needs to be conducted research talent acquisition and management of solution companies, i. e. Hodes IQ. If appropriate, there should be management of transition to automated job posting software. The main essence of this feedback was to ensure the conclusive provision of information with regards to the search for proposals for both the E-Verify and Markets project consultants respectively. The responses captured this essence in the sense that they went ahead to address matters relating to benchmarking competitors to define a social media policy that aligns with industry standard and creating social media policy and vet through senior management and other applicable staff for approval. The report indicates that the last audit of 1-9s and the employee files was conducted mid-last year, on June 30th 2009 by the U. S. Immigration and customs Agency. The report further clarifies that company maintains this information in the online database done by international commercial data handlers and in the local computers in the local office network. By mentioning this, it alludes to the feedback concerning the establishing company profiles through Linked In, Ecademy, and other professional media sites and maintaining diversity in the site postings is key. Other aspects that address the feedback include mentioning that the main contract of technical difficulties is the director of the technology department within our companies. This person handles all the data concerning the company and it is the same person who is responsible for any technical hitch that may come up. On the issue of managing transition to automated job posting software, it is noted that over the years, there have been many cases of ghost workers. These are imaginary workers who paid by the company yet they do not benefit the company in any way. It is due to this reason that an e-verification was established at the company. In addition, there is a requirement by the law and it is necessary to adhere to it. This will be applied to all those new hiring that to be made in the company. The report was inclusive of important aspects and in that aspects, captured the two groups’, A and B, essence. This feedback provides a clear view of the right way in which the proposals were meant to be written. Receiving it means that there are areas that need polishing and therefore it gives a sense of accomplishment to know that this has been completed.

Scorsese And His Use Of Red

Scorsese And His Use Of Red The eminent and much revered director Martin Scorsese first achieved critical acclaim with his 1973 picture, Mean Streets. The film was an independent production which also began his long standing collaboration with the actor Robert DeNiro. Without major studio backing, Scorsese operated with a very small budget, yet he overcame this setback with exceptionally strong acting creative and performances, powerful and striking visuals. Mean Streets is a brutal, moody and sharply detailed story about life in New York Citys Little Italy, as seen through the experiences of a group of small time hoodlums. Scorsese brings his own obsessions into all his movies, and Mean Streets is no exception. His ambivalence towards group and family loyalties, macho values, and the notion of success and the price it demands are all evident, helping to set up the unstable, confused and destructive world of the film, and in particular the main protagonist Charlie. Vital to the creation of this world is the rec urrent incorporation of the colour red into the mise en scene. Different colours has been used as a filmic code by numerous directors however this was not possible until colour film was technologically feasible, As a code, colour takes its cue from social codes: red is associated with passion and violence; blue with coolness and melancholy (Lacey: 38). One of the ways in which colour is used is to focus the audiences awareness within the mise en scene. It is done with bright colours, which draw the eye more than pastel shades. Colour is obviously linked with lighting. Film directors may suffuse their film with a particular coloured light: red in Taxi Driver [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] and blue in Blue Steel (1989, Kathryn Bigelow). The effect of this is to link various themes in the film. (38 Lacey) The colour red has a instinctive impact when we first see it, not just in the form of blood, but also on fire trucks, stop signs, police lights and stoplights. Red lights constantly indicate warning and or danger unless they are in a red light district, where they imply a different kind of prohibited activity as seen in Taxi Driver. Scorsese frequently encoded the colour red into his films for many reasons. On the New York, New York special edition DVD introduction, he said that his codification was influenced by the films of the Classical Hollywood period which had the stamp of Hollywood of the 1940s and 1950s. Some of things he mentions are: the artifice of the film, the sets themselves, the obvious sets, sometimes the sets were painted, you could see it wasnt real. The street kerbs that were supposed to be in New York were too high. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] But we understood it to be a different kind of reality, a parallel universe in a way, to the reality I knew [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] in the streets or at home. That didnt mean that the films are any less true, you see. And that doesnt necessarily mean that, because theyre coded in a sense [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] a code that occurs. The happy endings werent quite realistic or true. There was something else going on emotionally in those films that were very true to the human condition. I tried to bring that out, but place it against and upon the old template. I decided the way to handle New York, New York would be to deal with the artifice right up front. As you can see from his interview is that he was implying that his films were heavily coded just like the films from the Classical Hollywood period. In this paper I will attempt to decode his films with principal emphasis on his use of the colour red. Scorseses profound stylised use of the colour red was inspired by The Red Shoes (1948, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger) which is included his Top Ten English Language Film List which exemplifies the use of light and color.[1] In an interview Scorsese remarked that the use of color in the movie isnt realistic. But it really reflects the heightened world of the ballet, the heightened world of theater. Color is always something that is going to be an aesthetic comment, no matter how you do it.[2] It is very clear, as the use of red in the film is very dominant in The Red Shoes. Such as the theatre curtains are red and so are Vicki Pages hair. The color exhibits a sexual power and an artistic passion. (LoBrutto: 29) The use of red in the film therefore does not represent sin or violence like in some of Scorseses films. The colour red connotes numerous diverse meanings, one of most well-known being alarm or danger, perhaps it is because it is the colour of blood. During the first few scenes in Mean Streets, Scorsese introducers us to the four main characters by colour coding their clothing. Firstly, Tony, who we see walking into the toilets of his own bar, where much of the action takes place, we notice on him, moments before he uses force to remove a heroin user from the toilets, and attacking a drug pusher a prominent red shirt. This subtly demonstrates his harsh, violent nature, and unites him with the bright red Hell that is his bar and his world. In other words his red shirt coordinates with the infernal red glow of his bar, denoting his sinful, damaging existence within its realm. After all, only a man of perilous intent with a taste for danger would fulfil his dream of caging a pet lion and a panther in his basement, illegally or not. Furthermore, the distinctive red shirt worn by Johnny Boy introduces him in a similar light to Tony, as a dangerous, unyielding individual. His mindless prank of exploding a red mail box immediately after he appears on screen only reinforces his reckless character suggested by the shirt, and unites him with the malevolent life of Tonys bar. Additionally in Mean Streets, Michaels superior involvement within the group of friends is signified by his striking red tie. The garment itself connotes his strong business aspirations and his destination for higher things, probably as a third rank mafia hood, whereas the colour connotes his brutal, dangerous nature, the result of which being the eventual bloodbath that marks the films ending. Indeed, one could not examine the colour red in Mean Streets and ignore the extensive use of blood in the films final sequence. In contrast to the other three characters, when we first see Charlie, he is wearing a white vest which subliminally separates him from everyone else. The first shot of the film is of Charlie waking up; as he stands up and walks across to his mirror we see two crosses. Firstly the one he is wearing around his neck and the second on his wall. This Christian symbolism, together with his white vest symbolises his purity. Through out the film Charlie comes across people who are wearing red and tempt him into sin. This is best exemplified by the black dancer in Tonys bar who is wearing nothing apart from red underwear. The close up shot of the red underwear worn by the dancer on stage reinforces the moral dilemma Charlie faces between his religion and his social aspirations. The existence of this red underwear present, in Scorseses terms, the notion of her being a whore as opposed to the virginal white dress worn by Vickie in Raging Bull, or Betsy in Taxi Driver, who appeared like an angel, or even Charlies white vest at the beginning of the film. The red underwear implies that the girl is immediately connected to the immoral world of Mean Streets, and therefore brands her a whore. However, the red also connotes Charlies obvious desire for the girl, an emotion strong enough for him to dance with her. Nevertheless, the dance is immediately followed by Charlies own penance of burning his finger on naked flame, a ritual of his we are first introduced to in the opening scene in the church, which again reminds us of how his religion has helped confuse his moral state of mind. Indeed, Charlies Catholic upbringing contributes greatly to his rejection of the black dancer from Tonys bar, even though he desires her. Comparably, J.D.s Catholic persuasion leads to his rejection of The Girl from Whos That Knocking At My Door, which is due to his need for a virginal bride. This example is particularly harsh, as his refusal is a consequence of her previous rape, which in his eyes means she is a whore. Whos That Knocking at My Door and Raging Bull play like diagnostics of the Madonna/Whore complex. The black and white cinematography only heightens the sexual stereotyping. As I have mentioned above that Vickie in Raging Bull, or Betsy in Taxi Driver wear white, Scorsese makes all his blondes wear white when we first see them in his films, such as Sharon Stone in Casino. The white clothing adds t o their virtuousness and virginal aesthetics before they are corrupted by the main male protagonists- very often played by DeNiro himself. The blonde in a white clothing could also be a reference to Alfred Hitchcock, as he also used to present his blonde female characters in white when we first see them. In Raging Bull, Jake Le Motta even buys his wife a white dress and white sunglasses as he wants her to be the virginal and virtuous type, as throughout the film he believes that she is cheating on him. In Mean Streets, the colour red serves as a metaphor for the hostile nature of the protagonist Charlie, his world and the destiny of him and those surrounding him within the film. Moreover, the brining red of Max Cadys sports car is perfect example of how the colour red has been incorporated as a subtext in Scorseses remake of Cape Fear. The gruesome, violent acts performed by Cady throughout the film, together with his brutal nature, are suggested by his extreme choice of vehicle. This frightening aspect of the colour red could be reference to The Counterfeit Traitor (1962, George Seaton). As Scorsese said of the film once- for kids brought up on the black-and-white battlegrounds of newsreels, the use of color here especially the color red, which is very important gave the film a presence and an immediacy that frightened us.[3] As this quote shows that the colour red was sometimes used by Scorsese to scare his audience. This heavy use of red clothing is not only present in Mean Streets but almost all of Scorseses protagonists wear red such as DeNiro, Pesci and Stone in Casino wear it at various moments in the film. Scorsese in an interview said that on the streets of Little Italy that- The one thing you couldnt wear was the colour red. I remember wanting a red jacket, and my father said, Only pimps wear red, youre not having one and thats that. Wearing red was also a sure way to attract police attention.[4] As this quote shows Scorsese is very aware of the various associations with wearing red clothing, such as you might be associated with pimps and that you might attract police attention. This adds credence to the moral dilemma that Charlie faces in the film. The introduction of Michael considering the religious themes in the film his character could be a reference to Lucifer as he hunts them down and shoots them during the films climax at the end is important when considering Scorseses use of the colour red with relation to the rest of Mean Streets. Firstly, he delivers a large red box of Marlboro cigarettes to Charlie, which he places on the table between the two characters. The cigarettes are positioned centrally on the screen, automatically capturing the audiences attention. Initially, Charlie complains about the brand of cigarettes, but accepts them after Michael explains that for these prices Charlie, you shouldnt complain. Therefore, we assume Scorsese focuses on the cigarettes, by means of their red colour and positioning in the mise-en-scene, in order to present the ineffectual nature of Charlie within the realm of his world. Surely, forsaking his preferred choice of cigarettes is a minor, yet noticeable sacrifice; one he must make to be a part of the gangster life. As I have mentioned, Michael Powells influence is all over Scorseses work. His distinct usage of the colour red is a direct homage to Powell. It is interesting that Powell twice counselled Scorsese against the colour red. The first time was When Powell saw 8mm test footage of DeNiro sparring, he remarked that The red boxing gloves are too red. And Scorsese agreed and that was one of the reasons why [he] decided to make the film [in] black-and-white.[5] Another reason why Scorsese did not shoot the film in colour was because A number of boxing films were in production such as Rocky II, The Main Event, a remake of The Champ, and Matilda and so Scorsese wanted to go another way (LoBrutto: 223) and be original. Another scene that inspired Scorseses use of red, in The Red Shoes, was the main protagonists use of bright red lipstick which he used for Francine in New York, New York. As LoBrutto wrote that Francines deep red lipstick is accurate for the period but another opportunity to dominate many of the images with the color of his obsessions of hot tempers more than sexual temperature. (LoBrutto: 210) As the quote shows that this time Scorsese used the colour red not to symbolise violence or sin but as a sexual code. The colour red was no doubt a major colour not only in Mean Streets but also in Taxi Driver, particularly the scene set in the brothel. Red can imply danger, but in the case of the ambience of the brothel, the colour red could also imply wilful or morally wrong behaviour. The night time setting and the low key lighting has been significantly used in Taxi Driver and the constructed space closely echoes the look of film noirs. The red low key lighting produces a sombre and mysterious mood and emphasising deep shadows to create tension in the scene. During the final climax in Taxi Driver, the face of Travis and Sport have been clearly highlighted by the strong light effects from indoors and with red light emanating from the neon lights of the street even though there are not that many street lights when we saw an exterior shot of the building. At one moment during that sequence of the film we see a halo of white light dimly reflected over Travis shaved Mohican head which neutralises hi s violence and gives him the appearance of an (avenging) angel. As since white by tradition represents purity and innocence. Since red light draws the audiences attention, the function of flashing red lights increases the power of the colour such as the rotating red and blue light from the police car at the end of Taxi Driver. The colour red is not only used at night but also in the daytime. In these cases, Scorsese fills the mise en scene with bright red objects. For example when Henry crosses the street, to teach Karens neighbour a lesson for touching her, by beating his face with the end of his gun: the car, the flowers, the toolbox and even the house itself are all bright red. This scene shows that even the peaceful leafy suburbs are not safe during the day time when there are hoodlums present and that no one is safe from them. Also when Henry first explains how Jimmy hijacks trucks without using any force, we see Jimmy completely covered in red lighting. Or when Henry spends a paranoid day driving around his neighbourhood, prepping a batch of cocaine for delivery, and he keeps calling home to ensure his brother is properly stirring the bright red source (a symbolic reference to blood). In Taxi Driver, this technique is apparent throughout the film, with the streets of New York presented as an inferno of evil and treachery or as Bickle calls it: an open sewer full of filth and scum. Scorseses use of expressionistic colour shows us how Bickle observes the nocturnal world around him. Contrasting to the darkness, neon lights appear extra bright, and many shots are taken of blurry colours seen through water on the windshield. This palette of colour once again takes the audience inside Bickles mind. During the scene were Travis shoots the pimp, Scorsese employs the use of surrealistic colour. Everything inside the building seems grungy and dirty, and the extra bright red colour of the blood stands out over everything else. This theme was again used by Scorsese in After Hours, which again happened predominantly at night with various neon lights incorporated into the mise-en-scene. Both Minnelli and DeNiro in New York, New York wear red clothing which again connects their characters with the red symbolism of the city. By making the city red, Scorsese represents the city as malevolent. In Mean Streets, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas the city is colour coded in bright red. This is especially true in New York, New York, the city, no matter if it is interior space or exterior is predominantly red, and yet the opposite can be seen in the film. As DeNiro and Minnelli meet outside of the city in the woods, their clothing and setting is white or pale. This sudden change in colour instils in the audience the contrast between the peaceful and pure rural space with the sinful inner-city space. Not only is red an important colour in Christianity but also brown. In Scorseses Last Temptation of Christ (1988), he uses a very monochromatic brown colour to emphasise Jesus humanity and to contrast Jesus the poor peasant with the power and riches of Rome which are decorated in red and gold. However like his other films, red is another major colour symbolising the final spilling of Jesus blood. Of course in this respect, red is a prominent colour in many Jesus films, none more than Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ. Whilst the film opens under a blue filter, the rest of the film is subject to the bright red blood of Jesus. Religion is also at the heart of Scorseses remake of Cape Fear. Max in the film is sent to the family by God to test them. Each member of the family displays a tendency toward immoral behaviour or what they perceive to be immoral behaviour. Such as when Sam is asleep, Leigh is seen grooming herself in the bedroom mirror and day dreaming of other men, at which point Max appears outside the house, backed by a dazzling display of fireworks which is a sexually charged image as the night sky is associated with the feminine and fireworks can represent the male orgasm. The colour red is again important in the film as when she and Sam go out to investigate she guiltily wipes the red lipstick from her lips. It almost seems that her sinful thoughts provoked Maxs presence. Maxs superhuman ability to withstand pain is yet another religious clue. He is superhuman because he is what he claims to be, a messenger from God sent to test the family, he even says: Youre a VIP on Earth. Im a VIP in heave n. This is why he is able to fight back against the three thugs despite a beating that would render any human demobilised. Another religious use of the colour red can be found in the scene in which Sam hallucinates crucifixion wounds in his hands which can represent that his soul has been saved. This can not be said about many of Scorseses characters in his other films as most have committed too many sins to be saved or die before they can be saved such as the final climax in the lift in The Departed. As LoBrutto noted, Red is also identified with blood, the Passion of Christ, the Crucifixion, and the suffering Jesus endured on earth for the salvation of mankind. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] The stigmata are wounds that bleed openly, corresponding to the feet, hands, side and brow of the crucified Christ. A substitute for a baptism of holy water is blood. (LoBrutto: 64-65) So therefore a character can be born again via blood baptism, for example, Travis during the climax of the film is covered in blood and therefore born again as he saves the girl. As LoBrutto also wrote: Scorsese was revealing his obsessions with Old Testament values: revenge, redemption, and the ancient rite of purification by blood. (LoBrutto: 64-65) These themes Scorsese has obsessed about for his entire career as they appear repeatedly in his films. As a young man, Scorsese wanted to become a priest, but he decided to become a filmmaker after his many visits to the movie theatre. He proposed that films are a new secular religion and that they can offer the viewer and the director redemption and salvation.[6] That is why in Mean Streets, it is not surprising that Charlies confessional speech in church at the beginning of the film focuses on the forgiveness of sin, an important theme that runs throughout the film, often in his narration. His tormented dialogue begins with the narration of Scorsese himself: Lord, Im not worthy to eat your flesh, to drink your blood. This profound image demonstrates immediately the importance of religion to the character of Charlie, and indeed Scorsese, as he himself explains: My voice is inter-cut with Harvey [Kietel]s throughout the film, and for me that was a way of trying to come to terms with myself, trying to redeem myself. In this sense we realise exactly how personal the film is to Scorsese, as a creative form of art, and as a source of redemption, and are able to make a comparison between Charlie and himself. Furthermore, Charlies narrative reference to blood relates to the blood red imagery apparent throughout the film, in this case utilising it to realise Charlies discomfort with his religion. As Charlie stands to move to another part of the church, we are presented with an aerial long shot of the chapel, whereby the dark red of the chairs seem almost like a tide of blood from the countless confessions typical to that of Charlies, in which the blood of Christ has been spilt in vain. Indeed Charlie explains before this scene his perception that: you dont make up for your sins in church, you do it in the streets and at home; the rest is bullshit. Consequently, we are aware that religion is not so much a belief of Charlies, but merely a formality, and as in Boxcar Bertha religion is an insidious, pervasive, destructive idea, inescapability allied to the forces of greed and manipulation. Moreover, the overt use of red candles surrounding Charlie in the church, which is similar to that in Iriss confessional scene in Taxi Driver, is symbolic of the burning hell he experiences, much of which is due to his overpowering dilemma with his religion. He explains that pain in hell has two sides. The kind you can touch with your hand the kind you can feel in your heart, and the spiritual side. And you know the worse of the two is the spiritual. Whilst he is uttering these words, the action on screen reverts from the church to the burning red of Tonys bar. Immediately we realise a connection between the hell Charlie describes in church, and the hell we perceive of his social climate, the colour red being a vital link in presenting this hell. Colour can affect us subliminally, and this is best exemplified in the modern day by restaurants fast food restaurants like Burger King have a lot of bright colours including red -which makes you want to buy the food quickly and leave whilst expensive restaurants use mainly neutral colours which make you more relaxed and stay for longer. Therefore the effect of the use of red in Tonys bar, in Mean Streets, could also then represent their fast pasted lifestyles in New York. The emphasised red glare evident within Tonys bar metaphorically can also instils a sense of hell being an unbearable inferno; suggesting an atmosphere full of sin and corruption, the occupants of which are doomed. Even when Scorsese showed Mean Streets to Michael Powell, Powell advised him the second time (the first being the red mitts in Raging Bull) told him that he overused the colour red in Mean Streets and that he should remove some of the red lighting, which Scorsese refused. [7] This expressionistic use o f red lighting can be examined in films as far back as 1927, when Fritz Lang emphasised the hellish qualities of the underground slave factory in Metropolis by bathing the entire mise-en-scene in ominous red tint. Whereas Langs use of red reinforces his overtly expressionistic style, Scorseses appears simply as a flash of expression, which combined with the strong, documentary style realism of Mean Streets, seems all the more significant. Furthermore, the long motion tracking shot on entering Tonys bar works well with the glaring red effect, establishing a tense, almost nauseating atmosphere, which emulates perfectly with the hell described by Charlie; a feeling that is further intensified by the use of soundtrack, in particular Jumping Jack Flash by the Rolling Stones. The sequence is similar in style to that of Goodfellas, whereby the camera slowly closes in on Jimmy, and using just only 30 frames of film per second. Although his character has no verbal narrative in this scene, the expressive combination of slow camera movement and contemporary music highlight Jimmys tension and anger, enabling the audience to share his hatred, and assume his intention to get rid off Mauri. This slowing-down of the film has become a trade mark for Scorsese as he uses it in almost every single film he has made, even in his earliest short films like The Big Shave. In Mean Streets, the red walls of the restaurant Charlie visits later in this extract is also an important device of Scorsese, used to subtextually progress the narrative through the elaborate mise-en-scene. On one level we could understand this use to be symbolic of Charlies frustration due to his long awaited possession of the restaurant. However, with relation to the red of Tonys bar it suggests, contrary to Charlies belief, the venture may not be a way of escaping his hell. In other words his moving from one red inferno, that of Tonys bar, to another, the restaurant, neither improving nor solving his problems. As Roger Ebert wrote in his Great Movies essay on the film, The real world is shot in ordinary colors, but then Charlie descends into the bar run by his friend Tony, and it is always bathed in red, the color of sex, blood and guilt.[8] This quote can also applies to the bar in Goodfellas, The Bamboo Lounge, which is also lit with a similar red glow with the red lighting of the bar lounge making the characters face completely red. Or on Henrys first date with Karen, when his influence and generous tipping allows them to skip the line at the Copacabana, the entire club is awash in red lighting. A similar technique is employed in Taxi Driver, where the red walls of the Palentine building suggest Betsy will not be the answer to Traviss problems, and she will not relieve him from the Hell in which he suffers. Scorsese has continually used red lighting to create an insidious inferno for his immoral protagonist to dwell. In the book Gangster Priest: The Italian American Cinema of Martin Scorsese, Robert Casillo writes that the red in Goodfellas is associated with blood, violence, suffering, and passion. It can even be read as more simple than that. Nearly every shocking deed of all shapes and sizes is emphasised onscreen by a splash of bright vibrant red. When the mafia men do something as gruesome as beat a man to death for insulting Pesci, they do it in a bar room filled with red lighting. And when he comes alive in their trunk as they try to dispose of the body, the cars brake lights casts an unbelievably strong red glare on DeNiro and Pesci. They are literally a washed in a bright red smoke filled mise en scene when burying their victim Billy. The malevolent extent of their crime highlighted by this expressive use of lighting, and the immoral world they share is inflamed upon us. The se quence even ends with a highly unusual fade to red. When they have to go back six months later and dig up the same body, things get even more abstract. Its as if their collective sins have stained the film stock permanently. There is no other colour apart from red in that scene. All of these scenes gave the impression to the audience of the images of Hell, which increased the insinuation of violence. As LoBrutto noted that as much as Scorsese enjoyed musicals and comedies it was the morality and street justice of the gangster film [that was] most reflective of the life he lived in Little Italy. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] He was raised in a coded culture that fenced out all others. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] He was tortured by conflicts presented by his two masters the church and the cinema. (LoBrutto: 63) As Charlie struggles with finding the right path in Mean Streets, the film begins with a shot of a projector showing us the film we are about to see. It is as though the characters now that they ar e in a movie and so Scorsese ties in the church and the cinema at the same time. Scorseses overtly violent style often involves an overwhelming amount of blood on screen, from his early short film The Big Shave, to Cape Fear, and here it helps to present a horrific image of the pain and penance experienced by Johnny Boy and Charlie for their sins, and highlight the extremely harsh consequence for Teresa who is oblivious to the extent of her brothers trouble. The Big Shave was widely read as a metaphor for the Vietnam War. On screen a young man enters a pristine white bathroom and walks up to a mirror just like Charlie does in the opening scene of Mean Streets in which he walks up to a mirror and scratches his face. The man in the bathroom begins to apply the puffy white shaving cream on his face which again connects to the notion of innocence and purity. Whilst shaving, one of the razor strokes pierces the skin and he begins to bleed. Confused, he continues his morning shave but now each lash of the blade tears into his tender flesh deeper and deeper. Soon his plain features are totally cut open. A daring ear to ear swipe of the razor literally slashes his throat open. Blood covers him and falls around him, the bright red contrasting the perfect spotlessness of the bathroom. The same way Scorseses blondes contrast at the beginning of his films as they wear white and the setting is filled with red. At the end of The Big Shave, there is ev en a fade to red just like the ending of the scene in which DeNiro, Pesci and Layoota bury Baits. As if the blood of the self torture soaks into the celluloid and fills the entire frame. So therefore The Big Shave is representative of USAs irresponsible participation in the Vietnam War, especially their self destructiveness. As LoBrutto noted that The Big Shave shifted the emphasis from personal to political (LoBrutto: 62) and so the red of the blood now represents the spilled blood of Vietnamese and American soldiers. In Mean Streets, we finally realise the true hell that constitutes Little Italy, and understand the violent outcome when anyone tries to subvert the statue quo. In addition, Scorseses powerful, gut-wrenching sequence in Taxi Driver, where Travis savagely takes out an entire brothel has been acknowledged for its abundant overflow of blood. Indeed, the MPAA was ready to give it an X rating for violence. They suggested he tone it down the red blood, in order to get an R rating. So, Scorsese put the scene through a special chemical treatment that made the blood darker. The darker version of the red blood turned out almost more powerful than the splattered ketchup style colour of the original. In Scorseses view, it made the scene more sickening and disturbing, but he got his R rating. And yet it is still the colour red as Jean-Luc Godard put it: Its not blood, its red.[9] Scorsese also uses the colour red for his opening titles as he himself has recognised that the burning credits and foreboding red glare of the opening of King Vidors classic western Duel in the Sun (also in his top ten English Language film list which exemplifies the use of light and color[10]), has affected his use of red at the beginning of his films and he also said how as a child he was amazed how the use of colour could produce such a powerful effect. Possibly one of the most blatant incorporations of the colour red in Scorseses work is the credit sequence in Raging Bull, whereby the prominent red letters of the films title and DeNiros name is set against the gloomy black and white image of the boxing ring. The boxing rings ropes split the screen into four distinct parts representing four different parts of his lif

The Significance of ?Xenia? Essay -- essays research papers

The Significance of â€Å"Xenia† Ancient Greece is known for its beautiful theaters and its skilled poets. One of the most famous ones at that time and famous even now is Homer. Nobody knows who he actually is but the works that he has created are far more than magnificent. The Odyssey and The Iliad are two poems that turned into myths, have actually been accepted as part of the history of the Greeks. The Odyssey is a story about a hero from the Trojan War who struggles to get home to his family and when he finally does he faces the suitors who he fights and defeats with the help of the gods and his son who he hasn't seen for around twenty years. The gradual development of the plot, the actual, end of the book is easily noticed. A big role in that development plays hospitality or as Homer calls it the xenia. Odysseus' journey on his way back to his island Ithaca contains numerous details about hospitality and what it is to be a good or a bad host. His voyage is based on the kindness and the warmth of the people . There are gods and humans, and giants that do not appreciate the hero but he deals with them and we meet with the actual plot of the story, his homecoming. Warmth and kindness are presented within every visit described in the book. Homer draws a very good picture of how guests are welcomed, what entertainment they are given and the way they are send on their way. The picture is filled with kindness and warmth. We could say that the kind of hospitality presented in the book is hardly seen today. The different steps of welcoming some one are really interesting. The host is bathed and fed right after his arrival no matter who he is. Hosts do not really present the question that identifies their guest until later on, after he has been well rested and entertained. A great example of this is when Telemachos and Athene, in the body of Mentor, visit Nestor. When Nestor sees the two men he has never seen before he has a feast with his sons and companions. In the sight of the strangers they all stand up and greet them. The first thing that is done is to find a place for the two guests on the table and to feed them. â€Å"When they had satisfied their appetite and thirst, Nestor, the Gerenian charioteer, said: ‘Now that our visitors have eaten well, it is the right moment to put some questions to them and enquire who they are?†(Book#3line ... ...e, son, and servants they abuse for so long. "You dogs!’ he cried. ‘You never thought to see me back from troy. So you fleeced my household; you raped my maids; you courted my wife behind my back though I was alive- with no more fear of the gods in heaven than of the human vengeance that might come. One and all, your fate is sealed.†(Book #22, lines 35-40) These are the words of Odysseus, mad with the destruction the suitors have caused to his home. He kills them all, right before they are about to eat. He kills Antinous right when he is about to drink from the wine. The suitors do not deserve the food that is being served to them because of their cruelty towards the host ,the hostess and their disloyalty to him and Ithaca The Odyssey is a book that grabs its reader with its story about Odysseus and his final homecoming. There would be no homecoming or he would have been home too late to save his wife and son from the â€Å"arrogant " suitors if there was not the good hospitality of the people he visits. Everybody Odysseus meets on his way has helped the story progress by their bad or good hospitality. Therefore xenia plays a very significant role in the plot of the story.

My Dream Job Essay

For many years since I was young I had the passion to be a police officer, I wanted to be that hero who I seen on television that saved everybody from danger and harm but little did I know it wasn’t as easy as television made it come out to be. As my school days passed I finally came to a conclusion of what I wanted my life to be like. High school was the turning point where I no longer wanted to be a police officer anymore, I grew knowledge of better opportunities for me and being a police officer just wasn’t enough for me. I wanted a job that was going to give me the ability to live high class and buy the expensive things I wish I could have had when I was young. Homicide detective was my next goal in my life to be, I’ve watched many episodes of a show called â€Å"The First 48†³ and it inspired me to want to solve murders for people who didn’t have the chance to tell their side of the story. The First 48 showed many positive sides of being a homicide detective but gave little information about what the actual job itself was like. Seeing dead bodies didn’t seem so bad to me but as I thought about it I asked myself if this is really what I wanted my everyday life to be like, the only thing i was concerned about was interrogating criminals to solve the case but the fact of seeing dead bodies everyday didn’t sit right with me. I was back at step one; trying to figure out what I wanted to be in life. Senior year came faster than expected and there I was clueless about my future, it was time to settle down and narrow down my options. I was certain that I wanted to work in the criminal justice industry so now all I had to do was research. My absolute final life decision was made and I just knew that being a family attorney was it for me. Now that I knew what I wanted to be I had to do deeper research than I have done before. I found that there’s not just one type of lawyer there are several different kinds such as; real estate, corporate, family, criminal, employment and so on its just a matter of fact what you’re interested in and want to do. Real estate lawyers deal with real property transactions that have gone wrong and take on cases that deal with mortgage or disclosure fraud and they even help with subdivision and zoning laws, most real estate lawyers are often highly specialized and work long hours depending on the client. There are numerous skills that you must have in order to be a successful real estate lawyer and that includes developing a broad business law foundation and having strong negotiating skills. Education is a big aspect when it comes to taking on this certain kind of job â€Å"A real estate lawyer must obtain a juris doctorate degree from a school accredited by the American Bar Association along with an attorney’s license through passing the bar exam†. Most employers often require several years of transaction preparation and contract negotiation but when it’s all done and said the salary could but quite rewarding â€Å"The average salary for a real estate lawyer is $118,000. Salary depends on the hourly rate charged and job experience. Working in a large firm or becoming a partner increases a real estate lawyer’s pay†. Corporate lawyers on the other hand are called when business advice is needed or they do what’s best in the interest of the corporation they are working for but they are also known for many different names too â€Å"A corporate lawyer is also known as In-House Counsel, Staff Attorney, Deputy General Counsel, General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer†. They have many duties that require a strong background in several different areas which means that you would have to have writing, negotiating and managerial skills. Corporate lawyer salaries could range from $66,000 to $170,000 but could only be possible with the education of having a juris doctorate degree that is received from an accredited law school by the American Bar Association. The job of a family lawyer could be a lot more emotional due to the life changing decisions that are made in court. Family lawyers deal with a wide variety of family issues such as child custody, legal separation, child support, marriage annulment and visitation rights. Family attorneys are also called divorce and family practice lawyers, it’s a shame how â€Å"Forty to fifty percent of all marriages in the United States end in divorce† but that’s just my opinion. The process of a divorce with no fault came to effect in 1969 when â€Å"California was the first state to legalize no-fault divorce. In 2010, New York was the last of the fifty states to approve it. No-fault divorce does not require any evidence of wrong-doing on the part of either spouse. Although divorce is a difficult emotional decision, in terms of the law, it can easily be granted under a no-fault divorce ruling†. Adivorce lawyer’s responsibility is to separate the assets and debt between the spouses, if children are involved the lawyer helps set the terms for child support and custody. Divorce lawyers must have excelling unique skills as a attentive listener because decisions made in and out of court will greatly affect the client’s life. There aren’t any specific education requirements for family lawyers although some courses are advised but passing the bar exam and attending law school is compulsory. Salaries for family attorneys can range from $48,000 to $80,000 and as they build their reputation their hourly rate and salary could most likely increase. Criminal Lawyers on the other hand represent their client in a criminal court system that goes through pretrial hearings, settlement conferences, trials and sentence hearings. They defend juveniles (teenagers), and adults at a state, federal and local level. Criminal lawyers often work on several cases at a time so it could be quite difficult to keep on with all your clients sometimes. They also offer legal counsel if it would be in their clients best interest. The process of going through the process can take time â€Å"There is a vast amount of time spent gathering evidence like police reports, eyewitness testimonies and any other information pertinent to the case. As a result, criminal lawyers utilize the expertise of paralegals, private investigators, litigation consultants and others to assist them†. As far as the salary for criminal lawyers â€Å"The average salary of a criminal lawyer is $78,500. However, the salary can range from $45,000 to $130,000. Interestingly, private criminal lawyers make the lowest earnings among lawyers. Experience and rising to the top of the career ladder however increases a criminal lawyer’s pay scale† so getting your business put out would be a main priority so that you could make more money. After all the options I looked over I decided that being a family lawyer would be the best decision for me because I think it would be a great thing if I helped families get over the pain that they’ve been through and also help the kids that are in the middle of it to be with the best parent that is best suitable for them and to have them in a safe environment and home. I hope to work in a successful big law firm one day and make a good living so that when I do decide to have kids I can be a great provider for them and put them through schooling like my parents were able to do for me.

Rise and Fall of Civilizations

Chanelle Samuel The Inevitable Progression of Complex Societies Ancient civilizations and the civilizations of today all share a commonality. That commonality is that all civilizations seem to go through this pattern of rise and fall. The civilization will grow, prosper, accumulate wealth and power, but eventually due to a variety of factors including natural disasters, economic decline, invasion, and so on, the civilization will slowly lose power and land and relinquish any sort of ties that once held them together.This is clearly evident in most civilizations, and the civilizations that it is not clearly evident in are those that can technically be called civilizations today. But since they are still civilizations of today, the cycle or rise and fall may not be completer yet. This rise and fall of civilizations is an inevitable process that continues to be a factor in today’s world. For the purpose of this essay I would like to clarify the definitions of terms that I will be using.The first is the term rise and fall. I clarify rise to be when a group of people gains power over their geography and environment, are unified in some way, and have the ability to not only sustain their power but have the potential to expand that power and influence outwards. Fall will be defined as when a group of people have no potential to expand, are losing their sustained power, and when there is no chance for them to rise again.A harder term to define is that of civilization, but for the purpose of this essay civilization will be defined as occupying a geographical area, the defining feature of how that civilization responds to the challenges from their location, maintain a social organization (that may change over time), a common religion, a form of communication, and an economic system (that changes over time). So form this point onwards these are the meanings of the terms I will be using. Form the beginnings of time humans have aggregated together, and lived within f amily groupings.These groupings at the beginning were very small, usually only containing of one family. But as humans began to learn, with the innovations of new tools and ideas were formed, as well as the ability to travel in larger numbers emerged. These were known as the hunter-gatherer civilizations. They were nomads who continually migrated in search of food resources with the changing of the seasons. From natural progression some of these peoples evolved to stay in one area and cultivate crops that beforehand they had mostly gathered. They began to domesticate regional plants and animals found in the area.This transfer from nomadic peoples to agricultural settlements was the first real implications of a true civilization. One of the first agricultural settlements that expanded and became a prosperous civilization was that of the Indus River Valley in present day Pakistan and India. It was built on the floodplains of the Indus and Saraswati Rivers, which created a problem as l eaders would have to deal with environmental factors such as intense flooding during the rainy season. The civilization was at its height from twenty-six hundred to nineteen hundred B.C. E. , and contained as many as five million people. Its economy was based heavily on trade which they prospered from due to their valuable commodities of ivory, cotton, hardwoods, and precious stones. They also had a unified culture, art and script. As I have outlined here the Indus River Valley clearly meets the criteria of a civilization. Although the historical evidence for this society is scarce as we cannot interpret their script, it is clear that this society expanded and flourished with the help of an extensive trade network and a fortified city.This would constitute the civilizations rise to power and extension of that power from trade alliances. This led to the height of the civilization which was showcased with the societies planned streets, with complicated plumbing, bath houses, and assem bly halls. But by eighteen hundred B. C. E. the civilization began to collapse. The most likely reason for the collapse was due to environmental factors including constant river flooding which could be due to increasing temperatures that caused the Himalayan glaciers to increase water in the rivers.This then affected their ability to cultivate crops and had an impact on sustaining high population numbers and the effectiveness of trade. There also may have been earthquakes which changed the landscape and may have altered the course of the rivers. The Indus river Valley clearly follows the rise and fall cycle of civilizations. It came to prominence beside the Indus River and based its agriculture on the fertile flood plains of the river. It grew in power and influence as the wealth of commodities they held were traded with neighbouring peoples.But environmental factors caused strain on the civilization that over time they were not able to solve or cope with which led to the eventual d ecline and fall of this once thriving civilization. Another example of civilizations that followed the same course were the shorted-lived civilizations of West Africa. These civilizations prospered in sub-Saharan Africa around the Senegal and Niger Rivers. The first civilization to rise there was that of Ancient Ghana. It developed around the fourth and fifth century C. E. from nomadic peoples known as the Soninke banding together for protection.They rose to power as the kings of Ghana maintained a monopoly on the trade of gold. They were in a key location which contained some of the largest gold resources of that time, and as civilizations in the Mediterranean based their currency on gold, it was in high demand. This caused Ghana to rely heavily on trade for their economy, as Arabs from Northern Africa crossed the Saharan desert to bring goods from elsewhere and trade for gold and salt. But Ghana began to weaken in power as the trade routes shifted further east and also lost its tr ading monopoly on gold.In addition other peoples envied Ghana’s wealth and pressured Ghana with attacks that further weakened the empire. Soon after, Ancient Ghana was overtaken and swallowed into the Mali Empire, which had the same characteristics of the Ghana Empire. It also relied heavily on trade and especially that of gold and salt. And similar to Ghana the Mali Empire slowly weakened and another empire the Songhay Empire exerted influenced and encompassed Mali into their empire. The West African civilizations are characterized by short periods of power, and eventual decline and take over by another society.That is why some people and I believe that those three civilizations can really be considered as one larger civilization. When taken as one civilization, you can think of Ghana and Mali and Songhay as three peaks of this one larger civilization, but as Songhay began to lose control of the trade routes another rising power from around todays Morocco caused the final fa ll of the West African civilization. West Africa fits in as a civilization by having common language roots of the Mande and Arabic, as well as a tolerant religion of a mixture of Islam and polytheism.They were located in western sub-Saharan Africa and maintained a heavy reliance on trade for their economies. But since they relied so heavily on the trade routes through the Saharan desserts once they lost control of those routes, they eventually diminished in power, and were invaded by other powers. The third civilization I would like to discuss is the Mayan Civilization. Its geographic location encompasses todays Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico. It was established in one hundred C. E. in an inhospitable landscape.The culture was undoubtedly polytheistic as there were enormous amounts of natural disasters in this area which could be why a lot of their gods are angry and vengeful gods. Their economy was based on trading with the peoples of the north. They also established religious centers and the formation of city-states. Mayan society was very advanced but all technological innovations pertained to religion and appeasement of their gods. They had a unified written script which allowed them to communicate. The height of Mayan civilization was in three hundred C.E. and was followed by a period of decline. There are many factors that caused the decline of the Mayan civilization. Firstly, environmental factors played a large role as a period of drought commenced after many successful rainy seasons which lead to huge increases in the population. So when the drought hit and crops began to fail, there just wasn’t enough food to support such a large population. They also used slash and burn agriculture which only supports crops for a short period of time before that same land becomes arid and unusable.Also the arrival of the Spanish in Peru lead to the spread of epidemic diseases that the Mayans had no immunity for including small pox, measles, and chicken po x. Internal rivalries were also present which caused conflict and instability within the society. The Spanish also conquered territory and with their superior weapons and military they were able to defeat the Mayans. At the height of Mayan Civilization it is obvious that this civilization was strong and very advanced. But, like the other civilizations a variety of factors came about that lead to the decline and further more fall of the Mayan Civilization.However there are still people of Mayan descent that I do believe protect the language and customs, but Mayan civilization no longer has its own economic base or power and influence over other peoples or on the environment. And lastly, I would like to look at Roman Civilization. The Roman Empire was founded in eight century B. C. E. , and was originally a small city-state ruled by a single king. However, in five hundred and nine B. C. E. the city’s aristocrats deposed the king and instituted a republic. When the republican co nstitution was in place, Roman civilization really began to rise in prominence.Between the fourth and second centuries B. C. E. , the people of Rome transformed their city from a small vulnerable city-state to the center of an enormous empire. In early Rome, polytheism was common, which was their belief in many Roman gods, but as they conquered lands new religions were brought into the empire including Judaism and Christianity. They consolidated their power in the Italian peninsula, and expanded outwards to conquer lands. They absorbed the land they conquered and allowed those peoples to govern their own internal affairs, and if they wanted, to gain Roman citizenship.This expansion brought wealth and power to Rome, but also increased class tensions where the disparity between the poor and the wealthy, and also administering to all the conquered lands began to strain resources. The Roman Empire was based on trade, and since they had such a large territory there was a lot of specializ ation that allowed them to trade in many goods. But with the over reach of the Roman Empire and the strain on resources, the Roman Empire was just too large to control and maintain. Internal tensions and attacks from outsiders also led to the fall of Rome.I have just outlined four cases that come from completely different areas of the world in which civilizations have risen, reached some sort of peak, and then declined and eventually diminished altogether. There are many more examples of civilizations throughout history that have also followed this pattern, but does outlining the instances in which these civilizations became established and then subsequent fall really explains why rise and fall is inevitable in all civilizations? I do not believe it explains the inevitability part that I have mentioned.I think in order to really understand why civilizations are bound to repeat this process lies within the human psyche. Humans are essentially the most complex species on the planet. I t is our brain and the ability to make tools that sets us apart from all other species and has allowed us to grow and develop in the way that we have. But humans also have another side which is not as bright. It is our consumerism, greed, and the belief that our species is the superior species and therefore we have the right to do what we will.This belief in superiority and greed has led to an evolution where we do not take into account the environment and the land that gives us sustenance and the ability to breathe clean air. This dominance over the environment and superiority has directed many civilizations to their downfall due to overconfidence, overextension of their power, and overharvesting of their resources. An example I have already spoken about is Rome. The need to conquer more land, and their greed in gaining wealth and power by taking other’s resources only amounted in weakening the empire to a state that left them vulnerable to invasion and collapse.In Mesoameri ca civilizations like the Mayans, used the slash and burn technique in agriculture which had devastating effects on the land. The destruction of forests for agricultural land releases a large amount of stored carbon that will all be released in the atmosphere. It also extinguishes nutrient cycling by creating crop land since no decomposition of organic matters occur, the soils then become very poor and arid and makes way for soil erosion, and can also lead to desertification. The biosphere actually has a carrying capacity for each environment.A carrying capacity is the amount of individuals that can live off the environment in a certain area. Once that plateau is reached there will be no more food, water, or shelter for those excess people. The earth cannot just contain an infinite amount of organisms. It has a limit to the amount it can supply. Once that plateau is hit there is no possibility of growth or extension of power and influence unless people find a way to live sustainably . The progression of civilizations will not overcome the rise and fall course of development unless humans make a shift in their thought processes.As presented in this essay the evidence of rise and fall within a civilization is sound. From past civilizations the overexpansion, internal dissent, invasion, or environmental factors have been the cause of decline in all those civilizations. In the civilizations that still exist today; the human beliefs are still the same. There is still this want to expand, to exhibit a greater power or influence over others, and to gain in wealth. This consumer way of life is the mindset that leads to declines of civilizations. The exploitation of the environment including agriculture, fishing, metals, oil, nd logging is causing a degradation of the environment and could lead to the collapse of the last remaining civilizations. Unless there is a switch to sustainable living in which the environment can recuperate and replenish, there will be nothing l eft to consume and nothing left to form the basis of today’s global economic society. Therefore all civilizations need to live and grow with the thought that natural resources are not infinite but in fact are running out very fast. If humans continue to live as greed-filled, corporation based unsustainable societies then it is inevitable that they will all fall.

USA became the most powerful economy in the world

During the 1920s, USA became the most powerful economy in the world, there are many reasons for this which will be explained in the main part of my essay. After the First World War Woodrow Wilson wanted to play a part in shaping the peace. He came up with 14 points, one of them was the idea of a League of Nations, and he wanted USA to play a leading role in world politics. Unfortunately his political position was already weak, the American senate was worried that this would permanently involve USA in European affairs and rejected the treaties, meaning that they never joined the League of Nations. This helped the American Economy as they did not have to spend money on armed forces there was no threat to them because of the natural barriers of the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. They also had Mexico to the South and Canada to the North, both friendly countries, which left money for new industries, effectively putting America first.This leads on to the American governments views on how the extra money put toward new businesses was used. The attitudes of the American government towards business and industry The attitudes of the American government was to give the business leaders a free hand to make maximum profits, the regulations over businesses were minimised, the government was said to have been restored to its position as Umpire instead of player by Herbert Hoover in a speech during the presidential Election in 1928. This encouraged people to work hard as they kept most of what their profits, although due to the lack of regulations, a lot of people were exploited.Some people who were exploited more than the average American were immigrants. Between 1820 and 1920, over 35 million immigrants reached USA, most were from Britain and Northern Europe and were Protestant, but after 1880 more came from Eastern Europe, Japan and China, in the 1920s the ideal citizen wa...

Last Minute SAT Strategies 11 Guides You Must Read

Last Minute SAT Strategies 11 Guides You Must Read SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips It's the week or the day before your big SAT test date, and you want to have the best chance possible at raising your score. At PrepScholar we've written hundreds of free guides to help you succeed on the test, but some guides are especially helpful right before your test. By reading these guides, you'll make sure you're in the best shape possible on test day. General SAT Strategy Top SAT Test Day Tips Make sure you’ve sharpened your pencils and checked your calculator’s batteries! This post outlines the best ways to make your test day (almost) stress free. The Best Wayto Review Your Mistakes from SAT Practice Questions In your last study time before your SAT test date, don't worry about taking another full-length practice test. Instead, review your mistakes from the past so that you can avoid them on test day. This guide tells you how you should be reviewing your mistakes to get the most out of your time. Should You Guess on the SAT? 6 Guessing Strategies Guessing is a huge component of the SAT. And no, guessing â€Å"C† every time didn’t make our list. Check out PrepScholar’s expert advice on how to answer when you don’t know the answer. 9 Ways to Buy Time on the SAT Here are even more ideas on how to make sure you finish every section and guarantee your best possible score. SAT Math Strategy The 21 Critical SAT Math Formulas You Must Know Make sure you know these SAT math formulas before the test. Even if some are given to you, you should memorize them to answer questions more quickly. If you know every formula on this list, you're in a great spot for SAT math. How to Avoid Time Problemson SAT Math The SAT Math section gives you a lot of time pressure. How do you overcome this so you get to answer more questions in less time? Read our expert guide. SAT Reading Strategy How to Stop Running Out of Time on SAT Reading Is your Reading score not what you were hoping for? Are you running out of time on SAT Reading passages? Read how you can buy yourself more time on this time-consuming section. How to Get an 800 onSAT Reading While this guide tells you how to improve through studying, for last minute tips focus on the strategies on eliminating answer choices and how to read passages. SAT Writing/Essay The Complete Guide to SAT Grammar Rules Who or whom? What’s the difference between an adverb and an adjective? PrepScholar has the answers and we’ve put them all in one place. Review every grammar rule tested on the SAT to refresh your memory and to prime yourself for the test. How to Write an SAT Essay, Step by Step Not sure how to write that perfect essay in just 25 minutes? We break it down into an easy-to-follow, easy-to-remember process that’s sure to boost your score. Practice this at least once before SAT test day so you make sure you get it down. 6 SAT Essay Examples You Can Use to Answer Every SAT Essay Prompt Don't walk into the SAT Writing essay empty-handed. If you prepare your examples beforehand, you WILL have a much better shot at scoring higher on the essay. Take time to pre-plan your examples ahead of time - it can improve your essay score by 2 points or more. BONUS: How to Get a Perfect SAT Score by a 2400 Full Scorer If you're striving for a really high SAT score (2300-2400), take a minute to read advice from a perfect scorer - me. I tell you the strategies you need to be using during your prep and test to minimize your mistakes and make sure you’re prepared for perfection. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Bill Clinton Profile Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bill Clinton Profile - Research Paper Example During his tenure, the unemployment rate reduced drastically, the country experienced the lowest inflation rate for over thirty years, the criminal rate dropped significantly in United States America, and the was also reduction on the welfare rolls(Michael and Hugh 26). For the period of his eight years presidency, the country experienced the highest ownership of homes in the country’s history. Bill Clinton also proposed the first ever balanced budget to get a budget superfluous. In celebrating the new millennium, Bill Clinton proposed a concrete national plan to cap racial discrimination in the United States. However, in his term in office, Clinton encountered some severe setbacks which affected his reputation. His superb reputation and outrageous economic prosperity was greatly tarnished by his personal characters in White house (Michael and Hugh 26). The impact of Bill Clinton presidency in the world peace making initiative as well as his effort of enhancing global economic progress has motivated me to go for Bill Clinton profile in this profile paper. The paper will unfold Bill Clinton profile from his young ages up to his highest leadership position in his life history Bill Clinton was born as William Jefferson Blythe on 19th august 1946 in Hope, Arkansas. His father died when he was at the age of three years in a severe road accident. At the age of four years, his mother married a second hand car dealer. At this early stage, Clinton portrayed his concern over religion and racial injustice in United States of America. Young Bill Clinton spent most of his times with his grandfather who taught him on the need for equality between the whites and blacks in USA. At his tender age, Bill Clinton also expressed extraordinary grave attitudes towards religion. In his homestead, Bill Clinton was the only person who was attending church services. His concern over racism and religion during his early ages represented Bill Clinton as a gifted person in the societ y. At his teenage age, Bill Clinton assumed the head of the family role. Bill’s step father was an alcoholic and in most cases he turned violent to his mother. Bill was furious of his father’s acts and in one situation he warned him against battering his mother. Clinton even went further in assisting his mother to divorce through requesting his mother’s attorney to report the abuse of his stepfather. In his high school education, Bill Clinton excelled as a saxophone player and as a student. At this time, he also considered to train as a professional musician. It is during his high school age that Bill Clinton met President John Kennedy in white house in 1960s. This encounter enabled Bill Clinton to enter into public service life. As a scholar, Bill portrayed astonishing performance in the course of his scholarly career. He attended Georgetown University and graduated in 1968. In his university life, Clinton attained the position as an assistant to Senator Fulbri ght William. Bill used this position to earn political experience from one of the most respected and senior politician in United States of America. Fulbright also encouraged Bill to apply for Rhodes scholarship. Bill complied with Fulbright advice and applied for the scholarship. As a result of his application, Clinton was elected as the 63 Rhodes scholars in the entire country. Being a Rhodes Scholar, Clinton studied for two years in Oxford University, England. After his study in Oxford Univers

Policy, politics and public management-A look at the impacts of Essay

Policy, politics and public management-A look at the impacts of judiciary on real estate - Essay Example In the current analysis, residential and open space property in New Jersey classes are grouped together as residential, and commercial, industrial and personal property classes are grouped together as commercial. Statewide, residential new growth accounted for 53 percent of new growth; commercial accounted for 47 percent. These ratios were fairly consistent over the three years. An annual update policy is not appropriate or even possible, in every community. For example, a city or large town with a full-time assessing staff is clearly better equipped and more able to keep assessments up-to-date than a smaller community with a part-time assessment presence. The many technological advances in the tools available to assessors, however, make an annual update policy more attainable in many communities. A number of cities and towns have invested in geographic information systems (GIS) that can quickly bring complex real estate market trends into sharp focus. Powerful PC database and analys is tools have significantly reduced the effort required to perform assessment ratio studies and other analyses necessary to evaluate assessment levels and determine appropriate trending factors. Does a governmental agency's denial of a development permit constitute a "taking" of real property The Supreme Judicial Court recently answered this question in the negative and rejected a propert

Hamlet Assignment#2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hamlet #2 - Assignment Example For analyzing this theme, enough authorial readings will be incorporated to reach at a decision concerning a true relationship between Hamlet and his mother. The research, which I intend to do also evaluate Hamlet’s relationship with other characters to a certain extent to see whether Hamlet is similar in communicating to everyone or his personality shows a new side when he is with different people. Hamlet’s actions that he takes during the play and how he takes the revenge for his father’s murder will also be evaluated. Hamlet’s anger, his madness and his planning against his stepfather Claudius, all take us to a certain analysis related to Hamlet and his mother’s relationship. Hamlet’s mother marries to his dead husband’s stepbrother soon after her husband’s death and without taking her son into confidence. Hamlet gets ignored in all his mother’s doing. She remains the queen of the state but Hamlet remains the prince of the state. However, after his father’s death, he should be the new king as was the custom of that time and age. With his mother’s marriage, his right of being the king was snatched away from him and his father’s murderer was the new king. Hamlet takes a long time in taking a decision concerning his revenge against his stepfather. This delay takes the play towards a tragic end in which, the queen Gertrude, Ophelia (Hamlet’s beloved), Ophelia’s father, Hamlet himself and the king, all die and the kingdom is given a new king. Hamlet is unable to identify whether his mother is a part of the whole game or not. He is also unable to fully accept the information given by the ghost but with the passage of time, he recognizes that the ghost of his father was right and he has a responsibility to avenge his father’s murder. His relationship is of a restrained type with his mother

Responsible Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Responsible Business - Essay Example Various industries, including the fashion retailing industry has been significantly focused on effective waste management strategies as one of the pivotal concerns of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Emphasising on this particular issue, the essay will focus on identifying the waste management strategies applied by NEXT applying various theoretical frameworks, governmental intervention policies and industrial aspects. Discussion A Theoretical Description Concentrating on Desjardins’ environmental perspectives, it can be argued that organizations should take necessary initiatives towards sustainable development rendering due consideration towards the various environmental aspects such as landfills and emission rates among others by performing ethically sound and responsible supply chain activities (Herman & et. al., 1990). As described by Desjardins, ‘dematerialization’ is primarily referred to the comprehensive or relative minimization in the quantity of materials or resources which are needed to produce goods or to maintain the economic position of a nation. It can be viewed in this regard that that there are limited amount of resources available from the surrounding environment whereas the activities which are developed in this eco-system needs unlimited consumption of resources in an unsustainable manner owing to which companies should emphasise on effective waste management strategies (Herman & et. al., 1990; Metro Vancouver, 2011). Based on a similar concern, Braungart & et. al. (2006) described that transformation of human industry through intelligent designing is necessary for ecological system implications. Contextually, eco-efficiency as well as zero emission is primarily concentrated towards minimizing the accidental negative consequences of manufacturing procedures often applied by industries (Braungart & et. al., 2006). With a similar viewpoint, Gibbs & et. al. (2012) described that industrial ecology and re gional development should be considered as a cluster policy when developing sustainability strategies, especially those concerning waste management. In this regard, organisations have often been suggested to concentrate upon applying industrial ecology standards with the objective to minimize or remove the negative consequences of economic development (Gibbs & et. al., 2012). Based on a similar context, Hawken & et. al. (1999) developed the theory of ‘Natural Capitalism’ which is considered as an evaluation framework of conventional ‘Industrial Capitalism’. This system also neglects the values of human capital in terms of living system, natural resources, socials and cultural system. Hence, it can be implied that ‘Natural Capitalism’ identifies the interdependence of human capital on the preservation of the natural capital (Birkin, 2001). Applying Theoretical Frameworks Waste Management Hierarchy In relation to waste management hierarchy, the o verall operation of NEXT within the UK and Ireland has primarily focused on how to minimize its environmental impact by

Intellectual Property Rights in Media Applications Essay

Intellectual Property Rights in Media Applications - Essay Example A "dramatic work" includes a work of dance or mime; while a "musical work" means a work consisting of music, exclusive of any words or action intended to be sung, spoken or performed with the music. Section 5(1) of the Act provides that "sound recording" means - (a) a recording of sounds, from which the sounds may be reproduced, or (b) a recording of the whole or any part of a literary, dramatic or musical work, from which sounds reproducing the work or part may be produced, regardless of the medium on which the recording is made or the method by which the sounds are reproduced or produced. In the given problem, copyright subsists in the lyrics of the song 'Harlequin', the musical composition (musical notes) of the same song, and the sound recording of the song. Copyright protection therefore subsists on the foregoing works such that any infringement thereof gives the copyright owner or author of the works a claim or cause of action against the Guys. Under Section 9 of the Act, the "author" means the person who creates the work and in case of a sound recording, that person (the author) shall be taken to be the person by whom the arrangements necessary for the making of the recording or film are undertaken. Thus, in the case of the lyrics of the song 'Harlequin', the writer of the song is the author of the literary work while the composer is the author of the musical work. In the given problem, therefore, Jones is the author of the lyrics of 'Harlequin' as a literary work while at the same time he, as composer of the song, is also the author of the musical work. The author of the sound recording of the song on the other hand is Arcadia, Jones' music publishing company. Parenthetically, if the Guys does not have a license from Arcadia to use the sound recording, then the Guys may also be liable for copyright infringement of Arcadia's sound recording. Nevertheless, Jones will therefore be advised that as copyright owner of both the lyrics and musical composition of the song, being the sole author of the said lyrics and musical composition, he may have a cause of action against the Guys for infringement of his copyright over in the literary and/or musical work. As copyright owner, I will advise Jones that under Section 16 of the Act, the owner of the copyright in a work has the exclusive right to do the following acts in the United Kingdom - (a) to copy the work; (b) to issue copies of the work to the public; (c) to perform, show or play the work in public; (d) to broadcast the work or include it in a cable programme service; and (e) to make an adaptation of the work or do any of the above in relation to an adaptation. Those acts are the "acts restricted by the copyright". Furthermore, under the same Section, copyright in a work is "infringed by a person who without the licence of the copyright owner does, or authorises another to do, any of the acts restricted by the copyright" "in relation to the work as a whole or any substantial part of it" "either directly or indirectly". In view of the foregoing provisions, I will advise Jones that the Guys will only be guilty of copyright infringement if the 6-second music sample from Jones's 'Harlequin' used by

Negotiation strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Negotiation strategies - Assignment Example Steve Jobs used some of these tips in his email negotiation. Steve Jobs applied the understand importance of negotiation tip. From the emails, Steve Jobs engaged into a phone call conversation without haste with Murdoch. Despite his busy schedule, he understood that some bargains are too significant to avoid. He needed all the major publishers, including Harper Collins, to show his eBooks. Further, Steve Jobs also understood the importance of caving on what he felt he required with one publisher. He as well understood that if other potential publishers found out, they would withdraw from the deal. The deal was, therefore, both important in itself and the consequence it could have on other deals. Secondly, Steve Jobs used the tip of showing both kinds of value. Jobs exhibited two different types of value while communicating to his negotiating partner via email. One of his values was positive while the other one was negative. For the positive value, he emphasized benefits that Harper Collins publisher would earn from the deal. For instance, Steve Jobs wrote on his email conversation praising Apple Company. He stated that it was the only publisher capable of during that time that could cause serious impacts despite being in a position to work with at least four of the six big publishers available and already signed up. On Jobs positive kind of value, he hands HarperCollins a tool for opposing Amazon domination of the publishing industry. However, he gives a hint claiming that should HarperCollins fail to keep with the market dynamics, its competitors may shut it down through stiff competition. Therefore, he  asks Harpers wisely to upgrade its publishing systems in order to keep up with the competition and the market demands. Finally, Steve Jobs employed the negotiation tip of laying out reality. He applies coup de grace that relates to the first tip. Steve Jobs lays

Responsible Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Responsible Business - Essay Example Various industries, including the fashion retailing industry has been significantly focused on effective waste management strategies as one of the pivotal concerns of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Emphasising on this particular issue, the essay will focus on identifying the waste management strategies applied by NEXT applying various theoretical frameworks, governmental intervention policies and industrial aspects. Discussion A Theoretical Description Concentrating on Desjardins’ environmental perspectives, it can be argued that organizations should take necessary initiatives towards sustainable development rendering due consideration towards the various environmental aspects such as landfills and emission rates among others by performing ethically sound and responsible supply chain activities (Herman & et. al., 1990). As described by Desjardins, ‘dematerialization’ is primarily referred to the comprehensive or relative minimization in the quantity of materials or resources which are needed to produce goods or to maintain the economic position of a nation. It can be viewed in this regard that that there are limited amount of resources available from the surrounding environment whereas the activities which are developed in this eco-system needs unlimited consumption of resources in an unsustainable manner owing to which companies should emphasise on effective waste management strategies (Herman & et. al., 1990; Metro Vancouver, 2011). Based on a similar concern, Braungart & et. al. (2006) described that transformation of human industry through intelligent designing is necessary for ecological system implications. Contextually, eco-efficiency as well as zero emission is primarily concentrated towards minimizing the accidental negative consequences of manufacturing procedures often applied by industries (Braungart & et. al., 2006). With a similar viewpoint, Gibbs & et. al. (2012) described that industrial ecology and re gional development should be considered as a cluster policy when developing sustainability strategies, especially those concerning waste management. In this regard, organisations have often been suggested to concentrate upon applying industrial ecology standards with the objective to minimize or remove the negative consequences of economic development (Gibbs & et. al., 2012). Based on a similar context, Hawken & et. al. (1999) developed the theory of ‘Natural Capitalism’ which is considered as an evaluation framework of conventional ‘Industrial Capitalism’. This system also neglects the values of human capital in terms of living system, natural resources, socials and cultural system. Hence, it can be implied that ‘Natural Capitalism’ identifies the interdependence of human capital on the preservation of the natural capital (Birkin, 2001). Applying Theoretical Frameworks Waste Management Hierarchy In relation to waste management hierarchy, the o verall operation of NEXT within the UK and Ireland has primarily focused on how to minimize its environmental impact by

Negotiation strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Negotiation strategies - Assignment Example Steve Jobs used some of these tips in his email negotiation. Steve Jobs applied the understand importance of negotiation tip. From the emails, Steve Jobs engaged into a phone call conversation without haste with Murdoch. Despite his busy schedule, he understood that some bargains are too significant to avoid. He needed all the major publishers, including Harper Collins, to show his eBooks. Further, Steve Jobs also understood the importance of caving on what he felt he required with one publisher. He as well understood that if other potential publishers found out, they would withdraw from the deal. The deal was, therefore, both important in itself and the consequence it could have on other deals. Secondly, Steve Jobs used the tip of showing both kinds of value. Jobs exhibited two different types of value while communicating to his negotiating partner via email. One of his values was positive while the other one was negative. For the positive value, he emphasized benefits that Harper Collins publisher would earn from the deal. For instance, Steve Jobs wrote on his email conversation praising Apple Company. He stated that it was the only publisher capable of during that time that could cause serious impacts despite being in a position to work with at least four of the six big publishers available and already signed up. On Jobs positive kind of value, he hands HarperCollins a tool for opposing Amazon domination of the publishing industry. However, he gives a hint claiming that should HarperCollins fail to keep with the market dynamics, its competitors may shut it down through stiff competition. Therefore, he  asks Harpers wisely to upgrade its publishing systems in order to keep up with the competition and the market demands. Finally, Steve Jobs employed the negotiation tip of laying out reality. He applies coup de grace that relates to the first tip. Steve Jobs lays

Laws of England and Wales Essay Example for Free

Laws of England and Wales Essay The defendant who seeks to avoid criminal liability on the basis that s/he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the alleged crime must have a defence that falls within one of the following, legally recognised, categories: Insanity, Diminished Responsibility or Automatism. While, at one level or another, these mental disorder defences share common characteristics, they each differ significantly. Unfortunately, this point does not appear to be fully appreciated in English Law. Discuss the validity of this statement. Inherent in our legal system is an idea of culpability. The word itself embodies notions of moral responsibility and blame. There are two elements that will allow us to determine whether or not someone is to be considered culpable. The first is that the person on whom we wish to apportion blame is an actual agent of harm as opposed to a mere causer. That is to say that they are instrumental in an action and are not simply a victim of a spasm or similar associated condition. The second is that he/she has the capacity to understand the laws and moral order that exist within society. Harts principles of justice assert that a moral license to punish is needed by society and unless a man has the capacity and fair opportunity or chance to adjust his behaviour to the law, its penalties ought not be applied to him. Such deep-rooted notions of culpability have necessitated development in the area of defences to ensure that those who fall outside of the legally recognised parameters of accountability are afforded protection. Amongst such defences are Insanity, Automatism and Diminished responsibility. This essay will identify the similarities and differences of these defences by exploring their theoretical foundations and determine whether, in practice, they are sufficiently understood by the courts to achieve their desired end. The theoretical basis for an insanity defence is embedded in the notions of fair opportunity as discussed above. It is felt that the insane man is too far removed from normality to make us angry with him. The impetus of the law and its functions might well be considered outside of his comprehension and similarly, so too might the moral implications of his act. Therefore, it would not be either efficacious or equitable to hold such a man criminally  responsible . As Duff remarks of the potential insane defendant if she cannot understand what is being done to her, or why it is being done, or how it is related as a punishment to her past offence, her punishment becomes a travesty?. Therefore, if a defence of insanity is successful the defendant will be given a special verdict namely not guilty by reason of insanity. Although this special verdict may bring indefinite detention (a fact which is reconciled in theory by compelling considerations of public interest ) it still serves to ref lect a lack of culpability and therefore, blame. The basis on which the non-insane automatism defence is founded is somewhat more fundamental than that of insanity. It was developed to exculpate those who had been the victim of events rather than those who had fallen foul to circumstance . A plea of automatism is not merely a denial of fault, or of responsibility. It is more a denial of authorship in the sense that the automaton is in no way instrumental in any criminal act. Lord Dilhorne remarked in Alphacell that an inadvertent and unintended act without negligence? might be said, not caused. Others have described such acts as acts of god. It is with this class of act that the defence of automatism is concerned acts which might be said seen as inconsistent with the requirement of an actus reus . This lack-of-instrumentality concept is reflected by the fact that on a finding of automatism a defendant will be granted an unqualified acquittal by the courts. Detention is unnecessary for as well being blameless, the automaton present s no future threat to society. Whilst Insanity and Automatism serve as general defences in law, Diminished responsibility operates only as a defence to murder. It offers those bordering on insanity the opportunity to argue that at the time of the killing they were suffering from such abnormality of mind so as to substantially impair their mental responsibility. If such an argument is successful (all other things being equal) the potential murderer will be convicted of manslaughter and hence will escape the mandatory life sentence that a finding of murder brings. The defences existence is justified (much like insanity) by notions of responsibility and blame. The doctrine, it was felt, was needed to reflect the view that where there was less responsibility there ought to be less punishment. Despite some clear differences in the three defences theoretical foundations and intentions, it could be said that technically they have become somewhat confused in law. Discussion will now turn to the two automatism defences before then going on to examine diminished responsibility in context. Whilst both automatism defences are grounded in the idea that where there is no responsibility there should be no blame, policy reasons have necessitated their independent development. Because of this, the person who seeks to raise automatism as a defence is subject to a very tight definitional distinction. This tight definitional distinction between automatism and insanity is highlighted by Glanville Williams when he describes non-insane automatism as any abnormal state of consciousness.while not amounting to insanity. Such statements offer little definitional worth, as to understand automatism we must first understand insanity and this, as will become clear, is no easy task. The contemporary framework of the insanity defence can be found in MNaghtens Case where Lord Tindal authoritatively ruled that?: ?to establish a defence on the ground of insanity, it must be clearly proved that, at the time of the committing of the act, the party accused was labouring under such a defect of reason, from disease of the mind, as not to know the nature and quality of the act he was doing; or, if he did know it, that he did not know he was doing what was wrong. Subsequent development of a non-insane automatism defence, for reasons discussed above, necessitated judicious refinement of these insanity parameters to insure that those who sought to invoke the former were deserving . Therefore, considerable onus was placed upon the meaning of the rules, especially the phrase disease of the mind. First, it was decided that mind referred to the mental faculties of reason, memory and understanding and not simply the organic mass that is the brain. Then, in Sullivan, (the defendant was charged with assault which, he  claimed, was the result of the post-ictal stage of an epileptic seizure) the definition expanded to catch transient and intermittent impairment of the mind. It was held that the permanence of a disease cannot on any rational ground be relevant to the application by the courts of the MNaghten rules. This finding ran contrary to contemporary medical definitions and began to impinge upon the design of the non-insane automatism defence: that being to catch one-off, faultless incidents of automatism. Perhaps more significantly, Sullivan continued to develop Quick on what is now thought to be the defining boundary between the two defences, that of internal and external causes. This distinction was cemented in Burgess where Lord Lane explicitly referred to the difference between internal and external causes as the point on which the case depends, as others have depended in the past The defendant in Burgess was a sleepwalker who assaulted a friend whilst in a somnambulistic state. It was held that somnambulism was a disease of the mind under the MNaghten rules largely because it was considered a pathological (and therefore, internal) condition by expert witnesses in cross-examination. While, to some, this internal/external distinction makes good sense, to others its effect is wholly inappropriate, as it fudges the boundaries between the theoretical rationales of insane and non-insane automatism. Irene Mackay, for example (as well as pointing to contradictory obiter ) attacks the distinction with reference to its effect. She contends that sleep can hardly be called an illness, disorder or abnormal condition. It is a perfectly normal condition. Of interest here, Graham Virgo points to anecdotal evidence that cheese might cause sleepwalking. If such evidence could be substantiated, the somnambulist could potentially escape a special verdict by virtue of the fact that eating cheese would be considered an external cause. Such a consideration is far from easily reconcilable with the aforementioned notions of blame and responsibility as expounded by Harts principles of justice. Mackay continues to attack Burgess on a second defining point. She contends that the court failed to properly adopt the definition of disease of the  mind as put forward by Lord Denning in Bratty namely that it is any mental disorder which has manifested itself in violence and is prone to recur. Considering statistical evidence showing that no one had ever appeared before a court twice charged with somnambulistic violence, Mackay remarks something which is prone to recur must be at least inclined to recur or have a tendency to recur or be to some extent likely to recur. Despite such protestations, current medical opinion is that sleepwalking is caused by internal factors and may be likely to recur . Therefore it is suitable for MNaghten insanity as defined. The result of these calculated distinctions between the two defences is that epileptics, sleepwalkers, those suffering from arteriosclerosis and diabetics during a hyperglycaemic episode, may all now be regarded as insane. This is surely an unacceptable position. After all, such people appear to fit far more comfortably within the (theoretical) realms of automatism than insanity. They are rational people, capable of recognising rule following situations, who are (largely) the victims of one off incidents of involuntariness. If we are to label a diabetic insane because they neglected to take their medication, are we to do the same with one who gets a migraine from omitting to take aspirin? The difference of cause is the resultant harm and the need for the courts to protect society. Incidentally, close scrutiny of the MNaghten rules leads us to conclude that where a defendants inability to recognise he was doing something wrong was due to something other than a defect of reason caused by a disease of the mind he would generally have no defence at all. Things do not get any clearer when the defence of Diminished Responsibility is brought into the frame. The statutory provision for the defence is found in Section 2(1) of the Homicide Act 1957 and provides that a person shall not be convicted of murder: If he was suffering from such abnormality of mind (whether arising from a condition of arrested or retarded development of mind or any inherent causes or induced by disease or injury) as substantially impaired his mental  responsibility for his acts or omissions in doing or being a party to the killing. The problems begin with semantics and normative questions of degree: what qualifies as abnormality of mind, how much is substantially and what is mental responsibility? Even debates on the questions have offered little assistance. For example, the Government, in an attempt to explain the key term, said that abnormality of mind referred to conditions bordering on insanity while excluding the mere outburst of rage or jealousy. Such an explanation is obviously of little worth considering that the response of judges and psychiatrists?[to the section]? have ranged from the very generous to the very strict. In fact the courts it seems, have entertained practically any ground where it was thought morally inappropriate to convict the defendant of murder. For example, psychopaths, reactive depressives , alcoholics and those in disassociated states or suffering from irresistible impulses have all been brought within the protective scope of the section. Lord Parker in Byrne, also attempting to clarify the sections ambit, said that it dealt with partial insanity or being on the border line of insanity. He went on to add that Inability to exercise will-power to control physical acts? is? sufficient to entitle the accused to the benefit of this section; difficulty in controlling his acts? may be. Confusions are evident here for, as Smith and Hogan note: A man whose impulse is irresistible bears no moral responsibility for his act, for he has no choice; a man whose impulse is much more difficult to resist than that of an ordinary man bears a diminished degree of moral responsibility for his act It would appear then, that the former should be acquitted as insane rather than have his punishment mitigated. However, if the inability to control his acts is not caused by a defect of reason or disease of the mind then the defendant has no defence in insanity. In this respect therefore, the defence of diminished responsibility appears to be patching up the deficiencies of MNaghten; acting as a device for circumventing the embarrassments that flow from a mandatory sentence, or the stigma attached to a finding of insanity, by allowing judges to follow in a common sense way their sense of  fairness. Greiw, writing in 1988 comments on the section. He suggests that the section is not to be seen as a definitional aid rather it is to be seen as legitimising an expression of the decision-makers personal sense of the proper boundaries between murder and manslaughter. The result of the lax and open wording has allowed the defence of diminished responsibility to be used almost as a catch-all excuse, spanning, and adding to, the defences of insane and non-insane automatism. It has been able to accommodate states of mind and circumstance that would be insufficient for either automatism or insanity whilst at the same time justifying this accommodation by virtue of the increased severity of a murder charge. To some this position is considered entirely unacceptable and contrary to the theories of blame and responsibility discussed hereto. Sparks for example, comments to say that we are less willing to blame?a man if he does something wrong, surely does not mean: we are willing to blame him less, if he does something wrong. It would seem however, that due to the inadequacies of MNaghten and the acceptance that some states of mind falling short of insanity should be considered mitigatory, the courts had little choice but to develop the defence of diminished responsibility in this way. From the issues discussed in this essay it is clear that whilst, in theory, the three defences of Insanity, Automatism and Diminished Responsibility, do indeed exhibit differences, in practice they have become somewhat amalgamated. This is probably due to two factors: First, it must be accepted that there is no sharp dividing line between sanity and insanity, but that the two extremes? shade into one another by imperceptible gradations. This proposition leads us to conclude that first, the problem is one of definition. Second, the courts are aware that pleading a blackout is one of the first refuges of a guilty conscience and is a popular excuse. Therefore, they have tended to view the problem of involuntariness with great circumspection and have adopted a restrictive approach as to when there should be a complete exemption from liability. In order to balance this definitional problem with the requirement of  certainty, whilst ensuring that only the deserving are completely acquitted, the law has had no alternative but to define distinct parameters. It is these parameters which have both caused the fudging of the two automatism defences and necessitated the creation of a diminished responsibility defence. Whilst, in some respects, this amalgamation is unacceptable, its effect has been to provide blanket coverage for those defendants suffering from either a mental disorder, disassociated condition or episode of sudden involuntariness. Far from saying that the law has failed to fully appreciate the differences it appears that the courts, due to restrictions, have simply created ad hoc a range of defences whose purpose is to reflect, on a continuum, impeachable notions of culpability. Bibliography. Books 1. Ashworth, Principles of Criminal Law (2nd ed., Oxford, 1995) 2. Clarkson. C.M.V. Keating. H.M. Criminal Law. Text and Materials. (4th ed., 1998, Sweet Maxwell) 3. Hart. H.L.A., Punishment and Responsibility, (1968, Oxford) 4. Smith , J.C. B. Hogan., Criminal Law (6th Edition, 1988, London, Butterworths.) 5. Williams. G., Textbook of Criminal Law (2nd ed., Stevens Sons. 1983) Articles Dell, Diminished Responsibility Reconsidered. [1982] Crim.L.R. 809 Duff. R.A., Trial and Punishments J.L.S.S. 1986, 31(11), 433 Goldstein. A., The insanity Defense (1967) Griew. E., The future of Diminished Responsibility. Crim. L.R. 1988, Feb, 75-87 Laurie. G.T., Automatism and Insanity in the Laws of England and Scotland. Jur. Rev. 1995, 3, 253-265 Mackay. I., The Sleepwalker is Not Insane. M.L.R. 1992, 55(5), 714-720 Padfield. N.,Exploring a quagmire: insanity and automatism. C.L.J. 1989, 48(3), 354-357 Royal Commission on Capital Punishment, Cmnd. 8932 (1949-1953) Smith. J.C., Case and Comment. R. v. Hennessy. (1989) 86(9) L.S.G. 41; (1989) 133 S.J. 263 (CA) Smith. K.J.M. Wilson. W., Impaired Voluntariness and Criminal Responsibility: Reworking Harts Theory of Excuses ? The English Judicial Response. O.J.L.S. 1993, 13(1), 69-98 Sparks. Diminished Responsibility in theory and Practice (1964) 27 M.L.R 9 Virgo. G., Sanitising Insanity ? Sleepwalking and Statutory Reform C.L.J. 1991, 50(3), 386-388 Cases 1. Alphacell [1972] 2 All ER 475 2. Burgess [1991] 2 W.L.R. 106 C.O.A. (Criminal Division) 3. Byrne [1960] 3 All ER 1 4. Cooper v. McKenna [1960] Q.L.R 406 5. Hennessy (1989) 89 Cr.App.R 10, CA 6. Kemp [1956] 3 All ER 249; [1957] 1 Q.B.399 7. MNaghtens Case (1843) 10 C F, 200, 8 Eng. Rep. 718. 8. Quick and Paddison [1973] Q.B. 910 9. Seers [1985] Crim.L.R, 315 10. Sullivan [1984] A.C. 156 (House of Lords) 11. Tandy [1988] Crim.L.R 308 12. Tolson (1889) Legislation 1. Homicide Act. 1957. 2. Trial of Lunatics Act 1883