The life of david gale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The life of david gale - Essay Example The movie raises a number of issues in the modern day society. False representation, shoddy police investigation, and bribery affect the implementation of justice in the current day society. Unfortunately, in as much as everyone is aware of the occurrence of such vices, no one takes notice of any action to prevent their perpetuation, and the rest of the society lives on as though the vices are not ever felt. This movie therefore offers a challenge by revealing the extent to which one can ever go to unearth the societal evil. It takes a strong heart and a patriotic spirit to develop the type of personality shown by the lead character in the movie (Schermerhorn 66). Broadcasters use movies and television programs to advertise products and services. Broadcasting media houses earn their revenue mainly through the adverts. In selecting the advertising time, marketers consider a number of factors key among which is the audience base of the programs and the relation of the product and or service to the audience. The Life of David Gale is a thriller movie, one shown in most television shows late in the night and targets an adult and analytical audience. Products and services advertised in its wake should therefore target a similar audience. Wells Fargo is an English company that offers security services besides being a bank. The organization prides itself in integrity and effectiveness of their process of executing client dictates. The company advertised some of their freight, security, and their banking services in the course of the movie. Some components of these adverts are in correspondence with the theme addressed in the movie (Penz, and Andong 99). The movie espouses on the absence of an effectual and legal system; it shows an indecent police system. David Gale is deliberately betrayed by the women he thought he

Problem-Solution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Problem-Solution - Essay Example Many of them do carry excellent grades in their bachelors or at schools which are never a true reflection of their own selves. Partly the problem is because of the tight academic schedules the institutions are maintaining and partly because the faculty are unable to encourage and inspire their pupils to learn the concepts and understand their applicability too. Previously institutions or universities never used to maintain such demanding schedules, therefore the faculty used to have all the time in the world to prepare the students for the academic challenges. Presently Universities are more bent on sending number of batches out rather than worrying about the quality of the academics offered. For the academia this, indeed has become the greatest worry, especially in a developing country like India. The challenge is up the academia to offer a solution which can make the students saleable to the corporate. The fact that is quite disturbing is that the problem is not because of the grades the students were receiving but because of the poor quality of assessment that is taking place in offering the grades and parameters used to offer grades. The sublime truth is that presently in schools and colleges at bachelor's level we are teaching students' concepts without application (especially in India). All the time the teachers will be focusing on the teaching of concepts and the students will be focusing on learning the concepts. However the student is not aware of how to apply this particular concept in a real time situation. There by all the meaning of education is lost without a trace. The identified problem areas are: The grades are not reflecting the competency of wards in their subjects, This problem is because they are learning concepts all the time without knowledge of application of concepts in a real time situation, the examination system is designed to test their remembering skills rather than testing their conceptual skills, Poor selection of parameters such as written examination and in descriptive mode to analyze application of concepts. Study importance: The study is of prominence in colleges and schools because without learning the application of the concepts in real time situations if the student is exposed to the rigors the academics at higher levels then there is every possibility he/she can become a burnout very soon. Moreover because of the excellent grades they are receiving in colleges and schools because of an insufficient evaluation system, the student feels that he has acquired sufficient skills to enter into a university or take a job, in reality he is not. Challenge for the faculty: The big challenge for the faculty is the fact that they have to make the student understand the ground realities so that ice breaking can be done. Ice breaking is an exercise normally carried out in schools and colleges to make the students feel comfortable realize the persons they are will be easy in the later stages. Once the ice breaking is done then the faculty can turn his/her attention to the task at hand. That is to

Terrorism: The Biggest Threat To International Relations?

Terrorism: The Biggest Threat To International Relations? Contemporary international relations refer to the state of affairs during the period that began in the late 1980s with the end of the Cold War. The fall of communism and the assumed victory of liberal democracy had many, such as Francis Fukuyama, hopeful for an End of History and a New World Order of peace and collective security between all states. The truth of the international situation revealed certain issues and threats -new and old that much of the international community have since had to face. This essay will aim to assess the extent to which terrorism is the most significant threat to contemporary international relations, whilst also suggesting other factors that have created danger; such as climate change ,the proliferation of nuclear arms. It will conclude that whilst the prolonged and unknown potential danger that climate change poses to the planet is arguably the most catastrophic, the strain and instability of the acquisition of nuclear arms and the difficulty of contr olling who has access to them, causes it to be the biggest threat that the international community has to face. Terrorism, defined by Douglas Lackey, is, the threat of the use of violence against non-combatants for political purposes.  [2]  The very characteristics of terrorism makes it a threatening prospect for any state, as any violent act, [where] the civilian is the direct and intentional target of attack,  [3]  causes a great deal of difficulty in its prevention. Globalisation, the advancement in technology and the growth of cities whilst improving living standards for many civilians has made more locations prime targets for terrorists. Terrorist acts have become more sophisticated and increased the risk of multiple casualties using many forms of attack; arson, suicide bombers and remote detonated bombs, hacking into a states infrastructure and intelligence networks. Terrorism itself is not a new or recent phenomenon; the problem that the international community faced, and still faces in the Post Cold War period, is a change in the nature of terrorism. During and prior to the Cold War, terrorism was often an intra-state occurrence and a symptom of political separatism and instability within a country. Examples of this are the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Tamil Tiger rebels; both of which caused civil wars in Ireland in the 1920s and in 1983 in Sri Lanka. Whilst this is still mainly the case for many African, Middle and Far Eastern countries, the western world has seen an increase in inter-state terrorism. Arguably intra-state terrorism is easier to combat, due to the fact that intra-state terrorists tend to have a clearer and more precise focus; such as the police or members of the entrepreneurial class; which makes it easier for the state authorities to target and track down. On the other hand, terrorist organisations with a religious objective give a broader scope of the enemy. This may lead to a perception in which every member of a different religion or creed becomes a potential enemy or a potential target. It is this re ligious variant of terrorism that has increased after the Cold War and is at the centre of current international discussions. According to Europols EU Terrorism Report carried out in 2007  [4]  and 2008,  [5]  there were almost 500 acts of terrorism across the European Union in 2006, with a 24% increase in the next year. Whilst most of these attacks were intra-state related an increased amount were by Islamist terror groups from outside the EU. The US and parts of Russia and North Africa have seen similar patterns occurring, showing that this form of terrorism is not a matter for individual states to deal with, but acts that are aimed at the global community . whilst arguably this can, and has, strengthened the relations between co-operating countries, it has placed strains on relations between other states, and subsequently hinders the progression towards international peace and collective security agreements; which is key in current international relations. This is because for certain states, terrorism and its prevention are not high on their foreign policy agenda. In some severe cases there are instances of the support of global terrorism. The US Department of State recognises four countries to be state-supporters of terrorism;  [6]  Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria. All are known to have been terrorist safe havens for several terrorist groups, whilst some such as Iran and Syria have politically and financially supported groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. By failing to take action against the threat of terrorism to the international community and in some cases promoting it these states become isolated as enemies of the counterterrorism Global Initiative  [7]  and the United Nations. The effects of this are sanctions, such as restrictions on foreign aid, controls on exports and financial restrictions, placed on these enemy states by the members of the initiative; isolating them further and, , causing a sense for more terrorist action to be taken against the international community. If these state-supported terrorist groups successfully carry out an attack against another state, this action has the potential to become a trigger or catalyst for state military retaliation against the supporter; as seen with the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan after the 9/11 bombings in New York. This clearly causes a step backwards for UN peace agreements which clearly states the need to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism.  [8]   As well as state support of terrorism hindering international relations, so too does the expansion of the grey-areas of where the roots of terrorism lie. Recruitment and training grounds are now vast, with evidence now suggesting that there is a reason for a, fear of the enemy within  [9]  . Data from multiple sources has pointed towards an increase in terrorist organisations recruiting from within the states at the heart of the terrorist aggression. The global reach of Al-Qaeda is a source of great concern as more than 3,000 of its members have been arrested in 98 countries since the 9/11 attack; evidence that this group exists in at least half the worlds countries. This factor challenges previously accepted state-intelligence, that inter-state terrorism can be location specific to rogue or failing states outside the targeted state itself. This increases the threat levels, as no clear idea of who the enemy is creates instability and a need for increased defence levels. It is als o difficult to establish the source of the terrorists finance. As previously mentioned this can be acquired from the governments of terrorist-supporting states, but can also be acquired by the groups themselves setting up commercial businesses that provide a flood of sources of finance for its operations. Hence, law enforcement and intelligence agencies must now identify these sources of funding in order to destroy their ability to operate. But with some organisations such as Jemaah Islamiah connected to around 50 commercial businesses, this is a complex and expensive process for states to carry out.  [10]   Some cynics such as Daniel Wagner have stated that, no matter how good security becomes, it will never be good enough to thwart all of the terrorist threats we face.  [11]  To an extent this is true. Even if collectively the international community does manage to discover the sources of terrorism, it is not likely that they would be able to put a stop to terrorism altogether due to the fact that it has now become something of an ever-changing ideology. Al Qaeda is an example of this. During the Cold War the group aimed at expelling the Soviets from Afghanistan. Once this was achieved, attentions focused on fighting what they thought was the corruptness of the Arab world. Recently, the objective has changed to fighting and targeting those who are considered to be the main outside supporters of these corrupt regimes a clear reference to the US with its very substantial strategic interest in that part of the world.  [12]  This aggressive fight for a continually shifting goal su ggests that no matter how hard states battle against groups like Al Qaeda, it is unlikely the war on terror will ever end. However threatening and incessant terrorism is to international affairs, it is arguably within state power and resources, especially in the western world, to singularly or collectively combat it. Governments have the advantage of finance and institutions, such as Counter-Terrorist Units and federal bureaus, with extensive resources especially to deter terrorist acts. Through the use of international relations and international organisations such as the UN and NATO, the amount of resources and expertise can be jointly used in order to overcome the problems faced by terrorism. It could therefore be argued that terrorism in some respects supports the idea of collective security as it forces good international relations and links states with a common goal: to destroy its threat potential, even if it cannot destroy terrorism altogether. Due to the power that states have in accordance with their state sovereignty, arguably the proliferation of nuclear arms is a threat more potent than that faced from rebel terrorist forces. The catastrophic capabilities of nuclear weapons of any kind are highly threatening for any state, but in the past this had led to a stalemate that was the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. This has come to be known as the first nuclear age and ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the subsequent relinquish of nuclear arms by the Ukraine and other former soviet states to the primary control of Russia. Whilst splitting the international stage in two and with the threat of nuclear war hanging over the world, it was, on the whole, a rather stable conflict fought between two superpowers. Many critics are now suggesting that the second nuclear age, which had begun subsequently, will be notoriously unstable and carry with it a greater threat of nuclear war. This age is far more complex, as countries such as Israel, India, Pakistan, China, Iran and North Korea now all have their own nuclear programs; and with countries such as Iran and North Korea both having deep nationalistic feelings, they are arguably prone to destructive visions of national dominance;  [13]  having access to nuclear arms places a great strain on relations with these states with others such as the US. The fact that Iran is known for supporting some terrorist groups increases the threat of nuclear terrorism against the west and Israel. Many other states that wish to obtain nuclear weapons, especially those in Africa, are now choosing to spend state funds on their acquisition rather than their conventional military forces. This can often lead these states to become dependent upon their nuclear weapons; which makes all-out nuclear war all the more likely. However what creates the most strain on relations arguably is the fact that it would appear that there is the consensus among a few that it is acceptable for certain states to retain their nuclear programs but others cannot even start or continue their own. Whilst arguably in support of the UNs non-proliferation program, todays emerging nuclear states have a great difficulty in getting the international institutions to allow them to have any nuclear capabilities. States are forced to give up their programs under international pressure, but also due to the influence of the US. This often causes animosity between the nuclear-weapon states and those seeking a nuclear program. As seen recently with the case of Iran, the US and European Union has tried to persuade other countries such as Russia and China to start placing sanctions against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for refusing to relinquish its nuclear program. Whilst some would say that this is hypocritical of the nuclear-weapon stat es, it would appear they are seeking to set an example. On 8th April 2010, the two former Cold War Superpowers, and the current two largest nuclear powers in the world, the US and Russia, signed a new treaty that promised the 30% reduction of their nuclear armoury. President Obama stated himself that, By upholding our own commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, we strengthen our global efforts to stop the spread of these weapons, and to ensure that other nations meet their own responsibilities; a clear sign to other states that they do have the right to a moral high-ground placing pressure on Iran and the like. The issue of climate change came to the forefront of international politics towards the end of the Cold War with the first UN Conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm in 1972. Since then the threat that climate change poses to the modern world has been a top priority for all UN member states. Perhaps what makes this issue so threatening is the lack of control and the influence climate change can have within our societies. Atmospheric pollution can lead to the degradation in biodiversity which in turn threatens our food supplies, fossil fuels are set to deplete severely within the next fifty years; all of which are going to place enormous pressure on international relations. It is likely to affect the poorer countries first increasing the need for international aid on already stretched resources. This could lead certain states into pull out of the idea of collective security and focus on their own survival, thereby tearing through the international agreements and treaties put in place to prevent the affects of climate change. The community is already witnessing the reluctance of some states such as the US and China to cut down on their carbon emissions, as stated in the Kyoto Agreement, due to the adverse repercussions on their respective economic performance. This sets a precedent that makes collective action by all UN states extremely difficult as a lack of trust in the collective initiative depleats. It would appear therefore that some environmental policies are more popular than others. Whilst the fact that the world is running out of the natural resources , that we as humans have come to depend on, is a cataclysmic notion, the threat of climate change has arguably brought many parts of the international community together towards a common goal: the protection of the entire planet and therefore the continuation of the human race. Despite the fact that many of the summits held to voice the issues facing the environment has sometimes been ineffective, as seen with the Copenhagen summit in 2009, and caused rifts between states, there have been breakthroughs that suggest that progression can be made. The fact that climate change can cause so many repercussions into our manmade issues, such as the distribution of resources and the population problem, there is very little that the international community can do to stop it. It can only hope to slow its progression down. The global society faces far bigger threats within human control with the proliferation of nuclear weapo ns that could lead to the premature destruction of the world if placed in the wrong hands. Improving Student Engagement | Literature Review Improving Student Engagement | Literature Review Warwick, P., Hennessy, S. Mercer, N. (2011) Promoting teacher and school development through co-enquiry: developing interactive whiteboard use in a dialogic classroom. The authors reason for conducting the study was to show that an interactive whiteboard (IWB) can be a key classroom tool and that it can be used as a vital instrument in dialogic manor. The authors, Paul Warwick, Sara Hennessy and Neil Mercer, report on the works of three classroom teachers, who confidently use an interactive whiteboard (IWB) in their classrooms. The authors clearly state that they wanted to conduct their study because Given the pervasiveness of IWBs in the UK, we wished to explore the development of its uses in the classroom where there was a dialogic pedagogy. (Warwick, Hennessy and Mercer, 2011, p. 303). It is obvious from the start that the authors firmly believe that IWBs play a major part in a childrens learning and that an IWB is a crucial resource when it comes to teaching practices today. Their argument is reinforced by their suggestions in the hypothesis. The authors also state that an IWB plays a key part in maintaining a childs engagement during their learning. However this is the first point of the research where the authors can be criticised for not recognising that there are a number of different factors and methods that can influence a childs commitment and engagement to learning. Some different examples of other factors that can have an influence on a childs engagement with their learning can be seen in the Four aces of effective teaching Ace 3: Engagement (Walls, 1999). One method mentioned is that a class teacher should limit a discussion to no more than 30 minutes before introducing a learning activity (Walls Cather, 1987). This learning activity doesnt need to be one using an IWB; it can be done on paper etc. All the way through this research paper Warwick, Hennessy and Mercer make numerous claims about IWB and the way teachers use them. However, there are studies that have shown that teachers have only been considered capable when they have grasped specific technological skills, such as using an IWB. An example of an article that states this is one conducted by the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (1992), they state that technology is a teachers liberator to help re-establish the role and value of the classroom teacher. Teachers must enter into collaboration or partnership with technology in order to create a community that nurtures, encourages, and engages the learning processes. Nevertheless, Warwick, Hennessy and Mercer (2011) dispute this by stating that it is in fact the classroom teacher that is vital in stimulating dialogic approach not the IWB. However they do state that the IWB does have an important role in the classroom, but this is only correct when it is used in an engaging and suitable manner in the classroom. To conclude, the information gathered from the research shows that IWB play a key role in the classroom, but they shouldnt be seen as being a replacement for teaching or the classroom teacher. This study highlights the need of a teacher and that they need to develop relationships with children in their class so that they can conduct solid lessons that will engage their pupils, which will then lead onto developing dialogical pedagogy. I believe that additional studies are needed when it comes to the outcomes of the use of IWBs in the classroom. Simon et al. (2008) Puppets promoting engagement and talk in science. The impacts of using puppets in classrooms has become a popular research point for writers. During the same time period of Simon et al. (2008) writing about the impacts of puppet use in the classroom, there was also a similar research going on with the impact of puppets in Maths lessons. However, the main focus of the authors writing this article was to conclude whether or not the use of puppets in science lessons, stimulated the pupils to be more actively involved in their science lessons and also to see if the puppets could encourage childrens talk in science lessons. The research was designed to conclude weather the use of large puppets would help teachers to change their whole class discourse (Simon et al., (2008), p.1229) in their science lessons. A key strength of the research for the article was that it focuses on a vast amount of different ideas. The research was carried out by a mixture of teachers, across two different regions, interviewing two different age groups; 7-9 and 10-11, and the teachers had the option of using one or two puppets. From the research of Neil Mercer and Lyn Dawes (2008) about exploratory talk, the authors of this article discuss the importance of communication with other children, so that the children have the skill to critically participate with their peers and their peers ideas. Simon et al. (2008) claims that the use of puppets assists in this area. When children start to enter a more in depth conversation with the puppet, the puppet can provide encouragement or interest in the childs responses, which then generates talk which involves the whole class, or talk on a peer to peer level. Therefore, from using the puppet can promote reasoning, problem solving and explanations, which are all key factors in science lessons. The research that was carried out for this article was strong in various ways. Firstly, the focus wasnt just in a single school, it was in two different areas of England; Manchester and London. Secondly, there were two different age groups that were examined, and both of these groups had pupils who had a different response to the puppets. Thirdly, the teachers had the option to introducing a single puppet to the class, or they could introduce two puppets to the class. Some teachers used two puppets in a lesson whilst others used only one. Though using two puppets enabled teachers to set up discussion by getting the puppets to put forward opposing views, teachers found that one puppet was much simpler to use whilst still making it possible to present problems and to set up cognitive conflict. (Simon at al., (2008) p. 1243) Finally, the use of the pilot study to find out more information and gain more of an understanding into the use of puppets helped finalise the main study for the ar ticle. Therefore, because of the strong research strategy, the final research produces remarkable but rigorous results. One of the main disadvantages of this study was that training the teachers to correctly and effectively use the puppets acquired a lot of time. Even though this was good for the research side, the amount of time spent of training the teachers wouldnt be practical for every teacher, especially teachers in larger schools. This then brings up an issue; if teachers dont have experience with puppets and havent had training would the puppets be as effective as they were during the research stage. Overall, this article has proven that using a puppet during science lessons has been effective when trying to create talk. This has been backed up from the interviews, with pupils and teachers. The interviews also revealed that pupils who are often more shy and dont contribute as much in lessons, were more confident during lessons where a puppet was used as they felt at ease talking to a puppet. In my own practice, I will be using a puppet throughout the curriculum as I feel that the use of a puppet will engage the children and improve class and pupil discussions. However, before I feel fully confident in using a puppet, I will practice with a smaller group and build up to using the puppet in front of the whole class. Brown K Kennedy H (2011) Learning through conversation: exploring and extending teacher and childrens involvement in classroom talk School Psychology International 32 (4) pp377-396 This article discusses the professional development progression over a twelve week period, that six teachers in the UK, who work at a school with children who have been recognised has having social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The main research area for the article is focused on how teachers use conversation in their class to help integrate childrens ideas and link these to the learning progression. Through reflective and exploratory discussion, enhanced by videos of interactive sequences within classes, teachers explored and developed aspects of their interactional styles. Brown K Kennedy H (2011) One of the key strengths of the research is that two educational phycologists (EPs) were also heavily involved with the researched and they worked alongside the six teachers. With reference to Schoà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¦s model of reflective teaching (1983), the class teachers and the EPs intended to reflect on the teachers interactional methods that happened within the teaching. They also wanted to be able to work together to discover and extend classroom conversations. Therefore, through reflective and exploratory conversation with the EPs and with the help of recordings of interactive sessions that happened within the class, teachers watched back their lessons and were then able to explore and develop aspects of their interactional methods of teaching that they used with their class. At the end of the twelve weeks, the videos and recordings taken were compared. The main focus was to see the changes between the beginning sessions to the sessions at the end of the project. Brown K Kennedy H (2011) stated that from the teachers looking back at their lessons, and working alongside the EPs they were able to adapt a change in their lessons to promote talk. Changes included the teachers using conversation to build more on childrens ideas and actively support the cooperation between children. Changes in the nature of talk amongst children showed evidence of building more on ideas within conversations and making less new initiatives. The changes in conversations are considered with reference to childrens participation and learning. Brown K Kennedy H (2011) Given the importance of childrens metacognitive awareness of interactive processes within the class (Mercer, 2000), I feel that one of the main weaknesses of this article and its research was that it would have been useful to have a greater insight into the changes that occurred throughout the lessons, from the points of view of the children that were involved with the study involved. All the children who participated did so voluntarily, however, they were not included in the ongoing preparation, development, and evaluation. The children involved might have provided valuable insights into how the learning procedure seemed from their point of view, and how they felt that changes the teachers made worked for them, especially when the teachers developed their interactional styles. I would be interesting to see what extent the children felt the changes had on their incentive, contribution and learning. Overall, this research has shown that looking back and watching how you have interacted with the children and what interaction styles you use can have an impact on childrens learning. The article has also proven Schoà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¦s model of reflective teaching (1983) to be effective, as the if the teachers hadnt looked back and reflected on their interactional styles, there wouldnt have been any progression in talk. I will now use different interactional styles during my lessons, and I also feel that it would be beneficial for me to record myself teaching and watch this back to help me improved on my own teaching skills.

Douglas Coupland’s Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture: an alternative voice :: Essays Papers

Douglas Coupland’s Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture: an alternative voice On production of his first novel, Coupland was labelled by critics spokesman for a new lost generation - â€Å"Generation X† - those individuals aged between mid-twenties and mid-thirties who have come of age in an increasingly technological and materialistic bureaucratic society. As a consequence, they are emotionally scarred and alienated, reject conformity and search for some kind of meaning to life. When asked about this label, Coupland stated that he spoke â€Å"...for myself, not for a generation. I never have†, arguing that he addresses issues relevant to himself and his peer group who grew up in Vancouver (Hall, Sharon K. â€Å"Douglas Coupland† Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 39, 29). The subsequent success of Generation X both in America and Europe, indicate that the experiences Coupland records are global, appealing to a wide audience who share his fears and expectations. While the debate about the lack of a distinctive Canadian voice continues, the critical reaction to Generation X illustrates the problems inherent within Canadian literature. Coupland wrote the novel in America, and it was here rather than his native country that it was actually published. In â€Å"Malaise of the Mall-Raised†, Brian Fawcett details the reasons for Coupland’s initial lack of success in Canada, indicating that it was the book buying public rather than the literary establishment who put Coupland on the literary map: ...the book couldn’t find a Canadian publisher, that the Globe and Mail didn’t review Generation X, or that Books in Canada...rejected [it] for having an attitude problem (Fawcett, Brian. â€Å"Malaise of the Mall-Raised† Books in Canada, Vol. 21, 44-6). Typical of this critical reaction, Laurel Boone in a Books in Canada review of Generation X, is scathing towards the novel which she describes as â€Å"shallow†, and for the fact that its Canadian characters do not translate the French phrases they use (Boone, Laurel. â€Å"Review of Generation X.† Books in Canada. Vol. 20, 50-1). Boone also faults Coupland’s use of cartoons, definitions and slogans within the work. One of these pop art cartoons shows a young man reading a real estate magazine and telling his father: â€Å"Hey, Dad, - You can either have a house or a life I’m having a life.† In contrast to Boone’s opinion, it was the actual format of the novel as well as the content which appealed to the reading public. The reason Coupland was overlooked may be due to the fact that his novel was viewed as the antithesis of conventional Canadian writing.

Critical Summary of When God Was a Woman Essay

In chapter nine of When God Was A Woman, Merlin Stone sought to explain the laws introduced by the Levite priests in Canaan that were put in place to prevent the worship of the Goddess. Members of the Hebrew religion were commanded to kill their own children if they worshipped any deity other than God. Stone argues that the laws put the men of the society in power, as it was not stated that the husband should be killed for worshiping the Goddess. The Levites demanded that every woman belong to a man, due to their distaste for any woman who was not a virgin or married, so they established the concept of sexual morality to restrict the females. Stone states that given the sexual freedom in the religion of the Goddess, the women had to be taught that sexual relations to multiple men was pure evil. Any sexually free women, or women who still worshipped the Goddess, were referred to as whores and harlots. Stone elaborates on the new laws of sexual morality, stating that a woman must only have sex with one man, her husband, while he could have sexual relations with numerous women. A woman could be stoned to death for losing her virginity or even for being raped, if she was already married. Stone says that only the husband could divorce his wife, and if so, she would be left with no material possessions. The divorce laws probably led to fearful women, forcing them to become submissive servants to men. I found this chapter of When God Was A Woman particularly interesting in comparison to the rest of the book. The more information I learned about the religion of the Goddess prior to this chapter, the more I wanted to know about the laws that governed women with the initial introduction of the male-dominated culture. Chapter nine kept my attention due to the fact that I was already curious about the sexual morality laws. The realization that I could have been killed back then for the beliefs I have today also kept my interest. Stone did an impeccable job with her organization of ideas. The chapter was easy to follow and to understand, and each idea seemed to flow with ease to the next. Looking back through the chapter, the only constant source I see her use is the Bible. Although this is a reliable source for the Hebrew laws placed upon women, I think that using other sources other than just the Bible would have helped in her overall objective of this chapter. Finding a source with the actual morality laws stated would have helped to further confirm the harsh reality of these laws. Other than this fact, I believe that Stone was very thorough in her description of the laws and the details she examined pertaining to the laws. I do think that Stone made reasonable assertions pertaining to the morality laws. Her use of bible verses seems to confirm her arguments about the laws. However, I can see partial bias in her writing. I can see how this can easily happen, seeing as she relates to the laws as she is a woman. I can sometimes feel the anger and disgust for the laws come through in her writing as certain tones are used. Despite her small amount of bias, I think Stone satisfactorily represents and defends all of her points about the morality laws. Most of what Stone exhibits in this chapter was new material for me. Although I learned a lot of information, what stands out to me is that fact that women could actually be stoned to death just for having sexual relations with men. This really grabbed my attention as I thought about how our society is today. Even though we still see sex and pregnancy before marriage as taboo, we have a certain level of toleration for it. It is crazy to think that years ago, many women in today’s society would be killed for their actions just because men wanted control over them.

The Start of the Contamination in Man’s Environment

In the late 1960s to 1970s, Americans realized that industry was doing serious damage to air, water, and the earth itself, the most essential natural resources. The whole awareness of the damage being done to the environment stemmed out from the energy crisis of the 1970s. The energy crisis was a ‘slap-in-the-face' for America. They needed to realize the harm that was being done to the natural resources and their decreasing availability as a result. With the decreasing availability and increasing prices of oil, new energy sources had to be discovered. Although scientists found nuclear power to be a clean, cheap, and unlimited source of power at first, the environmentalists fought to minimize its usage for fear of nuclear meltdowns, which could spread nuclear waste. Alternative energy sources were possible, and what appeared to be the most effective were tidal energy and solar energy. These environmentally safe methods of harnessing energy were just what the environmentalists had aimed for, and a new movement had been started – environmentalism. If you read this circle it. The environmentalists also tried to advocate the conservation of energy, so that the cleaner but less effective ways could be manipulated to produce more energy. Despite many efforts to keep the environment clean, some 200 million tons of pollutants were filling the air each year, and clean air in many cities had been replaced by smog. The earth, air, and water were deteriorating as construction of highways, malls, and housing developments caused the destruction of fertile, irreplaceable farmland. Disposal of wastes was another dilemma to be dealt with. Burning could release poisonous gases into the air, and burial could cause harmful decay. By the mid-1960s, people began to really realize the need to conserve the nation's resources. Much credit for arousing public concern belonged to Rachel Carson for her book Silent Spring. This book warned of the central problem of our age being the contamination of man's environment. During the next few years, growing numbers of ecologists, biologists, and other scientists showed their concern about the reckless abuse of the environment. In 1970, Congress created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which helped set laws regulating use of pesticides, insecticides, and other potentially dangerous sprays. They protected endangered wildlife, and ordered that car manufacturers had to provide pollution control devices on exhausts of their vehicles. New waste disposal and sewage treatment plants were being built to prevent further pollution of the land and water and to clean up the rivers and lakes. Government also regulated unsightly junkyards and dumps to restore the natural beauty of the countryside. Federal government set aside more areas as national parks, not to be tampered with, and considerable progress had been made in the management and conservation of America's forests, soil, and water. However, many people felt that it was not necessary for the government to take all this action. President Reagan gave in and allowed the search for minerals on federal lands and oil exploration off the coast of California, which some felt was very risky, because of the chance of an oil spill, which would devastate all ocean life in the area. Environmental decisions were important in the sixties era, as many other nations followed them with concern. With the world's population increasing so rapidly, the earth's natural resources will be heavily taxed, and many people, the environmentalists, believed that resource conservation was extremely important in maintaining the living conditions of the world population.