Opposition to the War of 1812 From Americans

When the United States declared war against Britain in June 1812, the vote on the declaration of war in the Congress was the closest vote on any formal declaration of war in the countrys history or since. Only 81% of the Republicans in both houses voted for the war, and not a one of the Federalists did. The close vote reflects how unpopular the war was to large segments of the American public. The opposition to the War of 1812 broke out in  riots in the east, particularly Baltimore and New York City. The reasons for that opposition had much to do with the newness of the country and its inexperience with global politics; and the messy and unclear motives for the war.   Unclear Motives for War   The official causes of the war as addressed in the declaration were that the British were suppressing international trade and press-ganging sailors. During the first decade of the 19th century, the British government was fighting off incursions of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) and to supplement their resources, they seized cargoes and impressed over 6,000 sailors from American merchant vessels.   Political attempts to resolve the situation were rejected, in part because of inept envoys and failed embargo attempts. By 1812, then President James Madison (served 1810–1814) and his Republican party decided that only war would resolve the situation. Some Republicans saw the war as a second War of Independence against the British; but others thought engaging in an unpopular war would create a Federalist surge. Federalists opposed the war, considering it unjust and immoral, and championing peace, neutrality, and free trade.   In the end, the embargoes were damaging to the businesses in the east, more than Europe—and in contrast, Republicans in the west saw the war as an opportunity to acquire Canada or parts of it.   The Role of Newspapers Northeastern newspapers regularly denounced Madison as corrupt and venal, particularly after March 1812 when the John Henry (1776–1853) scandal broke, when it was discovered that Madison had paid the British spy $50,000 for information about the Federalists which could never be proven. In addition, there was a strong suspicion among the Federalists that Madison and his political allies wanted to go to war with Britain to bring the United States closer to the France of Napoleon Bonaparte.  Ã‚   Newspapers on the other side of the argument argued that the Federalists were an English party in the United States that wanted to splinter the nation and somehow return it to British rule.  Debate over the war—even after it had been declared—dominated the summer of 1812. At a public gathering for the Fourth of July in New Hampshire, young New England attorney Daniel Webster (1782–1852) gave an oration which was quickly printed and circulated. Webster, who had not yet run for public office, denounced the war, but made a legal point: It is now the law of the land, and as such we are bound to regard it. State Government Opposition At the state level, governments were concerned that the U.S. was not militarily prepared for an all-out war. The army was too small, and states worried that their state militia would be used to bolster the regular forces. As the war began, the governors of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts refused to comply with the federal request for militia troops. They argued that the U.S. president could only requisition the state militia to defend the nation in the event of an invasion, and no invasion of the country was imminent. The state legislature in New Jersey passed a resolution condemning the declaration of war, terming it inexpedient, ill-timed, and most dangerously impolitic, sacrificing at once countless blessings. The legislature in Pennsylvania took the opposite approach, and passed a resolution condemning the New England governors who were opposing the war effort. Other state governments issued resolutions taking sides. And it is clear that in the summer of 1812 the United States was going to war despite a large split in the country. Opposition in Baltimore In Baltimore, a thriving seaport at the beginning of the war, public opinion generally tended to favor the declaration of war. In fact, privateers from Baltimore were already setting sail to raid British shipping in the summer of 1812, and the city would eventually become, two years later, the focus of a British attack. On June 20, 1812, two days after war was declared, a Baltimore newspaper, the Federal Republican, published a blistering editorial denouncing the war and the Madison administration. The article angered many citizens of the city, and two days later, on June 22, a mob descended on the newspapers office and destroyed its printing press. The publisher of the Federal Republican, Alexander C. Hanson (1786–1819), fled the city for Rockville, Maryland. But Hanson was determined to return and continue publishing his attacks on the federal government. Riots in Baltimore With a group of supporters, including two notable veterans of the Revolutionary War, James Lingan (1751–1812) and General Henry Light Horse Harry Lee (1756–1818 and the father of Robert E. Lee), Hanson arrived back in Baltimore a month later, on July 26, 1812. Hanson and his associates moved into a brick house in the city. The men were armed, and they essentially fortified the house, fully expecting another visit from an angry mob. A group of boys gathered outside the house, shouting taunts and throwing stones. Guns, presumably loaded with blank cartridges, were fired from an upper floor of the house to disperse the growing crowd outside. The stone throwing became more intense, and windows of the house were shattered. The men in the house began shooting live ammunition, and a number of people in the street were wounded. A local doctor was killed by a musket ball. The mob was driven to a frenzy. Responding to the scene, the authorities negotiated the surrender of the men in the house. About 20 men were escorted to the local jail, where they were housed for their own protection. Lynch Mob A mob assembled outside the jail on the night of July 28, 1812, forced its way inside, and attacked the prisoners. Most of the men were severely beaten, and Lingan was killed, reportedly by being struck in the head with a hammer. General Lee was beaten senseless, and his injuries probably contributed to his death several years later. Hanson, the publisher of the Federal Republican, survived, but was also severely beaten. One of Hansons associates, John Thomson, was beaten by the mob, dragged through the streets, and tarred and feathered, but survived by feigning death. Lurid accounts of the Baltimore riot were printed in American newspapers. People were particularly shocked by the killing of James Lingam, who had been wounded while serving as an officer in the Revolutionary War and had been a friend of George Washington. Following the riot, tempers cooled in Baltimore. Alexander Hanson moved to Georgetown, on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., where he continued to publish a newspaper denouncing the war and mocking the government. End of the War   Opposition to the war continued in some parts of the country. But over time the debate cooled off and more patriotic concerns, and a desire to defeat the British, took precedence. At the end of the war, Albert Gallatin (1761–1849), the nations treasury secretary, expressed a belief that the war had unified the nation in many ways, and had lessened a focus on purely local or regional interests. Of the American people at the end of the war, Gallatin wrote: They are more Americans; they feel and act more as a nation; and I hope that the permanency of the Union is thereby better secured. Regional differences, of course, would remain a permanent part of American life. Before the war had officially ended, legislators from the New England states gathered at the Hartford Convention and argued for changes in the U.S. Constitution. The members of the Hartford Convention were essentially federalists who had opposed the war. Some of them argued that states which had not wanted the war should split from the federal government. The talk of secession, more than four decades before the Civil War, did not lead to any substantial action. The official end of the War of 1812 with the Treaty of Ghent occurred and the ideas of the Hartford Convention faded away. Later events, events such as the Nullification Crisis, the prolonged debates about slavery in America, the secession crisis, and the Civil War still pointed to regional splits in the nation. But Gallatins larger point, that the debate over the war ultimately bound the country together, had some validity. Sources and Further Reading   Bukovansky, Mlada. American Identity and Neutral Rights from Independence to the War of 1812. International Organization 51.2 (1997): 209–43. PGilje, Paul A. The Baltimore Riots of 1812 and the Breakdown of the Anglo-American Mob Tradition. Journal of Social History 13.4 (1980): 547–64. Hickey, Donald R. The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict, Bicentennial Edition. Urbana: The University of Illinois Press, 2012.  Morison, Samuel Eliot. The Henry-Crillon Affair of 1812. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society 69 (1947): 207–31. Strum, Harvey. New York Federalists and Opposition to the War of 1812. World Affairs 142.3 (1980): 169–87.Taylor, Alan. The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, and Indian Allies. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010.

Afghanistan s Geography Afghanistan - 1527 Words

Afghanistan’s Geography: Afghanistan is a country that is rich in history and war. Going back to early human civilization, many empires resided in this country. This country’s history is so vast some experts say that the relics and artifacts are just a grand as the artifacts from Egypt. â€Å"Lying along important trade routes connecting southern and eastern Asia to Europe and the Middle East, Afghanistan has long been a prize sought by empire builders, and for millennia great armies have attempted to subdue it, leaving traces of their efforts in great monuments now fallen to ruin.† (Dupree, et al., 2016) Afghanistan is landlocked country that boarders seven countries, located in south-central Asia. The nearest body of water is over 300 miles away. â€Å"Because of both its isolation and its volatile political history, it remains one of the most poorly surveyed areas of the world.† (Dupree, et al., 2016) With the rugged terrain holds a rugged trail of women’s rights. 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Cardiac Catheterization Free Essays

Cardiac catheterization is often referred to as coronary angiography or a coronary angiogram. It is a radiographic procedure that is used to look at and visualize the heart and the coronary arteries. During a cardiac catheterization it is possible for the cardiologist performing the procedure to see how effectively blood is flowing through the coronary arteries. We will write a custom essay sample on Cardiac Catheterization or any similar topic only for you Order Now In addition, this procedure allows the cardiologists to see how blood is moving through the chambers of the heart and how effective the heart valves are functioning. A cardiac catheterization can also allow for the visualization of the movement of the walls of the heart to see if the pumping action of the heart is normal. The primary application of cardiac catheterization is to determine if there is the presence of coronary artery disease. If there is occlusion of the coronary arteries this is the result of atherosclerosis, or plaque build up within the coronary arteries. During a cardiac catheterization it is possible for the physician to identify the location and size of these plaque deposits. The presence of plaque within the coronary arteries can lead to a myocardial infarction; therefore, if the plaque buildup is substantial, therapeutic action has to be taken. This treatment may include coronary bypass surgery if the coronary artery disease is widespread and or the arteries are occluded to a large degree. A large number of patients who do have coronary artery disease are treated in the cardiac cath lab during the catheterization with procedures such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and angioplasty with stenting and artherectomy. Angioplasty is performed by inserting a catheter into the coronary artery that is blocked. The catheter has balloon that can be inflated where the blockage is present. The pressure from the inflated balloon will force the plaque to the sides of the coronary artery. This will allow the artery to open and allow for increased blood flow through that branch of the coronary arteries. Once the plaque is moved aside the cardiologist will insert a tiny expandable wire tube known as a stent. The stent will be placed where it can be expanded to hold the artery open. Some stents are designed to simply keep the artery held open. Other stents used are drug-eluting stents. These stents are coated with pharmacologic agents that work to prevent restenosis of the artery. Another form of PCI is artherectomy. This is a procedure that has a cardiologist using a cutting blade that spins rapidly or a laser beam to cut away or burn away plaque that is blocking a branch of the coronary arteries. To perform a cardiac catheterization the patient is brought to the cardiac catheterization lab. These procedures are performed by specially trained cardiologists, nurses and radiologic technologists. The procedure is performed on a specialized table with fluoroscopy equipment, cardiac monitoring equipment, and the use of computerized technology to assist in data and image collection and analysis. To perform a cardiac catheterization the cardiologist will insert a sheath, or a short tube usually into the femoral artery. A long very thin catheter will then be fed through the sheath and guided through the arteries until it is in the heart and coronary arteries. The physician uses fluoroscopy equipment to guide the catheter into the coronary arteries. To allow for clear viewing of the coronary arteries, contrast material is injected into the catheter. As the contrast material flows through the heart chambers and coronary arteries x-rays are taken. The physician can than visualize the heart, valve function, and the flow through the coronary arteries. Any obstructions in the coronaries will become readily visible. The contrast material used to allow for the visualization of blood flow is iodine based and is flushed through the patients system rather quickly once the test is completed. The contrast material will be injected into the catheter that has been fed into the heart. As the contrast material flows through the heart x-rays are taken as a motion picture. This allows the cardiologist to not only visualize the flow of blood through the heart and coronary arteries, but the wall motion and valve function can be seen as well. This component of a cardiac catheterization is the actual coronary angiogram. If there is coronary artery disease, which is a blockage in some branch or branches of the coronary arteries, these blockages will be visible during the angiogram. The cardiologist performing the procedure will then determine the course of therapy to enhance blood flow through the coronaries. In mild cases, the patients may be treated medically with no cardiac catheterization intervention. In more severe cases the cardiologist might perform angioplasty with stenting. In those cases where stent placement cannot be done, or if the coronary artery disease is too widespread, then coronary artery bypass surgery might be warranted. A cardiac catheterization generally takes about 30 minutes. It can take longer if the cardiologist has to perform angioplasty and place multiple stents. Following the procedure the patient may remain in the hospital overnight or they may be able to go home after a few hours of recovery time. Most cardiac catheterizations are done via catheter insertion into the femoral artery. When the procedure is completed the sheath will be removed and the entry site will be closed with the application of pressure and a suture device or plug. A cardiac catheterization is an invasive procedure done in a sterile O. R. like environment. Although, the complications are rare, they do exist. Complications include: Allergic reaction to the contrast material, irregular heart rhythm, bleeding where the catheter was removed, infection, coronary artery spasm or acute closure, a tear and bleeding, and the need for emergency heart surgery. However, the benefits far out weigh the risks. The clinical information that this gold standard test provides about the heart, and the ability to open coronary arteries without surgery makes this procedure critical for those who are believed to have heart disease. How to cite Cardiac Catheterization, Papers

Showa-Packard Case free essay sample

The Tanaka incident came about through several other events preceding. Mr. Tanaka was nominated to replace the late president on the joint venture board. This appointment according to Mr. Harper was based on the Japanese seniority system and not in accordance with qualifications for the position. The seniority system as described by Mr. Harper is giving Mr. Tanaka the position to simply retire into. In addition to Mr. Harper’s description behind the reasoning to Mr. Tanaka’s appointment, Mr. Johnson does not see Mr. Tanaka qualified to fill this position. In response to his own concerns, Mr. Johnson nominates Mr. Abe as the president based on his qualifications and prior experienced working with him. The Showa Company respectfully rejects Mr. Johnson’s proposal on the basis is would be detrimental to the joint venture and to Mr. Abe’s future. The Showa Company also defends Mr. Tanaka’s qualifications for the position by claiming that Mr. We will write a custom essay sample on Showa-Packard Case or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Johnson’s judgment is unfair, because he has yet to meet him. The Tanka appointment has several causes that make it an issue. The Tanaka appointment became a concern to Mr. Johnson, as he feels his appointment could harm the joint venture’s success. It first became an issue, because Mr. Johnson found Mr. Tanaka’s qualifications unfit for the position. The concern seemed to grow as Mr. Harper began to explain the culture of the company’s seniority system that gave Mr. Tanaka the position. This caused negative personal feelings with Mr. Johnson. In the case, it described it as resentment, as if he sees the appointment of Mr. Tanaka deals more with the company’s culture, and the actual business of the joint venture is not important to the Showa Company. Additionally, Mr. Johnson feel this appointment highlights the loss of initiative the Packard management holds in the joint venture and appointing a different person because he said so would regain that initiative. Another possible cause to this issue is Mr. Harper himself, Mr. Harper complains about his inability to integrate and communicate with his Japanese counterparts. Miscommunication and lack of cohesiveness with the company from Mr. Harper’s standpoint could lead to misinterpretation of the real reasoning behind Mr. Tanka’s appointment. It is very possible that the Show Company’s organizational structure functions as Mr. Harper believes, but without the communication and good interrelations, how does Mr. Harper know the true intentions behind Mr. Tanaka’s appointment? Another reason for this issue was pointed out by the Showa Company. Mr. Johnson judged Mr. Tanaka solely on his qualifications on paper, how does Mr. Johnson know that Mr. Tanaka isn’t just as qualified as Mr. Abe? The reasoning behind Mr. Johnson’s recommendation for Mr. Abe was based on his admirations of qualities such as being dynamic, highly motivated, and pragmatic. These admirable qualities are generally not found in the employees work history, but realized through interacting with the individual. Mr. Tanaka could easily possess the same qualities. The Tanaka appointment incident has potential to cause business and personnel cohesive issues. A resolution to such a complex issue must also be complex, and could possibly cause additional strain on the joint venture relationships. The two companies came upon an agreement during the joint venture that the president appointee would be approved by the board and the American company. If Mr. Johnson truly feels that Mr. Tanaka is not qualified, after a fair assessment of his qualifications and putting personal resentment aside, then Mr. Johnson must enforce the previously arranged agreement and disapprove of Mr. Tanaka as president. This enforcement does have potential to cause tension on the foreign relationships. However, it would allow Mr. Johnson to regain his initiative, and allow both companies to have the desired candidate. The newly appointed president should be agreed upon with the equally represented board. This candidate should appease both Showa’s need for seniority and Packard’s need for superior qualifications. Mr. Johnson should also be sensitive to the organizational structure of the Showa Company and create a position for Mr. Tanaka on the joint venture team that he is more qualified for, and can still allow him to retire into it. This conflict branches from several issues but can be resolved through diplomatic and strategic resolutions.

Piaget And Vygotsky Essays - Constructivism, Child Development

Piaget And Vygotsky Everyday life is characterized by conscious purpose. From reaching for food to designing an experiment, our actions are directed at goals. This purpose reveals itself partly in our conscious awareness and partly in the organization of our thoughts and actions. Cognition is the process involved in thinking and mental activity, such as attention, memory and problem solving. Much past and present theory has emphasized the parallels between the articulated prepositional structure of language and the structure of an internal code or language of thought. In this paper I will discuss language and cognition and two famous theorist who were both influential in forming a more scientific approach to analyzing the process of cognitive development. Jean Piaget There are those that say that Jean Piaget was the first to take children`s thinking seriously. Although Piaget never thought of himself as a child psychologist his real interest was epistemology, the theory of knowledge, which, like physics, was considered a branch of philosophy until Piaget came along and made it a science (2000). Children and their reasoning process fascinated Piaget. He began to suspect that observing how the child`s mind develops might discover the key to human knowledge. Piaget`s insight opened a new window into the inner workings of the mind. Jean Piaget has made major theoretical and practical contributions to our understanding of the origins and evolution of knowledge. Stages of Childhood Development In his work Piaget identified stages of mental growth. He theorized that all children progressed through stages of cognitive development. He discovered that children think and reason differently at different periods in their lives. Piaget believed that everyone passed through a sequence of four qualitatively distinct stages. They are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. In the sensorimotor stage, occurring from birth to age 2, the child is concerned with gaining motor control and learning about physical objects. This stage promotes that thought is based primarily on action. Every time an infant does any action such as holding a bottle or learning to turn over, they are learning more about their bodies and how it relates to them and their environment. Piaget maintains that there are six sub-stages in the sensorimotor stage although children pass through three major achievements. In the preoperational stage, from ages 2 to 7, the child is preoccupied with verbal skills. At this point the child can name objects and reason intuitively. Piaget has divided this stage into the preoperational phase and the intuitive phase. In the preoperational phase children use language and try to make sense of the world but have a much less sophisticated mode of thought than adults. They need to test thoughts with reality on a daily basis and do not appear to be able to learn from generalizations made by adults. In the intuitive phase the child slowly moves away from drawing conclusions based solely on concrete experiences with objects. However, the conclusions drawn are based on rather vague impressions and perceptual judgments. It becomes possible to carry on a conversation with a child. Children develop the ability to classify objects on the basis of different criteria. At this stage children learn to count and use the concept of numbers. In the concrete operational stage, from ages 7 to 12, the child begins to deal with abstract concepts such as numbers and relationships. It is here that children learn mastery of classes, relations, numbers and how to reason. In this stage a person can do mental operations but only with real concrete objects, events or situations. Logical reasons are understood. For example, a concrete operational person can understand the need to go to bed early when it is necessary to rise early the next morning. A pre-operational child, on the other hand, does not understand this logic and substitutes the psychological reason, "I want to stay up. Finally, in the formal operational stage, age 12 to 15, the child begins to reason logically and systematically. The last stage deals with the mastery of thought (Evans, 1973). A formal operational thinker can do abstract thinking and starts to enjoy abstract thought. The formal operational thinker is able to think ahead to plan the solution path. Finally, the formal operational person is capable of meta-cognition, that is, thinking about thinking. A central component of Piaget`s developmental theory of learning and thinking is that both involve the participation of the learner. Knowledge is not merely transmitted verbally but must be constructed and reconstructed by the learner. Piaget asserted that for a child to know and construct knowledge of the world the child

JFK2 essays

JFK2 essays On November 22, 1963, it was said that everything changed. This was the day that President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. The facts of the J.F.K. assassination will be assessed and the many different conspiracy theories will be explored and explained. How did one of the greatest and most influential Presidents of our time become assassinated, and why? Throughout this paper the facts will be brought to your attention and therefore you will be able to draw your own conclusions. By midday of November 22, 1963, the skies overlooking Dallas, Texas showed the threat of possible rain. This did not stop President Kennedy from greeting the crowds from his open limousine. To the left of the President in the rear seat was Mrs. Kennedy. In the driver seat was agent R. Greer of the Secret Service, next to him was agent Roy H. Kellerman. In the backseats were Governor Connally and Mrs. Connaly. Directly behind the Presidential limousine was a car with eight Secret Service Agents. Behind that car was the Vice Presidential car, carrying, the Vice-president, Lyndon Johnson and his wife Lady Bird. There were also several cars and busses for additional dignitaries, press Shortly after 11:50 a.m., the motor cade left from Love Field, and preceded through neighborhoods, and only stopping two times at J.F.K.s request to greet onlookers Each time the motor cade stopped, the Secret Service men stood near the President and Mrs. Kennedy to protect them. The motor cade then preceded down Houston Street and directly ahead on the intersections northwest corner a seven story, orange brick warehouse and office building, The Texas Schoolbook Depository. At a speed of 11 miles per hour, the Presidents motor cade descended gradually toward a railroad overpass, then reaching the Stemmons Freeway. The front of the Texas Schoolbook Depository was now on the Presid...

Charles Dickens

INTRODUCTION This report will talk about the life of a famous author, Charles Dickens. It will tell you about his early, middle, and later years of his life. It will also talk about one of his great works of literature. In conclusion, this report will show a comparison of his work to his life. Plagiarism Detection >EARLY LIFE Charles Dickens was born at Landport, in Portsea, on February 7, 1812. His father was a clerk in the Navy Pay-Office, and was temporarily on duty in the neighborhood when Charles was born. His name was John Dickens. He spent time in prison for debts. But, even when he was free he lacked the money to support his family. Then, when Charles was two they moved to London.1Just before he started to toddle, he stepped into the glare of footlights. He never stepped out of it until he died. He was a good man, as men go in the bewildering world of ours, brave, transparent, tender-hearted, and honorable. Dickens was always a little too irritable because he was a little too happy. Like the over-wrought child in society, he was splendidly sociable, and in and yet sometimes quarrelsome. In all the practical relations of his life he was what the child is at a party, genuinely delighted, delightful, affectionate and happy, and in some strange way fundamentally sad and dangerously close to tears. 2At the age of 12 Charles worked in a London factory pasting labels on bottles of shoe polish. He held the job only for a few months, but the misery of the experience remain with him all his life. 3Dickens attended school off and on until he was 15, and then left for good. He enjoyed reading and was especially fond of adventure stories, fairy tales, and novels. He was influenced by such earlier English writers as William Shakespeare, Tobias Smollet, and Henry Fielding. However, most of the knowledge he later used as an author came from his environment around him. 4MIDDLE LIFE Dickens became a newspaper writer and reporter in the late 1820s. He specialized in cover ing debates in Parliament, and also wrote feature articles. His work as a reporter sharpened his naturally keen ear for conversation and helped develop his skill in portraying his characters speach realistically. It also increased his ability to observe and to write swiftly and clearly. Dickens first book, Sketches by Boz (1836) consisted of articles he wrote for the Monthly Magazine and the London Evening Chronicles.5On April 2, 1836 he married Catherine Hogarth. This was just a few days before the anoucement that on the 31st he would have his first work printed in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. And this was the beginning of his career. 6Then, at 24, Dickens became famous and was so until he died. He won his first literary fame with The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Published in monthly parts in 1836 and 1837 the book describes the humorous adventure and misadventures of the English Countryside. After a slow start, The Pickwick Papers as the book was usually called gained a popularity seldom matched in the history of literature. 7Then in 1837, Catherines sister Mary, died. Because of her death Dickens suffered a lot of grief. This led some scholars to believe that Dickens loved Mary more than Catherine. Catherine was a good woman but she lacked intelligence. Dickens and Catherine had 10 children. Then later in 1858, the couple seperated. 8LATER LIFE,/b His later years was basically consisting of two main additions to his previous activites.The first was a series of public readings and lectures which he began giving it systematically. And second, he was a successive editor. Dickens had been many things in his life; he was a reporter , an actor, a conjurer, a poet, a lecturer, and a editor and he enjoyed all of those things. 9Dickens had a remarkable mental and physical energy. He recorded all his activites in thousands of letter, many of which made delightful readings. He spent much of his later life with crowded social friends from arts and literature. He also went to the theater as often as he could, cause he loved drama. Dickens also produced and acted in small theaters to give public readings of his work.10Besides doing all this after his retirement he got involved in various charities . These charities included schools for poor children and a loan society to enable the poor to prove to Australia. 11Then about 1865 his health started to decline and he died of a stroke on June 9, 1870. 12Conclusion His work of Great Expectation is very related with his life. It deals with the same problems he faced when he lost Catherine and how his life was before he became rich and famous. He also created scenes and descriptions of places that have longed delighted readers. Dickens was a keen observer of life and had a great understanding of humanity, especially of young people. The warmth and humor of his personality appeared in all of his works. Perhaps in no other large body of fiction does the reader receive so strong and agreeable impression of the person behind the story.Endnotes 1. G. K. Chesterton, Charles Dickens The Last of The Great Men, American Book-Stratford Press, NY., 1942 pg.19 2. Ibid, pg. 21-22 3. Johnson, Edgar, His Tragedy and Triumph. Rev. ed. Viking, 1977, pg. 20 4. Ibid, pg. 27 5. World Book Encyclopedia, Random House, NY., 1990 pg. 193 6. G. K. Chesterton, Charles Dickens The Last of the Great Men, American Book-Stratford Press, NY., 1942 pg. 50 7. World Book Encyclopedia, Random House, NY., 1990 pg. 193 8. Johnson, Edgar, His Tragedy and Triumph. Rev. ed. Viking, 1977, pg. 53 9. G. K. Chesterton, Charles Dickens The Last of the Great Men, American Book-Stratford Press, NY., 1942 pg. 167 10. World Book Encyclopedia, Random House, NY., 1990 pg.195 11. Ibid 12. IbidBIBLIOGRAPHY Â  Chesterton, G.K., The Last of the Great Men American Book-Stratford Press, NY., 1942. Plagiarism Detection >Johnson, Edgar, His Tragedy and Triumph Rev. ed. Viking, 1977.World Book Encyclopedia, Random H ouse, NY., 1990

A Modest Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Modest Proposal - Essay Example Patrick’s Cathedral as Dean. He is known for his marvelous works such as Gulliver’s Travels, A journey to Stella and The Battle of Books etc. In this essay he proposes a method to mitigate the tense and misery in the life of the poverty stricken Irish people. While describing the family conditions of the beggars and the woeful economic situation of the Irish laborers who couldn’t feed their family and their infants, Swift points out a â€Å"surplus† of those infants who could not be fed. By considering the possibility of selling the children into slavery once they reach at the age of twelve, he objects that scheme, not because of the brutality in that scheme but because of its impracticality. Swift said that twelve years is a long time in which a child cannot be fed because of the fragile conditions of his parents, and that he came to know from his acquaintance in America that a one year old child in good healthis : â€Å"a most delicious, nourishing and wholesome Food, whether Stewed, Roasted, Baked or Boiled†(Swift, n.p.). From this point onwards, Swift supports his idea of subjecting the children into cannibalism at earlier age than to nurse the child for twelve years. Following this scheme the mother of the child has only one year to milk him/her so as to make him/her a perfect food for the upper class. After selling her child she would get enough time to work until she is pregnant again. He also showed that this idea if implied would help in reducing the Catholics too, as a Catholic child breeds rapidly as compared to a Protestant child. People could make use of their skin as well. Next he discusses the recipe for older children but refutes it because the meat of an older child would never be as fresh as the infant’s meat. He concludes with six advantages of this scheme and says that nobody should object his proposal until and unless somebody comes with a genuine counter argument and that this entire proposal is in the favor of the Irish prosperity. Critical Analysis Jonathan Swift is known for his satirical writings about the political situation prevailing at that time in his country and the snide comments about the unjust policies of his time. In this article he talked about the somber and murky situation of the poor people of Ireland and the condition of the streets and public places full of beggars followed by a team of their ill conditioned children. The mother of such children instead of earning are forced to beg their infants. All this strive for those children who would either turn themselves into thieves (because of the deprivation of basic necessities), or sell themselves to Barbados or fight for Spain, provide no actual benefit to the country. This fragile and solemn condition of these helpless infants adds more to the already present country grieves. Having explained this weird condition in a melancholic tone he suddenly shocked the audience by his own seemingly a very ruthless an d brutal solution of the problem. He calculates and shows the result that a 12 year breeding of children and then selling them is an impractical scheme and that it costs too much to the parents. However by using a very shrewd stance and highlighting all the negative aspects of the aforesaid scheme he puts forward his own idea of subjecting the infants to cannibalism at the age of one year. The audience had not yet recovered from the shock his seemingly hysteric and madding ideaand he started giving the calculations regarding the saving of a family who follows this proposal. He continued to explain the need of such an idea which if implemented save a thousands of currency per annum. At this point one reading all this juxtaposition of problem and solution would think that the author of this essay could be a serial killer or a

Dissertation - Can an organisation's growth be restricted Essay

Dissertation - Can an organisation's growth be restricted (constrained) by its recruitment policies, employee motivation or is it other factors - Essay Example For this reason, there is a strong need to determine the best way to increase the work motivation of the older generation employees. For this study, the researcher aims to determine whether the organization’s growth be restricted by its recruitment policies and employment motivation strategies on workers more than 50 years of age. To address the purpose of the study, the researcher will first conduct a literature review on organizational culture, work equality, importance of work flexibility and work-life balance, and the current employment law with regards to the pension age. Eventually, the researcher will conduct a quantitative and qualitative research survey among employees more than 50 years old. Organizational culture refers to â€Å"a set of norms, beliefs, principles and behaviour that gives the organization a unique character.† (Brown, 1995) It is also defined as â€Å"a pattern of behaviour developed by an organization to cope with problems related to external adaptation and internal integration aside from enabling the employees to feel and think positively.† David (1999: 143) Organizational culture is a paradigm which is often developed by employees within the organization. Over time, organizational culture forms a strong set of behavioural patterns and belief that could greatly affect the perception of employees with regards to its organizational goals and success. (Willcoxson & Millett, 2000) In fact, organization culture could greatly influence not only the success of the organization in terms of attaining its organizational goals but also its current performance. (DuBrin, 2002; David, 1999; Robbins, 1998) In order to effectively develop a strong organizational culture, managers play an important role when it comes to determining and implementing an acceptable organizational culture that promotes employees’ loyalty as well as motivating them to participate in supporting the effort on attaining the organizational goal

Peace in Eastern Religions Essay Example for Free

Peace in Eastern Religions Essay All Eastern religions have their own ideas about engendering peace within individuals and society. Jainism and Buddhism insist on the protection of all life. Confucianism permits war whenever reality would not allow for absolute peace within society. Daoism, on the contrary, rejects war by almost equating tranquility with the true nature of humanity. It is reasonable, therefore, to pose the following questions: Do all people love peace? If so, why do we have to discuss the subverting of hatred? As a matter of fact, all people cannot find peace until and unless they have come to believe in certain peace-inducing thoughts, such as ahimsa of the Buddhists. All religions propose peace with their particular sets of beliefs. Followers of the religions are required to know the thoughts of their peace-loving leaders, however, before they can find absolute peace within themselves. There is no religion without knowledge, which is why a Jain must know the basic beliefs of his or her community before peace could be practiced in the form of complete nonviolence. I believe that the â€Å"inner peace† proposed by Buddhism is the most important definition of peace. This is the kind of peace that is available to all, regardless of our levels of education. Even before an individual has realized the peace-inducing thoughts of the Buddha, or another religious leader, â€Å"inner peace† is essentially available. Moreover, nonviolence is best practiced with â€Å"inner peace. † If this kind of peace is not available to an individual, he or she may find it difficult also to understand the nonviolent practices of the religion. After all, an agitated and wrathful mind would not be able to practice nonviolence in the best possible way. Despite the fact that Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism, Smith-Christopher (1998), the editor of Subverting Hatred: The Challenge of Nonviolence in Religious Traditions, has positioned the chapter on Buddhism before the chapter on Hinduism. This allows the reader to understand the origins of Buddhism after reflecting on the religion. Most importantly, however, the placement of the chapter on Buddhism before the chapter on its origins allows the reader to be introduced to the concept of â€Å"inner peace† earlier on. This is an indispensable form of peace without which no concept of nonviolence is possible to be understood. Seeing that the subject of the book is the practice of peace, it would have been appropriate also to place the chapter on Buddhism as the first chapter in the book – simply for an understanding of â€Å"inner peace. †

Sweeney Todd :: essays research papers

Sweeney Todd is by no means a conventional musical; it takes several forms of music and theater and artfully places them together. Sondheim very effectively transports the audience back to Victorian England for a mad waltz with murder, mayhem...and meat pies. He also utilizes his skill as a choral composer to write some truly fascinating ensemble pieces accompanied by a very intricate plot with many elements carefully layered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several important thematic elements in this carefully written commentary on our society, and Sondheim makes good use of his music to accent not only the melodramatic plot, but these themes as well. For example, the song â€Å"Kiss Me† becomes an anthem for Anthony and Johanna and a symbol of their true love....they loved when they did not even know each other’s names. Sweeney Todd may be a dark musical, but its construction lends well to light voices and an equally light orchestral style. Plot-wise, this show is rather light, the characters seem cartoonish and one-dimensional, especially Mrs. Lovett, Anthony, and Johanna, who appear to be little more than melodramatic character roles. Ironically, Mrs. Lovett, the absolute capitalist, is one of the show’s most complex characters. Mrs. Lovett is not merely some amoral witch out to make a fast dollar, she is a character driven by greed and love to keep Sweeney however she can.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, the play gives an excellent example of captive innocence, and the loss of innocence that immediately follows. Sweeney is driven to murder, Mrs. Lovett bakes these people into pies, Johanna kills, Lucy is forced to become a Beggar and a whore, and nearly every major character experiences their own fall

Abou Shakra Essay

Q 01: Describe Abou Shakra in terms of the value it provides for customer. Ans: Abou Shakra has managed to maintain its own identity by having satisfied customer over the years. It was only possible as it followed some values since its inception to uphold its true identity as a restaurant. These values are as follow – Advantage – As a new restaurant when it started, it had to compete with the whole market as there was not many different cuisines available like now. So the competitive market necessitate that Abou Shakra had to offer something that would give him some advantage over the other competitors. This advantage turned out to be the greatest customer value offered by Abou Shakra, which was not offered by the majority of his customers. See more: Defining research problem and setting objectives Essay Persistent Focus on Customer – This restaurant have maintained the persistent focus on customer well-being and satisfaction and that had originally been the key factor to their success. This customer based marketing has been proved as the right track for their successive triumphs they have reached so far. Philosophy – Since its beginning, Abou Shakra has placed importance on its elegant dishes, prepared them with passions and provided a memorable experience to their guests. Abou Shakra has been following this philosophy ever since its establishment. This philosophy has brought in some other values n different ways. Such as – Abou Shakra has always ensured that its supplies are provided daily and they are preserved with appropriate standard. They have their own farms for meats and vegetables so that they can best product in the market. Over the years, it has kept its menu as simple as possible. Following no complexities has allowed it provide the best food so far. It has also maintained a hygiene environment for its customers so that they can feel like home. Their best feature would be their well trained employee wing that that ensure the utmost customer satisfaction. Q 02: Do you think Abou Shakra should develop a high-growth strategy? Why or why not? Ans: No, I don’t think Abou Shakra should develop a high growth strategy. Abou Shakra has successfully managed to collect good amount of profit over the years by following its existing strategy. This strategy has ensured its high efficiency rate all the way from its beginning. The reason behind this successful strategy – 1) Outstanding service – From its day one, Abou Shakra has emphasized on one thing only and that is customer  satisfaction. Through its amazing services, this restaurant has managed to satisfy almost all the customers it attends every year. Elegant dishes, friendly employees and hygiene environment have helped it to achieve its peak. 2) Correct Locations – Though it was first established in 1947, it only has 12 outlets in Egypt including 2 international branches. This way of choosing correct locations for the food lovers proves to be one of the best strategic ways it has followed. But these various locations didn’t come out as a hectic way of managing as Abou Shakra has always ensured its fresh deliveries to its each outlet. 3) Fresh Ingredients – Fresh ingredients also helped it to maintain the equal interest in all outlets. They never compromised with any of its ingredients even it was their overseas outlet which has proved as one of the best way to ensure satisfied customer. 4) Low budget on Advertisement – As Abou Shakra believes that satisfied customer is the best advertising tool, they always tend to reduces expenses instead of spending a large amount of money. They even try to spend that money on increasing the quality of the food and service provided.

American Online Case Study

Q1: The major explanations to the reason why AOL was so successful in the commercial online industry comparing to its competitors CompuServe and Prodigy are as follows:  · AOL offered the unique and board range of features such as Online Community, Computing and the like, so their services are relatively differentiated  · AOL kept good relation with its customer because of the easy access to AOL’s online service which only required to have a personal computer, a telephone line, and a computer, and also reflected in AOL’s rate structure which was the easiest for consumers to understand and anticipate, relative to its competitors  · The bargaining power of AOL with supplier is achieved by making strategic partnership with American Express, and so on; and completing its acquisitions of Internet software developers, along with AOL’s growing membership base, in order to strengthen its new interactive services industry by means of pursuing a number of initiatives .  · The threat of new enchant is low, since there is not much service providers, like AOL, acted as middlemen between thousands of content providers and millions of customers, which provided lucrative profits prior to 1995. Q2: There are several crucial changes happened in the commercial online industry in the year of 1995 and after:  · With the advent of the Internet World Wide Web and the entrance of Microsoft Network, content providers had substitution distribution channels that offered greater control over their products  · Under the background that the migration of proprietary services and content to Web sites, the exclusive offerings of AOL was declining, thus it was likely reduce the market share of AOL in the industry and subsequently posed negative effect on its profitability  · Since everyone with a PC was his/her own publisher, customers would sign up for an Internet on-ramp service provided by other companies and they were tend to use the other companies’ browsing software to surf the world’s database, resulted in the situation that content providers were starting to make use of these distribution channels. Q3. Based on the annual reports and footnotes, AOL’s accounting policy was to capitalize subscriber acquisition costs prior to 1995, which in my view, was not likely to be justified in that period based, for the uncertainty whether ts customers could migrate to the internet still remained since this would probably affect the growth in its subscriber and the profit of its services, although the CFO of AOL attributed the choice to the explanation that the period over which the revenue would be received was matching with the timing the expense, yet there was a rising gap between the reported income and its tax income, except for a big change in its service quality, these two numbers bear a consistent relationship to each other. Q4. The company should shorten the length of amortisation of the acquisition costs instead of extending it. The reason of this assertion are based on the life cycle of the industry which was supposed to be relatively short and because of the constantly cha nging environment of the commercial online industry with huge uncertainties, which was likely to require conservative accounting policy to reflect the financial figures so as to better match revenues with expense. Nevertheless, AOL even extended the amortization period for its subscriber acquisition cost from about 15 months to 24 months, which made it would be tend to face big risks when customers switched to other online service under uncertainty. Therefore, the company’s response seems to be inconsistent with my view. Q5. If AOL followed the policy of expensing subscriber acquisition outlays rather than capitalizing them, there would be a huge amount of subscriber acquisition costs, leading to a comparatively decreasing profit and increase operating loss in the income statement as well as lower equity in the balance sheet for the last same period or compared to its peers, which might lose the attractive looking of the accounting figures when it was eager to raise money from the public market so as to pay its bill.

Three Basic Principles of Utilitarianism

Three Basic Principles of Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is one of the most important and influential moral theories of modern times. In many respects, it is the outlook of Scottish philosopher  David Hume (1711-1776) and his writings from the mid-18th century. But it received both its name and its clearest statement in the writings of English philosophers Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). Even today Mills essay Utilitarianism, which was published in 1861, remains one of the most widely taught expositions of the doctrine. There are three principles that serve as the basic axioms of utilitarianism. 1. Pleasure or Happiness Is the Only Thing That Truly Has Intrinsic Value. Utilitarianism gets its name from the term utility, which in this context does not mean useful but, rather, means pleasure or happiness.  To say that something has intrinsic value means that it is simply good in itself.  A world in which this thing exists, or is possessed, or is experienced, is better than a world without it (all other things being equal). Intrinsic value contrasts with instrumental value.  Something has instrumental value when it is a means to some end.  For example, a screwdriver has instrumental value to the carpenter; it is not valued for its own sake but for what can be done with it. Now Mill admits that we seem to value some things other than pleasure and happiness for their own sake- we value health, beauty, and knowledge in this way. But he argues that we  never  value anything unless we associate it in some way with pleasure or happiness. Thus, we value beauty because it is pleasurable to behold. We value knowledge because,  usually, it is useful to us in coping with the world, and hence is linked to happiness. We value love and friendship because they are sources of pleasure and happiness. Pleasure and happiness, though, are unique in being valued purely for their own sake. No other reason for valuing them needs to be given. It is better to be happy than sad. This cant really be proved. But everyone thinks this. Mill thinks of happiness as consisting of many and varied pleasures. Thats why he runs the two concepts together. Most utilitarians, though, talk mainly of happiness, and that is what we will do from this point on. 2. Actions Are Right Insofar as They Promote Happiness, Wrong Insofar as They Produce Unhappiness. This principle is controversial. It makes utilitarianism a form of consequentialism since it says that the morality of an action is decided by its consequences. The more happiness is produced among those affected by the action, the better the action is. So, all things being equal, giving presents to a whole gang of children is better than giving a present to just one. Similarly, saving two lives is better than saving one life. That can seem quite sensible. But the principle is controversial because many people would say that what decides the morality of an action is the  motive  behind it. They would say, for instance, that if you give $1,000 to charity because you want to look good to voters in an election, your action is not so deserving of praise as if you gave $50 to charity motivated by compassion, or a sense of duty. 3. Everyones Happiness Counts Equally. This may strike you as a rather obvious moral principle. But when it was put forward by Bentham (in the form, everyone to count for one; no-one for more than one) it was quite radical. Two hundred years ago, it was a commonly held view that some lives, and the happiness they contained, were simply more important and valuable than others.  For example, the lives of masters were more important than slaves; the well-being of a king was more important than that of a peasant. So in Benthams time, this principle of equality was decidedly progressive.  It lay behind calls on the government to pass policies that would benefit all equally, not just the ruling elite. It is also the reason why utilitarianism is very far removed from any kind of egoism. The doctrine does not say that you should strive to maximize your own happiness. Rather, your happiness is just that of one person and carries no special weight. Utilitarians like the Australian philosopher Peter Singer take this idea of treating everyone equally very seriously. Singer argues that we have the same obligation to help needy strangers in far-off places as we have to help those closest to us. Critics think that this makes utilitarianism unrealistic and too demanding. But in Utilitarianism,  Mill attempts to answer this criticism by arguing that the general happiness is best served by each person focusing primarily on themselves and those around them. Benthams commitment to equality was radical in another way, too. Most moral philosophers before him had held that human beings have no particular obligations to animals since animals cant reason or talk, and they lack free will. But in Benthams view, this is irrelevant. What matters is whether an animal is capable of feeling pleasure or pain. He doesnt say that we should treat animals as if they were human. But he does think that the world is a better place if there is more pleasure and less suffering among the animals as well as among us. So we should at least avoid causing animals unnecessary suffering.

Portfolio Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Portfolio Project - Research Paper Example For constructing the portfolio, the stocks of internationally reputed companies like Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), South-west Airlines (LUV), IBM, Procter & Gamble (PG) and Hewlett & Packard (HPQ) has been selected. These companies pay dividend which is one of the pre-requisites set by the client. All the information relating to profitability, operations and other related activities of the company are easily accessible. This is important as the analysis of the company fundamentals is possible only if the requisite information is available. Moreover the selected companies belong to various sectors thus fulfilling the main purpose of portfolio i.e. ‘diversification’. Johnson & Johnson is the leading health services provider in US. The company extends support for the promotion of health and related services. It started its operations in the country nearly 20 years back and is presently working towards a global expansion. South-west Airlines is the leading airlines in US that managed to retain profitability even amidst the recent financial turmoil. During this time when the major airlines across the globe were struggling to stay afloat South-west Airlines managed its profitability status through efficient management operations. International Business Machines (IBM) is an IT company operating across five segments Global Business Services Segment (GBS), Global Technology Services (GTS) and Global Financing Segment. In the last few years the company has been engaged in the acquisition of companies like SPSS Inc, Lombardi, National Interest Security Company LLC etc (MSN Money-a, 2010). Procter & Gamble provides branded consumer goods. The company operates across 180countries through grocery stores, drug stores, mass merchandisers etc. Its business segments include beauty grooming, baby care, home care, health care, pet care family care and fabric care (MSN Money-b, 2010). The prices of all the above

Theory and Philosophy of Nurse Practitioner Term Paper

Theory and Philosophy of Nurse Practitioner - Term Paper Example The various theories of nursing contribute to better clinical practice and enhance the experiences of nurse practitioners in providing optimal care to the patients and contribute to the nursing profession (Alligood, 2014). Medicine and effective healthcare is a science as well as an art that applies scientifically proven theories into practice with state of the art personal skills and exemplary behavioral traits. It is a science because nursing education empowers individuals with specialized knowledge and expertise for optimal healthcare outcome of patients. It exploits scientific knowledge to alleviate pain and promote patients’ welfare. At the same time, it is an art as personal skills, attitude and empathy of nurses become critical ingredients that help build constructive relationships with patients and promote trust that lead to improved patients’ outcome. They facilitate integration of a holistic approach by promoting physical, mental and social well-being of the patients and ethically delivered care to medically sick people. Thus, making special efforts to understand people and incorporating values in their interaction, nurses develop the art of interacting with patients, carer and other stakeholders. The two most important theories of nursing that I like to apply within clinical environment are: theory of value based practice; and evidence based practice. The theory of values based practice becomes hugely pertinent in the current environment of rapid globalization when the changing dynamics of society necessitate better understanding of cross-cultural values and ethically delivered care. Globalization has ushered in pluralistic society where people comprise of different race, color, culture and nationality. Cultural competencies of nurses considerably facilitate them to build relationship with patients which expedite

Does Brand Equity Have a Positive Effect on Spin-off's Performance Dissertation

Does Brand Equity Have a Positive Effect on Spin-off's Performance - Dissertation Example Since 1980s’, many large corporations in the US had been successfully restructured. Restructuring made many companies in traditional industries survive from crisis. Enterprises thus regained the momentum of growth and rebuilt competitive advantage. Therefore, corporate restructuring was one of the most important sources that made the US firms’ competitiveness remount the top in the world. Because of this, the US corporate restructuring practice had become the model to follow by European and Japanese companies, and developed into a wave across Eurasia and even the whole world. It had become one of the most significant challenges in international management in 1990s. Typically, large transaction and corporate decision will be front-page news and very controversial topic. One of the recent year big issues is Kraft’s split. Only 18 months after the significant hostile takeover of the UK-listed chocolate manufacturer Cadbury in September 2009Kraft made another relativ ely important announcement that within the next 12 months, the $48bn conglomerate will be split into two publicly traded companies, creating a global snacks business with revenues of $32bn and a $16bn North America focused grocery business. The goal is to create a global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals, with an exception portfolio of leading brands around the world. With Cadbury’s leading positions and significant scale in key developing country such as India and Mexico as well as Europe, it becomes much easier for Kraft to split (Rappeport, 2011). This research is motivated by the case of Kraft’s strategic buy to split, aiming to use a number of methodologies find out the relationship between brand equity and conglomerate spin-off. It starts with the motives, value effects of corporate spin-offs, combing the brand equity effect, analyzing spin-offs’ performance related to brand and not related to brand. Section 2 will review literatures abou t brand equity, brand equity measurement and its prime importance in some corporate activities. It will also provide a review of existing research on the topic of spin-offs, and list them in order to have clear observation of the spin-off performance of both short-term and long-term tested by various methods in different researches. Section 3 is about data collection, which includes85large spin-offs in different fields worldwide in the past two decades. By analyzing the transactions, two streams will be formed: one contains spin-offsthat related to brand equity; the other is for those transactions not brand equity related. This section contains explanations of the rational used to decide is a spin-offis or not suitable for the final sample to test. Section 4 will focus on using methodology to test spin-off performance from the sample on the announcement day and long-term stock performance; in order to find out if brand equity based spin-offs could generate more benefit than non-bran d equity strategic spin-offs. The method will be selected from previous research. The results will be delivered in the following section, showing aggregate values and indications. Analyzing and discussion of the result and assumption will be included in the sixth section. Section 7 of this research is the conclusion and the limitation of this research. Appendixes and bibliography will come up at the end of this paper. 2. Literature

Save Girl Child Essay Example for Free

Save Girl Child Essay The driving force behind our lives is values (desires). A value can be defined as our highest priority in life. It may be Peace, Self Awareness, Money, Beauty, Power, Prestige, Sensual Pleasure, Contentment, Love etc. Whatever in our hierarchy of values, the top most value will be happiness. A better understanding of happiness is necessary to be happy in life. All the sensual pleasures are subjective, vary from person to person. One may like to hear a famous song while other may prefer to be with a beautiful girl or boy. If we seek repeated sensual pleasure, after each incident pleasure will decrease. The same incident will not give same amount of happiness; law of diminishing return applies to it. So every time we need something new to be happy. If we run behind new things to be happy, we will either drain out or will face depression of success. Are there any ways to be happy without any external stimulus or with same routine or same work or same dish or same spouse? Let us examine happiness further; is it possible to be happy without any object of enjoyment? Suppose if we win in one situation or receive praise, we become happy without any objects of enjoyment. Hence, happiness is a state of mind. And the objects or external stimulants are just a provocative cause to evoke that state. Let us examine this state of mind. We understood happiness is not coming from external stimulus and the happiness happens when our mind becomes still. Therefore happiness should be our true nature and our mind is the hindrance to experience it. If we could create the stillness of mind without any external stimulus, we could experience our true self or true nature orswarupa: sat-chit-ananda (pure blissful consciousness). The bliss can be defined as pleasure without any cause. The consciousness is the simultaneous awareness of the witness, the process of witnessing, and the object of witnessing. The objects were just reflecting the ananda or bliss in us and when it is reflected through objects or external stimulus, it is called happiness. When we experience bliss, we feel oneness with God. When this union or realization happens, we tuned with the natural laws. Mind is a collection of thoughts. It is a useful instrument to handle situations in front of you. We collect some thoughts of past or future (desires or values) to choose better in the present. We opt consciously or unconsciously each and every moment. Our choice causes an effect in the Existence and the Existence responds according to its own laws. Since the consequences of choices are beyond our direct control; we face stress or aadhi in decisions. Since happiness depends on external stimulus and law of diminishing return applies to it, each incident will increase our desire for a new. Thus vulnerability to aadhi increases by each incident. We may run behind objects of enjoyment or a stimulus to evoke the state of happiness. It creates continuous aadhi by forming a vicious circle. Our mind will occupy with either thoughts of past or future without taking the relevant decisions. Because, since there are too many considerations and the need to assure happiness; we will lose our courage to fix in one option. In such conditions, we follow mind or conscience as a guide. The mind and conscience may contain samskaras or imprints or memory of the past or future which may prevent appropriate action in the present. If we try to sort it out by thinking, it strengthens the mind and creates more trouble than before. The distorted mind cause to lose present moment or awareness or consciousness. Thus, the mind causes separation or ignorance of our blissful nature.

Popular Music in Film | Research

Popular Music in Film | Research Introduction This study aims to look into pre-existing popular music in film, its use and place within modern film making, with express interest in determining whether or not it can fairly be compared and judged along side more traditional original scoring techniques as an artistically viable means by which to add depth and further weight to the image, or if it is simply a cheap and easy means by which to score a film. In Ronald Rodmans essay The use of popular music as leitmotif in 1990s film, he states that â€Å"within the hands of a skilled director and music editor, the use of pre-existing popular music can be used to convey narrative events and characters in a way similar to classical Hollywood scoring. However, the two exist at opposite ends of a modernist/post modernist continuum. With the Hollywood score being valued for its original and film specific uniqueness and the found score being valued for its ability to redefine and recycle its self when used well, it offers a â€Å"live again† feeling, that allows the music to transcend its original form, and find new merit within the context of the imageâ€Å". (Rodman, from the compiled essay collection Changing Tunes: The Use of Pre-existing Music in Film (2005: 135) This study does not refer to a specific question requiring a final answer, instead aims to explore whether or not the idea of recycled music truly can transcend its self in skilled hands, and if the use of popular music in film has become used more widely and in a more sophisticated fashion following its emergence in many films of the 1990s. I also intend on looking into the work produced when artists more established within the realms of popular music, try their hand writing original music for film, and if this combination of film specific, more traditional scored music and the different approaches that popular music and those more schooled in its construction can bring to the table with regards to an original score, is truly the definitive way to create an interesting, exciting and truly brilliant piece of work that does what all good scores should achieve, too not only enhance the image, but to stand strong on its own as piece of work in its own right. By exploring the research of others with original research and thoughts of my own, I intend to come to a personal conclusion regarding the matter. This investigation is going to be based around the initial idea that popular music has a valuable and useful place within modern film making, however, due to it often being used in a lazy and not fully thought through manner, it has become some what looked down upon with in the medium, being seen simply as a means for cheap laughs, a pleasant way to pad out the background music of a scene and as a way to add more marketability to a film . In light of this generally accepted opinion of popular musics place in film, and its viewing in such a negative light, I wish to look into how and why this view exists, despite countless examples of it being used to great effect within a film and how in recent years, the trend for recruiting the skills of popular musicians to construct original material specifically for film is not only the next step in popular musics place in cinema, but its creative apex. This investigation, through the course of its three main chapters, intends to look closely at popular musics place within modern cinema, how it has arrived there, where it can go from here, and if it can be seen as important and useful as classical means of film scoring. I intend on looking into the following points through out the course of this investigation: Chapter 1 Popular music and Modern Cinema How the genesis of both popular music and cinema are inherently linked to one another and a cross-pollination between the mediums has always been inevitable How popular music as score differs from traditional scores in what it does within a film. The potential (both positive and negative) that pre-existing material brings to a film, from its ability to comment add extra levels to a film through its lyrical content and its already established place in the public subconscious through to the historical and social abilities it has in helping define eras and public attitudes when necessary. I shall look at the use of The Doors song ‘The End in Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1984) in order to explore this The powerful imprinting effect that the correct piece of popular music and the correct visuals can have on one another, combining in such a way that they elevate both song and scene to a completely new level of meaning, operating on many more levels than they would have done separately. I Shall look at Roy Orbisons ‘In Dreams within the movies Blue Velvet (David Lynch 1982) Chapter 2 Popular music as Leitmotif Look into how popular music has adopted the traditional film scoring technique, leitmotif. Explore the manner in which popular musics use denotatively and connotatively through leitmotif differs from the classic score, how it is not relied upon the actual repetition of specific themes that connect characters and narrative, but rather the repetition of styles of music or their social context. Investigate two films that use popular music as leitmotif, Shaun of The Dead (Edgar Wright,2004) and Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1992) and how their employment of the technique differs to one another. Chapter 3 The Popular Musician as Composer Investigate, through existing examples within movies, of popular musicians being either being used to write film specific music for cinema or actually constructing an original score tailor made for a film, and if these approaches herald different results and opportunities to scores constructed by more traditional composition methods. Conclusion Discuss an over view of my investigation, come to a personal evaluation of whether popular musics place within cinemas audio landscape is viable as artistically expressive and appropriate as a method of scoring. Chapter 1 Popular Music and Modern Cinema Popular music, since the late 1970s has come to hold a particularly interesting and powerful position amongst the many visual media forms that exist, and though a large majority of these forms that have mutated and cross pollinated as a result of the rise of various technologies and the prominence of popular music as a form of cultural expression, are mainly used as tools of marketing (music videos, television spots and advertisements), it possess a unique functioning purpose within the medium of film, â€Å"only in dramatic film and television are popular songs used in order to help tell a sustained narrative story a role that has traditionally been played by commissioned musical score† (Wright, Popular music and Film, 2003:8) Its hardly surprising that popular music has come to be used as such within film, though at their most fundamental levels they operate as two quit different forms of expression, the trajectories both have moved along through the early twentieth century show striking similarities to one another, to quote Ian Inglis in his introduction to Popular Film and Music (2003) â€Å"The genesis of both came about as a direct result of late nineteenth century technological developments, both predominantly rely on a new type of mass audience sharing a common interest, both started with humble beginnings as novelties to expand and become some of the largest industries in the world with colossal annual turnovers, both have been approached and consumed from perspectives that have allowed them to evolve from simple tools of popular and mass culture into examples of more high and elite cultureâ€Å". (Inglis, 2003:1) It is no longer required in modern film making to contain a score written specifically with the images and narrative in mind, a movies musical landscape is now just as likely to be entirely filled with pre-existing songs (be they popular or more esoteric) as it is to feature a more traditional score, often a combination of the two will be employed by a director. In order to greater appreciate the role that using pre-existing popular music in a film can have on, not only the narrative implications, but the way an audience will respond to the movie going experience, one must lay out the inherent differences and opportunities that popular music can bring when compared to a traditional classical score. Music written and scored with a film in mind is specifically catered to the needs of the images on screen, often a film will be scored late in a films production schedule, there for it is necessary to bend and fit to the constraints of the image, the composer is almost a slave to the film at hand, taking full responsibility for fleshing out every nuance and emotion that a scene requires. They must adapt and fit around what is (normally by the time a composer is brought on board) a fairly concrete structure of how the narrative events take place. On the other hand, when a director chooses to use pre-existing material in a film, the scenes have usually been designed in such a way as to bend around the song. Pre-existing material can not be manipulated in the same manner of a piece tailored to fit a narrative, however, through the use of shooting and editing a sequence with music in mind, it allows a certain unity and rhythm to emerge from the combination of the two. Looking at whether or not one of these approaches to film scoring is more artistically viable is a more complex question that at first it would appear. â€Å"The most fundamental observation that can be made about music in any audio? Visual medium is that it enjoys a rather direct route to our subconscious. Humans are by nature more visually orientated, we digest visual information more consciously and more critically than we do aural information† (Wright 2003:10) Since its musics uncanny ability to override the logical front of our brains and plug directly into our emotional back allies, it tends to offer the driving force in telling us how to feel about events within a film. It can be used with great effect to inform us how we should feel about characters or places, it can instantly set time periods or moods, â€Å"precisely because in most cases it is completely removed from the specific logic of a films story line† (Wright 2003:10). However, it is this powerful, yet extremely subtle ability to steer an audiences emotions within a film that makes the score so depended on a plethora of various factors, be they cultural, historical or otherwise. What a person is going to feel when exposed to different sounds is extremely subjective, how one person responds may not correlate with how another would when exposed to the same thing. â€Å"All popular music contains visual elements; all film relies, in varying degrees, on musical elements† (Inglies 2003:3) A director can take great advantage of that fact that pre-existing popular music will often have already existed within the consciousness of the public for long enough that a response will have been built up in their mind, especially with regards to songs containing specific, concrete lyrics. An example of the successful combination of a songs lyrics and a sequence edited perfectly to its rhythm would be the opening montage of the Zack Snyder directed Watchmen (2009), the sequence, which shows the unfolding of an alternate historical timeline of the 1960s, moves along at a constant, smooth and meditative crawl, all the while Bob Dylans â€Å"The times they are a-changing† echoes out, the lyrics seeming to directly reference the events taking place and the mid tempo, simple yet mournful and effective guitar/harmonica parts perfectly compliment the mood and set the tone; there is a heavy sense of sadness, a great part of the story centres around the fact that a new generation of costumed heroes are now faced with a society that no longer has time for them, that fears them even and in this sequence we look back into the halcyon golden days of the older generation of costumed heroes, when it was more innocent, but we view the often depressing events that lead to the current state of affairs within the narrative. In other instances, the right song placed with the right images can elevate both beyond their limits as separate mediums, fleshing out one another in new and exciting directions. For example in David Lynchs masterpiece Blue Velvet(1986), a few keys scenes, use pre-existing material to truly haunting and terrifying effect. Most famously perhaps is the scene where Jeffery Beaumont (Kyle Maclachlan) is serenaded by the suave, menacing, porcelain white, rake thin figure of Ben (Dean Stockwell). Ben lip-synchs along to Roy Orbisons classic â€Å"In Dreams†. The song, a ballad that tells a story of lost love, had already become a well known hit by the time Lynch made Blue Velvet. Recorded in 1963 (twenty three years prior to Blue Velvets release) it peaked at number seven on the billboard charts. Within the dark, unsettling noir universe that Lynch had created for the film, the song took on something of a far more disturbing meaning. The ironic juxtaposition of Orbisons ethereal voice, haunting melody and the dream like music accompanying it, along side the creeping dread and ominous shadow of impending violence smothering the sequence help elevate the mood and capture it brilliantly. Blue Velvet itself felt a lot like a dream, or a nightmare, and the songs lyrics resonated with a compelling and strange clarity within the films mood. The whole film was about looking below the surface of something seemingly perfect and finding that it was rotten to the core, here, in this context, a remarkable beautiful piece of music is suddenly something more, theres something darker at its heart. A truly inspiring choice of popular music for a scene, and a prime example of the amplification of a scenes mood the correct piece of pre-existing music can have. The innocent, whimsical connotations and feelings evoked by â€Å"In Dreams† sits in a perfect, jarringly uncomfortable unity along side the hellish, violent world at â€Å"Blue Velvets† heart. The impact of the sequence is unmistakable, one can not imagine the scene playing out with any other song and similarly after viewing the sequence, one can not hear the song without imaging Ben swaying and singing or Frank Booth (Dennis Hooper) becoming lost in sadness, then insane with rage upon hearing the song hes obsessed with. From a commercial aspect the song was incredibly useful in revitalising Roy Orbisons then lagging career, though he was at first shocked upon viewing the way his music had been used, the song and film bolstered interest back into the singers work. Although, on the other side of the coin, â€Å"it is precisely because the message in music is so implicit, because it influences us somewhat subliminally, that we find its failings so noteworthy[†¦] The stakes are high: when it works, it moves us, but when it fails, we cringe at the attempt† (Wright 2003:12). Because popular music tends to exist within the moment, it changes and mutates at the same rate as fashion or hairstyles, the risk of using a popular song from a certain time can immediately give a film a shelf life. Obviously, over time, all films begin to look dated compared to their modern equivalents, however, popular music evolves at such a lightning pace that the wrong piece (or some times, the right piece for that moment in time) can often make a film seem laughable or extremely out dated within a short space of time (See many, many, many films from the 80s) It therefore, appears that producers and directors run significant risk when making a conscious decision to use popular music as score. Which does seem to beg the question, that if music written for the film can be tailored to fit a films needs precisely and pre-existing material tends to loose its relevance within years, why do people still use popular music? From a cynical point of view it could be suggested that its more often than not with financial reasons in mind, its common knowledge that only one in ten productions will return a substantial profit, however its the huge profit of that one that makes up for all the others, so the added bonus of having an easily marketable sound track is always going to be a draw in terms of money. However, pre-existing music has its own artistic merits within film as a choice of soundtrack. Since most popular songs chosen for film (such as â€Å"In Dreams† mentioned earlier) have already existed within the public consciousness for considerable time enough for people to build and attach their own set of feelings and emotions to a song, the use of popular music brings with it a ready prepared set of emotional triggers that a film or scene can build on top of, this always for a scene to carry more emotional clout than if an unheard and unknown score made for the film was used in its place. â€Å"The right song in the right place can be an extremely powerful device† (Wright 2003:13) Though it is indeed true that the use of popular music can run the risk of making a film seem out dated fairly quickly, the act that pre-existing popular music does capture and retain the mood of the time period it was created in can be an extremely useful tool when the subject matter of a film is specific to a certain era, it can instantly and effortlessly conjure up the mood of a certain point in history in a way that a composed score would struggle to achieve. Familiar examples of music from the desired era summon up not only the musical memory of the time, but come complete with the attitudes and ideas that were linked to that period (Wright 2003:13). For example, the 1960s for many cultural and historical reasons stills resonates powerfully within the public consciousness. Francis Ford Coppolas Apocalypse Now (1979) partly achieved a faithfully accurate depiction of the ear through the careful use of songs strongly linked to that decade, but more than that, the songs chosen often reflect the bizarre situations Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) finds himself in and the deepening sense of dread that consumes him as he heads further down the river and into the stories nightmarish underbelly. This effect is starkly illustrated in the films famous beginnings, as Willard stares blankly at a ceiling fan in his room, the Doors song ‘The End plays non-diegetically along with the sound of helicopter blades. Not only does the song help to evoke feeling and images of the 60s, but it also comments upon an uncomfortable and unsettling notion that haunts the film, as Matthew Caley describes it in his essay Heavy Rotation â€Å"The opening sequence invokes the notion of a terrible re-occurrence the end becoming the beginning, signifying the heaviest of burdens† (Pop Fiction, Caley 2005:38) Some events, in this case the Vietnam war, can never be overcome on a personal level. Another important difference between the use of popular music as score and traditionally composed pieces is that, for the most part, traditional scores are used non-diegetically, as seemingly separate entitles, floating above the action, where as very often, popular music is used diegetically within the frame. This could be in part that we are almost conditioned to think of songs as more than simply visual accompaniment, we hear a song and nine times out of ten well imagine a performance going along with it, we see the band, the singer and the stage, lyrics also cry out for attention and want to be hear and analysed. Simply underscoring a scene with a popular song, can in some cases distract the audience from the main narrative drive, and as soon as an audience is lost from the film, it becomes increasingly difficult to get them back involved. So, to counter this, more often than not the source of a piece of popular music will normally be within the frame, be it a car radio or a CD p layer or (as was the case in Blue Velvet) some one singing. In this way, we no longer find the presence of a separate medium looking for attention problematic, the characters can hear what we are hearing, a logical justification for the songs presence has been given. This can also happen on a wider scale through out a film, when the set up provides a musical or semi-musical means by which to accept the constant presence of diegetic music, for example in High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, 2000), the narrative revolves around Rob Gordon (John Cussack) who runs a small, alternative-music store, and his employees. The overt musical setting always for many chances for popular songs to appear diegetically within the movie, however, once the action is removed from the apparent source of these songs, they act as score instead, but because the viewer has been given enough logical justification for their presence, their use in these situations does not direct attention from the action, or seem co ntrived and indulgent in their use. With out the earlier conditioning provided by the films location allows use, this may not be the case. â€Å"Given all these difficulties, music, with its ‘back door access to our consciousness, is a powerful tool [†¦] it stealthily pilot The audiences mood ad emotional response to a films content† (Wright 2003: 20) What it is that succeeds when popular music is used as accompaniment in film is subject to many different factors, most extremely subtle. Precisely how it effects a person is of course on an individual level and cant realistically be hammered down to a science in any way, but the successful use of music often engages in a way that is simultaneously original, but resonate with a timeless quality. Popular music is an ever changing form of expression in and of itself, and as too, the landscape and language of cinema grows and changes over time it is fair to say that what in principle can be regard as the rules to determine what does and does not work as musical accompaniment to film, will remain the same. An interesting angle that has also been undertaken by many modern film makers (perhaps not consciously) is the mimicking of techniques used in more traditional film scores when using pre-existing material, the most prevalent of these could possibly be the use of popular song as Leitmotif, which I will now explore in chapter two. Chapter 2 Popular Music as Leitmotif Firstly, the term leitmotif is, according to Groves Dictionary of Music defined as such: â€Å"A theme, or other coherent idea, clearly defined so as to retain its identity if modified on subsequent appearances, and whose purpose is to represent or symbolise a person, object, place, idea, state of mind, supernatural force or any other ingredient in a dramatic work, usually operatic but also vocal, choral or instrumental† A term used original to denote a process occurring in the operas of Richard Wagner, it has been adopted by film scholars as a means by which to describe a similar role in the classical film score, â€Å"a way of producing subtle sensations and associations in the listener (or viewer)† (Costantini: http://filmsound.org/gustavo/leitmotif-revisted.htm). In essence, the leitmotif is any melody, progression or harmony that occurs more than once during the film, and is normally attached to characters or actions as a means to evoke a memory in the viewer via a subconscious attachment of the repeating music to the images on screen. Leitmotifs also have the power to be both denotative and connotative in they way they present emotions and link to the image. The music denotes characters or/and situations through a link with music, then a repetition of the music, it can also create more subtle connotations when â€Å"foreshadowing or contradicting the images on screen† (Rodman, changing tunes 2006:124) For example, many of the scores composed by Ennio Morricone for director Sergio Leones spaghetti westerns, prominently feature the use of leitmotif to establish characters. In The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966), the use of a recurring two note melody is a frequent motif, played on three separate instruments to represent the three main characters of the film: flute for Blondie, ocarina for Angel eyes and human voices for Tuco. Through the denotative use of the notes A and its fourth interval upwards D, a Spanish flavour is achieved within the music, along side the three separate instruments help create a potent connection with the characters and ambience of the images on screen. The link between this leitmotif and the images it scores are so prevalent, that it is practically impossible to separate the two from one another, they are forever inescapably tethered together through this denotation, however, as leitmotif works connotatively as well, the describing traits that the music presents can exist outside the images context. Though we will always link that two note motif visually with the characters of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, we too will always link the emotions, mood and feeling of the film (A romanticised, stylised version the west, heroism, treachery, adventure) with the music , and these connotations can carry on beyond the context of the films images, having been emotional hardwired in to our minds via the ‘back door access connotations within music can supply. It is interesting to note that upon its release as a soundtrack album, Morricones score performed very well, reaching number four on the billboard charts and becoming frequently sampled , re used and referenced by many popular musicians since (including, Gorrilaz, R.E.M and The Pogues) and thus, could be argued that it has moved from its initial use as a film score, more into the public consensus as popular music, possibly even a cultural touchstone, even if its original interests where not defined that way. As popular music has evolved beyond a simple form of entertainment and entered into the musical landscape of cinema as a method of scoring, its denotative/connotative properties have made it possible to assume the role of leitmotif when used correctly in films, it is this utilising of an established method of scoring†¦and utilising correctly, that gives yet more weight to popular music as artistically viable. When used as leitmotif, popular music tends to be given more denotative power than a traditional score, though also still able to connotate subtle meanings. The difference being that the denotation is more subtle, nuanced and relies more heavily on the viewers familiarity and competence with the music prior to experiencing it in the film. To explore this, I shall examine two popular modern films that heavily rely on popular music as score, both using it as leitmotif, in different ways however. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004) and Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994). Shaun of the Dead is presented as being a romantic comedy†¦with zombies, the film garnered hugely favourable reviews upon its release for its blend of witty Douglas Adams-esque British humour and the classic elements of the zombie genre found in the work of George A Romero. Like director and writer (along with Simon Pegg) Edgar Wrights earlier work on the television series Spaced, Shaun of the Dead uses a compilation score (along with a few tracks written specifically for the film) consisting of popular tunes. The same song does not reappear frequently through the film to reinforce character or situation as leitmotif may be used in a traditional score, instead the films leitmotif is to be drawn from a perceived prior knowledge that the viewer must have with the songs, which allows an emphatic, direct meaning (via lyrics, song titles and often a reference to horror genre) to achieve denotative references, often used to comic effect to act as leitmotif through the film. The stipulations of leitmotif are also achieved via the songs connotative effect on the viewer via their subtle (sometimes not so subtle) descriptions of a scenes mood, or a character trait or often the films overall theme. For example, the film opens with an excerpt from ‘Ghost Town by the Specials over a black screen, before cutting to a medium close up of Shaun (Simon Pegg) sat, mouth agape, a brain dead expression stapled to his face, in a pub (we there for automatically make the assumption that the music is being heard diegetically by the characters as well, emanating from a jukebox or something similar). The song immediately makes clear the mood of the film, the very title of the track is ‘Ghost Town, straight away subtly suggesting the coming events of the films narrative, The lyrics (though originally written about the large scale unemployment feared to be brought by the policies of Margret Thatcher) twist and lend perfectly with one of the films core themes, the idea that modern British society is dulling down, decaying, zombifing itself and wasting away in to nothing more than the aforementioned ‘Ghost Town of the songs title. The style of music itself also captures the spirit of the film, connotating on an almost subconscious level to the viewer what to expect in terms of the films mood, the up beat Ska style is certainly light hearted almost comical in its bouncy rhythms, but a sinister vein runs through the song, similarly, the film, though a comedy at heart, has moments of real horror as the zombie crisis escalates towards the end of the film. It is also extremely British in sound, as the film is too, extremely British in its writing and acting. Other examples of songs being used for their inherent referencing/or placement within the horror genre are ‘Zombie Nation by Kernkraft 4000 and ‘The Blue Wrath by I Monster. Both these songs differ wildly in their stylistic traits, but by their nature of both taking reference points from supernatural angles (zombies, monsters) they are linked to the leitmotif structure the film uses. ‘Zombie Nation in particular, though used for only a very short space of time, prescribes to a similar denotative/connotative use as Ghost Town does. Denotatively in its title it directly name checks not only the main antagonistic force of the movie but also the movies entire scene set up and connotativley it also refers to the perceived notion of a zombifed Britain, using the title in a less literal sense, the style of music (a repetitive dance song) also, through heavy irony, helps subtly convey the idea of a brain dead society, (though, thats not to suggest that dance music is inhere ntly brain dead, more that, the repetitive nature of its genre along with the social image of hordes of silent, blank eyed individuals, twitching along in unison trapped in some nightclub runs a neat parallel with the zombie hordes occupying the move) A sequence which has since gained a great deal of attention and become something of a ‘classic comedy moment, takes place towards the end of the film, trapped by the marauding, relentless zombie hordes into the Winchester pub, Shaun and his friends are forced to deal with the now un dead pub landlord, during the course of the melee the jukebox starts to play the Queen hit ‘Dont Stop me Now. The juxtaposition of the songs upbeat, positive, energetic refrain against not only harrowing and almost certainly doomed situation the characters find themselves in, but also the beaten down, bloody, bruised and emotionally frayed survivors creates a sublime moment as song and image seamlessly combine, creating comedy from unexpected irony. The songs place here however, does not conform to the regular leitmotif that has been used through the film (song as denotative via lyrics or song title), and initially the lyrics seem ironic in their positive mantra, however, the song can also be seen as a comment on Shauns now fully developed character traits. Up until now hes been something of a loser, unable to pull his life together and it takes the apocalypse to rally his leadership qualities, from this angle, the songs positive message seems more sincere in its use, we