The death penalty is not a deterrent Research Paper - 1

The death penalty is not a deterrent - Research Paper Example Pillsbury argued that it is the violence of our crimes that is the problem and not the number of crimes. And in dealing with the American homicide problem, we need to approach it squarely with all the help we can muster from social scientists, lawyers, police officers, community leader and activists, even novelists and movie makers. Each of these people provides a different perspective on what makes people commit crime, and each provides a different solution in dealing with the criminal who committed the crime. (Pillsbury 3) A police officer who apprehended the criminal may want conviction and incarceration. The psychiatrist may ask for psychiatric treatment, while a social reformer may ask that the offender be given family support which he/she lacked when the crime was committed. Each professional or actor in the justice system may want a different approach. But this will hold only for as long as each respects the other. The criminal, after a psychiatric treatment, may find himself a promoter of social reform, but not capital punishment. This paper will provide an answer to the question whether the criminal deserves punishment and not the death penalty. Is capital punishment a deterrent to a convict’s commission of another crime? Or is it a deterrent for others to commit a crime? Literature Review Proponents of the death penalty provide four fundamental rationales in imposing it: ‘deterrence, instrumental perspective, retribution, and incapacitation’ (Lambert and Clarke, qtd. in Elechi, Lambert and Ventura 110). Proponents argue that people can be stopped from committing crimes by imposing severe sanctions and executing criminals deters others who planned to commit crimes from doing so. Proponents also advocate that the death penalty is an ‘effective deterrent than life imprisonment’ (Elechi et al 110). Retribution is vengeance (Mitchell 480). Statistics about homicide rates in conjunction with execution rates Since 1999 the mu rder rate has remained unchanged despite the decline of death sentences, executions, and the size of death row. (â€Å"Death Penalty Information Center† para. 1) In the so-called execution capital of the nation, Texas, executions go up the same thing with homicide. For example in Bexar, San Antonio, with a population of about 1.4 million, the murder rate is 14.91, executions registered at 18 and executions per 1,000 murders are 4.3; in El Paso, a population of .7 million, the murder rate is 6.60, execution 1; in Tarrant (Ft. Worth), population of 1.5, murder rate is 12.78, executions 22, and executions per 1,000 are 6.5; in Dallas, a population of 2.2 million, the murder rate is 19.33, executions 26, and executions per 1000 murders are 3.1. The hiatus in executions during 1972 to 1976 was brought about by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Furman v. Georgia, which states that capital punishment in America was cruel and unusual punishment. (â€Å"Mortal Justice: The Demogra phy of the Death Penalty† 40) Statistics about homicide rates in conjunction with life imprisonment States, which do not have the death penalty and only have life imprisonment, have reported lower murder rates. In 2010, the murder rate in death penalty states was 5.00, while the murder rate in non-death penalty states was 4.01 or a difference of 25%. In other words, death penalty or life imprisonment has no deterrence on violent crimes like murder. The murder rate is calculated by dividing the total

Evaluating an Argument and bring forth an argument of your own Essay

Evaluating an Argument and bring forth an argument of your own - Essay Example Brent begins his article by describing a scenario where a driver accelerates into high speed in order to get to work early and avoid quarrels with boss. It is good to speed up to meet time deadlines but the risk involved is not worth while there are other easier options such as waking up earlier and driving safely to work. The writer talks about the German case where people drive at speed of over 80 miles per and yet German highways are the safest in the world (Axelrod, and Charles 620). However, Brent should also consider the ease of getting a driving license in the two countries and the also the training involved in the driving schools of the two countries. The USA allows people as young as sixteen years old to drive whereas in Germany one can only obtain a driving license at the age of twenty one years. The maturity between a sixteen years old child and a twenty one years old adult is not comparable. In Germany, one has to attend a driving school for at least three months as oppos ed to one month in the USA and hence the driving skills between the two people are incomparable. The writer argues that nobody would speed up in order to risk their lives and hence there’s no need of imposing the speed limits. However, it is important to understand that speed limits not only protects the driver but also the outside world who maybe more important than the driver. Considering a scenario where people were allowed to drive at their own speed, the rate of accident occurrence would increase and consequently the number of people in hospitals would also increase. An increase in the number of people in hospitals directly increases a cost to the government which is under the pressure of economic battles. Brent Knutson argues that modern vehicles are designed in such a way that they can travel safely at super high speed which i

The Competitive Elements Of Illovo Malawi Business Essay

The Competitive Elements Of Illovo Malawi Business Essay Critically assess the strategic context within which your firm operates using any conceptual framework, which you think is appropriate, and explain which are the most important general business trends and competitive elements. Which of these should strategic decision makers in the company of your choice consider the most and why? Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd is a subsidiary of a South African company Illovo Sugar South Africa. Illovo Sugar Malawi is the countrys largest sugar producer. There are two other companies that have just set up within the previous two years, however, they can not be acknowledged as of yet as they are yet to commence operations. Illovo sugar is a large multinational company that spans across six African countries that include Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa. They are the largest sugar producers within each respective country that they are present in. Illovo Sugar operates through subsidiaries within each of the mentioned countries. When we analyse to total volume of sugar produced amongst all the facilities that Illovo owns, it shows that they are the largest producer of sugar within the African subcontinent. Illovo Sugar is listed on the Johannesburg Stock exchange and on the Malawian and Zambian Stock Exchange respectively (as subsidiaries). The majority ownership of Illovo Sugar, 51% of it, belongs to a FTSE 100 Company Associated British Foods Plc. Illovo Sugar Malawi, along with its other subsidiaries within Africa, have shown year on year consistent growth for the entire Illovo Group in Africa, it is this level of performance which has labelled Illovo the largest sugar producer in Africa. PESTEL Analysis: I will now outline a PESTEL analysis for Illovo Sugar Ltd, within which I will cover all the political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal aspects that affect Illovo Sugar. Political: Political stability within Malawi has been an issue for Illovo Sugar Malawi during 2012. The autocratic rule of the former president came to an unexpected end when he died due to cardiac arrest. This meant that Illovo had to form new connections with the new president (former vice president) who had her own political party. Doing so, it would give Illovo access right to the top of the tree; it could therefore exercise this communion whenever it needed to. When the government attitude is looked upon, due to the economical problems in Malawi, the extreme lack of forex has led to many problems and it has crippled the economy. The current regime is on the move to increase exports in order to generate the much-needed forex, this being a direct presidential initiative. Due to Illovo Sugar Malawi being one of the top exporters within Malawi, it is therefore one of the favourable organisations directly from the offices of the president. Corrupt governments usually impact organisations when they make decisions at firm levels. The impact of corrupt ministers and even presidents in some cases prove to be a vital political problem to a large company such as Illovo Sugar. In this case, as far as it can be noted, it seems that Illovo Sugar Malawi has steered away from being influenced by such people or governments. Economical: Malawi is currently enduring one of the harshest conditions related to its economy. It has literally crippled, from being the second fastest growing economy in the world in 2008, it has fallen at such an alarming rate, at the expense of the autocratic rule of the former president who despised the western donor countries. It led to intense shortages of forex within Malawi, and with Malawi being a predominantly importing country, it crippled many sectors and inflation started to rise at an alarming rate. The biggest cause for concern is the devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha it will increase costs from all aspects for Illovo Malawi, however, due to the floatation of the currency within the international markets, it will therefore obtain better prices for its commodity on the international market. Credit availability and interest rates are also a problem for Illovo Sugar Malawi. The credit is available but due to liquidity shortages of the Malawi kwacha, the Reserve Bank of Malawi has put high interest charges on credit facilities. Due to this problem, Illovo Malawi will take out as little credit facilities as its needs in order to avoid high interest charges  [1]  . When the overall industry growth is analysed, it can be compared, volumetrically, that Illovo Sugar Malawi has continued to grow despite all the problems it faces. It continues to be the largest contributor to the Illovo Sugar Group at 39% of its overall operating profit  [2]  . Therefore, the industry continues to grow and the prospect for the future for Illovo Malawi looks good in terms of an economical aspect. Social: Illovo Sugar Malawi operates two relatively large facilities within Malawi. They employ approximately 5400 people fulltime and around 4500 seasonal employees. They provide employment to local Malawians with added benefits as part of their corporate citizenship scheme. Illovo Sugar Malawi also works hard in maintaining their corporate social responsibility image. They have built schools and medical centres within the local communities. Every employee has access to medical and educational care, with his or her dependants included too. Apart from this, they provide housing to over 4500 people with amenities such as running water, electricity and waste management services  [3]  . Apart from the above, Illovo also carries out other social acts of charity in the form of donations to hospitals and of aid to relief victims of natural disasters within Malawi. Apart from maintaining its own sugarcane growing facilities, Illovo plays a socially responsible role when it comes to purchasing sugarcane from local smallholder farmers. They account for up to 13% of Illovo Malawis total raw material volume  [4]  . Technological: Illovo Sugar, as mentioned is the largest sugar producer in Africa, therefore they are bound to keep their technological mind-set at its peak performance. In the current world, technology is known for making processes much simpler and carried out faster and efficiently. In regards to plant and machinery at Illovo, which is the core of the entire business, they will pay the highest attention to new technological entrants within the market. Efficiency, cost saving and speed is what drives any manufacturing business and it is the same with Illovo Malawi. New process technologies within this line of business can rapidly give the edge over competitors and Illovo can utilise this to their advantage. If a new technological concept is trialled on one site, if proven to be successful, provided all factors are considered, they can easily apply this to all their sites and reap the benefits. Illovo grows their own sugarcane and technological advances in farming methods are constantly advancing, therefore they are always developing and making the entire process easier in order for the stakeholder to gain maximum benefits, i.e. maximum output of raw material. Environmental: Illovo Sugar Malawi consumes a lot of electrical power, in order to be environmentally efficient, they use the waste material known as bagasse to generate the needed levels of electricity. The bagasse is a bio-renewable fuel source and it helps to keep the environmental impact of the entire operations at a minimum. In this way, Illovo is also totally self sufficient in terms of electricity supplies. Illovo also controls all wastewater from the sugar making process; it treats and recycles the water for use in its cane growing operations  [5]  . Both sites of Illovo in Malawi annually plant new trees in order to counteract environmental degradation and soil erosion that may be caused during the farming stages  [6]  . As a by-product of the sugar making process, various alcohols can be extracted from the process. Illovo Malawi therefore contributes to fuel alcohol distilleries in Malawi and they produce ethanol, which is an alternative bio-fuel. Legal: Health and Safety is one of the legal challenges that Illovo faces. They run a large health and safety campaign in order to prevent any incidents. They continue to influence the mind-set of all its employees on the various health and safety aspects to be safety conscious. They also design safety programmes for the wider communities spread across the two estates thereby increasing safety awareness and improving safety habits. General Business Trends: Within Malawi, Illovo operates on two tremendously large sites that are situated within the southern and northern districts of Malawi respectively. Illovo Sugar Malawi Produces, on average, 300000 Metric Tons of Sugar within the two sites combined. Almost 60% of this is sold within Malawi itself due to the high demand throughout the year. The remaining 40% is supplied to neighbouring markets, with Zimbabwe being the largest buyer. Through the remaining 40%, it either ends up within the European markets or within the local regional countries, i.e. Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda  [7]  . Illovo Sugar Malawi is the highest contributor within the entire Illovo group, by virtue of its operating profit. When analysed, it is the third largest out of six subsidiaries in terms of volumetric sugar production, however one can only come to the conclusion that Illovo Malawi is fetching better prices for its refined, non refined and speciality sugars within the international market. The percentage of internationally supplied sugar is expected to increase from 40% and valuable markets such as the EU are showing high potential due to good prices being achieved. According to the 2012 Annual report, market conditions were considered by strong demand from European importers who recognise Malawis quality standards and ability to deliver contracted consignments on time. (Annual Malawi reports 8). Competitive Elements: Identifying the competitive elements of Illovo Malawi will show that it has two main elements that prove to also be two valuable advantages over their rivals. The quality and standards of the products that are manufactured by Illovo Malawi are second to none, as mentioned above; it is one of the main factors upon which the European customers look for and value. Due to the differences between quality standards in Africa which are lower than European and worldwide standards, Illovo can easily sell the highest quality goods within the European and north American market and obtain high prices while at the same time sell medium quality products which in the African region are regarded as the top quality, it therefore puts them in a sort of win-win situation. The second element that gives Illovo Malawi a competitive advantage is the logistics system it has. As mentioned above, European buyers value commitments more than anything else. Receiving their shipments on time is of utmost importance when they are competing in strong markets where time and money play the most crucial goal. Abiding to their commitments is therefore the elements that gives Illovo Malawi the advantage in this scenario. Question 2: Identify the stock of internally developed assets, resources and competences in the company of your choice. In your view, how do these compare with the companys most immediate (maximum 3) competitor firms in the industry? Do they or do they not allow your firm to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, and in which areas? Answer: Illovo Sugar Malawi has various assets that include two large sugar mills in the northern and southern districts of Malawi. Along with the two high capacity sugar mills, they also own their own sugar plantations at both respective sites. According to the 2012 annual report for Illovo Sugar Malawi, their valuation of property, plant and machinery stands at 8.6 Billion Malawi Kwacha and their sugar plantations are valued at 10.1 Billion Malawi Kwacha. When we look at the total area that has been leased from the government of Malawi for 99 years amounts to 34,250 Hectares approximately. When we analyse the resources of Illovo Sugar Malawi, we can split it and analyse it via financial, physical and human resources. Financial resources: Illovo Sugar Malawi is listed on the Malawi stock exchange and this plays a vital role when it comes to attracting investment or capital into the company. Apart from attracting investment, if Illovo were to increase production or output, they would require the financial resources to be able to meet that strategy. Financial resources therefore play an important role in aiding the overall strategy that the company may be implementing. If the strategy requires additional funds to be raised, Illovo Malawi would easily be able to raise the needed funds, simply due to the investment returns that current investors are receiving, it will seem like the most viable investment to new and potential investors. Therefore it can be said that the attractiveness of this particular market is high as can be seen from the continued year-on-year growth at Illovo Sugar Malawi. Human resources: Human resources play a vital role in any strategic decision that the company makes, since it is this very workforce that will endeavour to accomplish the strategy that it has set out to achieve. Human resources also identifies all the skills-base of a business, the skills it possesses through its workforce and whether or not they are sufficient enough to meet the strategy. When it comes to analysing the human resources at Illovo Sugar Malawi, upon reading the profiles of the senior management from the annual report, it is easily noticed that experience is a key denominator amongst employees at Illovo. Illovo employees have vast knowledge and experience, that is absolutely vital to this industry and it is highly possessed at Illovo. It is these vital factors that allow Illovo Malawi to perform at it level best and this is shown via its continual growth and the financial profits it achieves. Illovo also maintains a high business morale and reputation that it strives to maintain, as Africas largest sugar producer it has to have an immense reputation that allows it to dominate markets and give it an edge over its competitors. Apart from this, employees at Illovo also possess vast amounts of experience when analysed. The experience varies from business through to manufacturing, refining, farming and other key tasks within the business. People within each sector will possess varied amounts of experience that help it add value within the entire business. Illovo firmly believes in maintaining an employee development programme which will prove to be highly important in regards to the future sustainability of the business, it has therefore setup staff training programmes to further develop their technical skills. (Malawi report 8). According to Prahalad and Hamels work, they mention the following Core competencies are the glue that binds existing business. They are the engines for new business development  [8]  . In regards to competency at Illovo, the first major achievement that is being accomplished is the quality of the products manufactured. High quality products will meet high quality standards set by international regulatory authorities and Illovo Sugar Malawi is currently producing such products that continually meet the stringent requirements. It is this level of competence that attracts the right customers for its product; it therefore serves high profile customers who are willing to pay the price for value added high quality products manufactured by Illovo. The prices and profits therefore obtained from such customers help Illovo to grow year-on-year. It is the above reasons that give Illovo an edge over its competitors, they strive to produce high quality products, which therefore give them increased revenues as compared to their immediate competitors, and this is also the reason as to why Illovo Malawi is the leading contributor to Illovo groups operating profits. Illovo Sugar Malawis two competitors are small firms that have recently set up in Malawi. They have sugarcane plantations of both 850 (planned 5000) and 200 hectares respectively. Limphasa Sugar Corporation, the first and direct competitor will likely become the number two producer of sugar in Malawi and with an export market already lined up to be supplied, they are awaiting final installations and plan to produce 90,000 tons of sugar a year at full capacity, however upon analysing Illovos operations, its highly doubtful that they will achieve that level at such an early stage as they will not have enough sugarcane. The second competitor Mtalimanja Sugar Corporation have only 200 hectares of sugarcane and they are only a small producer, which also aims to support smallholder farmers. Mtalimanja has recently run into problems and they are awaiting engineers to fix their plant at the moment. Therefore, when we analyse the two direct competitors of Illovo Malawi, it is fair to say that Illovo is miles ahead in terms of production of sugarcane and sugar based products. They are fully capable of handling large volumes in both categories and that it would take a good number of years for their competitors to catch up to them. However, this does not guarantee that there are not any threats towards Illovo, if their competitors produce high quality products they will find themselves competing for customers. However, for the current outlook, its fair enough to say that Illovo still maintains the number one spot in the market and due to its experience and the strategies it sets out to achieve, it keeps itself ahead in the market. Conclusion: Upon further reading within the group report, Illovo group clearly outlines that their primary strategic objective is to improve earnings and remain as the market leader. Their secondary aims included increasing sugar production to 1.8 million tons, increase domestic market presence and increase revenues by sales to higher priced markets  [9]  . (main report 8).Increasing capacity and output at Illovo Malawi will help it to producer larger volumes which will help it serve higher priced markets better and obtain better prices and increase profits. References: (2012) Illovo Integrated Annual Report. [Report] South Africa: Illovo Sugar Ltd, p.10. 2 (2012) Illovo Integrated Annual Report. [Report] South Africa: Illovo Sugar Ltd, p.10. 3 (2012) Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd Annual Report. [report] Malawi: Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd, p.12. 4 (2012) Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd Annual Report. [report] Malawi: Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd, p.7. 5 (2012) Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd Annual Report. [report] Malawi: Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd, p.12. 6 (2012) Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd Annual Report. [report] Malawi: Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd, p.12. 7 (2012) Illovo Integrated Annual Report. [Report] South Africa: Illovo Sugar Ltd, p.10. 8 Prahalad, C. K. and Hamel, G. (1990) The Core Competence of the Organization, Harvard Business Review, (5). 9 (2012) Illovo Integrated Annual Report. [Report] South Africa: Illovo Sugar Ltd, p.8.

Nature of a Diamond :: essays research papers

The unique nature of diamond is heavily dependent upon its composition, crystal structure, and mechanical, thermal, and electromagnetic properties.1 Of those dependencies, composition exacts the most influence over the characteristics. Crystal structure is the repeating pattern of diamond’s composition, and each of the properties are the result of molecular interaction which is determined by composition. Therefore, composition is paramount in the determination of the qualities of diamond. Before its discovery, adamantane was known as decaterpene, the name applied by Decker to his tricyclic hydrocarbon. Decker believed that his decaterpene was similar in structure as the diamond lattice. Decaterpene, as in diamond, was proposed by Decker to be highly structured and strain free.2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Decker proposed decaterpene in 1924, but that was all it was until 1933 when the structure was proven to exist. Isolated in the petroleum of Hodinin, Czechoslovakia by Landa and Machachaeck, decaterpene became incarnate.3 However, the fact that they found the structure Decker predicted did not mean that his nomenclature would be used to identify the compound. That honor was bestowed upon its discoverers Landa and Machcahcaeck who used the Greek translation of diamond, adamantane, to identify the compound.2 Crude petroleum is separated into its component compounds by fractional distillation. The procedure involves a sample of the petroleum to be heated until the sample is vaporized leaving behind any solid impurities. The resulting steam enters a fractional distillation column in which a temperature gradient had been instilled. The temperature of the column decreases as the steam rises through the column. The idea is that, as the temperature of the column decreases, the vapor temperature will decrease. When the boiling point of a compound is passed, the compound will condense on the sides of the column and be collected in the fraction well at that point. Thus the mixture is separated into fractions of compounds with similar boiling points in a mixture.4 Adamantane’s high boiling point caused it to be one of the initial compounds to condense with the kerosene fraction in the 190o C cut.5 The only problem with the fractional distillation method is that adamantane cannot be extracted in large quantities because it exists in only a small quantity in petrol. The presence of adamantane was found to be only 0.0004% of the composition of petroleum by the fractional distillation method.2 Adamantane is not alone in the petroleum distillate in which it is present.

A Good Man Is Hard to Find: Irony

â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† In the short story, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† there is irony all through the pages. It shows how you should follow your gut instinct when you think you shouldn’t go somewhere, when you know something bad is going to happen. In the story it also talks about how the grandmother wore her nice clothes in case of an accident, she wanted to look like a lady in case anything bad was to happen. The grandmother was constantly talking about the good in people, but was she a good woman? The first bit of irony the story throws at the reader is on the first page when the grandmother is talking about how she doesn’t want to go to Florida because that’s where the Misfit is headed. As the grandmother is trying to get her son Bailey to listen as she says, â€Å"The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it says he did to these people. Just you read it. I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn’t answer to my conscience if I did† (O’Connor 281). Now I don’t believe that the ironic twist is that the misfit was headed to Florida just like the family, I believe that the twist is that the Misfit just so happen be on the same dirt road that the grandmother asked her son Bailey to turn down later on in the story. The grandmother wanted to turn down this dirt road in Georgia because she remembered an old plantation house she had visited when she was younger. After turning down the road she then remembered that this was not the road at all, the old plantation house she had remembered was in Tennessee, not Georgia. The second major ironic twist that stood out to me was how the grandmother wore good clothes to go on a road trip, â€Å"In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once she was a lady† (O’Connor 282). The grandmother wore a navy dress with a straw hat that had white violets on it. Indeed the grandmother was dressed like a lady, but did she act upon it at all times? I think she did just that, I believe she acted like a lady but was not truly one. Grandmothers cat caused Bailey to have an accident. †¦as the grandmother limped out of the car, her hat still pinned to her head but the broken front brim standing up at a jaunty angle and the violet spray hanging off the side† (O’Connor 287). At this point is when I believe that the grandmother acts as if she is a lady. If she was a true lady then maybe her clothes would not have been messed up, or there wouldn’t have been an accident at all. But there is still that piec e of thought about how the grandmother knew to dress in case of an accident. The final bit of irony is how the grandmother kept talking about good men, and how they are hard to find. When the family stops at the diner to eat she talks to Red Sammy and his wife about how hard good men are hard to find, but then she also tells Red Sammy that he is a good man because he let a couple of men charge gas. Red Sammy’s wife says there isn’t no one that she can trust, â€Å"‘And I don’t count nobody out of that, not nobody,’ she repeated, looking at Red Sammy† (O’Connor 285). After they wreck a car shows up with The Misfit and his two side kicks in it, who turn out not to be good men. The grandmother realizes real soon that the man is The Misfit, she recognized him from the picture in the newspaper. Soon after arriving Bobby Lee takes Bailey and his son John Wesley into the woods to kill them. The grandmother went on about how the Misfit could be a good man, and how he should pray. The Misfit told her that his family was good people, he just wasn’t. Soon Bobby Lee and Hiram took the childrens mother, June Star, and the baby to the woods to meet up with the boys. The grandmother then realized that she must think of something soon, because she would be next. They started talking about Jesus and how he did or didn’t raise the dead. The Misfit said that if he didn’t know but if he would have been there he would have known better and wouldn’t be the way he is now. â€Å"Why you’re one of my own babies. You’re one of my own children! † (O’Connor 293). After the grandmother said that she touched him on the shoulder and the Misfit turned around and shot her three times in the chest. This was a great short story for irony, because the grandmother was correct about most things. The grandmother knew not to go towards Florida because The Misfit was headed that way after escaping from the pen. She was right about dressing like a lady in case of an accident, because indeed there was an accident, but she caused the accident by bringing her cat along without anyone knowing. Then there is speak of a good man, is there any such thing? Red Sammy’s wife wouldn’t even think of him as a good man, if your wife doesn’t believe you are no one really can. The Misfit comes along and talks to the grandmother for a while about good people, while doing so shoots her family then her dead. ‘â€Å"She would have been a good woman,† The Misfit said, â€Å"if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (O’Connor 293). This goes with my assumption that the grandmother was just acting like a lady, and The Misfit even saw through her lies.

Political films Essay

The research paper â€Å"The Timing of Presidential Cinema† discusses and analyzes social meaning of political films. Little research is done in this filed, although many films contain political and economic meaning. Interestingly, the release of presidential cinema is associated with the controlling party and with the ideology that the party has in the White House. Republican and Democratic administrations are characterized by the largest amount of political films. Moreover, more films are released during the second presidential term. Releases are more acute during presidential elections. The stronger the economies, the more films about presidents are released. The article â€Å"Quantitative analysis of Motion Picture Content† tends to measure the influence of films on American population. In particular, the emphasis is paid to providing an instrument to measure with scientific precision the content of each film. The cinema has long been accepted and the author argues that more than fifty million of American moviegoers are influenced by desire to seek entertainment when going to the cinema. Therefore, motion picture has become a profound influence on people and it is rather difficult to measure those influence. The role of Hollywood films in American society has not been yet questioned as researchers lack methods to summarize and analyze what the public is presented. The article â€Å"The Image of the Scientist in Science Fiction: A Content Analysis† reviews the social role of the scientists which is conveyed through the cinema. Scientists has undergone both criticism and appraisal, they has been presented as heroes and villains science-fiction magazines, stories and films. Of course, many scientists have been negligible. The social role of the scientist is addressed in terms of saving humanity, but after World War II such measurement has become problematic. Science fiction, therefore, is claimed to serve as vehicle to construct social utopias and to dethrone them. The article is of practical relevance as the USA experience shortage of scientists and engineers.

Historical Design Analysis essayEssay Writing Service

Historical Design Analysis essayEssay Writing Service Historical Design Analysis essay Historical Design Analysis essayModernism, as a new trend in artistic practice, appeared in the early 20th century. Modernism played a special role in the development of artistic consciousness; it meant a complete break with previous trends of art (Home Design, 2012). Culture of modernism was associated with permanent artistic search. Different artistic trends developed in parallel within modernism and were perceived as equal. Architectural modernism includes the following areas: constructivism, rationalism, functionalism and styles: international, Deco and brutalism. Representatives of artistic circles tried to convey a new sense of life into art. The main emphasis of modernism in architecture is the novelty. The main features of architectural modernism are: the use of modern building materials and constructions, rational layout, escape from the idea of ​​excessive embellishment, international character.Neutra VDL House and Studio was designed by Richard Neutra and hi s son Dion Neutra and built in 1932. It is located in Los Angeles on Silver Lake Boulevard. Richard Neutra was a modernist architect, his distinctive feature was that he took into account the requirements of customers without imposing personal opinions. Before starting working on a project, Richard Neutra identified key preferences of a customer. Originally Neutra VDL House and Studio was built for architect’s Neutra family. Neutra tried to make a comfortable design so that every member of his family felt free (Hay, 2000).Such a desire is associated with the era in which the house was built. Modernism is characterized by a complete update of artistic forms and approval of new beginnings. Modernism in architecture is associated with the concept of modern architecture. Richard Neutra is the main representative of architects of the modern age. Representatives of this trend are supporters of free layouts and personal character of buildings. This explains the strict adherence to t he customer’s requirements. After all, everyone is individual in nature, respectively, all have different preferences. Modernism is a reaction to copy styles from the past. It is characterized by clear, flowing lines.In Neutra VDL House and Studio, the authors used natural lighting resources. Bright light in the house is provided by the glass walls, so there were no barriers to the sunlight. Windows are located on the facade as continuous horizontal bands, so-called glazing tape. The use of glass is one of the main features of functionalism. The main materials used by modernist architects were concrete and glass. Glass is the main material for constructivists as well, along with wood and metal. Layout of the house was carefully planned. All parts of the building are rational, which is quite understandable. Here we can see the influence of rationalism, which is based on the concept of reason. Functionalism also required architect to account functioning of the building, which w as achieved through the creation of a rational plan and equipment. The building doesn’t have interference between different areas of the house. Functionalism welcomes the absence of superfluous detail lacking a functional purpose. Rooms are arranged around an open staircase, furniture is built in that stores space. Built-in furniture is also the guarantee of mitigation of space, it hides sharp corners. The architect has used a neutral color that visually expands space. Functionalists use in their works gray, yellow and white colors. Richard Neutra avoids dark colors that inhibit human and cause depression. Bright colors blend in the room. Psychologists explain that pastel colors fill the human with energy. Contemporaries call Neutra VDL House and Studio â€Å"House – force†, in their opinion, the strength of the design is harmonious combination of air, water and light. Neutra’s work is characterized by a combination of lightness and airiness, and the pres ence of the lake adds the third element (Castro, 2012). The architect also uses typical geometric proportions, which correspond to functionalism. Strict regularity and bold geometric shapes are a hallmark of al-decor, which can be traced in modernism. In the work of modernist architect, basic principles of constructivism are clearly visible: understanding the formative features of the new technology, its logical, feasible designs. In the construction of the building, Richard Neutra used metal, such design allowed the author using a large amount of glass. Comfort in the house was also made by living plants, which were inside and outside the builing.In March 1963, the building was damaged in a fire, entire architectural collection was destroyed along with the house. Son of Richard Neutra Dion Neutra restored the building trying to save its original appearance. In 2008 the building was renovated by Cal Poly Pomona, they restored the roof, wiring, repaired walls, doors and ceilings, to ok care of the garden. Neutra VDL House and Studio was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today the building is open for tours and is very popular among visitors, as it is one of the best examples of modernism (Kanner, 1992).The 20th century was marked by changes in the outlook, which was a result of changes in economy, politics, ideology, culture and other areas. Economics was influenced by the transition to machinery manufacturing, scientific and technological revolution. Industrialization, as a process of accelerated socio- economic transition from a traditional to an industrial stage of development, has been associated with the development of new technologies. People get an idea of the fastest use of new technologies and scientific discoveries. Speaking about the architecture of modernism, it should be noted that technical and industrial revolution of the XIX century was its main source and inspire. Aggravation of social contradictions on the turn of centuries co ntributed to the emergence of modernism in architecture. At the first congress of architects in 1892-1895, participants criticized eclecticism system that combined various ideas borrowed from other philosophical systems. Already in that period, people got interest in the rapidly developing technology, new designs and types of buildings. Modernism destructed classical traditions. The main features of modernist aesthetic strategy were the autonomy of art and an emphasis on the art form. Architectural modernism took the latest scientific and technological and industrial progress as a basis. It also used advanced social reformist ideas of the time. Modernist architects opposed simplicity to ostentation bourgeois life. Development of modernism significantly contributed to the achievement of the metallurgical industry and the emergence of new building materials. Possibility of metal greatly influenced the work of modernist architects. Movements of  «Arts Crafts » in the UK and indus trial expansion in Germany have played an important role in the development of new directions of art (â€Å"Spring Fashion Issue, 2000). Postmodernism followed modernism; it was an independent direction in art, signifying a radical break with the paradigm of modernism. Postmodernists sought to add imagination, figurative associations and fudge to the architectural works. But both directions were in constant search for new forms.

Essay sample on #8220;The Important Elements of Cinematography#8221;

Essay sample on #8220;The Important Elements of Cinematography#8221; Cinematography is so important in film that sometimes a plot can be weak, but the camera work, lighting, and other visual elements make for a pleasing experience for viewers. This aspect of film is especially important for people who are interested in a more painterly style of filmmaking. In general, the key elements of cinematography are: exposure, shot size, camera angle, camera movement, composition, type of lens, depth of field, and white balance. In the following paragraphs, these fundamentals will be explored. Exposure Basically, exposure refers to the amount of light picked up by the camera. According to the website Elements of Cinema, there are three types of exposure: â€Å"An image is said to represent normal exposure when it is similar to what the eye sees. Overexposure happens when too much light is reflected into the camera, rendering an image that is brighter than normal exposure. Underexposure is the opposite: not much light enters the camera, thus creating a dark image† (â€Å"Elements of Cinematography†). All of these types of exposure are used to convey certain moods, scenes, and ideas. Shot size In general, shot size means how much of the scene is included in the frame, and deals with what the camera is focusing on. As stated by the website Learn About Film, â€Å"It’s important to use different shot sizes in your movie. It’s a way of spelling things out, to make sure that people see exactly the things you want them to see. If you shoot everything in long shot (head to foot) people will probably miss details and expressions which would help them understand the story† (â€Å"Introduction to Shot Size in Filmmaking†). By adjusting the shot size, you can show the setting, introduce people, give close-ups, transition between shots, and demonstrate a change in position. Camera Angle It is important where the camera is placed in connection to its scene and characters, as it shows the mood of what is happening and how the audience views what is happening. According to Elements of Cinema, â€Å"Whereas shot sizes direct who and what we see, camera angles affect how we perceive it. Is a character going to appear dominant and tall? Or short and weak? A strong weapon in the cinematographer’s arsenal is the ability to position the camera in relation to the subject or scenery† (â€Å"Elements of Cinematography†). So, the angle of the camera can drastically change the perception of viewers. Camera Movement How the camera moves can not only change the perception of viewers, but it can also suggest the pace and emotion of a scene. According to the Beat, a production blog, â€Å"You can use movement to guide the audience through the scene, slowly revealing certain people or objects in order to create suspense - or simply control the pacing of the scene† (Mccullagh, John). Therefore, a stagnant camera will create monotony and should express the way the plot is progressing. Composition This refers to the way a scene is set and framed to make it artistic and appealing. Filmmakers borrowed ideas from photography and painting for these concepts. For example, â€Å"lead room† refers to when a character is looking left, and because of this, the person should be placed to the right to make the framing comfortable. Another classic principle of composition is the rule of thirds, where, as Elements of Cinematography says, â€Å"one must imagine the frame with two vertical lines and two horizontal lines, as to create three vertical sections of the same dimensions and three vertical sections also of the same size† (â€Å"Elements of Cinematography†). This is done to make the frame comfortable for the human eye to view. Types of lenses There are various lenses on cameras that filmmakers employ for a multitude of purposes. For instance, zoom lenses are standard lenses that are used when camera tricks and effects are not being set. Prime lenses cannot zoom in or out, but the image quality of these lenses are much higher than the zoom variety. Onto telephoto lenses, they are effective for showing fine detail. The opposite is a wide-angle lens, which sufficiently supplies sweeping panoramas and broad fields of view (â€Å"Elements of Cinematography†). Depth of field It is the area in front of the camera that is sharp in the frame. Adjusting the focus of the camera will change this aspect. The aperture, focal length, and focal distance of the camera creates different effects that convey mood and selective focus (â€Å"Elements of Cinematography†). White balance Essentially, white balance is the process of taking out unrealistic colors that are being cast. Different sources of light can come into play in a shot, and as a filmmaker, you have to decide which type of light source to focus on. For example, you have a room with light from the sun and light from bulbs. Each of these lights will be shown as a different color or â€Å"color temperature† on screen. Therefore, it is important to know which light source to focus in terms of the color that is emitted. These are the extreme basics of cinematography, but a solid starting point in knowing how to work one’s head around the subject. Exposure, shot size, camera angle, camera movement, composition, type of lens, depth of field, and white balance all are tools for filmmakers to employ to convey mood, focus, pace, importance of certain elements in the frame, and more. â€Å"Elements of Cinematography.† Elements of Cinematography | Shot Sizes, Camera Angles, Exposure, and More, www.elementsofcinema.com/cinematography/elements_of_cinematography.html. â€Å"Introduction to Shot Size in Filmmaking.† Learn about Film, learnaboutfilm.com/film-language/picture/shotsize/. Mccullagh, John. â€Å"Cinematography Tip: Working with Motivated Camera Movement.† The Beat: A Blog by PremiumBeat, Shutterstock Premium Beat, 10 Jan. 2019, www.premiumbeat.com/blog/cinematography-tip-motivated-camera-movement/.

6 Reasons to Read Before Class

6 Reasons to Read Before Class Everyones college and grad school experience is a little different, but the one thing all have in common is reading. You already know that college entails a lot of reading. Guess what? Grad school is way worse.  Expect your reading load to triple, at least, in graduate school. With such a huge set of reading assignments, you might be tempted to fall behind and not read before class. Here are six reasons why you should avoid temptation and read ahead of the class. Make the Most of the Class Time Class time is valuable. Be sure that you can follow along. When you read ahead of time, you are more likely to understand the organization of the lecture. Youll be better able to figure out whats important and what isnt (and thereby take effective notes). Understand the Topic and What You Don't Understand If everything that you hear in class is new, how will you determine what you understand and whether you have questions? If you have read beforehand you can focus your attention on filling gaps in your understanding by paying more attention during some parts of the lecture and by asking questions. Participate Most classes require at least some participation. Be ready to answer questions and to discuss the topic. Its easy to participate when you know the topic. Reading beforehand helps you to understand the material and gives you time to consider your perspective and opinions. Dont get caught unprepared. Professors opinions matter - do not get caught faking it. Show Off Reading before class lets you show that youve read, that you care, and that you are intelligent. Youll be able to ask good questions and participate in a way that demonstrates preparation, interest, and mastery of the material. These are all positive marks in profs views. Participate in Group Work Many classes require group work, often in class. If you have read, you are ready and likely will not mooch off of your classmates, or benefit from their hard work. In turn, if you have read you can tell when the group is taking a wrong turn. Contrary to some stereotypes, effective group work requires preparation. Show Respect Reading ahead of time shows respect for the instructor and interest in the class. While instructors feelings should not be the primary motivator of your behavior, relationships with faculty are important and this is one easy way to get your relationship with your professor off to a good start. Think ahead- faculty are often important resources for advice, recommendation letters, and opportunities. Many students find reading tiresome, a great deal of work. Try employing reading strategies such as the SQ3R method.

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

Case - Essay Example The most commonly used tool is the ANOVA (Analysis of Variance). ANOVA helps the manufacturers to predict the customer demands and requirements in particular markets. The results obtained help the Sales and Marketing Department to predict the volume of production and supply of goods. For instance, it helps them to know what type of a car model preferred over the rest in a particular region. The organization also uses correlation as a method of forecasting the sales. The tool analyzes the variables that determine the sales volumes. It then establishes the relationship between the variables. For instance, the exchange rate of the dollar determines the fluctuations of the market prices. The correlation becomes stable if it has a position coefficient of 1, and weak if the coefficient is negative. If it is zero, then at that particular moment there is no relationship between the two variables. In the same case, regression is used to determine the sales volumes. Sales=Number of vehicles sold*selling price (Opsmgt.edublogs.org,). The other company is the Netflix. It deals with the online distribution of movies, videos, and music. One of the tools used to forecast the sales of the enterprise is the descriptive statistics. The tool analyzes the trend in the sales. For instance, it determines the number of videos sold via the online market, the frequency of visit by the registered customers, as well as the rate at which new clients enroll. The data obtained is used to predict the financial stability of the organization, as well as its competitive position at the market. Netflix also uses the exponential smoothing tool. The device employs the principle of comparison the sales of the previous years. The organization uses the margin of error between the last two previous years to brace on how to adjust the production and sales strategies. On the same not, the moving average tool is used to analyze the

Examine the sources of English Law and comment on the relevance they Essay

Examine the sources of English Law and comment on the relevance they hold for the construction or property professional. You should in particular comment on the - Essay Example Hence, his conduct is therefore dependent upon the manner that laws develop, such that as policies and regimes change, affecting the principles of private property, the devices available to property professionals are likely to change, as well. Thus, given the recent changes brought about European Union (â€Å"EU†) legislations in English law, this essay will therefore assess the effects of EU legislations in English property law to determine its relevance on the duties of property professionals. Within English law, the rules governing property have been, for most part, determined by legislations made by the Crown and Parliament, as the land’s formal law-making authority. However, as Galbraith and colleagues have illustrated, this rule-making institution, although the supreme author of the law, is in practice subject to a number of limitations determined by statutory interpretation, in giving the legislation’s â€Å"true meaning†; and European legislation, as part of English law (2004, pp. 3-4, 9). For the property professional, this is of relevance for a number of reasons. First, as the supreme author of the law, the Crown and Parliament, through legislation, determines the core devices, rules, and standards property professionals must abide by in practicing their profession. However, whereas practitioners can be widely knowledgeable on the relevant legislations affecting their practice, the bulky system of precedent developing under case law altering standards and procedures informally necessarily calls for property professionals to change the way they conduct their responsibilities as well (Abbey & Richards, 2005, p.31). Second, given that equity is a pervasive element of land law where court judges have a broad discretion in distinguishing disputes brought to court in the context of equitable rights over land;

Giottos and Jan Van Eyck's Art Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Giottos and Jan Van Eyck's Art - Research Paper Example The artistic interests of the artist in the holy trinity are directed towards humanism due to his use of incredible architecture and various vanishing points. His painting is realistic because he imagines Christ on the cross, thus making him stretched across the cross. At the bottom of his painting are encrypted words of humanity conforming to viewers that death is inevitable to all who have life. In the second painting by Botticelli, his artistic interest lies in mannerism in the society and this is depicted by extended limbs and hands, hence ushering in a new age to individuals present then and viewers viewing the painting. The comparison and contrast between Roman and Venetian approach to painting in the Renaissance period can be observed from the assumption of the virgin traced back to Italy to exude a limited degree of pragmatism. Moreover, the details in the painting are simplified so as to bring a sense of balance and harmony. The painting is basically concerned with compositi on and not fineness of the details present on the painting. He concentrates on the light and the color aspect thus gives little details to be interpreted by the viewers. On the contrary, Madonna in the Meadow establishes the pyramidal composition of the artist as he is concerned with beauty. The painting Madonna in the Meadow shows beautiful shapes which harmoniously compliment each other. The artistic treatment of their subject matter exemplifies the themes of the Italian and Northern Renaissance as they use their paintings.

Answer the quastions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer the quastions - Assignment Example The reason for the lack of this universal answer is because situations, organizations, and people vary and change with time. In this view, everything in management is unique in its own way. Principles are not universal and one learns about management by experiencing challenges in the process. Therefore, the right thing to do entirely depends on the complex varieties of critical internal and environmental contingencies. Environmental uncertainty and change, size of the company, and work technology are identified as the environmental factors that impact on the effectiveness of various forms of organizations. According to the contingency perspective, all stable environments will suggest mechanistic structures that tend to emphasize on formalization, centralization, specialization, and standardization to achieve efficiency and consistency. Predictability and certainty allow for the use of rules, policies, and procedures to offer guidance while making decisions for routine duties and problems. For unstable environments, they use organic structures that emphasize on decentralization for them to achieve adaptability and flexibility. Unpredictability and uncertainty need general methods of solving non-routine tasks and problems. Management practices and perspectives change in response to social, political, end economic forces in the larger society. During such difficult times, managers look for ideas that can help them cope with environmental turbulence and keep their organizations vital. Management tool surveys have revealed an increase in the variety of management ideas and techniques used by managers. Challenges facing organizations such as the rocky stock market and a tough economy , environmental and organizational crises, lingering anxieties over terrorism and war, and the public suspicion resulting from corporate scandals, have left the executives looking for new management tools. They are looking for

The Fog of War Documentary Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Fog of War Documentary - Research Paper Example As the discussion stresses  McNamara served as the president of World Bank between 1968 and 1981.The Public policy system analysis which later developed into the recent discipline referred to as policy analysis was instituted by McNamara. After the Second World War, he contributed into reestablishment of the Ford Motor Company while serving as its president before becoming Defense Secretary. He became the company’s director in 1957 and its president in 1960.He was then requested by President John F. Kennedy to abandon his position in the company and serve as the Defense Secretary of the United States. He also served as a member of the board of directors in various corporations as well as non-profit making organizations. He has written documents on several issues and topics like world hunger, nuclear arms, relationships between east and west, the environment, population and development.This essay declares that  the film provides an analysis of McNamara’s controversia l issues in the course of Vietnam War, his contributions during World War II, his upbringing and educational background at Berkeley and Harvard and finally, his service as the president of World Bank for a period of thirteen years. The subtitle of the film is â€Å"Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara†.  At the age of 85, Morris interviewed McNamara; the film was produced based upon that interview. In addition, the film contains television and new reports of 1960’s and cabinet photos during the reign of President Kennedy.... ysis of McNamara’s controversial issues in the course of Vietnam War, his contributions during World War II, his upbringing and educational background at Berkeley and Harvard and finally, his service as the president of World Bank for a period of thirteen years. The subtitle of the film is â€Å"Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara†. During his study, he did statistical analysis with the aim of improving bombing strategies during World War II. At the age of 85, Morris interviewed McNamara; the film was produced based upon that interview. In addition, the film contains television and new reports of 1960’s and cabinet photos during the reign of President Kennedy. Information was recorded during Vietnam War, Cuban Missile Crisis, bombings of World War II, and air attacks against Vietnam to help in understanding what was going on during those periods. Some of the major contributions of McNamara are seen in the Vietnam War which caused deaths of over fif ty eight thousand Americans and 3.4 million Vietnam Citizens. Vietnam War was a conflict between the Northern part of the country under the support of communist countries against the southern part that was supported by the United States and other countries that were against the communist policy. The reasons for the United States’ engaging in the war was to prevent communism from further spreading while Vietnam government wanted to unify the country under a communist government (Morris 38). During World War II, McNamara acted as the commander under General Arch-hawk. He was among the group that came up with the decisions and bombed 67 cities in Japan during which large numbers of civilians were killed. For instance, in the city of Tokyo alone, more than one hundred thousand civilians died after the bombing

Trends Impact project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Trends Impact project - Research Paper Example UK office of Fair Trading and the Israel Antitrust Authority are also took interest on investigation because they also belief the same. Facebook was also planning to buy Waze at a price of $ 1biilion which would have made them more popular than Google. Waze was founded in 2007; it makes mobile applications which helps finding routes and direction. It got 47 million users in among 193 countries. The CEO of Waze said before the acquisition that Waze is the only real competitor of Google in mobile market. (Musil 1) Trend 2: Major News Source 1: â€Å"Now, Google Maps will notify drivers about more traffic jams as well. Google announced Tuesday  that its mobile maps will now include real-time updates about accidents, construction and other potential sources of traffic snarls. The information will come from the 50 million users of Waze, the social-mapping app that Google bought in June for $1.1 billion. Google Maps already had some real-time traffic data from third-party providers and by pinpointing Android users' GPS signals to estimate congestion on highways. But now that data will be bolstered by reports from actual drivers on the roads. Israeli startup Waze has built a vast network of motorists who crowd source such data as commuter routes and road closures to help each other outsmart traffic jams in more than a dozen countries. Frequent users can even earn badges and real-world prizes. Waze won an award for Best Overall Mobile App award at the 2013 Mobile World Congress. Apple and Face book were reportedly interested in buying the company  before Google snapped it up. Starting Tuesday, Waze users' reports on road conditions will appear on the Google Maps app for Android and iOS in the United States as well as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Switzerland and the UK. Users of Waze apps will now benefit from Google services  as well. The Android and iOS versions of Waze have been updated with Google Search to help users find local businesses and landmarks. And Waze's crowd sourced Map Editor now includes Google Street View and satellite imagery.† (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/20/tech/mobile/google-waze-mobile-maps/) Major News Source 2: â€Å"Google’s motto is â€Å"don’t be evil.† But its recent acquisition of Waze, reportedly for $1 billion in cash, shows that just because you’re not evil, it doesn’t mean you can’t be aggressive in pushing the boundaries of the law,  Steven M. Davidoff writes  in a Deal Professor Column in The New York Times. The question now is whether the United States government will push back and force Google to give back its new toy. Waze is yet another one of those blockbuster deals for a technology company with little or no revenue that makes you jealous. Five-year-old Waze has just 110 employees, so Google appears to be paying almost $10 million per employee. As for profits, Waze’s chief executive , Noam Bardin, has said, â€Å"This is Silicon Valley. We don’t talk about those things here.† Right. Google is paying top dollar for Waze because it is at the intersection of two hot fields: map search and social media. Users download Waze’s app to their phone and then supply information about locations, routes and traffic, making the maps more intelligent. And Waze has the usual phenomenal growth in users, with 50 million worldwide. This is a field where there is believed to be oodles of money to be made in related advertising.†

The Fog of War Documentary Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Fog of War Documentary - Research Paper Example As the discussion stresses  McNamara served as the president of World Bank between 1968 and 1981.The Public policy system analysis which later developed into the recent discipline referred to as policy analysis was instituted by McNamara. After the Second World War, he contributed into reestablishment of the Ford Motor Company while serving as its president before becoming Defense Secretary. He became the company’s director in 1957 and its president in 1960.He was then requested by President John F. Kennedy to abandon his position in the company and serve as the Defense Secretary of the United States. He also served as a member of the board of directors in various corporations as well as non-profit making organizations. He has written documents on several issues and topics like world hunger, nuclear arms, relationships between east and west, the environment, population and development.This essay declares that  the film provides an analysis of McNamara’s controversia l issues in the course of Vietnam War, his contributions during World War II, his upbringing and educational background at Berkeley and Harvard and finally, his service as the president of World Bank for a period of thirteen years. The subtitle of the film is â€Å"Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara†.  At the age of 85, Morris interviewed McNamara; the film was produced based upon that interview. In addition, the film contains television and new reports of 1960’s and cabinet photos during the reign of President Kennedy.... ysis of McNamara’s controversial issues in the course of Vietnam War, his contributions during World War II, his upbringing and educational background at Berkeley and Harvard and finally, his service as the president of World Bank for a period of thirteen years. The subtitle of the film is â€Å"Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara†. During his study, he did statistical analysis with the aim of improving bombing strategies during World War II. At the age of 85, Morris interviewed McNamara; the film was produced based upon that interview. In addition, the film contains television and new reports of 1960’s and cabinet photos during the reign of President Kennedy. Information was recorded during Vietnam War, Cuban Missile Crisis, bombings of World War II, and air attacks against Vietnam to help in understanding what was going on during those periods. Some of the major contributions of McNamara are seen in the Vietnam War which caused deaths of over fif ty eight thousand Americans and 3.4 million Vietnam Citizens. Vietnam War was a conflict between the Northern part of the country under the support of communist countries against the southern part that was supported by the United States and other countries that were against the communist policy. The reasons for the United States’ engaging in the war was to prevent communism from further spreading while Vietnam government wanted to unify the country under a communist government (Morris 38). During World War II, McNamara acted as the commander under General Arch-hawk. He was among the group that came up with the decisions and bombed 67 cities in Japan during which large numbers of civilians were killed. For instance, in the city of Tokyo alone, more than one hundred thousand civilians died after the bombing

Executive summary Essay Example for Free

Executive summary Essay Donald, you provided a thorough discussion of what an executive summary really is. Your method of presentation of examples that are equivalent to an executive summary such as a business report or a one-verse summary from the Bible serves as a superb way for the reader to totally appreciate what you are talking about (Marydee, 2004). You also provide the technical features of an executive summary, such as the general length and the scope of such documents (Penrose et al. , 2004). However, I would also want to comment on the tone of your discussion. In your fourth and sixth paragraphs, I noticed that there were a couple of sentences that project a negative attitude among the readers of executive summaries. You mentioned in the fourth paragraph that â€Å"†¦executive summaries are designed for audiences that lack time or motivation to read the full report (Bovee et al. , 2003). † I suggest that you modify this sentence because this connotation of this phrase is not very pleasant for the reader. In the sixth paragraph, you stated, â€Å"†¦most executives habitually make quick decisions, well written executive summaries are arguably the most important information in the business report. † This phrase of yours provides an impression that executives either are not interested in reading the full report, making these individuals not as energetic as they are perceived, or that executives are very gullible because their major decisions are all based on the executive summary. The problem here with your description is that if there is a substandard executive summary that has been generated by a fresh writer, any decisions that will be made by the executive will be significantly influenced by the work produced by this immature writer. I suggest that you incorporate my comments and suggestions so that you will have an improved version of your discussion.

From Cinematic Space To Mental Space

From Cinematic Space To Mental Space Space is an the unlimited three dimensional expanse in which all objects exist or it is the interval of distance and time between two points, objects or events.  [1]   The concept of the term space evolved with time. Initially this term strictly had a geometrical meaning evoking the idea of an empty space which is Euclidean, isotropic, or infinite, basically a mathematical concept.  [2]   Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicist usually consider it with time to be a part of the boundless four dimensional continuum known as Space-time.  [3]   According to the Wikipedia information, the concept of space has been discussed throughout history. Plato has discussed about this concept of space in one of his treatise Timaeus, where he reflects on what the Greek called: Chora/ Khora (that is space). Aristotle has dealt with space in Book IV, Delta, in the definition of topos which means place. In a discourse on place (Qawl fi al makan) by the eleventh century Arab Polymath Ibn al _Heythum (Alhazan) discusses geometrical conceptions of place as space qua extension. Aristotelian tradition had held that space and time were those categories which facilitated the naming and the classing of the evidence of the senses. On the other hand, the thinker, Descartes was taken to be important in shaping the concept of space and the key to its matured form. According to most historians of the Western thoughts, he has brought an end to the Aristotelian tradition. As the Cartesian logic evolved, space was considered to be absolute. It became dominant containing both the subject and the object. Science and mathematics has defined this concept of space in their own way respectively and later even the philosophers. Some scholars has studied and analyzed the relationship of time and space. The metaphysicist Immanuel Kant defined space and time as elements of systematic framework that humans use to structure their experience. In his Critique of Pure Reason, he said that space is a subjective pure a priori form of intuition. Therefore its existence depends on the human faculties.  [4]   The Kantian space has revived and revised the old notion of space. Here space is relative, a tool of knowledge, and a means of classifying phenomenon, separated from the empirical sphere. It has a transcendental and ungraspable structure.  [5]   According to Henri Lefebvre, the mathematicians, quite contrary to philosophy, has identified space as Non-Euclidean spaces, curved spaces, x-dimensional spaces( even spaces with an infinity of dimensions), spaces of configuration, abstract spaces , spaces defined by deformations or transformation, by the topology and so on.  [6]   Though the mathematicians has defined and constructed the term spaces, classifying in various ways and measured them, what philosophy did as Leonardo da Vinci had said, is that it helped in the formation of the mental thing that is the mental space. According to Isaac Newton space exists independently and permanently even without the presence of any object in it and therefore it is absolute. On the other hand naturalist philosophers thought that space was a collection of relations between objects given by their distance and direction from one another. The 18th century philosopher and theologian George Berkely attempted to refute the visibility of spatial depth in his essay Towards a new theory of vision. Initially time and space was viewed as independent dimensions. Einsteins discoveries showed that due to relativity of motion, our space and time can be mathematically combined into one object space-time. One can freely move in space but not time. In the middle of the 19th century, psychology first began to study the way space is perceived. Psychologists analyzed the perception of space and were concerned about how the recognition of an objects physical appearance or its interactions is perceived. The philosophy of space and time are inspirations to and central aspect of early analytic philosophy. There are questions related to whether time and space exist independently of the mind and each other. From the theory of logic, space has transcended to nature, practice and theories of social life which unfolds in space.  [7]   The modern field of enquiry has the notion that space has acquired the view of mental thing or mental space. This concept of mental space has no generalization and even no clear account. We hear of different spaces like literary space, ideological spaces, the space of the dream, psychoanalytic topologies etc. Michel Foucault said that knowledge (savoir) is also the space in which the subject may take up a position and speak of the object with which he deals with in his discourse.  [8]   But he neither explained the spaces nor defined their distinctions. The linguist Naom Chomsky has given the idea that a mental space has certain specific properties with orientations and symmetries but completely ignores the gap between linguistic mental space and social space. Lefebvre believed that the modern thinkers had fetishized the philosophico-epistemological notion of space and that the mental realm envelopes the social and physical ones. The quasi-logical presupposition of an identity between mental space (the space of the philosopher and epistemologists) and the real space creates a gulf between the mental sphere on one side and the physical and social spheres on the other. He said that there cannot be a fixed knowledge of space and without it we transfer to a level of discourse-the level of mental space a large portion of the attributes and properties of what is actually social space. Between the sixteenth and nineteenth century, he said that space was not only read but there existed a code which is architectural, urbanistic and political, with a specific language which is common to all strata of people. He said that anything like leisure, work, play, transportation etc., can be spoken of in the spatial terms in an artists or writers world. Therefore there is an indefinite multitude of space around us. He questions whether space can be nothing more than the passive locus of social relations. In general he talks about three kinds of spaces: 1. The physical space nature, the cosmos. 2. The mental space with its logical and formal abstractions. 3. The social space. What he is concerned with is the logico-epistemological space, the space of social practice, the space occupied by sensory phenomenon, including products of imagination such as projects and projections, symbols and utopias.  [9]   There are certain specializations of space. When we think of a space, we are immediately concerned with what occupies the space and how it does so along with the energy present within the space. Without energy, the physical space has no reality. This space is always associated with time. space considered in isolation is an empty abstraction.  [10]   According to Fred Hoyles theory, space is a product of energy. Henri says that multiplicity of particular spaces, yet diverse are offered by this universe. Apart from the concept of physical space, mental space and social space, he dealt with the minute elements in space like ideal space related to mental space and real space associated with social space These two spaces are in a way related to each other. He said that philosophy has played an important role in the development of the abstract (metaphysical) representations of space, where the Cartesian notion of space became significant due to its homogeneous, isotropic character which helped it to become absolute and infinite and divine. But space is even beyond this. Plato talks about the cosmic space, where the space of the city is a reflection of the Cosmos. Literature too reveals different spaces to us. But the problem is that the space here is enclosed, described, projected, dreamt off and speculated about. When we talk of a particular space, we distinguish it and not isolate it. Various kinds of space comes together to produce a space. In relation of language, Henri questions whether a language follows or accompanies a social space. Many people have explored space in different ways. In his work, George Bastille has played with the space on inner experience on one hand and the space of physical nature on the other and social space. Through Hegelian viewpoint, space is considered to be a product and residue of historical time. Though Hegel had the idea of a concrete universe. Social space is a social product and when produced serves as a tool for thought and action. As said by many thinkers, it is difficult to distinguish social space as distinct from mental space and even physical space. Every society produces a space of its own. The Asiatic mode of production of space is different from the Western mode. There are multitudes of intersection in space. The way certain spaces are represented by the society, lead to the representations of space. Representational spaces on the other hand deals with spaces associated with its images and symbols. These spaces represent something of their own. It overlay the physical space, making symbolic use of its objects. Even though they are abstract, the representations of space, has a role in social and political practice. They have a role to play in the established relations between objects and people, following certain rules. This is not the case of representational spaces. It is filled with symbolic and imaginary elements. According to Henri Lefebvre, a psychoanalyst or anthropologists are students of representational spaces. Childhood memories, dreams are all part of this representational space. The gap between representations of space and representational spaces is culture. Therefore what can be concluded is that the producers of space are related to the representations of space while the users of a space are related to their representational space. Here I conclude that space with its original and represented identity occupies a part of our physical and mental self and even helps in the identification of these self. Each physical space creates a mental space, a space with certain intimate values. A house can be used for the phenomenological study of the intimate values of space.  [11]  All inhabited space bears the essence of the notion of home. Thoughts and experience is not the only thing that sanctions human values. We will deal more with this later in the thesis. After dealing with the basic idea of space with the help of the views and ideas of Henri Lefebvre, I want to connect this idea of the concept of space in dealing with the cinematic space. Cinematic space is the represented space, selected, manipulated and projected as a finite field of vision.  [12]  As Henri Lefebvre has said that it depends on the producers of space. This space is what we see on the screen. This screen space is marked by a frame which acts like the borders in a painting. It is geometric and represents the space that we see on the screen. In this way it divides the screen space into onscreen and off-screen spaces. The frame acts as a window connecting u to the film space and on the other hand separating the space we inhabit from the film space.  [13]  We the spectators look through the frame. According to Gilles Deleuse, the cinematic frame is a relatively closed system Which includes everything which is present in the image ­- sets characters and props framing  [14]  . The frame acts as a system providing us with all the information regarding the image and all these information acts like a data which are known as the elements in the frame. Therefore the frame is inseparable from two tendencies towards saturation or towards rarefaction.  [15]   This image that the frame provides is not just to be seen, it is a message, and it gives us certain information, which are produced by the elements present in the frame (these elements are also some information}. This is how the space produces its own language. He said that the frame is a spatial composition of parallels and diagonals, helping to form equilibrium. the frame is conceived as a dynamic construction in act, which is closely linked to the scene, the image, the characters and the objects which fill it.  [16]   The frame cannot be separated from its rigid geometrical boundaries. It has certain limitations. Like many Western painters this has been explored by many film makers like Griffith, Eisenstein. Deleuze said that light too is a subject of geometrical optic, when it is divided into two parts forming light and shadow.  [17]   They help in the making of this space. The presence of objects inside the frame creates secondary and tertiary frames like for example the house, doors, windows, mirror and even a fence. Therefore a frame is never fixed. A gradual progression takes place which is physical and affects the viewers psychologically. Each object inside the frame has something to say, something to express and therefore have a meaning. Here geometrical divisions in the frame becomes insignificant. The framing angle is also an important characteristic of the frame. Deleuze said the frame is related to an angle of framing. This is because the closed set is itself an optical system which refers to a point of view on the set of parts. Of course the point of view can be or appear to be bizarre or paradoxical: the cinema shows extraordinary points of view at ground level or from high or low, from low to high, etc. but they seem to be subject to a pragmatic rule which is not just valid for the narrative cinema: to avoid falling into an empty aestheticism they must be explained ,they must be revealed as normal and regular either from the point of view of a more comprehensive set which includes the first, or from the point of view of an initially unseen, not given element of the first set. give an example if It is here that the frame becomes an optical system, logically justified. But this justification does not always work. In the conclusion of his essay, Deleuze says that the frame finally determines an out-of-field, in the outline of a larger set which extends it or in the figure of the whole into which it is incorporated.  [18]   In the book Republic, Plato talks about two modes of representation which are distinct and opposed to each other. These two modes are mimesis (imitation) and diegesis (narration). Theatre is related to imitation which shows us something whereas novel tells us a story. Cinema on the other hand incorporates both these characteristics.  [19]   In its early years, cinema followed the theatrical mode of representation. Here the frame is tableaux form, static and faces the audience. Therefore the cinema much influenced by the theatrical stage. The camera is static. The character enters the stage, performs and walks out. The camera does not follow the movement of the characters. Hence just fixed in the centre. Traditional theatrical space is an architectural product, where beyond the proscenium it does not exist for the viewers. Classical narrative cinema has transformed this space into an illusorily continuous cinematic space. The cinematic film space is a figurative construction, resulting from medium specific techniques such as framing, camera movement and editing.  [20]  This space is linked to the codes of renaissance perspective, where the property of centering addresses to the subject whose position the space determines. Classical Hollywood cinema gave lot of importance to the use of space. This graphic space of the image, that we see on-screen acts as the vehicle for the narrative development.  [21]  These films created an illusion of reality where the screen became just a transparent object and the frame became invisible. A powerful three dimensional space is represented through the use of lens, lighting, camera movement and angles and other techniques. The space became as important as the narrative structure. So, what is the basic function of the frame? The frame shows us the image and creates an illusion of reality. We already know that the Classical Hollywood films were highly inspired by visual art and as art has evolved, cinema has also evolved gradually taking inspiration from it. Film studio developed, taking inspiration from the workroom of artists and painters. There is a lot of similarity between classical Hollywood cinema and classical novels. Their style is influenced by the post Renaissance painting. Along with centering, the main aspect of this style is balancing, frontality and depth. Here, in the composition of the image, the subject or the character is always in the centre, with all the attentions, in focus. With the coming of the Renaissance period, human thoughts became anthropocentric. It is no more centered on the religion, god. The importance of man as an individual identity instead turned out to be the thought of the period. There was a highlight on the facial expressions and the human body became the centre of attraction other than the narrative. Like in the paintings, a balance is always maintained in the visual composition of the film. The characters are evenly distributed in the film space. Both these technique helps in the progress of the narration. The use of frontality is an influence of the Greek and Roman theatre. Through this technique the narrative action is addressed to the viewers. The depth is established through the use of lighting mainly 3 point lighting (the key, fill back lighting and etc.) and costumes. Sometimes the set is painted in different colour to create the various depths. I think the use of sound to produce an illusion of depth came much later. By the establishment of depth, the film s tries to portray a perspective which is more or less linear, influenced by the ancient Greek Perspective, where the vision is organized around the static monocular observer, and in his vision all the parallel lines recede in the vanishing point. In this way, a personalized space is achieved, trying to conceal the flatness of the film space. The emergence of this classical narrative logic gives rise to cinematic subjectivity and the isolation of the spectator.  [22]   Classical Hollywood cinema places the spectator in an ideal position of intelligibility.  [23]   A film uses onscreen and off screen space to produce the diegetic world. Cinematic off screen space is different from the theatrical off stage space. The off screen film space has a pro filmic reference. The early films of Lumiere a Melies, had camera pointed at the action and remained static for the duration of the action. The early films acknowledged the space outside the frame, for example the workers leaving the Lumiere factory 1895, showed the people moving through the frame and off the edge. The most important element of the film frame is mise-en-scene, a theatrical term. Both are depended on each other. It means everything which is put into the scene, or what we find in the film space. The frame along with the set design, camera and character movement, lighting and even sound, everything combined together form the mise-en-scene. And this mise-en-scene helps in the formation of the composition. Mise-en-scene can be defined as the articulation of the cinematic space, and it is only concerned about the space.  [24]   On the film set it creates an illusion of the reality or fantasy. The setting of the film is an important aspect of the mise-e-scene. It includes the shapes, designs and color of the film set. Colour also helps in the development of the narrative. It is used as a symbol. A set can be artificially constructed for an indoor shot or manipulated in the outdoor shot. Apart from the design and colour, props play an important role, in the development of the narrative. In the absence of the actors, they even tell a story and which are not possible in a theatre. They express certain mood, and say what is unsaid by the film narrative. the elements of the setting turns into motifs  [25]   Along with the props and costumes, the make up of the actors also furnishes the setting of the narrative. The props and costumes are also used for the film publicity, and they even help to turn certain characters into cult figures. Lighting is another aspect of the mise-en-scene, other than creating the illusion of reality, artificially producing light for an indoor shoot or day for night shoot, light along with colour and sometimes the prop creates the mood of his film. In the shot composition light and shadow works together. It helps in the development of the film space, sometimes maintaining continuity when camera movement takes place within a space. And at other times, different lighting helps to distinguish various spaces used in the film. I must say here that along with lighting sound also plays the same role. Light, colour and sound combined or individually can create suspense, horror, happiness and even loneliness. Light creates texture.Four major features of film lighting can be isolated are: its quality, direction source and colour. Light quality depending on its intensity creates a sharp or a soft image by diffusion. With the use of hard light the shadow becomes bold creating definite contours. Light along with the lens and camera angle can be used to manipulate the shape of an object to enhance a mood. the proper use of light can embellish and dramatize every object -Josef von Sternberg. As earlier film makers used the frontality of the characters to highlight their presence, to give them a central position, similarly light is used to keep certain character at the centre of attention. This technique is also used in theatre. The direction of light in the film space, creates the presence of an off screen space. This idea also developed from the influence of paintings from the Renaissance period. Every light has a point where it is brightest and a point towards which it wanders to lose itself completely.The journey of rays from that central core to the outposts of blackness is the adventure and drama of light.   [26]   Depending on the narrative, the film space is generally lit up by top lighting, backlighting, side lighting, and frontal lighting and under lighting. Backlighting creates a dreamy; fantasy image similarly under lighting is used to create a horror image. Different sources of light works together in the cinematic space to create the mental space of the spectators. Generally during a shoot three point lighting is used with key light (primary), fill light (secondary, softens the shadow) and backlight which highlights the character and separates it from the background thus creating depth. We have already discussed earlier how this method of lighting is use in Classical Hollywood cinema. Along with the direction, the source of the light on the film space creates an impact. For out door shoot during the day, we get the sun light, the sky light and the reflected light from the objects around. The lighting is natural and therefore the look is also natural. This light can be manipulated to give a bluish tone with the use of 85 filter and the light can be further controlled with the use of neutral density filters to avoid over or under exposure of the film. In the case of indoor shooting, it is obvious that artificial light is to be used even to give the reference of a natural source of light. Light is continuously measured and blended to create the ci nematic space. Here I want to say that though the basic reason for the use of lighting in a cinematic space is similar to theatrical space but the technique is different. This is because lighting in the theatrical space is more loud and dramatic whereas in the film space it is subtle. From all the information that I have acquired and the knowledge that I have gained, I therefore say that light is a language through which we can also tell a story. Its use is dynamic and is very important in the cinematic space. Only through light, we can see the film space. Mise-en-scene helps the character to express feelings and thoughts. The movement of the actors, their action, everything gets enhanced by the presence of the mise-en scene. Even acting in the cinematic space is different from the theatre. Cinematic space creates an illusion, where the screen frame acts as the window but the actors never stairs at the window; they do not stare back at the audience, unless and until it is required by the film narrative. So through the presence of the actors, the way they move, talk, behave provides the film with an illusory realistic space. When we take a shot, the space in front of the camera is two dimensional when we take the shot, it remains the same but when the film is projected, and we see it on the screen, we see a three dimensional space and this space is enhanced through certain aspects of the mise-en-scene like colour, balance, size and movement. In a static set the movement of certain objects draws the attention. Colour can enhance certain mood. We know that it is used as a symbol. It can refer to different time space or change of space. The balance in placing the figure is also important. It determines the attention of the viewers. Size work in relation to the movement, colour and balance. The size of the objects creates the illusion of depth, where the objects in the foreground are generally larger in size and the objects in the background are small. The closer the object, it is more in focus. The depth creates a volume in the space. A different plane of the shot gets established due to the use of depth wh ich creates the illusion of space. A film suggests volume by the use of movement, shape and shading.  [27]   Mise-en-scene can control not only what we look at also when we look at it.  [28]   It creates a sense of movement in time. Mise-en-scene helps to compose the film shot in space and time. Inside the film space, therefore it is the mise-en-scene which creates the cinematic space using both the onscreen and off-screen space and it is this cinematic space which creates the illusion of a real world or a fantasy world. The film narrative does not work with space alone but space and time. Time is ever changing and space also keeps evolving. Leaving aside, all the scientific reasons for the evolution of space, what I think that a space evolves with time only with the intervention of a man. It evolves in the imagination of the man. The cinematic space is an example of this space. Other than cinema this space can also be created through literature, music, dance, painting and even food. We prefer more of this cinematic space other than where we belong to, because it incorporates our likes and dislikes, keeping in mind that it is our own creation. In dealing with the space and time in a film, it is necessary to study their unity within a shot and between two shots. It is not possible to visualize time on a screen without any action or movement in the space. Movement in reality is continuous but movement on the screen is discontinuous and is achieved very quickly by a series of still photographs.  [29]   In a film the dimensions of space and time cam be manipulated and this has become easier with the digital techniques. Slow or fast motion is used by changing the film speed. This manipulated space is artificial. From the early years of human civilization, paintings, sculptures have evolved as a language. A visual language, which can preserve itself. It creates its own memory. With the coming of industrialization and modernity, photography became more popular. Its basic function or utility is to freeze a moment, capture it and create a memory. Cinema moves a step ahead. It not only captures a specific a moment, but a period of time  [30]   It is som

Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn †Controversial :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Huckleberry Finn – Controversial It seems like a never-ending question. When will we ever let it rest? You know the question I'm talking about; should the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn be banned from American Literature courses? It's been argued from so many different standpoints, but it has never been settled. Is Huckleberry Finn really a controversial book? No, I do not agree with the banning of Huckleberry Finn. This book is considered to be a classic. It explores the depths of our past in many different ways. Those who think the book to be controversial probably have never ever read it before. Most likely, they're basing their judgments on the excessively used word, "nigger." For those who have read the book and still feel necessary to ban it are obviously missing the key points of this American classic. If you understand Huckleberry Finn, then you'll realize it's not about slavery or racism. It's about being unprejudiced. In the book, Huck admits that Jim "had an uncommon level head for a nigger." If you were to take out the black and white scenario, you would see that this quote is clearly nothing but acceptance. Huck is accepting Jim, regardless of his ethnic background. If you looked deeper, you would also see, the book is about nothing less than freedom and the quest for freedom. It's about a slave who breaks the law and risks his life to win his freedom and be reunited with his family. He was lucky enough to have a friend who made him his best friend and helped him to escape. Truly this isn't controversial; it's real life. Another controversial aspect of the book would be the use of the word "nigger" and its being in the book over 200 times creates constant scrutiny. I feel the word was not used to be racist and its usage in the book gives great representation of the way life was during the pre-civil war era. People need to grasp the concept that that's how black were treated then. In today's society, we would find quotes such as, "Good gracious! Was anybody hurt?" "No'm. Just a nigger," APPALING! But in fact, it was written in an earlier time setting when quotes like that were okay to say.