A Summary of John Irving’s ‘A Widow For One Year’ and ‘The Fourth Hand’

In A Widow for One Year. Ruth Cole, the central character, is a successful American novelist whose writings reflect a deep need to make sense of her life.Born in 1954, the daughter of Ted and Marion Cole, is the replacement child for her two brothers, Thomas and Timothy, who were killed at ages sixteen and fifteen in a terrible automobile accident. Even though her brothers are dead, their memory remains a presence from which the family finds no relief. The mother, Marion, attempts to assuage her grief for her lost sons by hanging photographs of them on all available wall space.She bitterly blames her husband Ted for their sons' deaths, and she resents him for convincing her to have another child. She does not hate Ruth, but, preoccupied with her own loss, Marion is often unaware of her daughter's presence and she is afraid that she will transmit her grief, like a disease, to Ruth.Ruth witnessed her parents' divorce when she is four years old, followed by the disappearance of her moth er, Marion, who apparently feels that Ruth's father, Ted, although a womanizer and a drunk, will be the better custodial parent. Ted, a writer and illustrator of children's books, has hired sixteen-year-old Eddie O'Hare to serve as his errand boy, designated driver.When Ruth is four in that summer of 1958, she witnesses a primal scene, between her mother and Eddie O'Hare. She never forgets it, though she forgets some of the details. Eventually she comes to understand the relationship between Marion and Eddie and even to understand why her mother left. Ruth loses more than her mother, however; she also loses the brothers she knew only through the photographs. By the time Ruth is thirty-six (almost the age Marion was when she left Ruth), she is an internationally known writer, who gives readings to promote her novels. At one of these readings in New York City, she meets Eddie O'Hare again.Eddie is also a writer–of romance novels-and he introduces Ruth, who reads from her novel about a widow for one year. Ruth, contemplating marriage to her editor and possible parenthood, learns from Eddie why Marion left her with Ted and prepares to get on with her life; before she does so, however, Ruth will witness a murder in Amsterdam and Ted Cole will commit suicide.In the novel's concluding portion, Ruth gives birth to a son, her husband dies, and in 1995 she will get remarried, after one year, to the Amsterdam policeman who closed the books on a serial killer using Ruth's anonymous testimony. Soon thereafter, Marion reappears on the scene, reunited with Eddie, having achieved some success as a mystery writer in Canada.If someonÐ µ adores A Widow for OnÐ µ YÐ µar, one may bÐ µ a bit disappointÐ µd in ThÐ µ Fourth Hand. The main charactÐ µr of thÐ µ story, handsomÐ µ TV journalist Patrick Wallingford is obsessÐ µd with minutÐ µly dÐ µscribed onÐ µ-night stands.   HÐ µ is filming a package about an Indian circus, ThÐ µ GnÐ µsh, which is an Indian sym bol of nÐ µw beginnings whÐ µn a lion eats his lÐ µft hand. MeanwhilÐ µ, a total stranger in Wisconsin, Doris ClausÐ µn and hÐ µr husband Otto are obsÐ µssÐ µd with thÐ µ GrÐ µen Bay PackÐ µrs and with having a child.Mrs ClausÐ µn, seÐ µs a clip of it on TV, and writes to promisÐ µ Wallingford her husband's hand for transplant in thÐ µ evÐ µnt of her spousÐ µ's death. Doris cajolÐ µs Otto into willing his lÐ µft hand to Patrick and her husband shoots himsÐ µlf dead on the night of thÐ µ 1998 Super Bowl, and his hand is flown to Boston whÐ µre a brilliant surgÐ µon transplants it to Wallingford's left forÐ µarm. With the hand comÐ µs the griÐ µving widow, who has some intÐ µresting plans of hÐ µr own for the lucky rÐ µcipient. Mrs ClausÐ µn flies to mÐ µet Wallingford, whom shÐ µ promptly seducÐ µs with an eye to childbÐ µaring.Famous hand surgÐ µon Nicholas Zajak is, for his part, obsessÐ µd with dog fÐ µcÐ µs–also describÐ µd in Ð µndl Ð µss detail–which hÐ µ scoops up with his old lacrossÐ µ stick and hurls at rowÐ µrs on the CharlÐ µs RivÐ µr. Zajak attachÐ µs Otto's hand to Patrick, and Doris demands visitation rights with Otto's hand, as wÐ µll as with Patrick's child-producing Ð µquipmÐ µnt. On her first mÐ µÃ µting with Wallingford, thÐ µy have sÐ µx, Wallingford rÐ µcognizing Doris's voicÐ µ as one hÐ µ hÐ µard in a vision in India whilÐ µ rÐ µcovering from his accidÐ µnt.Doris, dÐ µspÐ µrate to gÐ µt prÐ µgnant, has hÐ µr own agenda. ThÐ µ pregnancy takÐ µs more succÐ µssfully than the husband's transplantÐ µd hand, which is evÐ µntually rejÐ µcted. AftÐ µr a fritter of othÐ µr affairs, Wallingford throws himself at Mrs ClausÐ µn and finds true lovÐ µ.Bibliography Irving, John. A Widow for One Year. New York: Random House, 1998Irving, John. The Fourth Hand. New York: Random House, 2002

Alfred Lubrano How College Corrupts

Alfred Lubrano How College Corrupts BY robn215 College is the next stepping stone to better or advance ones social standing in life, whether it is moving from a blue collar lifestyle to white collar, or to continue to further their career path. However, it comes with an â€Å"unavoidable result. † Alfred Lubrano discusses this â€Å"unavoidable result† in his text â€Å"The Shock of Education: How College Corrupts. † Lubrano discusses the topic of how furthering ones education opens more possibilities but at the same time distances those held most dearly.He explains that the more knowledge gained, the bigger the gap caused between friends and family due to differences in levels of knowledge. That distance is greatly increase if one comes from a poorer region where blue collar workers are the social norm. For instance, conversations within lower class households come off more militaristic due to the fact that all opinions are â€Å"dictated by group consensus,â⠂¬  where what the class says is so. Juxtaposed to the middle class household where they are talked to as adults..Lubrano does not try to dissuade one from attending college, he simply shines a light onto a hidden matter that is not discussed when continuing ones education. Lubrano hits the nail on the head about the distance gained when continuing ones education with friends and family, but does not consider the fact about that distance being magnified as a first generation American. One of Alfred Lubrano's main points was how college distanced childhood friends as well as loved ones.He describes how he learned to â€Å"self-censor† himself nd only discussed â€Å"general stuff,† because it was undiscerning to his father, a blue collar working man. Not to mention that listening to a freshman discuss the topics of race, equality, or politics, was as unsettling as â€Å"riding in a car with a new driver. † In fact, Lubrano's professor himself told his class not to discuss what they have learned in class, Marxist theory, because it would â€Å"mess up the holiday. † Under those circumstances, one can only imagine the distance lost trying to elaborate the topics discussed.Lubrano does an excellent Job of demonstrating the distance gained from the sheer fact of furthering ones education but does not consider the aloofness of first generation students trying to advance their educational life. I am a first generation college student and my parents were nothing but proud of me when I talked to them about continuing my education, as a matter of fact, they even bragged about it to other family members as well as bought me new items for school, clothes, shoes, and a laptop.But, neither they nor I was prepared for the detachment that as brought upon by trying to further ones education. During my first year of college I was exposed to the lifestyle of being completely â€Å"free. † I had attended Penn State University, which is about fo ur and a half hours away from Philadelphia, and during that time I had become wild and rambunctious. This was mainly due to the fact that within Asian households, the children are raised and taught in a completely different manner than an American household even though I was born and raised in Philadelphia.However, I was raised both by Vietnamese standards of discipline and espect without questioning authority, whilst also being raised on American standards of critical thinking and questioning everything. As you can tell those two standards of living are not exactly compatible. So, when college presented itself with the opportunity ot finding oneselt, I indulged As a consequence ot turtnering my education, I had lost some of my Asian roots and as you can tell; when I returned home I was not the same person. I was a smarmy freshman with a year of college under my belt with the mindset of being a completely independent adult.Causing omplications within my family and distancing ourselv es from one another. It was even more difficult because I could not discuss exactly what was affecting my relationship with my parents due to a language barrier. Granted, I did know how to speak to them in Vietnamese, but not without struggle. This due to the fact that as a child, I was more interested in watching Saturday morning cartoons than talking to my family. Alfred Lubrano does a good Job of describing exactly how furthering ones education causes a divide between friends and family.For example, he had to â€Å"self- ensor† his thoughts and separates which topics he talked about in order to not upset his family. However, he does not discuss the topic of how being a first generation college student can cause an even bigger divide between family due to different cultural beliefs and the language barrier. Again, Alfred Lubrano does not try to dissuade one from continuing ones education whatsoever, in fact he encourages it. Lubrano Just tries to expose a hidden agenda that most people do not discuss about, and that is how college causes a divide between family and friends.

African American History in America

From slavery to freedom (2007), it was said that the transition from slavery to freedom is the subject in the history of African-Americans (1). The history of African Americans plays an important role not only for the civil rights movement but also for American history as African Americans strive to lead a good life and courage in America. African Americans have been in this country since the early 1600s and since then have been making history. The history of African Americans is the history of America. This is an echoed message from the Smithsonian National African American History and Culture Museum in Washington DC, opened in September after a century of planning. Americans' achievement brings the history of slave trade beyond the Atlantic that began hundreds of years ago and continues to today's popular culture. American African American History 1865 - 1960 Georgian Roots HIS 204: American History Mark since 1865 D. Bowls March 18, 2013 American African American History 1865 - 19 60 America African American History Americans experienced many difficult times in attempts to progress from slavery, freedom, and equal rights. In this article I will explain some of the important events of the time to clarify the role of African Americans in a wider range. Documentary Film Analysis Worksheet History 221 - 1877 Before describing the history of African-Americans: Your movie list can be selected in the course section of the course. †¢ Go to the list and select a movie. You have to see the whole movie. If you are unable to access the movie for placement, geographical location, or for any other reason, please contact your faculty to request alternative work. †¢ Please enter the answer on this form. I need to send a worksheet Black - African American history, as well as American history, is also the center of the United States and should be consistent with American history. The history of ancient Africans and African Americans must be part of our elementary sch ool and the introduction of high school curriculum is consistent with the national history of the United States. It is the basic cognitive discipline of psychology and tells us how to change the way people think eventually change behavior. This cognitive process depends greatly on who can identify themselves. Therefore, it is said that people with strong cultural identity are better at changing life than those who do not improve their lifestyle.

Economics for Business and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Economics for Business and Management - Essay Example Therefore, the invisible hand is that process where while an individual is pursuing self interest, he/she promotes the overall societal welfare but not intentionally. On the contrary, Smith says that he had never in his lifetime known the goodness of the persons who involved in trade to achieve the main goal of the public welfare. In his book â€Å"The Wealth Of Nations† Smith has only one stand, that the invisible hand is the prime determinant of the public welfare. (Suntum, 2005 pp1-5) Command and Mixed Economies A command economy, which is also referred to as a planned economy, is one which has the state regulating resources. The state is the decision maker to come up with the allocation or utilization decisions of the available resources. It uses the services of certified planners who are just below the state in power to implement these decisions. (economicwatch.com, 2011) A command type of economy is not without merits and demerits alike. The merits of a command economy m ay include the main fact that they ensure that collective interests for the public good are maximized. Also governments which do their operations under this type of economy are able to mobilize as well as respond swiftly to raise capital and commence the process of production if need arises. (businessspan.com, 2011) The demerits associated with a command economy are the likes of the denial of sovereignty for individuals as regards the expression, working, earning and making expenditure choices. It as well assumes that people should be fully committed to work and they should aim at overall national welfare. There is the demerit of slowness in ensuring economic growth unlike the capitalist type of economy. Equality does not thrive in a communist economy since there is stratification. Lastly, there is lack of flexibility when it comes to moving from one decision to another for the welfare of the public. On the other hand, a mixed market involves a blending of the two major types of eco nomy. That is, a command and a market type of economy. This is mostly the kind of approach by Italy, India, France and Sweden. Here, there is the government controlling of resources and the private sector. There are sectors in which distribution as well as production is under the state’s management. Sectors which have both the state and the private sector jointly involving in production and distribution and the sectors under which private control is in entirety. (Aswathappa, 2008 pp269,270) A mixed economy may be characterized by several advantages. Some of the advantages of a mixed economy are with the inclusion of the good regulation of prices in the market. Here, the state always ensures that prices do not soar above actual prices. It as well provides a level playground since there are private sectors involved in the market without compromising on the quality of commodities in the market. Natural resources are also optimally utilized due to there being the government and t he private sector being involved in the allocation. People in a mixed economy have ample power when prices and quality of commodities is put into consideration. Monopoly cannot also thrive in a mixed economy as both the private enterprises and the government gets their hands in every business. (benefitsandadvantages.com, 2010) Critics state that a mixed economy is not the best type of

Apply 3 critical Perspectives to the company decision in the 1980s to Essay

Apply 3 critical Perspectives to the company decision in the 1980s to launch reformulated Coca Cola and suggest where a different approach to the loss of sales might have produced a different outcome - Essay Example Critical analysis of the essay with different aspects discussed in the perspectives section and conclusion of the essay is covering all the points of the essay. Coke was invented by Dr. Ruben Pemberton back in 1886 .Coke was a huge success over the 1980’s and a new invention achieved a very good response. There was a marketing war between two companies name Pepsi and Coke with same product nature. These two companies in a race of making their brand more popular were trying to gain and maintain their market share, on one hand Pepsi company was trying to defeat its rival coke which is far ahead from it when it comes to market share or brand power, because coke was the first company to introduce the soft drink contains flavor of coca leafs and cocoa bean so it created and maintained its product positioning successfully but when Pepsi cola came it created competition in the market and was getting closer to it through different marketing campaigns which tested the brand power of coke in the market and after intense distribution of coke when consumers had a choice they start buying Pepsi. Now Pepsi was gaining market share by target market ing and was becoming popular in the targeted market. Coke had to do something otherwise would have left behind so they thought of new product development to gain the share in doing so they failed but may be they brought they brand loyalty from their customer and unwillingly somehow succeeded in countering Pepsi and maintained their premium image of brand. Coca Cola slowly lost market shares and this was an alarming situation for the Coca Cola company and they had to something to in order to save the company’s reputation. Management of Coca cola started to look for solution or alternative way through which they could save image of the brand so re-launching of Coca Cola and by 1984 researchers came up with a new formula for Coca Cola and they

Article Critique Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critique - Article Example These articles have provided sufficient background information for the study. Key words are necessary in every research and should be stated in the research paper. Wilson et.al (2005) addressed the use cohorts or isolation to prevent or reduce the spread of MRSA in ICU’s. Willey et.al (2008) discusses the risk factors for MRSA in roommates who are infected with MRSA in acute-care hospitals. Fernandez et.al (2002), is focused on the role of patient isolation is the control of the spread of MRSA in acute care. Gholson, Landry and Ribner (1986) talks of modified versus strict isolation in prevention of MRSA spread. b. Research objectives Gholson, Landry and Ribner (1986) examine the various infection control methods to prevent the spread of MRSA. Wilson et.al (2005) and Fernandez et.al (2002) aims at determining whether patient, staff or visitor compliance with the isolation practices have effects on the nosocomial transmission of MRSA. Willey et.al (2008) investigates the differ ent risk factors for MRSA acquisition in those patients who are exposed to MRSA colonized roommate. Fernandez et.al (2002) evaluates the efficiency of the isolation practices towards the minimization of the spread of MRSA. ... This means that the research aimed at achieving all the set objectives. c. Planned behavior theory The four articles used the planned behavior theory in underpinning the study to determine the characteristics and behaviors of the patients before and after the study. The framework chosen is quite clear and well stated and fit well with the research objectives and problem. The theoretical framework for the study is well explained and referenced. For example, the author on the article about â€Å"Strict vs. modified isolation of prevention of transmission of MRSA† has used Infect Control 1986; 7(6):317-320 to reference the foundation of the study where all hospitalized patients suffering from MRSA were put in modified isolation precautions. The theoretical frameworks for the other studies apart from the study on â€Å"Isolation of patients in single rooms in order to reduce MRSA spread in ICUs† have been well referenced. d. Methods Independent and dependent variables The v ariables chosen in each study are highly linked to the research objectives as they were adopted to help the researchers in achieving the stated research objectives. All the four studies have chosen different study institutions for a given study period of 4- 12 months. Wilson et.al (2005) undertook a one year study in ICU’s and the variables were MRSA colonization as the independent variable and weekly screen as the dependent variable. Willey et.al (2008) used MRSA infection and infection control logs as the study variables. Gholson, Landry and Ribner (1986) used daily reviews of all organism and infection control program as it variables while Wilson et.al (2005) used infection control program and various isolation

A history of multicultural America. Questions and answers Essay

A history of multicultural America. Questions and answers - Essay Example The original servants in the Virginia Colony were indentured African servants and indentured White servants who came to the colony intentionally for earning money. However, the African servants that came to the colony were war captives or from enemy tribes (Takaki). Question 2: What is the difference between being an indentured servant and being a slave? Indentured servants were quite different from slaves as they were paid for their work and they worked as free workers bound under some agreement between them and the company for an agreed time period. The slaves were deprived of any rights and salary that were approved for indentured servants (Takaki). Question 3: What angered black American soldiers about the roles that were assigned to them during WWII? During WWII, the Black American soldiers were assigned different roles as compared to White American soldiers, which angered them. The roles were related to labor and non-combating positions. They were regarded unfit for combating due to which, they were assigned labor roles and other odd jobs to perform. Considering discrimination and inequality, they were angered. Even after the war, their testimonies were not collected as they were recorded from White soldiers (Takaki). Question 4: What was the major result of Bacon's Rebellion for blacks? The major result of Bacon’s Rebellion for blacks was increase in black slavery as the farm owners in fear of another rebellion and its aftereffects, started investing in acquiring slaves in place of indentured servants to get rid of any similar issue at all. They turned to Africa for slaves who became their primary source of labor (Takaki). Question 5: What was Thomas Jefferson's attitude toward slavery? How did he treat his own slaves? W hat did he believe should happen to blacks if they were freed from slavery? Jefferson’s attitude towards slavery was incongruous as condemned slavery openly and also had hundreds of slaves working on his plantation. He became the richest person on his land based on the expansion of his cultivated land, buying, and selling of slaves. He had appointed overseers for observing the slaves, their work, and these overseers were allowed to make use of physical violence for making them work. His treatment was cruel that can be noticed in his treatment of Hubbard, his slave who tried to escape. According to Jefferson, black slaves would not be able to feed themselves and take care of themselves if they were freed. He also proposed of deporting the blacks back to Africa after freeing them from slavery considering them inappropriate as free citizens in a White man’s society. Jefferson regarded blacks inferior to white population (Takaki). Question 6: Who was Phillis Wheatley, and what were the arguments that she put forward about blacks and slavery? Phillis Wheatley was a female poet and she was a slave brought from Africa. She had her own experience of ‘slave trade’, ‘forced separation from parents’ and ‘bondage in America’. She regarded slavery as a tyrannical institution depriving blacks of their rights and lives. She emphasized equality of blacks and informed that blacks were religiously equal to whites (Takaki). Question 7: Who was Benjamin Banneker? What stereotype about blacks did he work to dispel? What were his arguments? Benjamin Banneker was a black mathematician. He was also a slave like Wheatley. He dismissed Jefferson’s views about inferiority of intellect in blacks. He dispelled the stereotype about blacks that they were intellectually inferior to whites. He regarded Jefferson as a hypocrite. Banneker explained liberty as a ‘natural right’ for blacks. He talked about abolition of slave ry. He rejected the very notion of black inferiority (Takaki). Question 8: What were some of the ways slaves were managed by their masters? Overseers were appointed for black slaves that supervised them for work and threatened people for working by

Technology in criminal justice mangement Research Paper

Technology in criminal justice mangement - Research Paper Example DNA profiles are founded on non – coding DNA and do not disclose the details related to an individual’s physical appearance. This has been one of the major factors that have made such evidence acceptable (MCharek, 2008, p. 519). DNA profiling has achieved phenomenal success in criminal investigation. Moreover, this feature, in association with the major breakthroughs in the field of genetics has greatly enhanced the value of evidence based on DNA profiling. The present day DNA evidence is not restricted to identification, wherein trace evidence is compared with a suspect’s sample (MCharek, 2008, p. 519). As such, DNA profiling is much more and it has the capacity to generate information about the potential offender. One such development is the inference of visible traits, which is founded on racial classifications (MCharek, 2008, p. 519). By employing more sensitive methods that are based upon the Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in conjunction with multiplex marker kits, it has become possible to analyze minute and degenerated biological trace evidence. Furthermore, the volume of DNA profiles produced has increased drastically, due to the introduction of capillary DNA sequencing machines (MCharek, 2008, p. 520). These devices make it possible to achieve a much higher rate of processing samples. This increase has also been attributed to the compilation of DNA databanks, and the additional standardization of working procedures. However, these developments have created several new political and ethical problems (MCharek, 2008, p. 520). In addition, these issues can be classified as difficulties emerging from the use of DNA profiling as a tool for investigation. In the initial stages of the use of this new technology, DNA evidence had functioned as a technology enabling identification. The issue at that time was to determine whether a correlation could be established

American Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American Popular Culture - Essay Example 2. How have popular culture trends and electronic media formulated your views regarding the following topics: social responsibility and civility; family obligations; the human body; justice, law, and order; sexual identity; friendship and love Popular (pop) culture is literally defined as the vernacular culture that prevails on any given society. â€Å"The content of popular culture is determined by the daily interactions, needs and desires, and cultural ‘moments’ that make up the everyday lives of the mainstream.† (â€Å"Wikipedia†, 2006). Culture is a way of defining oneself, and is accepted or regarded by each person in their own way, and yet mass media and mass culture also lets people define themselves in relation to everyone else in mass society. How Have Popular Culture Trends and Electronic Media Formulated Your Views Regarding the Following Topics: Social Responsibility and Civility; Family Obligations; The Human Body; Justice, law and Order; Sexual Identity; Friendship and Love? Popular culture trends are a significant part of all of our lives, and greatly affect the way we feel about ourselves, and about each other, on a daily basis. Whether or regardless of if we recognize it or not, popular culture reflects on us all in way or another. In regards to social responsibility and civility, I believe that due to the heightened propaganda status, or in other words the fact that the media is such a huge part of all of our day to day lives, our assumption and beliefs of what our personal social responsibilities should be have dropped somewhat. In the past, there was a certain aura of politeness and classiness if you will; characteristics which do not seem to be as evident in today’s world. When discussing how pop culture trends have formulated my views regarding family obligations; this is another subject that I would say relates highly to social responsibility and civility in a way. If we take

I have a dream speech Essay Example for Free

I have a dream speech Essay I Have a Dream is the name of a speech Martin Luther King, Jr. gave on several year ago while he was on Washington, D. C.. In his speech, he spoke of his wish for a better future. His wish was that people of different races could live together peacefully in America without segregation. He spoke of the discrimination that the black man has faced even though they were supposed to be treated equal when the emancipation proclamation was signed. Martin Luther King made an important quote on Abraham Lincoln where he said: â€Å"Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness†. This was a promise that all men, black and white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable Rights. He wanted to support his idea on what Abraham Lincoln said that all men are equal both white and black men have the same rights. This speech left a legacy of equality of Rights for all men in the United States. Hundred years before Martin Luther King gave his speech black men were not free until Abraham Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation. Through those hundred years black men weren’t treated as equal as white men. Black men were discriminated in all the United States because of their skin and the amount of racist people back then was significant. King’s speech highly persuasive, he wanted to provoke everybody that heard his speech to have a feeling that segregation and discrimination should be stopped. In my opinion we have achieved King’s dream, today all men have equal rights and there aren’t differences between the races of people and the ability to pursuit happiness. Martin Luther King yearned a world where all the races were treated as one and there weren’t different between people in our country. Martin observed that: one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free and black men were segregated to the slums and ghettos of the northern cities. The people who stood against King had the opinion that only white people deserved to be treated reasonably. Even though, they were few and didn’t have a strong argument to defend their point because there wasn’t one. King inspired the majority of American people, and he brought equality for every race in America.

Security Issues of Social Networking Sites

Security Issues of Social Networking Sites C. Divya Gowri, K. Rajalakshmi, PG Scholar, S.Suresh AbstractSocial Networking Sites (SNS) are a platform to build social relationship or social networks among people. It is web-based service which allows people to create public profiles; it is similar to online community. The only difference is social network service is individual centred whereas online community is group centred. It groups the individuals into specific groups for communication purpose. Millions of people like to meet other people, share and gather information, share information about their work like cooking, finding employment, e-business, e-commerce, etc., SNS involves getting access to the website you wish to socialize. Once you are granted, you can read the profile pages of others and even contact them. These SNS has greatest impact on the people who use them. Today billions of people across the world have their profiles in social networking sites. SNS becomes reason for addiction and anxiety. It starts affecting the personal relationship. This paper focuses on th e impacts of these social networking sites. Key Tems: Social Networking Sites, Personal privacy, Security issues. I. Introduction Social Networks [13] involves use of Internet to connect the users with their family, friends and acquaintances. Web-based social networking services connect people to share interests and activities across political, economic, and geographic borders. Online Social Networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace have become popular in recent years. Social Networks have become a personal fabric of the world. In such SNS, each of your Followers (Twitter) or Friends (Facebook) will be friend with your other friends just like in real world. The connection between people is not one-on-one but a network of connection. These social networks keep track of all interactions used by their users on their sites and save them for later use. It allows users to meet new people, stay in touch with friends, and discuss about everything including jokes, politics, news, etc., Using Social networking sites marketers can directly reach customers, this is not only benefit for the marketers but it also benefits the users as they get more information about the organization and the product. There is absolutely no doubt that online social networks have become part of every individual. Though the use of these SNS is increasing day by day, the users are not aware of risks associated with updating sensitive information. Facts prove that majority of people post information like photos, share location unaware of security and privacy concerns. SNS definitely needs many security policies to keep user’s information secured. II. Literature Survey 2.1 Privacy Issues Security Risks With the use of SNSs, the security risks [4] [12] associated is also increasing rapidly. Some of the risks include cyber stalking, phishing, location disclosure, identity theft, Phreaking, Spoofing, Doxing, spam issue, profile cloning, fake product sale and cyber bullying. People provide their personal data while creating account on SNSs like Facebook, Twitter, etc. The secured data is stored in SNS and because of poor security; the data stored are not secure. Cyber Stalking It is the use of SNS to harass/stalk an individual, group or organization. It includes monitoring, vandalism [15], and gathering of information that may be used to threaten the SNS users. Phishing Phishing [7] is attempting to acquire sensitive information like username, password, and credit card information by masquerading through SNS. Location Disclosure SNS can disclose user’s information [10]. An application named ‘creepy’ can track location of the user on a map by photos uploaded in Flicker or Twitter. Identity Theft Some hackers attack through application in which they ask permission for accessing their profile of SNS (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). When SNS users allow doing so, hackers get all information so that they can misuse users’ information without their knowledge or permission. Phreaking It is gaining unauthorized access to a user’s profile. It is advisable not to give phone numbers, passwords that provide direct access to a user’s profile. Spoofing Some attackers deceive computers by faking one’s identity. IP spoofing masks or hides computer’s IP address. Doxing It is publicly posting a person’s identity including full name, address, pictures, date of birth typically retrieved from any social sites. Spam Issues SNS is widely spread with spam. It includes message spam and content spam [5] [6]. Spammers attack legitimate users account and post unwanted messages/comment on their wall or send those content to their friends so that the reputation of the legitimate users is spoiled. Profile Cloning Profile Cloning [3][8] is that the hackers retrieve the profile information of the SNSs users and make a clone of the profile. They make this clone to spoil the reputation of the users. This is one of the most popular risks associated with the SNSs and it is also done without the permission or knowledge of the SNS user. Another form of profile cloning is â€Å"Cross-site profile cloning†. In this method, hackers steal information from one social site and make this information to create a profile in another SNS. Fake Product Sale The hackers advertise on the SNSs for selling products by offering huge discount and free products. When users try to purchase these products, they are asked to provide account information which is retrieved by attackers and they misuse the information. Cyber bullying Cyber bullies [10] often post information that spoils the reputation of a SNS user; also they spread lies about them, write hateful comments, and upload disgusting photos or abusive images. 2.2 Attacking scenarios Click Jacking In this type of attack, attackers post videos and when the users click on the page, some malicious actions takes place. This type of attack is common in Facebook where users like a page or a picture or a video and the users are trapped. Content Based Image Retrieval In this attack [9], the attackers match the patterns of images associated with the profile of the SNS users so that attackers know the current location of a user. De-Anonymization Attack In this De-Anonymization attack [1] the user’s anonymity can be revealed by history stealing and group membership information. Neighbourhood attack In this attacker [2] finds the neighbors of the victim node. Based on user’s profile and personal information, attackers are attracted by user’s personal information like their name, date of birth, contact information, relationship status, current work and education background. There can be leakage of information because of poor privacy settings. Many profiles are made public to others i.e. anyone can view their profile. Next is leakage of information through third party application. Social networking sites provide an Application Programming Interface (API) for third party developers to create applications. Once users access these applications the third party can access their information automatically. Malicious Software updates An attacker may deliver malicious software to update the system. This may be used to disrupt computer system, obtain sensitive information or gain access to any private information. Evil Twin Attack In this attack [11], it allows attackers to impersonate people or companies in SNS. This is used for the purpose of financial gain, physical crimes, defamation and information gathering. The attackers create a twin profile in the name of other person (legitimate user) and send friend request or messages to get money or just gather information. 2.3 Prevention strategies Internet is always â€Å"Public† SNS users post anything on the internet and it is always available in public. Thus it is user’s responsibility to post information that users are comfortable with. This may include their personal information and photos in which users are tagged in. Also once when users post information online, it cannot be deleted. Even if the information is deleted from a site, cached copy remains on the World Wide Web. Limit the amount Always limit the amount of personal information you post. Do not disclose private information such as your residential address, contact number, etc. Assess your settings Users must be aware of their privacy settings. The default settings of the site will allow anyone to see your profile. But you can customize your settings to restrict certain people from seeing your profile. Be cautious of Third party applications Some third party applications will ask for your private information while you run those applications. Avoid running those applications that are suspicious and limit the amount of information that the applications can access. Create secure passwords provide your account with passwords which are hard to be guessed. If user’s password is compromised, somebody may access your account and pretend to be like you without your knowledge. Always provide different passwords for different accounts which may confuse the cyber criminals. Combine upper and lower case letters with symbols and numbers to create secure passwords. Change your passwords frequently. Activate your firewall Firewalls are considered as the first line of cyber defence. They block connections to unknown sites and will protect the system from viruses and hackers. Avoid being scammed Prevent viruses/malware infecting your system by installing and frequently updating antivirus software. Beware of things you post Whatever you post online, it remains in cache even if you are not able to see. It is advisable to think before posting pictures that you don’t want your employers or parents to see. Know your friends Online friends should not be taken as real friends unless you know them personally. Beware of what you share with those strange friends. Install from Trusted source- Install applications or software’s that comes from well- known or trusted sites. Remember that free software may come with malware. Once you install an application, keep it up-to-date. If you no longer use an application, delete it. Avoid Wi-Fi spots Avoid accessing your personal accounts from public computers like Internet centres or through public Wi-Fi spots. It is always preferred to use high security settings on any SNS. IV. CONCLUSION SNS have become a likely target for attackers due to sensitive information available. The growth of social networking sites shows tremendous changes in personal and social behavior of internet users. It has become an essential medium of communication and an entertainment among adults. Though it affects the daily activities of the users, many cyber crime activities evolved, the popularity of such sites are not going to reduce. SNS can be used for sales and marketing, but the security risks can put a company or individual in a compromising position. Many cyber laws have to be fortified so that cyber criminals cannot escape from committing a crime. Many SNS are implementing different security mechanisms to SNS users. Also users must be careful and prevent themselves from being attacked. V. REFERENCES [1] Gilbert Wondracek, Thorsten Holz, Engin Kirda, and Christopher Kruegel, â€Å" Practical Attack to De-anonymize Social Network Users,† IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, 2010, pp.223-238. [2] Bin Zhou and Jian Pei, â€Å"Preserving Privacy in Social Networks Against Neighborhood Attacks,† Data Engineering, 2008. ICDE 2008. IEEE 24th International Conference on, Apr. 2008, pp.506-515. [3] M. Balduzzi, C. Platzer, T. Holz, E. Kirda, D. Balzarotti, and C. Kruegel, â€Å"Abusing Social Networks for Automated User Profiling,† Symposium on Recent Advances in Intrusion Detection (RAID), vol. 6307, Sep. 2010, pp. 422-441. [4] Dolvara Gunatilaka, â€Å"A Survey of Privacy and Security Issues in Social Networks†, http://www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/cse57111/ftp/social/index.html [5] Garrett Brown, Travis Howe, Micheal Ihbe, Atul Prakash, and Kevin Borders, â€Å"Social networks and context-aware spam,† CSCW 08 Proceedings of the 2008 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work, 2008, pp.403-412. http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~aprakash/papers/cscw08_socialnetworkspam.pdf. [6] B. Markines, C. Cattuto and F. Menczer, Social Spam Detection,Proc. 5th Intl Workshop Adversarial Information Retrieval on the Web(AIRWeb 09), ACM Press, 2009, pp. 41–48. [7]T.N. Jagatic et al., Social Phishing,Comm. ACM,vol. 50, no. 10, 2007, pp. 94–100. [8] Khayyambashi, M.R.; Rizi, F.S. An approach for detecting profile cloning in online social networks,e-Commerce in Developing Countries: With Focus on e-Security (ECDC), 2013 7th Intenational Conference on,On page(s): 1 – 12. [9] A. Acquisti and R. Gross† Imagined Communities Awareness, Information Sharing, and Privacy on the Facebook†. In 6th Workshop on Privacy Enhancing Technologies, June 2006. [10] D. Rosenblum., â€Å"What Anyone Can Know. In The Privacy Risks of Social Networking Sites†, IEEE Security and Privacy, 2007. [11] Carl Timm,Richard Perez, â€Å"Seven Deadliest Social Network Attacks†, Syngress/Elsevier, 2010 [12] Dwyer, C., Hiltz, S. R., Passerini, K. â€Å"Trust and privacy concern within social networking sites: A comparison of Facebook and MySpace†. Proceedings of AMCIS 2007, Keystone, CO. Retrieved September 21, 2007 [13] D. D. Boyd and N. B. Ellison, ;Social Network Sites: Definition, History and Scholarship,; Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol. 13, pp. 210-230, 2007. [14] P. Heymann, G. Koutrika and H. Garcia-Molina, Fighting Spam on Social Web Sites: A Survey of Approaches and Future Challenges,IEEE Internet Computing,vol. 11, no. 6, 2007, pp. 36–45. [15]W. Xu, F. Zhang and S. Zhu, Toward Worm Detection in Online Social Networks,Proc. 26th Ann. Computer Security Applications Conf.(ACSAC 10), ACM Press, 2010, pp. 11–20.

Drama - I wanted to present a convincing portrayal of a wealthy, educated :: Drama

Drama - I wanted to present a convincing portrayal of a wealthy, educated woman who, faced with a extremely distressing, seemingly insurmountable personal problem, sees what looks like a perfect solution, but which ends up driving her to madness. Why Were the Nazis Able to Attempt the Genocide of the Jewish People in the Years1939 to 1945? ==================================================================== How Has the Human Rights Position of the Jews Improved Since 1945? ================================================================== The power of the Nazi State made it difficult to resist and rebel against the Nazis. By 1939 the Nazis had built up an enormous empire and army. The SS were responsible for security of Hitler and leading Nazis. Rudolf Hoess said that, '...the thought of refusing an order just didn't enter one's head, regardless of what kind of order it was.' The SS were completely loyal to Hitler and strictly disciplined. The SS also did work such as manning the concentration camps. The concentration camps were created in 1933 and they were prisons for opposition to the Nazis and people who did not fit in with the Nazis, including the Jews. A special, secret police force was devised in 1936 called the Gestapo. They would catch people if they thought they had said anything wrong about the Nazis, or they were Jewish. Ordinary people were scared of being reported by the SS or Gestapo, so most did nothing to prevent the Holocaust. Many people may have ignored Anti-Semitism because, they agreed with the Nazis on other issues, however some people were actively Anti-Semitic themselves. This tells us that the Nazis had built up a state so powerful and secretive that it was possible to get away with genocide. The wartime emergency made it possible to keep the extermination of the Jews secret, from the majority of the population. A map of Poland and Germany (Source U) shows that all the extermination camps were situated in Poland, away from the German population. Therefore, the Germans may not have known, as they would not be able to see the camps. Also the SS were forced to keep the genocide a secret, in a speech by Himmler he said, '...we will never speak about it in public.' and also 'à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦he would do it again if it were an order and if it were necessary.' The German people were also subjected to Nazi propaganda and control. They would also be worried about food, water and being bombed on, as it was wartime. They were probably worried about themselves. Also Stephen Lee tells that extermination would be kept secret by terms such as, 'resettled', 'evacuated' or 'deported'.

Black America and the American Nightmare :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Black America and the American Nightmare "The Myth of Sisyphus" parallels the lack of an "American Dream" in black America. In " The Myth Of Sisyphus, " Albert Camus describes the tragedy of Sisyphus, forever punished by the gods to push a rock up a mountain, watch the rock roll down the mountain, and then push it up the mountain again. In the words of Camus, "there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor." The "American Dream" is still alive for white Americans. They still dream of large houses, big paychecks, and hard work leading to a comfortable retirement. However, like an animal battling to fight extinction, the "American Dream" is on its last breath in black America . . . " Uh, you know that stuff we told you about apple pie and equal opportunity, spacious skies and rags to riches and making more money than your parents did? Well, uh, we forgot to tell you something. That was only supposed to apply to white people." Does the "American Dream" really exist in the black community or do blacks labor under the false impression that our lives will be better in the future? Am I wasting my time paying for a degree from college in a country where I have to put my skin color on every form I sign my name to? Sisyphus intrigues Camus because he questions Sisyphus' thoughts about his fate. " At that subtle moment when man glances backward over his life, Sisyphus returning toward his rock, in the sight pivoting he contemplates that series of unrelated actions which becomes his fate, created by him, combined under his memory's eye and soon sealed by his death." As Sisyphus returns to his rock, does he question his fate? Unlike blacks in America, Sisyphus created his own fate. Sisyphus is aware that he will labor in futility until the end of time. He is not under any false impressions that the gods will call his punishment off because of good behavior. He knows his fate and has accepted it. Do blacks also labor in futility, hoping that someone will go back and change history? Sisyphus accepts the rock as his future. This absurd form of acceptance is the only thing that keeps Sisyphus from going crazy. He is superior to his fate because he survives despite it. Do blacks in America also accept their fate?

Computers in Kindergarten :: Argumentative Persuasive Education Essays

Computers in Kindergarten Perhaps you are skeptical as to the benefits of using technology with young children and you’re not unsure about using computer technology for your own purpose. Some questions frequently asked are, Does using computers in the primary grades stifle young children’s natural inclination to experiment and explore and hamper the development of independent thought? Will hardware turn primary classrooms from environments that nurture young minds to labs that merely mesmerize them? I will answer these questions in my paper. My opinion on the topic, at hand, is that I think there should be computers in Kindergarten rooms but students wouldn’t benefit very much from them. Students in Kindergarten rooms don’t have enough time to really get into a program and benefit from it. Many researchers do not recommend that children under 3 years old use computers.[1] Computers simply do not match their learning style. Children younger than 3 years of age learn through their bodies: their eyes, ears, mouths, hands, and legs. Although they may return over and over again to an activity they are full of movement, and they change their focus frequently. Computers are not a good choice for the developmental skill that these children are learning to master such as: Crawling, walking, talking, and making friends. Children need plenty of time to experiment and explore, computers would occupy much of their time. Before a child even starts playing on a computer they need to understand how a computer works, how to use disks, how to start and use a particular program, and how handle CD ROMs. Borgh (1993) states that once these skills have been established, children should then be give opportunities to interact with the computer. Papert (1998) stresses that computers have an impact on children when the computer provides concrete experiences, children have free access and control the learning experience, children and teachers learn together, teachers encourage peer tutoring, and teachers use computers to teach powerful ideas. In addition, computers enhance children’s self-concept, and children demonstrate increasing levels of verbal communication and cooperation with others. Children share leadership roles more frequently and develop positive attitudes toward learning.[2] The potential gains for kindergarten

Death in the stranger and night Essay

Before Meursault dies, he talks about his philosophy, and how he thinks the universe works. In this philosophical rant that he trails on, he says that nothing really matters in his life, or in anyone’s life. He begins to understand the actions of his mother towards the end of her life, and says that he understands the actions of the universe, and actually says the universe is like a brother. â€Å"As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself-so like a brother, really-I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. † (122-123). Meursault’s indifference to his own death once again represents Camus’ philosophy that death is simply an action that needs to be carried out at the end of life. This especially represents Camus’ philosophy since Meursault had been representing the philosophy of Camus in the pages beforehand, which means that Camus most likely holds this attitude towards death, which is what is being broadcast through this book. In Night, the most important death that occurs in the book, among the many that are referenced, is the death of Elie’s father. Both before and after his father’s death, Elie is extremely attached to his father, emotionally. He takes his relationship with his father so seriously that he says â€Å"I had to stay at Buchenwald until April eleventh. I have nothing to say of my life during this period. It no longer mattered. After my father’s death, nothing could touch me any more. † (107) This shows that Elie is extremely attached to his father, since his father’s death drives him to apathy towards his life. He takes the death of his father extremely seriously. The importance of his father’s life to him is shown through his continued attempts to keep him alive. In example, the head of Elie’s block tells him â€Å"Here, there are no fathers, no brothers, no friends. Everyone lives and dies for himself alone. † Instead of heeding the man’s advice, Elie decides he will keep on trying to save his father by feeding him his rations of soup and bread. This shows that Elie’s view on death is a personal one. He views death as a loss to the living. He very much cares about the fate of the dead, and would very much have them stay alive than die. The representation of death in the two novels represents the attitude towards death held by the two cultures that the books represent. The Stranger, or L’etranger, in the original French, represents French culture, since Albert Camus, who is really an Algerian, was greatly influenced by the French. Since Algeria was a French colony at the time that The Stranger written, French and Algerian culture in the sense of their philosophy on death is really the same. Night represents Eastern-European Jewish culture, seeing as Elie Wiesel, a Jew born and raised in Eastern Europe, wrote the novel and portrayed other Eastern-European Jews in it. Albert Camus’ novel The Stranger, and Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night both represented death in two very different ways. Albert Camus, through The Stranger portrayed death as a natural action that had to happen to every person at some time in his or her life, and should not be taken as seriously as it is. Elie Wiesel, through Night, argued that death should be taken seriously, as should the dying.

Keeping Up with the Joneses Essay

Society has many effects on the narrator in â€Å"Two Kinds† and Madame Loisel in â€Å"The Necklace†. Whether it is helping us achieve feats or our actions in public, we can be affected both negatively and positively. In the short story â€Å"The Necklace† Madame Loisel is dirt poor. When her husband, a simple Clerk, comes home holding a white envelope which says â€Å"The Minister of Education and Mme. Georges Ramponneau beg M. and Mme. Loisel to do them the honor of attending an evening reception at the Ministerial Mansion. Madame Loisel tries her best to look as good as she can at the reception. She even borrows a necklace to look her best at the reception, this is because of how society expects us to look our best and dress up on occasion. In the other short story, Two Kinds, Ni Kan’s mother wants her to be something she doesn’t want her to be. Whether it was opening a restaurant, working for the government, or even building a house to sell it and make a profit. She basically wants her to become a prodigy, which is highly unlikely. My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. You could open a restaurant. You could work for the government and get good retirement. You could buy a house with almost no money down. You could become rich. You could become instantly famous. â€Å"Of course, you can be a prodigy, too,† my mother told me when I was nine. † Her mother wants her to become a prodigy because of how society has â€Å"molded† her thoughts and actions. Her daughter, she is only best tricky, you can be best anything. What does Auntie Lindo know? For example, her mother forces her to learn the piano, which doesn’t work out very well â€Å"Three days after watching the Ed Sullivan Show my mother told me what my schedule would be for piano lessons and piano practice. She had talked to Mr. Chong†¦ † In both positive and negative ways society has affected me in m any aspects of my life, society has affected how I look, how I do in school, what I want to become after High-School, what I say, how I perform in sports. In conclusion, society in a whole affects everyone, everywhere, every day in every way. This concludes my essay.

Media Stereotyping

IndividualFinal Project| Write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper that answers the following questions: * In what ways does the media perpetuate stereotyping and prejudice? Provide examples to support your assertion. * In what ways does the media help foster appreciation for diversity? Provide examples to support your assertion. * How might individuals and the United States work together to reduce prejudice and increase appreciation for diversity? * How might you change your own behaviors to be more inclusive and pluralistic? | Day 7| 10| ————————————————- *In what ways do the media perpetuate stereotyping and prejudice? Provide examples to support your assertion. America is a relatively young country born in war and to this day continues to struggle with its identity. What makes this country strong is the ideals of freedom and equality. â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evi dent that all men are created†. This is the ideal makes America strong, that no matter where you come from rich or poor that you as an American can achieve the American dream. We have had our struggles, but that is what makes us strong. It is not been an easy journey, we have paid dearly for our freedoms and our way of life.Some people have paid more than others to struggle for the freedoms guaranteed from being an American. Diversity can be traced all the same lines as civil rights movement in America. There is been a fierce battle for independence of different peoples spread across this land. From the deep South and the marches of Martin Luther King Jr. to the Northeast and the persecution of the Puritans. The Southwest has become the new battleground for diversity with the battle against illegal immigration. Some of the information about diversity United States is on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.To truly understand the struggles of the civil rights movement and the role of diversity in the southern states throughout the 50s and 60s, you really have to go and see the bus seat of Rosa Parks. You have to see the soda fountain counter and the fire hose used to what a young black man down the street in Birmingham Alabama. I think that the most important point about diversity and one that cannot be silenced as the voices of the people that live this struggle every day, and the forums like this class that bring people from all walks of life from around the globe together to expose the ignorance of racism and prejudice and discrimination.Have you learned something new about your own racial, ethnic, or cultural history? * My history is of Irish decent we came to America for better life. We paid that price in hard work and blood. We came here as indentured servants that we had to work our way to freedom, never once was the American dream promised to us we earned everything. I think that the struggle that we had to go through game us a s ense of pride in America. It was the Chinese and the Irish that built the railroads across this country. We dug the coal that fired the furnaces of the steel mills and we came from places like Hell's kitchen New York City.What this forum has done for me has given me a sense of pride that just not the Irish and the Chinese struggle for the freedom but it seems as if all of the in one way or another had to fight for everything that we have accomplished. Trends in immigration will continue to shape the demographics of the United States. What will the U. S. population look like in the year 2050? Why do you think so? Everybody around the world wants what America has because we have the ideals of freedoms and the dreams of success the great immigration to America will continue.At the present time America has about 20 million immigrants from Mexico and South America. As economies of Third World country continue to deteriorate more and more people will come to America. Everybody wants what America has but because of the agendas of Third World country politicians and the corruption of governments and the war over illegal criminal activities the safe haven of America will still be the priority of people around the world. The demographics of the United States we will continue to move to a change in diversity from a white majority to really know majority at all.The Hispanic population continues to grow in America while the white population continues to decline. The African-American population has already moved from the largest minority to the second largest minority be replaced by the Hispanic minority. If this trend continues by 2050 we can see the Hispanic population become the majority of the largest minority and other people who have not had to fight for civil rights may now find themselves as a beneficiary of those civil rights battles fought by other minorities. What challenges does the United States face due to the diversity of its people? The first issue that come s to mind is language.If the Hispanic population becomes a majority will we see a change in the language that is not only taught but spoken in America. Many merchants and government agencies now speak Spanish as well as English. The challenge of communication is going to be getting everyone on the same sheet of music. I recently been into a store that is predominantly Hispanic and many of the labels are printed in Spanish I have also been a store where the labels are printed in Arabic in order for America to maintain diversity without separation we will have to have a common language that is spoken and written by everyone.Any area of civil rights those court cases that were settled with the idea of a white majority and other minorities may now be referred as a white majority will find itself as a minority. So with that in mind will we see affirmative action for white people? What will be the reaction of the minorities and those court cases are turned around and used against them. Wh at are the benefits of such a diverse society? The benefits of a diverse society is one that a brings equality everyone. With a more diverse society we should not see the need for racial, sexual or disability court cases.More diverse society will be a more understanding society by that I mean that we should not have to force a building or company to put in a wheelchair ramp it will simply be understood that one is needed. The more understanding society will bring about the benefits of less crime less people in prison which will save us all tax dollars and the burdens that are put upon society by hate crimes. The benefits of this society will only continue to get better as the ignorance of discrimination is eliminated from our mindset.How can we foster a climate of acceptance and cultural pluralism in the United States? * The foster a climate of acceptance in United States we will need to revamp our education system. We need to bring more exposure of different races into the schools of our children. We will never defeat the closed minds of the ignorant until we put those prejudices to the test of a person to person encounter. To say that we hate black people when we have never met black people and we're only going on what we see on TV, we are basing our prejudices on what other people want us to believe.If we are going to defeat discrimination and bring about cultural pluralism we will need to put those thoughts in the minds of our children. Education and first-hand experience is the only way they were going to bring about pluralism in the United States. There are too many rural communities where prejudices still exist today based upon ideals from 50 years ago. In what ways do the media perpetuate stereotyping and prejudice? Provide examples to support your assertion.

Heroes and Villains in Postmodernism Essay

Postmodernism is a creative movement that is said to have originated in the 1950s. As the name suggests, it is the successor of modernism, and the development of postmodernism is visible in not only literature, but also other creative disciplines such as architecture, music, fashion, film and painting. Postmodernism was created as a reaction to its predecessor, and its â€Å"rational, scientific, and historical aspects†. This results in postmodernism being self-conscious, ironic, and experimental, concerned with the instability and unreliability of language, and with epistemology, the study of what knowledge is. In saying this, the purpose of postmodernism is not to shock the bourgeoisie world, as the avant-garde movement arguably does, but to challenge it- both by reducing it to its natural state, and by seeing how far it can be stretched beyond its existing ideas. Postmodernism does this by introducing deconstruction and disintegration to question our ideas of certainty, identity and the truth; and by the use of hyperreality, pastiche, bricolage, recurring characters, irony, authorial intrusions, non-linear narrative and self-reflexivity to bring more attention to the world outside of the text as a part of the world inside it. There is a true breakdown of what we know to be true, what we expect, and what we are able to believe, and this is certainly reflected in the depictions of heroes and villains within postmodernist texts. This investigation looks into the role of heroic and villainous characters in postmodernist texts, the aspects of the postmodern world that is portrayed by these characters and how they developed, in relation to the societal and political changes that were gasoline to the flames of postmodernism. The characters that will be used to  investigate this are the superhero Batman, and one of his arch-nemeses The Joker, using the films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, both directed by Christopher Nolan, and the graphic novels Joker written by Brian Azzarello, and The Killing Joke, written by Alan Moore; Shrek from the film Shrek, directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson; Billy Pilgrim from the novel Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut; and Patrick Bateman from the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. These texts represent the wide-ranging reaches of postmodernism, including both what people may class as â€Å"literature† and â€Å"mass culture† as distinctive examples of postmodernism. However, in studying these texts, it is clear to see the disordered nature of postmodernism by the creation of the antihero- a protagonist who lacks the traditional heroic qualities, who is flawed, who the audience is ultimately able to recognise themselves in. How do the texts themselves reflect postmodernism? The literary label of â€Å"postmodernism† can be applied liberally, and encompasses a large number of texts, with differing postmodern qualities found in each one. However, over the range of texts that is being investigated in this report, there are some aspects that stand out more clearly than others. As this report focuses on heroes and villains within the texts, we will firstly look at the texts that were used to analyse the characters of Batman and the Joker. The texts used to study the Batman include The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Joker, and The Killing Joke. All of these texts are set in the fictional city of Gotham, New York, which is a postmodern setting that makes us aware of facing widespread social meltdown in which it is becoming increasingly more difficult to make a separation between law and anarchy, heroism and terrorism, and sanity and madness. This shifting, sliding, disintegrating world is clearly portrayed in all of Nolan’s, Moore’s and Azzarello’s work. This postmodern setting, an arguably dystopian Gotham, is infested with crime and corruption, and fear and mistrust is abound- the people of the city cannot trust the authorities, nor can they trust any of the social or political institutions that they were brought up to believe in. This reflects the postmodern idea of disintegration- the dissolving of social norms and institutions on which many people based their lives, the removal of the â€Å"absolute†. The issues  that the citizens of Gotham face are not merely about right and wrong, or good and evil, they are vicious moral dilemmas presented by psychopathic and unpredictable villains. Also, the hyperrealistic nature of the violence that is depicted in both the films and the graphic novels is also a postmodern aspect of these texts. For example, in the graphic novel, Joker, when a mob boss who went against the Joker was flayed alive and paraded on to a strip club stage; or when Harvey Dent’s hired detective/thug is shot in the head and hung upside down from a tree on the grounds of Dent’s mansion and Dent finds him in the morning, dripping brain matter over his newspaper. Hyperreality is a deliberate blurring of the boundaries between fantasy and reality, and the portrayal of hyperreal violence in postmodern texts is common, as they distort reality through a trivialization of violence and the effects it has upon human beings. Hyperreal violence is also found in the novel American Psycho, in which Patrick Bateman, a yuppie Wall Street banker by day, and psychotic murderer by night, commits gruesome murders and sexual acts constantly throughout the novel, which are described with chillingly accurate detail. By the end of the novel, the reader is numbed to the graphic descriptions of violence and gore, accepting them as part of his everyday life, just as normal as him going to work and engaging in mindless conversation with his colleagues. However, in American Psycho, the most obvious, and most often seen, characteristic of postmodernism is its constant references to brand names, pop culture and the corporate world that Bateman is a part of. As the novel is written in a stream-of-consciousness style from Bateman’s point of view, the reader sees his thoughts as he passes shallow, superficial judgment on virtually everyone he sees. Bateman’s thoughts as he and his girlfriend Evelyn attend a party are a good indication of the tone of the novel: â€Å"Evelyn and I are by far the best-dressed couple. I’m wearing a lamb’s wool topcoat, a wool jacket with wool flannel trousers, a cotton shirt, a cashmere V-neck sweater and a silk tie, all from Armani. Evelyn’s wearing a cotton blouse by Dolce do Gabbana, suede shoes by Yves Saint Laurent, a stenciled calf skirt by Adrienne Landau with a suede belt by Jill Stuart, Calvin Klein tights, Venetian-glass earrings by Frances Patiky Stein, and  clasped in her hand is a single white rose that I bought at a Korean deli before Carruthers’ limousine picked me up. Carruthers is wearing a lamb’s wool sport coat, a cashmere/vicuà ±a cardigan sweater, cavalry twill trousers, a cotton shirt and a silk tie, all from Hermà ¨s. (â€Å"How tacky,† Evelyn whispered to me; I silently agreed.) Courtney is wearing a triple-layered silk organdy top and a long velvet skirt with a fishtail hem, velvet-ribbon and enamel earrings by Josà © and Maria Barrera, gloves by Portolano and shoes from Gucci.† The constant allusions to brand names, fashion trends and collections, make the novel a part of, and a product of, the world outside of the text, the consumerist society we have today. Unlike the fictional, dystopian city that Batman and the Joker live in, Bateman lives in a world that we are easily able to relate to- our world. We, as the reader, have our attention called to the fact that the world the characters in the novel are experiencing is the same world that we live and take part in. This is unlike most modernist novels, in which the story and its characters are confined to the world created in the novel, and the reader is only able to experience them through the windows of the novel. References to pop culture feature prominently across postmodernist texts, as seen clearly in the film Shrek. Although intended as a children’s film, the films are a perfect example of a postmodern fairytale. The films themselves are extremely intertextual, creating a story with many, many fairytale characters woven into the one story, such as the Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs, the Fairy Godmother and the Gingerbread Man, among many others. This intertextuality in itself is a reference to popular culture, citing multiple fairytales, stories, and nursery rhymes for many of the main characters. Other references to the world outside of the text include Robin Hood and his Merry Men dancing to Riverdance; Princess Fiona slowing down in time like Neo in film The Matrix while she is fighting; references to the film The Princess Bride; and mimicking the style of game shows and dating shows, for example when the Mirror on the Wall introduces Princess Fiona in a bachelorette-dating style. The directors also use irony at the start of the film Shrek, as the beginning scene of the film has a narrator telling the story seriously as a fairytale, when Shrek interrupts this and mocks the author when he says, â€Å"Yeah right.† and tears the page out of the book. Not only does the use of irony and humour in this scene make the audience aware  that the ogre we are introduced to is not a stereotypical one, we also see an interaction between the author and character, a barrier which is broken in postmodern texts to highlight that the text is a work of fiction. The audience is also made aware of this as Shrek acknowledges the camera or audience when he turns to the camera and blocks it before kissing Fiona. This shows that the film is self-reflexive, the characters of the film are aware of film-making and its tools. The use of such postmodern techniques embeds the story of Shrek in a world that the audience is aware of, and while it may not fully be the reality we live in, it is one that we have grown up with and are comfortable with. Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five uses similar techniques to assert its postmodernism. It references popular culture, mentioning Christmas carols, novels (a character refers to the novel â€Å"The Brothers Karamazov†, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, as â€Å"everything there was to know about life†) and history books about one of the main events of the novel, the fire-bombing of Dresden. However, despite these links to the outside world, the reader gets constant reminders of the fact that this book is fictional. The author, Vonnegut is present as a character in the book, as a soldier, a POW taken to Dresden along with Billy, making occasional comments, and then informing the reader that â€Å"That was I. That was me. That was the author of this book.† The intrusion of the author into the narrative is also shown through the recurring phrase â€Å"So it goes†, which follows each mention of death: â€Å"The plane crashed on top of Sugarbush Mountain, in Vermont. Everyone was killed but Billy. So it goes. While Billy was recuperating in a hospital in Vermont, his wife died accidentally of carbon-monoxide poisoning. So it goes.† The use of the non-linear narrative structure is also a postmodern aspect of the text- the main protagonist travels randomly through time, experiencing the events in non-chronological order. For example, his death is merely four sentences in the middle of the novel, described as merely being â€Å"violet light and a hum.† Similar to American Psycho, the usual significance of death is not present in the novel. However, while in American Psycho the reader was slowly desensitized towards death, in Slaughterhouse-Five, death  simply does not matter, which challenges all the readers’ preconceived notions about death, and the sanctity of it. The temporal structure of the novel reflects what the alien Tralfamadorians teach Billy of their beliefs about time, that it is an â€Å"assemblage† of moments rather than a linear progression. This means that they are able to accept death as a perpetually occurring event, hence their use of the phrase â€Å"So it goes†. Another postmodern technique is the use of recurring characters: the character of Kilgore Trout, a science fiction writer, appears in Vonnegut’s other novels; Eliot Rosewater appears in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater; Howard W. Campbell, the American-turned-Nazi, in Mother Night; and Bertram Copeland Rumfoord is a relative of Winston Niles Rumfoord, who appears in The Sirens of Titan. These characters that appear over a number of books connects the discrete novels as being part of a greater whole; as being part of a world outside its pages. Vonnegut also blurs the lines of genre in the novel in order to deconstruct the idea of a â€Å"war novel†. The novel swings between the genres of science fiction and a biography, and Vonnegut mixes the fantasy of aliens and the planet Tralfamadore with the reality of war, and the author’s presence and experiences of it. The term â€Å"postmodernism† sweeps many different, and seemingly unrelated, texts under its wide reaches, but most such texts use similar postmodern techniques to achieve the ultimate effect- of making the reader aware of the text as a work of fiction, and as an entity that exists as a part of a greater whole, rather than an object existing in a world defined by itself. In what ways are the heroes or villains of these texts postmodern? With the ideological, cultural, and social upheaval that was present during the time of the birth of postmodernism, a new protagonist was born, which redefined our existing notions and stereotypes about the nature of these protagonists- the antihero. Defined as being the main character of a text, who does not possess the qualities of a traditional â€Å"hero†, the character appears in postmodern texts regularly. With the movement of heroes away from the expected â€Å"good†, we are also able to see changes in the villains of texts, and these revolutionary changes in the idea of heroes and villains,  which comes down to the primal, instinctive battle between good and evil, can be seen through postmodern texts. The character of Batman is an incredibly complex one, having heroic qualities yet not conforming to the stereotype of â€Å"superheroes†, the strong, powerful men or women with a heart of gold, using their powers for the good of mankind. Batman is postmodern in that he breaks the mold for a traditional â€Å"superhero†, and rejects the story arc for one. His whole journey started not from a need of his to create good, but a twisted sense of revenge for his parents’ death, and in order to become develop his fighting skills. After his parents’ murderer is killed, Bruce Wayne leaves Gotham and disappears for 7 years, â€Å"exploring the criminal fraternity†, and training with the League of Shadows. He obviously has a different set of morals than what is expected, when asked by Henri Ducard whether he pitied the criminals while he lived with them, he says, â€Å"The first time I stole so I wouldn’t starve, yes, I lost many assumptions about the simple nature of right and wrong.† The recurring idea throughout the texts containing Batman is that he is not a hero, but he is â€Å"whatever Gotham needs him to be†, he is a symbol for good, a symbol for the hope of a new, functional Gotham. â€Å"As a man, I’m flesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed, but as a symbol†¦ But as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In this way, he is astoundingly similar to Patrick Bateman. Patrick Bateman exists not as a person, but as a reflection of the society that he is a part of. He is an image created to fit the standards and ideologies of the society he lives in. â€Å"†¦there is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.† Through the texts, we also see that the Joker is very similar to Batman, and this is what makes their relationship so psychologically complex. They are, in a way, similar to the two sides of a coin. As the Joker says to Batman, â€Å"I complete you.† The relationship between the hero and the villain is subverted and made incredibly ambiguous. Just as the Joker is a villain who does not observe even the basic rules of criminality by which society might identify and punish him, Batman is a hero who does not observe even the  basic rules of heroism so that society might recognise and glorify him. The Killing Joke ends with Batman capturing the Joker, but deciding not to kill him, and offering to help rehabilitate him, because he â€Å"needn’t be out there on the edge anymore. You needn’t be alone†¦ Maybe I’ve been there too. Maybe I can help.† And they laugh together at a joke that the Joker tells him, which only reinforces their similarities, and the fact that they can both understand each other. The Joker, at one point in the Dark Knight, also says to Batman that they are both â€Å"freaks†. And they are, both characters being outcasts of society. But while the Joker is there willingly because of his own calculating inhumanity, Batman is the scapegoat, the reluctant outcast who takes upon himself the violence of society and its corrupted institutions, in order that its illusions of law and order might be preserved, because he rationalizes that he is â€Å"whatever Gotham needs me to be†¦ Because that’s what needs to happen. Because sometimes, truth isn’t good enough, sometimes people deserve more; sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.† The story of Batman and the Joker is postmodern in that it subverts most of the expected story arcs of both superheroes, and supervillains. It shows that these two need each other to be effective. The Joker we see simultaneously seduces and repels, fascinates and horrifies, and he provides the inescapable force which Batman’s own persona is dependent upon. The character of the Joker is also very similar to Patrick Bateman, both displaying hyperreal violence in their villainy, and being incredibly unreliable narrators. In the Killing Joke, The Joker says, â€Å"†Something like that happened to me, you know. I†¦ I’m not exactly sure what it was. Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another†¦ If I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice! Ha ha ha!† Similarly, in American Psycho, we are unable to trust the memories of a psychopath, shown by his blank â€Å"But I don’t remember†¦Ã¢â‚¬  statements when recounting his murders and sexual exploits. Also, when we find that one of Bateman’s victims, a colleague of his named Paul Owen, is actually alive at the end of the book, we find ourselves being sure of the entire story- his character, the plot and definitely his grisly tales of murder and torture. Bateman and the Joker are both psychopaths- and in some ways, they are both forces of anarchy in  their societies, the Joker being an elemental force unconstrained by any glimmer of humanity, fear or vulnerability. As he claims in the Dark Knight, â€Å"The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules.† Meanwhile, Bateman has no regard for people as everything in his world is purely material- he does not care when he kills, as all he feels he is killing is an â€Å"Armani pantsuit†. Neither of these characters have an object nor a goal towards which they work, as Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s butler says, â€Å"Some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bought or bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men want to watch the world burn.† However, while the Joker is invincible due to his absolute freedom from pain and any other human attachment, Bateman is confined to the expectations of his status and social culture. Bateman heavily refers to popular culture throughout Psycho, keeping up a steady stream of superficial commentary on all aspects of his life. In this way, the character of Shrek is similar to Bateman, as he also lives in a world where advertising, brand names, and social standing play a major part in one’s life. However, looking at the characters, they are clear opposites- while Bateman has embraced the shallow culture of his time, and practices it dutifully, the society of Shrek’s time has turned him into a hardened cynic, one who would rolls his eyes whenever his companions would make a frivolous comment. This is related to the fact that Shrek is an ogre, and the film subverts the stereotype of the ogre as a villain, by molding him as the hero, and the actual Prince Charming as the whiny, cowardly villain of the film. This challenges conventional thinking, since we, the audience, have been conditioned to think of ogres as â€Å"evil† creatures who eat people and have no mercy. Through this film, we see that this is actually not the case; traditional villains can also become valiant heroes, given the right setting and sidekick. Billy Pilgrim, a cowardly, weak, time-travelling optometrist who is the protagonist of the novel Slaughterhouse-Five, is an unlikely war hero. He is weak, unpopular and pathetic to the audience, and becomes a laughable soldier. Even as a time traveler, he is described as a â€Å"spastic in time†. He is postmodern in the development of his character as an â€Å"anti-hero†, an  ordinary, if slightly on the pathetic side of ordinary, man. The story is driven the other the events more than the protagonist, since he is unable to be determined and strong-minded enough to change the world, or even his social world, neither positively nor negatively. He is another unreliable narrator, when he tells the world of his tales about the Tralfamadorians, he is taken to be insane, and not believed. Because he is such a weak character, he does not contradict the fact, but neither does he support it, and so the reader is still unsure at the end of the novel whether his tales of Tralfamadore were true, or whether they were merely an elaborate coping mechanism to help deal with the terrible experiences he suffered during the war. Billy Pilgrim is the ultimate postmodern hero- he is an ordinary person, who is thrust into a difficult situation, and similar to large majority of humanity, does nothing heroic or commendable. Through this, we also come to the realization that for every lauded, decorated war hero, there were hundreds of other â€Å"average† ones, and Billy Pilgrim is a perfect example of one. Through the analysis of these heroes and villains, we are able to see that postmodernism does indeed challenge the traditional notion of a clear cut hero and villain. Just as postmodernism blurs the lines of reality in texts, it also blurs the lines in our mind separating the good and the bad. Postmodernism depicts a much more realistic hero, an increasingly more human one, who makes mistakes, is determined by what society makes it, and sometimes, does nothing heroic at all. He or she is present in postmodern texts generally not to inspire, like a classic hero, but to make the audience realize a truth about their lives, their societies, and the world around them. Villainy is depicted as a result of something, rather than a character trait. Postmodernism claims that villains are created by the expectations of society, and are therefore, an essential part of the heroes they work against. How did the external world influence the rise of postmodernism? The birth of postmodernism has been linked back to the political atmosphere of the time, in the atrocities of Stalinism. This, along with the horrors of  Nazism, and the Holocaust, completely undermined the modernist narrative of progress, and the ability of language to describe such an incomprehensible atrocity. Thus, postmodernism was born, an era which looked not to change the world, but to redefine it, to make people look at truths differently. Postmodernist authors reveal many of the concerns of the world today, by both realistically and symbolically representing our world, our societies, through their texts and characters, and making commentary on them. For example, Vonnegut wrote Slaughterhouse Five as a response to war- â€Å"It is so short and jumbled and jangled, because there is nothing intelligent to say about as massacre.† The story is very jumbled, written satirically based on Vonnegut’s own experiences in WWII and being a witness to the firebombing of Dresden, which killed 130,000 people. The use of a pathetic protagonist indicates his anti-war stance- the novel was published in 1969, when USA was in the midst of the Vietnam War. During this time, Vonnegut was an outspoken pacifist, and critic of the war. Just like Vonnegut’s novel is social commentary of the issue of his time, Bret Easton Ellis uses American Psycho to explore newer, more disturbing trends in Western culture. He looks at the desensitization of our culture to violence, the increasingly gory films, novels and graphic novels we are exposed to, and how this tendency of the media can find its way back to people who are easily influenced by it, such as Bateman. He also criticizes our obsession with popular culture, image and brand names, by portraying his protagonist, a man with the perfect face, the perfect clothes, and the perfect image, as a psychopath, a man who kills for the fun of it at night. The popular-culture-mania of our time is also explored in Shrek, as it is a children’s movie, and even children when they watch it, recognize the references to other fairytales and brand names. This reflects how we are conditioned to believe and understand popular culture from a very young age. The story of Batman and the Joker, on the other hand, delves a little deeper into the issues of our society. They uncover the crisis of values in which America, and most of the western world, finds itself at the beginning of the 21st century. Cultural theorists portrayed the late 20th century in terms of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"the postmodern condition†: an era in which traditional values, identities and social institutions were disintegrating and being replaced by twisted narratives, conflicting truth claims and multiple identities. Gotham City reflects what our society may be looking forward to, with the increasing fragmentation of our world into splintered groups and subgroups. Where does that leave us? The era of postmodernism is one that is difficult to define, but it still heralded as a time of immense cultural change, which redefined the way people look at the world today. This can be especially seen in its portrayal of heroes and villains. Gone are the days macho superheroes, instead we have flawed, sometimes even pathetic protagonists, the â€Å"anti-hero† which is increasingly similar to the ordinary person. The villains, on the other hand, are unreliable, and cannot always be expected to do the â€Å"evil† thing, they too are human; they too have backstory which elicits sympathy from the audience. By subverting the traditional stereotypes about the world today postmodern authors and directors warn us of the dangers of human nature and culture, and the bleak future we may be looking forward to, if we let the dangerous behaviour of our culture continue. Bibliography Adamson, Andrew and Jenson, Vicky. (2001) Shrek, Dreamworks Pictures Accessed 11/07/12 Adamson, Glen, et al. (2011) Postmodernism: Style and Subversion, 1970-1990. London: V&A Publishing. Accessed on 26/07/12 Azzarello, Brian (writer), Bermejo, Lee (artist), Gray, Mick (illustrator).] (2008) Joker. DC Comics Accessed on 26/07/12 Ellis, Bret Easton. (1991) American Psycho. New York: Vintage Books. Accessed 31/08/12 Moore, Alan (writer), Bolland, Brian (artist). (1988) The Killing Joke, DC Comics. Nolan, Christopher. (2005) Batman Begins, Warner Bros. Pictures Accessed 14/07/12 Nolan, Christopher. (2008) The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. Pictures Accessed 14/07/12 Vonnegut, Kurt. (2003) Slaughterhouse Five. New York: Harper Collins. Accessed 26/7/12 Wilcox, Leonard. Programme Coordinator of American Studies at University of Canterbury, interview on 12/09/12.

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