Keeping the Canon Dim and Dull Essay Example for Free

Keeping the Canon Dim and Dull Essay American novelist Nicholas Sparks ranks among the #1 best sellers of today with 14 novels in 13 years; four of them adapted in film and put his authorship in a bigger mainstream. With Kevin Costner as Garrett Blake in Message in a Bottle (1999), Mandy Moore as Jamie Sullivan in A Walk to Remember (2002), and Richard Gere as Dr. Paul Flanner in Nights to Rodanthe (2008), it became far easier for the name to leave a commercial mark and drop some familiarity among young and old alike. But can commercial success lift a writer’s distinction in the literary world? What exactly makes a canon? To put it simply, is Nicholas Sparks a canon writer? The word canon itself becomes trite these days with the plethora of websites from Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter that treat just any bit of hype to be a canon. Both created history in bestseller and box office but none of the two is â€Å"universally† considered as a literary canon although LotR is considered to father the modern fantasy stories. According to Stevens, literary canons are not just worthy of serious academic attention; they have also become â€Å"celebrated names† holding some measure of universal acclaim. They are too many in history, Shakespeare and his magnum opera would be the most obvious to mention. Of course, who does not know the Dickensonian Ebenezer Scrooge, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield or even Fagin? In the romantic genre, Jane Austen could captivate you body and soul with Pride and Prejudice and Emma. So where exactly does Nicholas Sparks fall? Before anything else, it is important to note that there is no written policy on the establishment of a literary canon. A work is canonized only when it is included in the literary works that are studied and respected by literary or academic critics. Since literature is evolving and is perceived differently at the context of time and the critic’s subjective experience, the canonization then is generally subjective in nature and thus transcends time. For example, Jane Austen who is much celebrated for her comedy of manners and intellectual repartees remained close to anonymous until given a posthumous academic recognition in the 20th century. It might be a blunder to compare Sparks to Austen but a comparison is necessary to establish the argument – does Sparks belong to the canon poll? Since there is not a precise appraisal to making the canon mark, let us then examine his works at the context of its impact on literature and culture, while studying its literary style and end. Nicholas Sparks writes love stories, most often contain tragic endings and set the tragedy-in-fate archetype he is infamous for. He considers it a completely different genre and forbids to be labelled a romance writer. â€Å"I dont write romance novels, any more than Tom Clancy writes legal thrillers†, he said in an interview covered by bookreporter. com. The Romance Writers of America explains it this way: â€Å"Two basic elements comprise every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally-satisfying and optimistic ending. † (Simpson) Given this description, Sparks could either be doing one of the two; benchmarking a love story genre or falling into the romance novel trap half foot. Unlike the majority of writers who fashion their characters first and create the conflict that suit the characters just second, Sparks admit to be doing the otherwise. Though his characters are inspired by real people (Jamie Sullivan was inspired by the death of her sister Danielle), he made them more compelling by making their conflicts larger than life. The flop in such a technique is apparent to any sophisticated reader or writer wannabe – instead of the characters giving the plot the edge and leading it to a compelling climax, the characters become mere pawns to the writer’s intent. There will be little to no relevant character development. The reader will struggle to identify a character to remember, the plot will overshadow it all, especially when it is so tragic, it leaves you wishing for a different twist. This is contradictory to most tragic love stories, classical in literature. In Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily (short story), though the end is foretold in the beginning, what draws you is the narrative that so ardently expressed the issues, both internal and external, in vivid detail. In the end, the reader will come to understand that the death of one character does not necessarily define the tragedy in the story – but how the character evolved so as to reach that cheerless conclusion. Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999) and Nights at Rodanthe (2002) all exemplify this flat disaster. The Notebook (1996) has some good moments particularly with its compelling narrative in the beginning, but still, the characterization failed to maintain the force given the very predictable outcome. For always, Sparks brings us to a TIME when people were not troubled by major social conflicts or to a simple, smaller PLACE where his characters live detached from conflicts and distractions of modern day. Sparks however, stands on his novels being realistic. It can be observed that most of his women – Allie Nelson (The Notebook), Theresa Osborne (Message in a Bottle), Denise Holton (The Rescue) and Elizabeth Green (The Lucky One) to name a few, were divorcees or single mothers trying to have a hold on life and finding their self in love once again. The situation per se is indeed realistic especially in this time. What made them stranger than fiction though is how they confronted these realistic struggles in a way, only a pen could smudge. For instance in The Notebook, Allie’s love for Noah was rekindled with not much plot support. The mother confessed of her ploy to separate them and the key to the reunion was easily established. In Message in a Bottle, Theresa embarked on a detective search for Garrett out of mere curiosity. Given that Theresa is a journalist, has a child and just finds herself caught in an unexpected divorce, it would be very uncharacteristic for her to feel real sappy and romantic over somebody she clearly did not know, and who matter-of-fact declared his love for someone else. Clearly, all these characters and sub-plots turned out not because they evolved like how humans are supposed to, but because that is how exactly the writer intended it to be. Taking into the iceberg principle of 10/90, 10% was real while the submerged 90% was a loosely based romance archetype. In fact, the plots of the 13 novels were prototyped from The Notebook, his first. That is why, only hardcore romance suckers would get whatever thrill there is while the more sophisticated readers who are looking for more sense and substance find the subsequent readings redundant and predictable. Although The Notebook and A Walk to Remember books were set in 1932 and 1958 respectively, it did not contain any historical account or social issues relevant to the setting specified. Unlike with Gabriel Marquez of One Hundred Years of Solitude, whose diversity of structure and literary plot showed the postmodernism for which he belongs, Sparks seems lost in principle and time. He is not a realist, not an impressionist, not a neo-classicist and does not claim to be a romantic. His works lack social and historical relevance and thus have no place in a serious academic discussion. For one, there is no need for a brow-knitting analytical criticism. In fact, your brows would knit effortlessly for lack of needed smarts than for over thinking. To get the sparks going, a reader only needs to have his / her tear glands all set, with the tissue or hanky at hand and the ride is on. Things can get pretty predictable so in order to avoid any failed expectation; do not expect anything at all. With Nicholas Sparks, the best thing you could get out of your seven bucks is a good cry and a great kiss. So what made Nicholas Sparks one of the most bankable writers at the moment? Personally, I see his first three works to be the primary determinant. The Notebook was a good spank for an undying love. Message in a Bottle was a curious case after the first hit. A Walk to Remember captivated a whole new, much younger audience. But all the rest that followed bored us to tears or to death. With each novel written and published just mere months after the other, it is clear that more than creating works of literary art, Nicholas Sparks is better hauled for the money. I am not saying it is a bad choice but it is not a direction for creating literary mark like Hemingway or Faulkner long achieved. Or maybe, we can blame Hollywood for taking a toll on the evolution or decline of American literature. With most of the writers choosing the more marketable screenplay career and with people going visual, it is indeed easier to go with the current and deliver the visual imagery the audience is looking for. Or maybe, just like the many writers that their time rejected, the future might hold a place for Nicholas Sparks and prove this personal deduction to be false. Only time could tell. For now, much credit is given to the stars that made Sparks’ masterpieces more compelling than the lines they convey and continue to burn Nicholas’ name in Amazon, or in the bookshops near you. References Simpson, Donna Lea. â€Å"What Defines the Romance Novel†. suite101. com. 12 November 2007. http://romancefiction. suite101. com/article. cfm/what_defines_a_romance_novel, accessed 25 April 2009 Stevens, Charlotte. The Literary Canon. The Literary Encyclopedia. 10 January 2007. [http://www. litencyc. com/php/stopics. php? rec=trueUID=158, accessed 25 April 2009. ] Bookreporter. com. â€Å"Nicholas Sparks†. 1996-2009. http://www. bookreporter. com/authors/au-sparks-nicholas. asp, accessed 25 April 2009.

Communication Strategy Employed By Pop Artist Rihanna Film Studies Essay

Communication Strategy Employed By Pop Artist Rihanna Film Studies Essay In this essay, I will be analyzing how Rihanna has used the media to communicate or portray her different messages through her music. On the other hand, however, there is the media that has its own version of those messages thus, constructing different realities for the perceiving audience. The Media provides information and updates on various happenings and issues on all aspects to the public thus providing them basic knowledge and information to enable them make their own judgments and perceptions such as, social perceptions (Sadaf, 2011). Sadaf (2011) explains social perception as the means in which we make sense of our social world through media representations as it plays an important role in making some issues important and some issues important. I will then discuss Rihannas communication strategy to her audience through her music as well as persona using the narrative theory through communication as a structure. In reality, there is no RIHANNA. Her real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Rihanna is a concept adopted by the music industry to sell music as Wall (2003;153) says, Stars are a form of capital in which a record company invests significant sums of money to gain publicity and reinforce an image they believe will in turn will generate greater sales of that stars records. The stars image however is not real. It is a representation of wider social values and a constructed set of individualness where the audience feels it knows the stars personality but in truth, this image is just a media text. How authentic a star may feel to its audience depends on success of the construction of the stars persona around the different facets of their personality (Wall, 2003; 153). Robyn Rihanna Fenty dropped two of her names and only took on Rihanna because it not only sounds exotic but also there was no Rihanna in the music business. That accorded her authenticity as an artist because when her name was mentioned, people would immediately know which Rihanna it was. Rihanna has thus been able to communicate messages of authenticness through the way she sings dresses and acts while in the public. This is a way for her to tell the public about herself and how her music is supposed to be understood.( Machin,2010;32) This she does through her choice of album names and sleeves from which the audience can make a guess at what she will sound like. Machin (2010; 34) also says that the images used on the album sleeves help communicate certain discourses, values, identities and so on. The chosen typefaces used for the artists name on the sleeve also communicate ideas and attitudes. In my observation, Rihannas public persona and her album sleeves contribute towards her authenticness as a musician but at the same communicating varying messages. Dyer (1987 cited in Tolson 2001) defined authenticity or the act of being yourself as a concept derived from the ideology of individualism where individuals are said to possess an inner irreducible essence. A true self behind whatever public face, or mask they may project. Rihannas authenticness can best be seen in an interview with Oprah on the Oprah Winfrey Show where the viewing audience was teased with a Rihnaana as youve never seen her before opening line. In this interview, Rihanna talks about her life and her relationship with Chris brown. Oprah succeeds in making her cry which is the epitome of the show as through Rihannas tears, the audience is able to feel her emotion. Tim Wall (2003;153) says the audience is made to feel like it knows the stars as individuals but that this experience is mediated through interviews, records, photos but the knowledge obtained about the stars is a product of carefully executed campaign plans all so to encourage the audience buy the stars records and an array of assorted merchandise. However, in the real world, there is no actual audience as they are mere constructions. An audience exists when a certain role has been played out that identifies with certain people who in turn become the audience. (Mafalda 2012) In the interview with Oprah Winfrey, Rihanna played the role of the victim by both the relationship with Chris Brown and in the media. However, the interesting part about the interview was how she turned the story around depicting Chris as troubled and in need of help. While the media had showed her as the victim, she called Chris the victim constructing a different reality for the audience from the one made by the media. Rihanna was able to expand her audience after her publicized domestic violence case with then boyfriend, Chris Brown. The issue was extensively covered by the media in which she was depicted as a vulnerable woman while Chris Brown as a beast. In turn, she used this to earn her more sympathizers and therefore generating a larger audience as she was now looked as a beacon of hope for domestically violated women while Chris Brown lost a few of his own audience as he was now labeled a woman beater. Celebity and scandal are closely linked where scandal is supposed to increase the celebrity quotient of the star. The scandal isnt just about the celebritys life alone but of events that accord them iconicity and notoriety (Nayar, ;113). Rihannas biggest scandal is her involvement with ex boyfriend Chris brown even though he beat her up early in the relationship and not even the fact that he has a girlfriend. Rihanna stirs controversy in her communication through her openness about sex. Wall (2003) suggests that Sexuality and the representation of gender and sexual preference play significant roles in the music and image of individual artists. Rihanna has featured numerous times in mens adult magazines such as GQ and Esquire, also singing a lot about sexual tendencies in songs such as Te Amo in which she plays out a l esbian scene and SM. SM refers to Sadism (S) and Masochism (M) defined by Weinberg (1987) as the frame with which people distinguish their pretend play from actual violence or domination; this frame hinges on the BDSM credo, safe, sane, and consensual. Another commonality is the recurring elements that are played with, including power (exchanging it, taking it, and/or giving it up), the mind (psychology), and sensations (using or depriving use of the senses and working with the chemicals released by the body when pain and/or intense sensation are experienced) (Pawlowski,  2009) In the song SM, Rihanna plays with the media in a way that depicts her first as an object for study. However, she is able to conquer the power from the journalists through BDSM. Edwards (1993) takes the concept of a beauty ideal one step further and contends that the black women featured in music videos exemplify physical characteristics of the tragic mulatto. Many of the black women featured in music videos depict a Westernized beauty ideal of lighter skin, long hair, and blue or green eyes. Previous research findings show that color tone could have some influence in the way a celebrity is perceived and is able to appeal to their audience. People attribute higher status and grant more power and wealth to people of one complexion, typically light skin, within the groups designated as non-white (Hunter 2011) Charles (2009a) suggests that hegemonic representations of white skin are thoroughly rooted in multiple social institutions including education, religion, mass media, and popular culture where images of white beauty do not simply rely on white women with blonde hair and light eyes to sell products. Rihanna uses her body to sell her image, through displaying her femininity recognizable through, for example, edgy clothing that combines frilly, pretty femininity with a masculine style and garments that suggest a more porn-inspired raunch (Levy, 2005). celebrity culture, through the pop musicians (Baker, 2004), provides a rich source of meanings around sexuality. These meanings appear to be heavily saturated by raunchy (see Levy, 2005) representations in music videos where body revealing clothing is accompanied by acts of sexual simulation, self-touching, sexual poses and so on (Jackson, Vares Gill, 2012). She has been able to promote her own personal brand through social networking skills using platforms like twitter, instagram, as well as her uniqueness in her hairstyles, fashion sense, lyrics and attitude. While a good brand elicits thoughts, a great brand elicits feelings. She has been able to create emotional friendships with her fans whom she calls the Rihanna Navy through her social network sites publicizing personal events such as the death of her grandmother whom she called grand gran Dolly. Rihanna has also been able to establish with time an archetype for her brand personality and story. This is in her on camera character as a defiant hardcore girl. This image can be seen in latest albums such as Good girl gone bad, Rated R and Unapologetic. Rihanna has been able to set herself as a brand using her fashion sense, being endorsed by brands such as Armani, Nivea, Oprah, Nike and Clinique increasing her social capital. Her diversity in the brands she promotes suggests her success as a star. However, When celebrities endorse a particular product, the public is more likely to believe in its effectiveness and purchase the product, and when a celebrity particularly endorses a skin-lightening product, they are also endorsing the act of skin-lightening itself, suggesting that their own beauty is attainable and that skin-lightening is a mainstream, culturally acceptable act (Hunter,2011). McCracken (1989 cited in Grace Phang ;4) states that a consumer sees a celebrity endorsing a product and they recognize the essential similarity between the message, product, and celebrity and transfers the meanings of that celebrity to the product simply because Celebrities play roles where their image carries the meanings of those roles. All above factors mentioned have helped her build an identity as a celebrity. However, her Caribbean beats and looks had been around for a while and to succeed as a star she had to undergo a massive change. The duet with Justin Timberlake saw her morph from the girl dancing to Pon De Replay to the woman that invoked desire. This metamorphism in character and identity expanded her fan base. Her identity did not just change with her choice of songs but also her wardrobe. She cut her hair short and dyed it black which also grew a series of metamorphism where it went from cheek length to just one side long the other remaining short, to being boyishly short and finally red. This cutting of her hair was not just fashion sense speaking but she was communicating to an audience. Rihanna has been able to express herself in a variety of ways especially through her dress code, most notably her hairstyles. However, this is a mere strategy to sell her image, as it is a constructed image that the audience associates with her. As observed, all music or movie stars are a mere construction, they are a source of capital for record companies that own them. (Wall,2003;153). A lot of money is invested in Rihanna as the brand, therefore, developing and publicizing her star image is not just to sell individual records as people always need something new to keep them interested but as a brand or commodity (Wall,2003; 154). This practice involves ongoing maintenance of a fan base, performed intimacy, authenticity and access, and construction of a consumable persona. popularity is maintained through ongoing fan management; and self-presentation is carefully constructed to be consumed by others.

Widespread use of renewable energy

Widespread use of renewable energy The first oil shock in 1973 raised worldwide concern about dwindling energy supplies. High oil price was a sign of depletion worldwide energy sources. Since 1960s no big oil resources have been discovered in the world. It suggested that world oil production will reach its peak within one or two decades (Lauber, 2005). The rise in oil prices also affected the developing countries development plans, which demand large amounts of energy for their early process of industrialization. For developed countries, the fluctuation in oil prices caused economic and social problems such as unemployment, trade deficits and higher inflation due to their great dependency on oil import (Seitz, 2008). Since the industrialized revolution the consumption of world energy has been continuous. With the contemporary world population growth, energy demand is rising at a rapid rate, especially in many developing nations with a lack of resources on their own land. It is predicted that between 1997 and 2020 ener gy requirement will increase 60 percent, 120 percent growth will occur in developing countries, especially in Asia (Hill, 2004). If this trend continued, the environmental problems would inevitably deteriorate even further. As a considerable proportion of the world energy, fossil fuels account for the prime sources of carbon dioxide emissions, which are main contributors to the global warming. Acid rain concentrated by acid gases from fossil fuels, damages ecosystems and corrodes human buildings. It is becoming a severe problem in Asia with the growing consumption of fossil fuels as the process of industrialization accelerates (Seitz, 2008). The rapidly expanding use of gasoline-powered vehicles could cause severe urban smog and spew small particulates, which are the greatest threat to peoples health (Jaccard, 2005). Sanderson and Islam (2007) maintain that the path of economic development inevitably caused environmental problems related to the overly use of environmental resources and climate can also affect some sectors of the economy such as water resources, agriculture, transport and tourism, which are vul nerable to climate change. In general there are three major solutions for the growing energy demand and worldwide environmental problems, each of which has its attractions. Firstly fossil fuels can be used more cleanly and efficiently, which could contribute to a reduction in energy intensity and reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. Energy conservation can take effect in short term and directly perform on present energy system without great transition. The economy in the United States increased 30 percent while the oil consumption declined 20 percent between 1977 and 1985 because the country used energy much more efficiently (Seitz, 2008). Secondly, nuclear power emits no air pollution which could greatly address the environmental problems. France shifted to nuclear as its major power of electricity in response to the energy crisis, and by 2005 it reached one of the world highest rates by providing 80 percent of its electricity from nuclear source (ibid). Thirdly renewable energy involves continuous energ y sources and produces little pollution to the environment. There is huge potential in this new energy sources to meet much of the growing energy demand and gradually replace fossil fuels with adequate support (Middleton, 2003). For as long as the global economy continues to development and operate on the basis of limited energy supplies, the great demand for energy services in the future would cause severe energy crisis. Increasing energy efficiency can help to offset the rise in energy demand, but it is unlikely to address all the additional needs (ibid). Furthermore, the environmental contamination caused by fossil fuels will continue to need alternatives. Lauber (2005) maintains that while the present cost of saving one ton of carbon by increasing energy efficiency is substantially lower than by using renewable energy to avoid emissions, renewable power will play a role in the long run, energy efficiency can just solve short term problem. Besides the safety and nuclear waste problems, a significant growth in nuclear power use would increase reliance on imported uranium. Dependence on energy imports would still be a first problem for countries with a lack of resources. In addition, the nuclear sources als o face energy crisis as it is shown that the known reserves of uranium will only last for 60 years by present counts. (Traube, 2004, cited Lauber, 2005). Therefore, renewable energy seems to be a better option based on its two prominent advantages: infinite sources and little pollution. Renewable energy may be defined as energy generated from natural resources in the environment such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat, which are continuously replenished. According to the definition renewable energy will never run out. For this reason, renewable energy could be an ideal solution to the energy shortage problem. Additionally, renewable energy does not generate pollution directly, which will alleviate the serious global environmental deterioration. Renewable energy is actually already in widespread use: about 20 percent of worlds electricity production comes from hydroelectric dams; in many developing countries biomass provides the only power for cooking and heating; India and China both have primary wind power electricity plans, with 2,000 megawatt targets; Some Middle Eastern countries are trying to explore the hydrogen produc tion powered by solar energy as a long-term alternative to dependence on exporting oil; The large-scale federal government in the United States received increasing RD funding for renewable energy after the 1974 oil shock(Elliott, 1997). The widespread use of renewable energy in many countries clearly shows that the promotion of renewable energy technologies provides great advantages for both rich and poor countries. In industrialized countries, solar or wind energy require highly skilled and knowledge-intensive employers, which will be an impetus to a new job hunting tendency. Using biomass with more efficient technologies for cooking and heating in developing countries where the biomass is usually used inefficiently and wastefully can bring large benefits such as a reduction in deforestation. Examples are the widespread use of improved wood and charcoal cooking stoves in Kenya as well as the production of ethanol from sugar cane in Brazil (Aâ‚ ¬mann, Laumanns and Uh, 2006). However, one renewable source may produce little or no pollution, but have other adverse environmental and social effect (Hill, 2004, p.325). Hydroelectric dams generate low greenhouse gas emissions but affect both up- and down-stream ecosystems and force many people who live along the river into removing from their homes. Solar power does not produce direct pollution. During the process of manufacturing and transporting solar panels, energy storage and maintaining machines, however, pollution will be generated. Renewable energy has to face three challenges in its practical application. Firstly, the sources of energy are not continuous. For example solar power cannot be accumulated at night and less is generated on cloudy or rainy days with little sunlight (Hill, 2004). The problem with wind power is that the wind may not be blowing when and where it is needed. Therefore the large-scale storage of solar and wind energy is necessary and needs both technical and financial support. Secondly, renewable energy has relatively low energy density. Take the case of solar energy, to meet the large energy demand, large areas of land are required to be covered with solar panels. According to the US Electric Power Research Institute, to meet 25 percent of Americas electricity demand about 6000 square miles of solar farms, an area equals to the Connecticut State, are needed (Hill, 2004). Biomass energy will face the same challenge. Large land areas used for biomass energy need to remain forested. This cou ld cause land-use conflicts because the significant growth of the worlds population will require increasing food production and more land dedicated to agriculture. There is a trade-off between the two methods of land use (Jaccard, 2005). The third challenge involves inconvenient location of power plants. Large-scale solar power plants need to be located in areas with plentiful and long-time sunlight. The best wind power need the energy sites with dependable and strong winds. These locations are usually far from energy consumption centers. Transporting the power to customers requires infrastructures and complicated power line organization. People usually do not want power lines near their homes or schools and a lack of transporting infrastructures are all obstacles to the actual feasibility. There are also political and finical barriers to the adoption of renewable energy system. Many governments prefer conventional fossil fuels to renewable energy due to tradition, familiarity, and the size, economic strength, and political clout of the conventional energy industries (Geller, 2002, p. 43). In developing countries loans for constructing renewable energy projects have been rejected by the World Bank and multilateral development banks due to their small project scale, unfamiliarity with the technologies and higher investment risk (Martinot, 2001, cited in Geller, 2002). In conclusion, despite those barriers and disadvantages, the widespread use of renewable energy meets the requirements of sustainable development in a long term. Whether in terms of increasing energy efficiency, shifting to nuclear power or developing renewable energy sources, the future effects cannot be avoidable. Even though renewable power technologies were in most cases not fully competitive commercially and the switch to renewable energy system will take a long period, their costs had the potential to fall rapidly, and by 2020 should be able to outdo fossil fuels (Lauber, 2005). Nuclear power was evaluated as being more expensive than renewable energy and as holding little chance of cost reductions in the future. At the present stage different sources should be used together and the development of renewable energy should be given more emphasis. References Aâ‚ ¬mann, Dirk, Laumanns, Ulrich and Uh, Dieter (2006) Renewable Energy: a global review of technologies, policies and markets London: Sterling, VA: Earthscan. Elliott, D. (1997) Energy, Society and Environment: Technology for a Sustainable Future. New York: Routledge. Geller, Howard (2002) Energy Revolution: Policies for a Sustainable Future. Washington, DC, USA: Island Press. Hill, Marquita K. (2004) Understanding Environmental Pollution (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Jaccard, Mark Kenneth (2005). Sustainable fossil fuels: the unusual suspect in the quest for clean and enduring energy Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Jamie Sanderson and Sardar M.N. Islam (2007)Climate change and economic development : SEA regional modelling and analysis. Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan. Lauber, V. (Ed.) (2005) Switching to Renewable Power: A framework for the 21st Century. London, GBR: Earthscan Publications. Middleton, Nick (2003) The global casino : an introduction to environmental issues (3rd ed.)London : Arnold. Seitz, J L (2008) Global Issues (3rd ed.). Blackwell: Malden MA (USA).

Track :: essays research papers

Track My heart beating loudly in my chest is the only sound I can here. The air, whipping past my face, tries to curb my inertia but I just press on harder and harder. As I make my turn to go into the straight-away, the next man in the relay team comes into sight. I push my legs harder and harder, but I cannot make them move any faster. There is only one hundred meters left to go before the instant I have to pass the baton the next runner. As I am speeding down the lane like a jet about to lift off, I see the fans cheering in my peripheral vision but I remain focused on my objective ahead of me. I move closer and closer to the red zone, now counting my steps and pacing off the distance in my mind to the sprinter ahead of me. I ready myself and keep telling myself "be patient, wait" then ....."Go," I yell as he harnesses his adrenaline for a good start. I again have to make another critical, split second decision. When should I give him the baton? There can be no mistakes on the hand off. If I miscalculate my steps, it could be disastrous for the team. As I sprint at his newly energized heels, I yell "Stick!" He reaches his arm back in a robotic- like manner and I slam the baton in his hand, so he will not lose a handle on it. It is a successful hand-off and my body jars, as I try to bring myself to a quick stop. My journey is over but the next runner's has just begun. Track is a big part of my life and it holds much more significance to me than just running. I would not even get the opportunity to set foot on the track if I did not practice several hours a day, running the same stretch of track twenty times over. This may seem like insanity to others but to me it is a way to focus my energy and discipline my mind, as well as my body. Running a race to me is like life; you have to pace yourself and being better than the next guy is a must. Like one who does not receive a promotion in business for not working to their potential, I will not make varsity if I do not strive to be the best I can be, on and off the track. The Baton is my hopes and aspirations and Track :: essays research papers Track My heart beating loudly in my chest is the only sound I can here. The air, whipping past my face, tries to curb my inertia but I just press on harder and harder. As I make my turn to go into the straight-away, the next man in the relay team comes into sight. I push my legs harder and harder, but I cannot make them move any faster. There is only one hundred meters left to go before the instant I have to pass the baton the next runner. As I am speeding down the lane like a jet about to lift off, I see the fans cheering in my peripheral vision but I remain focused on my objective ahead of me. I move closer and closer to the red zone, now counting my steps and pacing off the distance in my mind to the sprinter ahead of me. I ready myself and keep telling myself "be patient, wait" then ....."Go," I yell as he harnesses his adrenaline for a good start. I again have to make another critical, split second decision. When should I give him the baton? There can be no mistakes on the hand off. If I miscalculate my steps, it could be disastrous for the team. As I sprint at his newly energized heels, I yell "Stick!" He reaches his arm back in a robotic- like manner and I slam the baton in his hand, so he will not lose a handle on it. It is a successful hand-off and my body jars, as I try to bring myself to a quick stop. My journey is over but the next runner's has just begun. Track is a big part of my life and it holds much more significance to me than just running. I would not even get the opportunity to set foot on the track if I did not practice several hours a day, running the same stretch of track twenty times over. This may seem like insanity to others but to me it is a way to focus my energy and discipline my mind, as well as my body. Running a race to me is like life; you have to pace yourself and being better than the next guy is a must. Like one who does not receive a promotion in business for not working to their potential, I will not make varsity if I do not strive to be the best I can be, on and off the track. The Baton is my hopes and aspirations and

Lord of the Flies :: Lord of the Flies Essays

Lord Of The Flies Book Analysis Title: Lord of the Flies Author: William Golding Date of original publication: 1954 Setting:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The setting of Lord of the Flies is somewhat vague. The island is unnamed, and besides stating that it is during wartime, there is no specific date given. The island is uninhabited, and characterized by a beach, jungles, orchards, and a rocky mountain. The jungle that surrounds the characters represents death. It is dark and entangled in vines, which remind the small boys of snakes, and instill fear. This setting is also significant because it is isolated from civilized society. As the plot progresses, the lack of civility causes the society, built by the children, to deteriorate. Characters: Ralph:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At about twelve years old, Ralph is among the oldest of the boys on the island. He is described as a â€Å"fair-haired† boy with mild facial features. He is the first character introduced and plays the role of the protagonist. He is somewhat charismatic, but is admittedly frightened by the situation. Ralph begins as an innocent boy but ends up very mature from dealing with conflicts and adult decisions throughout his leadership. He believes that survival can only be achieved by the presence of peace and order. He tries, somewhat unsuccessfully, to build a stable, civilized society. Ralph is a perfect character however. He struggles as a leader, and has to rely on Piggy, a boy who he respects for his maturity and knowledge, for advice. As the chief, Ralph notices that many of the boys are not following the rules, but he does not subject anyone to punishment. This leads to anarchy, and the creation of Jack’s tribe. Eventually, many of the boys abandon Ralph, and although against his initial values, he tries to join Jack to escape the loneliness he has experienced. Toward the end of the novel, Ralph is hunted by Jack and his followers, but is able to the beach where he finds a naval officer to rescue him. This is the first time that Ralph is relieved from his internal and external conflicts. Piggy:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Piggy, who is about the same age as Ralph, never reveals his actual name throughout the novel. He is overweight, asthmatic, and wears glasses. These physical weaknesses cause him to be whiny and less useful in work. He is described as a bad looking character, who is disrespected and considered an outsider by the rest of the boys.

A Comparison of Hubris in Catcher in the Rye, Scarlet Letter, and Great Gatsby :: compare and contrast essay examples

Hubris in the Protagonists of Catcher in the Rye, Scarlet Letter, and Great Gatsby       Aristotle praised Sophocles' King Oedipus as the definitive Greek tragedy; however, he could not have surmised the influence of Oedipus' tragic pride on modern day literature and philosophy. Hubris, the only true crime, has had a threefold influence: it is a reason for downfall as well as a characteristic of criminal motivation; it is manifested in the diverse protagonists of Salinger, Fitzgerald, and Hawthorne; and it is forgiven only by repentance for wrongdoing and the complete surrender of pride.    The erroneous idea that pride is only a predominant characteristic of crime, rather than a crime itself, would put tragic hero Oedipus on the same level as serial killer Charles Manson: while both are guilty of committing heinous acts, Oedipus relinquishes his pride and, ironically suffering under his own proclamation of exile, does penance for his crimes, whereas Manson shows no remorse for his vile and disturbing bloodletting. Oedipus' ultimate repentance is proof that he realizes his hubris and understands his mistakes, as irreparable as they may be.    All human filthiness in one crime compounded! Unspeakable acts-I speak no more of them. Hide me at once, for God's love, hide me away... Touch me, and have no fear. On no man else But on me alone is the scourge of my punishment. (64)    Had Oedipus sought to blame another for his crimes, or denied his own responsibility for his actions, he would have been no nobler than a common criminal; Oedipus is redeemed by his strength of character.    The hamartia of hubris lives on 2500 years after Aristotle lauded King Oedipus as the quintessential Greek tragedy; pride has evolved into an integral characteristic of the majority of literary characters from J.D. Salinger's angry, disillusioned Holden Caulfield to F. Scott Fitzgerald's idealistic Jay Gatsby to Nathaniel Hawthorne's tortured Reverend Dimmesdale.    Holden's pride in his sarcastic perception of the world around him perpetuates his cynicism and frustration with life, making him unrealistic and incapable of finding happiness. He believes himself omniscient, and that other "people never notice anything" (Salinger 9). Oedipus' belief in his own infallibility makes him equally unrealistic; soon after Oedipus' sins are revealed, the chorus of Elders conveys a Holden-esque message of discontent:    All generations of mortal man add up to nothing! Show me the man whose happiness was anything more than illusion

Lewis Binford Essay

Only child Mother from well to do family who lost $ Dad electrician laborer Josef lewis binford mother(Eoline Roberts Binford) was descended from Virginia Tidewater high society,by birth no money scout learning by doing skilled in construction laborer helped with field work later years enrolled 1948 Virinia Polytech instutte under athlete scholarship foot ball forestry biology Married Jean mock two children $ problems 1952 enrolled army GI Bill to Okinawa, where he worked with native Ryukyuan peoples. Dischared 1954 interest anthplogy UNC 1957 B. A. That turned his interests to archaeology. Under the tutelage of Joffre Coe, Binford gained valuable field experience, read the literature, and began to question the conceptual underpinnings of the discipline. Armed with the belief that archaeology could and should do far more than merely situate ancient cultures in time and space, and keen to bring it into the mainstream of anthropology, Binford went to the University of Michigan for graduate work. Influential in his education there were. White, Albert Spaulding (from whom Binford learned  analytical methods), and James Griffin, the quintessential culture historian, dean of eastern North American archaeology, and for Binford graduate adviser and symbol of all that was (and was wrong with) traditional archaeology (Sabloff, 1998, p. 13). Binford earned his M. A. in 1958 and Ph. D. in 1964 at Michigan, though Griffin did not last as his adviser. After teaching at Michigan for a year, Binford joined the University of Chicago anthropology faculty in 1961. Binford left Chicago four years later, still brash though unbowed despite having been denied  tenure. By then, at least, he had received his Ph. D. but only after Griffin was persuaded to resign from his dissertation committee (Binford, 1972, p. 11). It was the first overt breach of what was a long, acidic relationship. It was at Chicago that Binford launched what came to be called the â€Å"New Archaeology† (later, â€Å"Processual Archaeology†) with hi s landmark article â€Å"Archaeology as Anthropology† (1962). After travelling to several univ. and being fired from what he called the best uni In 1968 Binford was hired at the University of New Mexico, Still, Binford gave no quarter to postprocessualists In 1991 Binford retired from the University of New Mexico and accepted a faculty appointment at Southern 20 BIO G RA PHICAL MEMOIRS Methodist University in Dallas. There he could teach less and have more time to devote to a project he had started in the 1970s (previews of which appeared as Binford [1990, 1997]), which would become his last major book: Constructing Frames of Reference: An Analytical Method for Archaeological Theory Building Using Ethnographic and Environmental Data Sets (Binford, 2001).