Feminism in Lives of the Saints

Kenneth Tambuwun Ms. Barrow ENG4USB 26 October 2012 Feminism in Lives of the Saints Men and women are expected to be different. In the novel Lives of the Saints by Nino Ricci, gender roles in Italy during the 1960s affect how the characters behave. Characters such as Cristina and Vittorio are affected by living in the patriarchal society of Valle del Sole. Feminist critical theory is observed in Cristina’s strength, her independence and the society she lives in. Feminist terms such as semiotics can be applied to Cristina’s strength and it is seen during the conversations of Cristina in the car after she had been bitten by the snake. Where did it bite †¦ I didn’t think of it† (Ricci 12). Cristina once again did not panic â€Å"My mother let out a sigh†¦ to other people’s nonsense† (Ricci 15). Cristina is strong as her words are calm unlike what women would feel after they are bitten by a snake. Cristina goes against Phallogocentrism t hroughout the novel especially since she is not confined to a regular mother and she can do whatever she wants to unlike most women in the village. Cristina also shows Androgyny. â€Å"The cloth sank into †¦ indifference to pain† (Ricci 13) and â€Å"The story about my own †¦ ad fallen asleep† (Ricci 13). It is clear that the villagers believe that Cristina can bear pain like a man. Cristina’s strength differentiates her from the rest of the women in the story. Cristina is an independent woman as she does not rely on others because when Alfredo offered Cristina the money her husband gave her, she rejected it. â€Å"You think it’s the †¦ need his money† (Ricci 97). After her husband left for America, she raised Vittorio by herself. Moreover, she solves her family’s problem by her own.When Vittorio had a fight and is hurt by Vincenzo, instead of asking for help from her dad or anyone else, Cristina confronted Vincenzo’s h ouse and clarify things up with Maria and Vincenzo. She does not want other’s help at all. When she is offered a luxurious room in the ship by Antonio Darcoangelo, she denied the room. â€Å"It’s kind of you †¦ that kind of luxury† (Ricci 199). Cristina believes that she can survive by herself and prefers to do so without any help. Cristina’s independence goes against what gender roles had put upon women. Patriarchy can be seen throughout the novel.Men are much respected in the village. Vittorio recalls about the memory when Mario hurled a plate towards her mother â€Å"I saw my father †¦ against her cheek† (Ricci 32). Cristina’s husband abused her and yet she did not dare to fight back because men are expected to behave that way. High positions in the village are held by man. Vittorio describes his grandfather as â€Å"My grandfather †¦ since the time of the fascists† (Ricci 2). A male have held the mayor position for a very long time. In addition, men have to work and do all the job whereas women will wait for their husband. â€Å"The men left †¦ geing parents followed† (Ricci 166). Most men of the house are expected to work and find money abroad like Vittorio’s father. Valle del Sole is a society dominated by men. To sum it up, feminism can be repeatedly noticed throughout the novel. Firstly, Cristina goes against the typical women who are afraid of pain. Secondly, Cristina is an independant woman. Last but not least, Valle del Sole itself is a patriarchal society. Gender roles set upon by society causes men and women to be different in one way or another. Works Cited Ricci, Nino. Lives of the Saints. Toronto: Cormorant Books Inc, 2010. Print.

And We Walked Right Through the Door Essay

â€Å"Anything I can help you find? † inquired the chubby female clerk wearing a cheesy red uniform vest complete with â€Å"Hi! My name is Amy, How can I assist you? † BS name-tag. Right away I recognize this this to be the limited dialog that clerks are required to resort to when they feel certain shoppers are suspicious, to remind them they’re being watched I suppose. I replied smiling, â€Å"No, my buddy’s in the bathroom, just looking around thanks. † the act starting to make me a bit queasy. â€Å"Alright then† she creaked, an undertone of distrust. From there I’m left to my own devices, or so they would like me to think. However I know otherwise as I’m using the very same tools that insurance managers and loss prevention employ – namely strategically placed fisheye thief catching mirrors – to keep an eye on the store walker who, after that terse conversation, started following me. Interacting with people who have an inkling that I’m up to no good while cradling nearly $150 worth of stolen goods in my coat, (just under the federal limit mind you) brought on strong feelings of sickness mixed with a rush of adrenaline†¦ maybe I was getting too old for this shit. After skirting my tail, I head for the back entrance which has posted up what looked to be a normal run of the mill alarm system. However having worked this place over several times before, I knew that this was simply cosmetic and no longer functioned properly. My best guess is the store was too broke to repair it, in part due to klepto jack-asses like me and my crew. Most likely they allowed this skeleton of a system to stay standing in hopes that it would deter those that didn’t know any better. In fact most of the security equipment in this place was for show. From the dozens of shaded domes mounted in the ceilings where maybe one quarter of them actually held security cameras, to the magnetic tags – or bugs as we coded them – that had no activated strips in which to trip the alarm systems that did work. Their security measures were as false as my attitude towards clerk Amy, only I felt I was better at hiding the fact. ?This was my hobby. I started at a very young age, six, maybe seven years old and only because I hated being told that I couldn’t have candy or toys that seemed to me within reason. The usual excuse always came back a whining â€Å"Because we don’t have the money, Craig† despite the fact we always seemed to have enough for coffee, cigarettes and booze. It was at that young age where it seemed straight forward enough to me take the item of my simple fancy, slip it in my pocket, and – most importantly – try not to be seen doing this. It wasn’t until a few years into my â€Å"hobby† that I was finally discovered in the act by, of all people, my little sister, Melissa. We were on our way to school when I suggested a stop at a small grocery mart, where she made a bee line for the freshly made donuts. While she was busy ogling the poignant sweets, I went to work finding fruit roll-ups to procure. As I started stuffing the box of snacks into my brothers’ oversized, hand-me-down, blue-green Dolphins starter coat, my sister caught up, discovering me in mid-theft. She asked â€Å"Why are you taking that? † wide eyed and confused. Hushing at her â€Å"Because I wanna share some with my friends, and you know how Mom and Dad are about money! † I pleaded quietly, the cashier’s too busy dealing with the morning flood of coffee and newspaper sales to notice. This line of reasoning seemed well enough for her and she agreed not to tell anyone, the deal sealed by sharing some of the spoils. I thought that would be the end of it†¦ turns out I was wrong. Over the next few weeks she wasn’t just stealing shit left and right, but bragging to me about it! It was no surprise to me when later that month my parents had to pick her up from the local mall security center, having been caught shoplifting Barbie accessories. Even worse, she dragged a friend of hers along for the ride and, after being caught red handed, tried to frame the poor girl she brought along as the evil master mind behind it all. Though I felt raw about leading my little sister into my bad habit, I still thought to myself â€Å"better her than me†. At the time, we had just moved into a newly built Habitat for Humanity home in a strange sort of raffle for low-income families. Though it was nice to live in a new house, one of the downsides was that one could hear everything that was happening in every other room, which left the feeling of having little to no privacy. It was excruciating to hear punishments that either of my siblings might receive, like say in the case of my little sister getting caught shoplifting. From down in the living room, my mother and I attempted to focus on The Andy Griffith Show though I couldn’t help overhear the post punishment conversation between my father and sister. â€Å"What were you thinking!? How many times have we told you that taking things is wrong!? † he yelled, my sister still sobbing from the hot ass-whopping she’d just received. He continued the inquisition â€Å"What made you think you could even get away with something like this, huh?!? † she answered near yelping â€Å"Because I saw Craig take something from the store! I slammed my eyelids together hard hoping it would make me invisible, though I could feel the scorching glare from my mother who was eaves-dropping on the conversation as well. After my own hot ass-whopping, I was ordered to gather up all things I’d stolen. Though I didn’t give them everything, what I did pile up was still a pretty impressive haul, namely cheap toys like yo-yos and Gak; I’d be damned if I was going to give up my Sega games, it was no picnic acquiring those gems. It didn’t take long before I felt safe enough to get back in the saddle, my only lesson being a stricter discretion toward my parents finding out. Oh yeah, the crew I mentioned earlier. While there were always a few lame duck part-timers that came and went the main trio consisted of Dustin B. , code name â€Å"D†, Walter R. aka â€Å"Strangler† the muscle, and me whom they had dubbed â€Å"Slyde†, or â€Å"Sly† for short. This was actually based on some form on confusion as Slyde was what I had named my â€Å"customized† coat for all intents and purposes. The customization of the coat was simple: cut holes out at the bottom of the pockets enabling me to hide cargo all the way round the back with the insulation fluff, some of which I had removed to avoid looking too lumpy as I added new items. D was the first to join my group and a sort of protege. He’d say things like â€Å"You never know when you’ll be in a position to have to steal stuff, like if the government falls! † and considered my rabble rousing to be more of a hidden art form. We’d play games of risk with one another, upping the stakes to hone our skills. Strangler wasn’t really a thief, more of a muscle guy. He wasn’t into games of risk, but he’d happily beat the living shit out of anyone who might get in our way. A perfect crew for what we were doing. ?We had codes for everything, bugs and spiders for mag-tags and stickers, hawks and Tony’s for cameras and walkers. We even had codes to let each other know what was to be bought (purchased) and what was to be stolen (buy) while still speaking in laymen’s terms. In my home state of Michigan, thankfully, one could wear a coat for nearly eight to nine months out of the year, and no one would consider it suspect. Though when dealing in the art of theft, you’ll need more than a custom coat to get by. I had put together a base set of five rules through my tenure, which I regularly preached to my fledgling group: 1) Never go on a run alone. Sometimes you might need the muscle to help you out of a bind; this was Strangler’s territory. In one particular incident, a well-built bald white guy came from, what seemed to me nowhere, placing his hand on my shoulder, â€Å"Sir, I’d like to talk to you about the items in your coat†. The next sounds heard were a shopping cart being revved up to ramping speed, Strangler behind the bar. The large man having no time to react, literally went head over heels into the cart, and off into the sunset. His ride was only cut short by a parked van he crashed into mid lot, where he and the cart crumpled over in a sad heap. We had a good laugh about it as we jaunted away. ) If you frequent a place, at least buy something to make it look a bit less shady. There’s nothing more obvious than your ugly mug walking into a place and never buying anything. After the third or fourth occurrence, they’ll stop to search you on principle alone (This is Detroit). 3) If you’re going to steal something, act like you’ve been there before. There’s nothing more hideously obvious than someone who looks around to see if they’re being watched. Also, the occasional outburst by local crazies or crotchety old men – any form of sudden distraction really – was a quick and easy pass to get the hell out of dodge while the gettin’s good. ) Get off the grounds as soon as possible! Store walkers are legally obligated to stay on company property, which led to another obvious conclusion: don’t hit a place up if it already has actually law enforcement on the premises, na mely because real pigs don’t have such limited jurisdictions, and probably because they’re already there for some other fool who’s been caught. 5) Lastly and to the point, don’t steal more than the federal limit. It’s not like it was difficult or unthinkable, just more risk than what it’s worth to my thinking. This was shoplifting 101 and I was the head instructor. It was a few years into our chaotic campaign when all my concerns were to be quantified; when new-bird Marty R. hit the scene. Though we’d known Marty for years (due to the fact that I was dating his younger sister), we were apprehensive to have him join our little club because of his garish nature. He was a tall sum bitch, at least a full nine inches taller than me, and I was six foot myself at the time. Big knarley knuckles, rail thin from a ridiculously high metabolism mixed with malnutrition, and bright Irish red hair earned him the code name, â€Å"Red†. There’s a saying that red heads are either drop dead gorgeous, or butt ass ugly, Red here was the latter. Aside from being really tall, he had a pension for the dramatic which meant he always spoke loudly, attracting attention. If that weren’t enough, he also tried to sport a mo-hawk that was supposed to be dyed atomic red, but came out neon pink. He had done well enough on his first few excursions, though as I tended to do with all newbies, first timers got the benefit of being surrounded by us young punks ready to throw down as they got the chance to exercise their sticky fingers. Not to mention, first timer’s targets happened to be large places where we had little issue with security, and where there were several other casual shoppers to take focus away from us. This was particularly effective on busy shopping days like Black Friday, one of my personal favorites. ?Red and I had stopped in a larger chain for nothing more than a two liter of soda for the troops back at one of our crash sites. Now not every visit to a store is made to pilfer items, because as the saying goes, ‘it’s not a party if it happens every night’. Red being the new guy wasn’t really hip to this idea yet, and was still very anxious to take what he could, as if there were no tomorrow. As I sleepily moved to the cold drinks at the back of the store, and not from the wall of tepid soda they displayed for chumps and out-of-towners up front, Red informed me that he was going to use the rest room, where vagabonds like us would normally go to clean up a bit. It may have been the way he said it, but I instantly got a bad feeling. Realizing that I had just woken up to take on this small task for the group, I shook off the vibe and told him to meet me outside in our usual spot when he was done. Sometimes, I hate it when I’m right. Red took it upon himself to yank a few items without me knowing, a wallet, a crappy ten dollar watch, and a fake gold necklace/locket combo for some girl he was crushing on. From this, he might as well have broken rule number one in not letting me know his intentions. As I stood waiting in the check-out line cold pop in hand, I noticed Red making his way out trying to look as though he hadn’t taken anything, a sure distinction to my eye. I had the mind to drop the pop and run over to him: not so much to help him, but rather to chew him out for being such a chud. However it was too late, the horrible scene I’d sought to rally against unfolded before me, as if I was given a front row seat. After the fact, I could only guess that this store had some idea about our group and its past debauchery, since they used three Tony’s to surround and take Red away. I wasn’t ready, we weren’t here on a mission, we were here for fucking soda! I felt like screaming at him, the mix of helplessness and anger at his dishonesty keeping me anchored to the floor as I looked on, holding the building express line up. As he was ushered past, he looked at me with those sad sorry eyes, where all I could do was look back, mouth agape. This moment also felt like a strong message for yours truly, the Tony’s eyes staring at me, warning â€Å"You’re next hot shot†. Unfortunately, this wasn’t Red’s first offense and he was later sentenced 2 years for what amounted to less than $30 worth of merchandise. Now Marty wasn’t much of a fighter, and considering his height coupled with the fact that his hair had mistakenly come out neon pink, brought a whole other hellish dimension towards the thought of time in jail for him. Yes, this was a sad day for our company indeed, but an affirmation of the rules I had laid down to begin with. I scorned the others with the story, probably because I wasn’t able to yell at Red, or more likely out of shame that I wasn’t able to do something about it myself. ?Some time has passed and I’ve all but stopped stealing. I might yoink a pack of batteries here and there, or occasionally walk out on a check if the server makes me wait too long, but these trifles are rare. Recently, I landed a position in loss prevention for a small chain of stores; the irony of this never fails to cheer me up. I even tried to stay in decent shape for the job by making it a point to run/jog in, or maybe old habits of being ready for a chase die hard. I was assigned a new store where they were going through the normal jargon, giving us the cue codes for theft in progress, blind spots to patrol, and all the other dirty little secrets I would have killed for back in the day. As I was being briefed by my new manager, I realized just how much of a royal prick he was, just from how he thought so much lesser of people that resorted to stealing. The more he talked, the more I indulged a day dream of feeding his pretentious ass to Strangler and how that would pan out. My first shift was painfully uneventful, right until the last hour as I started to get in the mindset of what to do once I was free again. It was at that time when Mr. douche-bag manager busted in to the surveillance room, like he was hopped up on too many energy drinks. â€Å"Look alive ladies, we got some kids in the liquor isle, and I’m damn sure they’re gonna grab something. They’ve been casing it for a while, looking all sorts of suspicious, so let’s get out there and NAB ‘EM! trying to be all team player, as if we were all supposed to put our hands in or something. To be honest, this was the part of my job I hated most, seeing new jacks like this give my former hobby a go in the worst way. Ducking their heads about, apprehensive yet obvious about whether or not they’re going to put an item in their jacket. Sure enough, scoping out these scrubby teens through a large fish eye mirror, I saw firsthand one of them squirrel a fifth of whiskey into his windbreaker, and make his way for the exit. Panic was written all over his face as he wrangled up the other two snots with him, simply disgraceful. The worst of it was when they neared the exit. We didn’t even have time to start in on our usual spiel before it suddenly turned into a free for all, the three of them sprinting off in unison. The two â€Å"friends† that the holder came in with, bolted in the exact opposite direction, leaving the actual target on his own. I’m not sure if they did this thinking they’d fool us with misdirection, or if they just ran out of fear; my guess was they got scared and bailed. At this point, I’m not the only one giving chase; two other Tony’s and the dick-head manager were also trailing. The manager was the first to go down, no surprise, tripping on his own stupid shoe-laces not even 20 feet from the entrance, biting off a piece of his own tongue as his chin smashed against the asphalt. One of the Tony’s was a fat guy and gave in shortly thereafter, claiming â€Å"I’m gonna see if the manager’s O. K. , you guys keep going! † pathetic. Two down, two to go, and we’re gaining on him. This kid must not have known the perimeter rule, because he cut around heading for the back of the store, towards the receiving docks. Since e insisted on staying on the grounds, as far as I was concerned it was still game on. Thanks to my daily regimen, I felt as though I could run like this forever! Primal instincts kicked in, I felt as though I were a lethal cheetah closing in on its prey. It was about the time we were rounding the docks that the defeatist thumping footsteps of the other Tony sounded, signaling his dropping out of the chase no more than 70 generous yards from the door. Never mind all that, I was about to end it, he was going down, this kid was mine! I reached out grabbing at his shoulder, my hand getting a taste of slick fabric from his blue wind-breaker, when something clicked. I stopped chasing and let him go. I didn’t even bother to gloat out loud that I could have caught him if I wanted, it didn’t even seem important anymore. I stood there watching him continue to run for his life as I caught my breath. I contemplated the awesome story that the kid would have to tell all his friends – the ones he presumably stole the fifth for – and to call out his two accomplices for bitching out the way they did. Thought flooded me near the point of tears as I recanted my own misguided youth, and the thrill of getting away from a near miss as he had just encountered. If I had brought him back, I would have had no say in his punishment, and I’m sure they would’ve done to him the same as they did to Red. I no longer wanted to be responsible for the incarceration of others this way. I strolled back acting more tired than I actually was giving the staff some bullshit excuse as to how the kid eluded me; I mean, what the hell did they know, right?

Celebrities Have a Tremendous Influence on the Young

There are many other ways to find role models for young people. Plus, celebrities become famous because they can sing, dance, act, or they are super good at something. But celebrities are human beings too. Like everyone else, celebrities make mistakes too. People think celebrities should act as role models because celebrities choose to live in a way to put themselves in front of the public so that a lot of people will pay attention to them. It is obvious true that the young people are learning from the celebrities about what to do and how to do. But young people are surrounded by other grown-ups such as parents, friends, relatives, and teachers. In the way of contact with all others, the young can set their role models. Also there are so many books, articles and movies about famous people who are not close to us, but kids can still learn value, passion, dream and life. Thus celebrities are not necessarily to be pushed as role models. Celebrities become famous because they are better than other in some ways. But it doesn’t mean that celebrities have to live in a role model life. Everyone makes mistakes, including celebrities. But when celebrities get wrong on one thing, they are easily put in front of the public since they get attention all the time. It is not fair to blame celebrities just because people think they should be role models. Take the example of Britney Spear, young people are so fascinated by her songs and dances. But when it comes to love and marriage, she is unluckily on a wrong path. Many girls make same kind mistakes and they learn from lessons. We cannot expect Britney to be a role model then blame her on bad experience. In a word, celebrities have huge influence on the young. But celebrities do not have a responsibility to be role models. Celebrities Have a Tremendous Influence on the Young There are many other ways to find role models for young people. Plus, celebrities become famous because they can sing, dance, act, or they are super good at something. But celebrities are human beings too. Like everyone else, celebrities make mistakes too. People think celebrities should act as role models because celebrities choose to live in a way to put themselves in front of the public so that a lot of people will pay attention to them. It is obvious true that the young people are learning from the celebrities about what to do and how to do. But young people are surrounded by other grown-ups such as parents, friends, relatives, and teachers. In the way of contact with all others, the young can set their role models. Also there are so many books, articles and movies about famous people who are not close to us, but kids can still learn value, passion, dream and life. Thus celebrities are not necessarily to be pushed as role models. Celebrities become famous because they are better than other in some ways. But it doesn’t mean that celebrities have to live in a role model life. Everyone makes mistakes, including celebrities. But when celebrities get wrong on one thing, they are easily put in front of the public since they get attention all the time. It is not fair to blame celebrities just because people think they should be role models. Take the example of Britney Spear, young people are so fascinated by her songs and dances. But when it comes to love and marriage, she is unluckily on a wrong path. Many girls make same kind mistakes and they learn from lessons. We cannot expect Britney to be a role model then blame her on bad experience. In a word, celebrities have huge influence on the young. But celebrities do not have a responsibility to be role models.

Religion and Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Religion and Culture - Essay Example Some terminology can be vague and interpretation is difficult. Even the â€Å"theology† in today’s world has a different meaning which makes understanding a little confusing. The process of comparison raises any theoretical and methodological complexities and can bring wrong conclusions. There also can be influence of one tradition upon the other. Some rituals and customs are poorly studied hence interpretation can be vague. 3. According to Erdel, all the Christians throughout the world accepts Jesus as the Son of God and messiah. They believe that the Bible is the word of God and follow it as a Holy text. All the Christians accept the spirituality of Church and religious leaders related to it. 4. The Hebrew Bible which is the â€Å" Old Testament† talks mainly about creation of Earth and Commandments of God. It has Moses as the messenger of God and has five commandments. Whereas in the Bible, that is the New Testament the details from the birth of Jesus is vividly explained and he is treated as â€Å"Son of God† and as God himself. The Ten Commandments are taken with divine value and the Christian Bible has both Hebrew biblical information and Jesus divine life history. In the Quran, the creation and God has been mentioned and Jesus is considered as a Prophet but Mohammed is the last messenger send by God. 5. When the Christianity encountered with modernity, the people start to become more subtle in their beliefs and started to abandon many outer layers of the religions. Many customs and rituals were avoided and only idealistic ones were adopted like baptism, Sunday communion, funeral rituals and wedding rituals. It was more of a practical way of seeing religion and people included the religious values in areas which it was needed. There was more of logical understanding about God and life. As per (Muether, 1999) â€Å"Christian theology may not be directly compromised by the encounter with modernity, but under its influence the practice of the church is

In what ways did the zeitgeist of cold war america actually influence Essay

In what ways did the zeitgeist of cold war america actually influence the work of the Abstract Expressionist Painters - Essay Example Abstract Expressionism was inspired by the surrealists of Europe who adopted automatism in art, especially in painting. This advanced form of art painting was based on the instinct that art products are irrational and unpremeditated accidents that took a refined form in America during the Cold War. Abstract Expressionist Painters like Jackson Pollock separated themselves from contemporary paintings and invoked a reason to draw unrecognizable images that depicted a particular state of mind. Thus the art forms took shape from the chance and impulse of the person (creator) and created value for itself. This subconscious method of drawing was epitomized by Jackson Pollock by abandoning normal equipments for painting (Strickland, C. & Boswell, J. 1992 p.158). Jackson Pollock was of the view that Abstract Expressionism made energy visible through mural sized paintings that reflected the painter’s psychic state when the painting was created. Therefore new techniques were used to meet new demands by not using contemporary materials like paint brushes, easel, artistic method of pouring or the use of palette and believed in spreading paint on raw canvas or on the floor (Strickland, C. & Boswell, J. 1992 p.159). According to Jackson Pollock Abstract Expressionism paintings are done after a period of meditation and preparation. The painting is started soon after the thought by walking around the canvas and sometimes on the canvas and by dancing on them. The creation of art also included pouring of paint directly from cans or by dropping it on the canvas. The articles used to paint a picture sometimes included cigarette butts, keys, caps and combs that added to the private and dense character of the picture. Pollock’s strong personality, method of painting and innovative techniques is clearly evident in the film Namuth (portraiture of Jackson Pollock’s paintings) (Doss, E p.340). The paintings of Pollock

Organisational Change Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 10

Organisational Change Management - Essay Example At this stage the employees and the employers were inquired about the reason for absenteeism and then they were also informed about the type of change that should be undertaken by them. This assignment describes the five stages of â€Å"Appreciative Inquiry (AI) 5D framework† - definition, discovery, dream, design and destiny. It gives a holistic view of the difficulty faced and modifications needed (Cooperrider and Whitney, 2005). The framework was developed by David Cooperrider and his team mates in mid 1980’s. The five stages are described are as follows. Definition The first stage is â€Å"define† which focuses on the awareness of the developmental activities. During this stage the topic of inquiry becomes the organization’s main agenda for learning as well as innovation. The questions asked are affirmative in nature and it focuses on the topic valuable to the people who are involved and directed at topics and issues for the success of organization. Th is inquiry identifies â€Å"the area† where the organization needs to change. The changes can be strategic, structural, people and process change. In Silkeborg Council case, the main problem was absenteeism for which the elderly care department faced a lot of problems. ... Small-scale or incremental people changes include sending of management workers to team-building workshops and classes. These changes can be planned or unplanned, which may impact the employee’s attitude towards work, behaviours of the individual and their performances. The changes are made to help the employees and the employer to reduce absenteeism. It can either be planned or unplanned, which may impact the employee’s attitude towards work, behaviours of the individual and their performances. The area of change once identified should be worked upon to bring productivity in the Council. The factor which is preventing long-term change is the attitude, behaviour and performances of the employees towards their work and that’s why the number of absentees increased during that period. The possible reason for absenteeism can be personal problems health problems or job dissatisfaction. These are the possible areas where the management should work upon to bring in disc ipline and proper working of the organization without lost time. The changes implemented during that period could not remain for long time because of the fluctuating behaviour and attitude of the employees. The management could not mange properly which led to these disturbances in the council. Kurt Lewin’s Change Model can be applied to the Silkeborg Council case. The model elaborates the modifications of some forces keeping the whole system stable. He examined that a set of behaviour at any moment is the outcome of two groups of forces. These forces are attempting to maintain status quo and is forcing for change. When the two sets of forces are equal, the current behaviours are preserved in a state known as ‘quasi-stationary equilibrium’. For

Lifestyle choices of the Christian family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lifestyle choices of the Christian family - Essay Example A parent should never assume the role of peer. Parents also need to communicate with children about basic facts such as choice of friends, and healthy activities to engage themselves in. The family should be a cohesive unit where communication flows both ways. Qualities such as love, honesty, tolerance should be enforced so that children will be free to communicate any misunderstandings or changes to family members. Another effective way of setting limits and communicating healthy lifestyle choices is in the examples set by parents. The old adage, ‘children live what they learn’ should not be taken lightly. It is easier and more practical for children in today’s society to abide by the rules and limits set out by the family when they realize that others are also living according to those rules and boundaries. The church community has a moral responsibility in providing support and limits in our current culture. The current culture tends to hold the church up to ridicule by indicating that their Christian ideas and values are archaic. To rise above this view the church needs to implement programs that will give support to families in different areas of their lives. There are many needs that the society is not able to satisfy adequately. The church community needs to be strong and purposeful and present themselves as a viable alternative in the mix of culture that exists in today’s society. They also need to have a welcoming atmosphere (Edgell, 2005). In spite of the media and other influences many persons still believe that the church has a major role. Although it would appear at times that the family is losing the battle as the strongest influence in their child’s lives, it is not as widespread and as damaging as it appears. Other institutions in the society such as schools and other civic clubs and organizations tend to work together with the family in influencing the

Reforms in India after 1991 have generated rapid rates of growth but Essay

Reforms in India after 1991 have generated rapid rates of growth but risk leading to increasing leves of inequality - Essay Example At the same time, the country increased its reliance on the market and restructured the role of government to achieve economic stability (Dreze & Amartya, 1995). India witnessed a change for the better in her economic performance after implementation of policy reforms in 1991. An average growth rate of 0.6 percent was experienced in the decade of 1992-93 to 2001-02, putting the country among the fastest growing, developing nations in the 1990’s. Though, this growth figure was only slightly higher than the average of 5.7 percent in the 1980’s, but it was more stable. Growth in the 80’s was characterized by a built up of external debt which eventually resulted in the crisis of 1991. In comparison, growth in the 1990’s was accompanied by notable external stability; in spite of the economic crisis is East Asia (Dreze & Amartya, 1995). The continued economic growth in India of over 7 percent per annum, despite high international oil prices and consecutive coalition governments, both at the provincial and federal level, has built confidence in the previous attitude towards the reforms. With the exception of a few issues regarding privatization of public enterprises, the reforms are generally appreciated across different political parties of the country. There are however strong apprehensions over the possible influence of the apparent reforms-driven economic growth on the prevalence of poverty (Datt & Ravallion, 1997). There have been arguments that the economic growth observed immediately after the 1991-92 reforms had not played a part in reducing poverty. According to the arguments presented by Datt and Ravallion (1997), while a sharp increase in poverty was witness as the result of the 1991 crisis, the reforms caused poverty to fall back to the pre-1991 levels, thus contradicting the assumption that the reforms brought an organized change in the country’s poverty plane. This argument

Changing social and legal dimensions of race relations in The US from Essay

Changing social and legal dimensions of race relations in The US from 1920-1950 - Essay Example The feature of this essay is to bring about the existing concept in the treatment of the Africans and other immigrants in America and to focus on the point whether America is completely free of the racial discrimination towards the African community in their place. America is a vast country where immigrants could be seen in every state, this is due to the powerful revision of equality and pressure in education values and educational policies. Through out the world Education has started gaining a total significance and students travel to other non-native countries in order to improve their educational status. The out look of the Government is also in the immediate process of changing. So it accepts the students from other countries. It is a two way income to their country, in one path the Government earns a lot income from the arrival of foreign students and on the other side establishment is carried out in their educational departments. While analyzing the condition of the American society between the years 1920-1950 a considerable change could be seen, but still not a complete change is accepted. Meanwhile it is really interesting to find evidences of the situation regarding the race relations in the written works of Authors’ like Ralph Ellison. The â€Å"Invisible Man† by Ellison reflects the narrator as a key source to carry the message that how he finds himself as an invisible man among the people of America. The list of humiliations, the different way of response, the ignorance with which he had failed to recognize the irony and the treatment of the white higher officials towards the black people were all added to the causes of his out come of â€Å"Invisible Man†. The title has a deep significance in it; Ellison himself talks in the place of the narrator. It is a collection of his experience in America. It is better to go through the life of Ellison before he became a

Characters of Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

Characters of Romeo and Juliet Essay In The Prologue of Romeo And Juliet, the fate of the star-crossed lovers, the title characters, is already told. They have been doomed to take their [lives] before the play has even begun. This foretelling of what the audience is about to see displays that the play is about how and why the events unfold, and not what happens. Act Two, Scene Two is an important scene in the play, which is because this is where Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, the two children born of the fatal loins of their feuding parents, meet for the second time, after Capulets Masquerade. They fall in love, starting the chain of fated events that cause their deaths. Before meeting Juliet, Romeo was seen to be melancholic; he was supposedly in love with Rosaline, which was unrequited. He seemed to be introspective, and have a very negative outlook; in Act One, Scene One his father, Montague, said that Romeo had been shutting himself [a]way from light in his room. Romeo appeared to have a very poetic, yet bleak, attitude to love. This is demonstrated by Romeos use of extended oxymoron in Act One, Scene One, where he talked of loving hate, and misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms. His poetic words seemed to indicate that perhaps Romeo was not in love, rather in love with the idea of being in love. He spoke of Rosaline, the object of his love, as though she was a deity, even stating she has characteristics of the goddess Diana (she has Dians wit). The goddess Diana was an emblem of chastity, and the object of Romeos affections has taken a vow of chastity. Ironically, Romeo refuses to examine other beauties, as his friend and kinsman Benvolio suggests at the end of Act One, Scene One. In Act One, Scene Five, when Romeo firsts saw, spoke to, and kissed Juliet, he still used decorative language, and said similar to what he had previously said about Rosaline. He said that Juliet doth teach the torches to burn bright, a metaphor, after first seeing her in Act one, Scene Five, after calling Rosaline the all-seeing sun in Act One, Scene Three. This seems to indicate that Romeo is too quick to announce his love, saying of Juliet what he had said not long ago about Rosaline. He did, however, denounce his previous love and say that his love of Rosaline was not comparable to his love for Juliet in Act One, Scene Five, with the rhetorical question [d]id my hear love till now? . In Act One, Scene Three Juliet is seen to be polite and respectful young girl. Her mother, Lady Capulet, who is less close to Juliet than her Nurse, tried to persuade Juliet to marry a suitor that has been chosen for her. Marriage was an honour that [Juliet] dream[ed] not of, being only thirteen years of age. Lady Capulet, in Act One, Scene Three, told her daughter that [t]he valiant Paris seeks [Juliet] for his love. Juliet seemed in no rush to fall in love and marry at such a young age, she stated she would look to like, but no more deep [ ] endart [her] eye. She appeared grounded, with no unrealistic expectations about love, and in no hurry to find a husband, despite her mothers insistence that girls younger than Juliet [are] made already mothers. When Juliet met Romeo for the first time in Act One, Scene Five, although she echoed Romeos poetic and metaphor rich language, she appeared more playful and flirtatious, telling Romeo he kiss[es] by thbook. In Act Two, Scene Two, Romeo speaks of his love for Juliet and watches her after she appears at the window. He compares her beauty to that of the sun: [it] is the east and Juliet is the sun/Arise, fair sun, when she appears at her window. Shakespeare uses this language to depict that Romeo has elevated Juliet to the stature of a goddess. This is reinstated, with Juliets beauty repeatedly being compared to (and bettering) the brightness of celestial objects; Romeo says that the brightness of her cheek would shame [the] stars. Shakespeare used more positive metaphor, repetition, and a less structured and poetic approach to Romeos speech to show that Romeos newly found love of Juliet has effected a change in his language. Romeo is presented as more happy to love, and simply be in the presence of Juliet: he is eager for her to speak again, rather than strike up a conversation instantly. When Romeo begins speaking to Juliet, after hearing her speak of her love and asking why she must love a member of the family she hates, asking wherefore [is he] Romeo? , Shakespeare wants us to understand Romeos devotion to Juliet. Romeo offers to forsake his name, saying that [h]enceforth [he] never will be Romeo demonstrating his willingness to make sacrifices for the love of Juliet. During this scene Shakespeare repeatedly uses names, or words referring to names (for example, name, or called) to show the conflict between language, the words and names, and experience, reality; Juliet states that a rose/By any other word would spell as sweet. Romeo is eager to exchange [Juliets] loves faithful vow for [his], which shows not only Romeos eagerness to prove his unchangeable love to Juliet, but his need to be loved in return. He tries to swear his love many things, including yonder blessed moon, Juliet takes vowing love much more seriously, and asks Romeo not to swear by the inconstant moon as it is too changing to vow such an important thing on. This presents Juliet as a mature girl, who tries to consider the consequences of actions and promises, whereas Romeo is completely absorbed in the idea of love. Juliet is concerned that her and Romeos love is moving too fast, saying that it is too like the lightening. Shakespeare uses this again showing Juliets rationality, but also showing that she is young, love is new to her and she is in no rush. Romeo does not appear to share these concerns; he is more concerned with loving and being loved, only satisfied by Juliets faithful vow. She is however in love with Romeo, and is not happy to see him go, [p]arting is such sweet sorrow, but is eager to see him again. Towards the end of the scene Juliets language becomes more like Romeos in eagerness to vow love, and in use of simile, comparing Romeo to a wantons bird, tethered by her love. Romeos rashness, loyalty, and need to love Juliet and be loved in return are important characteristics that will end up sealing his grim fate at the end of the play. Juliets young age, and contrasting maturity, grounding in reality and strong will in her love will be ever important, and her need to see a plan through will be important factors that help lead her towards her tragic ending. For never was there a story of more woe/Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

How Does Poverty Cause Crime Criminology Essay

How Does Poverty Cause Crime Criminology Essay In the current essay we will discuss the fact that poverty causes crime. Poverty is a characteristic of the economic situation of the individual or social group in which they cannot satisfy a certain range of the minimum requirements needed for life saving ability.   Poverty is a relative concept and depends on the overall standard of living in this society. According to experts, not getting decent wages for their work, young people gradually lose the desire to marry, marry, have children they are full of fear for tomorrow, not sure that tomorrow they will not be fired because of another financial crisis. In addition, low wages and lack of jobs, experts say, are pushing young people to commit crimes in order to get rich quickly.   It is, therefore, among criminals, increases the number of adolescents, aged 18 to 25 years. Poverty is a consequence of diverse and interrelated reasons, which combine into the following groups: economic (unemployment, low wages, low productivity, lack of competitiveness of the industry); socio-medical (disability, old age, high levels of morbidity); Demographic (parent families, a large number of dependents in the family); socio-economic (low level of social guarantees); educational qualifications (a low level of education, lack of training); political (military conflict, forced migration); regional-geographic (uneven development of regions). As well, current crisis makes people react and do something, even if it is illegal, they start committing a crime. Poverty causes many crimes, as if a person was not poor and had faith in himself, he would not face the thought that he should search another ways to get money. Being poor, which could be caused by different reasons, makes a person unhappy, incapable to earn enough money, to buy anything he wants or at least something necessary. Poverty determines a certain stereotype in a persons thoughts, and he does not see any constructive solving of the problem, as he wants to choose the easiest way of getting money, even harming other people. Poverty has a huge psychological influence on people, who become depressed, desperate and then they decide to commit a crime, as they have not found anything that can legally get them out of such situation. Too many problems that a person faces in the modern society makes him get angrier on the whole situation and look for the new way of solving their problem. The desperate economical situation in the country and consequently the lack of the work places especially for young people creates the thoughts and actions of crime. No guarantees from the government and no proper help to people who are poor, leads to the chaos and misunderstanding, where the only way out they find is to commit a crime. Poverty as a social phenomenon in a historical sense is of lasting value.   The extent and depth of immersion of the people in the country reflects two important aspects of society the level of development of productive forces and the corresponding character of their operation principle of social justice. Most often, poverty is treated as financial insecurity of people, when income of a person or family does not allow maintaining socially necessary consumption for life, interfering with normal living and personal development. Poverty serves as guidelines for shaping social policy.   This phenomenon is assessed by using indicators of absolute and relative poverty, its depth and severity, as well as by the subjective perception of their individual well-being and quality of life. To determine the effect of poverty on crime, there may be also another way: by studying the living conditions of the poor and convicted before they commit crimes. As a consequence of the fact that poverty causes crime, criminally distorted psychology of society, values, personality as a direct cause of crime are expressed by more than just greed, aggression, irresponsibility and neglect of criminal law prohibitions.   It has several forms: greed, greed, the cause component of the Organized Crime and Entrepreneurship, greed, parasitism, generating professional and recidivism, greed, irresponsibility, have a drunken crime, situational robbery and looting teens, when crimes are committed to meet the immediate material needs  , greed, poverty, which is based on physical survival.   At a gain now there is 80% of the totality of the causes of crime at this time. The main source of crime in any society is the aggravation of his social contradictions. It is also defined as meaningful and quantifiable features of the formation are within a specific time parameters.   It is known that the technologically advanced capitalist countries do not have the same crimes. As a fact, crimes begin from the childhood. As a rule, if a child was born in a poor family, there are more chances that he will start committing crimes. All over the world there is propaganda of a luxurious way of life, of successful people, of expensive mansions, cars, of beautiful journeys, etc. When children and adolescents see that and understand that parents will not provide them with all these things, they start looking for the opportunity to get money fast to buy at least something. And consequently they decide to commit a crime. The crimes committed by adolescents are considered the cruelest. The majority of cases of all crimes show that a driving force of the crimes is the money. The values of the society are built the way that those people with the problems in their minds decide to bring closer all these luxurious things. One of the main aspects that can prevent poverty is education. If children are educated properly, then they will perceive the reality as it is and they will try to succeed in legal ways to study, to get a job. Sometimes, crimes are the symptom of the culture, and education can cure the cultural poverty and financial poverty will be cured itself, as a consequence. As a fact, not only poor people commit crimes, as there are also rich people who have no boundaries in their actions and power and they also commit crimes to get more money and power. Considering the statistics, the total number of the seven index crimes is reported to police per 100,000 inhabitants in the United States. The research states that if to reduce poverty, crime will be reduced, although with the crisis that has begun in 2008, there have been registered less crimes, although there are more poor people because of the crisis. As an example of it, in the first decade of the XXI century crime in the United States has tended to decline. By the end of the decade, crime rates, according to many indicators, have fallen dramatically, despite the economic crisis of 2008-2010.   In some cities such as New York, the crime rate has dropped to the record lows. With the onset of recession in the U.S., many media outlets have expressed fears that the crisis (for example, increased unemp loyment and reduced real incomes of people) will lead to a rapid increase in crime.   FBI report shows that these fears have not yet met.   Published in the 2008, the study of the Heritage Foundation showed that the relationship between economic perturbations and crime exists, but it is not so clear.   Thus, in the United States there is a nation-wide crime statistics since 1934.   During all this time only for 16 years the crime rate has declined.   The crime rate has steadily increased from 1955 to 1972, although this time the U.S. economy has experienced a rapid period of development, weak, a recession occurs only in mid-1960.   In turn, during the Great Depression statistics was only for the period from 1934 to 1938 criminals showed less activity.   Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a preliminary report on crime rates in the U.S. in 2009.   This statistics is based on data provided by about 17 thousand law enforcement agencies of different jurisdictions.   The main conclusions of the report compared to 2008, the number of property crimes in the U.S. decreased by 6.1%, violent crimes by 4,4%.   According to the report, this year the number of murders in the U.S. fell by 10%, robberies on 6,5%, rape by 3,3%.   Among property crimes, the most significantly decreased the number of thefts of cars (by 18,7%), theft (by 5,3%) and burglary (2.5%).   The greatest reductions in crime noted in cities with populations exceeding one million. In addition to FBI statistics, the crime rate measures the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics by the Census Bureau (study called National Crime Victimization Survey). Since 1973, there have been annually polled 70-80 thousand of households (family or group of people living togethe r and having a total budget), to identify about how many actually committed crimes Americans have not informed the police.   The last time similar research was conducted in 2008.   It showed that the victims of the criminals, Americans turn to law enforcement agencies do not always: becoming the victims of violent crimes, they shall notify the police in 51,2% of the property in 39,6% of cases. Another important indicator for gauging the level of crime in the U.S. is a traditional study conducted the service Gallup Rating the perception of crime.   Every year Gallup asks Americans to estimate increased or decreased the number of crimes in their area and across the country.   In the recent years, such survey was conducted in September 2009.   Then 74% of Americans said that compared with last year the crime rate in the U.S. grew on 15% reported that the situation has improved.   The rise in crime in their area was 51% decrease 29%.   As a fact, 12% of respondents said that the situation with crime in their place of residence was very serious; the crime rate across the United States similarly estimated 55% of respondents.   It is curious that in the last decade, both of these indicators remain fairly stable, fluctuating slightly. As a rule, those countries where there is no proper economic regulations, there are more chances that people will react negatively and commit more crimes, as the consequence of unhappy life and no perspective in such countries. Although there is no proof of the direct connection of the fact that poverty is the main motive to commit a crime, as there are many factors present in the minds of people who in different situations can act differently. It is not quite explicable that fact that while there is a depression and economical crisis all over the world, people do not commit more crimes, as the statistics shows that people do not intend to commit more crimes. The consequences and the logic of this fact are not fully understandable. In the modern world everything changes so quickly that people get accustomed to the situation, they learn the rules of the game and probably they try to find a better way to earn money and succeed than to commit a crime. There can be also hope that the mor e people get more education, the more they get knowledge, the better they understand life and the rules to survive. The more people know, the better they understand the situations, the values, the perspective, the more ideas they have, the more creative they are and the more they feel capable to find a job and to succeed in life. In poor countries such as Brazil and the countries of the former Soviet Union, there are millions of poor people who do not have a way out because of the lack of any perspectives to find a job, as the level of corruption is extremely high. In such countries it is especially visible the difference and the gap between the extremely rich and very poor people. There are almost no middle class people who have a job, a house and other benefits. That is why there are almost no chances to combat it, as poor and desperate people in these countries do not see any other opportunity except committing a crime. The obvious injustice and no social guarantees make people feel as losers, who see the luxurious life and who cannot touch it. As a fact, there is a lot of envy because of such a big gap and so much poverty. Each country has its problems and level of poverty, but there is one main point- the lack of money. If people had money at least for the basic needs, there would not be such level of poverty. And as Aristotle said: Poverty a source of disturbance and crime, which means that little problem becomes a huge problem if there is nothing useful done to prevent it. That is why the right policy of the country will be able to eliminate poverty and along with that there will be no crime in the future. What factors specifically lead to poverty in the countries?   This high level of unemployment, a significant number of jobs that do not provide a living wage, as well as reducing the number of social service costs. It can be emphasized that poverty reduction should not be a charity event.   It must go against strong social inequalities.  The only way to do this is to foster a society of equal opportunities. If we deal only with short-term problems in order to achieve short term objectives rather than to focus on strategic issues of economic and social development, we may miss the last chance to make the country the basis for a viable, long-term development based on economic and social modernization. So, the agenda should include the following vital issues: Reducing inequality and providing our citizens the opportunity to realize their constitutional rights; Restoration of a common economic space; Infrastructure development through the joint efforts of government and the private sector (roads, railways, ports, airports, bridges, power lines, electricity, etc.); The solution of demographic problems of the countries; The rise of living standards (including environmental problems); Eliminating unevenness in the level of regional development; Harmonization of interethnic relations in the country and the creation of normal living conditions for the communities living outside of Russia; National security and territorial integrity; The safety of citizens; As a fact, it is easier to prevent poverty than to deal with its consequences. The fact that people commit crimes when they are poor does not justify them. But the government has to take measures to prevent the poverty, there should be created more opportunities for people to work, as keeping people busy can prevent crimes and even the thoughts of it. Proper economical policy, positive changes in the social sphere, economical issues and employment can guarantee the higher level of education and understanding the principles, which will avoid the crime in the future. There should be also organized the certain campaigns aimed at the reduction of poverty, as it in some cases causes crime. Anyway, if the importance of money wan not so crucial these days, probable the majority of people would not commit crimes. As it is very difficult to be different from everyone in the society that value the materialistic ideas, the goods and products, it becomes a real challenge not to have goals to buy, to own something. It happens because the society judges those who are different, who has different vision, goals, principles and ideas. That is why people are almost forced to do everything the right way to be as everyone else is, to work and to succeed. And if there are no possibilities for that in the country, people start looking for other, wrong ways to reach it anyway. They start looking for the easiest, quickest and lowest ways to reach their goal, and that is why robberies, different violent crimes and thefts occur. Some people after committing them feel innocent, as they think that if the government did not give certain things and possibilities to them, then they have the rig ht to take things or money from the richer people. Deceiving themselves, people live in their own world that is so narrow, that allows them to commit a crime and to presume that no one will ever know. As a fact, it is sad that a reality is that money takes a very important place in peoples lives. Everything people do to earn money sometimes in not enough, that is why arise different problems which lead to the thoughts to commit a crime as that last opportunity. Everyone wants to live worthily and this desire determines unexpected behavior. Often people want to prove something to their friends, family, loved ones, but they do not manage to achieve it in a legal way, choosing instead the lowest possible way to commit a crime, thinking that from that moment on everything would change for the better. It is obvious that money rules the world, which is why almost every crime is based on the desire to get more money at any cost. Those who commit crime do not usually think about consequences and they pay for everything they have done later. Sometimes people just lack the patience and they want to have everything too soon without any considerable long time efforts. Consequently, this practice does not work and people are forced to pay for everything they have done. Psychological help and support in difficult situations can help and benefit people to overcome difficulties, challenging times and other problems. Being open to discussions, to new ideas, to new opportunities and options, people can stop thinking about committing a crime because they are poor. The capacity to believe in yourself, in the future possibilities and in the brighter future lacks in the minds of the people. It is surprising that people commit crimes, as it is obvious that sooner or later they will pay for what the y have done and it is important to take control of the life. The mistake is that people sometimes consider themselves cleverer than the others and think they are capable of changing they life easily by harming someone else. This method, fortunately, does not work. Being realistic and optimistic at the same time can save situation and turn life to the better. All in all, only the right policies of the countries can solve this problem and make people understand and see other right ways to earn money and to get out of poverty. People are instruments in the hands of the government and they play by its rules. If there will be more opportunities and proper social conditions for people to live and work, the crimes that are caused by poverty will not take place anymore. A lot depends on the country people live in and on the fact how they see their future, which possibilities and advantages they see and want to implement in their life. Anyway, everything depends on a choice a person makes, wherever he lives and whatever he has.

Bresson’s A Man Escaped Essay -- Robert Bresson

Evidence of an Auteur: Bresson’s A Man Escaped Robert Bresson’s A Man Escaped follows the confinement and eventual escape of political activist, Lieutenant Fontaine. The movie’s theme is blatantly clear: freedom at all costs. Fontaine must not only save himself from imminent death, but from the fear of parched sanity. Bresson, an â€Å"auteur† by the standards of colleagues and the Cahiers Du Cinema group, creates suspense melded with hope through the scarcity of music and sound, the restricted establishment of setting, the daunting acting of Francois Leterrier, the exposition of time, and the heavy reliance of a narrator. After first viewing of the film, one might be quick to say that the film is completely devoid of music. It is used so scarcely that it appears to make no impact. Yet, it is that scarcity and exclusion that creates the sullen tone of the film. Bresson relies heavily on ambient, diegetic sound that, in this case, is going to be the silence or the rustling of prisoners’ or guards’ feet within the walls of the prison. Careful scraping of the spoon handle on the floor, the creaking of the wooden door as it is pried open, and the light tapping on the cement walls all lend to the solitude and determination of the prisoner. Sound very much plays a role as a symbol; the clinking of the keys against the railing represents not only authority but raises the tension of the film, the viewer knowing that Fontaine’s exposure as an attempted escapee would lead to sudden death. In combination with the random firings from the death squad, Bresson leads the viewer to really f eel the hopelessness and disparity of the situation. Later in the film, during the escape, the train whistle plays parts as both a warning and ... ...war), but in a way that really strove to show the effects of war on one man from his point of view (far more personal and disheartening). Bresson’s other films are made much in the same vein. Though, for example, L’Argent was made in 1983—far from the reaches of the New Wave era—it still has the Bresson-typical ambient sound, tortured main character, and dreariness about it. Jack C. Ellis says that Bresson’s â€Å"search for ever greater clarity and simplicity of visual-aural statement, his concentration on only those themes that most deeply concern him, place him among the very select company with which he is being considered.† So, while some directors may be debated upon continually as an auteur, it is clear from the consensus of historians and critics, as well as his consistent work in his thirteen films, that Robert Bresson has secured his role as an auteur. Bresson’s A Man Escaped Essay -- Robert Bresson Evidence of an Auteur: Bresson’s A Man Escaped Robert Bresson’s A Man Escaped follows the confinement and eventual escape of political activist, Lieutenant Fontaine. The movie’s theme is blatantly clear: freedom at all costs. Fontaine must not only save himself from imminent death, but from the fear of parched sanity. Bresson, an â€Å"auteur† by the standards of colleagues and the Cahiers Du Cinema group, creates suspense melded with hope through the scarcity of music and sound, the restricted establishment of setting, the daunting acting of Francois Leterrier, the exposition of time, and the heavy reliance of a narrator. After first viewing of the film, one might be quick to say that the film is completely devoid of music. It is used so scarcely that it appears to make no impact. Yet, it is that scarcity and exclusion that creates the sullen tone of the film. Bresson relies heavily on ambient, diegetic sound that, in this case, is going to be the silence or the rustling of prisoners’ or guards’ feet within the walls of the prison. Careful scraping of the spoon handle on the floor, the creaking of the wooden door as it is pried open, and the light tapping on the cement walls all lend to the solitude and determination of the prisoner. Sound very much plays a role as a symbol; the clinking of the keys against the railing represents not only authority but raises the tension of the film, the viewer knowing that Fontaine’s exposure as an attempted escapee would lead to sudden death. In combination with the random firings from the death squad, Bresson leads the viewer to really f eel the hopelessness and disparity of the situation. Later in the film, during the escape, the train whistle plays parts as both a warning and ... ...war), but in a way that really strove to show the effects of war on one man from his point of view (far more personal and disheartening). Bresson’s other films are made much in the same vein. Though, for example, L’Argent was made in 1983—far from the reaches of the New Wave era—it still has the Bresson-typical ambient sound, tortured main character, and dreariness about it. Jack C. Ellis says that Bresson’s â€Å"search for ever greater clarity and simplicity of visual-aural statement, his concentration on only those themes that most deeply concern him, place him among the very select company with which he is being considered.† So, while some directors may be debated upon continually as an auteur, it is clear from the consensus of historians and critics, as well as his consistent work in his thirteen films, that Robert Bresson has secured his role as an auteur.

Media and Plastic Surgery Essay -- Females Self Image Cause Effect Ess

Media and Plastic Surgery Images produced by the media will make people do almost anything to fit American standards of the perfect body. Plastic surgery offers a quick fix to help achieve this goal but no matter how much surgery nothing is perfect. Images produced by media, quick fixes and the outcome of the fixes are problems that women of all ages deal with. From the time of birth, images of physical perfection bombard young minds. When children are young their minds are fragile and mold to what they are taught. One of the first toys a young girl is given is a Barbie doll Girls are shown Barbie and parents tell the children that Barbie dolls are beautiful. So young girls are taught that Barbie is what a perfect female is. Eventually when the girls reach middle school they find Barbie what they still want to physically achieve but find talking about Barbie childish. So they turn to more life size Barbie dolls like Britney Spears and Destiny's Child. Teenage girls, who consider themselves individuals, all strive for the same goal to become what the opposite sex is attracted to. Teenage girls want to dress and look like young celebrities so they wear tons of makeup and dress in clothing that would have their great grandparents turning in their graves. Schools all over the country are taking the parents job by changing the dress code so that girls do not wear clothing that show their mid drifts and bare shoulders. Even when girls enter college they are still effected b...

Mark Twains The Damned Human Race Essay -- Mark Twain Humanity Damned

Mark Twain's The Damned Human Race Within his essay of The Damned Human Race, author Mark Twain powerfully declares that the human race is both flawed and corrupt, and that people actually should be classified as 'lower animals' rather than the formerly known 'higher animals.' Twain does not hold claim to a Darwinian or creation standpoint, but rather draws conclusions from his own observations in performed experiments. He states that 'man is the cruel animal,' and that we can attribute this to his moral character. However, there appears to be another side which contradicts his findings. Perhaps man is indeed the 'highest animal,' but possesses something which other animals do not.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Twain claims that his observations are based on experiments executed in the London Zoological Gardens. With these examinings, he went on to state that humans displayed a variety of shortcoming not seen in other animals. His first point was that humans were cruel, while other animals were not. This was backed by the story of the hunter killing seventy-two buffalo, and eating only part of one. He contradicted this by experimenting with anacondas and calves. The anaconda only killed what it needed, as opposed to the Earl. This seemed to suggest to Twain that the man descended from the anaconda, and not the other way around. Perhaps the Earl did not respect the buffalo, which is true. But does it mean that all humans always kill to be cruel and wasteful? Or could some animals exhibit sig...

Journey Humanities

Celeste Mompremier Professor Watts HUM1020-41 September 25, 2018 Flynn, Brenda. Journey. 2002. Mosaic tile on fiberglass armature. My overall museum experience was amazing. Since its been eight years since I have been to a museum, it was kind of new to me. But seeing all of the beautiful sculptures just blew me away. I was amazed by how much time and effort these people put in making such perfect artwork. I was also impressed by all the gifts these people have in making sculptures. I would definitely not have any talent in making these sculptures, that's for sure. I really enjoyed eyeing these sculptures in real life. I think that there are advantages in seeing art in real life because I believe that you get a much better understanding of art by seeing it in-person. Also, it can make you think more about the true meaning of art. I think that museums are relevant places to study humanities because they help us learn more about human culture. Museums help us grasp our attention more on our human history. We end up understanding our culture more. Also, it's fun to learn about art. Museums are important in understanding our culture because they help our newer generation learn about our history. No matter what, history should always be remembered and never forgotten. I also think that people of different backgrounds can learn better at museums because of the artwork from our ancestors of the same heritage. I think that the difference between something authentic and a copy is possibly the texture. I feel like that actual artist put so much care and time and effort in his or her artwork. But the other artist, although he or she did work hard on the copy, did not put as much care and effort as the original artwork. They just tried to make it look as much like the original as possible. Also, nobody can ever make the exact same texture as the original. I feel like the original artwork would have a more smoother texture than the replica. I would rather see the original artwork than the replica because I believe that the original would have more meaning than the replica. The authentic artwork has a much larger purpose than a replica. Original is unique that is irreplaceable. It's more powerful to see the original because you can interpret the message that the artist is saying. With a replica all you can interpret is how much they wanted to mirror the original. With a replica there is no purpose or meaning. If I were a part of the Monuments Men task force, then the sculpture that I would have saved and chosen is a colorful horse made of mosaic tile on fiberglass. My artwork is named Journey. This sculpture is created by Brenda Flynn. I chose this piece of artwork because it just captivated me. I also feel like this sculpture is has a rarity in it that makes it unique. This horse isn't your usual horse that is drawn like a regular horse that has fur. This horse's mosaic tile on fiberglass just makes it rare and captivating. Also its just so creative that someone would think outside the box by creating a three-dimensional horse full of multicolored mosaic tile. This sculpture would most definitely be something worth saving. I think that the artist's purpose on making this sculpture is she is trying to promote individualism because this is not your usual horse. This horse is colorful. She's trying to express that it's ok to be different. That different is beautiful. Also that you do not have to be like everybody else. Its vivid colors lead me to suspect that its expressing that our world is full of different cultures, fashion, etc. And that the title Journey is expressing travelling all around the world. The colors also express this earth because we have so many states and countries that have different cultures, beliefs, values, and religion. The horse also expresses travelling in a way because she's bringing back how people used to ride horses to get from place to place. The theme is travelling and expressing yourself. I know this because of the colors of our world of different ways of living. I find that this sculpture means to always live life to the fullest, because life itself is short. Not to mention that there are so many places to see, to where the artist is encouraging travelling. Honestly, as soon as I saw this sculpture, I was immediately awestruck by the artwork. I don't think that I have ever seen anything so beautiful in my life. I said to myself that I had to absolutely make my museum paper about this magnificent sculpture. It's such a stunning piece of art. The reason why I liked the piece is because I felt a connection with this sculpture. I loved the message it brought out. Where its alright to live your life to the fullest by taking every journey that knocks at your door. With the mosaic tile shimmering with all kinds of colors of every culture. This piece makes me see that in life, it's important to take certain journeys throughout your life because you might find just what you're looking for. I believe that it does have a strong message because life is so beautiful, don't waste it all in one place. The sculpture isn't named Journey for nothing. I believe that everything in this artwork has a purpose. The media of this sculpture is multicolored mosaic tile and fiberglass. This sculpture is actually a mixed media, because of its mosaic tile and fiberglass. The fiberglass looks like it's of a grey color, while the mosaic tile is multi-colored. The fiberglass is also carved with pieces of mosaic glass covered around it. The technique of this sculpture is that the fiberglass is carved out to give it its unique horse-like shape. Also the way these people managed to put all of that mosaic glass glued around it without messing it up is absolute pure talent. I think that the mixed media enhances the meaning because of the fact that the fiberglass of the sculpture is shaped like a horse, and the fact that it is named Journey, it is inspiring others to travel the world. Also because it's a different looking horse, that it's ok to be different. The multicolored mosaic tile also expresses how different and beautiful our cultures are, and how important it is to experience everything in the world. I strongly believe that the new material is superior to the traditional media because mosaic tile is usually used for walls, ceilings, etc. After all, the textbook has stated that when we engage with two-dimensional works of art at a more technical level, we begin to notice things about the work's medium. It also states that one of the choices is the work's medium, which gives it its fundamental characteristics. (pg.30) It's saying that whatever tool the artist uses to create the sculpture, they gave it its true meaning. Mosaic tile is very unique in a sculpture because nobody usually uses that for sculptures. The most common media usually used for work is paint. One of the principles of this artwork is pattern. I say pattern because the way the swirls of the horse interact with each other. This sculpture is just filled with swirls of different colors. Also apart from the swirls, this artwork has a lot of circles of different colors surrounding the swirls. The artist brought out the mosaic tile by putting them in different shapes and colors. The swirls of the mosaic tile make it look like a purse. It's one after another perfectly placed together. How does this artist manage to make the shapes so perfectly proportionate with each other from head to toe? That is beyond me. The swirls spread out a message of creativity. One of the elements of this artwork is color. I say color because of the fact that this sculpture does not focus on just one color, but many. Red, green, white, yellow, orange, etc. All blended together in one beautiful horse. The colors express individualism. This sculpture expresses how beautiful color is. I am so glad that the artist created the sculpture the way she did. This art sculpture expresses shape as one of its elements because of the fact that it is shaped like a horse. The sculpture provides such a beautiful horse. I also believe that another one of the sculpture's elements is good texture because of the mosaic tile and fiberglass. The texture is emphasized in great details of the smooth feel of the mosaic tile. The texture has a smooth feel to the touch. The texture has such a brilliant finish. Another one of the principles of the sculpture is emphasis, because this artwork is put out with such importance to where it is the most valuable of them all to be saved. This sculpture is saying a message that is crying for attention. The mosaic tile especially on the horse, since it's unreal to have a horse that is covered with anything other than fur, is brought out to the viewer's attention. The mosaic tile is the focal point because it's unique. This is the best sculpture because it stands out. Also, another one of the principles of this sculpture is rhythm because the pattern of the mosaic tile is different with the different colors of the mosaic tile, but yet the routine is repeated that it's all around the horse. The repetition goes on the same way. The arrangement is put out like the mosaic tile in the same streak but different patterns and colors. The patters go between being multicolored to being all in swirls. Another one of the elements of this sculpture is form because it is a three-dimensional horse. The form is trying to tell us a story about this artwork. The form gives this art such a descriptive nature of taking journeys in our lives. The form gives this sculpture a purpose of taking chances in life. I do believe that this artwork is a cultural value because this sculpture could have easily been from another country because it's just so rare and sacred. This mosaic glass horse is not what you see everyday. The main thing that cries out that it is culturally valued is that it is named Journey, and that it's multicolored with different patterns. The colors and patterns read out all of our different cultures and values that exist in this earth. I think that the value of this artwork in today's society would probably be a little irrelevant because in my opinion, art has declined in value. People in todays generation in general don't seem to appreciate art anywhere near as much as people in previous generations. So I am not disagreeing because of my sculpture, I am just disagreeing because art regardless has declined with a sudden increase in technology. Art has lost its value and excitement it once had for human beings. No, I don't think that the artwork's message will become relevant in the future, but not in the way that you think. As I said before, I just think that all art has lost its value in todays world and people lost interest so therefore, I think that all recognition in art will decrease from this point forward. I absolutely love the message the artwork is trying to portray, but I know deep down in my heart that art no longer has the same values the way they did in previous centuries and generations. Yes, I feel that the Monuments Men risking their lives for art was a worthwhile endeavor because as much as I would never die for art, I loved the fact that they were standing up for what they believed in. And also, they would not give up no matter what. They would do anything to get to it rain or shine, and life or death. They knew that the artwork would eventually increase in value in culture overtime, so they wanted to make sure that the art was spared, regardless of what would have happened to them. I would never do the same because I don't feel for myself that it's worth dying for art. For people that you care about, that's another story. But for artwork, it would depend on how much that piece meant to you. For me, if I were to choose art or myself, I think that I would be a little bit selfish and choose myself. Artwork is not replaceable, but you can build something at least close to it. But human life cannot be reconstructed. No one can ever create another you.

Functional Health Assessment

Nursing theorist Marjorie Gordon developed, in 1987, functional health patterns as a tool guide, used by nurses as a comprehensive data collection during patient assessments. Functional health pattern enables the nurses to identify and determine all aspects of health and human function (Kosher, 2013). The purpose of this assignment is to discuss how the interviewed family views their health overall, to improve their health promotion/patient education, and to identify the needs of the family using Gordon’s 11 functional health patterns. Family Health AssessmentThe family selected for this project is a bi-nuclear family with three children. The mother is 40 years old and has two occupations, a phlebotomist and a nursing assistant. She has a 15 year old daughter, 3 year old twin boys. Her daughter is from her previous marriage. The father is 48 years old and works as a long distance truck driver. The couple has been married for 7 years. During the interview the family was asked o pen ended questions to evaluate their overall views of their health. These open ended questions were used in conjunction with Gordon’s 11 functional health patterns.The minor children were included in discussions with parents present. Patterns of Health Perception and Health Management The family as a whole perceives their health in overall good condition. They believe that with frequent and check-ups with their primary physician, their health can be maintained and managed properly. The importance of spirituality plays an important role in maintaining mental and physical wellness. The father has past medical issues with hypertensive crisis induced by stress and diet. The mother has a history of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and cesarean section with the childbirth of the  twins.In order to improve health maintenance they are dieting appropriately and exercising regularly and taking what they call a â€Å"family time-out† on the weekends to relieve stress and bu ild emotional bond. Nutrition-Metabolic Pattern Diet is an important part of this family maintaining their health. Because of the fathers condition the family eats a cardiac healthy diet. Their typical daily intake, consist of lots of vegetables, salads, chicken and fish. They have deleted red meat and carbonated drinks out of their diet.The father confessed to eating sweets and other unhealthy items. The children state that they like to snack all day. Mom sends the twins with healthy snacks at daycare and the older daughter opts to eat school lunch every so often. She prefers to bring a Gatorade and sandwich for lunch. The family was noted to practice eating the recommended 6 small meals per day. The main meal in this household is eaten around five or six p. m. The father and mother had experienced weight fluctuations due to diet changes and life changing stressful events.Pattern of Elimination The elimination function is regular without difficulty for anyone with bowel movements o r urination. The frequent urination is no longer an issue for the mother since she has lost some of the baby weight and no longer with pregnant. The twin boys are currently being potty trained, with some episodes of incontinence at night, which is to be expected. They are still using pull-up briefs at bedtime. Pattern of Activity/Exercise This family is very active. The mother says she stays active with work and the two boys at home keep her busy.The mother does a lot of heavy lifting at working so she is required to wear safety brace while at work. The father job requires sitting most of the time with lifting from time to time. They do many outdoor activities for family time, for example, fishing, swimming, and bike riding on the trail, at the local park. The mother participates in zumba exercise class on Wednesday evenings. Cognitive and Perception Education is a continued factor in this household. The mother is in school for licensed practical nursing.The daughter is in high scho ol and maintains  a 3. 5 grade average in her classes. The twins go to day care every day for early learning. The father completed 2 years of college and has degree in general studies, has a special driving license. Pattern of Seep and Rest Family’s response towards rest was different. The mother complained of lack of rest since the twins were born and the father stated that when he is home from a long trip it is difficult for him to sleep at home because he is used to being up all night driving. The twins and the teenage daughter take naps and gets sleep without any complaints.Pattern of Self Perception and Self Concept Some family members noted to feel unsatisfied about their appearances in different ways. The daughter felt that she had chunky legs. The father felt that he could stand to lose a few more pounds because he felt fat. The mother is still worried about fitting into that bathing suit she bought two months ago on sale. Body image was an issue, but it was discuss ed nonchalant throughout the conversation. The daughter appeared to be vainer about her appearance than any other family member.Role Relationships PatternSupport for each is noted throughout the family, they attend church regularly on Sundays has a spiritual and emotional support system. The parents socialize with other church members through activities. They voiced satisfaction with their home life. They often go out on dates with other couples and families with children. The mother’s relatives live close by, so they have frequently family visits. Sexuality –Reproductive Pattern The parents are currently sexually active. The teenage daughter stated she is not, but was curious and had some questions.The daughter started her menses at age 11. The mother started her menses cycle at early age 9. The parents were informed of the teenage daughter curiosity and questions so that could be addressed personally. Pattern of Coping and Stress Tolerance Stress has had an impact on this family. The father has been hospitalized twice with a hypertensive crisis. Life changing events started from the birth of the twins, then the death of his mother a year ago and now work has been slower than usual, not enough hours to work and support his family.The mother is stressed from taking on the extra load of responsibilities. No recreational drugs or alcohol abuse in the home. Stress is relieved by spiritual needs being met and family support. Patterns of Values and Beliefs Religion is very important to this family, by attending church regularly and participating in extra activities at church with their church family. A close knit family is highly valued. The American culture is practiced in this family. Western medicine is their health practice.Wellness Diagnoses/Family Nursing DiagnosisReadiness for Enhanced Caregiver Role related to interrupted family processes and caregiver role strain (Gordon, 1994) Effective therapeutic Regimen Management related to non-complianc e with diet (Gordon, 1994) Conclusion The interviewing process of this family was intensive, but important information was gained. Areas noted for increased education and health promotion/well-being. Based on the functional health patterns assessment, wellness and family nursing diagnoses was implemented. Factors taken into consideration were the diet and weight concern, and the shift of responsibilities increasing stressors.

Descartes’ Religious Journey to find God Essay

In the book Meditations on First Philosophy, Rene’ Descartes states many theories and makes many points on a numerous amount of things. In â€Å"Meditation One: Concerning Those Things That Can Be Called Into Doubt†, I struggled with what Descartes was actually saying in terms of God, did he believe in His existence or didn’t he? However, by â€Å"Meditation Three: Concerning God, That He Exists†, I realized where Descartes stood religiously. I agree with Descartes when he doubts the existence of God in the first two meditations because by the third he has found his own way and proof that God does exist and to believe in Him. Descartes has many things that he considers to be reasonable to doubt. Throughout Descartes’ life he has had a long standing opinion that there is a God who is able to do anything who has actually created Descartes himself. He has believed in God’s existence and God’s creations his whole life. However, in Meditation I he is trying to clear his mind of what he believes in, and consider others beliefs that contradict his. He finds himself questioning, â€Å"How do I know he did not bring it about that there is no Earth at all? No Heavens?† (page 463 Kindle). He acknowledges that he judges others sometimes for their mistakes when they feel they have all the knowledge. Descartes views this is a deception on God’s part. Descartes argues that since God is said to be supremely good, why would he deceive us? Since God did not create me to be deceived all of the time, why would he allow me to be deceived on any occasion? An argument Descartes makes on the do ubt that God exists, is that some people view God as only good and that if He really did exist, no evil things would ever happen. Descartes tries not to oppose the opinions of others in this first meditation. He wants to imagine that he came to be what he was by fate, chance, or a connected chain of events, or some other way besides God creating him. Since being deceived or even making a mistake is seen as an imperfection, he says that the less powerful they see the creator of who we exist, the more probable it will be that we are so imperfect that we are always deceived. Descartes argues that it is not enough to make these observations and that we must take steps in our lives to remind ourselves of what we believe in and keep them in our memories. We need to take them exactly as what they are, although sometimes we may doubt them, so that it is more consonant to believe them rather than to deny them. This takes Descartes into his first meditation; he forces himself to believe that his creator is not a supremely good God, the source of truth, but rather an evil genius who is powerful, intelligent, and clever. H e looks at this evil genius as though he has spent Descartes’ entire life in an attempt to deceive him. He knocks out his seemingly obvious beliefs of heaven, air, earth, colors, shapes, sounds, and all other external things as nothing but hoaxes of his dreams, things that are not real and that do not exist. All of these things he now doubts. He sees himself now as having no hands, eyes, flesh, blood, any senses; they are just false beliefs that he possesses these things. Even though it is no longer in his power that he knows anything true, it is within his power to take care decisively, to withhold his assent to what is false, although more powerful, however clever and smart this evil genius may be, to have any effect on him. Descartes decides to put aside all of his doubts, as though he has discovered all of his doubts to be false, and decides to stay on this course until he knows something for certain, or in fact that he discovers for certain that nothing is certain. In â€Å"Meditation III: Concerning God, That He Exists†, Descartes closes his eyes, stops his ears, turns away his senses from their objects and begins endeavoring a more intimate knowledge of his self. He clarifies that he is a thinking thing, that he doubts, affirms, denies, knows few objects, and is also ignorant of many things. He recognizes that he is able to love, hate, and perceive. Descartes says that he cannot be certain of anything without knowing if God exists and if he can deceive. The idea of God is that he is infinite, independent, all powerful and all knowing, the creator of absolutely everything on this Earth, the creator of the earth, the universe, everything. All of these things are so great that the more carefully Descartes looks studies and considers them, the less persuaded he feels that the idea of them owes its origin to his self alone. This makes him come to his conclusion that God absolutely exists. Descartes feels he had to come from God, because if he came from his self, then he would have no doubts or desires or even thoughts of deception. There is no reason that he should continue to exist every day, or even minute, unless there is a higher power, a stronger force, that preserves him, which would be God. There are many reasons for me, which are different than Descartes reasons that God does in fact exist. Although science has made many breakthroughs trying to doubt God and His existence and all that He has made, they have not necessarily been able to prove he does not exist. The whole entire belief of God relies solely on faith. To have faith is to believe in something that you may not necessarily be able to see. To doubt the existence of God at all, goes against everything that He stands for (even though we all may have doubt in His existence at some point in our lives). Explaining that God exists is nearly impossible, it is something we are taught to believe at a young age (depending on how you were raised of course), without really being explained why or how. Everyone on this earth has their own personal experiences or beliefs about God, and those who believe in God have found Him in their own unique ways. Sometimes to truly believe in something, we have to doubt it at first and take a journey to find our own personal reasons to believe in it, just as Descartes did. Descartes struggled with an explanation of deceit and mistakes. He did not understand why God would allow those things to happen when he is supposed to represent only honesty and good in the world. An explanation that he did not refer to is the devil. The bible explains to us that God is good and the Devil is bad. From personal experiences, I used to struggle with why God would allow such horrible things to happen, why did he let my friends die in car crashes, why does death even exist at all? However, later in life, I discovered that the bad does not necessarily come from God, but it comes from the devil. We are to do our best to avoid hateful acts and to overcome evil, which are works of the devil. God is our creator and our reason for being, but we also have a responsibility and choice of life. He has created a world for us that we have taken advantage of and that has managed to unfortunately gain many evil acts and people. We are supposed to live by the bible, if we do not then God’s plan and course is taken astray. Although He ultimately controls everything, He also allows us to make our own decisions, choose our own paths, learn from our mistakes, and suffer the consequences of those mistakes. It is in our control to determine where we want to go in our lives and where we want to end up in our afterlife. After all, for those of us who believe in God, our being here on earth is only to prepare us for our after life, which hopefully will someday take us to Heaven.