Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Google Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1
Google - Essay Example With Google, come a number of different Google domains as these provide for a number of different languages in which information from the world over is available with a single click of the mouse. There are plenty of resources from where different stock quotes can be had, addresses can be found, phone numbers could be tracked, maps could be found out and news headlines can be checked upon. Google provides for a number of different search platforms like the dedicated image search which finds out the most precise of images as requested by the user and then there are the Usenet messages which has more than 1 billion posts and the earliest one dates back to the year 1981 when Internet was not a known thing by all accounts. It is not necessary to make the homepage of a userââ¬â¢s browser with Google linked up rather Google offers a personalized toolbar that looks after the needs of the user, as and when he requires to be hooked up onto the Google website or one of its domains and find i nformation to satisfy his net experience. More than anything else, Google offers a Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) platform when the user is away from his computer and this links him easily with the Google services and different domains of which he is very fond of. The best thing about Google is that it is very easy to use and there are no manuals to understand what it is all about. The ease of usage and convenience is something that Google can relate itself with and its competitors really lose the battle when we compare all of these with Google on this front. Googleââ¬â¢s utility has made it very common amongst teenagers, men and women and even adults. They know which website to enter when they need information or latest updates on a particular subject. It is indeed one of the best known brands that the corporate world of Internet has known. The best part about its
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Cannabis Misuse Effects on Wellbeing
Cannabis Misuse Effects on Wellbeing How does cannabis misuse impact on the health and well-being of young people between the ages of 11-17 in England? Introduction The major focus of this research will be to explore how the misuse of cannabis can affect the health and wellbeing of young people in England and who are between the ages of 11 ââ¬â 17 years. Gaining understanding on the impacts on the impacts on health and well being of these young people within the age group will help the researcher to make informed and evidence based recommendations on the appropriate health promotion interventions to tackle the health issue. Therefore, the research will involve an extensive review of journals that have specific relevance to the cannabis misuse among young people between the ages 11 ââ¬â 17; and the review will be followed by critical discussions on the key themes that will arise from the results of the literature review. Also the discussions will be drawn from the activities of a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) that is involved in tackling cannabis misuse among young people in the UK. Background and Rationale for Study Cannabis is from flowering plant known as cannabis sativa and it produces both euphoria and reduces anxiety (Naftali et al, 2013; Moore, 2007). The drug can be used occasionally by individuals without causing significant social or mental problems but heavy users or addicts may experience anxiety and disturbed sleep after withdrawal from its use (Schaub et al, 2013; Moffat et al, 2013). In the year 2009, the UK Government reclassified cannabis from being Class C drug to Class B making it illegal for anyone in possession of supply quantity (Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2011). The reclassifying of cannabis represents Government intervention to discourage poor lifestyle choices especially among young people who have been found to be indulged in cannabis abuse and also to promote healthy lifestyles. The 2011 data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre revealed that the ââ¬Å"prevalence of young adults ever having taken drugs has decreased from 48.6% in 1996 to 40.1% in 2010/11; and in 2009/10 lifetime prevalence was 40.7%. The number receiving help for primary cannabis use has increased by more than 4,000 since 2005/06 to 13,123 in 2009/10. The number of under- 18s treated for problem drug use associated with primary use of heroin and crack is 530, less than half the number in 2005/06â⬠(Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2011). Furthermore the data reveals that number of young people receiving help for primary cannabis use has increased by more than 4,000 since 2005/06 to 13,123 in 2009/2010. This increase in the number of young people receiving help for cannabis use is a major concern and this has prompted the decision to choose this topic. The concern here is that cannabis the misuse of cannabis health risks and which will widen the gap in the inequalities in the health of the population in the UK. According to Moffat et al (2013) the use of cannabis affects the nervous system and causes anxiety and this has the potential to affect the health and wellbeing of the individual in the long term especially where the body metabolism is not able to resist those effects. Another rationale for choosing to research on cannabis misuse among the young people of this age group is that, though there is recorded decrease in the use of cannabis based on the data by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (2011), th e 2013 report shows that ââ¬Å"as in previous years cannabis was the most widely used drug among pupils in 2012 with 7.5% reporting they had taken it in the last yearâ⬠(Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2014). The data suggests that the cannabis use among pupils is becoming a lifestyle and that if appropriate and adequate behavioural interventions are not implemented to cause a significant change of behaviour, this lifestyle may become a way of life of the 7.5% of the population of pupils. The wider implication of this unhealthy lifestyle is that the 7.5% of pupils may likely experience inequalities in health and also exclude them from maximising potentials. Health inequality simply means lack of uniformity in health or differences in health and this is often caused by various factors among which is the lifestyle of the population (Naidoo and Wills, 2011). This clearly suggests that the social distribution of health is linked to the differences in the risk behaviours of the individuals and that a change of risky behaviour reduces the differences in health (Naidoo and Wills, 2011). Aim and Objectives of the Research The aim of the research is examine the effectiveness of the interventions in reducing cannabis misuse among young people in England. To achieve this aim, the following 4 objectives have been set: To examine the prevalence of cannabis misuse among young people in England To explore the implication of cannabis misuse on the health and wellbeing of young people in England To identify a relevant organisation, justify its election and critically analyse one of its programme intervention in relation to cannabis misuse among young people in England To identify and critically discuss the effectiveness of interventions in responding to cannabis misuse in England. Literature Search Strategy The literatures will be searched electronically. The electronic search will involve the use online subject- specific databases to assess academic library. The use of the electronic to search literatures is due to the argument that computerised databases contain huge subject indexes of journal articles from which the research can choose subject-specific articles (Aveyard, 2010). The electronic databases from which journals will be sources from are PubMed; CINAHL; and others. The inclusion and exclusion strategy will be used because it will enable the researcher to identify the specific literatures that will be helpful in answering the research question and achieving the four research objectives (Aveyard, 2010). The first instance in the literature is to identify keywords that capture the essence of the research. The key words that will be used are: statistics of cannabis misuse in England; cannabis and young people aged 11-17 years; health risks and cannabis; and cannabis misuse and U K government interventions. Both quantitative and qualitative articles will be selected. The quantitative articles will include randomised controlled trials, cohort and case controls and cross-sectional studies (surveys/questionnaires); and qualitative studies will include grounded theory, ethnography and action research. Furthermore, only articles written within the past 10 years, that is, 2004 to 2014 will be included and articles that do not meet this criterion no matter how relevant and specific will be excluded. Ethics and anti-oppressive practice considerations It is important for the researcher to observe the main ethical issues relevant to the research process. This is because Bowling (2009) explains that those who agree to participate in the research process should be protected in relation to their privacy and manipulation and as such these participants should be shielded from any form of harm. The main ethical forms of protection for the participants are in terms of confidentiality; anonymity and informed consent (Bowling, 2009). Confidentiality and anonymity are the protections for the participants so that the information that they provide are not related to them and that their identities are not revealed. Informed consent is the protection which ensures that the participant is given appropriate and adequate information about the research topic and to seek his or her consent to enable an informed decision as to whether to participate or not to participate (Bowling, 2009). These ethical issues are mostly appropriate when carrying out pr imary research and not secondary research which does not involve contact with research participants (Bowling, 2009). Also the research will not be affected by other ethical principles of justice, non-maleficence, veracity and fidelity because it is a secondary research. However, this researcher will comply with the relevant ethical issues on secondary research. Therefore, the ethical issues such as informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality will not be considered since the research will not involve primary research. However, the research will comply with the requirements by the Internal Ethics Committee when it comes to plagiarism by ensuring that proper referencing is carried out so that the work of others will not be represented as those of this research. Research structure The research will be arranged in 4 chapters The chapter 1 will give a brief background of the research and the aims and objectives. The chapter 2 will analyse the results of the literatures that will be included from the literature search. Chapter 3 will briefly analyse the interventions by the UK Government and a chosen Non Governmental Agency (NGO). The analysis will be followed by critical discussion using relevant theories of Health Promotion to evaluate the extent to which the interventions have been effective in achieving the desired objective of health and well being for young people between the ages 11 ââ¬â 17 years. The final part of the research will entail writing a reflective essay to critically evaluate what I have learnt through the processes of the essay and the relevant of the learning to my future career as a health and social care professional. Project Time Table Given below is the timetable for the project. This timetable is flexible considering the fact that there may be changes in the University timetable and also the constraints in getting feedback from the supervisor who has very tight academic schedule References Aveyard, H. (2010) Doing a literature review in health and Social Care. A practical guide. New York, NY Open University Bowling A (2009) Research Methods in Health Investigating health service 3rd edition, Open University Press, England McGraw-Hill Moore TH, Zammit S, Lingford-Hughes A, Barnes TR, Jones PB, Burke M, Lewis G (2007). Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes : a systematic review. Lancet 370, 319ââ¬â328. Moffat BM, Jenkins EK, Johnson JL; Weeding out the information: an ethnographic approach to exploring how young people make sense of the evidence on cannabis. Harm Reduct J. 2013 Nov 27;10(1):34. Naidoo J. and Will J. (2011) Public Health and Health Promotion: Foundation for Health Promotion. Bailliere Tindall, Elsevier Naftali, T,Bar-L. Schleider. L,Dotan. I,Lansky E.P,Sklerovsky B. F, and Konikoff F.M. (2013) Cannabis induces a clinical response in patients with Crohns disease: a prospective placebo-controlled study. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol.2013 Oct; 11(10):1276-1280.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2013.04.034. Epub 2013 May 4. Schaub MP, Haug S, Wenger A, et al; Can reduce the effects of chat-counseling and web-based self-help, Web-based self-help alone and a waiting list control program on cannabis use in problematic cannabis users: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. 2013 Nov 14; 13(1):305. Health and Social Care Information Centre (2011) Statistics on Drug Misuse: England, Available at:www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB12994/drug-misu-eng-2013-rep.pdf. Accessed on 04/12/2014 1
Friday, October 25, 2019
A Farewell to Arms Essay: Inevitability of Death Revealed
Inevitability of Death Revealed in A Farewell To Arms à à à Ernest Hemingway has been greatly criticized for a supposed hatred of women that some feel is evident in his writings. One of the primary books that critics believe shows this misogynistic attitude is A Farewell To Arms. It is counterproductive to interpret the book using such a narrow focus because the author is dealing with much more profound themes. Hemingway is not concerned with the theme of gender equality, but rather with the greater themes of the inherent struggle of life and the inevitability of death. à The first images of struggle and death are seen in chapter 9 when Frederic is wounded. Up to this point in the story Hemingway had portrayed a very serene, pastoral setting and existence for the characters. It is here, though, that this comes crashing down. Hemingway is showing the horrors of war. War is not a glorious and colorful event; it is a dirty and base thing. This is the first hint that the romantic notions Frederic clings to might prove false. There is suggestion here that human existence is fairly tragic. à Hemingway shows many deaths as a result of the war. Passini, Rinaldi (who it is inferred died of syphilis), nameless officers, a sergeant, Aymo, and many others are casualties of the insane war. Their deaths are shown as casual, random events in the life of Frederic. Throughout the entire book Frederic seems to be trying to escape this death that is all around him and retreat once more to the serene existence he enjoys at the beginning of the book. This sets up what I believe to be the theme of the book: struggle is inherent in life and death is inevitable. à Another representative of death is Count Greffi towards the e... ...ainst Hemingway that charges he is a woman hater. Hemingway does not idealize Catherine out of some deep hatred of women. He does not subordinate her to show male dominance. In fact, I believe that Catherine is a minor factor in this book and is more of a tool used for thematic purposes. Hemingway uses her to show Frederic's inability to escape death. To use the ant metaphor (327-328), we are all ants on a log unknowingly running into the fire. And just when the log is tipped so we are away from the flames, just when we think that we are safe, someone tips us back in the fire and we die. Hemingway is showing that man's frantic struggles and his scurrying about are futile, we all die in the end. Also, as much as we may try, we cannot keep death out of our lives. à Works Cited Hemingway, Ernest A Farewell To Arms. Scribner Paperback Fiction: NY, 1995. Ã
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Enlightenment thinking Essay
The Declaration of Independence is the basis of our government here in the United States. When the authors of this document were writing it they included many references to enlightenment theories. Of these many theories three within the document can be attributed to John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Thomas Hobbes. John Locke was a believer in the three natural rights of man, life, liberty, and property. In the Declaration of Independence Lockeââ¬â¢s idea can be found throughout but one example is, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦It is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government laying its foundation of such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.â⬠This quote is exactly along the lines of Lockeââ¬â¢s thinking. He believed that a government is there to serve and protect, and if the government does not do its duty, then the people have a right to overthrow a government and start a new one. Rousseau believed that all men were free and ought to be, therefore any government must act according to the will of the people. The Declaration of Independence includes this too, ââ¬Å"A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.â⬠This quote reflects Rousseauââ¬â¢s ideas exactly. That man is ââ¬Å"in chainsâ⬠by the government a must be free. Finally, Thomas Hobbes was a believer in the social contract stating that to gain rights people had to give up rights. One right which people were supposed to gain was protection by the government. This idea can be found within the Declaration of Independence, ââ¬Å"He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.â⬠The Declaration of Independence contains many different enlightenment ideas. These ideas had a great impact on the founding of the United States and still do today.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Farmer Suicides and Agrarian Distress
FC PROJECT- SEM II FARMERSââ¬â¢ SUICIDES AND AGRARIAN DISTRESS 1988: ââ¬Å"The peasants have started to flex the political muscles that their economic betterment has given them â⬠¦ They have acquired the capacity to launch the kind of sustained struggle they have. It is going to be difficult to [â⬠¦ ] contain themâ⬠¦ because they command the vote banks in the countryside to which every party seeks accessâ⬠¦ A new specter of peasant power is likely to haunt India in coming years. â⬠Editorial in Times of India, Feb 3 1988, following farmer agitations for higher prices and subsidies in Western Uttar Pradesh 005: ââ¬Å"Agriculture [in India today] is an economic residue that generously accommodates non-achievers resigned to a life of sad satisfaction. The villager is as bloodless as the rural economy is lifeless. From rich to poor, the trend is to leave the villageâ⬠¦ â⬠Dipankar Gupta, The Vanishing Village 2007: ââ¬Å"Rates of growth of agriculture in the last decade have been poor and are a major cause of rural distress. Farming is increasingly becoming an unviable activity. â⬠Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India Introduction India is primarily an agricultural country. More than 60% of its population directly or indirectly depends on agriculture. Agriculture accounts for approximately 33% of Indiaââ¬â¢s GDP. Agriculture in India is often imputed to ââ¬Ëgambling with monsoonââ¬â¢. Farmers are heavily dependent on the monsoons for their harvest. If the monsoons fail, they leave the farmer under a heap of debt with no harvest, their only source of income. Unable to bear the heavy burden of debt, they see suicide as the de2003-2008. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there have been nearly 2 lakh farmer suicides since 1997. However, indebtedness is not the only reason for suicides. The suicides are a manifestation of the growing agrarian distress in India. It is clear from the current crisis, that the agrarian interest is marginalized in the national policy agenda today. Agrarian Crisis Falling productivity: Over the years the economy of India had undergone a structural transformation due to which the share of agriculture has been declining. However the workforce employed in agriculture hasnââ¬â¢t decreased. Accordingly, in 2004-05, the share of agriculture in GDP was 20. %, and yet the workforce employed in agriculture was still 56. 5%. This structural dissimilarity means that there is a large difference in the productivity of workers in agriculture and in non-agriculture occupations, productivity of workers in agriculture being one fifth of those in non-agriculture. Marginalization of peasantry: This high burden of labour force has, in addition, been falling on a slowly contracting cultivable land area. Between 1960 and 2003, the number of holdings doubled from 51 million to 101 million, while the area operated declined from 133 million hectares to 108 million hectares. This has led to a sharp decline in the average size of the holding, leading to increasing number of small and marginal farmers. Hence, the proportion of marginal landholders has increased from 39. 1% in 1960-61 to 71% in 2003, and among them they only operate 22. 6% of the land. This continuing skewed pattern of land ownership reflects the lack of serious land reforms. Increasing marginalization forces the farmers into sharecropping and renting additional land. This leads to difficulties like insecurity of lease, increasing costs and inadequate returns from production, and difficulties in accessing credit. Declining growth rates: Growth rates of agriculture have been on the decline. The growth rate by GDP from agriculture fell from 3. 08% during 1980-81 to 1990-91, to 2. 57% during 1992-93 to 2005-06. This included a dip to 1. 3% in 1999-2000 and even a negative growth of -2% in 2000-2001. Declining profitability of agriculture: The ratio of total prices received by the agricultural sector to the total prices paid by it to non-agricultural sectors is one of the important economic indicators to test whether agricultural sector as a whole has either gained or lost in the process of economic growth. Although the reforms in the 90s with policies such as devaluation of currency were expected to benefit agriculture and improve its relative terms of trade (ToT), this has not really been sustained. The barter and income ToT became favourable to agriculture from 1984-85 until 1996-97, but thereafter they more or less stagnated Likewise, the Input-Output Price Parity (computed by comparing the index of prices paid for agricultural inputs with the index of prices received for the outputs, has since 1994-95 remained lower than one hundred, indicating declining profitability of agriculture (Government Of India, 2008). Erosion of real incomes of farmers: When the prices received by the farmers for their crops are compared with the prices they pay for consumer goods (i. e. , Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labour ââ¬â CPIAL), it is observed that farmers are facing an erosion of real incomes because the growth in aggregate price index for consumer goods has been higher than the growth in price index for agricultural commodities (Govt. of AP 2007). This has resulted in declining relative living standards of farmers, particularly for small and marginal farmers whose incomes are clearly inadequate to meet consumption expenditure. Slowdown of exports: Exports flattened out after 1997 following the East Asian Crisis and the consequent large deceleration in growth of international trade in agriculture. Simultaneously, international prices started falling for most commodities, making Indian exports uncompetitive. Cheap imports have been on the rise with the removal of quantitative restrictions on agriculture by 2000. Changing cropping patterns: With the opening-up of the economy, expectations of export opportunities and higher world prices for agricultural commodities led many farmers to move into cash crops, away from traditional subsistence crops. Devaluation of the rupee made Indian exports cheaper and hence attractive on the world market, and further encouraged cultivation of cash crops. On aggregate, the total area of the countryââ¬â¢s farmland growing traditional grains declined by 18% in the decade after 1990-91, whereas areas growing non-food crops of cotton and sugarcane increased by 25% and 10% respectively. Declining irrigation: Ironically, with a shift in cropping patterns towards more water intensive cash crops, the aggregate net irrigated area remained stagnant (GoI 2007). State governments have grossly neglected investment in surface irrigation infrastructure. Consequently there has been an increase in private investment in exploiting ground-water sources (mainly bore wells), which have been growing relative to canal and tank irrigation. This has led to overexploitation of ground water and a falling water table, forcing farmers to deepen their wells every few years, which is expensive. Disappearing institutions: The gradual weakening of state-support has also lead to dormancy of several state-run corporations, which used to provide support to the small-scale farmer. In AP, among these were the AP State Agro Development Corporation (APSADC) which manufactured and distributed agricultural machinery, tools and inputs at subsidized rates, and AP State Seeds Development Corporation (APSSDC) which produced its own seed, sold it. Agricultural Extension Service was also downsized. Credit squeeze The farmers perhaps most acutely feel the withdrawal of the state in the decline in institutional credit support. With agriculture becoming increasingly commercialized and costs of cultivation rising, most farmers look for external sources of credit. Institutional credit comes in the form of loans from commercial, co-operative, and regional rural banks. The nationalization of main banks in 1969 required them to prioritize lending to agriculture, with tight interest-rate controls. But this came to an abrupt end with the Narasimham Committee on Banking Reforms post-1991. Through various redefinitions of what constituted priority lending, the committee slowly squeezed credit lines to farmers. In AP the proportion of bank lending to agriculture fell from 43% in 1998 to 26. 7% in 2003, covering only one-third of the credit needs of the farmers. Even mandates of special lending to SCs, STs and very small farmers were revoked to pursue commercial viability and aggressive loan recovery. Tenant cultivators with insufficient titles are altogether denied access to formal credit. With this drying up of formal credit, the farmers are left with no choice than to depend on ââ¬Ëinformalââ¬â¢ sources for credit. An NSSO survey in 2004 revealed that 68. 6% of the total loans taken by farmers in AP are from the informal credit market. This credit typically comes at usurious interest rates (anything between 36% and 100% compound), and worse, from the same entrepreneur who is selling the farmer the seeds and fertilizers. This stranglehold of the trader-moneylender has become the root of much exploitation and misery. Credit from these agents is almost never in cash form. It is inputs (his own brand of seeds, fertilizers) issued against the future output whose price, invariably low and exploitative, is fixed by the agent himself. Farmer suicides Causes and Statistics The drying up of institutional credit and exploitative informal credit traps in the face of rising costs and declining profitability have led to pervasive indebtedness among farmers. The Situation Assessment Survey of Farmers in the 59th round of NSS in 2003 revealed that nearly half the farmers in the country were indebted. The incidence was higher in states with input-intensive agriculture like Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, and was highest at 82% in Andhra Pradesh (GoI 2007). The cotton belt is where the suicides are taking place on a very, very large scale. It is the suicide belt of India. The share of the Big 5 States or ââ¬Ësuicide beltââ¬â¢ in 2008 ââ¬â Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh ââ¬â remained very high at 10,797, or 66. 6 per cent of the total farm suicides in the country. According to a study by the government of Maharashtra, almost 6 in 10 of those who kill themselves had debts between $110 and $550. Indebtedness, along with the constellation of input and output risks elaborated above has been putting the farmer under sustained duress. A tragic manifestation of this has been the phenomenon of suicides among desperate farmers. Since 1995, farmer suicides have been reported regularly from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Goa and Sikkim. A Durkheimian study of the suicides concludes that the marginalization of the rural sector in the national policy agenda which prioritizes rapid economic growth is leaving rural producers with a feeling of socio-economic estrangement from the community, and that the suicides were an effect of individualization of this estrangement. After Suicide Farms are confiscated due to inability to pay back high interest loans. Corrupt moneylenders harass the families. Widows are burdened with the new responsibility as the sole breadwinner. Children sometimes lose both parents to suicide, forcing their education to a alt, especially if they have to work in order to provide for their needs. Economic packages are provided to the farmers. But due to corruption the help never reaches the family. Conclusion and Recommendations: All over the world the impact of an industrial approach to boosting crop yields has stripped many small farmers of their self-sufficiency and thrown them into despair. A few r ecommendations are as follows: ?Input costs should be reduced. ?Markets must be made available for agricultural produce. ?A good market price must be provided for agricultural products. For farmers, credit should be made available at low interest rates. ?The extension system should be revived to solve problems in the field. ?There should be a proper system to address the issue of water scarcity. ?Adequate water for irrigation should be provided. ?Conserve Agro Bio -Diversity in Gene and Seed banks. ?Increase budget outlay for Agriculture in every Five Year plan of the Government of India. ?Agricultural land should not be given to SEZ. ?The use of Genetically Modified Seeds should be stopped and organic agricultural practices encouraged. Farmers' Rights law to be implemented immediately. ?Investments should be made to restore soil health. 2007: ââ¬Å"The problem cannot be solved through economic packages alone. What is needed is social and spiritual interventions so that the farmers realize that suicide is not the way outâ⬠¦ they should understand that they need to develop self confidence. The future generation should have the mental strength to face life's challenges. â⬠Amma REFERENCES http://agrariancrisis. in/ http://wikipedia. org/ http://www. councilforresponsiblegenetics. org/
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
The Power of Sound in Films Analysis Essay
The Power of Sound in Films Analysis Essay The Power of Sound Analysis Essay Sample The Power of Sound Analysis Essay Sample With the development of filmmaking, sound has become an element that is equally important as images in the film. An excellent sound design not only helps reveal the vividness of the image used but also functions in the narrative of the story and influences spectators perception. The pitch of the sound and its intensity used throughout the film helps the audience better understand the storyline. The crime thriller No Country for Old Men is a good example of a film that uses sound to capture the audiences attention and assist in narrating the story (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). Instead of using any non-diegetic sounds to enhance the films action, the filmmaker chooses to manipulate speech and sound effects to convey meanings, engage senses and feelings, and to guide attention and expectation for the audience. This paper provides a critical analysis that helps to better understand the exclusive use of diegetic sounds in the film. The Power of Sound in Film Industry Sound is an important component in guiding the audiences attention and expectation in the process of watching the film. In the same light that the last paragraph or sentence in a scene should connect with the first paragraph or sentence, the type of sound used enables the audience to have some expectation of what events are upcoming, and thus guide their understanding and feelings of the film (ââ¬Å"Yale film studies,â⬠n.d.). With the help of appropriate sound used as a background for charactersââ¬â¢ monologues and dialogues, the filmmaker tries to convey explicit, implicit, and symptomatic meanings to the audience. The film begins with the monologue of Sheriff Tom. Here, his soft words in a low pitch have explicitly showed his sentimental attachment to the past and his confusion to the present (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). More deeply, his description of his career by the use of unexpected sound raising, as though he was angry, shows his disappointment. He manages to narrate about his life at younger and older age, and thus captures the audienceââ¬â¢s attention making them want to know more about how the time he is living is different. His unexpected high tone raising the sound shows violence and danger of a person living in his generation. As he narrates how youngsters are losing their morality, a shooting sound is heard showing that his only option as a sheriff, a guard of social security, was to hold a gun and act in search for justice (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). The shooting sound is high enough to capture attention of the audience who are now curious and fearful, and the filmmaker can now move them to another idea. The success of the filmmaker is based on the sound produced. Further, the sheriff is seen in the monologue in which slow, low, and soothing sound holds viewers intact. His monol ogue is a tool to express the theme of the story and foreshadow a series of events that happen later in the film. Therefore, the choice of sound in this section connects the scene with the other upcoming scenes and prepares viewers towards what to expect further. The filmmaker accentuates on the use of diegetic sounds as a way of capturing the viewersââ¬â¢ senses and feelings (Bordwell, 2008). The two monologues at the initial part of the last section as well as Sheriffs two dreams are a way of capturing the feelings of the audience. The filmmaker uses sound to bring the idea of dreams, which is explained as a flashback, and at the moment where the sheriff finally wakes up, a loud, frightening sound is heard (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). The sheriff explains that his father appeared in his two dreams. His dreams represent his previous faith to his career as a sheriff and his desire to return to the days that he has been familiar with. His previous career is unveiled together with the low-pitched sound, while his desire to go back to his old days is brought in a bang to express disappointment with the current situation. As a result, there are no men of his likes in the current era, and his father becomes his companion. His fathers companionship is expressed in the soft sound of the wind at the beginning of a dream and a loud sound in the magnitude of scream to show his disappearance. The filmmaker engages the audience through two monologues, which show the Sheriffs disappointment with the current life and the lack of similar personalities to bond with. The change from dream world through changing pitches of the sound captures the viewersââ¬â¢ senses and feelings. They get to learn about the corruption of the current society that stirs their emotions. With live senses and emotions, as amplified by sound during the film, the viewers are keen to follow the unfolding of the film hence leading to their understanding (ââ¬Å"Yale film studies,â⬠n.d.). Further, the filmmaker has used diegetic sounds to convey meanings, for example, the conversation between Chigurh and Mosss wife, Carla Jean, through the associated sound effects conveys the meaning of the text to the audience. When Chigurh comes to find Carla Jean and asks her to call a side of the coin, she replies that he does not have to do this and refuses to call (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). The conversation is confrontational, and the pitch of the sound in the conversation rises from low to high. The high-pitched voice used by Carla Jean shows her stand, her nature of defiance, and rejection of evil doings of corruption. The sound is a way to show the magnitude of the badness of corruption. Their conversation shows that Carla Jeans life does not lie on her fortune but is held in Chigurhs hands. The sound effects in the dialogue help explain to the audience that corruption is not caused by the society but by people themselves (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). The use of different sounds in the film is a way to capture attention of the audience. When the scene is quiet, for example, viewers will be glued to the screens more with the hope and intention of grasping the next occurrence. According to Bordwell, sound gives a new value to silence: a quiet passage in a film will force the audience to concentrate on the screen (Bordwell, 2008). At the beginning of the film, Chigurh is arrested by the young sheriff. The viewer can only see the Sheriff speaking on the phone and hear the sound, but the other environment around them is dead silent. This type of silence forces the audience to look keenly on the screen to catch every move made by characters (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). The viewer is sure that silence will result in an action and hence they will be more attracted, since the film already created suspense in them. Therefore, the use of different sound effects is a way to capture viewersââ¬â¢ attention. In addition to guiding attention, sound effects used in the film enhance the creation of suspense and guide viewersââ¬â¢ expectations. If the filmmaker incorporates too many silent scenes, then the audience will be bored and lose focus, probably doze off. To avoid such instances, a filmmaker creates ambient sounds that focus on the main character as a way of emphasizing the themes and meaning of the story (Bordwell, 2008). For most outdoor activities, sound is important. A good example of how the filmmaker eliminates uncomfortable silence scenes and replaces them with ambient sounds is when Moss discovers the dead bodies and money when hunting in the desert. The audience can only hear the sound of the wind, insects, footsteps, etc., which are made louder than in the real world. Additionally, the audience will have more suspense as well as tension. In the long run, viewers better understand the film (ââ¬Å"Yale film studies,â⬠n.d.). In the same way that sound will bring certain meaning to the audience, silence will also elaborate something or prepare viewers for a scene. It can be used to successfully connect two or more scenes in the film. Silence can be used as a way to prepare the audience for a major happening that characterizes or is crucial to the story line (Bordwell, 2008). After silence, an abrupt sound is made and it either frightens the audience or arouses their emotions. For example, the silence of the environment between the young Sheriff and Chigurh helps emphasize the sudden sounds of struggles between them. Besides, before Chigurhs shootings, the sound of conversation is soft, but when the sound of a gunshot finally happens, it is abrupt and loud (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). In that way, silence and a soft sound are a way to prepare the audience for the major part of the story as depicted by the filmmaker. Finally, different sounds used are a way to grasp viewers attention and make them focus on the characters. In that way, viewersââ¬â¢ attention is enhanced, for example, the different sounds of phone calls before the killer called captures viewersââ¬â¢ attention, while the other underground sounds, such as motifs car engine, guide the viewer into focusing on the character (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). Therefore, sounds in some way suggest to the audience that they need to give the film or the character some time and space. Thus, apart from capturing their attention, the sound nurtures their patience in the story (ââ¬Å"Yale film studies,â⬠n.d.). In conclusion, sound plays a major role in filmmaking. Its presence or absence enhances the storyline by characterizing its flow. It is used to show meanings of different actions, such as when characters abruptly raise their sound and the filmmaker aims to reveal anger. A sound is important in raising emotions and engaging viewersââ¬â¢ senses, for example, a dream that is brought in the form of a flashback and a spirit appears and then disappears will make the audience develop feelings as well as fear. Consequently, they will be more focused. Moreover, the use of sound is used to capture attention of the audience, for example, where silence dominates for long, the viewers will tend to concentrate to unmask the storyline. Finally, sound is a way to create suspense, connect different parts of the story, and create expectation about the story. Therefore, sound is equally important in filmmaking just as images and words.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Plea Bargains Essay Example
Plea Bargains Essay Example Plea Bargains Paper Plea Bargains Paper Plea-bargaining can mean many things to many people, in and out of the courtroom. Let us first start by defining plea bargain. Plea bargain is defined an agreement in which the defendant enters a guilty plea in exchange for a reduced sentence. This is the technical meaning, but as I stated before, the word plea bargain can mean very different things to very different people. To the accused, the word plea bargain means a freedom of choice. To the prosecutor, it means a lesser workload. To the Judge, it means saving his time and the courts time, and to the state, a plea bargain means saving money. In my perception, the word plea bargain means a failure of the American trial system. The Constitution grants us, the citizens of this country, a right to speedy trial by jury of our peers. Where exactly do you see that right, which is rightfully ours, in plea bargains? How can our trial and court system not bestow the punishment that fits the crime? When we give the accused freedom of choice, isnââ¬â¢t that an oxymoron? The only effectiveness I can see in the court system plea bargains is that solely the courts are benefitting from them. The courts save time, money and the prosecutors save themselves from a huge workload. Plea bargains have no effectiveness on the justice. How are the victims given justice if the accused gets a far lesser sentence and punishment than is fairly just? How can the accused learn their lesson when they have the freedom to choose a lesser punishment? How does the public perceive our trial system as fair and just when plea bargains are being over used to save time and money? Plea bargaining is not a useful tool. The court systems, in order to save themselves from a trial, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦forces the party into a situation where they have to take a guess about what the evidence is, about how strong the case might be, and they have to make that guess against the background of enormously severe penalties if you guess wrong. â⬠(Schulhofer, 2004) Even though defendants are innocent, they do not know if they will be proved innocent or guilty without a reasonable doubt when in front of a jury. They are pressured into taking a guilty plea because they cannot afford the risk of going to trial. The court systems are unable to sort out the guilty people from the innocent and that is the main reason this system of plea bargaining is not a useful tool to the courts, the public, the defendants and the victims. The word plea bargain may mean many different things to many different people but what we must understand is that plea bargain has many more cons than pros for both the faith of the people in the criminal justice system as well as the victims. Our justice system should be fair and just for all but all it seems to do is save time and money for the state and put many innocent people in jail and give the freedom of choice. It is time to change our trial and court systems to reflect what our founding fathers initially desired from it, the right to a speedy trial from our jury of peers, because the only people plea bargains benefit are the GUILTY! Schulhofer, S. (2004, June 17). Frontline. Retrieved October 22, 2010 from PBS: pbs. org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/plea/faqs/ Seiter, R. P. (2008). The Role of Plea Bargaining and Sentencing. In R. P. Seiter, Corrections An Introduction 2nd Edition (pp. 47-48). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.
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