Reviewing Films Depicting Supremacy of Artificial Intelligence Essay Example for Free

Reviewing Films Depicting Supremacy of Artificial Intelligence Essay There is without a shadow of a doubt that we are now living in a time when there is almost nothing we cannot accomplish. The outbreak of high technology all around the world is soaring, and day by day, improvements on what is already highly intelligent devices are being developed. From computers, to cellular phones, to MP3 players, everything has been made accesible to man. Because of this technology, man can bask in his creations and marvel at the genius that he has invented through the years. Half a decade ago, todays technology wouldnt have even been deemed as possible. Yesteryears most advanced technological developers probably wouldnt have even dreamed of the possibilities of what we now have today. But such is the development of the human mind: our intelligence is further developing and increasing, being able to establish new concepts and ideas to be used for our own benefits. Indeed, with this highly advanced technology, we are further establishing ourselves as the dominant species of the planet. For us, we are in charge of our own destinies, and no species of another kind can tell us otherwise. But one is lead to ponder about the marvels of our own creations. What if the articifial intelligence we created were able to evolve themselves? What if these computers suddenly became self-aware, and starts acknowledging its own existence? It is true that we are the one who controls the technology, but what if the technology were able to control itself? If it became self-aware, what if, all of a sudden, it starts to refuse to follow its human creators? And if not the computers themselves, what if one person controlling these technologies started using them for their own ulterior motives? With our main defenses relying on technological advances, what if these advances were suddenly used against us? Would the humans still be able to lay its claim as the rulers of the earth when a something else establishes themselves as more intelligent and dominant? Such is the fear that some of us have: the fear of having our own technology turned against us. We fear the idea that perhaps someday, these computers that we have in our homes would become intelligent enough to start recognizing its own existence. In the early nineties, technophobia became rampant among the adults, although this fear was largely based on the misconceptions on computers being too overly complicated. Still, for some people, the advancements in technology is reason for them to be cautious about our own inventions. Creating Technopobia in Movies Since early in the 1980s, there have been a string of movies depicting highly advanced technology being used woefully and without any regard towards others. These movies often show state-of-the-art gadgets or creations, which are used against the protagonists to further cause ruin and devastation. Oftentimes these gadgets are used for the wrong reasons, and with its infinite possibilities, it creates the fear that maybe what we have created may not be totally beneficial to us, and could possibly create more harm than help in the long run. Perhaps the most popular among the movies that came out during the eighties that depicted this theme was the 1984 movie Terminator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a human cyborg sent back in time. In the future, Skynet, a computer system fights a losing war against the humans who built it, and who it nearly exterminated. Just before being destroyed, Skynet sends a Terminator back in time to kill Sarah, the mother to be of John Connor, the Leader of the human resistance. The terminator can pass for human, is nearly indestructible, and has only one mission: killing Sarah Connor. One soldier is sent back to protect her from the killing machine. He must find Sarah before the Terminator can carry out its mission (MGM. com). This movie portrays Skynet as a super computer, one that is capable to making decisions for itself. The super computer becomes self-aware, and recognizes the human race as a threat to its existence. It therefore wages a war against all of mankind, which almost led to the anniliation of the entire planet. In 1998, the movie Enemy of the State provided a different insight on abusing highly advanced technology. Robert Dean, the main character of the story, is just a successful and gutsy labor lawyer when he runs into an old college friend who was a big hurry. Unknown to him, that friend secretly drops a disc and viewer containing footage of a political assassination overseen by the senior advisor to the National Security Agency. Unfortunately, that politician soon learns what Dean has in his possession and secretly uses the vast resources of the NSA to find, investigate and stop him before he goes public. Soon, Dean finds himself on the run, with his assests frozen, his loved ones watched and actively hunted by NSA agents using all the survellience technology they have available. Not knowing what is going, Dean must stay one step ahead while trying to figure out the cause of this mess (Yahoo! Movies). This movie dwells on the idea of government surveillance and the invasion of our personal privacy by the government. We see from the movie that these technological advances could be easily used against us, and just as it could make our lives easier, it could also make it extremely difficult. We also find that if technology were to be used the wrong way, then those in power could have a commanding control over our very lives. Another movie that depicted computers going against humans was the highly acclaimed The Matrix. Thomas A. Anderson is a man living two lives: by day he is an average computer programmer and by night a malevolent hacker known as Neo. Neo has always questioned his reality but the truth is far beyond his imagination. Neo finds himself targeted by the police when he is contacted by Morpheus, a legendary computer hacker branded a terrorist by the government. Morpheus awakens Neo to the real world, a ravaged wasteland where most of humanity have been captured by a race of machines which live off of their body heat and imprison their minds within an artificial reality known as the Matrix. As a rebel against the machines, Neo must return to the Matrix and confront the agents, super powerful computer programs devoted to snuffing out Neo and the entire human rebellion (Whatisthematrix. com). The movie is almost identical to the concept of the Terminator, in which there is a computer mind that becomes self-aware of its own existence. Knowing that it has the power of technology, it sees the human race as disposable, and decides to take over and control the entire world. When Neo met Morpheus, he was awakened to the fact that they were being used by the computer systems as mere batteries to continue sustaining their own power. And it was up to them to reawaken the rest of the world from this nightmare that is the Matrix. The Fear of Control What these three films had in common was theme of technology taking over the human lives. The films shared similar highly advanced technology that in one way was very helpful, but at the other end caused problems that were catastrophic. This is what we are afraid of; that maybe perhaps at some point, our own creations would backfire on us and cause a lot of harm towards society, and it would perhaps be unstoppable when it happens. Perhaps what motivates the persistence of these kinds of themes is the fact that we all know that this fantasy that they try to present could and might become possible in the future. Fifty or so years ago, our technology today wasnt even thought of as possible. A lot of things are being developed today that our predescessors couldnt have possibly dreamed of back in the day. Nowadays, the sky is the limit. The human race is making every dream come to life, developing newer and better technology every single day. So deep inside, we know that this threat of computers taking over is not a long shot. We see that perhaps someday, artificial intelligence would become this advanced as to be self-aware. And if this happens, whats gonna stop them from taking over the world and eliminating the human race? In terms of humans going against fellow humans using technology, we ourselves could be comparable to this technology. Donna Haraway mentions how we are like the cyborgs, which are both part machine and part organism. She further states: In short, we are cyborgs. The cyborg is our ontology; it gives us our politics. The cyborg is a condensed image of both imagination and material reality, the two joined centres structuring any possibility of historical transformation. In the traditions of â€Å"Western† science and politics—the tradition of racist, male- dominant capitalism; the tradition of progress; the tradition of the appropriation of nature as resource for the productions of culture; the tradition of reproduction of the self from the reflections of the other—the relation between organism and machine has been a border war (Harraway, 516). With the peer-to-perr capabilities of networked computer communication today, it is likely to have a major impact on both the film and music business. Depending on how this technology is used, it could have either a postive or negative effect on these industries. Everything could be made easier with technology, films and music could be produced with relative ease, and everything to be made more accesible. On the other hand, changing the sytems could mean doing things a lot different, which could cause a chain reaction among those who are involved. Business could be done more efficiently, but it could leave people out of jobs. Human work might be replaced by much more efficient computers doing their jobs, and that could have an effect on the economy of the country. Looking back, technology has certainly come along way since back in the old days, when all of this conveniences didnt exist. It is easy to picture people being intimidated by these advancements, due to its infinite potential. Depending on how it is used, it could be very good for all of us, or it could be catastrophic to all. Only time will tell whether these technological improvements would come back to haunt us in the long run. Works Cited Enemy of the State. Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 3 June 2008 from http://movies. yahoo. com/shop? d=hvcf=infoid=1800021531 Haraway, Donna. â€Å"A Cyborg Manifesto. † The New Media Reader (1985). pp. 515-541. The Matrix Trilogy. Whatisthematrix. com. Retrieved 3 June 2008 from http://whatisthematrix. warnerbros. com/ The Terminator. MGM. com. Retrieved 3 June 2008 from http://www. mgm. com/title_title. php? title_star=TERMINAT

What A Higher Education Means To Me Essay Example for Free

What A Higher Education Means To Me Essay As a military officer working with the United States of America’s Air Force, a higher education means a lot to me. The United States of America’s Air Force mission is to deliver sovereign options in a bid to offer defence to the nation and serve other global interest. It is the youngest of the U. S Armed Force’s branches and it was created in 1947. The United States of America Air Force flies and fights in air, space and in cyberspace. The US Air Force’s vision is global vigilance reach and power (Sandra, 2004) As a military officer, furthering my education is very crucial since it will prepare me effectively to effect the air force’s vision of keeping vigil for the globe, reaching other globes as well as exercising power and force of the United States of America’s Air Force. Going for further studies means advancing my knowledge and skills. In today’s globalized world, the United States of America’s Air Force officers need to be more knowledgeable so as to be in a position to offer effective service in today’s highly demanding, challenging and complex globe. Higher Education implies that I will gain more technical knowledge and skills. Global vigilance is very demanding and there is no way an Air Force officer can keep watch, day and night on a globe which he does not have adequate knowledge and information on its economic, political and social aspects. Thus, pursuing further studies on politics of other nations will prepare me in knowing what to expect. For instance, when the United States of America’s Air force is expected to spy on dealings of say a neighbouring or a terrorist nation, prior knowledge and information on the given nation is very crucial since it helps the officers be in a position to detect strange or unexpected behaviour or operations of the nation. This will make it easy for the military officers to make decisions on whether to attack the nation or not. Thus, decisions to advance education for military officers in the united states of America’s Air Force has been met by a lot of support (Sandra, 2004) Many Air Force officers have developed a desire to advance their education. Furthering one’s education by enrolling for studies in an institution of higher learning implies that the Air Force officers will also advance their careers, which means offering effective service to the community. In most institutions of higher learning for Air Force officers, language studies and cultural studies have been focused at service academics. These studies are very crucial in that there is no way United States of America’s Air Force officers can communicate to other officers across the globe without the use of language. A higher education also means that I will be more effective and will deliver recommendable service to the United States Air Force, the United States nation and the whole globe. Effective service implies that my seniors i. e. the Chief Master sergeant of the Air Force or the Air Force chief of staff will recognize my good work. Continued appraisals, acknowledgements and rewards will mean that my seniors may decide to reward my efforts and determination my giving me a promotion which will mean a lot to me. Various awards by the Air Force secretary will also help boost my self-esteem and motivate me to perform better. In today’s’ globalised world, the United States of America’s Air Force and any other nation need further education so as to be able to move with advancements and progresses in the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT). Further education plays the role of equipping me with upto date discoveries in the field of technology. In addition, further education can assist me in carrying out research and survey on various issues affecting the United States of America’s Air Force and any other Air Force bases across the globe. For instance, carrying out research on the use of alternative sources of fuel in the United States of America’s military force. In conclusion, higher education is very crucial for the United States of America’s Air Force and any other air force or military force across the globe in effecting their goals and missions. People should change their perceptions that going for further studies is a waste of resources and time for the Air Force officers. Higher education is the key to effective service. Reference Donovan (2004) The U. S Air Force, Lerner publications (23-27)

Blending Elements Modern And Traditional Fairy Tales English Literature Essay

Blending Elements Modern And Traditional Fairy Tales English Literature Essay Once upon a time, a young girls father took on a new wife after the death of her mother. Along with the stepmother came two daughters. The three of them together had a strong disgust for the young girl. They took away her beautiful clothes, replaced them with old dirty ones, and put her to work. She was repeatedly covered in cinder dust from cleaning the hearth; this led to the stepmother and stepsisters naming her Cinderella. Upon an invitation to a royal three-day feast, the stepmother made it clear that Cinderella was not clean or presentable enough to attend. Cinderella prayed at her dead mothers grave to be blessed with silver and gold. Before the royal feast, Cinderella prayed once more at her mothers grave. As she prayed, a bird bestowed Cinderella a dress of silver and gold and gold slippers. In her new attire, Cinderella preceded to the royal feast where the charming young prince was wooed by her beauty and grace for all three nights. However, each night before the prince ha d the chance to get her name, Cinderella would disappear. As Cinderella was running away on the last night of the feast, her slipper became stuck on a staircase and her slipper was left behind (Grimm 98-102). This may not be the introduction of Cinderella that you have encountered before and you may think that it is missing the fairy godmother and the infamous pumpkin carriage. It is actually an introduction from the real tale of Cinderella, written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the early 1800s. Most individuals have been acquainted with the Disney light and happy versions of Grimms Folk Tales. This has transformed readers expectations for a fairy tale. As you read the next part of the true tale of Cinderella, you will begin to see the changes made in the Disney versions. After he realizes that Cinderella has left her shoe, the prince proclaims he will have no other bride than the one whose foot fits in the slipper. The first stepsister tries the shoe on and it does not fit. Therefore, to make it fit she cuts off her big toe and goes away with the prince to be his bride. As the prince discovers the blood dripping from the shoe, he returns the stepsister and reopens his search for a bride. Next, the second stepsister tries on the shoe and the shoe does not fit. To make the shoe fit, she cuts off part of her heel and goes away with the prince. As he discovers the blood, he returns to searching for his bride. After requesting to see all of the daughters in stepsisters family and against the wishes of the stepmother, the prince insists that the dirty and not fit to be seen daughter also has a chance to try on the shoe. Happily, the shoe fits Cinderella and she rides away with the prince. At the time of the wedding between the prince and Cinderella, the st epsisters enter and leave the church only for their eyes to be plucked out by birds. One eye each was plucked out upon their entrance and their other eyes were plucked out as they left the wedding. The stepsisters were punished with blindness for the rest of their lives (Grimm 104-106). In this Grimms tale, the reader is left with stepsisters missing parts of their limbs and eventually missing their eyes. Disney broadcasts the stepsisters struggle to make the shoe fit in a more child-approved presentation. The transformation between Grimms tales and Disney stories are based on a viewing audience and more importantly a time period, and a difference between traditional and modern. In Neil Gaimans Coraline, he returns to a more grotesque and gothic appeal for his modern fairy tale and in doing so he blends elements that should be perceived as normal, those that align with modern fairy tales, and other elements that read as grim, unsettling, and in the same way align with Grimms tales. In Coraline, written in 2002, Neil Gaiman introduces Coraline as a young girl who is striving for more attention from her parents. Although it is not apparent, a reader envisions that Coraline is disappointed with her parents and she is possibly wishing for better parents. She is at home (in her flat) and her parents are always working. Also, in this house (two more flats) live a crazy old man, who believes that his mice have the ability to talk, and two old long-forgotten actresses. Bored, Coraline finds a door in the drawing room that when opened leads to a wall of red bricks during the day and at night to her other house. Once through the door, a corridor leads her to a house and parents that look just like hers. The carpet beneath her feet was the same carpet they had in her flat. The wallpaper was the same wallpaper they had. The picture hanging in the hall was the same that they had hanging in their hallway at home, (Gaiman 27). Convinced she was still in her home and that the corridor led her nowhere except back to where she started, Coraline began to pay close attention to those things that were different. Describing a picture that shows a boy staring at bubbles, Coraline defines something uncanny. But now the expression on his face was different-he was looking at the bubbles as if she was planning to do something very nasty indeed to them. And there was something peculiar about his eyes (Gaiman 27). Aside from the boys expression, the uncanny also rests in that the parents in this other house want her, in an unsettling way. They want to spend time with her, play games with her, give her whatever food she wants, and want her to stay with them forever. They want to completely indulge her. Coraline is alarmed by the new mothers strange behaviors, especially since they are so different from her real mothers. As the story progresses, Coraline learns that her parents are missing and this other mother is responsible for their absence. Coraline begins a game with the other mother to find her real parents and other lost souls she encounters along the way. If Coraline wins, she is to get her parents back. If the other mother wins, Coraline must stay with her forever. She resents thinking that this other set of parents were in any way similar to hers and Coraline enters a struggle to outwit the other mother and win her parents back. Comparing to a traditional fairy tale such as Cinderella, both Coraline and Cinderella are in distressed situation. Instead of having an evil stepmother and stepsisters, Coraline has parents that appear to ignore her. However, the fairy tale element prevails when Coraline and Cinderella are both presented with an opportunity to fix their situation. Cinderella is given new attire and Coraline is given a passageway to a new life. Typical of a fairy tale, the main character is exposed to a struggle and to have a happy ending must overcome the situation. To start off with a struggle, both Cinderella and Coraline are assigned seemingly bad parental influence in their lives. Cinderella has a dead mother, an absent father, and a wicked stepmother. Coraline has both a mother and father but they read as very absent in regards to that they ignore her and pay very little attention to her needs and wants. To overcome the struggle in this other life, Coraline finds a creature that is somewhat willing to lend a hand. She finds a black cat, who insists that he does not have a name nor does he need one, and he attempts to help Coraline win the game against her other mother. His most courageous efforts are displayed when he distracts and attacks the other mother as Coraline runs through the corridor to escape back to her real house. The black cat in Coraline is symbolic of the help that Cinderella receives in order to meet the prince. Without her fairy godmother in the Disney version or the prayers and birds in Grimms version, Cinderella would ha ve never made it to the royal feast and or eventually ended up with prince. Gaiman details several elements of modern fairy tales in Coraline. The first element that comes to mind is the child aspect found in several other Grimms tales. Coraline is presented as a young girl slowly gaining her intelligence and independence. By reading her dialogue and actions, she appears to be very bright and witty for her age. At the end of the story, this aspect gives more credit to the main character for surviving their given struggle. In Cinderella, the main character is presented as a young girl, however, she seems powerless in her decision not to stand up or rebel against her stepmother and stepsisters. Through her actions, Coraline appears to be very brave for her age. Also in need of mention, Cinderella appears to be brave when she decides to attend the royal feast against her stepmothers wishes. This entails the aspect of courageous efforts of young children in fairy tales. The second element includes the aspect of characters being put to a test. Coraline is setup with a game against her other mother and she must outwit her in order to see her parents again. Looking at the Disney version of Cinderella, Cinderella must make it back before midnight and if she does not her carriage will turn into a pumpkin and the prince will discover her real identity. The third element is the result of characters living happily ever after. Not to ruin the ending if you have not read Coraline, but Coraline eventually gets to sleep in her real bed in her real house with real parents. The most important aspect of this element is that the main character, the protagonist, is given the happy ending and that antagonist character is in some way punished or left unhappy. In Coraline, the other mother is left Coraline-less and loses the game. In the Disney version of Cinderella, the stepmother is left without a connection to royalty and the stepsisters are left prince-less. While Gaiman includes elements of modern fairy tales, he also includes several elements of Grimms tales. He explicitly includes these elements in Coraline. The first element, which is somewhat unsettling, is the association with pale or white skin. This wife brought two daughters into the house with her. They were white and fair of face but wicked and black at the heart (Grimm 98). This is Grimms first description of Cinderellas stepmother and stepsisters. This shows an arbitrary association with the idea of pureness and the color white. An outside appearance of pure does not imply pure at heart. A woman stood in the kitchen with her back to Coraline. She looked a little like Coralines mother. Onlyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Only her skin was white as paper (Gaiman 27). Here, Gaiman allows the first description of the other mother to be of her very white skin color. Evilness is presented with a white appearance in both Cinderella and Coraline. The second element is the aspect of blindness. As Coraline, enters the other house she walks into the kitchen and is presented with her other mother. And then she turned around. Her eyes were big black buttons (Gaiman 28). Coraline sees this other mother for the first time with no eyes. Through reading Coraline, a reader can perceive that the other mother can physically see but the black buttons are symbolic of blindness. On a china plate on the kitchen table was a spool of black cotton, and long silver needle, and beside them two large black buttons, (Gaiman 45). When Coraline is asked about her eyes being sewn over with buttons, she immediately refuses and does not the like the dark and intense glows from her other parents. In Cinderella, the stepsisters are punished for their evil actions toward Cinderella as they are leaving the wedding. Afterwards when they were coming out, the eldest on the left and the youngest on the right, the birds came and pecked out both their other yes: so for their wickedness and falsehood they were punished with blindness for the rest of their lives (Grimm 106). Neil Gaimans takes on Coraline with an additional element of individuality in a gothic approach. This is not a typical element of neither traditional nor modern fairy tales. The most grotesque element in Coraline is the idea of sewing ones eyes over with a black button. With this idea, Gaiman takes the element of blindness one-step further. When Coraline first sees her other mother, she believes she looks just like her real mother but is stunned by her black button eyes. When Coraline sees the black thread and black button on the table in her other house, she is very disturbed. Moreover, while she is locked up in a mirror cabinet, Coraline encounters three children who have lost their souls. It is too dark where she is locked up to see their eyes but a reader could assume their eyes have been replaced with black buttons as well. Here, Gaiman may have wanted to encourage readers to draw a parallel with eyes are the windows to the soul. Symbolically, by threading buttons for eyes, ones soul is taken away. This is a deeper parallel for a reader to notice. It is also something that is a little advanced for a fairy tale. The second element, one that is a little arbitrary, is the idea of removing ones limbs. Disney protects the minds of children by representing the stepsisters struggle to fit the shoe as a simple squeezing real hard to make it fit. Whereas in Grimms version, The girl cut off her toe, forced her foot into the shoe, stifled the pain, and went out again to the prince (Grimm 104). For the second stepsister trying on the shoe, The girl cut off her heel, forced into the shoe, stifled her pain, and went out to the prince (Grimm 105). Disney has placed a child-filter on the tale. When Coraline successfully closes the heavy door to the corridor, she is relieved that she has escaped from her other mother. However, she is woken up on her first night back at her real house by noises outside her room. These noises are so disturbing that they draw her from her bed. As she gets up and looks in the hallway, it becomes clear to her what was making the noises. It was the other mothers right hand (Gaima n 147). However, there is not much correlation between the removing of the limbs in Cinderella and Coraline, its more of the grotesque aspect of it appearing in a childrens story. A toe, a heel, and a hand all being removed from a persons body. Gaiman removed himself from the appropriate for the viewing of small children and resorted to Grimms nature of scaring children. Gaiman removed a typical Disney-filter. Neil Gaiman also uses additional describing elements to add to Coralines grim nature. In a 2010 Coraline classroom study guide entitled Identity and the Uncanny, author Peter Gutierrez described Gaimans work as a dark, intensely psychological, modern fairy tale. Coralines other mother eats beetles and wants her to play with rats, two activities that can easily be described as unsettling. In addition, Gaiman removes the Disney castle aspect. Coralines parents do not even own a whole house; they live in a flat of a house, particularly a creepy one. First, the gothic appearance of Coralines house should be notes, with its outside staircase, its cellar and attic, its dark corridors and, most strangely, the door in the drawing-room that seemingly leads nowhere: behind it there is a brick wall (Rudd 160). In most Disney fairy tales, the main character is perceived as beautiful, charming, and sometimes enchanting. Neil Gaiman strays away from these perceptions and portrays Coraline as a loner. School is not in session and none of her friends live around or near her. She enjoys tea with the old women that live above her flat and likes to explore by herself. She does not appear to be social and loved by everyone. Coralines loneliness is exhibited in her action of writing for her mother MST on the first line of a paper and on the second line writes I. The I has clearly been dropped or lowered from the word MIST. In an essay written for Childrens Literature in Education, author David Rudd comments on Gaimans portrayal of Coralines seclusion, Coraline is clearly the lonely I which, punning on the word above, is not missed (i.e. she is overlooked). But is she refusing to be contained by the mist or would she like to be part of it, having the mist descent and embrace, or envelop her? (160). G aiman does not describe Coraline as beautiful, intelligent, nice, or loving. She only appears to love her parents when they are taken away from her. Her character is simply read as lonely and somewhat annoying to her parents. This is not a typical main character for modern fairy tales. However, this is what classifies Coraline as an even more modern fairy tale because it reaches out to children that are lonely and that are not as blessed as some other children. Gaiman attempts small advances at creating a new genre of fairy tales. A recurrent theme in Neil Gaimans work, from Sandman to Stardust, is the way in which the magical, archetypal and mythological rub shoulders with our everyday reality. In fantasy stories there are often physical portals or membranes through which a protagonist must travel to reach an alternate world, (Gutierrez 5). Neil Gaiman has experience is morphing stories to have a grotesque appeal. For example, Neil Gaiman wrote a book titled The Graveyard Book, a modern spin on Rudyard Kiplings The Jungle Book. Instead of a young boy left in the jungle to be raised by animals, a young boy is left parentless and is raised by the inhabitants of a graveyard. Mrs. Owens, a ghost in the graveyard exclaims, Of course its a baby and the question is what is to be done with it? (Gaiman and McKean 4). Here, Gaiman just removes the aspect of a jungle and replaces it with a haunted graveyard. He has swapped talking animals for ghosts and other non-real beings. After Mrs. Owens agrees to look after the baby, another inhabitant of the graveyard responds with his opinion, I do. For good or for evil-and I firmly believe for good-Mrs. Owens and her husband have taken this child under their protection. It is going to take more than just a couple good-hearted souls to raise the child. It will take a graveyard (Gaiman and McKean 15). Aside from creating unique and grotesque fairy tales, Gaiman does not stray too far off the beaten path with the way the story ends. Coraline has a very happy ending, and she survives her struggle. David Rudd also writes Neil Gaimans Coraline fits centrally within this tradition, invoking the fairy tale at the outset with its epigraph from G.K. Chesterton: Fairly tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten. In both Coraline and Cinderella, we get a happy ending regardless of any association of if the story is true or not. To explain the epigraph, these stories tell us that fairy tales are not intended for us to believe in fire-breathing dragons, fairy godmothers, or other realms but they are intended to teach readers that we can overcome anything if we try hard enough. Aside from the grim and unsettling, Gaiman includes this epigraph to suggest a moral to the story. Gaiman wrote Coraline to be grotesque and gothic, to have traditional and modern fairy tale elements, and to teach readers triumph. Gaiman could easily write his own epigraph: Look to Cinderella to teach you that wishes can come true and look to Coraline to teach you to be careful what you wish for.

UPS Delivers the Goods :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Jordan Colletta joined UPS in 1975, fresh out of school and newly married, he wasn’t thinking about building a career. He just wanted some security. Now not only is he still a faithful UPS employee, but the former tracking clerk has come a long way—he’s vice president of the shipper’s e-commerce sales team. His advancement in the company was steady, the result of careful planning though UPS’s career-development program. By putting resources into such programs and helping reps set goals and develop skills, businesses can allow employees to grow within their organizations and reduce turnover rates in the process, as UPS has found: Its turnover rate among full time managers in 4 percent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Developing salespeople starts with a clear mission. At UPS, employees meet annually with managers to identify their strengths and decide what skills they need for a new job within the company. â€Å" We lay the foundation for future development and map out immediate, midterm, and future goals,† Colletta says. â€Å" When I was a tracing clerk, I told my supervisor that my goal was to became a district sales manager. I then became a driver, then a salesperson, and in 1986 I reached my goal.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Career development entails implementing training programs and Internet career centers that can help companies grow their staffs. Employees take courses in order to acquire the pedigree that will make them candidates for management positions. But learning isn’t just in the classroom. Mentoring programs in which managers coach lower-level employees are also valuable. â€Å"Mentors are especially important,† Colletta says. â€Å"They help you understand the opportunities that are out there. They helped me see what I couldn’t because I couldn’t look that far ahead yet.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Progress must be routinely monitored. Employee reviews and 360-degree reports are good ways to track improvement. So is a manager’s involvement. â€Å"Have an open door policy to keep the communication lines open,† he says. UPS Delivers the Goods :: essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Jordan Colletta joined UPS in 1975, fresh out of school and newly married, he wasn’t thinking about building a career. He just wanted some security. Now not only is he still a faithful UPS employee, but the former tracking clerk has come a long way—he’s vice president of the shipper’s e-commerce sales team. His advancement in the company was steady, the result of careful planning though UPS’s career-development program. By putting resources into such programs and helping reps set goals and develop skills, businesses can allow employees to grow within their organizations and reduce turnover rates in the process, as UPS has found: Its turnover rate among full time managers in 4 percent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Developing salespeople starts with a clear mission. At UPS, employees meet annually with managers to identify their strengths and decide what skills they need for a new job within the company. â€Å" We lay the foundation for future development and map out immediate, midterm, and future goals,† Colletta says. â€Å" When I was a tracing clerk, I told my supervisor that my goal was to became a district sales manager. I then became a driver, then a salesperson, and in 1986 I reached my goal.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Career development entails implementing training programs and Internet career centers that can help companies grow their staffs. Employees take courses in order to acquire the pedigree that will make them candidates for management positions. But learning isn’t just in the classroom. Mentoring programs in which managers coach lower-level employees are also valuable. â€Å"Mentors are especially important,† Colletta says. â€Å"They help you understand the opportunities that are out there. They helped me see what I couldn’t because I couldn’t look that far ahead yet.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Progress must be routinely monitored. Employee reviews and 360-degree reports are good ways to track improvement. So is a manager’s involvement. â€Å"Have an open door policy to keep the communication lines open,† he says.

The Lovemad Woman in Nineteenth Century Literature :: literature literary criticism

The Lovemad Woman in Nineteenth Century Literature    The lovemad woman was a very important part of nineteenth-century literature. The lovemad woman, originally characterized as a female who becomes insane due to the departure of her lover, was an important character in literature. From Antigone to Ophelia to Jane Eyre, the lovemad woman is seen throughout literature in various contexts. The definition of such a woman changed as the definition of what is it to be a woman in general changed throughout history. Love madness was seen both in the literature of the nineteenth century and in reality. At the time, the definition of insanity and how it should be treated was going under dramatic changes. Love madness was seen as a primarily female disease. Insanity in general was seen to occur more often in females due to their natural weakness. Being female was almost a form of insanity because of what is seen as their biological inferiority. Living in a male-dominated society, women were forced to be weak, to be sickly. Women were looked at as unnatural if they were too forceful in their actions and emotions. They were also looked down upon if they expressed their sexuality too blatantly. Love madness itself is linked with "sexual knowledge and innocence" (Small 83). A woman was in danger of becoming mad if she had too much sexual knowledge: "A young lady was only worth as much as her chastity and appearance of complete innocence . . . . Once lead astray, she was the fallen woman, and nothing co uld reconcile her until she died" (Lee). Nineteenth-century British society was able to brainwash females into ignoring their sexuality through tales of Medusa-like creatures (Gilbert 53). Young women would hear various tales of women who had given into their carnal desires and then as punishment became virtual monsters. An example of this can be seen in Bertha Mason, who becomes a monster due to her overpowering sexual nature. Elaine Showalter addresses these legends in her book, A Literature of Their Own, by saying "the legends themselves express a cultural attitude toward female passion as a potentially dangerous force that must be punished and confined" (Showalter 119). These monsters of women are experiencing what became to be known as moral insanity. J.C. Prichard defined moral insanity as "a morbid perversion of the natural feelings, affections, inclinations, temper, habits, and moral dispositions without any notable lesion of the intellect" ( Small 163).

Free Narrative Essays - Why Cant We All Just Get Along?

I recall an incident back in my elementary school days, when I was on the playground during an afternoon recess. My friends and I were intensely involved in a emotional game of basketball. I had been playing miserably, so after my fourth brick, I spiked the ball, super bowl touchdown style against the solid pavement. It began a long process of ricocheting off the walls of the coverd area and amidst it's air born flight it somehow managed to collide with the jawbone of a rather thuggish looking 5th grader. At this time, an ominous dark cloud of rage began spouting from the disgruntled upperclassmen's nostrils. A large crowd began chanting, "fight! fight! fight!" that was slowly forming around us like vultures circling to pick at the bones of the unfortunate loser. Realizing that the odds of me emerging alive from this mess weren't very good, I began to think of a strategy that would enable all my major organs to remain intact. I decided to use humor to defeat this barbaric beast. I must have ridiculed and made fun of myself over 200 times. I told him that even if he passed out, in a full body cast , and suffered from leprosy, he still could wipe the floor with my feeble body. I told him if he didn't disfigure me, that I would offer to be his own personal reusable toothpick for as long as he wished. Violence and nonviolence are two very effective ways to solve problems, but for people like me whose brains are stronger than their fists, nonviolence seems much more practic... ...y major origans. After the crowd began laughing at my foolish self- directed jokes, the enraged 5th grader quickly switched from steaming in anger to chuckling along with the rest of the observers. Eventually he lost interest and went along his way, just in time for me to sharpen my basketball skills before the bell rang. Much like the example of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, I too had the choice of taking one of two roads. I knew that taking a violent stand would only lead to a dead end. I chose the road in which many of the most memorable leaders have taken, a road that has been traveled by few. The nonviolent road. There are many ways to solve a problem. As a wise man once said, "A coward strikes with his fist, a warrior strikes with his mind."

How significant was Martin Luther King’s contribution to the civil rights movement in the years 1956-68? Essay

There is no doubt that MLK shaped the way people campaigned for black civil rights in America during these years however weather that was significant to any head way they did make, one example of his significance is the amount of peaceful protest that was carried out, now that MLK was promoting peaceful protests more people could participate in campaigning for what they believed, this made the supporters for the civil right movement far greater in numbers than ever before and opposing people found it harder and harder to suppress any action they may take. The Montgomery Bus Boycott is a perfect example of a peaceful protest headed by MLK this was because this was the first real push for blacks to be more equal to whites and so they could be treated as people, the boycott would also not have succeeded if it weren’t for MLK as he provided structure and inspiration for everyone taking part. This is significant because it gathered more supporters for the movement and gave them more influence when it came to changing things. Another reason that MLK was significant was he branched out the campaign from the south to the north and west which were places which may not have been as bad and public about it but were still very racist and discriminative towards blacks, this is significant because it helped a lot more blacks join in with the campaign and help support in numbers, it also made the pressure on the government larger as there were more and more supporters for the campaign and more and more people (not just blacks) who could influence decisions. MLK had a special gift of being able to create moving and inspiring speeches, this highlights his significance because it was him that was the face of the campaign and with his inspiring speeches he created more and more support for the campaign but most importantly more white sympathisers as they had a lot more power and influence. One other thing that highlights MLK’s significance to the civil rights movement was his death. This was significant because of all the people who looked up to MLK and viewed him as an idol and inspiration now had no one to lead them, this led to confusion and left people not knowing what they should do and who to follow however people also took his assassination as the point where they stand up and really fight for what they believe in. MLK didn’t always pull of these miracles and get more support and get blacks closer to their goal as there have been a lot of examples where MLK didn’t help or he did and didn’t succeed: one example is where he tried to take the fight north  and thought that the struggle in the south would pay dividends however when he left Chicago and left Jesse Jackson in charge people criticized him for not finishing what he started and left people loosing respect for MLK and the civil right movement. Another example of MLK not being a help and sometimes more of a hindrance to the progress of the black civil rights movement was when he agreed to be part of the Montgomery bus boycott and when he agreed to stay in jail, on both of these occasions MLK left and in turn left people doubting his word and judgement. Another example is the Meredith march, MLK did not set out to go to the march until after James Meredith had been shot, this gave people the impression that king only showed up because someone was hurt and not to support the cause even though it was a gesture of good will from MLK. MLK also helped out in the freedom summer in 1964 and the brown vs. board case, sit ins that took place all over America, Freedom rides and Violence in Montgomery. In conclusion I think that it would be incorrect to say that MLK was insignificant to the civil rights movement in these years however he cannot be held solely responsible for the success they had as he always had to have the support of thousands of protesters, people in some sort of power and sympathetic whites. MLK also acted as a martyr and his death inspired thousand. Also other organisations did a very good job of recruiting people and getting support. That is why I would consider him one of the key factors along with other organisations and the people that turned up to rallies and did the dirty work.