Lyrical Violence :: essays research papers

Lyrical Violence Music is a prominent force in adolescent lives; according to the American Medical Association, American adolescents spend a total of four and a half hours a day listening to music and watching music videos. Parents are increasingly weary of suggestive, violent, lyrical content in popular music. A University of California study recently showed that 48% of Americans, including the younger generation, say that violence in popular music should be regulated. In Paducah, the affect of violent lyrical content in popular music has been an ongoing debate since the Heath High School shooting. Another case of a school shooting has shook up a small town in Arkansas called Jonesboro. One of the teen murderers admitted to law enforcement officers that the rap music he listened to might have contributed to his state of mind before the murders, if not his overall decision to gun down his classmates. Mitchell Johnson, the student, said, â€Å"It puts you in a certain state of mind.† This is not only relevant to the music/violence debate but it is a crucial element in understanding what is going on with the modern youth. Clearly, it can not be stated that the sole contributing factor in the student’s decision to commit murder was rap music; but it was a contributing factor. I b elieve that there is a painful and direct correlation between violence in popular music and violence in youth. I do not believe that government regulation, or censorship, is going to fix this problem. For those who debate the adverse effect of violent music on a person’s mind-state, I offer this example. In the early days of jazz, African-Americans would listen to, and play, the music as a release from the racial climate in which they lived. The music, if only for a while, removed their problems. This being the case, how can we deny that music, even without lyrics, has an overwhelming impact on our mind-state. Popular music affects everyone. Some people find that they can’t get a song out of their head after hearing it on the way to work. Other individuals discover that they get sentimental if they hear a song which they danced to at their prom. At funerals, people are brought to tears at the first note of Amazing Grace. While there are almost always other reasons behind the emotion, it is the music that triggers that particular mind state.

Little Boy Essay -- Informative, Manhattan Project, Hiroshima

At midnight on August 6, 1945, the crew of the Enola Gay got the orders to get ready for their mission. By 2:45 AM they were all packed, ready to go, and took off for their intended target (Black & Blashfield, 1993, p. 30). They flew through the darkness of the night sky for many hours. Dawn appeared and finally Enola Gay came close to their future objective. Then, around 7:24 AM, the pilot received a transmission from a weather aircraft, which had flown ahead of them, that there was hardly a cloud in the sky and that they should continue to their goal (p. 30). As they grew closer to Hiroshima, about 30 miles away, the captain gave the controls over to Major Ferebee (p. 30). As the minutes and seconds passed by it seemed perpetual. Finally at 8:15:17 Major Ferebee yelled out, â€Å"Bombs away!† (p. 30). It took about 50 seconds for the atomic bomb to fall and reach1,900 feet above the city where it exploded (Langford, 2004, p. 57). One of the crew members commented on it: A column of smoke rising fast. It has a fiery red core. A bubbling mass, purple gray in color, with that red core. It’s all turbulent. Fires are springing up everywhere, like flames shooting out of a huge bed of coals†¦Here it comes, the mushroom shape†¦It’s like a mass of bubbling molasses†¦its nearly level with me and climbing†¦(pp. 32-34). Never again will anything be the same. Creating In New York City the main ideas about the atomic bomb were developed, it was called the â€Å"Manhattan Project†. It was originally General Leslie R. Groves that was put in charge of the development of the atomic bomb. He wasn’t exactly people friendly so he got Dr. Julius Robert Oppenheimer, a civilian, involved as a project director. Communication and working proficient... ...nt of the buildings were destroyed by the blast or the fires that started because of it (Encyclopedia.com). If the blast didn’t destroy the buildings at first then the heat from the bomb caused fires that slowly destroyed the buildings. Cleaning Up A â€Å"black rain† fell from the sky, for about an hour after the blast, it had radioactive debris dropping everywhere. There was no actual help from Japan officials, at first. It was just people that were less injured and that could help, would. In the days that followed, mostly collecting and disposing of the bodies. If they were recognizable and were claimed a funeral would be held for them. Collecting and storing contaminated debris was next. Eventually, rebuilding the city began. With rebuilding of the city there was a memorial park built called Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, with donations of monuments.

Compartment Syndrome

Balancing Change Everyone experiences drastic changes or problems in their lives, and the ones who can react and find solutions to them will most likely end up conquering them. For some, it can take a long time to adjust, while others can come out on top quicker. It was a normal feeling Friday when I woke up on January 26th, 2007, but little did I know this would be the biggest challenge that I have ever had to face. â€Å"Ring†¦. ring†¦.. ring,† the school bell rang deafeningly through the gymnasium.It was first period, and the first class on my agenda for the day was my personal favorite, â€Å"P. E. †, short for Physical Education. The class started out with our muscle-loosening stretches, and then moved on to one of my all-time favorite sports, basketball. The sparkling, brand new â€Å"Kobe Bryant 8’s† were a necessity for my feet in order to play. As I was tying the knots to begin, my best friend Ryan Decker glided swiftly into class with h is â€Å"Heely’s†, which are shoes made with a wheel incorporated into the sole of the shoe. What did I do, when I first spotted them?I asked him if I could try them on and roll around the gymnasium, because the slick floor provides a perfect surface for rolling around on. As I was rolling around, a basketball rolled in between my feet. I stared at it, and thought about it for a couple seconds. I thought to myself, â€Å"How cool would it be to roll from one side to the other, then shoot a layup right into the basket? † Step by step, glide by glide, I was gaining speed. â€Å"BOOM! † Before I could even comprehend what happened, I glared down at a surging pain that vibrated through my whole body, mainly sourcing from my left ankle.My ankle was completely turned backwards. I frantically yelled out to my instructor, â€Å"MY ANKLE IS BROKEN! † As he sprinted over to the other side of the gymnasium where I was laying in agony, I could see an audience starting to gather. He informed me that the ambulance was on its way and that my mother had been notified. Five minutes later, the ambulance arrived to my side. Before I knew it, I was placed into the ambulance, and I was on my way to seek urgent medical attention. Within four hours, I went through multiple x-rays, took a bunch of ain-killers, and a vibrant green colored cast was placed onto the lower half of my leg. Unfortunately enough, I had suffered a double break through my tibia, which is the second biggest bone in the human body, next to the femur. I thought to myself about all the consequences this would cause and how it would interfere with my everyday life. After a long ride home with my mother, I finally saw my house in the distance; I was home. With my leg still screaming with pain, I wondered why the pain was still so severe, even with the help of the pain killers.I kept on repeating to my parents that I was still in excruciating pain. The pain was so unbearable that I couldn’t keep my mind off of it. This continued on for a couple days, but then something went terribly wrong. I tried to wiggle my toes to see if my movement was still there, but it wasn’t. Over and over again, I kept trying to move them and then I came to realize all of the movement in my foot was gone. I finally communicated to my parents that there was really something bad going on and that I needed to get rushed back to the hospital for a checkup.After impatiently waiting in the waiting room for about an hour, I the doctor finally arrived to escort the family and I to the testing room. Then the worst words, that I will never forget came out of her mouth. â€Å"Robert†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦I made a mistake when I diagnosed you with a broken ankle†¦you have suffered from a condition called compartment syndrome. † â€Å"Compartment syndrome is a limb threatening and life threatening condition, defined as the compression of nerves, blood vessels, and muscle inside a closed space (compartment[->0]) within the body.This leads to tissue death from lack of oxygenation due to the blood vessels being compressed by the raised pressure within the compartment† (PubMed). All of a sudden, the doctor said I needed to be placed into surgery immediately before the condition worsened. I kept thinking about my future in school, sports, and most importantly my health. My education was in path to become a big failure, sports was not going to be a significant part of my life anymore, and hopefully my leg was still going to be attached to my body by the end of this.After a successful surgery of putting in screws through my thick tibia bone, adding new tendons from a cadaver, and fixing it cosmetically, I finally woke up from the anesthesia. Movements with my ankle hurt like hell, but I didn’t even seem to care because I was able to regain movement and at least half of my feeling back. Eight weeks passed by, and I was finally able to start my phys ical therapy training to try and overcome this beast of an incident. The physical therapist first instructed me to walk down the hallway on about fifty percent of my weight.As I was taking my second step I heard and felt a click in my ankle. The stitches holding my tendons together into place ripped through them like a soft cheese. I again was not able to move any part to my foot and ankle. I was back to square one once again. I was not physically and mentally prepared for something this bad to happen. I was going to have to go under the knife once more to fix this mess of an injury. This same instance of ripping through the cadaver’s tendon in my ankle happened five more times before I was fully healed. But what does fully healed mean?Fully healed to me, meant nothing because of everything I went through to get to this point. No student should have to miss 3 months of school in one school year and have to be strayed from any scholastic activities for that long. No athlete sh ould have to miss a whole season and championship run because of an injury. Lastly no human being should have to worry about their health and their chance of living at the age of fifteen. At the end of this challenge, I had to go through seven surgeries, when really it should’ve only taken about two.Because the doctor never tested my ankle for compartment syndrome, I had to suffer. What did suffering do to me in the long run? It turned me into who I am today. A young man who feels like he can make his was through any adversity, problems, or change. When something bad happens to yourself, you are given two choices: either to react in a manner aiming to better yourself from the situation, or to grieve and stay emotionally broken. Always keep your head up, and never think the worst because it can always get better with the right attitude.I am now right back on track with my education, and the ankle feels better than ever. Never again, will I ever put on another pair of â€Å"He ely’s† in my life. The art of being able to balance change is something that I believe has transformed me into the person I am today and the person I am going to be. Works Cited: Board, A. D. A. M. Editorial. Compartment Syndrome. U. S. National Library of Medicine, 18 Nov. 0000. Web. 09 Oct. 2012. . [->0] – http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Compartment_(anatomy)

Thelma and Louise: Micro Analysis

In this essay I will be analysing the closing sequence of the film ‘Thelma and Louise' written by Callie Khouri and directed by Ridley Scott. The focus of this essay on film language is mise-en-scene and sound/dialogue and how it is used to create meaning and generate response. In the beginning of this scene Thelma and Louise are driving and they suddenly come to a cliff edge. Louise slams on the breaks and manages to stop the car just before going off the edge. The dialogue between Thelma and Louise, ‘What the hell is this?' ‘I think it's the God damned Grand Canyon,' demonstrates their disbelief at how close they came to falling to their death. Thelma's question also illustrates how little she was allowed out of the house when she was living with Darrell. The next dialogue as the camera pans round the canyon is of Thelma and Louise's amazement at its beauty. Thelma says, ‘Isn't it beautiful?' Louise responds, ‘Yeah, it's somethin' else alright.' The camera pans around the canyon as if it was in the car and it is as if we are seeing through Thelma and Louise's eyes. The audience see how beautiful the canyon is. There is a slight pause in dialogue and movement, except the camera on a static shot of Thelma's face starring out in awe at the canyon. Then Thelma and Louise look at each other and the helicopter comes up from in the canyon taking them by surprise. The helicopter is black and symbolises the good verses evil of the modern western film. As the helicopter flies over tem Louise turns the car around and tries to run quickly coming to a stop and realising the huge convoy of police cars surrounding them and trapping them in a semi circle again the cliff. The helicopter flies behind the cars and lands, Hal and Max exit it. Again Thelma and Louise's dialogue is important here. Thelma says, ‘Oh my God. Look's like the army!' and Louise say, ‘All this for us!' Louise is astonished that anyone could ever pay this much attention to her even considering what they have done. Thelma and Louise are told to shut the car engine down and place their hands in plain view and that any inabili ty to do so will be considered an act of violence against the police. At this point you can see the strong oppositions in the setting and this reflects Thelma and Louise's point of view and decision about their situation. On one side of Thelma and Louise in the car you have the beautiful Grand Canyon, whereas on the other side you have the police line and capture. In the middle Thelma and Louise are stuck deciding what to do (give up or try and escape somehow), however the car is facing the cliff and away from the police so this indicates that they may have already made their decision. I have drawn a diagram to help explain my point: Bad Good Louise then starts to load her gun and Thelma asks what she is doing. Louise replies, â€Å"I'm not givin' up.† Thelma realises that Louise will try escaping using violence and realises she will be out numbered and they will both get shot. Thelma comes up with an idea of throwing themselves off the cliff. They would rather die than give up and surrender to the men in the forces and have to stand trial and be hanged for murder. The dialogue is then as follows: Thelma: â€Å"Ok then listen. Let's not get caught.† Louise: â€Å"Wha' do y'u mean?† Thelma: â€Å"Lets keep goin' (pause and there is a CU camera shot of Louise's shocked face) Go.† Louise: â€Å"You sure?† Thelma: â€Å"Yeah. Hit it.† This is the last thing we hear Thelma and Louise say in the film and it has strong significance. You as the audience know that they will not live and we feel sad because we have been wanting them to escape all the way through the film but then we also feel a great sense of joy that they won't get caught they are going to commit suicide and end their life on a happy note instead of a hanging. After the dialogue Louise kisses Thelma and this demonstrates the bond between them which has been so strong, but still grown, throughout the film. The audience is deeply moved by this as we admire them for having such courage and love for each other as to kill themselves. We then view their death which is all silent except for Max yelling, ‘Hey!' at Hal as he runs towards the car just before it speeds off over the cliff edge. Also the moving gospel like music which plays louder and with more harmony as Thelma and Louise get closer to the cliff edge. The music has had clips playing throughout the film and we recognise it instantly as an important part of the film. (The music always plays at important parts of the film.) The death involves lots of camera shots and changing angles and some slow motion which I shall now list below to avoid confusion. * Thelma and Louise Kiss * Shot of Hal's face with an expression of concern looking straight down the camera giving us the impression he is looking and Thelma and Louise. – Hal cares about what happens to the girls. He is the only male throughout the film who shows caring for either of them. * Louise revs the engine as she starts to drive * Hal starts to run towards them and Max yells * (Slow motion) Hal is running towards them from behind waving his arm in the air as if to say peace or wait to the girls. – He wants to try to save them. There is also a barrier of dust and we can't see the car though it. – This is what the police gunmen would be seeing; Hal and the dust are protecting the girls from getting shot. * (Normal speed) Two shots of the car driving, one of the front and one of the back. (The voices in the music begin.) * (Slow motion) Hal running from a front view. We see his expression and realise he wants the girls to stop. He wants to save them. He is the only caring concerned male. * (Normal Speed) Car driving towards cliff, we see a CU of the girls hands reaching out and clasping each other. – This is another powerful symbol of their bond. The voices in the music get louder and more harmonies come into the music. This provokes a strong emotional reaction from the audience as we know there is no going back now they are going to fast and will die, but we are happy for Thelma and Louise. * We see a shot of the back of the car and we see the first photo that Thelma and Louise took of themselves before going on their trip fly off the back seat out of the car and behind them. This symbolises Thelma and Louise being free spirits and that they are free from the oppression of males they have had all their lives. They are dead and free. * We see a shot of Thelma and Louise smiling at each other (Two separate shots of their faces which we assume are looking at one another) which illustrates they are happy with their decision and they love each other. Their hands are still clasped together. Reinforcing this image. * We see a CU of Louise flooring the cars accelerator pedal which represents the finality of it all. * Then we see the shot of the car leaving the cliff edge from a low angle shot. We are looking up at the car as it flies upwards then as it starts to come down the shot freezes and fades out to white. This is an alternative ending instead of watching the car free fall. It is better because it represents Thelma and Louise going to heaven and dying happily instead of seeing their horrible bloody death in the explosion as the car hits the bottom of the cliff. At this point the music is fully harmonised and very loud. The music throughout this scene has been used to build tension and convey strong emotion of the characters in the audience towards the end of the film. In conclusion I think that this essay has demonstrated adequately how mise-en-scene and sound is used to generate response and create meaning in the film Thelma and Louise. And I believe that the closing scene is one of the most provocative and emotional of the entire film.

Charlie Wilson's War - Lessons Learned Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Charlie Wilson's War - Lessons Learned - Essay Example The war offers an appropriate emphasis on the secretive war waged by the CIA in Afghanistan without the notice of American public, to avoid public debates and protests that accompany publicized wars. US department of foreign affairs at the time denied knowledge of US arm purchases for distribution to Afghan rebels. Even though, the US officially denied its role in availing weapons to Afghani fighters, mainly the Mujahedeen, the war in Afghanistan acted as a catalyst that facilitated the end of soviet empire. Though the US did not claim credit in the war, the Mujahedeen as well as other Muslims never considered the US as being crucial to the war success. The secrecy of the war bore unforeseen consequences with regard to the relationship between the United States and Afghanistan (Chodakiewicz, 2008). Consequently, US face tense relations with Afghanistan; therefore, the war offers a great lesson that interventionist foreign policy can result in unforeseeable negative consequences. In a ddition, it is apparent that the US profoundly lacked continuity in its foreign policy; even after the expulsion of Soviets, it abandoned Afghanistan, as it had no plans and strategies for the country’s future apart from the its revenge to Soviet. Therefore, Taliban as well as the al Qaeda took advantage of the situation since the US concentrated on the imminent problems, and failed to anticipate and neutralize potential threats (Jalal, 2010). Thus, from the war is that it is important for the US or any other country to deploy resources in assisting in times of crisis especially in wars and when the danger apparently passes, it should ensure stability has been fostered in the war regions. Another crucial lesson in the war regards the role of women in politics like heiress Joanne, who are important allies in political undertakings since they have the time, vision, passion and means for organizing extra-governmental activities. This is because American women can arrange parties , invite key players and inconspicuously achieve results using their charm and perseverance that enables them to reach the mighty. In this case, they fund or sponsor non-governmental propagandas attacks and at times political-military movements; therefore, women usually are the main supporters of public mediation as well as private undercover activities. Consequently, influential American women influence their wealthy friends to support generously any kind of adventure this is common, and does not only apply in Afghanistan (Michael, 2003). The other insight from the war is the concern relating to the informal aspects of democratic system like backdoor deals being the norm in congress, where politicians accepts perks in corridors, clubs and lobbies. Moreover, the system is often bi-partisan considering that obscure things mysteriously appear to be part of agenda and get voted in. Nevertheless, the war portrays the US response to be firmly rooted in the US’s rampant anti-commun ism following the disaster in Vietnam. Americans fear of the communism expansion drove them to support Mujahedeen, as replicated in the famous oratory used by Charlie in bolstering backing for his cause. This

Strategic marketing Case analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic marketing Case analysis - Essay Example In fact, the brand value of Haagen-Dazs has become the top-ranked ice cream all over the world. Another strong point of Haagen-Dazs is its decision to penetrate the global countries particularly in Japan, the United States, Canada, London, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Sweden, Taiwan, and South Korea. Reaching out for the global market contributes to a bigger global share for Haagen-Dazs. A good marketing strategy was used by the company in terms of their decision to penetrate the five-star hotels and high-class restaurants. The said marketing promotion by giving the customers who purchase at least a 500ml tub of Haagen-Dazs ice cream products would receive a free voucher which entitles them for a discounted meal for two among the participating restaurants. This strategy was effective in encourage the spread of word-of-mouth which creates a brand awareness Lastly, the company uses a massive marketing distribution such as the retail stores, supermarket chains, delicatessen, cinemas, convenience stores, bakeries up to video stores, etc. Considering the good quality product, store outlets were carefully chosen by the marketers. Unlike in other multi-national companies that manufacture ice-cream products, Haagen-Dazs is focused only in producing luxury ice-cream. This makes Haagen-Dazs lose some market shares who prefers product that ranges between economy to standard quality ice-cream. When other competitors started to follow the foot-step of Haagen-Dazs in terms of producing an extra luxury ice cream at a much lower price, Haagen-Dazs was no where to go but to shred of some of their market shares with the competitors. The only way for Haagen-Dazs to be able to win back its market share is by producing a much better quality ice cream at the same price or produce a lower quality ice cream at a much lower price. I believe that the strongest quality that Haagen-Dazs was able to create is

Financial Markets and Bank Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Financial Markets and Bank Management - Essay Example We understand that you wish to expand your business operations and therefore, your fund requirement has increased. Our observations on your firm’s balance sheet are as per the following. The current ratio of the firm has declined in the year just completed though it still stays above 1.0; however, the quick ratio appears to be under strain. We notice that the acid-test ratio has gone down below 0.50 in the latest financial year. Net margin has also declined from 2.5 percent in year 2013 to 2.1 percent in the latest fiscal. Moreover, the net interest cover of the firm has also declined from 3.0 times to 2.7 times that provides marginal safety net for the firm in the current sluggish business environment. The declining stock turnover (in days) year after year is a good sign. In fact, it also establishes the declining needs of the working capital for your business. We have worked out the working capital requirement for your firm based on the information provided by you. The increased working capital requirement for the projected sales of  £1,550,000 is likely to be  £167,000 (working in annexure A). Considering the strength of your balance sheet and increased worki ng capital requirement, our bank increases existing overdraft limit from  £90,000 to  £180,000 and that should be adequate to meet your requirements. Our bank is in receipt of your loan request to increase the overdraft facility to  £10,000. We understand that you have to meet some essential expenses such as school fees for your son. Kindly find our detailed reply to your loan application in the following paragraphs. We extend overdraft facility to our valued customers essentially to meet some contingencies and sort out temporary cash flow issues when you fail to receive your dues in time. Though you started with initial overdraft of  £2,000 it has steadily increased and has reached to  £3,600. We notice