I am Legend Essay Example for Free

I am Legend Essay When thinking of horror films, simple features come to mind for what you need to produce a good movie. Monsters are always a big plus in order to get a good scare factor. A good horror film will have drama that usually leads to the death of a main character or other supporting characters. I believe I Am Legend is a good contender for a low-key horror film. Under the direction of Francis Lawrence was a film written by Mark Protosevich. In 2007 this movie was a big hit in the theaters, for its incredibly gritty and strong story line. Actor Will Smith played the part of the Main character Robert Neville, who thought he found the cure for cancer but in fact spread a disease out through the world. The whole movie is played in New York City, were David a scientist announces he has a cure for cancer when in fact it is a plague that turn the people into monsters. So the plot of the movie is David Surviving in New York by himself, trying to test rats for the cure to the virus. That catch to the movie is that all the monsters are contagious and only come out at sun down to find other humans to spread the virus. In this movie you had a lot of glimpses and scenes that would show that this movie could be a horror film. The two examples of horror films I used in the first paragraph are shown in many scenes of I Am Legend. The virus that spread through the people made them monsters and in a good horror film you need a scary, deadly, nasty monster to be the antagonist. The monsters in I Am Legend are the typical creature for a horror film. They are not easy to look at which gives into a scarier character. They are very mean and ruthless and show no mercy. The last feature that is a main feature is that they will kill with no questions. The drama part of a horror film usually ends with death and the scene usually has a lot of anticipation on it to put you on the edge of your seat. In I Am Legend when David is out doing his rounds and gets baited into a booby trap he gets knocked out and wakes up in the trap a little too late. The monsters are waiting for the sun to come down to attack and infect David. In a showing of great effort but significant downfall David’s dog Sam) is attacked and becomes infected. Almost turning on its own owner David is forced to kill his only sort of companionship and is left alone for the time being. The director did a good job with this movie because he produced a good storyline built with a lot of anticipation. I believe that he did try and put in that scary horror effect with the darkness of the movie and the frightening creatures. Even though I Am Legend is characterized as a â€Å"dramatic thriller†, in most instances it can definitely be considered a horror film.

The Extension of Man by Marshall McLuhan Essay Example for Free

The Extension of Man by Marshall McLuhan Essay In this monumental work, Marshall Mcluhan rigorously examined mass media, a term which he coined how it affects pop culture and in turn how it affects human beings and their relations. According to McLuhan, there is no single factor in human life more important than technology and yet most users have little or no idea of how most technologies work or even that their own bodies are sophisticated collections of technological systems. McLuhan rejected Marxs view of production as a primarily determinant in social change and replaces it with technological inventions. The most important aspect of media is the technical medium of communication. In this book, he provided insights on how technological innovations influence mans perception. It provided insights not only on what people communicate but on how the message is being communicated. One factor to consider into understanding the book is the milieu when it was written. McLuhan developed his theory when television was still is at its infancy and the personal computer was still being developed. However his book in a way predicted what is to come. McLuhan established himself as the patriarch of media criticism and the high priest of pop culture after this book. He made a lot of revelations in this book; things which are imperceptible to most but have great impact. For instance, the existence of global village (another term he is credited of coining); the exploitation, manipulation and control of the individual; the medium is the message; and technology as extensions of human body. McLuhan’s global village is where media penetrates the whole of society and culture. Today few would dispute that mass media have indeed decentralized modern living and turned the world into a global village. It is something that universalizes culture and existence where everyone shares something in common. The mass media have created a world of instant awareness to which the categories of perspective space and sequential time were irrelevant and in which a sense of private identity was untenable. He noted the fact that there are more people watching TV than attending church is something of no great consequence but McLuhan warns â€Å"we become what we behold†. Constant television exposure has its drastic effects. Notice how plastic surgery and other artificial beauty enhancements have become highly popular. In this line, he provided an insightful view on how advertising manipulates the unsuspecting audience. He believed that the available media shapes human activity, more so than what media are used for. Content analysis misses the point and is not as effective because it is the medium that affects the body and the psyche in unconscious ways. Early on the book he differentiated hot and cold medium and points that the medium is more powerful than the message. He touched on how women were turn into objects of desire and how they are in turn made to buy the products that will help them achieve desirability. He also discussed how man highlights the technological extensions but ignores the amputations. McLuhan said that technology is the extension of Man meaning for every technology that is invented, there is a corresponding internal technology (performing similar functions) within the physical bodies of people. For example clothing is the man-made extension of the skins role in keeping us warm inside. He called media the extension of man he based his theory on the fact that content follows form, and the insurgent technologies give rise to new structures of feeling and thought, new manners of perception. He saw media as make happen agents rather than make-aware agents. Highly anecdotal and riddled with wordplay and notorious firing quips, McLuhan made a breakthrough in this book by breaking down how media and technology is conventionally perceived.

Human Trafficking In Cambodia Criminology Essay

Human Trafficking In Cambodia Criminology Essay Human trafficking is considered as one of the most problematic issues in today worlds society. Since this problem happens throughout the world, it is necessary to deal with it globally. For ASEAN level, human trafficking is one of the transnational crimes that take place across national borders or take place within one country but their consequences significantly affect another country. Likewise, Cambodia also faces with this kind of serious crime as a transit, origin, and recipient nation. I.1 Types of human trafficking There are many types of human trafficking. One of them is the forced labor. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), forced labor is a work or service exacted from a person under threat or penalty which includes penal sanctions and the loss of rights and freedom. Another type is sexual exploitation. In this type of trafficking, traffickers resort to deception in terms of recruitment particularly through the promising of well-paid jobs, yet victims who have been abroad are locked in apartments with their passports confiscated by traffickers who coerce them to work in prostitution. Victims are promised that they will get freedom only after earning for the cost of their purchase price as well as their travel and visa costs. Other type of human trafficking is organ removal, and the victims of such trafficking mostly are children. The children are removed their organ for the purpose of begging and peddling (selling small equipment, flowers and cigarettes). Besides these, f orced marriage also considered as one type of human trafficking. The practice of forced marriage occurs on a significant scale today. In Cambodian society, especially in rural areas we can see that parents always forced their daughter to marry to foreigner on the hope of improving their living condition. Unfortunately, their daughter somehow exploited by foreigner as domestic workers or sex slaves. Last but not least, illegal adoption of children is also another form of human trafficking since it involves the selling and buying children or baby illegally between parents and buyers. In this kind of trafficking, due to unclear family plan or unwanted pregnancy, parents often sell their kids to buyers for the purpose of adoption as they are poor. This is also kind of human trafficking since it is not legally recognized. After being aware of all types of human trafficking, it is also important to know who the trafficker and the trafficked are. Traffickers are recruiters, transporters or exploiters. However, mostly women play a role during the recruitment and exploitation process. For instance, she might be the one who go to contact the victim directly. Then, male trafficker is the transporters and managers during the exploitation process within the trafficking network. For the trafficked person, adult women are mostly known as victims followed by children. Plus, men are victims of human trafficking as well. II. Current situation Victims of human trafficking in Cambodia particularly men, women, and children are trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation in Thailand, Malaysia, Macao, and Taiwan.  Ã‚  Specifically, men are trafficked for forced labor in the agriculture, fishing, and construction industries while women are trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor in factories or as domestic servants.  For instance, they might be serving as house keeper and maid for looking after their bosss child. Furthermore, it is not surprisingly that children are being trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor such as begging, flower selling and so on. As the transition, Cambodia is a transit country for human trafficking from Vietnam to Thailand; and as the destination, Cambodia is a destination country for victims of sexual exploitation from Vietnam and China especially, women and children. In fact, internal trafficking in Cambodia is considered to be predominantly for the purpose of commercial s exual exploitation basically in urban and tourist areas, including to Phnom Penh and to Sihanouk Ville. Increasingly, young women are being recruited to work in karaoke, beer garden, bar, club and so on. These women are employed as a job in a restaurant or as a waitress in an entertainment place. Even though they are often not physically forced to have sex with clients, the women still face with sexual harassment committed by their customer while they work. Besides this, currently trafficking in children, particularly very young children and children who are disabling are also recruited to sell stuffs which in clued newspaper and flowers on the streets. A small number are recruited for work in other sectors, such as domestic work or in restaurants. Trafficking from Cambodia also takes place for the purpose of labor exploitation in a number of industries, including construction and so on. What is more, Cambodian men are being trafficked to work in Thailands fishing industry suffer fr om long working hours, dangerous working conditions and physical abuse. III. Causes and Effects of human trafficking in Cambodia Human trafficking in Cambodia is caused by many factors. One of the most important causes of human trafficking is poverty. Poverty is an important factor which has increased women and childrens vulnerability to human traffickers particularly the poor and unemployed since they have will to join or they are level of awareness on the dangers associated with human trafficking is low. Poverty again is considered as the main root behind their decisions that make they decide to migrate for work. In addition to poverty, the lack of education and unemployment there are also significant social and culture factors that contribute to human trafficking. For instance, culture norms that perpetuate a lack of respect women increase the likelihood of them being exploited. Similarly, the perception of children as wage earners also increases the likelihood of them being trafficked. Moreover, the low level of education, family debt, agriculture failure, lack of land and off-season work were pushing peop le to the big cities or other countries as the men go into construction, women into services and prostitution. Last but definitely not least, broken families, disaster, uneven economic development, lack of border controls, socio-economic imbalance between the rural and urban areas, increased tourism, unsafe migration are also significant contributing factors to human trafficking. After getting to know the roots of human trafficking, it is also important to understand its effects. In fact, human trafficking has many consequences. First, the spread of HIV/AIDS is one of the consequences of human trafficking. For instance, many victims of human trafficking are physically and sexually abused. Trafficked women are often not in a position of negotiate safe sex, or lack access to education about HIV/AIDS. Therefore, they can transmit the disease to the next customers. That is the reason that HIV/AIDS can spread from one person to another person easily. The victims not only suffer from HIV/AIDS, but also often suffer from stigmatization by their communities. Moreover, many are treated as criminals by officials in countries of transit and destination due to their irregular status in the country, and their status as illegal workers or sex workers. What is more, human trafficking is generating the violation of human right. As we know that the victims are forced to do th e prostitute and other kind of exploitations. In this case, there will be a human right violation concern. IV. Solutions of Cambodian Government In fact, The Royal Government of Cambodia does not stand still without taking any actions. For this reason, the government has implemented several mechanisms. The first mechanism is the prosecution. It is making some many significant efforts; for example, the government created a national anti-trafficking task force to improve the interagency response to trafficking and coordination with civil society, increased law enforcement action against traffickers and complicit officials, and undertook prevention activities. Besides this, in February 2008, Cambodias new Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation was declared wisely and went into effect immediately. This law provides enforcement authorities and the power of investigate all forms of trafficking, and it is also a powerful tool in efforts to prosecute and convict traffickers and make them face with strict punishments. The Ministry of Interior (MOI) reported 53 trafficking cases from April 2007 t o March 2008, thirty-five cases were sex trafficking involving 60 victims and 11 were labor trafficking cases involving 106 victims. The MOI reported that 65 traffickers were arrested during the reporting period. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court convicted 52 trafficking offenders. The MOI Department of Anti-Trafficking and Juvenile Protection reported 52 cases, involving 65 trafficking offenders. There is also a figure that we get from non-state actors such as NGOs. For instance, NGOs reported 19 labor trafficking cases. In February 2008, Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the Ministry of Commerce to annul business licenses for marriage agencies, calling that kind of business is also a form of human trafficking. Another mechanism of combating human trafficking in Cambodia is the protection. The Royal Government of Cambodia improved its efforts in providing protection to victims of trafficking while continuing to rely on NGOs and international organizations. Victims are not treated as crim inals. For instance, the victims are provided with education or skill in order to make them have jobs to support their living. For foreign victims, they are provided temporary residence in shelters, education, and counseling services while they are waiting for repatriation. Last but definitely not least mechanism is the prevention. The Royal Government of Cambodia demonstrated concrete efforts to prevent trafficking. In April 2007, the government established a National Task Force (NTF) comprising 11 government ministries, three government agencies, and more than 200 international and local NGOs. The NTF has an oversight mechanism known as the High Level Working Group, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. This illustrated that this is the first time that we have such coordinated anti-trafficking efforts across government ministries and agencies, and also civil society. In coordination with civil society, the NTF launched a nationwide anti-trafficking campaig n using positive messages incorporating Khmer values and cultural traditions to inspire Cambodians to take action against human trafficking. The campaign emphasized trafficking as a national priority and launched a national dialogue on trafficking via public forums across Cambodia. More interestingly, Cambodia also has international cooperation in combating human trafficking. V. Conclusion I would recommend Cambodian government continue the implementation of the anti-trafficking mechanisms and provide law enforcement mechanisms to government officials on the new law. Moreover, significantly improve the number of prosecutions, convictions, and punishments of trafficking persons. What is more, the government should continue to enhance cooperation and collaboration with civil society under the direction of the National Task Force. Last but definitely not least, government of Cambodia should increase efforts to prosecute sex tourists and those facilitating commercial sexual exploitation of children. In addition to that, here is also another general recommendation such as protect the rights of victims. According to the UN principle on Human Rights which states that the human rights of trafficked persons shall be at the center of all efforts to prevent and combat trafficking and to protect, assist and provide redress to victims., the needs and rights of victims should be con sidered at every stage in proceedings. Furthermore, in order to prevent and protect successfully, the demand of customers should be reduced since the demand reduction must be linked to the prevention and protection. Another recommendation is the establishing of policies. The complexities of the trafficking problem require efforts by relevant entities at the local, national, regional, and international levels. Therefore, it is vitally to form partnership with intergovernmental organizations, governments, NGOs, international organizations, communities and families confronted with trafficking.

The Artwork of Leonardo Da Vinci Essays -- Art History

The Artwork of Leonardo Da Vinci â€Å"Sometimes the heavens endow a single individual with such beauty, grace and abilities that, whatever he does, he leaves all other men far behind, thus demonstrating that his genius is a gift of god and not an acquirement of human art.† (1) Giorgio Vasari. On April 15, 1452, Leonardo Da Vinci was born as an illegitimate child. Even with this setback, he was soon educated and his passion for art began to flourish. Growing up through the years in one of the most important cities in the world at that time, Florence, Leonardo had many different and exciting experiences. Not much information is known about his youth. He created a few paintings in that time, but only a few are still in existence today. One experience he had during this time was in his early 30’s. He was caught committing homosexual acts with a man that posed for him in a painting he had made. Leonardo was tried for this in Milan, but no evidence came through to prove that he was guilty. (2) Now there is evidence still being found about his life, and this experience, that would determine his sexuality. Still he prospered as an artist and his work flourished during his lifetime. Leonardo created many paintings that spurred from his own imagination, but most of them wer e based on events happening in his life. (3) One of his great masterpieces that influenced his life was The Last Supper. This creation is probably one of the two most famous paintings he has done, and one of the few still around today. It is one of his most popular creations, and was attempted at restoration many times. These attempts never fully succeeded, but progress has been made over the years. There is much hassle about the restoration and preservation of... ...nd the subjects in them. The Last Supper, the Mona Lisa, and the Horse for the Duke all told a little bit about his life. His art influenced his life and his life influenced his art. Leonardo created many paintings that spurred from his own imagination, but most of them were based on events happening in his life. He was a great Renaissance man who will be remembered for centuries to come. Bibliography Cianchi, Marco. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Machines. Milan: Becocci Editore, 1984. Cooper, Margaret. The Inventions Of Leonardo Da Vinci. New York: The Mcmillan Company, 1965 Mannering, Douglas. The Art of Leonardo Da Vinci. New York: Excalibur Books, 1981 Santi, Bruno. Leonardo Da Vinci. Italy: Harper & Row Publishers, 1983 Wallace, Robert. The World of Leonardo. New York: Time Incorporated, 1971 Leonardo Da Vinci Museum. http://www.davinci-museum.com/

Movie Essays - Shakespeares Henry Plays - A Comparative Study of Falst

Shakespeare's Henry Plays - A Comparative Study of Falstaff on Film The Character of Sir John Falstaff is an integral part of any adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry" plays. The treatment of this character effects the way the production will be taken by the audience as the treatment of Falstaff is directly related to the understanding of the character of Prince Hal (later Henry V). Kenneth Branagh's Henry V, the BBC versions of parts one and two of Henry IV, and Orson Welles' amalgamation Chimes at Midnight all show Falstaff in different lights, producing three different takes, not only on the character himself, but also on the interpretation of Prince Hal, and the entire workings of the production. In the case of Kenneth Branagh's Henry V Falstaff is seen only in flashback. This version of Falstaff (portrayed by actor Robbie Coltrane) is displayed as the jovial and kind side of Falstaff with little of the nefarious nature that is seen in the texts of Henry IV parts one and two. Branagh as the screenwriter actually reassigns certain lines to achieve his end, including, but not limited to, the reassignment of some of Falstaff's lines to others, as well as the reassignment of lines from one scene to another, all to display Falstaff as a happy Santa Claus of a man all but devoid of evil intentions or Machiavelian deceit. The first of the myriad flashbacks in the film begins with the assignment of Falstaff's description of himself as "A goodly, portly man in faith," (1 Henry IV.II.iv.421) to Pistol. This shows that in Branagh's version Falstaff is as well respected by his comrades as he is by himself. This is somewhat in contrast to the way he is commonly illustrated, which is as a man who abuses deceit, but is not fooling ... ...Falstaff as played by Welles. It is this multifaceted nature that has Hal attempt (in a scene paraphrased from the text of Henry V) to go back on his decision toward the end and grant Falstaff favor (albeit too late). Welles' Falstaff is the best example of the cross section of aspects that Falstaff has in the texts. While certainly each portrayal of Falstaff is from it's own school of thought, ranging from the idea of Falstaff as the pure, kind friend, to that of Falstaff as the selfish villain, to that of Falstaff as the moderate, complex character, each effectively displays an accurate Falstaff with his own hold on Prince Hal. These three versions show that the treatment of Jack Falstaff, regardless of his prominence in each production, can change the interpretation of the actions of Henry V as well as the reasons behind his choices for many of his actions.

Religious Imagery in Flannery OConnors The Life You Save May Be Your

Religious Imagery in Flannery O'Connor's The Life You Save May Be Your Own The religious imagery in Flannery O'Connor's 'The Life You Save May Be Your Own' gives the story a cynical undertone along with a healthy dose of irony. O'Connor uses allusions to Jesus and Christianity to examine the hypocrisies of the religion and its adherents. Her character Tom T. Shiftlet is portrayed paradoxically as both the embodiment of Christ and an immoral, utterly selfish miscreant. By presenting these polarities side by side within one persona, O'Connor shows the dichotomies between so-called Christian morality and the reality of the Church. During his first encounter with the Lucynell Craters, Mr. Shiflet appears to be a harmless, generous wanderer. As he approaches the Crater?s home he ?swung ...

Paulo Freire Essay

In â€Å"Pedagogy of the Oppressed†, Paulo Freire presents two concepts of education, banking and problem-posing. Specifically, Freire argues that in banking, teachers assume students are passive, take all control, determine what will be learned, and â€Å"fill† students with pre-selected information. Problem-posing education allows people to develop their human natures fully because it depends on dialogue, recognizes the relationship between people and the world, encourages discovery and creativity, and leads to transformation. Freire criticizes the banking method throughout the essay and clearly praises problem- posing in more than just an educational settings. For instance, narration sickness is a term used when the teacher talks about a subject as if it were â€Å"motionless, static, compartmentalized, and predictable. † In addition, necrophilia is another one of Freire’s exaggerated imagery, comparing the banking concept and oppression to the love for the dead. Freire supports the problem-posing method as being the only educational concept needed. His essay is well laid out with examples and supporting details, but is this practical for public education? Freire says that to be truly committed to ending banking the students must reject it all together. I have mixed feelings. It’s not that I do or don’t support this statement, but I do believe both concepts are necessary at some point in education. Some information presented to students can only be taught through repetition, memorization, and narration. For example, math and science equations are concepts needed to be memorized in order to complete problems. The way a student memorizes it can be creative and active, but it still falls under the banking category for needing to be told how to perform it.