The Hurt Locker Analysis Film Studies Essay

The Hurt Locker Analysis Film Studies Essay The Hurt Locker is a movie written by Mark Boal and directed by Kathryn Bigelow. It displays combat at its best in Iraq. The movie reflects on the celebrated life of a soldier and is entitled, war is a drug. The soldier vividly displays war as a drug that needs to be taken by all soldiers at all times of their lives for their survival. The writer depicts this through the display of the paralyzing life of a soldier in war. She emphasizes this through the main character whose daring nature puts him at loggerheads with his colleagues (Eldridge and Sanborn) (Olsen, 2008).This paper analyze critically, the Hurt Locker with a specific focus on conflicts, symbols as well as irony presented in the movie. Various conflicts are displayed in the movie, first, when James is hired to replace the previous team leader, Sergeant Thompson. With his experience in war, he conflicts with the rest of the soldiers owing to his aggressive nature and failure to follow protocol. The soldiers find James ways reckless and disturbing but his spontaneity is seen to assist them soldier on to the end. Further James conflicts with Sanborn while trying to pursue the suspects of a petrol oil tanker that had exploded. Sanborn argues that the work should be left to the three platoons in the area. James however wins him over (Ressner, 2008). Again, an external conflict is encountered while driving back to their camp, the three soldiers, Eldridge, Sanborn and James come into conflict with five mercenaries who engage them in battle but they manage to kill after a long struggle. In another scene, the James teams set out to plant an explosion in a desert and they leave. James returns to the site, where the explosive s are already rigged to detonate, to pick up his gloves, which he had forgotten. Sanborn loudly ponders about killing James by deliberately making the explosion explode on him. Eldridge is does not concur with him and is hence unhappy. The theme most featured in the video is that of soldiers dying for their country in patriotism. This is cleared portrayed in the sacrifices made by leaving their families to fight for their countries. At the end of the movie features James with his little son, he recalls the war and contemplates going back to the battlefield. Later he goes back to the battlefield portraying his addiction to war. Other subthemes include violence and war seen in the encounters of the soldiers dismantling bombs and fighting enemies who attack. The filming of the movie in Iraq explains this theme clearly since it is known as a war country (Nott, 2009). The director of the movie integrates principally very shaky and obscure scenes in the movie to portray the uncertainty that hits the soldiers in addition to the danger they face. Iraqis are seen peeping through cracks of buildings, fences and on balconies; this isolates the American soldiers (James, Sanborn, and Eldridge) as being in a suspicious territory. This indirectly portrays these people watching from afar, as people who could set up an explosion on the US soldiers. The stereotype surrounding the towel headed terrorist is personified within the hurt locker. It is implied in the sniper scene at the UN building and depicted by the group of men and women pushing the cart after learning of the body bomb. This denotes the Iraqi as untrustworthy (Tobias, 2009). The American soldiers tend to sympathize with a 12 year old boy, Beckham who displays a flawed character resembling an American teenager. Despite his character, James sympathizes with him and attempts to befriend him. Beckam symbolizes the American culture. Later on Beckams body is found with a bomb implanted in his chest. This makes James go in pursuit of the assailants who did the deadly act. The scenes of a body bomb discovered put the Iraqi citizens in bad light through stereotypes (Olsen, 2008). This symbolizes the American foreign policy. As James dislodges the bomb in the boys chest this symbolizes Americas efforts to liberate and bring democracy in Iraq, the body bomb being a product of the Iraqis. This also serves the purpose of cleansing the view of American soldiers universally as connecting with the locals to help them. This is depicted clearly by James mistaken identity of the body bomb. The setting greatly influences the featured characters. Arid desert scenes and streets with small tunnel like alleyways with debris allover signify the battlefield. Chaos and disorganization is portrayed by explosions at every instance. The only orderly and peaceful place is the US camp victory .These two conflicting images reflect the US foreign policy of bringing forth order and liberation to the Iraq citizen. Dialogue in the movie depicts stereotypes of various kinds. The US soldiers are seen in engaging in slang talk throughout the radio communications. This portrays the superiority complex of the US soldiers with regard to the foreign policy. This is also a depiction of how the US soldiers carry themselves in the battlefield (Ressner, 2008). Bigelow, constructs the movie without favoring any side, this puts him in a state of political balance rather than politically driven level. This he does by balancing the preconception of the audience about Iraq and loose truth about the same. The use of camera angles and dialogue instigates suspense and represent the stress intensity by highlighting the suspicions and insecurity of the setting. The scene before the colonel Cambridges death where he speaks in a demining tone attempting to dismiss the group of Iraq citizens who leave an explosive device close to him. This scene degrades the intelligence of the Iraqi citizens and instigates in the viewers a terrorist image due to the bombing that results. The figure colonel Cambridges reflects the inability of the US forces to adequately understand the people of Iraq. Cambridge is the most intelligent man within the soldiers and the only US casualty expressing the notion that intelligence does not equal to superiority in a dangerous en vironment (Nott, 2009). Inhumanity of the war is depicted when Reed, a colonel congratulates James for his brevity. This shows the Americas brutality when he further claims that James will not make it after which follows gunshots. This clearly portrays a balance in the political sides of Iraq and America as this shows the brutality of the American side. The presence of British mercenary dressed in hajji clothing depicts the inability of the Americans to know the difference. This shows the Americans as being human in a variety of ways (Tobias, 2009). Irony is clearly displayed by the title of the movie whereby the war is depicted as a drug. This is an ironical of the normal situation where human beings like peaceful engagement with each other. At the end of the movie, James is seen as an addict of war. He misses life in war and finally goes back to war, depicting an irony (Olsen, 2008). In sum, the hurt locker depicts the title war is a drug. This is shown in its main character, James whose addiction to war leads him to going back to war each time. This title is ironical since in normal situations, a human being may never crave for war. Various conflicts are displayed especially concerning James spontaneous behavior. At some instance, Sanborn reflects accidentally killing James. The colleagues also fall into conflict with a group of Arab mercenaries but they emerge victorious after numerous confrontation. The movie is symbolic in most instances, first the setting of the movie is in a desert with scenes depicting disorganization and chaos with a touch of Iraq. The only orderly and organized place is the victory camp of the US reflecting the efforts of the united states of liberating Iraq. Their friendliness to the 12-year-old boy shows the effort of the Americans at interacting with the Iraq to solve their indifference. American soldiers are depicted as having a supe riority complex in their dialogue with each other and in their belittling of the hajji soldiers. There is however a balance of political sides where the director portrays the Americans brutality in addition to showing the ruthlessness of the Iraq people. This way he wins in his depiction of lack of favoritism. In totality this movie portrays the title war is a drug.

The Wasp Factory Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"A Gothic horror story of quite exceptional quality...macabre, bizarre and...quite impossible to put down.† The above quote is the response of the Financial Times to the best-selling novel, â€Å"The Wasp Factory†, and in my opinion, truer words were never spoken. I myself had to force the book out of my hands in the early hours of the morning on several occasions. This clearly says something about the sheer power of Iain Bank’s debut novel. Whether you love it or hate it, once you have read the first page you are instantly struck by it’s brilliance. Throughout this essay, I intend to explore the mind and characteristics of the main character, Frank Cauldhame. Throughout the story, Frank’s character is brought out through his experiences, of which the most important are possibly the three murders he commits. I am not going to explore how he commits these terrible crimes, but rather why. Frank’s first victim is his cousin Blyth. He kills Blyth for a relatively simple reason, revenge. Blyth killed Frank and his brother Eric’s rabbits using a makeshift flame-thrower, which Eric had built himself. Eric is completely destroyed by this. So, a year later, Frank decides to settle the score with his cousin. Blyth had an artificial leg, and this was what gave Frank the chance to get even. One day, Frank and Eric, their younger brother Paul ( who is later killed ) and Blyth are lying in the sand. Frank goes for a walk to the Bunker and inside the dark, cold concrete pillbox , he finds an adder. He decides what he is going to do almost instantly. He catches the snake and bundles it into an old tin can. He then returns to the place where he left his cousin and brothers, and puts the snake into the artificial leg. Blyth’s death is slow and painful, and to Frank, this seems very appropriate. The way he sees it, Blyth deserves to die feeling similar agony to th at which his rabbits must have felt, and Frank feels no remorse. He tells Eric that he â€Å"thought it was a judgement from God that Blyth had first lost his leg and then had the replacement become the instrument of his downfall.† Frank then proceeds to name the area where Blyth was killed as â€Å"The Snake Park† This statement is an early indicator of an essential feature of Frank’s character, and that is his belief in symbolism and destiny. We find another example of this when we analyse the death of Frank’s younger brother,... ...ncredible atmosphere around you as a reader. You feel as if you are right beside Frank throughout his incredible adventures, and this is a very important part of a story about a young mans life and experiences. It is not enough to simply read â€Å"The Wasp Factory,† you have to feel it and be a part of it. It is more than just a novel, it is a journey through the mind of an obsessive sixteen year old boy, where you learn to look at the world in a different light. This experience is especially profound for a Scottish reader because of the incredible perceptive use of dialect and setting. I will conclude with a powerful quote from the novel: â€Å"All our lives are symbols. Everything we do is part of a pattern we have at least some say in. The strong make their own patterns and influence other people’s, the weak have their courses mapped out for them. The weak and the unlucky, and the stupid. The Wasp Factory is part of the pattern because it is part of life and-even more so-part of death. Like life it is complicated, so all the components are there† I hope that this has provided you with a final insight into the twistedly genius mind that belongs to Frank Cauldhame, and also, Iain Banks.

Disease trends of the delivery healthcare systems Essay

Advances in global health and science have assisted the disease trends. It has become a never ending mission to protect public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease as well as injury and disability. There have been noted demographic changes in the past 50 years that have resulted from changing trends in child, maternal, and adult death rates (CDC, 2011). Among these are rises in obesity and aging. As these health concerns continue to climb we will have a greater impact on the delivery of services from health care. The importance of these trends assists in prevention and protecting one’s self from new diseases and illnesses as well as old ones. One of the noted trends in healthcare is aging. Focusing on the world’s age composition is one way to understand the impacts and changes in further years to come. According to the US Census Bureau (2013), the elderly population age 65 and older during the twentieth century composed one in every twenty five individuals. In the twenty first century, this same population composed one in every 8 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). This showed that the life expectancy of humans has become longer. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2013), the population in the United States in the year of 2010 was 308.7 million. This indicated a near 10 percent increase over the past ten years. This same 2010 census showed that the elderly population composed 13 percent as opposed to only being 9 percent in the year of 2000. The notable change was determined that there were fewer people in the 65-75 age range but there were more individuals in the 75-85 age ranges. It proved that there were more increasingly elderly individuals reaching into their seventies and even eighties. This increase in age showed that life expectancy and advances in medicine have contributed to individuals living longer lives. This would indicate that as long as medicines and healthcare continued to advance, so would the elderly population in growth. Environmental factors directly contribute to population growth. For one, as the population continues to grow in size, the  natural resources and undeveloped land becomes utilized to accommodate this expansion. Clearing the land and making it more desirable offers more room to continue additions in the population. This in turn offers an increase in the resources that can be utilized for healthcare and science in the creation of vaccines and medications. This increased development has also led to the finding of new resources such as unknown species of plants and animals. These newer found resources can be tested to see if they offer any properties in the expansion of healthcare and medications. The Medical Plant Consortium (2013) states, â€Å"Our major goal in this project has been to capture blue prints of medicinal plants for the advancement of drug discovery and development.† The medical plant consortium further adds well known medicines such as digoxin used for cardiac muscle stimulation comes from the fox glove plant and some of the chemotherapy medications such as vinchristine come from the periwinkle plant. Another noted environmental factor is that the population density has grown over the years. In addition to the population growth, land clearing has been increasing for the purpose of crops farmed for human consumption. The combination of needed developed land for farm crops and the growing population has only contributed to more land being cleared for further discoveries. Some of the changing demographics have been an increase in the population density. Over the years due to advancements in medications and healthcare improving the human life expectancy, th ere is an indicated increase of individuals per square mile than years prior. This is due to the slow development of land but also human life expectancy increasing. January 2011 ushered in the first of approximately 77 million baby boomers born from 1946 through 1964 and surging towards the gates of retirement. Each year 3.5 baby boomers turn 55.† This increase indicates that by 2030 there will be more than twice in the elderly population that in the year 2000 (Transgenerational, 2009). The aging trend is likely to experience an increase in the health issues of today. As we live longer there is more wear and tear to our bodies that developed the need for further medical assistance. As we age our blood vessels and arteries become stiffer causing the heart to have to work harder to function. The longer the heart has to function under this strain, the more likely complications will occur. These factors are directly linked to high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. In addition with aging,  ones bones tend to lose bone mass. This not only weakens t hem increasing the risk for fracture but effects muscle function. Over time muscles lose flexibility and strength. These factors contribute to arthritis. According to the CDC (2013), one of ever two persons will knee arthritis and one in every four will develop hip arthritis. This clearly supports that disease and illness will become more likely as we age. In order to reduce health related problems in aging one should remain fit and incorporate an exercise regimen into their daily life. In addition eating a healthy diet, not smoking, managing stress and taking a daily supplement can help prolong age related diseases (CDC, 2013). Currently the obesity rate in the United States is nearly two of every three persons (Surgeon general, 2009). Research has shown that the united states have the highest population of obesity. A report done from July 2013 shown that the united stated passed the obesity rates of Mexico (Medical News Today, 2013). The U.S. obesity rate has grown from 13 percent in 1960 to 32 percent in 2004 (surgeon general, 2009). References: 1- Centers of Disease Control (CDC), 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/distrnds.html 2- Department of Health and Human services, 2012. http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/Aging_Statistics/index.aspx 3- U.S. Census Bureau, 2013. http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/statbriefs/agebrief.html 4- U.S. Census Bureau, 2011. http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-03.pdf 5- PHYS.org, 2013. http://phys.org/news/2011-12-medicinal-benefits.html 6- Transgenerational- design matters, 2009. http://transgenerational.org/aging/demographics.htm 7- Mayo clinic, 2013. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aging/HA00040 8- Surgeon general, 2009. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/news/testimony/obesity07162003.html 9- Medical News Today, 2013. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265556.php

Word Lab 2 Ch 3

————————————————- Jonner Public Library Jonner Public Library 4992 Surrey Court, Jonner, MA 02198 ? 291-555-9454 ? Web Address: www. jpl. net March 10, 2012 Mr. Brent Jackson 5153 Anlyn Drive Jonner, MA 02198 Dear Mr. Jackson: Thank you for registering online for our spring classes. As a library patron, you are aware that we offer a great deal more than books and magazines. The table below outlines the classes for which you have registered, along with the dates and locations: Class| Date| Location|Intro to Windows 7| April 10| Room 10B| eBay Basics| April 18| Room 24C| Genealogy Searches| April 24| Room 10B| Overview of Office 2010| April 28| Room 22A| Note that all classes, regardless of date, begin at 10:00 a. m. and last four hours. Although no materials or textbooks are required for the classes, you are strongly encouraged to bring the following items: * Pens, pencils, or other writing implements * Blank CD or DVD to store documents and notes created during class * Notebook or loose-leaf binder for handwritten notes Your valid library card to verify enrollment eligibility Please note that no food or drinks are allowed in any of our computer facilities. If you have any questions or would like to register for additional courses, please contact me at (291) 555-9454 or via e-mail at [email  protected] net. Again, thank you for your interest in and continued patronage of Jonner Public Library. We look forward to seeing you when your first class begins. Sincerely, Marcia Lawrence Head Librarian

Anne Hutchinson essays

Anne Hutchinson essays Was Anne Hutchinson such a threat to the Massachusetts Bay Colony? Anne Hutchinson was a middle aged house wife who in 1638 was forced to leave her town and her life behind her, as she was excommunicated and banished from the puritan community. Like many religious zealots Anne and her family had fled from the unjust rule of the English church and boldly set forth to the new world. Anne and her family where prominent members of the puritan church and where widely respected in Boston Massachusetts. Anne was an educated, enlightened and an opinionated woman. Because of this free-thinking nature Anne was open to sharing her knowledge and did so by inviting people to here home on a set day every week. (page20) Here guests would be introduced to a variety of liberal and reformist views regarding many facets of the Puritan Church. At these meetings Anne was very informal and spread Antinomian beliefs that imbued a radical philosophy that Christians are not bound by established laws, especially moral laws, but should rely on faith and divine grace for sa lvation. (Confession page 26-27) Anne Hutchinson posed no physical danger to the citizens of the Massachusetts Bay area. However in a time when religious extremism was the backbone of society, Anne Hutchinsons extremist views threatened the puritan lifestyle by disregarding the foundations of the conservative puritan church. This kind of activity was considered unlawful in that the New World puritan settlement was though of as a grand holy mission (page 13) the success of which would provide a template for reforming religious world order. The Clerical as well as judicial bodies of Massachusetts recognized Anne as an antagonist to the Puritan mission. They quickly formulated a case to condemn Anne Hutchinson, thus making a statement to all other Antinomians that liberal ideology was not to be condoned. The case against Anne was loosely constructed and relied upon...

Epigenetic Modification in Human Thyroid Cancer Essay

Epigenetic Modification in Human Thyroid Cancer - Essay Example Neo-Darwinism, has been stretched to incorporate epigenetics from an evolutionary perspective and even from a Non-Lamarckian viewpoint, epigenetics does have an important role in evolution. Epigenetic changes are heritable in nature and in some cases large unexplained heritance of certain characters does take place yet this is important to maintain both genotypic and phenotypic variability. Epigenetic modifications are extremely crucial to maintain human body functions and improper functioning of these modifications can cause adverse health effects and lead to major diseases of the human body. Epigenetic events include modifications of the histone proteins and leads to regulation of chromatin structure and subsequently lead to alteration of the gene function. Researchers have identified deficiency of biotin as one of the major regulatory factors in modifying the chromatin structure. In fact, epigenetics involves the transgenerational transmittance of phenotypic characters which previously solely attributed to genetics. Transgeneration epigenetics refers to the inheritance of information from one organism to another. The transfer of certain characters for example maternal care have been studied. According to a study conducted by Champagne in 2008, epigenetic alterations helps in transferring of traits such as maternal care form the mother to the female off-spring, post-partum. Such transfers have mostly been attributed to epigenetics change sin neuronal and endocrine processes on the body.

How Reflective Practice Promotes Personal And Professional Development Essay

How Reflective Practice Promotes Personal And Professional Development of Teachers - Essay Example ing nature of the basic learning needs of children, youth and adults requires a broadening of the scope of basic education and redefining it to meet the needs of changing times. The changing dynamics of the social fabric in multicultural societies across the globe have increasingly become major challenges within the education system, especially in UK secondary school system. 2. Need for teacher development The quality and standard of teaching considerably influences students’ performance. The teachers need to evolve and develop appropriate skills to suit the changing needs of the pupils and raise their achievement level. It is important to understand the nature of teachers’ learning in order to exploit their competencies and promote new initiatives in teaching methodologies. Moreover, the key objective of a teachers’ development program is to challenge the status quo of existing knowledge to evolve a more creative way of teaching effectively (Craft, 1996). Teache rs’ teaching is also influenced by their beliefs, ideas and their life experience (Borko, 2004). Moreover, teachers should also be able to communicate effectively to transfer knowledge. Their ability to communicate and their expertise in the subject are a critical paradigm that must be constantly updated to include new approaches and ideas. Effective communication promotes the retention of knowledge and the development of a critical outlook amongst the students. Effective teaching is contextual as its efficacy can only be tested in the context of learning and the environment and support within which it is imparted. Thus, environmental changes vis-a-vis advancing technology, globalization, demographic changes etc. become challenging issues for teachers that significantly impact teaching. Though,... This paper approves that the need to identify and evaluate various parameters of reflective practices becomes an essential ingredient for teacher development. At the same time, many other issues like socio-psychological factors have significant impact on the metacognitive responses of the teachers. Thus, the behaviour, attitude, beliefs, value system etc. of the teachers have increasingly emerged as crucial elements within teaching process for eliciting positive responses from the students. Teachers learn what type of behaviour and attitude motivates students for higher achievement. When they change their behaviour to suit the needs of the students, they improve their teaching. This report makes a conclusion that the role of teachers is important within the field of education as they are proactively involved in the development of children and students into responsible citizens. Their professional development becomes necessary due to the evolving dynamics of the external environment. Reflective practices in the professional development of teachers help to identify shortcomings and promote wider understanding of the various methodologies that can be used to enable teachers to become more articulate and effective in teaching. Reflective practices therefore have gained popularity due to their active learning processes that constantly motivate teachers to improve. The various facets of reflective practice as discussed, reveal their importance in the overall development of teachers and how they contribute in adding value to the teaching.