Friday, January 24, 2020

Michael Moores ‘Bowling for Columbine’ Essay -- Michael Moore, Bowlin

Michael Moore was born on April 23rd 1954. He’s An American film maker, author and a liberal political commentator. He has directed and produced four of the eight highest grossing documentaries of all time. In 2005 Time Magazine named Moore one of the world’s ‘Hundred most influential people’. The documentary ‘Bowling for Columbine’ explores the possible causes for the Columbine High School massacre. It has won the ‘Best Documentary feature’ at both the Academy and Independent Spirit Awards, together with the CÃ ©sar award for ‘best foreign films’. In this sequence we see American fighter jets dropping bombs on residential areas of a village in Kosovo. Then the American President, Bill Clinton, says they are ‘trying not to hurt innocent civilians’. Following this there’s a caption reading ‘one hour later’ with the President talking about the shooting at Columbine High School, now a transition occurs where the screen fades to a picture of the schools entrance, showing a plaque which reads ‘Columbine High School-Home of the Rebels. The video changes to a subjective point of view shot, showing someone walking into school while the audio is of a sad, acoustic guitar. As the person walks through the school with his camera he ironically stops and takes footage of a soldier with a gun in his hand. CCTV (close circuit television) footage is then shown of the children at the school scurrying around trying to protect themselves from the onslaught of ammunition and explosives. A shot of Eric Harris a nd Dylan Klebold firing rounds of ammunition and throwing grenades around the hall is followed, during this a telephone call to the emergency services from Eric’s father saying that his son was involved in the shooting is played over the top. We... ... also exposes the U.S government because when President Clinton states that ‘they are trying to minimise the civilian casualties’, he ‘forgets’ to say that the Americans targeted hospitals and primary schools. If I was an American I would feel disgraced and ashamed of my people. Michael Moore uses all the techniques of film making like location, lighting and body language to help the viewers identify the genre and context of the film. He produces a brilliant and enthralling documentary on the Columbine shooting. I think the sequence is quite thought provoking. Perhaps it’s just a subtle reminder for us to stop and think for a moment if we are heading in the right direction or should we turn a blind eye to whatever is happening around us? My opinion is that such violence, the use of guns and ammunition, should be totally condemned in any part of the world.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Acquiring a Firm Resolve: Dignifying Maturity in the Short Story

There are moments in our lives when we radically change. Something happens to us that transforms us into a new person. It may come as we read an engaging text, as we undergo an enlightening experience, or as we witness an interesting event.The catalyst for this radical change may vary, but its impact will always be the same: we can never go back to our old self, because the change, once done, marks our individual history. This is what happens to Sammy, the main character of the short story, â€Å"A&P† written by John Updike.Sammy undergoes a personal change, a change that makes him take a stand and evolve from an immature teenager to a young man strongly resolved to stand firm in his beliefs.In the first part of the story, we see Sammy’s immaturity as he ogles at the three scantily clad girls. He observes them like any normal teenage boy; he sees the girls as objects of interest because of the way they are dressed.   He is delighted by their presence because of his at traction to them, especially to the dominant girl in the group whom he calls Quennie, who is â€Å"more than pretty† (page number).Sammy even goofs around with his co-worker Stokesie, reveling in the presence of the girls who are so misplaced, wearing bathing suits at a grocery store:You know, it's one thing to have a girl in a bathing suit down on the beach, where what with the glare nobody can look at each other much anyway, and another thing in the cool of the A & P, under the fluorescent lights, against all those stacked packages, with her feet paddling along naked over our checkerboard green-and-cream rubber-tile floor.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Same Sex Adoption - 1409 Words

Explanatory Synthesis Should gays and lesbians have the same rights to adopt as heterosexuals? The laws of most states permit an unmarried person to be an adopted parent. However, many states have enacted laws limiting and in some cases prohibiting, lesbian and gay men from adopting. Adoption of children by lesbian and gay men remains controversial. A court must first find that the best interest of the child will be served by the adoption. Some courts have strongly rejected the notion that adoption by a lesbian or gay parent could ever be in the best interest of a child. This applies to same sex unions as well. Yet the United States has many children waiting to be adopted. Older children and those with special needs are the hardest to†¦show more content†¦Younger children usually have an easier time adjusting to a gay and lesbian parented home. They haven’t learned the social biases against gays and lesbians yet.† (Nighlad). Are children more likely to be gay or lesbian if raised in a gay home?Many opposed to same sex adoption fear that children raised in a homosexual environment will become homosexual themselves. There have been various studies on this subject and various researchers have been asked this very question. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, â€Å"The odds of a child becoming homosexual are about the same as the odds of a child becoming heterosexual, regardless of the sexual orientation of the parents.† (Nighlad). Are homosexuals more likely to sexually abuse children? Some opponents of gay adoption express fears that homosexual parents are more likely to sexually abuse their children (Stone). Research cannot confirm any published instance that would support this concern. Those in favor of gay adoption point out that â€Å"fears of increased homosexuality or even abuse are just that, fears, unsupported by any facts.† (Stone). 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