The Count of Monte Cristo Essay Example for Free

The Count of Monte Cristo Essay The novels of Alexander Dumas are favorites of many generations of readers because of his fascinating characters, tangled stories and dynamic plots. One of them, â€Å"The Count of Monte Cristo† was finished in 1844. Given its brilliant storyline about love and revenge in the 18th century, the novel was brought to life for the first time in 1934 by director Rowland V Lee and skillful actors Robert Donat, Elissa Landi and Sidney Blackmer. However, would it be worth it to do second film based on the same novel? Joe Leydon from Variety believes so. He states his certainty in the director of the remake, Kevin Reynolds who â€Å"proves to be fully on top of his game, infusing the grandly melodramatic permutations of the plot with firm conviction and stylish gusto† (Leydon). The old film from 1934 was given a fresh, new, compelling production in 2003 filled with a lot of breathtaking, uniquely visualized action scenes. The plot in both films is naturally no different. The tranquil life of Edmond Dantes, a 20 years old sailor on the â€Å"Pharaoh† ship, who plans to marry the beautiful Mercedes, is shattered when his friend Fernand wishes the lovely Mercedes for himself. Three other people wish to harm Dantes for different reasons. Danglars is an accountant of the Pharaoh and fears that if Dantes becomes Capitan, he will lose his job because Dantes notices his abuses; young assistant prosecutor De Villefort is afraid that his father’s connections with the dethroned Napoleon might be revealed, and the neighbor of Edmond’s father is jealous of his success. On the eve of Mercedes’s and Edmond’s wedding, Dantes is slandered and accused of being a Bonapartist. He is sent to the d’If castle, a prison fortress not far from Marseilles, without an opportunity to object his sentence. Dantes is informed that he will remain forever in prison. He attempts suicide, but he is unexpectedly saved by the appearance of anothe r prisoner Abbe Faria, who for years has dug tunnels and attempted to escape, but due to erroneous calculations has ended up in Dantes’s cell. The two misfortunates quickly become friends. Abbe Faria is a highly educated individual and discovers who sent Edmond into d’If castle and what their motives were. At that moment, he unwittingly sowed the seeds of revenge in Dantes. For six months, Abbe helps  to educate Edmond in English, German and Spanish and introduces him to math, physics, history and philosophy. After a year of planning their escape, Dantes and Abbe began to dig the tunnel to freedom. Sadly, incurable illness stalls Abbe from fulfilling their plan. Foreseeing his death, the abbot reveals to Edmond his secret treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. When the abbot dies, Dantes takes his place in a body bag and is thrown into the sea instead of the dead Abbe Faria. It is unbelievable he survived. After miraculously managing to escape, he becomes the very wealthy and mysterious Count of Monte Cristo, establishes himself among the French nobility and skillful plans his revenge on everyone who stabbed him in the back. He is overwhelmed by the desire to find and assassinate his enemies, especially Fernand Mondego who married his fiancà ©e and had a child with her. The story of revenge is long, full of action and unexpected plot turns. The Count sneaks past the enemies and discovers their devastating secrets which aid him in devising their suffering deaths. The Count of Monte Cristo first wins the trust of his nemesis’s and manages to get close to them to learn their weaknesses, which will be the cause of their eventual death. Until the last minute of their life none of them realizes the source of their troubles. The transformation of the uneducated, naà ¯ve and kind sailor Edmont Dantes into the wise, aristocrat with a desire for revenge is fascinating. The actor, Jim Caviezel, uses all aspects of acting – mimics, gesture, voice, eyes to describe the transformation. His eyes seem to be the most influential quality of his character. The performance of Jim Caviezel is so capturing it resembles one of the most famous characters in the history of film – Al Pacino in â€Å"The Godfather†. As hard as someone tries to find flaws in the film, they cannot. The direction of Kevin Reynolds is at a very high level without having to use flashy or cheap effects. He knows where to stop a scene, what to do with it, and always picks the most appropriate angle in order to engage viewers in the moment. An example of this is the very first scene in the movie. Second mate Dantes and ship representative Mondego are aboard a sloop to Elba, the island to which Napoleon was banished and guarded. Edmont and Fernand get on shore to seek medical supplies for their dying captain. Upon seeing them, the British horsemen first assume Edmont a nd Fernand are here to free Napoleon. An action scene commences as the British open fire at the two sailors from the â€Å"Pharaoh† ship. The guards  have no intention of listening to or believing what Edmont tries to tell them (that they only seek medical assistance). The unique aspect in â€Å"The Count of Monte Cristo† is the camera position and rotation which is utilized in the very first scene. The filming is done from above, thus exposing the viewer to entire field on which Edmont and Fernand battle the British troops. The camera rotates around the actors and zooms in on their faces to display the facial expressions as they fight. Dim light from the moon reflects in their sweaty faces. Before we know it, the camera takes us back in the air again, and we can see more British troops quickly approaching in the far distance. Besides from above, cameras are also filming from below (the moment when Napoleon appears). This constant rotation from above to below involves the viewers in the scene. We are completely aware of the location of each character in the moment. After Napoleon â€Å"saves† our brave character seeking help for their dying captain, the former Emperor of France escorts them to the physician. At which point they enter his cabin and we notice the second unique aesthetic element in the movie – darkness. Almost half of the movie is filmed in the dark and usually the only light provided is by the Moon’s reflection (outdoor scenes) and candles (indoor scenes). This aesthetic element helps the viewer experience what lighting might have been like during the Renaissance period. About one fourth of the film takes place in the ghastly chateau d’If which is the absolute perfect example of how to use virtual darkness in scenes. With Dantes’s arrival in d’If castle, we are teleported to his new â€Å"home† for the next 16 years, filled only with darkness and horrid beatings. What do we think of when we hear the word â€Å"darkness†? Fear, death, misery? This is exactly what the director wants us to feel when we are seeing scenes from d’If castle. Fear – from the annual beating they give all innocent prisoners. Death that eventually comes either from starvation or suicide. Misery – being exposed to only a small window of light and one meal a day. Another noticeable visual element in â€Å"The Count of Monte Cristo† is the use of the blur effect. The director often blurs the background to set more focus on what’s happening in the scene. We see this aesthetic element throughout the entire film, mostly during dialog accompanied with a close up on the characters faces for example, the scene of Mercedes and Edmont speaking by the rocks. The camera is focused on their faces when we see Fernand approaching from the distance.  Seconds later, the focus is changed to Fernand as Mercedes and Edmont are blurred to the viewers. When Edmont shares the news of his promotion we can see the jealousy and frustration on Fernand’s face. Speaking of characters faces, the movie also focuses on the representatio n of characters’ eyes. The clearest example of this would be the dinner scene at Fernand and Mercedes’s mansion for their son Albert’s birthday. After saving the youngsters life, Count Monte Cristo was invited to the Mondego residence for Albert’s birthday party. Throughout the entire evening, Monte Cristo and Mercedes exchange looks as the Countess Montego starts recognizing the love of her life, Edmont Dantes, in the new French aristocrat. They exchange expressions, looks, smiles which reveal to us what the characters are thinking. Such details make â€Å"The Count of Monte Cristo† a â€Å"lavishly mounted and appealingly old-fashioned swashbuckler† (Leydon). The reviewer of â€Å"The Count of Monte Cristo† on Variety – John Leydon provides a fantastic summary of the movie. He writes about the actors, plot and direction without going in depth on a particular subject or praising / criticizing the movie in excess. Those are the exact qualities of a good fil m review. This brings up a burning question who can write a film review? In the article â€Å"Film criticism in the age of the Internet† the editors of Cineaste suggest it often seems that everyone is a critic (Cineaste), and we can all agree with that. Nowadays, people can view, comment and write anything on the Web. Anyone can register on a blog or forum and begin writing reviews of movies. It doesn’t even matter how good their writing is or what position they takes because today â€Å"everyone’s a critic† (Cineaste). The expression â€Å"quality over quantity† can quite correctly apply here. There are more and more film reviewers on the Internet, to whom Cineaste refers to as â€Å"amateurs† (Cineaste), â€Å"demented teenagers† (Cineaste) or generally modern film critics. Tobias Grey’s thoughts on this new age of criticism in his article â€Å"Debating film criticism† is that â€Å"modern film criticism is far too subjective and not nearly analytical enough† (Grey) in addition â€Å"criticism is reputed to be dead, film criticism especially so.† (Jesse Walker). While this may seem bad, I like the fact that if you don’t enjoy a certain film, you’re not necessarily a bad reviewer or a person with no taste in film because â€Å"you have a soulmate in cyberspace, and he posted his thoughts (which are identical to yours) on a now-defunct interactive Web site†Ã‚  (Walker). So, what does all of this tell us? The large amount of film criticism on the Internet kills the real meaning of quality level film criticism, however it exposes us to more writers’ thoughts and opinions. The editors in Cineaste express their hope that â€Å"good criticism will predominate over bad in both magazines and the Internetand that increased bids for corporate and government control of cyberspace will not drown out, or silence, the many lively online voices (some of whom are represented in our symposium) that have already changed the face of contemporary film criticism.† â€Å"The Count of Monte Cristo† is a capturing and fascinating film. The classical love story in the 1800’s intrigues the viewer and the action grabs your attention. It is a favorite film for people of all ages because it shows human qualities that last forever such as greed, desire for revenge, love and more. Analyzing the motion picture as art I paid more attention to the camera movement and lens zoom which made me realize how great the movie actually is. The director communicates with us through visual language and the characters reveal their thoughts through their facial expressions. A close up on the main character’s troubled face or shaking eyeballs can tell us a lot more than dialog. I like â€Å"The Count of Monte Cristo† for the special attention to details. They connect us with to film and we experience it in a different way. Such minor details may seem like not a big deal if you watch the film for its story, but if you focus and view the film as art you’d see there is much more than dialog and action scenes to â€Å"The Count of Monte Cristo†. Bibliography Film criticism in the age of the Internet. Cineaste Fall 2008: 1. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 6 Dec. 2011. Grey, Tobias. Debating film criticism: Europeans share opinions on the pics they review and also on the qualifications for being a well-rounded critic. Variety 29 Oct. 2007: A2+. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 6 Dec. 2011. Leydon, Joe. â€Å"The Count of Monte Cristo.† Variety. n. pag. Web. 24 Jan 2002. Walker, Jesse. Everyones a critic: Dont shed any tears for cinephilia. Reason June 2002: 62. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 6 Dec. 2011.

Changing Nature Of The Psychological Contract Management Essay

Changing Nature Of The Psychological Contract Management Essay The mutual expectations people have from one another in a relationship of employer employees are commonly referred to as a psychological contract. The content of these contracts can be changed over time and can affect the behavior of the two. The origins of these psychological contracts go beyond thousands of years back. Amidah (1998) was one of the initial writers who used the term psychological contract as the mutual understanding between employees and their employers. The psychological contract between employers and employees related to job security has been facing changes due to the economic down grading. The increasing rates of short term and contractual employment have forced employees to seek self actualization sort of psychological contracts. The changing nature of psychological contracts of generation Y has certain implications on organizations which have always been interested in having workforce committed to the organizational goals and objectives. According to recent literature, psychological contract is an individuals beliefs necessary to perform commitment that may exist between the employee and the organization (Lester, Turnleyet.al. 2002). Individuals perception and expectations from the organization in terms of receiving benefits, wages and opportunities against the services provided to the organization by the employee used to form the foundation of any psychological contract (Lester, Turnley et.al. 2002). The inherent perceptual nature of the psychological contract between employers and employees may have contrasting implication about obligations of the contract (Lester and Kickul, 2001). Nowadays companies are more focused on the achievement of corporate goals and profit margins while noticing stock market prices because of the competitive business environment all around the world (De Meuse, Bergmann et. Al., 2001). This is because of the fact that the world has seen the problem of corporate downsizing, restructuring and mergers since 1980s and 1990s (De Meuse, Bergmann et. al 2001). This current scenario of doing business has absolutely changed the nature of employee and employer contract and the demand of this relationship. In the past, these psychological contracts were of long term where employees were committed with an organization where they continued to learn as well as they got high job ranking but now the psychology of the contract has seen changing nature because of the availability of short term employment with upscale designation for technical and professionals workers (Smithson and Lewis, 2000, Lester and Kickul, 2001). Hiring of high skilled professional(s) for a specific task completion is one of the emerging trends in the business community (Lester and Kickul, 2001) and consequent termination of the staff with the attainment of work objectives. This phenomena has made the modern workplace a source of stress and extra work load and job insecurity and decreased commitment to organizational goals and objectives in return (De Meuse, Bergmann et. al). The need of personal growth, development of transferable skills, networking opportunities and career management for immediate job has been gaining potential among professionals due to the current scenarios of job insecurity (De Meuse, Bergmann et.al., 2001, Lester and Kickul, 2001). The changing environment of employment has considered another driver of the change in nature of psychological contracts of generation Y. The previous employees to employer psychological contracts were relational in nature and their specific features were trust, respect and loyalty between the employee and the employer, but, this new insecure job environment has randomly changed the nature of the psychological contract from relational to transactional nature. This transactional exchange has been defined by De Meuse and Begmann et.al (2001) as an explicit or an implicit promise having the capacity of maintaining information about monetary remuneration available to employee against his services to the organization. This periodical change in nature of the psychological contract was predicted by Rousseau and Parks in a research conducted during 1993 with an explanation of change in the nature of contract from relational to transactional in case of occurrence of any violation of the contract. However, it is important to maintain the equilibrium of trust between the employee and the employer either in relational psychological contract or in transactional psychological contract, but, in the present situation of job insecurity it is hard to have any trust on the employer or employee. Therefore, the lack of job security has brought the concentration of employees to acquire transferable skills and techniques and contracts of transactional type (De Meuse, Bergmann et al). Impacts of the changing nature of the psychological contract of generation Y on organizations With the emergence of new markets, competitors and technologies have been increasingly changing the behavior of organizations towards the hiring of skilled and well trained employees at every level of the organization (Lester and Kickul, 2001). Businesses of today are only selecting skillful employees for short term periods to make their projects accomplished by utilizing the skills and expertise of professionals (Lester and Kickul, 2001). It is because of the use of new technologies in business processes and to get a competitive edge in the market. To achieve this desired level, organizations have to keep track of professionals and motivated and committed workforce to efficiently achieve their goals. It has been studied that the changing nature of psychological contracts is because of the reducing commitment of employees due to job insecurity and enhanced competition faced by todays employers (Bunderson 2001, Lester and Kickul, 2001). However, high level of commitment and satisfaction is enjoyed by employees who have long term psychological contract as per studies conducted during 1998. There are certain measures that should be taken by the organization to retain and motivate their employees even on the presence of economic pressure and new organizational structure (Lester and Kickul, 2001). The level can be achieved by just understanding the elements of psychological contracts as well as the fact that it is an evolving and continually changing contract and organizations have the right of making a choice regarding an employee to get committed and motivated workforce and employment. According to Maslows hierarchy theory, the highest need for humans is self-actualization. Lester and Kickul (2001) states that today  employees are  becoming increasingly aware of the non-monetary rewards which the firms are willing to provide  in exchange for their skills. It entails that employees have now reached at a certain point in time; where theyre able to seek out the self-actualization. Self-esteem or self actualization is the highest need of humans as stated by Maslows hierarchy theory. Employees are increasingly getting awareness of the behavior of organizations of giving non-monetary rewards to employees against the skills of professionals and technical persons (Lester, Kickul, 2001). This is the time when it can be suggested that employees are gradually heeding towards the state of self actualization. Stalker (2000) stated that successful companies of the day are keeping balance between the needs of the employee and the needs of the organization. To achieve this, companies are needed to maintain a balance between their efforts and time investment. Managers are responsible to achieve this balance while keeping the workforce committed and motivated (Lester, Turnleyet, al., 2002). It is a fact that nowadays job insecurity has made psychological contracts a dynamic and evolving one and can be handled by the organization by just understanding the causes of changes and timely changes in the contract according to the needs and demand of the sources (Lester and Kickul, 2001). Lester and Kickul (2001) shows that a  proactive approach to the psychological contracts can reduce employees intentions to leave since their needs can be fulfilled by the organization. The other step that can be an effective support to minimize the gap of the psychological contract is communication. Better and timely communication between the contracting bodies can reduce the conflict and can reduce the gap of psychological contracts (Lester and Kickul, 2001). Open book management techniques are an effective communication tool between the organization and employees and help in the formation of an effective communication frameworkfor the organizations. Successful organizations are required to startworking on the psychological contract before the hiring of the employee. The organizations publications, interview processes, contract negotiation and orientation processes are some of the ways that can help organizations to make better changes in the psychological contract and keep it up to date (Niehoff and Paul 2001). Organizations literature and publications create the first impression of all the values espoused by the employers.  The interview process then helps in establishing the image of the organization for potential employees (Niehoff, Paul, 2001), while promoting expectations  ranging from the tangibles  such as pay and benefits,  to the intangibles such as  treatment of employees or degree of empowerment etc (Niehoff, Paul, 2001). As suggested by Niehoff and Paul (2001), by  providing Realistic Job Previews like Cisco Systems  (Lester and Kickul, 2001), candidates can be given a realistic and clear view of the actual expectations of the work hours, duties and performance levels  (Niehoff and Paul, 2001).  The negotiation process (after an offer is made to a candidate)  provides a further  opportunity to clarify the specific details regarding the expectations of both parties  (Niehoff, Paul, 2001). Finally, the orientation program gives an opportunity to re-enforce the psychological contract which has been formed. Once all of these are in line with each other and also in line with the companys expectations, the company can form a contract that is expected to be clearly understood by both parties and has less chances of being breached. Conclusion Changed psychological contract is the demand of the modern economic environment. It is the demand of both the organization and employees. The psychological contracts of generation Y are more transactional and related to self actualization. This change in the nature of the contract has been considered by the management of an organization and employees with the increasing demand of giving more time and effort in the formation of the psychological contract acceptable to the organization and employees. As it has been seen that psychological contracts are formed on the basis of trust, but it can be strengthened by the two following factors: Internal factors External factors Internal factors can be the individuals perception that can be the outcome of his or her cultural behavior, but external factors include situations that how organizations are shaping their policies in the interest of employees and how much they are acknowledging the perceived obligations according to the formal contract of employment with those professionals or skilled technicians. These measures can be used to determine the commitment of employees to the organizational goals and objectives and any violations can lead to the job satisfaction depletions actions. However, the choice to be in the employment contract can be up to individual employee. The long lasting employer to employee relationship can only be possible if there is a strong build up credibility between employer and employee. This credibility can give the contract more and more reliance and can be effective to build up a long lasting relationship. Psychological contract will remain strong till the time they remain in fa vor of the employees orientation towards life and can be the source of strong commitment of individuals to be or not to be part of an organization. But with the change and any amendments in organizational structure, strategy and the job role, the individual can shift to new works and job roles and this new work role can be the source of better return on relationship (ROR) than on return on investment (ROI). Strong and reliable psychological contract can provide the organization with a healthy and fruitful relationship between the employee and employer that would be helpful in the sustainability of the organization. Whatsoever it can be better concluded in a way that the changing nature of the psychological contract of generation Y is only the result of changing nature of job environment and increasing insecurity to jobs, therefore, employees have transformed their interest from signing relational contract to transactional contract. This transformation of contract nature has caused t he organization to bear the loss of committed and loyal workforce for a long period of time on one hand while getting the benefit of having highly skilled professionals for the completion of their project within a short period of time.

Euclid’s Elements and the Axiomatic Method Essay -- Mathematics Geomet

â€Å"There is no royal road to geometry.† – Euclid Euclid’s Elements are predominantly the most fundamental concepts of mathematics, but his perspective on geometry was the model for over two millennia. He is believed by many to be the leading mathematics teacher of all time. However, little is known about his life outside of mathematics, or even when he was born or when he died. According to a passage written by Proclus, Euclid probably lived after Ptolemy and the pupils of Plato, but came before Archimedes and Eratosthenes. This places his existence sometime around 300 B.C. Euclid is most famous for having set the guidelines for geometry and arithmetic written in Euclid’s Elements, a series of thirteen books in which Euclid states definitions, postulates, and theorems for mathematical concepts that are still used today. What is most remarkable about the Elements is the simple, rational, and very logical structure in which Euclid presents the accumulated geometrical knowledge from the past several centuries of Gr eek mathematicians. The manner in which the propositions have been derived is considered to be the prime model of the axiomatic method. (Hartshorne 296). Euclid’s axiomatic method works by â€Å"starting from a small number of definitions and assumptions at the beginning, [so that] all the succeeding results are proved by logical deduction from what has gone before.† In essence it is no more than â€Å"a method of proving that results are correct.† Many of Euclid’s proofs are constructions, all of which can be done using no more than a ruler and a compass and rely only on the theorems and rules of the system. Despite having developed this rigorous system of proofs, Euclid did not actually demonstrate everyt... ... of Nebraska Press, 1991. Blumenthal, Leonard M. A Modern View of Geometry. San Fransisco: W.H. Freeman and Company, 1961. Greenberg, Marvin Jay. Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometries. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company, 1993. Hartshorne, Robin. Geometry, Euclid and Beyond. New York: Springer, 2000. Hofstadter, Douglas R.. Gà ¶del, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. New York: Basic Books, 1975 Narkiewicz, Wladyslaw. The Development of Prime Number Theory: From Euclid to Hardy and Littlewood. Brlin: Springer-Verlag, 2000. Singer, David A. Geometry: Plane and Fancy. New York: Springer, 1998. Internet Sources: Joyce, D. E. â€Å"Euclid’s Elements.† 1997, [online]. http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/java/elements/toc.html (September 18, 2002)

MacBeth :: Character Analysis, Classics

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the three witches give Macbeth a false sense of security with their apparitions of truths. Instead, they prove to be harmful for Macbeth who takes too much comfort and confidence in his interpretation of the truths.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first apparition, a floating head warns Macbeth to beware Macduff. The apparition confirms Macbeth’s own fears saying he has already guessed as much. In the second apparition, a bloody child tells Macbeth, â€Å"None a woman born shall harm Macbeth† (4.1, p. 96). Believing everyone is born of woman, Macbeth takes relief in the idea that he will never be harmed. Although, the apparition does provide a truth, but unbeknownst to Macbeth, Macduff was not of â€Å"woman born† rather â€Å"from his mother’s womb / untimely ripped† (5.9 p. 349). Macduff was born through cesarean section after his mother died hence the bloody child in the apparition. In the third apparition, a crowned child holding a tree, tells Macbeth he is safe until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. Again, the apparition deceives Macbeth the way he perceives it thinking Birnam Wood cannot move to Dunsinane Hill. Later, a messenger tells Macbeth the trees of Birnam wood are advancing toward Dunsinane. Malcolm’s soldiers carry the tree branches to Dunsinane making the apparition truthful. The crowned child in the apparition is Malcolm—the future king after Macbeth. Finally in the last apparition, a procession of eight crowned kings walks by, the last one carrying a mirror. Banquo’s ghost walks at the end of the line. The witches vanish before Macbeth could get a meaning behind the apparition.

The Drive-By :: Personal Narrative Writing

The Drive-By Many people have experienced a drive-by shooting before. Some are the victims and others are the people who commit these crimes. Either way, these shootings are very horrifying. You feel your adrenaline rush 100 miles an hour. People who can't run will soon find themselves hopping over gates and hitting roofs tops. The sad truth is that people die as a result of these shootings. Bullets don't carry names. They fly in all directions killing innocent people. I woke up one Sunday morning tired from the night before. My neighbor Sergio called me up to ask me if I would go with him to the car wash in Whittier. I got ready and left my house at about 12 o'clock. As I walked to his house, I noticed that the sun was bright and the sky was clear. "The day is too good to be true," I thought to myself and believed nothing could possibly go wrong. We got to the car wash and washed his car. The day was going fine. Then Sergio asked me if I wanted to go to East L.A. with him. I agreed and went with him. We arrived at his cousin's house and his cousin's friends were all drinking on the sidewalk. I felt strange to be there. I didn't know anyone except Sergio and his cousin. To top it all off, I was in a strange neighborhood with some gangsters that I didn't know. After being there a while, I noticed a grey van passing down the street repeatedly. I did not think much about it since it was not my neighborhood, and Sergio's friend did not pay much attention to them either. All of a sudden, one of Sergio's friends jumped off the hood of a parked car and yelled, "Trucha! Trucha!" (Watch Out!) As he shouted that, I looked up and saw the passenger of the gray van pointing and shooting a gun at me. I felt a tremendous cold chill all over my body, and began to run as fast as I could to the back of the house. All I remember is looking for safety. When the shooting was over, I went to the front and saw Sergio's cousin laying on the ground with his pants full of blood. We quickly got him into Sergio's clean car and drove to the hospital. We were driving much faster than the speed limit and running red lights while I tried to calm Sergio's cousin. The Drive-By :: Personal Narrative Writing The Drive-By Many people have experienced a drive-by shooting before. Some are the victims and others are the people who commit these crimes. Either way, these shootings are very horrifying. You feel your adrenaline rush 100 miles an hour. People who can't run will soon find themselves hopping over gates and hitting roofs tops. The sad truth is that people die as a result of these shootings. Bullets don't carry names. They fly in all directions killing innocent people. I woke up one Sunday morning tired from the night before. My neighbor Sergio called me up to ask me if I would go with him to the car wash in Whittier. I got ready and left my house at about 12 o'clock. As I walked to his house, I noticed that the sun was bright and the sky was clear. "The day is too good to be true," I thought to myself and believed nothing could possibly go wrong. We got to the car wash and washed his car. The day was going fine. Then Sergio asked me if I wanted to go to East L.A. with him. I agreed and went with him. We arrived at his cousin's house and his cousin's friends were all drinking on the sidewalk. I felt strange to be there. I didn't know anyone except Sergio and his cousin. To top it all off, I was in a strange neighborhood with some gangsters that I didn't know. After being there a while, I noticed a grey van passing down the street repeatedly. I did not think much about it since it was not my neighborhood, and Sergio's friend did not pay much attention to them either. All of a sudden, one of Sergio's friends jumped off the hood of a parked car and yelled, "Trucha! Trucha!" (Watch Out!) As he shouted that, I looked up and saw the passenger of the gray van pointing and shooting a gun at me. I felt a tremendous cold chill all over my body, and began to run as fast as I could to the back of the house. All I remember is looking for safety. When the shooting was over, I went to the front and saw Sergio's cousin laying on the ground with his pants full of blood. We quickly got him into Sergio's clean car and drove to the hospital. We were driving much faster than the speed limit and running red lights while I tried to calm Sergio's cousin.

Conflict and resolving issues sources of conflict and conflict resolution Essay

Hello everyone. My name is Isaac and welcome to my presentation. First of all I would like to give thanks to our honorable course instructor for organizing such a pretty session. Well, today the topic of my presentation is about conflict and resolving issues. So here I will discuss about conflict and resolving issues, sources of conflict and conflict resolution. Many people lead busy and challenging lives, so they encounter conflict on a daily basis and sometimes hourly basis at home or at work. As for the people who become engaged in conflict, they rarely have any or little understanding about the roots of conflicts or how to manage it when it happens. The entire other level that many people fail to understand is how regularly they encounter conflict and how difficult it can be to find a solution. As human we are regularly being placed in situations where conflict can occur and how we respond to it is grounded on different personalities. Conflict is an inevitable factor in our daily personal and professional lives. We are surrounded by conflict even if we may not recognize it. Usually we don’t like to experience conflict, although we enjoy watching others deal with it. For example, television shows highlight the fact that arguments, disputes, and disagreements are normal and a relevant part of life. Conflicts can result for various reasons, including miscommunication, differing values, relationship breakdowns and lack of information. In the workplace conflicts, divergent needs are usually at the heart of bitter disputes. A conflict can occur at any time when two or more people have a difference of opinion. Whether or not the conflict expands rely on the resolving skills of each person involved in the conflict and analyze the elements of conflict and resolving issues involved in the situation. While knowledge in resolving issues skills and negotiation tactics can result to successful conflict resolution, the outcome lies strictly in the hands and mental abilities of the conflict initiator. When you acknowledge the legitimacy of conflicting needs and become willing to analyze them in a surrounding of compassionate understanding, it open pathways to team building, creative problem solving and improved relationship. When you resolve conflict and disputes quickly and painlessly, mutual trust flourish. Basically, the capability to successfully manage and resolve conflicting issues rely on the four conflict resolution skills; swiftly relieve stress, recognizing and managing your emotions, improving your non verbal communication skills, and using humor and play to deal with problems. In conclusion,conflict is a normal and even healthy part of life. Furthermore, two people cannot be expected to agree on everything at all times. Resolving issues is an approach that we require all throughout our lives. Conflict is obviously unavoidable no matter what precautions are taken, but resolving issue is always possible if done correctly. Feelings of frustration may happen, but resolving conflict can make such a difference in our interpersonal relationships rather than just avoiding it. It may appear hard at times to resolve the conflict and reach a median, but in the end, regardless of the difficulty, it will be well worth it and will improve our performance. References Akgun, Serap, and Arzu Araz. â€Å"The Effects of Conflict Resolution Education on Conflict Resolution Skills, Social Competence, and Aggression in Turkish Elementary School Students.† Journal of Peace Education (2014): 30-45. Print. Nan, Susan Allen. â€Å"Consciousness in Culture-based Conflict and Conflict Resolution.† Conflict Resolution Quarterly (2012): 239-62. Print. Source document

Literature Courework Essay

Choose two stories from ‘An Evening in Guanima’ that you considered to be the â€Å"best† or your favourite. Explain the reasons for your choice considering: theme, characters and writer’s style. The author got her inspiration for these stories from her birthplace, Cat Island, which many believe was originally called â€Å"Guanima† by the Lucayans. She frequently visited her grandparents in Port Howe, where, via storytelling, she discovered the fascinating world of Bahamian folklore. Therefore, it was for this reason ‘An Evening in Guanima’ was created. One of my personal favourites is â€Å"The Girl on the Gallows† because of the writer’s style – which I felt encompassed varied techniques; impressive characterization and theme. Another favourite is â€Å"The Gaulin Wife† with its distinct writer’s style, ingenious characterization and obvious, clear-cut theme. I love the writer’s extremely descriptive writer’s style; it paints picturesque scenes of this exotic land and enabled me to visualise the characters while learning about their personalities. â€Å"The sheen of Christa’s skin, the colour of honey from bees feeding on wild marigolds†¦ and no less golden and beautiful was her hair† – this allowed me to effortlessly visualise Christa and Glinton describing her personality as being â€Å"sweet† told me she was a kind-hearted character. On the contrary, the author used words like â€Å"jealous† and â€Å"spiteful† when describing Anacarla and this, to me, denoted a vicious character. Christa was portrayed as a becoming yet humble girl with a kind personality while Anacarla on the other hand, was portrayed as â€Å"a cruel viper of a princess†. This made me despise Anacarla but feel nothing except fondness and sympathy toward Christa. I greatly admired the manner in which Glinton intertwined structure and symbolism when discussing the bird-messengers. She structurally highlighted the words â€Å"Princess† and â€Å"Queen† by capitalizing them and used each type of bird to symbolize both Christa and her impending destiny. The first bird was common; a duck, this to me represented Christa’s humble social status as â€Å"a daughter of the common people†. The second bird was an iridescent parrot which, I felt represented Christa’s undeniable beauty. The bird’s feathers were used to fashion a bonnet for â€Å"a sour-faced woman who had no eye for their beauty† and I took this to mean that this woman did not appreciate the bonnet’s inordinately beautiful plumage. In the same way Christa’s rejected admirers and jealous rivals ceased to appreciate her beauty when she was sentenced to be hung. The third and final winged-messenger was a powerful, majestic eagle. It was observed that this was the only messenger that addressed Christa as â€Å"some-day Queen† and because of her prowess the eagle was able to soar above the clouds, thereby evading hunters. From my perspective, the eagle soaring above the clouds symbolized Christa rising in status and power to the prestigious position of queen. The theme of this story was that â€Å"Good always triumphs and evil doers eventually get what’s coming to them†. This made me feel optimistic that this theme would hold true to real life. I like the title of â€Å"The Gaulin Wife† because it is short and has an interesting key word. I like the fact that the title is short because it does not reveal much about the story, leaving me to puzzle over what the story will entail. This coupled with the use of the key word â€Å"Gaulin† piqued my interest and prompted me to read the story. The writer’s style added to my joy in reading the story because it contained an abundance of Bahamian dialect. I felt the writer infused the writing with Bahamian dialect in order to add a â€Å"cultural flavour† to the story. This, in turn, made the story more interesting to me. This technique was used in the line â€Å"her ma musse pity frog or goggle-eye fish†. It was lines like this that showed me that the main character was disrespectful and completely inconsiderate of others’ feelings. The author’s description of his actions also added to my perception of his personality. The fact that he promised to wed several girls before leaving them â€Å"high and dry† showed me the narcissistic and down right cruel aspects of his personality. This characterization flowed perfectly into the theme which was â€Å"Bad karma tends to seek out those who deserve it†. I gravitated toward â€Å"The Girl on the Gallows† because of its writer’s style, my favourite technique being the imbedded symbolism, and characterization – which made me feel different emotions toward the characters; I despised Anacarla but sympathized with Christa. I chose â€Å"The Gaulin Wife† because of the use of dialect in the writer’s style and the clear-cut, hard-to-miss theme.