The End Of World War - 1303 Words

The end of World War Two was the beginning of the Cold war. The United States and the Soviet Union emerged from this terrible time in World History with totally different economic and political goals and ambitions. The Cold War was a state of political, military and economic hostility that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union. The ideological differences between the two superpowers, because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two sides, the world â€Å"cold’ was used to describe their relationship. The United States and the Soviet Union after World War had a relationship that was complex, ideological, economically, politically and which led to shifts between cautious cooperation and often bitter†¦show more content†¦The Cold War was not a war but the state of affairs of the relationship between the United States and Soviet Union after the defeat of Hitler and the end of World War Two. At the end of World War two superpowers were left standing with opposing ideologies. In 1960 when Senator Kennedy began his run for the President he position himself as a Cold War Warrior, he like most politicians, played on the fears of the American people building his campaign on miss information stating that we were losing the arms race against the Soviet Union, when the fact was clear the United States was the leader in building missiles. At the most troubling time of the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis was on everybody mind. In October of 1962 the Soviet Union and United States were so close to the brink of war. The events that led up to the Cuban Missile Crisis, in 1962 began many years earlier, according to CBC timeline, â€Å"when revolutionary leader Fidel Castro takes power after the Cuban revolution†. According to Edith Leeder â€Å"Fidel Castro Cuba’s newly installed communist revouloutionary leader embraces the leader of the Soviet Union Nikki Khrushchev and denouces the United States. The United Nations General Assembly and the world listen to Fidel Castro speak for 4 hours and 29 minutes, the longest speech ever given at the U.N. , he lectured world

West Side Story Compared to Romeo and Juliet - 3084 Words

West Side Story written by Arthur Laurents is actually a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The West Side Story is set in Upper West Side Manhattan. It is about rivalry between two teenage gangs of different backgrounds. Anton, a member of the white gang, fell in love with Maria, the sister of the leader of the rival Puerto Rican gang. Romeo and Juliet is undoubtedly the most popular romantic love story to ever hit the literary world. It talks about intense passion between the star-crossed lover Romeo and Juliet. Their love was doomed from the start because of their feuding families- the Montague represented by Romeo and Capulet, by Juliet. The overriding theme, of course, between the two stories – Romeo and Juliet and†¦show more content†¦In both of these plays the main male character kills a relative of their lover. In Romeo And Juliet, Romeo kills Tybalta, Juliets cousin. In West Side Story, Toni kills Bernardo, Marias brother. There was a person in both plays that tried to make peace. These people were the Prince and the Lieutenant. The Prince, from Romeo And Juliet, had told Romeo and Juliets families that if there was another riot that the heads of each family will be killed. The Lieutenant, from West Side Story, had told the Puerto Ricans and the Americans that if they get into another fight they all will have to go to jail. The difference between the two peace-makers is that the Prince has more power than the Lieutenant. In the story of Romeo and Juliet, Paris wants to marry Juliet against her wishes. Her father wants Paris West Side Story to marry Juliet. Juliet goes off and marries Ro meo without telling anyone. In Chino wants to marry Maria against her wishes, just like Paris in Romeo and Juliet. Maria and Toni do not get married, which is in contrast to Romeo and Juliet. Marcucio in Romeo and Juliet, is killed while battling Tybalta. In West Side Story Riff is killed in a knife fight with Bernardo. Both deaths are accidental and cause the heros ( Romeo and Toni) to kill the close relative of their lovers (Tybalta and Bernardo). Both stories conclude in the sad reconciliation of two fighting factions at the cost of the lives ofShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1186 Words   |  5 PagesWhen discussing classic love stories, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is often included in the conversation. The tragic story of the â€Å"star-crossed lovers† (Shakespeare 6) is taught in high schools and studied in colleges. Its poetry has graced many stages and silver screens. Romeo and Juliet is also often reimagined for a modern audience. One such interpretation is West Side Story. Written by Stephen Sondheim, it made its Hollywood debut in 1961 under directors Jerome Robbins and RobertRead MoreRomeo and Juliet Adaptations2600 Words   |  11 PagesI believe that the (1961)†˜West Side Story’ film version of Romeo and Juliet is superior to the later version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ directed in 1968 by Franco Zeffirelli. Jerome Robbins, the director of ‘West Side Story’, having a different aim/ representation of Romeo and Juliet has used various effective techniques to produce his film – which I consider to be more successful. Robbins chose it to be a transformation of Romeo and Juliet not the original play from Shakespeare, but that’s not theRead MoreThe period between early 1940s to mid-1960s or so, alternatively, the period between when the700 Words   |  3 Pageselaborate more on the musical – Arthur Laurents’s West Side Story. In the first part of this paper, I discuss the plot, songs and other aspects of the musical such as the awards etc. Later on, I explain how this musical revolutionized the theatre and the cultural effects it had on Americans. Finally, I conclude in the end the hi storical importance of this musical piece. West Side Story: The musical West Side Story is based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. This musical was possible due to the effortsRead MoreAppropriation of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare and Romeo+Juliet by Baz Luhrmann2533 Words   |  11 PagesDiscuss the appropriation of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare and ‘Romeo+Juliet’ by Baz Luhrmann Texts and ideas from texts are appropriated and transformed into other text forms and other compositions in a different context. An appropriation is a text that is appropriated or taken over by another composer and presented in a new way. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a well-known high culture text that is a tragedy about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding familiesRead MoreGender Roles and Attitudes toward Love in Shakespeares Hamlet5989 Words   |  24 PagesRomeo and Juliet is a heart-breaking tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare telling us the story of two teenage ‘star-cross’d lovers’ whose unfortunate deaths ultimately unite the dispute between their two families. Despite the perils involved, they fall in love and marry with the help of two characters, Friar Lawrence and the Nurse. Throughout the play, Shakespeare portrays a range of different kinds of love through the central femal e characters. Maternal love is offeredRead MoreEssay about Analysis of West Side Story1161 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of West Side Story West Side Story came out in 1961 as a melodramatic musical that took place in New York. It takes the same theme as Shakespeares, Romeo and Juliet, in that it is about two lovers whose relationship is not accepted by others because of conflicting backgrounds. The artistic intensions of this film are implicitly stated everywhere throughout the film. All of the dancing, singing, acting and pretend fighting was done thoroughly and very well, although the mikingRead MoreEssay on Act 1 Scene 1 Romeo and Juliet.5321 Words   |  22 PagesMontague asks where Romeo is, and Benvolio answers that he was up before dawn, wandering in the woods. The Montagues say that Romeo is afflicted with strange sorrows, and Benvolio offers to find out whats wrong with him. Enter Romeo:Seeing Romeo coming, Montague and Lady Montague leave Benvolio alone to speak with their son. Benvolio soon discovers that Romeos problem is that he loves a woman who doesnt return his love. Benvolio tries to get Romeo to say who it is he loves, but Romeo wont. BenvolioRead MoreStudy Questions On Huck Finn 4360 Words   |  18 Pagesdoesn’t want to to be sold as a slave again. Walter Scott is an author who wrote Romanticism. In the novel, Walter Scott the ship, is where you find Huck and Jim sinking. This is a symbol of Mark Twain’s opinion towards romanticism, that it’s sinking compared to his his technique in writing, realism. On the ship, Huck overhears three crooks having a conversation. Their names are Jake, Bill, and Jim. During the conversation, Jack is trying to convince Bill to kill Jim because they thought he was goingRead MoreVarian Solution153645 Words   |  615 Pagesp1 x1 +p2 x2 ≠¤ m. On a graph, the budget line is just the line segment with equation p1 x1 + p2 x2 = m and with x1 and x2 both nonnegative. The budget line is the boundary of the budget set. All of the points that the consumer can aï ¬â‚¬ord lie on one side of the line and all of the points that the consumer cannot aï ¬â‚¬ord lie on the other. If you know prices and income, you can construct a consumer’s budget line by ï ¬ nding two commodity bundles that she can â€Å"just aï ¬â‚¬ord† and drawing the straight line that

The yellow wallpaper Essay Summary Example For Students

The yellow wallpaper Essay Summary He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction. He will not allow her to take a downstairs room with .. pretty old fashioned chintz hanging. He has forbidden her to work or enjoy the company of stimulating friends even though she feels .. that congenial work, with excitement would do me good(p129). Her disagreement with her husbands rest cure is apparent. The narrator describes the old nursery as a big airy room. However, the description of the room conjures the image of a nineteenth century lunatic asylum. for the windows are barred and there are rings and things in the walls. (P130) Later in the text we learn that there are scratches on the floor and the bed is nailed down. The nursery room is a symbol for the way the narrator is treated. Her husband treats her as if she is a delicate child with no rights or a valued opinion of her own. He patronisingly calls her blessed little goose(p131) The language and the images invoked, as the narrator describes the wallpaper reflects the depression of her mind debased delirium equal distraction grotesque. She talks of the paper Suddenly committing suicide.. This is an indication that she is unconsciously considering taking her own life. As her mental heath declines further she even considers to jump out of the window(p142) as an admirable exercise. She refers to the pattern as an Optic horror, like a lot of wallowing sea-weeds in full chase. (P134) This mirrors the self-pity and confusion of her mind. An image of stagnant inactivity is created as she refers to the pattern as a fungus budding and sprouting in endless convulsions (p137). This is a metaphor for her intelligent, yet oppressed and inactive mind. A further description of the pattern conjures more images of death and decay. She describes the colour of the paper as having a yellow smell and says that it is not a beautiful smell but old and foul. (P139) This brings to mind the sulphuric stench of rotten corpses. She wakes in the night to find the smell is hanging over her as if death is stalking her. As the narrators health declines further, her psychotic mind can see a creeping woman struggling to be free of the pattern. This is a symbol of the narrator. She has to be furtive and hide from her overshadowing and over protective husband. Her intelligent and creative mind is struggling for release. The imaginary woman only appears at night and this represents the narrators behaviour. She is under strict control during the day and only at night is she able to allow her creative mind wander. I think that woman gets out in the daytime(p140). This fantasy is the narrators alter ego and her buried wishes to be free from her husbands daytime constraints. At the beginning of the story the narrator spends a lot of time admiring the view from the windows. Out of one window I can see the garden(p131) She even imagines people in the garden and this reflects her longing to be free of the constraints of the house. As the story progresses the narrator can see that the creeping woman has escaped from the wallpaper and is creeping during the day in the garden. I can see her out of everyone of my windows! She even admires the creeping woman I dont blame her a bit (P140). This reflects her longing to be herself. She desires to be free of the constraints of her society. In Cold Blood Research EssayThe wallpaper seems to ultimately cause her total breakdown. It is described as flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin. As the time of her total lapse of sanity, she seemingly will go to any length to tear down the wallpaper. To illustrate, she cannot reach to the ceiling except for by standing on the bed. She wants to move the bed so she can tear the wallpaper off the wall as far as much as possible. When she fails to move the bed she becomes extremely frustrated and bites off a small piece in one corner, hurting her teeth in the process. This demonstrates that she will go to any length to get to the wallpaper. At the same time as wanting to destroy the wallpaper she gets very protective, no person touches this paper but menot alive. Once she writes this journal entry, she has finally shown conclusive signs of insanity. In addition to the pattern, she also fixates on the color of her imprisoning wallpaper. This color soon becomes a fixture of her thinking, I dont want to go outside. I wont, even if Jennie asks me too. For outside you have to creep on the ground, and everything is green instead of yellow. By embracing the color of the walls that subjectively imprison her, she has embraced the insanity gripping her. The insanity that the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, descends into is a result of extreme depression. This depression is falsely diagnosed as simply a mental thing that can be totally controlled by the affected party. John, the husband of the narrator makes this diagnosis and prescribes a treatment that inadvertently drives the narrator to a mental breakdown and insanity. Although many of the restrictions on the narrator are simply in her mind, her husbands behavior and treatments serve to exacerbate the problem instead of curing it as it is intended.

The Problem of Obesity in the America

Table of Contents Introduction Argument against Government Intervention Argument for Government Intervention Analysis of Both Arguments Conclusion References Introduction Obesity has been recognized as a national problem in America affecting well over 50% of the population. This condition has been blamed for many a medical complication as well as death in adults. Owing to the prevalence of obesity there have been calls for action to be taken so as to alleviate the condition.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Problem of Obesity in the America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These calls for action can broadly be categorized as government driven initiatives and the personal driven ones. There is contention as to whether the government should be allowed to directly intervene on a person’s eating habits as eating is deemed to be a hugely personal matter. This paper shall compare two essays; one that oppo ses government intervention and another one that supports government intervention. The claims advanced by both essays shall be discussed and support offered on behalf of the claims analyzed. This shall be in a bid to ascertain which argument is of a higher quality. Argument against Government Intervention The essay by Balko Bradley proposes that each person should be held accountable for their own diet and lifestyle and that government intervention only serves to absolve a person from taking responsibility for his dietary decisions. The author traces the origins of the problem to the move towards a nationalized health care system which leads to the whole American population collectively bearing the burden caused by the obese population. Balko insists that this government intervention only serves to â€Å"remove the financial incentive for making healthy decisions† since the law dictates that health insurance premiums be kept uniform. This leads to a situation whereby a person who practices a healthy lifestyle is forced to subsidize the cost of the unhealthy lifestyle person. In my opinion, Balko is not fair in his arguments against government intervention. He begins by somewhat ridiculing the government efforts and takes on a skeptical note as to the success that government interventions would have in reducing obesity prevalence. The author also fails to credibly back up his claims that the current health care system is responsible for the obesity problem and the reader can therefore not able reconcile the health-care system and the obesity problem as the author proposes throughout the essay. Argument for Government Intervention Brownwell and Nestle theorize that the government is responsible for creating an environment in which healthy diets and lifestyles are promoted in the interest or all. This they argue is the only way that the prevalence of obesity in recent years can be curtailed.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The authors begin by stating that the food industry is a profit making enterprise and as such, the industry’s primary objective is increased sales even if at the cost of the public’s health and subsequently proceed to draw parallels between the increase in obesity through the years and the increase in the marketing efforts by the food industry. Brownell and Nestle also perform a deductive reasoning in their counterclaims against the personal responsibility argument. The authors assert that irresponsibility cannot be on a constant uniform increase across the world as is the case with obesity. The authors are fair in their arguments since they give both sides of the argument fair thought. They then proceed to refute each opposing view by credible argument. For example, the argument that the food industry only reacts to demand by the consumers is refuted by the authors claim that eating is a biologi cal matter and â€Å"humans are hardwired to like sweet foods†. Analysis of Both Arguments In my opinion, Brownell and Nestle’s essay presents a superior argument on the matter. The authors make use of statistical information to make their point; this not only reinforces their arguments but it also shows that a lot of research has gone into coming up with the essay. Brownell and Nestle make use of historical events to reinforce their claims. This is evident in their reference of the tobacco issue which also presented similar arguments; for and against government intervention. The authors assert that just as the reliance on personal responsibility failed in the tobacco case; it is bound to fail in the obesity debate. This historical perspective gives depth to their argument. On the other hand, the essay by Balko fails to support most of the assertions it makes and also takes on a skeptical tone therefore not appealing to the reader’s intellect. Balko also fails t o give any statistical backing to claims such as the role that the health care system plays in advancing obesity. This greatly weakens his arguments. To the credit of both essays, they do not only restrict themselves to supporting government intervention or opposing it; instead, they also take into consideration the other side of the argument and proceed to point out the fallacies in the opposing views. This enables the reader to know of the other side’s story and therefore make a more informed decision when taking a stand on the matter.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Problem of Obesity in the America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion Obesity is a nationwide problem and solutions should be sought before its effects reach catastrophic levels. This paper offered a brief analysis of two essays that propose differing views as to how solving this problem should be undertaken. From the arguments presented herein, it can be proposed that government initiatives aimed at reducing obesity are the best means through which this disaster can be contained. While appealing to personal responsibility may be the ideal means in a society that is build on the basis of personal freedom, this may prove to be disastrous especially in the face of the aggressive advertisement and marketing schemes undertaken by the food industry players. References Balko, R, Brownell, K Nestle, M. â€Å"Are You Responsible for Your Own Weight?† 07 June 2004 Web. http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994398,00.html This essay on The Problem of Obesity in the America was written and submitted by user Dem1 to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Remembrance and Redemption Relationship

Table of Contents Introduction Othello Mansfield Park A small place Conclusion Introduction The term redemption refers to restoration of a subject to its former state. Occurrences do come up that subject people to off balances from their normal lives’ situations. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Remembrance and Redemption Relationship specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Redemption is then said to have been achieved when a restoration is attained by such individuals. When bad things happen such as conflicts that lead to wars in which lives are lost, or just little social conflict between individuals, there is an established psychological instability that may result in hatred among other negativities. The effects of these feelings lead to affected individuals seeking to move away from the thoughts and effects of the conflicts. Such detachment from the instability forms a basis for redemption. The act of d eliverance forms a negativity that an individual has previously been suffering from. Though people try to attain redemption by fighting off the events that caused the instability in a bid to forget, it is being claimed that ‘seeking to forget makes exile all the large; the secret to redemption lies in remembrance’. This paper seeks to discuss the relationship between remembrance and redemption. The paper will conduct a review of some stories to ascertain the relationship as depicted by the authors in the considered articles. Othello The topic of redemption can be significantly noted from the Shakespeare’s story of Othello. In the story, Othello was a highly regarded person in the security forces of the Venice territory. He had a close friend called Iago but chose to promote one Cassio when an opportunity arose. This move annoyed Iago who out of jealousy set out to make evil plans against Othello. Iago took his first strike on Othello by using a third party, Rod erigo, to help him in slandering Othello to a senator whose daughter Othello had eloped with. Following this move, the senator sued Othello on the ground that he used magic over his daughter. Advertising Looking for essay on british literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The case was presented before the Duke who upon listening to the story of Othello and his love for the girl, ruled for the acquaintance of Othello. Iago was not satisfied with his failed mission to harm Othello and hiding under the cover of friendship, got on to his next plan to destroy Othello’s relationship with his wife. He made Cassio drunk and then organized for an argument that led into a fight. Following a fall out between Othello and Cassio due to the fight, Iago advised Cassio to reconcile with Othello through the help of Othello’s wife. This was however a plot to destabilize Othello’s marriage. Iago then fabricated a story to portray Cassio and Othello’s wife as lovers thus driving Othello to jealousy. Iago then convinced him to kill his wife. Meanwhile, Cassio was promoted to being a governor making Iago jealous over him. Iago then tried to organize for Cassio’s death but failed. Othello however killed his wife only to later learn that the love affair story had not been true but a fabrication by Iago. He then tried to kill Iago before killing himself. Iago also killed his wife who had revealed the truth to Othello and was finally arrested as Cassio became governor. The story, Othello, that is based on anger and jealousy of Iago illustrated the need for redemption of a person who is possessed by an evil mind due to feelings of betrayal. The promotion that Othello had advanced to Casssio instead of Iago caused a wound that did not to heal in Iago. Consequently, the lack of redemption from this bitterness led to schemes that led to a number of lives and sufferings. Iago’s bittern ess caused Othello to, for example, be subjected to a judicial process before further causing the death of Othello and his wife. It is the same bitterness that also resulted to the events that caused the death of Iago’s wife. The story thus establishes the necessity of redemption from an emotional set up. Mansfield Park In the movie ‘Mansfield park’, a young girl named Fanny whose parents had a poor background went to stay with her wealthy aunt. Her other aunt by the name Norris showed no kindness to her just like the other members of her hosting aunt’s family except the younger son of the family whose name was Edmund. This condition in which Fanny was subjected to made her to be a self concealed and shy girl. Fanny fell in love with Edmund but was not able to express her feelings to him. Meanwhile, another woman called Mary who was interested in Edmund made advances and got closer to him.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Remembrance and Redemption Relationship specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More At the same time, Henry fell in love with Fanny and made advances for a relationship, a move that Fanny declined to accept. The fact that Fanny declined the marriage proposal from a rich man angered her uncle who decided to send her back to her parents to live in her family’s poverty. A series of events that saw Henry run off with a married woman and his two sisters also elope with other men led to Fanny being invited to again stay in her aunt’s house. Edmund realized that the relationship that he had been having with Mary would not work and they broke up. Henry eventually patted ways with Maria while Julia who had eloped with Yates was together with Yates and was accepted back into their family. Edmund and Fanny ultimately got married and the family that seemed to be troubled recovered its happiness. Contrary to the Shakespeare’s story in which a con flict was never resolved and the result was a series of deaths and arrest, the story of the Mansfield Park reveals a level of reconciliation that restored peace in a once destabilized family. It is however noticeable that reconciliation, with is a redemption from the consequences of conflict, was not totally achieved in the Mansfield pack since some people, â€Å"Henry, Maria and Mary† were not accepted back into the family. This indicates that though there was redemption, it was limited. It is also noticeable that the cases in which reconciliation was realized, the case of Fanny to the family, Edmund to Fanny, Yates to the family as well as Julia to the family were characterized by an unintentional conflict. It can thus be argued that though conflicts occurred between each of the pair, the conflict did not cause adverse effects leading to easier redemption from the conflicts. A small place The story, ‘A small place’ is a representation of a story of an island called Antigua. The main character in the story, Kincaid, offers her view of the island to the foreigners who came to the island as tourists. Kincaid assumed the capacity of a tourist guide to reveal the perception that tourists have over the island as a beautiful place. She however asserted the opinion by tourist over the land was not actually its true nature. She to the contrary revealed poverty as a manifestation in the island together with vices such as corruption and crimes. Advertising Looking for essay on british literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Kincaid also remembered in a narrator’s point of view the island during its colonial period, how the British took over the land and how the foreigners treated the natives. She however held reservation over her own people who became assimilated by the colonial power that oppressed them. She was also concerned at the state of her country. Though independent, the country was not able to develop due to the kind of leaders that were in power. Lack of democracy that had vested power on specific individuals over a long period of time together with corruption and dictatorship were identified as some of the specific problems that faced the island. In the midst of all these, no developments were done in the land with even a library that had collapsed long time ago still being down for lack of funds. Though she was resentful of the state of affairs in the island, Kincaid was convinced that Antigua was a beautiful land. There is a conflicting opinion between how the Kincaid viewed the island and the way the tourist viewed it. The two views are conflicting as Kincaid was of the opinion that the tourist did not truly know the island. The representation of the island revealed a conflicting division between the rich and the poor which started in the colonial period. Though a conflict exists between these two groups and no redemption has been realized, a negative consequence has not yet been realized. Conclusion A study of the three stories reveals a variety of conflicts among individuals and groups of people. A conflict can be passive with no consequence as in the case of a small place, be peacefully resolved or erupt into a worse problem. Since a conflict suppressed in a passive state has a possibility of erupting, redemption remains the safe approach to resolving a conflict. There is however no clear indication as to whether forgetting or remembering is the key to redemption. This essay on Remembrance and Redemption Relationship was written and submitted by user Noah Sanders to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Requisitos para cancelar deportación de Estados Unidos

Requisitos para cancelar deportacià ³n de Estados Unidos La cancelacià ³n de la deportacià ³n o remocià ³n es una de las formas de alivio que pueden solicitar los migrantes para evitar su expulsià ³n de Estados Unidos. Pueden solicitar esta medida de gracia tanto los residentes permanentes legales, es decir, los que tienen una green card, como el resto de los migrantes, incluidos los indocumentados. En cada caso los requisitos son distintos. En este artà ­culo se informa sobre cules son los requisitos para solicitar la cancelacià ³n de la deportacià ³n y cà ³mo se prueban, cules son los trmites y quà © sucede si se obtiene su aprobacià ³n. Solicitud de cancelacià ³n de deportacià ³n pedida por residente permanente legal Los residentes permanentes que son condenados por cierto tipo de delitos son automticamente colocados en un proceso de deportacià ³n. En estos casos, los migrantes pueden solicitar la cancelacià ³n cuando se cumplen todos los siguientes requisitos: Haber vivido en EEUU por 7 aà ±os consecutivos como residente legal.No haber sido arrestado y condenado por ningà ºn delito en los primeros 5 aà ±os de residencia Solicitud de cancelacià ³n de deportacià ³n por migrante que no es residente permanente En este caso, se deber cumplir todos los siguientes requisitos: Tener abierto un proceso de deportacià ³n. Es decir, no se puede pedir la cancelacià ³n si no hay un trmite de deportacià ³n en contra.Haber vivido en EEUU por al menos 10 aà ±os de manera continuadaNo haber sido condenado por ningà ºn delito de carcter inmoral o por una felonà ­aHaber sido una persona de buen carcter moral al menos en los diez aà ±os anteriores al inicio del procedimiento de deportacià ³n. Ser padre o madre de un menor de 21 aà ±os, cà ³nyuge, hijo o hija de un ciudadano estadounidense o de un residente permanente legal, siempre y cuando la expulsià ³n del inmigrante pueda provocar extrema dureza al familiar inmediato que est en el paà ­s legalmente. Este punto hay que probarlo documentalmente. Documentos para probar presencia en Estados Unidos por al menos 10 aà ±os En el caso de migrantes indocumentados puede ser difà ­cil probar que se ha vivido en Estados Unidos por ese periodo de tiempo. Se puede presentar cualquier documento que sirva para ese fin, entre otros destacan: Copia del pago de impuestos (tax returns)Rà ©cords de la escuela de los hijosPago de hipotecas, rentas, utilities, cable, telà ©fono, etc.Extractos bancarios En todo caso tener en cuenta que NO podrn solicitar la cancelacià ³n los migrantes que se encuentran en alguno de los siguientes casos: Haber entrado al paà ­s como miembro de una tripulacià ³n (visa C1/D)Haber estado en el paà ­s bajo el amparo de un programa de intercambio (visa J) cuando no se ha cumplido la obligacià ³n de salir de EEUU a su terminacià ³n y pasar un mà ­nimo de dos aà ±os en el extranjeroha participado de cualquier forma en la persecucià ³n de otras personasya se beneficià ³ con anterioridad de una suspensià ³n o cancelacià ³n de la deportacià ³n. El caso particular de las và ­ctimas de la violencia domà ©stica Pueden pedir al juez de inmigracià ³n durante un proceso de deportacià ³n la cancelacià ³n de la misma. Corresponde al juez decidir su concesià ³n. Pueden solicitarla: El cà ³nyuge abusado (hombre o mujer) de un residente permanente o de un ciudadano. Tambià ©n pueden beneficiarse los hijos de la và ­ctima, aunque estos no hayan sufrido el abuso.Los hijos abusados de un residente permanente o de un ciudadano.La madre o el padre del hijo abusado de un residente permanente o de un ciudadano, aunque el progenitor no haya sido abusado e incluso aunque nunca hayan estado casados la parte abusada y la abusadora o aunque està ©n separados o divorciados.Adems, para que le sea concedida la cancelacià ³n de la deportacià ³n es necesario que la và ­ctima de violencia domà ©stica haya residido en EEUU por al menos tres aà ±os, sea una persona de buen carcter moral, no haya sido condenada por una felonà ­a o delito agravado o haya cometido otro tipo de crimen.Adems en el caso de matrimonio, à ©ste no ha podido ser falso, es decir, realizado para conseguir los papeles. Y tampoco la và ­ctima puede ser un riesgo para la seguridad del paà ­s.Por à ºl timo, la persona abusada debe demostrar que su expulsià ³n de EEUU la colocarà ­a en una situacià ³n muy difà ­cil. Cules son los trmites para la cancelacià ³n de la deportacià ³n En primer lugar, tiene que haber en marcha un trmite de deportacià ³n. En segundo lugar, hay que llenar un formulario EOIR 42 - letra A para el caso de residentes permanentes y letra B si se trata de indocumentados. Adems hay que pagar la cuota al USCIS que en estos momentos es de $100 ms $85 para toma de datos biomà ©tricos, si bien se debe confirmar siempre porque puede cambiar en cualquier momento. En tercer lugar, se debe preparar el caso estudiando quà © se va a declarar, quà © documentos se van a presentar, quà © declaraciones juradas de apoyo son convenientes y quà © testigos van a presentarse en Corte. Debe presentarse en corte tanto para la vista del Master Calendar como para la Vista Individual. Quà © puede suceder en la visa en Corte Migratoria El juez es totalmente libre para decidir si concede la cancelacià ³n de la deportacià ³n o no. Si se concede el migrante ser un residente permanente legal. Deber renovar su residencia cada 10 aà ±os o puede solicitar la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense por naturalizacià ³n cuando cumpla con todos los requisitos. Si no se cancela la deportacià ³n el migrante deber abandonar Estados Unidos. A tener en cuenta Los procesos de cancelacià ³n de deportacià ³n no son fciles de ganar, por lo que es recomendable contratar a un abogado migratorio especialista en este tipo de procedimientos. Es cierto que para presentarse en Corte de Inmigracià ³n no es necesario contar con un letrado pero la realidad es que las estadà ­sticas demuestran que los casos los ganan los abogados reputados y honrados. Por esta razà ³n se recomienda buscar en el lugar donde se vive abogados que peleen los casos y que digan la verdad sobre si se tiene oportunidad de ganar o es imposible porque no se cumplen los requisitos que pide la ley. Este es un articulo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Evaluation of the use of Internet Marketing in the Home Appliances Research Paper

Evaluation of the use of Internet Marketing in the Home Appliances Sector in India - Research Paper Example Computers and Information Technology (IT) have brought about a sea change in most of the domains of human activity The manner in which business enterprises conduct many of their business activities has also been hugely impacted on by computers and information technology, because of the benefits that business enterprises have found in incorporating computers and information technology into the various business activities. The Internet is one of the major developments in information technology. The spread of the use of Internet has been dramatic since its advent a little over five decades ago, such that there is hardly any sphere of human activity that it has not penetrated into. Marketing is a key functional area of a business enterprise and the Internet offers high potential for marketing to be more effective in all its areas of functionality. There is a growing body of knowledge to support the use of Internet in marketing efforts to make it more efficient and effective. The customer is the focus of any business enterprise and the Internet assists marketing in restating and emphasizing this focus India along with China is considered to be the growing and dynamic economic forces in Asia. Furthermore, India is known to have a strong base for software developments increasing the application of computers and the Internet in different fields. This strength has the potential to benefit the marketing efforts of Indian business organizations, as these business organizations attempt to spread their imprint around different places of the world. Understanding the depth to which the Internet is used by the business enterprises in their interaction with consumers and evaluating how it is used will add to the body of knowledge of the use of internet by business enterprises around the world. A feature of this increased understanding will lie in its ability to show how the business enterprises in an emerging economy can use the Internet for their marketing efforts and open out new lines of study to provide a comprehensive body of knowledge on it. From a personal perspective, I was born in I ndia and my early education was completed in India. I am keen to understand the characteristics of the business environment in India and this study helps me in that direction. Aim of the Study The aim of the study is evaluate the extent to which Internet marketing is used in the home appliances sector in Indi

Religion and Theology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religion and Theology - Essay Example Sufism has a various significance or importance, and they encompass helping to mold big parts of the Muslim society. Sufism pursuits for an unswerving supernatural understanding of God and of his love; its objective is to develop away from plain logical understanding to a supernatural encounter that would immerse man in the immensity of God. Sufism had an essential part in the creation of Muslim communities as it cultivated the multitudes and fulfilled their felt necessities, providing the spiritual significance to their lives and guided feelings. Sufis are vital teachers who transform new constituencies to Islam. Mysticism is an encounter of the straight closeness with Divinity. Mysticism is attractive because it includes the exercise of meditation both in the logical wisdom of the review of reality and in the paranormal sense of having understanding of God through a life of prayer. It is initially practical and not theoretical, where it engages the whole self. It is, thus, true to say that, mysticism is found in all the key religious traditions with the common presumption that all mystical encounters are similar and cannot be illustrated. #2) my answer is; The five pillars of Islam bid an agreement of training in the middle of the civilization`s rich collection. The pillars comprise the affirmation of faith, and according to this pillar, a Muslim is any person who witnesses that there is only one God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God. By declaring this plain statement, which is recognized as the shahadah, a person becomes a Muslim. The initial portion of the shahadah confirms the monotheism of Islam as an inflexible faith in the unity of God, while another pillar involves the prayer, which encourages the Muslims all over the world to adore God (Esposito, Fasching& Lewis, 2012). They are supposed to pray five times a day including daybreak, at noontime, midafternoon, sunset, and in the evening. Prayer is led by a pattern of washings to cleanse the body and to signify the cleanliness of mind and body needed to worshipping God. The next pillar is the almsgiving pillar; this pillar emphasizes that Muslims have the responsibility to attend to the social welfare of their society by remedying differences together with sharing correspondingly all their roles to worship God. This is done together with the yearly contribution of two point five percent of a person`s accumulated richness and assets. The forth pillar is the fasting of Ramadan, where Muslims are supposed to fast during the ninth month of Islam’s lunar datebook. This done by all vigorous Muslims who refrain from having meals, drinks, and sex from morning to evening. The main aim of this period is to encourage self-control, meditation as well as the enactment of great works; this period is ended by a great feast marked as the holy day in the calendar of Muslims. The journey of Mecca is the fifth and the last pillar, which comes after Ramadan; this pillar inspires all Muslims who are economically and substantially able to carry out the trip to Mecca one time in their generation. This journey unites the Islamic society, as it is the spiritual center. #3) my answer is; According to research, both Sunni and Shiite Muslims share the greatest vital Islamic principles and apprenticeships of faith. The variances amid these two main subdivisions within Islamic are primarily not from spiritual variances, but political differences; nevertheless, the political variances have resulted into a number of changing activities and points that have come to carry a divine importance. The separation among Sunni and Shiite formerly began after the expiry of the prophet Muhammad, and

Greece Crisis Essay Example for Free

Greece Crisis Essay Years of unrestrained spending, cheap lending and failure to implement financial reforms left Greece badly exposed when the global economic downturn struck. This whisked away a curtain of partly fiddled statistics to reveal debt levels and deficits that exceeded limits set by the eurozone.Greece was living beyond its means even before it joined the euro. After it adopted the single currency, public spending soared. Public sector wages, for example, rose 50% between 1999 and 2007 far faster than in most other eurozone countries. The government also ran up big debts paying for the 2004 Athens Olympics. And while money flowed out of the governments coffers, its income was hit by widespread tax evasion. So, after years of overspending, its budget deficit the difference between spending and income spiralled out of control. Moreover, much of the borrowing was concealed, as successive Greek governments sought to meet the 3%-of-GDP cap on borrowing that is required of members of the euro. When the global financial downturn hit and Greeces hidden borrowings came to light the country was ill-prepared to cope. Debt levels reached the point where the country was no longer able to repay its loans, and was forced to ask for help from its European partners and the IMF in the form of massive loans. In the short term, however, the conditions attached to these loans have compounded Greeces woes. How big are these debts? National debt, put at â‚ ¬300 billion ($413.6 billion), is bigger than the countrys economy, with some estimates predicting it will reach 120 percent of gross domestic product in 2010. The countrys deficit how much more it spends than it takes in is 12.7 percent. So what happens now? Greeces credit rating the assessment of its ability to repay its debts has been downgraded to the lowest in the eurozone, meaning it will likely be viewed as a financial black hole by foreign investors. This leaves the country struggling to pay its bills as interest rates on existing debts rise. The Greek government of Prime Minister George Papandreou, which inherited much of the financial burden when it took office late last year, has already scrapped most of its pre-election promises and must implement harsh and unpopular spending cuts. Will this hurt the rest of Europe? Greece is already in major breach of eurozone rules on deficit management and with the financial markets betting the country will default on its debts, this reflects badly on the credibility of the euro. There are also fears that financial doubts will infect other nations at the low end of Europes economic scale, with Portugal and the Republic of Ireland coming under scrutiny. If Europe needs to resort to rescue packages involving bodies such as the International Monetary Fund, this would further damage the euros reputation and could lead to a substantial fall against other key currencies. If Greece does not repay its creditors, a dangerous precedent will have been set. This may make investors increasingly nervous about the likelihood of other highly-indebted nations, such as Italy, or those with weak economies, such as Spain, repaying their debts or even staying inside the euro. If investors stop buying bonds issued by other governments, then those governments in turn will not be able to repay their creditors a potentially disastrous vicious circle. To combat this risk, European leaders have agreed a 700bn-euro firewall to protect the rest of the eurozone from a full-blown Greek default. Moreover, if banks in the weaker eurozone countries that are already struggling to find enough capital are forced to write off even more loans they have made something that becomes more likely if the eurozone economy falls deeper into recession they will become weaker still, undermining confidence in the entire banking system. Eurozone banks may then find it even hard to borrow, and therefore to lend, potentially sparking a second credit crunch, where bank lending effectively dries up, hurting the economy further. This problem would be exacerbated by savers and investors taking money out of banks in vulnerable economies, such as Greece, Portugal and Spain, and moving it to banks in safer economies such as Germany or the Netherlands. These potential scenarios would be made immeasurably worse if Greece were to leave the euro. The country would almost certainly reintroduce the drachma, which would devalue dramatically and quickly, making it even harder for Greece to repay its debts, and setting an even worse precedent. So what is Greece doing? As already mentioned, the government has started slashing away at spending and has implemented austerity measures aimed at reducing the deficit by more than â‚ ¬10 billion ($13.7 billion). It has hiked taxes on fuel, tobacco and alcohol, raised the retirement age by two years, imposed public sector pay cuts and applied tough new tax evasion regulations. Are people happy with this? Predictably, quite the opposite and there have been warnings of resistance from various sectors of society. Workers nationwide have staged strikes closing airports, government offices, courts and schools. This industrial action is expected to continue. How are Greeces European neighbors helping? Led by Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel, all 16 countries which make up the euro zone have agreed a rescue plan for their ailing neighbor. The package, which would only be offered as a last resort, will involve co-ordinated bilateral loans from countries inside the common currency area, as well as funds and technical assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). According to a joint statement on the EU Web site, a majority of the euro zone States would contribute an amount based on their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and population, in the event that Greece needed support after failing to access funds in the financial markets. This means Germany will be the main contributor, followed by France. Although the announcement did not mention any specific figure, a senior European official quoted by Reuters said that the potential package may be worth around 20 billion euro (US$26.8 billion). However any European-backed loan package requires the unanimous approval of European Union members, meaning any euro zone country would have effective veto power. By the end of 2009, as a result of a combination of international and local factors the Greek economy faced its most-severe crisis since the restoration of democracy in 1974 as the Greek government revised its deficit from a prediction of 3.7% in early 2009 and 6% in September 2009, to 12.7% of gross domestic product (GDP). In early 2010, it was revealed that through the assistance of Goldman Sachs,JP Morgan Chase and numerous other banks, financial products were developed which enabled the governments of Greece, Italy and possibly other countries to hide their borrowing. This had enabled Greek governments to spend beyond their means, while meeting the deficit targets of the European Union and the monetary union guidelines. In May 2010, the Greek government deficit was again revised and estimated to be 13.6% for the year, which was one of the highest in the world relative to GDP. Total public debt was forecast, according to some estimates, to hit 120% of GDP during 2010, As a consequence, there was a crisis in international confidence in Greeces ability to repay its sovereign debt. In order to avert such a default, in May 2010 the other Eurozone countries, and the IMF, agreed to a rescue package which involved giving Greece an immediate â‚ ¬45 billion in bail-out loans, with more funds to follow, totaling â‚ ¬110 billion. In order to secure the funding, Greece was required to adopt harsh austerity measures to bring its deficit under control. Their implementation will be monitored and evaluated by the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF. On 15 November 2010 the EUs statistics body Eurostat revised the public finance and debt figure for Greece following an excessive deficit procedure methodological mission in Athens, and put Greeces 2009 government deficit at 15.4% of GDP and public debt at 126.8% of GDP making it the biggest defici t (as a percentage of GDP) amongst the EU member nations (although some have speculated that Irelands in 2010 may prove to be worse). The financial crisis – particularly the austerity package put forth by the EU and the IMF – has been met with anger by the Greek public, leading to riots and social unrest. Despite the long range of austerity measures, the government deficit has not been reduced accordingly, mainly, according to many economists, due to the subsequent recession. Consequently, the countrys debt to GDP continues to rise rapidly. The Greek public sector continues to be bloated, but the government has been reluctant to make civil servants redundancies. Immigrants are sometimes treated as scapegoats for economic problems by far-right extremists. Why should Greece Default. Contagion. Unemployment. Haircuts. Seemingly endless summits of the Troika. The news coming out of Europe continues to be bleak and at the center of the storm is Greece, a Eurozone member drowning in its sovereign debt. In the shadow of the global financial crisis of 2008, the specter of a disorderly Greek default has spooked investors and policymakers alike. Greece, a country that contributes less than 3% of Eurozone GDP, is holding the international economy hostage. The uncertainty arising from ineffectual rescue packages, prolonged negotiations, and poor implementation of austerity measures is slowing foreign investment in the EU and increasing volatility on the exchanges. Decisive action is desperately needed, but when will it come? It is in both Greece and the Eurozone’s best interest for the inevitable to take place, now, before more rescue packages tie Greece to unachievable goals in the short run. Greece should default and begin the painful process of recovery outside of the Eurozone. The Greek crisis is testing the long-term viability of the euro experiment, an integrated European fiscal and monetary union, with supranational standards for spending and taxation, a common central bank, and a common currency. Ironically, a leading motivation for the establishment of the Eurozone was to protect Europe from U.S. financial disruptions, when, in fact, the reverse scenario seems of greater concern today. With the possibility of Greece‘s sovereign debt default, banks, bondholders, and private creditors – those with high levels of exposure and counterparty risk – are on high alert and shaping (if not delaying) negotiations. The EU makes up 20% of the global economy and constitutes the largest single market by GDP. In the Eurozone alone there are roughly 320 million people, comparable to the United States. But unlike the U.S. dollar, a national currency in a Federalist system, the euro is issued in states that maintain drastically different fiscal policies. How can policymakers realistically balance the interests of economic powerhouses like France and Germany, who contribute 50 percent of Eurozone GDP, with the interests and needs of the other fifteen member-states? The challenge before policymakers is to deepen European integration – the move toward political, economic, and cultural homogeneity – in order to sustain a Eurozone, while realizing when a line needs to be drawn in order to keep the whole thing from falling apart. From a political standpoint, Greece does not appear to be adjusting with sufficient speed to justify inclusion in the zone. Its government is under siege; tax evasion is endemic across all levels of society; and people no longer trust the government due to its inept handling of the budget, most notably in the cooked books of the Papandreou government. From an economic standpoint, the longer the Eurozone waits to act, the more Greece’s balance sheet deteriorates. Since 2008, economic output has fallen by 6.5% and debt as a percent of GDP has skyrocketed from 133% to 163% on a linear projection. Interest rates will continue to go up. And culturally, it is time to accept and acknowledge the societal differ ences that give Europe its charming vibrancy. Put another way, when the Germans go to bed, the Greeks go out to dinner. Some things will likely never change in Europe and the architecture of the Eurozone needs to account for that. Is there light at the end of the tunnel for Greece? In fact, recent economic history offers some cause for optimism. In December 2001, Argentina experienced the largest default on sovereign debt the world had ever seen. Like Greece, the default had been preceded by a decade of toxic economic policies, mismanagement, and corruption. A political crisis culminating in five different presidents over the course of two weeks exacerbated the economic situation. After accepting 22 billion dollars in aid through debt reduction deals and other channels by the end of 2001, Argentina had made little progress in the way of reform. The default was disorderly and disruptive. But after drastic moves, including unpegging the Argentine peso from the U.S. dollar, and a series of post-default investments from the international community, Argentina rebounded with remarkable success. Today, you are more likely to read about the burgeoning start-up culture and innovation centers of Buenos Aires than you are about bailouts and unemployment. There is a path f orward for Greece, but the time to default is now. Of course, innovation centers won’t hurt either. Whether you should follow a particular political or economic policy depends very much on the costs and benefits of following said political or economic policy. If the costs are higher than the benefits then of course you shouldn’t be doing it: this is just standard logic. We can go further too. If you’ve got two and only two unpalatable options then you should go for the one that has the least costs, is the least painful. Which is why Greece should default altogether on its debts and leave the euro. The standard mainstream solution for a country with Greece’s problems is exactly that: if the debt is too much to pay then don’t pay it. Better that some lenders lose their money than an entire population get screwed down into poverty to pay it back. That might not be quite fair on the lenders but tough: people before profit. And this has at least been partially done with the private sector holders of Greece’s debt all taking a 70% haircut last month. It ’s the second part of the standard solution (and yes, this is the entirely standard solution, the sort of thing the IMF recommends) is to devalue the currency. For if you don’t you’ve got to have years, decades even, of grinding austerity to try to regain economic competitiveness. But, of course, being in the euro, Greece cannot do this. So Greece must leave the euro. From the other side the standard objection is that Greece is still running a large budget deficit. This means that a default cannot be done for the government will still need to borrow money just to pay the police and the pensions. So while in theory a default and devaluation would be better than grinding austerity it just cannot be one. But this is to miss the point that Felix Salmon makes: Once you strip out Greece’s debt payments, the country’s primary deficit is pretty modest — just 1% of GDP or so. There are two different budget deficits. The one where we include all the interest that has to be paid and the one where we don’t that latter being the primary deficit. So, with a default then the interest won’t be paid. And the Greek Government will then have to cut spending (or raise taxes) by 1% of GDP because they cannot borrow any more. The point here being that this is less cuts than they’re already being told they have to do. Balancing the budget without having to pay the interest will be easier than what they’re being told they have to do to stay inside the euro. And devaluation will make recovery a great deal easier than decades of internal austerity. Thus it is actually in Greece’s own interest to default on the outstanding debts and to leave the euro and devalue the New Drachma. Not that they’ll have much choice about that last of course. WHY SHOULD GREEECE NOT DEFAULT. 1. Things could get really messy. One of the biggest problems about having a country exit the Eurozone is that this feat was neither planned for, nor has ever been attempted before. Who knows what can happen? For all we know, the situation could get even messy. If Greece gets booted out of the euro zone, theyd have to revert back to using the drachma and this alone is a daunting task. The Greek government would have to make sure that this process goes through without a glitch in order to prevent a flight of capital and social unrest. Now thats a tall order considering how Greece cant seem to come up with a stable government to begin with. 2. A bank run could take place in Europe. Even if Greece manages to reintroduce the drachma, a massive capital outflow from Greece is still very likely as financial institutions and investors wont be willing to put their money in such an unstable environment. With the rest of the PIIGS nations being touted as next in line to exit the euro zone, large amounts of money are likely to flow out of these countries as well. 3. It might lead to a euro zone break-up. Economist Nouriel Roubini pointed out that, unless Portugal and Ireland are able to restructure their debt successfully, they could wind up following Greece out of the euro zone. Although he mentioned that an exit by these smaller countries probably wouldnt disrupt the entire region or the global financial market, he also remarked that the existence of the euro zone would be in jeopardy once the bigger debt-ridden countries such as Spain and Italy think of leaving. On top of that, the ECB and several euro zone countries hold a part of Greeces debt in their balance sheets, which means that a Grexit and the debt default that could follow would force them to realize large losses. And if the finances of the ECB or Germany are in shambles, who would be left to save the euro zone? 4. Another Lehman tragedy waiting to happen? Several analysts are also worried that a Grexit would eventually lead to a Greek debt default, which could result in a credit freeze similar to what happened when the Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy in 2008. At that time, banks were unable to absorb the losses and the chain of bankruptcies that followed, eventually leading to a financial crisis. This time around, another financial meltdown could take place if investors, banks, and other governments are forced to accept losses from holding Greek debt. Firewalls could collapse, banks could refuse to lend, spending could be constrained, and another global recession could be possible. Of course, Big Brother Germany is keen on preventing a full-blown crisis from happening, with analysts speculating that euro zones top economy would come up with a Grashall Plan or a Marshall Plan for Greece. Under this proposed mega-bailout package, Germany and the rest of the euro zone nations could pool billions of Euros in order to buy Greece more time. Then again, another bailout package could be accompanied by stricter austerity requirements, which Greece is neither willing nor able to carry out. With that, it seems that a Grexit isnt a matter of if, but rather a question of when.

Post Feminist Television Film Studies Essay

Post Feminist Television Film Studies Essay The media creates powerful representations and therefore has a strong impact on what people believe in. Gender has always been present in media and it is the media that creates stereotypes and assumptions of it. The representation of women in media has changed throughout the years. In the 1950s women were always at home, taking care of their children and making sure that the house was clean and dinner served on time. In other words they were born to become mothers and wives and it was a mans role to work and provide for the family. In recent years on the other hand women in television are presented as successful businesswomen with extremely good sense of fashion and most of the time they are single. Lotz explains that the term postfeminism is used in media to explain contemporary gender politics (2001:106). Women are more present in media than ever, they play leading roles; they can be mothers, wives, and successful businesswomen without losing their femininity. The process was possible by connecting postconvergence of television with postfeminist culture. Bonnie J. Dow (1996) notices that The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977) was one of the first examples of the shift from the domestic family situation shows into a single woman, career-oriented program. It is seen as the result of how powerful and influential feminism was at that time, creating new female audiences and allowing social changes in the way that women could fulfill themselves as successful and independent businesswomen without the need having a family. Dow (1996:26) argues that The Mary Tyler Moore Show created important parameters for future television discourse representing feminism, parameters that include a focus on working women (and a concomitant avoidance of a critique of the traditional patriarchal family), the deception of womens lives without male romantic partners, the enactment of a feminist lifestyle by young, attractive, white, heterosexual, female characters, and a reliance on the tenets of second-wave liberal or equity feminism. The show helped in creating new audiences and encouraged women to find new ways of fulfilling themselves outside their shallow, filled with housework and looking after their children lives. At the same time it was addressed to women experiencing changes in their economic and familial status with stories infused with consciousness-raising perspectives and lifestyle politics (Lotz, 2001:107). Year 1986 brought significant changes to the way women were represented in media (Dow, 1996:nr). A third-wave of feminists movements found coverage in television and press, women were more interested in educating themselves and building their careers around their family lives. Professions occupied previously only by men were now available for women, even though their pay was significantly lower. Bonnie J. Dow (1996:105-108) recognises three modes of postfeminist US drama series: professional serial drama, with the example of L.A. Law (1986-1994) where women characters struggle to find a balance between professional life and a family life, postfeminist family television (e.g. thirtysomething (1987-1991)) which illustrates an idealised version of a woman who can be a successful businesswoman and a perfect mother at the same time, and finally a postfeminist nirvana (e.g. Designing Women (1986-1993)) showing successful women who are also single mothers and divorcees. It was the end of 1990s when a new kind of television programs emerged with women as protagonists, these include: Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), Ally McBeal (1997-2002), Sex in the City (1998-2004) or Family Law (1999-2002). This was the time when a new, new woman was introduced to television shows, much more complex than Mary Richards in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and bringing a new wave of feminism, also identified as postfeminism. As Elyce Rae Helford says the late 90s offered some of the most developed and compelling (if contradictory and sometimes even reactionary) televisual representations of gender politics and debates over (and within) feminism (2000a:6). One of the most significant feminine role models in prime-time US television series was Ally McBeal (played by Calista Flockhart). She is an attractive, young, single and successful lawyer and a problematic character at the same time, struggling to find a man who would meet her expectations. Moseley and Read (2001:222) suggest that it was a combination of feminine discourses and feminist discourses that made Allys character a subject of men gaze and a role model for feminists. The show challenges feminists conventions regarding natural differences between men and women, underlying the fact that these differences can be eliminated or ignored entirely. Sex and the city series is another example of how influential feminism is. Main characters are a group of friends, single independent women who gave up on looking for their perfect life partners, but unlike Ally they decide to live life to the full and act like men, without any commitments, feelings or sentiments. Every detail of their lives has its meaning: Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) rents a house, lives from paycheck to paycheck, but spends fortune on top of the range designer clothes and accessories which indicates on her lack of stability and frivolous relationships with opposite sex; Samantha Jones (played by Kim Cattrall) treats men like objects, repulses relationships, monogamy, institution of marriage and children; Miranda Hobbes (played by Cynthia Nixon) is a wealthy, cynical feminist who criticises men for taking advantage of women and cannot understand why no men are attracted to her; and finally Charlotte York (played by Kristin Davis) is an outcast of the series, who dreams about her ideal wedding and children, which shows her dedication to one person and traditionalism. There are no taboo subjects in this circle of friends, they share their sexual fantasies with each other, insult men and cherish their singledom. There is a connection point between Ally McBeal and Sex and the City: both shows seek to change female nature into male behavious, but in both cases characters end up choosing traditional routes. Unlike single women in Sex and the City, protagonists in Desperate Housewives (2004-) are far from being perfect feminine heroines: Mary Alice Young (played by Brenda Strong) kills herself in the first 5 minutes from the start of the series because she cannot live with the guilt of the crime she committed, Bree Van De Kamp (played by Marcia Cross) who is a widowed recovering alcoholic, obsessed with keeping a perfectly clean household to hide dirty secrets of her life, Lynette Scavo (played by Felicity Huffman) who used to be a successful businesswoman, but had to leave her job after giving birth to six children; Susan Meyer (played by Teri Hatcher) who is an emotionally unstable divorcee living with her teenage daughter; and finally Gabrielle Solis (played by Eva Longoria)- a former super-model who is an unemployed trophy wife to her wealthy husband and cheats on him on every occasion. The series suggest a completely different ways of finding fulfillment in lives of these domestic g oddesses as they do not seem to find satisfaction in their family lives, struggle with their ungrateful and overpowering children. There are certain but slight different aspects of postfeminism visible in Gossip Girl (2007-). This new teen drama portrays young women as successful, independent, socially mobile and free to choose their destiny (McRobbie, 2007:270). The freedom that young women represent in the series is highlighted through material and sexual consumption. Just like in Sex and the City, protagonists in Gossip Girl are attractive, thin and well off. Anita Harris (2004:128) argues that a young in-control woman in twenty first century needs to actively participate in the flow of information technology, which shapes her sense of identity and gives her a technological capital, which can be acquired through knowing the latest technological trends, having the latest camera phone and Facebook or Twitter account. Gossip Girl is based on the book series of the same title written by Cecily von Ziegesar and tells the story about a group of teenagers living in Manhattan. Two main girl characters, Serena van der Woodsen (played by Blake Lively) and Blair Waldorf (played by Leighton Meester), are almost every girls wannabies: extremely beautiful, wealthy and privileged, and at the same time very unrealistic. It is almost impossible to identify with them, but the viewers can take pleasure from fantasising about the world they live in or identify themselves with Jenny Humphrey (played by Taylor Momsen), who attends the same school and Blair and Serena, but comes from a normal middle class family and can never be one of these girls (Pattee, 2006:167). The aspect of post-feminism in Gossip Girl series is portrayed through the lifestyle and the consumption of culture of Blair and Serena. They are both socially active, but it is Blair who has the most dominating characteristics. She named herself the Queen Bee, positioned herself at the top of the hierarchy at school, which means that every decision made by any of her peer needs to be authorized by her. She victimises girls that do not match her taste, makes fun of them and blocks their way to all social evens. On the other hand Blair is very insecure about herself, hates losing or being alone. She needs constant appreciation and acceptance, especially when Serena tries to steal her crown. In episode 4 of the first series she says to Serena: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) you could not deal with the spotlight shining on me for once, could you? Because you steal everything from me: Nate, my mom and girls at school (2007). Throughout the years women revolutionalised prime-time television. From Ally McBeal from Ally McBeal, Carrie Bradshaws from Sex and the City, Bree Van De Camp from Desperate Housewives and Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf from Gossip girl, every woman finds her ideal character features she wants to implement into her life. FEMALE NARRATORS- VOICE-OVER NARRATION IN POSTFEMINIST DRAMA SERIES The female voice has enormous conceptual and discursive range once it is freed from its claustral confinement within the female body. It is capable of talking about terrorism, anger, melancholia, homosexual as well as heterosexual desire, ancient Mexican divinities, soap operas, Emma Goldman, the circulation of money and even cinema itself (Silverman, 1988:186). Kathleen A McHaugh (2001:3) notices that voice-over narration has a long history in American cinema, began in 1930s and was mostly presented by men. Silverman (1988:ix) argues that female voice-over narration is rare and only occurs in experimental feminist productions. McHaugh (2001:3) says that women storytellers is only a recent development, but very rarely occurs in noir films. Susan Snaider Lancer has described female narrators voices as a site of crisis, contradiction, or challenge (1992:7). Women narrators help in defining textual effects and function as a link between language and the feminine body. Voice-over narration is typical in most television programs and as Kozloff (1987) notices, the voice-over narration helps to introduce the story, reveals thoughts and emotions. The number of prime-time television shows with voice-over narration has risen in recent years, these include: Felicity (1998-2002), Aliens in America (2007-2008), How I Met Your Mother (2005-), Heroes (2006-2010), Everybody Hates Chris (2005-2009), Scrubs (2001-2010), Greys Anatomy (2005-), Pushing Daisies (2007-2009), My Name Is Earl (2005-2009), Dexter (2006-) and analysed in this work Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives (which popularised omniscient narration with its premiere in 2004) and Sex and the City. Although female voice-over narration is most often associated with television series, there are examples of it on the big screen. These include films like Fried Green Tomatoes (Avnet, 1991), Orlando (Potter, 1993), Clueless (Heckerling, 1995), Bound (Wachowski Bros, 1996), Daughters of the Dust (Dash, 1996) or Mansfield Park (Rozema, 1999). The common characteristic for all these films is that they are either experimental cinemas or independent productions, which leads to the conclusion that female voice-over narration very rarely occurs is box office productions. The voice-over narration is repeatedly chosen in films where the characters deal with trauma (McHaugh, 2001:5) to mark the seriousness of its circumstances (war films, in these cases however, the narrator is male) or in films where protagonists tell their coming of age stories, with the examples of Titanic (Cameron, 1997) and Notebook (Cassavetes, 2004). THE IMPORTANCE OF VOICE-OVER NARRATION: OMNISCIENCE IN THE AGE OF GOSIPDOM Sarah Kozloff (1988:5) says that voice-over narration can be formally defined as oral statements, conveying any portion of a narrative, spoken by an unseen speaker situated in a space and time other than that simultaneously being presented by the images on the screen. Kozloff (1988:3) claims that in voice-over narration all three words are fully operative. Voice controls the medium, over is a connection between the narrator and the image on the screen (the narrator in not visible at that time) and narration is the message being sent from the narrator to the viewer (Kozloff, 1988:3). The aim of this section is to explore forms and functions of female voice-over narration in the television series Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives and Gossip Girl with the main focus on Desperate Housewives series. To fully understand the agenda of each one of them, it is important to fully analyse who the narrators are and what they represent. The research for this article is based on analysis of the first three series of each television program with the main focus on their voice-over narration. It is worth noticing that all three television shows belong to different genre. Although Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives both focus on private lives of their four main characters, they differ in length of the episodes: approximately 25 minutes of Sex and the City, which classifies it as a sitcom and approximately 45 minutes of Desperate Housewives, which classes it to a drama series category (similarly to Gossip Girl, which is a teen drama with episodes approximately 45 minutes long). Although in Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City we know who the narrator is, we rarely see them speaking. It is what Allrath et al. calls a non-visible narrators voice (year:15). The narrator shows the viewers around, introduces the scenes that they look at without showing his or her face to help them understand the main focus of the episode. One of the reasons why the narrator is present in television series is that he or she gets to choose what the viewer should focus on by defining what scenes are shown: Voice-over narration changes the quality of the visual, adding a subjective note by implying that what the audience is watching has been chosen by the narrator (Hoth, 2010:82). In Sex and the City the voice-over is provided by one of the protagonists- Carrie Bradshaw. She is a newspaper columnist writing about female sexuality and her voice-over represents her thoughts about hers and her three friends sexual exploits. The Sex and the City series start with the narrators statement, the naked truth about the times we live in: Welcome to the age of un-innocence. No one has breakfast at Tiffanys and no one has affairs to remember. Instead, we have breakfast at 7 a.m. and affairs we try to forget as quickly as possible. Self-protection and closing the deal are paramount. Cupid has flown the co-op (S01E01, 1998). The message that comes with the above statement is cruel but simple: romantic love does not exist any more, but it becomes untrue later on in the series as we learn that all of the characters are looking for true love, romantic dinners and honest feelings. The theme of each episode is a series of questions of different sexual subject that she ponders about with her closest friends, and answers to these questions she puts in a form of an article to her sex column: I explore those sorts of issues in my column and I have terrific sources- my friends (Carrie Bradshaw: S01E01, 1998). Each episode starts with the view of Carrie sitting in front of her laptop. She ponders on the sexual dilemmas by sharing her internal thoughts, which is a rare characteristic for television series featuring single women. Singledom is the subject that Carrie very often comes back to. As an unmarried woman herself, she tries to find the resolution to the nurturing stereotype that it is easier to be killed by a terrorist that it is for a woman to get married after 30 (Carrie Bradshaw: S01E01, 1998). She often brings up the statistics about the number of singles in Manhattan, trying to convince herself about the endless possibilities of finding a perfect life partner. The filming technique being used in the series help the viewer to identify with the narrator. The camera movements makes the viewers feel that they perform the same activities as Carrie: the camera moves as she looks through the window, walks around her flat or zooms in on her computer screen the same moment when Carrie looks at it. Carries voice-over is technology mediated, whatever she thinks she types on her laptop. Her thoughts at the same time are available to public audience, making her private life dilemmas a public read. Sex and the City uses female narration to intervene in feminine discourses regarding female sexuality and lifestyle choices. For example in episode in episode 2 of the first series Carrie says: the truth was I thought I had come to terms with my looks the year I turned 30, when I realised that I no longer had the energy to be superficial (1998). She is very honest about her sexuality. When at the beginning of the third series Carrie starts dating a twenty six year old, bisexual man named Sean (played by Eddie Cahill), she soon realises how uncomfortable she feels being with someone who is not only attracted to her, but still has feelings for his ex boyfriend. But this is not what she was expecting. At the beginning of episode 4 of the third series she states: its been said that New Yorkers are the most jaded people in the world. The fact is weve pretty much done and seen it all. It takes quite a bit to shock usà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦'(S03E04, 2000). It was only after she met Seans ex boyfriend, who also happened to be married to a guy and had a daughter with his ex girlfriend who was also married to another woman, when Carrie realised how strong she feels about her sexuality. Carrie provides the voice-over narration to each episode. Her voice-over also frames each episode. Her prologue introduces the topic of the episode, e.g.: Lets be honest. Sometimes there is nothing harder in life than being happy for somebody else, like lottery winners or extremely successful people who are twenty something. And then there is the hell on earth that only your closest friends can inflict on- the baby shower (S01E10, 1998). The statements that she gives us at the beginning make the viewers aware of her insecurity and subjectivity. Usually the entire episode is based on Carries thoughts and dilemmas that she shares with her friends, analyses them and provides possible answers and resolutions at the end of the episode. Carrie uses a very innovative and unusual technique to share her thoughts with the viewers. Especially in the first and the second series she gives background information by directly addressing it to the audience. It seems like she pauses the world behind her, e.g. during a telephone conversation, she stops talking, looks in the camera and starts talking to the viewers. Similarly, when Carrie does the research for her column article, she asks random passers-by for their opinion and usually they look straight in the camera while giving their answers. Both mentioned above techniques cause confusion to the viewer, it is hard to say if she talks to the viewer or becomes one. Mary Alice Young The first series of Desperate Housewives opens with scenes of a model housewife, Mary Alice Young (played by Brenda Strong), preparing a family breakfast, painting a chair, polishing and dusting- and then killing herself just after she has finished these tasks. Her voiceover interrupts the suicide to say: in truth I spent the day as I spend every other day, quietly polishing the routine of my life until it gleamed with perfection. Thats why it was so astonishing when I decided to go to my hallway closet and retrieve a revolver that has never been used (S01E01, 2004). She says these words with a very calm tone of voice, almost as she was telling a story that ends with a happy end, or even as she was talking about somebody else. Does she think of her suicide as of a happy moment? What about her family? What about all these people she left behind? Why did she even do that? Why did no one predict it? Apparently suicidal thoughts are an involuntary thoughts and people who want to take their lives away just want to stop hurting. This proves the point that Mary Alice did stop hurting and it seems that committing suicide dehumanised her and took away all her feelings. This moment of suicide enables her to become the omniscient god-like narrator of the series, whose voiceover tells the story from Heaven. Marys suicide thus makes her central to the main plot line of the first season of the show, since her fatal pulling of the trigger is precisely what triggers the dynamics of investigation and the shows gradual revelations about her past. Listening to Mary Alice the viewer gets the impression of listening to a good old friend, which gives the feeling of authenticity of the series. She can be classified as a heterodiegetic, third person narrator, because she talks about her past, has no active position in the series and her voice starts and ends each episode. This kind of narrative sets up an enigma, which incites the series and gives the viewer something to look forward to every week. Sarah Kozloff (1988) has called the narrator who begins and ends the story a frame narrator. She claims that frame narrators possess a greater degree of believability, also called authentication authority- the ability to establish and verify the facts of the fictional world. At the end of each episode she sumarises it and helps to understand its message that people believe is true, sharing her worldly wisdom with the viewers: we honour heroes for different reasons. Sometimes for their daring. Sometimes fort heir bravery. Sometimes for their goodness. But mostly we honour heroes because at one point or another we all dream of being rescued. Of course if the right hero doesnt come along, sometimes we just have to rescue ourselves (S01E17, 2004). A perfect housewife leaves her family behind to lead us through the mysterious lives of the people of Wisteria Lane, but what her best friends, and at the same time the main protagonists of the story, want to know is why did she do it? Suspicions arise when four of Mary Alices best friends: Susan (played by Teri Hatcher), Bree (played by Marcia Cross), Lynette (played by Felicity Huffman) and Gabrielle (played by Eva Longoria) find a note in her belongings: I know what you did, it makes me sick, Im going to tell (S01E01, 2004). This opening to the series provided an effective entry into the unfolding narrative, setting up new enigmas week by week and encourages watching following episodes. The secret is revealed at the end of season one and after that the stories that she tells are not related with her family or herself. This is also the time when her son and husband move out from Wisteria Lane. All she does from this moment is commenting on her friends problems, lies and affairs. Surprisingly to all the living, she says something that no one would ever think about, which intensifies this enigma: an odd thing happens when we die, our senses vanish: taste, touch, smell and sound become a distant memory, but our sightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ oh our sight expands and we can suddenly see the world weve left behind so clearly. Of course, most of whats visible to the dead, could also be seen by the living, if theyd only taken time to look (S01E02, 2004). This provides the characters way of explaining where her omniscience comes from. By saying this she also explains herself that all she has got left are memories, but what she gained is the limitless access to peoples lives and thoughts. Thanks to Mary Alice the dirty secrets, affairs, illnesses and financial problems of Wisteria Lane are made public. At the beginning of each episode the voice-over prologue introduces more and more complications to the narrative and new information about the characters in the series. For example in episode 2 of the first series Mary Alice reveals Gabrielles secret: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) like my friend Gabrielle. I should have seen how unhappy she was, but I didnt. I only saw her clothes from Paris and her platinum jewellery, and her brand new diamond watch. If I looked closer, I would have seen Gabrielle was a drowning woman, desperately in search of a life raft. Luckily for her, she found one. Of course Gabrielle only saw her young gardener as a way to infuse her life with little excitement. But now she was about to discover just how exciting her life could get (2004). Following this statement Mary Alice proceeds to showing Gabrielles husband getting out of his car while she is having a bath with her lover. Narrators prologue functions as the time to reveal her friends dirty secrets and also to show who they really are behind the closed doors. Another example could be episode 15 of the first series where Mary Alice shows Bree finding a condom in the laundry basket: Bree Van De Kamp believed in old-fashioned values, such as respect for God, the importance of family and love of country. In fact Bree believed so strongly in her values, it was always a shock whenever she was confronted with those who didnt (2004). Mary Alice knew her friend so well that she instantly knew what Brees reaction would be- to find out if her husband is cheating or if one of her children has pre-marital sex. She predicts characters actions, knows the resolution to their problems, but waits with the reveal and gives hints of what is going to happen next. At the end of every episode Mary Alices voice-over summarises the events, which she has unfolded with an epilogue and teases the viewer with what is going to happen next: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) yes, each new day in suburbia brings with it a new set of lies, the worst are the ones we tell ourselves before we fall asleep. We whisper them in the dark, telling ourselves we are happy or that he is happy, that we can change or that he will change his mind. We persuade ourselves we can live with our sins or that we can live without him. Yes, each night before we fall asleep we lie to ourselves in a desperate, desperate hope that come morning it will all be true (S01E15, 2004). Suburban areas used to be portrayed as idyllic places, where people grew up in their communities, raised their kids and everyone was extremely nice to each other. With Mary Alices words the impression that the viewer gets is that the association of this idyllic place has been turned upside down. It seems that there are lots of lies and secrets that it holds, which makes it an example of juxtaposition for the truth about the series, she explains: Suburbia is a battleground, an arena for all forms of domestic combat (S01E06, 2004). Another example of this kind is shown in episode 2 of the second series, where Mary Alice says: beautiful lawns. Spacious homes. Happy families. These are the hallmarks of suburbia. But if you look beneath the veneer of gracious living, you will see a battle raging. A battle for control. You see the combatants everywhere, engaged in their routine skirmishes fighting fiercely to have dominion over the world around them (2005). The way that suburbia is presented in Desperate Housewives denies being a sacred domestic space of mutual trust and affection, altruistic care, peaceful innocence, religious inspiration, security from outside interference, and all-encompassing virtue (Hebel, 2005:187). What is striking about this statement is that the narrator of the series is presented as authoritative, truthful and realistic, while people living on Wisteria Lane and the idea of the place itself are illusive. Everyone attends Mary Alices funeral, which either proves a strong relationship between neighbours or is a gesture of politeness in the community. Everyone seeks scandal in modern world, there are no perfect places mentioned by Hebel (2005:187), they varnished the moment the first crime was committed and the truth hidden: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) yes, everyone loves a scandal, no matter how big or small. After all, what could be more entertaining than watching the downfall of the high and mighty. What could be more amusing than the public exposure of hypocritical sinners. Yes, everyone loves a scandal, and if for some reason youre not enjoying the latest one, well, the next one is always around the corner (Mary Alice, S01E16, 2005). Mary Alice is initially portrayed by her friends- the main protagonists- as the nicest person they have ever met. At the wake, Bree, Lynette, Gabrielle and Susan gather at a dining table, stare briefly at the chair that Mary Alice used to sit on and start pondering about their friends life. They cannot believe that someone so happy could have done something so terrible. Gabrielle reflects: what kind of problems could she have had? She was healthy, had a great home, a nice family. If Mary Alice was having some sort of crisis, we would have known, she lives fifty feet away for Gods sake (S01E01). There are many situations throughout the series when Mary Alices apparent narrative omnipresence and omnipotence are demonstrated. When she says that to understand Maisy Gibbons (played by Sharon Lawrence), you first need to know how she spends her afternoons (S01E10, 2004) and then proceeds to show the viewers how Maisy does her husbands laundry, helps her children with their homework and works as a prostitute in the afternoons when her family is not at home. It is a shocking juxtaposition to the way that her neighbours see her: as a perfect mother and an exemplary housewife. The interesting fact here is that Maisy is not a main character in the series and here almost the whole episode is dedicated to her. The narrators voice is always very calm, the viewer is never able to notice any emotions driving her. She speaks with a lot of confidence and authority because she is aware of the fact that she knows everything and everyone. Sometimes she gives the viewer the impression of interacting with other characters. When her friends gather to pack up her belongings and Gabrielle notices that all Mary Alices clothes were size 8, not size 6 like she had been telling everyone, she drops a comment: Guess we found a skeleton in her closet (S01E01, 2004), Mary Alice responds: Not quite Gabrielle, not quite (S01E01, 2004), which insinuates that even darker secrets are to be revealed in the future. Mary Alice seems to be enjoying her power and knowledge. She knows in what emotional state her friends are, e.g. when Edie Britt (played by Nicollette Sheridan) decided to ask Mike Delfino (played by James Denton) out on a date despite the fact that she knew that Susan was interested, Mar

Existentialistic Ideas in Anita Desai’s Novels

EXISTENTIALIST FOCUS ON PROTAGONIST SITA – ANITA DESAI'S -WHERE SHALL WE GO THIS SUMMER ? The protagonist herself has an existential entity. Desai, has presented an intense identity crisis of the central character Sita, a sensitive woman in her late forties. Existentialism’ is a difficult term to define and an odd movement as many feel, but it not totally impossible to define. ‘Existentialists’, tend to take freedom of the will, the human power to do or not do, as absolutely obvious. Only now and then, there are arguments for free will. Sita was one such character depiction of Anita Desai.However, in general the existentialists recognize that human knowledge is limited and fallible. The protagonist expects miracles to happen on her island. One can be deeply committed to truth and investigation and simply fail to find adequate truth, or get it wrong. The world in which we live is full of spiritual stress and strain. Sita terribly wants to escape from her day to day life and its mundane extensions. Modern man has become materialistic, so self centered and so ego- centric that,he cannot afford to help without suffering the inner problem – a conviction of segregation and purposelessness prevails in his day to day life.Sita is tired of the monotony of the life in Bombay. She wants to run away, from the daily duties that torture her. She slowly feels, like going far away and leaving the place would help her get rid of her mental turmoil. So, ultimately Sita’s option was her father’s magical island ‘Manori’. The existential problem is so critical and enveloping that it threatens every sphere of her life. We see Sita, the landlord of the mansion in the magical island Manori, arriving there after a long gap of twenty years. The air seems to be pathetic, as nothing seems to be perfect when she arrives, with her two children, in search of peace and harmony.Desai employs the sea, as a contrivance of progress that is focused in this novel. Sita, the central character, seems to be bored with life in Mumbai and expects to have a drastic change in life at ‘Manori’. The people in the island await ferventlyto see the daughter of their beloved saint who was phenomenal in human relation and a living legend for all of them, but Sita returns as a chaotic mother, without her husband to accompany and with no special traits ofher great father. The sea plays a major role in the lives of both Raman and Sita, because this is the place where their life had begun.Desai makes use of the term a ‘zombie’ – an expression to portray the frustration with the rich life in the city. Sita is seen to suffer, from culpability this transforms her intact personality. Moses finds her not, the least like her father. The metropolis had taught her to smoke – a habit that even men in the island feel unrespectable. Sita had intentions of keeping the baby unborn, but not to abort it. Ever y action she performed at home in Mumbai appeared as sheer madness. The boys acting the scene, Menaka and her magazine, the ayah’s gossip all seemed to terrorize Sita.The insecurity of the city life made Sita feel, that she had to return to her safe magical island Manori, which was paradise to her. The menial matters of food, sex and money were simple matters to the town folk who were engrossed in such mind-numbing venture. She had lived in a joint family set up and everyone was all the time talking about trivialities like food or at least the preparation of it. Thus Desai The arena she has given the readers to exploit is quite wide. The readers wonder at the author’s skillful portrayal of relationships.